The plane is part of the Coast Guard search for the man who jumped overboard. The sailing boat, privately owned we assume, also took part and sailed in the search for most of Saturday.

Thihs web pic showing the Legend leaving St. Thomas will give you an idea of from where the man jumped. His cabin was about mid-ships one deck over the lifeboats (which you'll see on either side of the mid-ship balcony cabins.

Our cabin was at the top deck, rear just one in from the right side as shown.

Shots from our pier in St. Thomas, including one of the U.S. Coast Guard craft which escorted us in and out.

Neither Donna or myself remember seeing these craft present on our past cruises, but the last time we were in St. Thomas our cabin was pier side so we might not have seen them.

I regret not taking my camera along to Megans Bay, since both the beach there and the journey back & forth were amazing. The beaches are on the other side of the island from downtown and the piers, so you have to travel through the hills which provide some beautiful, if sometimes nerve wracking photo ops.

A couple of shots of Megans Bay I was able to find on the 'net. Believe me, this does not do the place justice. I easily compare Megans Bay to the beaches in the Bahamas any day.

Our Cruise, part 3

Donna and I have both been to St. Thomas several times in the past. The last time was while aboard the Celebrity Summit, the notorious cruise on which both us ended up with medical bills approaching a thousand dollars. Of the five ports the ship hit we were only able to get off on two, with St. Thomas (the last port) being the only one in which we spent several hours shopping and having lunch. As Donna’s knee was bothering her due to the incident in the tour bus the day before, she decided to spend the day relaxing aboard.

Pete, who had never been on a cruise, was excited at the prospect of heading to one of the local beaches. We had checked out several of the ‘shore excursions’ offered by Carnival, but most included shopping and site-seeing, neither of which interested either of us. The whole point was to spend several hours at a beach, relaxing and not being on the ship’s schedule. Also, the official tours started at around $39 per person with nothing included, except the admission to the beach.

Getting off the ship around 9:30am we found a number of open-air trucks with bench seats. The price chart listed Megan’s Bay, which we had been told was nice, at $10 per person so we decided to take our chances. It was the right choice!

Megan’s Bay is considered one of the most beautiful beaches on the island and it is obvious why. Sandy beaches, under palm trees with picnic tables and a small snack bar & gift shop. It costs $3 person to get in for the day and Pete sprung for another $6 a piece to get a couple of beach chairs. The water in St. Thomas is clear and warm, with small fish swimming right between your legs as you wade in. No jet skis are allowed in the area, and the only motorboats belong to area residents. Only small sail boats, paddle-boats and rafts are available for rental, so you can float and swim with little concern.

We remained for almost three hours, only suffering minor sunburn on our backs and feet. Real Men don’t ask each other to put sun screen on each other, after all!

Oddly it was only $8 each to return to the ship, and the drive back took you along the hills where Pete was able to take some nice photos. I hadn’t taken my camera along, so you’ll have to take my word for how beautiful things were, unless I can find some shots of Megan’s Bay on line. We got back to the ship in time to grab some burgers by the pool and take showers before heading out to dinner later.

The Legend pulled out early that evening and I was able to get some shots. After dinner, we had some drinks and spent a while in the casino. Pete, who was a favorite of the Casino Hostess by now, decided to stay while Donna & I headed back to relax, and get some room service.

The whole point of the cruise was relaxation so the two of us skipped most of the shows. The three we attended were quite good; being the typical stuff you’d see in a Las Vegas or resort show. If you’ve seen this type of thing you’ll know that they are filled with Broadway and movie musical numbers, generally with three or four ‘featured’ singers along with a dozen or so dancer/performers.

Thursday morning found us at the pier in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Friends had told us that the beaches here were even more beautiful than those in St. Thomas, but as the ship was only going to be in port until 2:00pm we felt that we’d skip those in favor of some last minute souvenir shopping. I’ve got a few pics of the shopping area, which I’ll eventually get around to posting here. Donna and Pete bought some t-shirts for the various kids back home, checked out a couple of the jewelry shops and then headed back for lunch.

While we had a lot of fun during the cruise, it was fairly uneventful, until Friday night/Saturday morning. I wrote about the man jumping overboard to his apparent death last week, so there isn’t much to add. I don’t want to end all this on a down note.

Again, cruising is In My Humble Opinion the best way to relax with little pressure once you get onboard. I’ve heard that some ‘all inclusive’ resorts are comparable, but I haven’t tried one yet so that remains to be seen.

Our Cruise, part2

Our first port of call was San Juan, P.R Which due to it taking about two and a half days to arrive there from NYC, we didn’t get in until after 2:00pm on Tuesday. To be honest, Carnival was conducting a survey of passengers to decide just what they would do with San Juan. If the port should be the second port, allowing passengers longer in the port, or to skip it make it the last port, where they would be there in the mornings.

The way things work now many of the museums and landmarks are getting ready to close by the time some tours arrive. If you want to do shopping, have dinner or visit some of the night spots which open early then the current 2:00pm -11:30pm stay works out fine.

As you’ll see when I finally get around to posting our pics, we took a tour of the Bacardi Distillery, skipping some of the other tourist spots. You certainly get in the right mood, since the folks from Casa Bacardi have open bar or frozen & iced rum drinks as you leave the SJ terminal. I think some folks didn’t make it past there!

With drinks in hand to boarded a mini-bus, which we soon discovered did not have a working air conditioner. Opening windows didn’t provide much relief, but the trip to the distillery was only about twenty minutes and out driver/guide Manual (“Call me Manny!”) was knowledgeable and amusing. I had no idea that Ricky Martin is about the only celebrity in P.R. At least it seemed from the way that Manny pointed out where Ricky stayed, worked out, eat and jogged when he was back on the island.

Naturally, the tour of Casa Bacardi began and ended with the bus pulling in front of the gift shop, which also included an outdoor refreshment stand. While you had to pay for such items as water, soda, chips, etc. you were able to have two more “free” rum drinks using the tickets you received upon boarding the bus. The tour itself was fairly interesting, beginning with a twenty minute film on the history of the Bacardi family (Did you know the bat was chosen as the symbol of the company because a coloney of fruit bats was discovered in the original warehouse the family purchased when they began their business? They were considered a sign of good luck.) and how they came to become one of the largest rum manufacturing companies in the world, and certainly the most famous. Following this you were able to see a replica of the original stills, smell casks filled with rum at various stages of manufacture plus others containing every type and brand the Bacardi’s sold.

The tour ended with all of us getting back on an open-air trolley to be returned to the gift shop. At this point the guys behind the bar had given up even asking for tickets and some folks (I admit to being guilty) helped themselves to several more freebies after hitting the gift shop. I now have two t-shirts, a ball cap and more than enough rum to keep me very happy after work or while at the grill on summer weekends.

Unfortunately, the trip back took a bit longer, going by way of Old San Juan and the A/C hadn’t been repaired. We were also a bit jarred when an automobile pulled ahead of us, causing Manny to brake sharply. Poor Donna hit her knee on the seat in front of her, which caused her some discomfort later. We eventually made it back to the ship, overheated and looking forward to a quick shower before dinner.

It was kind of cool watching us pull out of SJ at a bit after midnight, as you could see the city really lighting up and hear music coming from a number of clubs along the shore. I’d spent some time in P.R. previously, while in the Navy and had a chance to see some of the beautiful countryside. I’d recommend it for folks, but you might want to pick a cooler time of the year, since it was pretty hot & humid in late May.

I’ll get around to St. Thomas & probably Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands either later tonight or tomorrow.

See! I told you the Rove-Meister was going to walk away. Damn you all for slandering the man!

Man, the gang at Al Queda didn't take long to come up with a new #1 guy, did they? Anybody believe like I do that there really is no such person? Nobody had ever heard of him before this, so I think he is an invention that will 'sign' future statements from the group, but never make an appearance. Just spec on my part, of course.

I'll bet the AMA will be taking flack for coming out against its members taking part in torture or executions. Again just a guess.

Our cruise, Part 1

Perhaps the events of Saturday should have given us an idea that all things weren’t going to run smoothly. Of course, you never know in this type of situation.

We were going to set sail aboard the Carnival Legend on June 20th at 4:00pm. Donna and I, along with our friend Pete, had a balcony room confirmed but didn’t know which one it might be. Anyway, Pete’s son Peter gave us a ride to the terminal in Manhattan getting us there around 12:30. At some point during the trip Donna had taken her purse out of her carry-on bag. It was only after Peter had already taken off and we were in the terminal that she realized that the purse, with our Passports and boarding documents were still on the backseat. It’s at moments like that when I’m glad to have a cell phone.

Due to a motorcycle tour and several street festivals, changing the normal traffic patterns, what should have taken only about ten minutes took nearly a half hour. This was even with Pete & I crossing over to meet Peter at 44th St.

Once we had our documents it still took us until after 2:00pm to even begin the boarding process, since the ship had been delayed about two hours coming in that morning. When we finally got aboard we discovered our cabin was at the very stern of the ship on the top deck of those with cabins. You can imagine the view straight down to the propellers, which later would prove quite interesting. (I have some photos which I’ll be posting in a day or so, at least a couple showing the view.)

Pete had never been on a cruise before so he was delighted by the stateroom with its extended balcony. It was already set up with three chairs, a footrest (which doubles as a drink stand) and small table (usually found in the stateroom, but apparently moved outside). Over the eight days of the cruise we used them all quite a bit.

The first day of a cruise is always casual dress in the dining room, since many folks don’t get their luggage until later and you often have to wear whatever you had on when you boarded. If you’ve never cruised before let me tell you that it might pay to have a sweater or light jacket, since the A/C is cranked sometimes.

Pete discovered the casino the first night and soon became a favorite of the Casino Hostess. Within a few days she even sent along a bottle of wine to our table and on our last day gave him a Player’s Club ‘goodie bag’ of stuff. Donna and I have generally won and lost a few hundred dollars during each our cruises and never even saw the Casino Host, so I’m not going to guess how much Pete gambled.

It takes two and a half sailing days to get from New York to our first port, which in this case was San Juan, P.R. I’ll fill you in on our shore trips and the later part of the cruise next time out.

I've been pretty busy around here since getting back and wanted to at least begin telling you about the cruise. I hope to post some photos of the ship and the three of us tomorrow.

Sorry that I haven't had a chance to post pics or talk about our cruise. It's the beginning of the new fiscal year at the library, I'm still sending out resumes and other things have prevented me from sitting down to blog. I really will try to get to it, perhaps later tonight for a bit since I'm working.

On a political note. Can Bush's base be so easily deceived and kept in place by this last minute return to the gay marriage issue? I also hear some talk about the old tired 'flag burning ban', which never fails to stir things up. Have the last few years of Iraq, Katrina and illegal wiretapping really meant so little to these folks?

I've read the Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. ROLLING STONE piece on the 2004 election. It still angers me, but admit that the SALON critique by Farjad Manjoo (both pointed out by Mark Evanier) raises some good points, chiefly that we've all heard much of this before and Kennedy really adds nothing to the debate save his name recognition.

Some of you will recall that Donna and I sailed on a Caribbean cruise last week on the Carnival Legend. You may also have seen that ship in the headlines the last day or so.
The next few days I’m going to be telling you about the cruise and posting photos. We generally had a good time and so I wanted to mention tragedy right off the bat.

It was around 1:15am on Saturday morning when I was awoken by the Captain’s voice over the public address system. As any of you who have cruised before know, they seldom make announcements after 10:00pm and NEVER in the middle of the night. The Captain said, as closely as I recall, “Operation Bravo. Operation Bravo, all staff. Operation Bravo on the starboard side.”

Having served in the U.S. Navy my initial reaction was that there was a fire. When I noticed no alarms sounding, I immediately realized that it had to be the second worst incident, namely a ‘man overboard.’ Going out on the patio I noticed, being all the way aft, the ship was slowing quickly and then turning sharply. Peter, who was sharing our cabin, also awoke and we saw the ship’s searchlights playing over the surface. A call to the Purser/Reception Desk got me an ‘everything is under control’ response. It was only about twenty minutes later when the Cruise Director came over the P.A. to verify the ‘man overboard’ situation.

For the next twelve hours the Legend, along with the U.S. Coast Guard (via aircraft) and at least one other vessel (a private sailing boat) continued to cover the area in which the man had disappeared.

According to word making the rounds (including several of our tablemates, who had a stateroom several doors down from the man and his family), the husband had been drinking quite a bit, and had lost a ‘large amount’ in the casino. He and his wife had been heard arguing several times around the ship and security was called around 12:45. Upon several members of the security team gaining entrance to the room, the husband made a dash for the patio and leaped over the railing. This was witnessed by the security team, the wife and at least one of their two children (reported to be around seven years old, and I have been told there was a young child as well). Obviously, in this type of situation rumors abound, but I’ve tried to keep this to what we heard from first and second hand sources.

Over the next two nights, Donna and I saw the wife accompanied at all times in both the dining room and in the lobby leading to the buffet by a female security officer. Our table mates, who shared the deck with the family, told us that a security guard was posted permanently outside the cabin.

Sadly, no report I’ve yet heard or read states that the man or his remains have been located. From my knowledge of the vessel and my experience in the Navy, I have to assume that he was more than likely immediately pulled into the wake of the ship, probably under & into the propellers.

We may never know the entire situation, but my thoughts must go out to his wife and children, as well as any other surviving family. This is an incident that will remain with them for the rest of the lives and I hope that the media will leave them in peace.

We're off on our cruise later today, so I won't be blogging or reading anything for the next 8 to 9 days. Wanted to give you something to stare out for a while and nothing brings to mind cruising like the towel animals the cabin stewards create almost every evening.

I'll be honest. I was so used to seeing them on the bed or nightstand that the 'monkey' hanging from the mirror actually scared me at first. Of course, the several drinks I had before hand didn't help I suppose!

Take care and have a great Memorial Day, if I don't get back here before then.

I've heard that as part of his border patrol initiative, G.W. is going to announce tonight that Jenna & Barbara are joining the National Guard. They'll be assigned to ride armed speed boats along the Rio Grande to keep illegals from swimming up to the riverwalk in San Antonio.

It's hard to believe that this time next Saturday, I'll be sitting aboard the Carnival Legend preparing to set sail out of New York harbor. Donna, Pete and I will have already taken part in the lifeboat drill and will probably be sitting out on our balconey watching the Statue of Liberty pass along side. We would have already had lunch and probably a drink or two, just to get into the proper cruise state of mind.

We still haven't been given our room assignment, but we have been guaranteed a balconey stateroom at least. According to the 'cruise advisor' we may very well be getting an upgrade, but that could be anything from a room on a higher deck to an extended balconey. It is possible, given when we booked and being past passengers, that we may even get a mini-suite. Hoo boy!!

You really do have to wonder about that 31% that seems to remain behind the President. Almost every day brings us some new action which cuts away at that support, but I guess (as folks on Air America often conjecture) people refuse to admit that they could have been so wrong about him.

How are the Republicans running this Fall going to put a good face on all this? At some point many of them will have to find some small thing to point to as showing that they have been productive. Iraq, the economy and gas prices aren't really the best things on which to rest their platforms. It is going to be another ugly campaign with the Right Wing playing for their base.

It's good to know that if I forget who I called the other day, by deleting my Incoming/Outgoing file I can contact the NSA.

Had a very interesting experience this morning at a local school here in Queens. Each year they hold a "Career Day" and invite people in various occupations to take part. When another librarian couldn't go the buck was passed aand I accepted.

Try to explain what you do to a 1st grader! Fortunately, many of the kids already know me, as they come with their parents, but it's still hard to keep them interested for more than a few minutes, let alone twenty (as I was asked to do). I actually had a much better time with the fourth grade class I met with initially. Kids seem excited to know that this library carries comics, graphic novels & manga, besides "real books."

Still doing the countdown to the cruise and am contemplating putting something up on both blogs while I'm away. Probably some of the photos I still haven't posted already from our previous cruise. Nothing says "we're on vacation" like a towel elephant.

Sometimes I think the most important thing I do around here is trying to smooth the ruffled feathers of patrons. Library policies (and this is true of all libraries I've worked in, not just Queens) can sometimes be a bit hard to understand and people get upset when they can't get immediate results. Of course, it would help if some of my staff were a bit more patient, but that's another story completely.

It seems that a day doesn't go by now without thoughts of the up-coming cruise. We've already booked a tour for San Juan, including a stop at the Bacardi distillery. Pete and I are definetely planning on hitting the beach in St. Thomas, but haven't decided what to do in Tortola (as some past passengers haven't had the best things to say about that place). Donna may decide just to do a bit of shopping in St. Thomas and leave us guys to ourselves.

Just a reminder that I'm still looking for a library position in southern California, if you happen to know of one!

So, Donna and I are reading some reviews by past passengers on the Carnival Legend yesterday. We often will do this when unfamiliar with a ship or some of the ports. It turns out that only last year while doing this same cruise we will be departing on the Legend almost capsized!!

As some of you may or may not know, unless a passenger ship is leaving or entering a port, much of the cruise of done by computer in the same fashion as the 'automatic pilot' on a plane. At least one crew member is on the bridge, just in case something occurs and the ship's Captain must be informed. In the case of U.S. Navy ships the bridge is generally manned by a half a dozen or more officers and enlisted, depending on the type of ship and under what conditions the ship is sailing (weather related, or peace time opposed to 'war time' cruising).

Apparently, around 5:00pm, after the Legend had left Tortolla for the return voyage to New York, a "computer glitch" occured forcing the ship to tilt over to the side. While nobody was seriously injured, the pools (some with passengers) emptied onto the deck, items in staterooms, shops and the restaurant were tossed about. Some passengers report that lower cabins, with portholes, were actually underwater while others viewed only the sky. Unlike the situation involving the rogue wave that many read about, there was no flooding or major damage. Some passengers say others actually carried or wore their lifejackets for the next day or so.

While in the Navy I can report several times when the ships I was aboard tilting anywhere from 20 to 30 degrees of more, during storms. At least once I was almost swept over the side while trying to negotiate an outside ladder during one such gale. Not something I miss!

Ahoy, shipmates! Just when you thought it was safe to put out to sea, the Chaputs have decided to go cruising once again. Damn, but you would think that once a year would be enough wouldn't you?

I was hoping that the release of the new remake of "The Poseidon Adventure" (simply called POSEIDON this time around) would put a damper on any ocean voyagers for a bit, but no dice!

Anyway, in just under 19 days we will join our friend, Pete, aboard the Carnival Legend for an eight day Caribbean cruise. I'll let you know more later.

Just a few quick thoughts at the end of the week.

I can't really get worked up one way or the other about a Spanish version of the Star-Spangled Banner. It is the 'national anthem' so you could make the argument that it should be sung as written. On the other hand, the original has been interpreted in so many ways that I don't think it does any harm to translate it into something perhaps more meaningful to new Americans. I'm sure to get into at least one argument this weekend over this.

Wow! Imagine somebody in the GOP being involved in a sex scandal? Not even interns, but actual prostitutes! I am shocked and appalled.

Did anybody, even among the 32% who still favor Bush, believe that he would do anything meaningful about the price of oil and gas for the average American?

Have a good weekend!

I guess ever since 9/11 many of us have had a feeling that the entire story was not told. As in the case of the JFK assassination and the Warren Commission Report there have been doubts, at least in my mind (and who doesn't love a good conspiracy?). I'm not going to take sides in this, but do feel that things were kept underwraps by certain agencies and individuals.

If you go to the websites of the VILLAGE VOICE and NEW YORK magazine, doing a search in their archives for '911 Truth' will bring up articles which introduce several groups who are doing their own research into what may have happened.

Personally, I think that the situation was a combination of the "Official Story" and massive incompetence on the part of various government agencies and the current administration. You will certainly not accept completely everything you'll find there and some of it may upset you but I think you should check over at 911Truth.org to which I've placed a link over to the Left.

Nothing like getting to work and seeing a body under a blanket! Yep, it's great living here in NYC.

Actually, I have no idea what happened since the police had the body covered and there were more than a few folks hanging around. I expect I'll hear something more on the news tonight, but it is sort of creepy.

By the way, if you peek over at Shot's Shack you see that I'm trying to get rid of some of the comics I've acquired over the past twenty years. I'm not going to list them all, but do want to get down from around 18 long boxes to four at most.

I was pretty down yesterday, as you can imagine, but I've decided that part of it was my own fault. I convinced myself that I had a position, simply because I had been called in for a second interview. I should have been more realistic and known that it was only a possibility.

I'm going to continue to send out resumes to California libraries, perhaps widening my geographical search. After all, I know that I'll have to drive no matter where I end up, so anything in the Los Angeles or San Diego area should be okay. I'll be using the Laguna Woods/Rancho Santa Margarita area as a point of reference, since that is the area we'd like to settle in.

If you check out the links over on the Left you'll notice that I'm cutting some. Nothing negative about the sites, but it is getting a bit out of hand and I rarely check many of them out anymore. I also want to refrain from having too many dupes on my two blogs.

Donna just called to tell me that I got The Letter from Orange County. *sigh*

Well, I'll just have to keep sending out those resumes I guess.

It would be nice to think that Scott McClellan announced his resignation as Press Secretary because he finally had enough of covering for his boss. I think it had more to do with the phoney 'shakeup' that the Bush White House is doing to make the American press write about something other than their failed policies.

You can expect McClellan to write a book in the next years or so to white wash his own performance. Then he'll go on to be a paid lobbiest for some corporation or other.

For those keeping track, I'm still waiting to hear from California.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend, rather or not you celebrated a holiday. The weather here in NYC was nice and we spent Easter Sunday with Donna’s big ol’ Italian family. Naturally, I ate way too much and we have lots of delicious leftovers for this week.

I haven’t really been in a posting mood either here or over at Shot’s Shack, since I can’t help but be thinking about the interview. Still no news to report, but fingers remain tightly crossed all around.

Well, I'm afraid I don't have anything to report. The interview seemed to go well, but I will still have to wait for "the phone call." *sigh*

California was nice, though a bit overcast on Monday. I actually got a bit of a sunburn from driving around with Kristina on Sunday with her sunroof open. I could definitely get used to that, since I've loved southern California since serving there in the '70s.

Fingers remained crossed but I feel a bit more positive, so I'll let you know what happens.

"Oh, how can you be in two places at once when you're not anywhere at aaaaaaaallll???"

I guess you can chalk it up to the fact that press releases are done before the fact, especially when it comes to various events done by politicians. Reading a copy of the release today it was amusing to find that I was apparently presented a document yesterday afternoon by a state Senator, commemorating National Library Week in Queens, while I thought I was taking a nap in Brooklyn. I hope I was dressed better in Queens. :-)

Well, tomorrow I'll be flying out to California for a job interview, so I hope those who know me will wish me well. I'll probably not be able to post anything until I get back to work on Wednesday and I may not know the outcome by then. However, I will let you know what adventures I had on the Left Coast.

Donna and I were watching NCIS (one of our favorite shows) last night when she spotted a few helicopters in the distance. From were we were in Dyker Heights you could see at least four copters, with one especially low and circling. We couldn't figure out what was happening until we caught the 10:00pm news on Fox 5. As some of you now know there was a near riot going on in Borough Park, where Orthodox Jews were setting fires and confronting the NYPD. Appears some officers may have gotten a bit rough with an elderly man who they had stopped for using a cell phone while driving. We'll probably never know the 'real truth' at this point as both sides are giving slightly different versions of events.

I was sitting in my office earlier working on the up-coming Annual Leave schedule when I happened to look out the window. I had heard them talking about a wintry mix, but was surprised to see large flakes of snow actually beginning to cover the ground and parked cars. The past weekend was absolutely beautiful here, so I didn't expect this. Then again, I can recall a few times where we have had flurries on Easter!

Had a nice relaxing weekend taking care of a few things and getting things together for my California trip. Got to look professional for OCPL, right?

Yesterday, Donna, her cousin Evelyn (known as EvieB) and I drove to Patchogue, NY out on the island. (Long Island, for non-New Yorkers) Don's cousin/EvieB's brother Charles was a soloist in a benefit concert out there. It was to raise funds for several groups working with folks suffering with and survivors of breast cancer. The funds will be split among: Babylong Breast Cancer Coalition, Cure Mommy's Breast Cancer, Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition, Long Island Lesbian Cancer Initiative & Thursday's Child (working living with HIV/AIDS). All really fine organizations deserving our support.

Go over here http://www.newcenturysingers.com/ and learn more about the group who performed. Although this particular fund raiser is over you can still find out more about it.

Have I mentioned how wonderful and understanding Donna is? She spent hours trying to book flights for my California trip and then going crazy trying to explain to me what I had to purchase my tickets. Needless to say I blew it, ending up taking a different flight to LAX rather than the flight to Santa Anna she had planned. (sigh)

If she had opened the car door and told me to walk back from JFK at that moment I wouldn't have blamed her.

With everything else going on, both at work and home, I'd totally let an anniversary go by without notice.

Twenty years ago last month I moved into Apt. 3-Eye in Brooklyn following an early release from the U.S. Navy. A month later, which would be about twenty years ago last week, I began working a series of Temp jobs. One of those, which became permanent for several months, was as a file clerk for a law firm situated on the 53rd floor of one of the World Trade Center towers.

It has been a strange & eventful twenty years, that's for sure!

It will be interesting to see what the resignation of Andy Card as White House chief of staff will do. I can't see anybody outside of political junkies even knowing who Card is for that matter. It appears to me to be one of those somebody having to fall on the sword for Bush.

On more important matters, I got the CALL last night from California. I'll be flying out in a couple of weeks for a 'face to face' with Human Resources. I have a good feeling about all this, but will continue to keep you all posted.

Enjoyed a good time yesterday, despite a sprained wrist, at a Christening party for the twins. Megan and Daniel were both baptized into the Catholic Church yesterday about a hundred folks were on hand to join in at the party after. If I remember I'll probably post a couple of pictures here in the next day or two, since the kids were on best behavior for most of the day.

Still haven't heard back from California, so my spirits needed the cheering up. We continue to remain hopeful that I'll get a phone call later this week, but I'm still sending out resumes to other California libraries.

I was lucky this morning that my commute wasn't affected by the sinkhole and subway tunnel collapse in Bay Ridge. It only caused problems on the "R", which I rarely take now that I'm working in Ridgewood. Fortunately, except for one SUV which all but disappeared into the hole, nobody was injured as the driver escaped unhurt.

Not sure if this qualifies as anti-war, but it is anti-GW:

The Wartime
President Song!

My old man, he had oil...
so I'd never have to toil !
With a knick-knack, bomb Iraq
all your money's spent...
I'm a wartime president !
My old man, made a call...
so I didn't go to 'nam at all!
With a knick-knack, bomb Iraq
all your money's spent...
I'm a wartime president !
Did my time in the Guard...
Went AWOL... It wasn't hard!
With a knick-knack, bomb Iraq
all your money's spent...
I'm a wartime president !
DUI? I made bail...
Then Daddy sent me off to Yale!
With a knick-knack, bomb Iraq
all your money's spent...
I'm a wartime president !
We won the war, so wave the flags...
just ignore those body bags !
With a knick-knack, bomb Iraq
all your money's spent...
I'm a wartime president !
I'm in charge. I'm the Prez...
Cause I do just what Cheney says!
With a knick-knack, bomb Iraq
all your money's spent...
I'm a wartime president !
I'll do fine in the end, cause
Halliburton is my friend !
With a knick-knack, bomb Iraq
all your money's spent...
I'm a wartime president !

Got this from over at www.onegoodmove.org

How can you not love a strip that begins a storyline about Homeland Security with a POWER PACK reference?

We are on pins & needles here at Chez Chaput, waiting to hear from the folks in California. Fingers crossed, of course, but a bit nervous nonetheless.

Naturally, I realize that I’ve only gone through the initial interview process but I feel pretty good about things. It would be great to get a call for the second interview, even though it would mean flying out to the OC. (I can’t believe I’m saying that!)

Just when you thought it was safe to check out the blog, Christina S. sent along a few more photos from the cruise. There are still a few I haven't annoyed you with and I'll get to them eventually.

The lovely sunset was taken by Christina, who'll you will see posing with my Uncle Charlie by the hottub. Also a nice group shot of the four of us at the pool, possibly shot by one of the waiters before he took our drink order.

Is there not a single Democrat in the Senate with the courage to stand up beside Sen. Russ Feingold?

Feingold introduced a resolution yesterday to censure President Bush for authorizing a no-warrant domestic surveillance program, and accused G.W. of breaking the law and misleading Congress about it.

"When the president of the United States breaks the law, he must be held accountable," said Feingold, but it doesn't seem that his fellow bench-warmers have the backbone to support the measure. Naturally, the GOP is going to paint this as pure political grandstanding, but it's sad to see some name Democrats speaking out against this.

If not now, when is the Democratic Party going to stand up for the rest of us? The Republicans dragged the Clinton family and his administration through the mud for minor (and generally unfounded) matters, yet the Dems will let His Smugness trash the Constitution at will.

I've added another link over on the Left to LIBRARYSPOT.COM. I have found it to be a great reference resource and a quick way to find things without searching Google everytime you can't find something for a patron. Filled with links to almanacs, calendars and misc. databases which you can use for actual research or just to waste some time.

It's sponsored by West Law, a database/information provider so it may not have every source you mind find otherwise. Still it has come in useful, especially when you're alone at the Reference Desk with several patrons all asking for different things at the same time.

Now granted I love a good conspiracy as much as the next Leftist, but it does seem a bit odd doesn't it that Milosevic's death comes less than a week after the star witness in his trial, former Croatian Serb leader Milan Babic, was found dead in the same prison?

I don't think many a tear will be shed over the former strong-man, but it will be interesting to learn what the autopsy turns up.

If you haven't been reading it since I posted a link, you should click on UNSHELVED MEDIA at the Left. The strip has been doing a story on blogging at work the past week. Today's talks about just how addicting it can be.

Today was one for the books, since we had our "Grand re-opening" with a score of local & state politicians dropping by for a photo op. There must have also been a dozen folks from Queens Public administration, including the Director. Actually heard my name mis-pronounced once, which was as close to an acknowledgement as one could expect.

Interestingly enough, at lunch time Donna told me that I'd gotten a response to a resume I submitted to a library system in California. I may be able to set up a telephone interview, as I've apparently gotten through the first round of consideration. Not going to hold out much hope but a bit of California Dreaming never hurts.

The silly outfits over in the picture are the new work uniforms being approved by the U.S. Navy for enlisted personnel E-6 and below (this would be anyone below Chief Petty Officer). They are buttugly, IMHO, but I suppose some folks may find them attractive. Do you really need to be 'camouflaged' aboard a ship?

During my first enlistment (1/69 thru 12/72) the Navy decided to try a new uniform to get away from the traditional dungarees we were all wearing onboard ships. It was rumored then (and I don't have a reason to doubt it) that it had more to do with political payback for some Senator or Representative, in whose district these new outfits would be manufactured.

It will be interesting to see if this new outfit lasts any longer than the two-three years that other uniform remained in rotation. Remember that military uniforms are NOT free, but actually come out of a 'clothing allotment' active duty personnel receive. In other words, all enlisted sailors will have to pay for these!

Not a great Oscar telecast, but certainly enjoyable. No real surprises either, not many political rants. I believe that Jon Stewart did a good job of hosting, although some of his monologue stuff fell flat. Then again, you don't really know how the audience is miked so hall response might have been better than we at home seemed to believe.

Loved the beginning with appearances by all the recent hosts and Jon Stewart's 'dream sequence.' If you saw the ABC 'red carpet' special, plus the various bits in the telecast itself, you'll understand Stewart's joke about their running out of clips. Still some nice tributes, but was sort of surprised that neither Don Knotts nor Darren McGaven were shown in the memorial sequence.

Since I never saw any of the nominated films I don't feel strongly enough about the winners or losers. If nothing else it was good to see George Clooney getting the Best Supporting Actor statue and later talking about how it's difficult if not impossible to judge performances against each other unless they all did the same role.

One of me favorite Stewart lines, which both Donna and I laughed at, was "Michael Scorsese Zero, 365 Mafia One."

One note was that Stewart and others seem to have dropped the "watched by billions worldwide" bit, since as Mark Evanier pointed out in his pre-Oscar piece this has been disproved and mentioned even in the mainstream press of late.

I've got nothing to say about what's going on with His Smugness showing the flag overseas. The riots & protests being shown on CNN and MSNBC should give us pause, however. There is also little I can add to all the Bush/Chertoff/Brown fingerpointing going on over the Katrina response. Both Pacifica and Air America Radio have been giving all this decent coverage, though naturally coming from the liberal/progressive viewpoint.

On a personal note, if you have any interest in my own shady past you can check out photos of the five U.S. Navy ships on which I served during my eight years on active duty. I've posted them over the last few weeks over at SHOT'S SHACK with a comment or two.

This is a long distance dedication for Michelle at Forest Hills. The closest thing I have to Mountain Men.

The guy on the Left was going through a divorce from a former artist model and cult member. The guy on the right, Rob, was just beginning to tour the pro circuit in the then new sport of motorcross. The unseen photographer, my shipmate Jeff, would go on to do FX and makeup for the likes of Roger Corman and in films like THE HOWLING.

This was taken in 1975 in the desert near, I would later learn, the Spawn Ranch hang out of the Manson Family. At the time there were still rumors of (and folks searching for) stashes of arms and supplies buried by the Family for the coming "race war."

Within an hour of this picture being taken, fueled by large quantities of beer and Jack Daniels, one of these individuals would begin the game of tossing live ammunition into the fire.

And you wonder why I am often amazed to find myself living to the age of 55?

I had this whole Country & Western thing going on in my head that I was going to do. Stuff about listening to Kenny Rogers on the CD player.

“Talking about BS and BJs and women we’ve known.
Our years in the service and just growing old
Too much comped food & drink with second hand smoke.”

I think I may have been channeling that old Tin Pan Alley song writer that Martin Short would play on Saturday Night Live. “Give me a “B”, a bouncy “B!”

Unfortunately, getting hit with a stomach virus Sunday afternoon upon getting back home sort of put a damper on that whole thing. It was difficult enough making it to the bathroom from the bed in the guestroom let alone making a dash from the computer room down the hall. One of those violent projectile emissions from both ends for over 24-hours kind of thing. Hey! What are blogs for if not sharing those special moments?

Caesar’s in Atlantic City is still fun and they are expanding quite a bit. They bought the old Boardwalk Mall (the one that looked like a beached ferry) and are turning it into higher-end shops with a walkway directly from the casino. Guess they are trying to compete with the expansion that Tropicana did the other year.

Frankie Valli (shown above in a recent publicity pic) and The Four Seasons (at least the latest incarnation of the group) were excellent. You can note some changes in the arrangements to cover for Valli’s slightly decreased high notes, but overall he’s still the same amazing singer he’s always been. You tend to forget that Frankie has been at this since the early 1960s (his first few hits with the FS are from that period) so he is himself in his late 60s. The FS look like the Backstreet Boys standing next to him, but were all quite good during their solo bits. Valli’s current back up band, directed by his long-time arranger Robbie Robertson, were really professional and every song was immediately recognizable. After all that is what you go to this type of show for anyway.

Hard to believe that after a little over twenty years of taking trips down to Atlantic City the place still gives me a kick when I'm there. The gambling part isn't what it once was, but I still love walking about checking out the new machines and watching things change. Las Vegas, where I've been three times also holds that same fascination.

I'm off to Atlantic City later this morning, so I'll fill you in on all that and the Four Seasons concert either Sunday night or Monday.

Hope you've had a chance to check out some of the photos of my old Navy ships at Shot's Shack
I still have a couple of more to post.

I've added a link to Overdue Media, the home of UNSHELVED, a librarian/library based comic strip over on the Left. I've enjoyed it for several years now, receiving it daily in my e-mail. Felt it was about time I gave the Bill & Gene their due and linked to them. Even if you're not a Librarian I think you'll get a lot of the 'office humor' and comics references.

I'd just like to congratulate the Queens Public Library administration for doing in less then two years what it took the Brooklyn Public system almost fourteen and three different Directors to do. Have I mentioned that I once enjoyed being a librarian?

Remember folks! Always keep that resume updated since you never know when it might come in handy.

Happy Birthday to my wife!

I probably don't tell you enough how much I love you and how you saved my life at a major point.

Have a special day and enjoy the chocolates!

These were sent to me a while ago by the ever perky Dorian Tenore-Bartilucci. I really didn't have anything on hand to post or talk about so I just wanted to do something "cute" for once.

Have a good weekend and a Happy President's Day! (Unless you happen to be the President, in which case you're on your own, G.W.!)

Has it really been seven years since our first date?

We went to see "Shakespeare in Love" and I didn't "make the move."

Love you Donna!

Just in case I can't get a box of REAL candy for my love!

Happy Valentine's Day, Donna Lee!

You can't deny that this "Dead Eye" Dick Cheney story doesn't seem to be going away. The news coming out that the VP office appeared to be interferring with or at least delaying (pardon the expression) the investigation by local law enforcement appears to be keeping the event in the press.

It is interesting to conjecture what the press and Congress would have done about this sort of thing had it happpened to Bill Clinton.

We also wish a speedy recovery to Mr. Harry Whittington both from the wounds inflicted by the VP and his heart attack.

Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and injured a man during a hunting trip in Texas, The Associated Press reports.

This opens up the way for so many jokes I don't even know where to start. I expect the likes of the Leno & Letterman staffs are cranking out reams of material at this very moment.

Personally, I'd like to see the VP showing up on Court TV.

Friday night was the "Midnight Buffet", where the chef and his crew go all out putting together an incredible display of artistry. I can't imagine the amount of hours it takes to put this together, but those folks who stay up certainly seem to enjoy themselves.

That's The Lovely Christina, looking all Angelina Jolie there and somehow I appear to have channeled my Uncle Charlie. Something I always feared would be my fate as a kid, but I'm only missing the cigar in this picture.

If you take a cruise you really should make an attempt to hit one of these. The best part is that when the picture taking part is done, you get to come back and eat your way through it.

This is our last port, Costa Maya, Mexico. You can see the long pier at which the ships dock and several of the other ships beside the Miracle.

If you don't feel like walking the length of the pier there's a small trolley which travels back and forth, but sadly I forgot to snap a shot.

As you can also see the beach at the end is not for swimming, you'd have to take a cab or one of the tours further down the beach. However, the mall does have several large size pools, one includes the swim-up bar you see in one of the photos.

There's no charge to just sit in the lounge chairs or hammocks along the beach, but there are several restaurants & bars. Waiters will bring you out your drinks if you like. During the day there are arts & crafts demonstrations in the plaza, with dozens of shops of all kinds arond the sunken stage if you'd like to shop and go no further into the town.

I've got a couple of more shots over at Shot's Shack, that you might get a kick out of.

For those of you still interested I plan on finishing up my cruise posting this weekend. I still have some photos of Costa Maya, Mexico and from the Carnival Miracle "midnight buffet" that I want to share as well.

If this weekend in NYC is as bad as they say it will be a good couple of days to just stay indoors anyway.

On a political note, I doubt that Scooter will actually drop the bomb on the VP. He has too much at stake if he wants any kind of future in the GOP or in government to turn on his ex-boss.

Interesting to hear that G.W. snuck the idea of Social Security privatization into the budget, especially after he all but said it was a dead issue in the State of the Union speech. Pretty obvious you can't trust His Smugness, but you folks should already know that.

Note to city workers that they be careful about playing games on the office computers. You never know when the Mayor has nothing better to do than to sneak around peeking at your terminal.

Just a bunch of misc. pics from Grand Cayman that I wanted to share.

There's the Blue Iguana statue; Diane our 'pirate' tour guide; another pic of the beach; the Hard Rock & Harley/Davidson cafes along the shore and an example of one of the island homes.

Grand Cayman is nice but just remember how expensive it can be. The first time Donna and I went down there we made the mistake of grabbing lunch at a local place, above the Pirate's Grotto. I had fish & chips, Donna had coconut shrimp and we had iced tea, for a whopping $55 U.S. This time we ate aboard before and after our tour!

I know this cruise report is taking way too long, but things at work and home are preventing me from posting as regular as I'd have liked. I hope you'll allow me a few more posts. I'll also try to post a few more pics since I've had some folks comment to me in person that they enjoyed seeing them.

Wednesday in Cozumel –

When we originally booked our cruise the Mexican port of Cozumel was supposed to be our final stop on Friday. All of us had been there previously and Donna & I had planned on possibly skipping the place anyway. Then Hurricane Katrina came and reduced much of the city to ruins. For several months after the cruise ships were completely bypassing the port, as well as Cancun, which had been similarly hit. Eventually the ships began to return, but the piers where most had tied up were totally destroyed, now the only way to get from ship to shore was by use of the various commercial tenders.

We spoke to several people over the months preceding our trip and read stuff online. It was apparent that the shops and duty-free mall that we had briefly decided to visit had been victims of the hurricane. They were at the end of the cruise ship piers and didn’t stand a chance between the surging waves and wind. When we actually arrived within sight of Cozumel you could see what was left of the piers as piles of rubble, marked by warning flags, only slightly above the surface of the water. The sea was a bit rough with waves crashing on the existing beach, and the tenders were making slow progress in the swells. It was just as well that the four of us decided to stay aboard and take advantage of the pool and other activities.

As I mentioned earlier, I had won a session in something called the “Alpha Capsule” located in the spa. As Fran and The Lovely Christina already had appointments for massage and facials I called ahead and booked my own session. The four of us enjoyed a late breakfast and then hit the pool for a while, with some early afternoon drinks. Around 2:15 three of us headed off to the spa and Donna went back up to our room for a nap.

Now folks who know me will tell you that I’m not a real ‘new age’ kind of guy. My idea of relaxation doesn’t include electronic massage machines and aroma-therapy sessions. Nonetheless, if you tell me it’s free I’ll give it a chance. Plus at my age I don’t get much chance for new experiences!

At the reception desk I was directed to locate the gym and speak to Halmud, who would get me set up. I had no trouble as there were only a few people working out at the time, and Halmud was the only guy completely dressed. He asked me if was familiar with the Alpha Capsule and I told him that I really had no clue. Maybe his smile should have clued me in. I followed him to a smaller workout room with some nautilus equipment, which was off to one side. Apparently used only when the main room was overbooked. There taking up a good section of one wall was the world’s second biggest egg (hat tip to the late Don Adams!), covered partially by a flowered drape of some sort. Naturally, this was the Alpha Capsule!

Halmud touched a button on the side of the egg and it split in half, revealing what looked way too much like the inside of a coffin. It was totally black with two thin white cushions on the lower half, each of which had a small knob along the side. Halmud covered the mats with two white towels and asked me to lie down inside. This should have been my second clue, but I did as he asked making me as comfortable as possible. Then he closed the egg!

I’m not claustrophobic by any means, but to suddenly find yourself enclosed in this huge white plastic thing, with only your head sticking out…well, the idea of calling the whole thing off crossed my mind. Probably because he’d gone through this before Halmud had me push up with both hand, not quite trapped at my sides and I found the top lifted quite easily. He told me that when my session ended I could just let myself out and that he would lock the door from the outside. I had only to climb out and let myself out when finished. Famous last words, right?

As I may have mentioned this ‘prize’ from the trivia contest was for a 25-minute introductory session. Halmud punched some buttons on a panel just below my chin, which I could see if I tilted my head. There were a few lights blinking on and off, as well as two digital displays. One with red numbers indicated the temperature in the capsule, which Halmud said would range from around 86 to 90 degrees. After setting me up he then pulled the flowered sheet over me and told me to just relax. I was now complete enclosed and unable to see anything but the display blinking at me. It was now time for me to relax, which is not something you should really have to think about. I closed my eyes, inhaling the slightly flowery aromas from the grill and listened to the New Age/Easy Listening mix.

What seemed like a few minutes later I opened my eyes and noticed a second green panel blinking numbers below my chin. It read 4:10 and I couldn’t believe that I had been in the egg for less then five minutes. Boy, it was getting pretty warm as well and I seemed very thirsty. Still it seemed I had another twenty minutes of this left and I decided to close my eyes again. When I next looked the clock read 5:15, making believe that barely a minute had passed. I lay there wondering if I could actually stay here for a full twenty-five and noticed that the digital readout was not showing seconds. It was actually a clock and I had been in the capsule for several hours!!

I pushed the top up and it gave way easily, but when I tried to sit up I found I was very weak and drenched in sweat. I sat with my legs over the side until I could finally stand, but only made it a few feet to one of the folding chairs where I had left my shirt and shoes, along with my watch. I checked and discovered that it was 4:30. I had been in the Alpha Capsule for two hours! Apparently the clock on the capsule was on Central time, causing me to be totally disoriented.

Still groggy I let myself out and found I couldn’t find my way back to the gym. After couple of turns I went through a door and realized I had made my way into the Women’s spa area. Fortunately, I wasn’t seen and quickly made my way back, this time discovering the correct route and finally the registration desk. My good pal, Halmud was there and asked me if I was “coming back”. With a few choice words I explained that in fact I had not left in the first place. He and the young lady beside him seemed surprised, but offered no explanation as to why the alarm didn’t go off. It was more the fact that Halmud didn’t come to check up on me that bothered me, to be honest.

When I made it back to my room Donna was worried and had even asked Fran & TLC if they had seen me. They assumed that I had gone off to the cigar bar or was back at the pool, even though I had said I’d go back to the room when finished.

Let this be fair warning that if you ever get the chance for a treatment in the Alpha Capsule you bring along a travel alarm clock or have a friend check on you when your time is up.

We had a reservation Tuesday evening at the Carnival Miracle’s ‘specialty’ dining room. These restaurants have an additional cost above the normal cruise fee and are not included when you book. Some of the larger vessels have more than one, but the Miracle had NICK & NORA’S a place right out of the best of Manhattan’s higher priced eateries. Named after the characters portrayed by William Powel and Myrna Lloyd, the restaurant features a beautiful glass etched ceiling featuring the New York skyline in great art deco fashion.

It has a limited menu, but with enough items to ensure that just about everyone will find something they’ll enjoy. I had a melt in your mouth 24 oz. Porterhouse steak, with the others having surf & turf and filet minion. Both plate presentation and service reminded me of what Donna and I had at Emeril’s in Las Vegas. A couple of bottles of a very nice Riesling, with a pianist & vocalist providing entertainment made the whole thing extra special and well worth the extra thirty bucks a person.

After dinner we hit the casino for a while and then The Lovely Christina & I decided to check out “Mock-toberfest” at the aft pool. When we arrived there only a few others around, as the late-seating show in the Phantom Theatre hadn’t let out. We had a couple of drafts and chatted for a while, finally going back to our rooms after midnight. This was the first of several times TLC and I hit a bar or special event after Donna & Fran turned in.

This only gets us halfway through the cruise, so I’ll have more to add over the next few days.

The first time that Donna and I visited the Cayman Islands we did a bit of jewelry shopping and had lunch, without any sightseeing. This time we decided to take a guided tour of some of the island. One of the most fun was this "Trolley Roger" tour, which takes a little over an hour.

The tour is led by a female driver/guide dressed as you can see in 'pirate' style. They take you around the island on these open trailers pulled by jeeps, all the while giving you some of the history and legends of the island mixed with bad pirate jokes. It was a lot of fun and we even had a short stop at one of the many small public beaches (seen in the photo on the right) where both these pictures were taken. In the right hand side of the beach pic you can just see the backend of a large statue of one of the island's nearly extinct Blue Iguanas. It's dressed in shorts and shirt, paid for by one of the island's bars. I have a better picuture of if which I may put up on Shot's Shack later this week.

Did you know that Grand Cayman has almost no natural fresh water resources? The island's citizens and business places depend on rainwater caught in large tanks and by a number of desalinazation plants. One of the driver's jokes is that the island is called "Grand Cayman" because if costs the citizens about a grand a week to get by. Just about everything has to be imported.

While the island is still beautiful and prospering (you can see one of the multi-million dollar homes being put up behind the trolley, it's sad to see the amount of devastation brought about by a very bad hurricane season. Worst was Hurricane Ivan which savaged the island, destroying homes and uprooting trees. Months later the damage is still evident during the tour, but many homes are being rebuilt or demolished for new construction. Don't know that I'd actually care to live on the island, but it is quite beautiful.

After the tour we checked out a couple of shops, picked up some gifts for friends and then headed back to the landing. By the time we tendered back to the ship the grill was open and it was time for burgers & fries by the pool.

I think two of the defining moments of the next two elections happened during the past two days.

Those Democrats who decided NOT to back a filibuster against the Alito nomination and those four Democratic Senators who voted in favor of his nomination should all have to answer for what they did. All of them should have to explain their actions come re-election time and candidates should now be found who will make them answer. If only by forcing all into primaries, where real Democrats can question their votes.

Even should those primaries weaken the Democratic candidate, maybe it will be worth it if it forces the DNC to face a growing reality. Perhaps it is time to admit that the Democratic Party does not represent liberal principles and should join the Whigs and "No Nothings" in the dustbin of history.

On most cruises you’ll find yourself with at least one or two days heading to and from your destinations or between ports of call. On Carnival these are called “Fun Days at Sea”, since they have designated their ships as ‘Fun Ships’. These also tend to be the first and last days of the cruise so newbie cruisers are learning their way around or passengers are packing up their luggage for departure the next day.

On this cruise it was Monday 1/16 and Cruise Director Steve had plenty of events to keep us occupied. These included bingo, trivia contests, special receptions for past guests, veterans and other things which would keep us busy when we weren’t going from one feeding to another. On this particular day we decided to take in one of the trivia contests in a lounge. If I had known then what it would lead to I might have decided that watching the ‘Hairiest Chest Contest’ was the better alternative.

CD Steve would announce the prize and then ask a movie trivia question. Since the game was simulcast to staterooms (something I’d never seen a cruiseline do before, but thought was a pretty clever use of the technology), one question would be asked of the live audience and the next of those in the staterooms who would call down with their answers. It was a lot of fun, with Steve only allowing a player to have one correct answer. If you won a prize you weren’t allowed to answer any more questions. This was a good idea, since I’ve been in games like this where you’ll have one person getting all the answers without allowing anybody else a chance. The particular prize announced for this question was a spa treatment in something called the “Alpha Capsule”, which involved massage and aroma therapy. As I have little tolerance for stuff like that I announced to the rest of the table that I wasn’t going to try for something like that. *sigh*

The question was “What actor replaced Michael Keaton as Batman?” The fanboy’s hand automatically shot up and the Val Kilmer came out before I could stop myself. I had just won myself a 25-minute introductory session in the Alpha Capsule. More on that special event later in this report.

I’ve already posted a photo of our dinner group at the Captain’s Gala that night (which you’ll see by scrolling down the page), so I don’t have much to add. The food was good and the wait staff performed a song and dance routine, as they did on five of the seven nights we ate there. Everybody was looking forward to Grand Cayman the next day so it was another early evening, especially since Fran & TLC were signed up for an early tour.

It has been and continues to be a crazy week here at the library, so I apologize for not finishing off my cruise report. I'll probably summarize as much as I can and it will be a bit shorter than planned.

Today and possibly tomorrow I'm at the library, as we attempt to shift the entire Children's Room collection downstairs to the new area. We will then try over the next week to shift sections of the Adult/YA collection along with non-English material into what was the Juvenile section of the main floor. Wish us luck!

Just in case any questions come up later here's the group at dinner on the Captain's Night gala. Starting from the left we have Donna, Christina (TLC), Fran and some old guy who shows up a lot in the photos.

I lose track on what we were drinking at this point, we'd probably polished off the first bottle of wine, and had ordered drinks. Who remembers these things? This would have been on Monday night.

More Carnival Cruising: Sunday 1/15

After breakfast, where we shared the restaurant with players & coaches of the St. John basketball team (in to play for the weekend), we caught our shuttle to the piers. At Fort Lauderdale, where we’d sailed from before, there were normally four or five cruise ships preparing to sail out on most weekends. Here in Tampa we were the only ship preparing for embarkation, so the terminal was almost empty and it took us only a short time to get registered, cleared by customs and receive our ‘sign & sail’ cards.

After 9/11 cruise ships became much more security conscious so now when you initially board a ship your photo is taken for comparison & scanning each time you leave or return from that point. The card is not only your ID, but is also what you use instead of cash while aboard. Generally folks will attach the card to a credit card, but you can also leave a cash deposit and either get a refund or pay the remaining fees

Since we got on around noon and our rooms wouldn’t be available until at least 1:30 we took advantage of the buffet on the Lido Desk. On many ships this is were you’ll find the 24 hour eats ranging from pizza and burgers to regional and international cuisines during the lunch and dinner. We had a light lunch and drinks, until we could head back down to the Main Deck where our rooms were located.

If you go over to the Carnival Cruise Lines site and check out the ‘balcony’ rooms you’ll see exactly what we found when Donna and I got to 4-171. We have been spoiled, or at least I have, as we’ve booked balcony cabins for the five cruises we’ve taken together. Depending on the cruise lines they are generally not much more than what they call ‘ocean view’ staterooms, which only have a porthole or window. Just remember that even if you book an indoor cabin you get everything else the folks in the balcony suites are entitled to, so be sure to keep that final bill in mind when booking.

We had signed up for late seating so dinner wasn’t until 8:15pm that night. This left us plenty of time to check out the bars, shops and other things available. It didn’t take me long to figure out where the cigar bar was, for future reference and we’d already discovered ice cream bar and pizzeria were located. When we finally did go to the dining room we met our waiter & busboy for the week, Jeffrey and Deo. As is very common on many cruise lines the crew members involved in cleaning, cooking and wait staff is mostly Pacific Islanders. I always find it interesting that when I was in the Navy most the Steward’s Mates, who worked cleaning and caring for the officers were also from the Philippines.

It was a pretty busy day all around so we called it quits early that night, going back to our rooms by around 11:00pm after a final drink at one of the bars.

This is Babie, who allows Donna and me to live with her at Chez Chaput. Unlike Marvin & Skeeter, whom were posted yesterday in Santa caps, Babie would never permit such indignities. She is the little princess around here after all.

I'm finally getting a handle on posting pictures here so you can expect more as time goes by, both here and over on Shot's Shack.

Carnival Miracle Cruise pt. 1 (Saturday 1/14)

The four of us, Donna, Fran, her daughter Christina & I, flew down to Tampa on Saturday afternoon on Delta’s Song airline. The party was supposed to number five, but unfortunately Fran’s sister injured her back only three days before and had to cancel out. The former Delta Express fleet was reconfigured to compete with Jet Blue’s very comfortable planes. Apparently their not doing as well as hoped and may sadly fold their wings. This would be a shame, as I’ve found Song to be very enjoyable, with the individual TV monitors & menu available for prepackaged sandwiches, salads and munchies. Jet Blue only offers snacks along with the usual beverage service at no cost, even on longer flights. (Pardon the commercial plug!)

We have learned that when you cruise it pays to get to your port of departure early, as you can never tell what the weather may have in store for you. As you folks know Sunday, the day we sailed, New York and much of the East Coast was having very bad weather. Better to spend a bit more for a hotel for a night’s stay than to take a chance to miss you cruise, and therefore forfeit your entire payment. That’s also why we have taken a couple of cruises which depart from New York, and may do so again next time.

I have had some real headaches at JFK, but found that this time around it was smooth sailing from the moment we handed our luggage over to the guy at the Song counter outside. As usual, being polite and slipping the guy a few dollars never hurt.

Our stay at the Embassy Suites in Tampa was pretty good. Donna and I try to book at these hotels, since they offer not only a complete breakfast buffet with omelet stations, but also what they call a ‘Manager’s Reception’ in the evenings. The first time I discovered this was while attending a convention with my ex Elayne. I think it may have been at Chicago, but those cons do tend to blend together after a while. The reception is basically an open bar, though often with limited selections, and some kind of snacks (popcorn, pretzels, etc.) This lasts from around 5:30-7:30 generally, so it puts you in the mood to grab dinner at either the hotel or some nearby restaurant.

That night I was to discover that Christina, from henceforth known as The Lovely Christina (TLC), favored Apple-tinis as her drink of choice. Personally, I’d never heard of them before but apparently they are quite popular. I’m a rum & coke man myself, while Donna likes frozen drinks and Fran’s a wine drinker. Our bar tab, at least for Donna and I, made up over a third of our final onboard bill, I’m proud to say.

We had a nice dinner at the Embassy restaurant and were all in our rooms by around 10:00pm. Not an exciting day, but then we were trying to relax a bit before Sunday when our real vacation would begin.

I'll try to post more tomorrow and cover the entire cruise in the next few days.

Neither of these are our cat Babie, nor is is Christmas or Cat Blogging Day. This is a test to see if I could begin adding pictures to my blog. The long sufferering cats belong to our friends Fran & Christina.

If this works be prepared for too many pictures of me in a hot tub. :-)

I woke up this morning it was raining outside and it seemed an omen that my vacation was indeed over. I'd be lying if I said I was happy to be back!

Over the next few days, as I have a chance what with things being pretty hectic at work, I'll try to fill you all in on what we did during our cruise. A hint: our bar tab was close to $500 dollars, and that was with ordering a lot of the Daily Specials and hitting Happy Hour. The four of us are all heading for detox, along with about half of our fellow passengers form what I heard on Sunday morning. "Back to reality," appeared to be the most overheard comment that day at breakfast.

To my fellow bloggers, I apologize for not reading your stuff in over a week. I may skim a lot, because I have hundreds of e-mails to check (not counting my work e-mail).

In two and a half hours I'll be leaving work and probably out of touch with the 'net for the next week. If I do go online from the Miracle it will be to quickly check e-mail and maybe write Kristina to let her know we're safe.

One of these days somebody much more clever with computers (probably any 12 yr old) will teach me how to post pictures here so I could put up a can of Campbell's Mushroom soup.

Take care and stay off the phone to known subversives while I'm gone!

In 48 hours I'm hoping to be climbing off a Delta jet at Tampa airport and making my way to the hotel shuttle. Of course, they are now predicting a snow storm for Saturday so all bets are off.

Frankly, this is one of the reasons that Donna and I tend to fly to our departure ports a day early when taking a cruise. This is also why two of our cruises have left from New York. You never know what the weather is going to be like so why take a chance.

I'm enjoying DREAMING WAR: Blood for Oil and the Cheney-Bush Junta by Gore Vidal. Been a while since I've read a totally political book and I've long been an admirer of Vidal. Author, playwright, essayist and (back when intelligent two way debate was allowed on network television) a sometime commentator on American politics.

I don't know if I agree with everything that Vidal puts out, even though I'm as much of a conspiracy nut as the next Lone Gunmen. The great thing is that Vidal knew so many of the characters created the National Security State in which we live. He's not blinded by Received Opinion (RO, as he calls it) but actually has spent years doing historical research while writing his series of novels on American history. Part of the book consists of reprints of responses to criticism of several of his novels.

Highly recommend, whether or not you believe the current administration didn't do all they could have to stop the events of 9/11.

I called it! I knew that the week prior to going on vacation would be a b****, but I had no idea.

Problems with alarms, phones and the public printers, among other things. Then a meeting of the Library's Friends group to top things off. Ended up working more than two hours over and there's the possibility there may be a repeat of the alarm problem again this week.

I had intended on writing something political today, but one of the Librarians called in sick so it's way too busy for any down time. Perhaps tomorrow.

Four days and counting, with only three work days until I can start relaxing.

Less than a week to go until our cruise, but it looks like it's going to be a hell of a one here at the Library.

We're finishing up the major renovations of our new Children's room and visits from various admin types are almost daily. Today I'm expecting my Regional supervisor, plus somebody from "government affairs" (I think the division is called) who wants to interview & take my picture for an upcoming newsletter on the local Friends of the Library. I keep reminding myself that a week from today I'm going to be in the Cayman Islands slamming back rum drinks and trying not to get a second degree burn.

On a political note, I don't think anybody will be surprised when Alito walks away from the Senate hearings a bit roughed up. On the other hand, it shouldn't surprise anybody when he is easily voted in to sit on the Supreme Court and hands over complete dictatorial power to His Smugness. Don't count on elections in 2008!

Not going to get into the Sharon thing too much since the gentleman may have passed away before this gets posted. Let's just hope that in the media coverage and solemn statements made by politicians of every stripe the man's early exploits as enforcer of some brutal policies are not forgotten.

I don't know if they'll be dancing in the streets of Gaza, but I don't think that you'll see a lot of genuine tears amongst the Palestinians who recall the massacres and oppression.

That said, we can only hope that a settlement amongst all sides can one day allow everyone in that area of the world to live in peace (if not in brotherhood).

Why do I know I should stay out of this and can't?

If the Oscar's weren't already a 'must see' here at Chez Chaput the announcement earlier today that Jon Stewart had been selected as host makes it even more so.

It will be interesting see how political Stewart will be and if he reigns himself in. I can't see him going out of his way to offend, but the Academy knows what they are going to get. Stewart is probably one of the sharpest interviewers currently on television and I'm sure he'll be taking along some of the Daily Show's writers to pitch in.

Finally discovering what happened to my ex ( Ex #1, if you're keeping count) inspired me to contact a couple of other folks I haven't been in touch with for way too long.

Caught up with some folks I used to work with back when I started as a Librarian Trainee in the mid-1980s. We are planning on getting together after I return from our up-coming cruise. It will be interesting to see how they've changed in the last seven plus years since I last saw them. If nothing else we can bad mouth the library systems and people we used to work with.

I don't know about folks in other fields but it seems that Librarians like nothing better than talking shop when they get together outside of work.

It will be interesting to see what the New Year has in store for me. Just before the end of 2005 I discovered the answer to a question I've been wondering about for almost twenty years. I wonder if I should see it as some kind of closure to a part of my life best left behind. It wasn't all bad, of course.

Donna and I had a pretty quiet New Year's Eve, after I got home from work. We'd been invited to her brother's house but we both decided to spend the night watching TV and getting phone calls from folks. The most excitement we had was listening to neighborhood kids screaming and setting off fireworks at midnight.

Hope all of you other folks enjoyed the ringing in of the New Year, no matter how you did so.