It is hard to believe but I am already preparing for another cruise. I know, I know... I just went on one. But as I have said MANY times, I am a self-proclaimed "cruise whore." This cruise will be over Valentine's Day. Chad and I are going together... 10-nights on Holland America's Noordam. I am EXTREMELY excited. I actually already cruised Alaska on this ship, but it is a gorgeous ship and I am excited to be on it again. Especially for 10 nights!! This time we are going to...
- Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Their private island)
- Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos
- Samana, Dominican Republic
- Kralendijk (Bonaire), Antilles
- Willemstad (Curacao), Antilles
- Oranjestad, Aruba
Of those, I have only been to Aruba before, and luckily, it is my favorite port from all my cruises. Last night, Chad and I booked three shore excursions, so I thought I would share them with you now.
Half Moon Cay - Private Cabana
Enjoy the ultimate in luxury during your stay on Half Moon Cay with the use of your own private cabana. Board the first tender ashore, or have priority tender use, to maximize your time by being the first guests to arrive. For your comfort, you will find your cabana outfitted with a refrigerator, ceiling fan, air conditioner, table and chairs inside, and deck chairs and a misting shower on the private terrace. You will be provided with fresh fruit, vegetables with dip, and chips and salsa to snack on as well as an assortment of soft drinks and bottled water to quench your thirst. Beach towels, floating mats, and snorkel gear are also included for your use throughout the day.
Grand Turk - Power Snorkeling
Board a comfortable air-conditioned bus that will take you to one of Grand Turk’s beautiful, white-sand beaches. Your guide will provide you with snorkel equipment and a handheld Power Snorkel Unit. After you hear brief safety and use instructions, you will take off for a snorkeling experience of a lifetime, gliding gracefully through the water, soaring over beautiful coral reefs. Afterwards, enjoy sunbathing, swimming or snorkeling from the beach. On your Power Snorkel Adventure, you will explore reefs farther from shore by simply touching the unit to go and releasing to stop. This is an adventure not to be missed.
Willemstad - Jewish Heritage Tour
This tour explores Curacao's Jewish heritage and visits the Western Hemisphere's oldest synagogue. Board your air-conditioned transportation and drive to Willemstad's Scharloo District, home to old colonial mansions built by the island's Jewish merchants. Intolerance and the Inquisition drove Iberian Jews first to Brazil, then to Curacao. The island's thin volcanic soil made conventional farming a near impossibility, forcing the immigrants to turn to commerce. Visit Beth Haim Cemetery, consecrated in 1659, and a repository of superb funerary art. Tour Landhouse Bloemhof with its excellent collections of art and artifacts from Curacao's Jewish past. Your final destination is Mikve Emmanuel Israel, the oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere, built in 1732.
Unfortunately, the cruise is still four and a half months away, but I am EXTREMELY excited to go.
Check back often for more Random Ramblings!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
I Don't Get It
Some things just baffle me... I don't get it, I don't understand, and I never will. So, here now are a few things I just cannot comprehend...
- If you get in a fight with someone at work, talk it through, involve the supervisors or HR. If it still does not work, quit... but don't kill your co-worker. Hello?!?! That lab guy at Yale is nutty... obviously!
- If you plan to attend something you are invited to, please say "yes" to your invite, not "no" when you have every intention of coming. If everyone who planned to attend also said "no" we would assume no one is coming to the party. DUMB!
- Oppressed women in those ridiculous religious get-ups with their head covered and all. I understand it is your culture, but this is the year 2009... you are equal to your husband. Put on some shorts and make him cook you dinner!
- Twitter... it's like cyber-stalking. And the word "tweet" conjures up way too many images.
- Black jeans... you are not fooling anyone. We know they are jeans... you are not dressed-up, and neither am I in my blue jeans. We are equal.
- Jean shorts on men... enough said.
- People not responding to e-mails or voice mails. That is just plain rude!!! If someone leaves you a message or sends you a note, it almost always requires a response... give them one. I hate when people ignore those. Actually... I just hate being ignored, period.
- Iowa... why would anyone live there?!?! Okay, I know Minnesota is not much better, but come on.
- Children... while they are sweet, and cute, and fun to look at, they are also expensive, needy, and loud. I realize this makes me sound like a cranky, crotchety old man, but thank God Chad and I agree 100% on the "no kids" plan!
- People who write G-d instead of God. Okay, I admit, I did it too for the longest time. Then I asked my Rabbi. Writing out God is perfectly fine... it is not the holy, sacred way we write it. Then, and only then, are you to bury it. So go ahead... join me in writing God.
- Flight Attendants... why are they SO snobby. I understand all the gay boys want to be like you when they grow up, but minus some safety training and a CPR certification, you are a glorified waitress in the sky. Oy, I hope none of my readers are flight attendants because I am going to hear about this one.
There are MANY more I could write, but I will leave it at that for now. Perhaps I will do a "part 2" to this entry at a later date. For now, please feel free to share the things you do not understand by adding a comment below.
Check back often for more Random Ramblings!
- If you get in a fight with someone at work, talk it through, involve the supervisors or HR. If it still does not work, quit... but don't kill your co-worker. Hello?!?! That lab guy at Yale is nutty... obviously!
- If you plan to attend something you are invited to, please say "yes" to your invite, not "no" when you have every intention of coming. If everyone who planned to attend also said "no" we would assume no one is coming to the party. DUMB!
- Oppressed women in those ridiculous religious get-ups with their head covered and all. I understand it is your culture, but this is the year 2009... you are equal to your husband. Put on some shorts and make him cook you dinner!
- Twitter... it's like cyber-stalking. And the word "tweet" conjures up way too many images.
- Black jeans... you are not fooling anyone. We know they are jeans... you are not dressed-up, and neither am I in my blue jeans. We are equal.
- Jean shorts on men... enough said.
- People not responding to e-mails or voice mails. That is just plain rude!!! If someone leaves you a message or sends you a note, it almost always requires a response... give them one. I hate when people ignore those. Actually... I just hate being ignored, period.
- Iowa... why would anyone live there?!?! Okay, I know Minnesota is not much better, but come on.
- Children... while they are sweet, and cute, and fun to look at, they are also expensive, needy, and loud. I realize this makes me sound like a cranky, crotchety old man, but thank God Chad and I agree 100% on the "no kids" plan!
- People who write G-d instead of God. Okay, I admit, I did it too for the longest time. Then I asked my Rabbi. Writing out God is perfectly fine... it is not the holy, sacred way we write it. Then, and only then, are you to bury it. So go ahead... join me in writing God.
- Flight Attendants... why are they SO snobby. I understand all the gay boys want to be like you when they grow up, but minus some safety training and a CPR certification, you are a glorified waitress in the sky. Oy, I hope none of my readers are flight attendants because I am going to hear about this one.
There are MANY more I could write, but I will leave it at that for now. Perhaps I will do a "part 2" to this entry at a later date. For now, please feel free to share the things you do not understand by adding a comment below.
Check back often for more Random Ramblings!
Friday, September 11, 2009
We Remember
Today we remember all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. It is hard to believe that it has already been 8 years! 8 years since kids last saw their parents, 8 years since people selflessly fought terror on their plane, 8 years since the world changed.
I, like the rest of the world, remember exactly where I was. I was in my room getting ready to go to work. I watched the Today show as they said a plane hit the World Trade Center. Then they said terrorism, and I remember thinking... not EVERYTHING is terrorism. Sometimes it is just an accident. Then they said another one hit... and I realized they were right. Terrorists robbed people of their lives, and stole freedom from those of us lucky enough to have survived. I went to work, and we all gathered in the conference room glued to the TV. Just then, we got a call from the "home office" in Detroit telling us to go home because Chicago would be the next city attacked and they did not want to be responsible for us. Are they really headed towards us next? Would I make it home safely? Luckily I did, as did most Americans, but over 3,000 people did not make it home that day. Today we remember them.
Terrorism is a sad fact of life. We know it will happen again. We do not know when or where, but we know that once again we hope to be one of the lucky ones.
If you'd like, please share your thoughts, stories, or "where I was" moment with me by posting a comment below.
Check back often for more Random Ramblings!
I, like the rest of the world, remember exactly where I was. I was in my room getting ready to go to work. I watched the Today show as they said a plane hit the World Trade Center. Then they said terrorism, and I remember thinking... not EVERYTHING is terrorism. Sometimes it is just an accident. Then they said another one hit... and I realized they were right. Terrorists robbed people of their lives, and stole freedom from those of us lucky enough to have survived. I went to work, and we all gathered in the conference room glued to the TV. Just then, we got a call from the "home office" in Detroit telling us to go home because Chicago would be the next city attacked and they did not want to be responsible for us. Are they really headed towards us next? Would I make it home safely? Luckily I did, as did most Americans, but over 3,000 people did not make it home that day. Today we remember them.
Terrorism is a sad fact of life. We know it will happen again. We do not know when or where, but we know that once again we hope to be one of the lucky ones.
If you'd like, please share your thoughts, stories, or "where I was" moment with me by posting a comment below.
Check back often for more Random Ramblings!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
I'm Back
My apologies for ignoring my blog. Well, it's not that I have been ignoring it so much as I really could not update it. A week ago Saturday, I was getting dressed and my back went out. The nerve to get dressed, I know. That had me laid up all weekend. Then, I went back to work on Tuesday, and Wednesday I was out again. I went to the doctor and he said no more work for the week. Luckily, Percocet and Flexaril are my friends. :) They got me all better in time for Chad's family to come visit.
Jason, Kerry, Rylee, Reece, and Sue (Kerry's mom) got in Thursday night. They were here all weekend and left Monday morning. It was an exhausting, but really fun weekend. In that time, we went to the Fair twice (once with Chad's family and once after they left), to Como Zoo, had the Amazing Race, went to dinner at my mom's, a BBQ at AP's house, and we even managed to sneak in a little Savoy Pizza.
All in all it was a good time. Now, my back is better, I am back at work, and Danny comes in on Friday. Then the next week is Rosh Hashanah, then Yom Kippur, then Colorado, then Halloween, and soon it will be Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, mine and Chad's 1-year anniversary, and then THE CRUISE!!!!!!!!!!! So much to do and so little time. But I love having all of this going on... it makes the time fly by.
Check back often for more Random Ramblings!
Jason, Kerry, Rylee, Reece, and Sue (Kerry's mom) got in Thursday night. They were here all weekend and left Monday morning. It was an exhausting, but really fun weekend. In that time, we went to the Fair twice (once with Chad's family and once after they left), to Como Zoo, had the Amazing Race, went to dinner at my mom's, a BBQ at AP's house, and we even managed to sneak in a little Savoy Pizza.
All in all it was a good time. Now, my back is better, I am back at work, and Danny comes in on Friday. Then the next week is Rosh Hashanah, then Yom Kippur, then Colorado, then Halloween, and soon it will be Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, mine and Chad's 1-year anniversary, and then THE CRUISE!!!!!!!!!!! So much to do and so little time. But I love having all of this going on... it makes the time fly by.
Check back often for more Random Ramblings!
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