Magazine Review

As I mentioned in a blog months earlier, I ordered a number of magazines through Northwest Airlines on-line mall. It was so I could earn enough airmiles to get a free ticket from BWI to Newark Liberty International Airport. That ended up being a bust but, some of the magazines I ordered have turned out to be very enjoyable. One of them is Airways. Airways covers airlines, airports, commercial airplanes and the history behind those topics. If you're in to any of them, you may enjoy the magazine. The June 2007 issue has an article that tells of the Lockheed Constellation Starliner. This plane turned out to be the apogee of pistoned powered airliners. Sadly, the Boeing 707 was coming on to the scene dooming the plane to obsolescence. The July 2007 issue has an interesting article on Lukla, Nepal's airport. This airport is the one closest to Mount Everest. Trekkers and mountain climbers use it to bring in large amounts of supplies for their expeditions.

Not all the articles are written by the magazine's staff. Some are written by airline crews. In the July issue, Andreas Rohde a first officer with Contact Air, takes the reader through all the different steps on a flight from Stuttgart, Germany to Toulouse-Blagnac, France. It's an informative article that tells all the behind the scenes action that goes on in making the flight happen.

Overall, I found this magazine to be really interesting. Every month, it has a number of superbly written articles. I learn things I didn't know about before and the magazine helps me think of new travel possibilities. I didn't know anything about the new French business-class carrier L'Avion until I read their June 2007 article. If you want to fly from Newark to Paris in business class at an affordable price, you might want to consider them. If you're interested in commercial aviation in any way, you should very much enjoy this magazine. Price wise, you'll be looking at $5.99 U.S. an issue. A yearly subscription will be cheaper though I don't know what that costs. Cheers!

Movie Review

Yesterday, I watched the 3rd Pirates of the Caribbean movie. As I haven't watched the 2nd movie, I had no idea of some of the stuff the characters were talking about. Still, after the initial action, you get into the main gist of the third movie i.e. freeing Jack Sparrow from the hell Davy Jones sent him to and freeing the sea goddess Calypso so she can stop Davy Jones from his reign of terror on the seas. There are all kinds of double crosses and people keeping secrets from the others in the movie. I found there were so many that it got rather ridiculous. I also found the substory of Calypso and Davy Jones a bit much.

Rolling Stones member Keith Richards appears in the movie and I found that neat. He looks cool as a pirate captain and as Sparrow's father. While he doesn't have a major part in the movie, he does all right with the part he has. He adds a neat aspect to the movie.

Overall, I found the movie so-so. The action was good. The special effects were good. But, the story itself was a bit ridiculous. All the double crosses became a bit much. Also, the movie is long. It goes just over 3 hours. I definitely wouldn't see this movie twice and I doubt I'll buy it on DVD. It just doesn't seem worth it to me. Cheers all!

Reminder

I wanted to remind everyone that a 1st class letter now requires 41 cents postage. I've been seeing a lot of letters and bills missing the extra 2 cents in postage. I haven't seen the Post Office kick any of those back YET. Still, I wouldn't take a chance on the generosity of the Postal Service. If you want your letter or bill to get to its destination, please make sure you use the correct postage.

Another item, any letter or bill that you mail that weighs less than an ounce costs 41 cents unless it is more than 1/4 inch thick. All you have to do is stick a tape or something a little bulky and you may have to pay an extra 17 cents postage. I was reminded of this when I mailed a letter to my friend May Jackson. One thing I like to do with letters I write is seal them with sealing wax. It adds a nice touch to the letter and I think it looks classy. The flip side is the seal causes the letter to exceed to width requirements so I have to pay an extra 17 cents postage. If you seal your letters with sealing wax, please take note. The 17 cents surcharge is because the letter has to be hand stamped vice machine stamped.

Church

I went to church today for the first time in over a year. I stopped going because I was working at Medieval Times every Sunday. A number of times, I had to be at the castle by noon and church didn't start until 11 a.m. From where I live, it takes me at least 30 minutes to get to church. The church I belong is Berachah Church in Houston, Texas. How do I attend church in Houston when I live in Maryland you ask? Berachah broadcasts their church services. They have a group in Bowie, Maryland that receives the broadcasts. We go to fellow member's home and listen to the services there. It was neat to get to hear the service live. It was also interesting to hear Pastor Thieme's son give the 2 bible lessons. Thieme's son was chosen to become the new pastor when Pastor Thieme had to step down. His son is very much a chip off the old block. His teaching is extremely strong doctrinally. And to my embarrassment, he can put me to sleep just like his dad could. I don't know what it is about their teaching. Anyway, it was nice to listen to the service and meet with the group in Bowie. I plan to go every Sunday barring when I'm travelling (3 months till I leave for Scandanavia!).

Music Review

Recently, I listened to the London Palladium Cast recording of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." The soundtrack is from Jason Donovan played the lead of Joseph. It's a nicely done soundtrack and that has all the main songs from the show. The show itself is about Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers and rose to be 2nd only to Pharoah in Egypt. The soundtrack is interesting in that it features 4 different types of music. You get to hear country, pop, rockabilly and choir music. The show featured the coolest Pharaoh I've ever seen. Imagine a rockabilly Elvis Presley Pharaoh and you can get the idea. There are clear references to Presley in the songs the Pharoah sings. I remember seeing the person who played Pharoah on stage throwing a lady in the audience a royal scarf. It was hilarious.

Overall, the soundtrack is nice. I think it would be enjoyed more by someone who has seen the theater production of the show. You would understand the music better in that case. Still, if you're a fan of Webber's music, this is one you'd want to buy. Unlike other Webber musicals which seemed to concentrate around one song, this soundtrack has a number of nice songs as well as some funny ones. Cheers!

Last Day at Medieval Times

I worked my last day at the castle today. I didn't know if it would be or not. Two friends at the castle tried to help patch things up with my boss but, I guess they wouldn't be patched. My punishment was revoked but, the damage was done. My boss said no hard feelings but I suspect there were some. I may have hit a nerve with my comments about Medieval money. Oh well. Life goes on. The pain of leaving will fade. I still wish I could've been a squire. Ironically, another person in Sound and Lighting got picked for squire. Maybe, it is best that I left as that would've rankled.

Rumor has it that the new show they've been working on the past couple years may finally come out this fall. I'm tempted to go see it if it does. I'd just like to see it at a different castle as I don't care to go back to the Arundel Mills castle for a good while. I need to let it go and get rid of the hurt. We'll see what happens.

Gold Card

I finally earned a gold card at Dave & Buster's. What is so big about earning a gold card you ask? It gets you a 10% discount on game play. In the case of the trivia game I like to play so much, it saves me 1/2 of a chip a play. In effect, with the gold card, I'll get a free play every 9 times. What do you have to do to get a gold card? You have to purchase and play 1,200 chips (a guesstimate of approximately $210 worth of chips). Once you've done that, you have to see the cashier who will transfer your remaining chips from your Powercard to your new gold card. It is your responsibility to track how many chips you've bought and played. (I think this part stinks. It's very easy to lose track.) It doesn't cost anything additional to get the gold card. If you play the games at Dave & Buster's a lot, it is definitely worth getting.

Happy Belated Mother's Day

I should've posted something on this yesterday but didn't get around to it. So, I'm wishing all mothers out there a Happy Belated Mother's Day including my step-mom Kay. I hope she had an extra special day yesterday. Mom's are awesome folks and deserve their own special day.

Product Review

Thanks to the Medieval Times auction last week, I was able to try Grolsch beer for the first time for free. I found the beer to be all right. It isn't terribly smooth or have any noteworthy taste. It is imported from the Netherlands though I don't personally care if a beer is imported or not. I just care about the taste. The one thing I really liked about Grolsch is that the bottles are resealable. They come with their own plastic stopper that you can lock in place. Why is this nice? Because if you don't feel like drinking your entire beer, you can seal it up again and drink the rest of it later without it going flat on you. It's a really nice feature. As I received the beer for free, I obviously can't tell you how it rates cost wise though I doubt it's cheap. Imported beers tend to be more expensive.

Overall, I'd rate Grolsch as a decent beer. I wouldn't make any special trips to buy some but, I'd drink if it was available and wasn't too expensive.

Giving Notice

To my surprise, an event happened at Medieval Times that caused me to give them my two weeks notice. I've very much enjoyed working there and even foregone greater money at the Post Office in order to work there. What happened was that I was punished for helping another section in the castle. Here is my version of what happened.

This past Thursday morning, I was working post 1 as a castle guard. We had a matinee show which means we have bus loads of kids who attend the show. The primary person for directing the kids to line up and where to enter the castle is the Prince (the King's brother) though the position is also called the ambassador. The Prince was busy outside the Arundel Mills Mall watching for buses arriving. When they arrived, he would tell them where to go inside the mall. There wasn't anyone by the castle entrance to direct them in. I decided to step up and direct them through the castle entrance. All went well except for one case where 3 students decided to leave the castle without permission from their chaperones. One of my duties as castle guard incredibly is to make sure no students leave without their chaperones (I was told this afterwards.).

When I went back to the Sound and Lighting booth, the head castle guard told me there were two complaints about me doing my job at Post 1. Because of that, he decided that I would no longer be assigned to Post 1. Instead, he would permanently assign me to Post 2. He understood that I was trying to help but it wasn't my job to direct students into the castle. He also admonished me for letting 3 students leave the castle. I thought it was ridiculous that I should be punished for helping out the folks at the check-in desk and said so. I apologized for letting the 3 students leave. I wasn't sure what the rules were on that at the time.

During the show, I considered my options. There were only two. I could accept the punishment or I could leave. Considering that the job was not crucial to me money or job wise, I could afford to leave. Also, there wasn't any real future for me at the castle. The main reason I was still working at the castle was because I really enjoyed it. I really liked playing castle guard and interacting with the customers. There are few jobs where you can make believe and get paid for it at the same time. Medieval Times is one of those few places. Finally, I made my decision. I was going to give notice.

One bad thing about giving notice is that you still have to work those last 2 weeks. For me, this is going to be the pits. I would like to leave now but I won't do that as it would leave my boss in a real bind. I also have to work post 2 even though I hate working that post and it was my being moved there permanently that caused me to give notice. The only alternative to not working post 2 is to walk out which I won't do. To make matters worse, word has gotten out that I'm leaving. I was already down about leaving when Dave, one of the nicest people you'll ever meet, came up and asked me what was up with me leaving. I wanted to leave quietly and that was clearly shot to all heck. God only knows what rumors are going around the castle. The castle can be terrible in that way.

While it saddens to leave Medieval Times, there will be some good things to come out of my departure. I'll have the time to take college classes again. I'm only 4 classes away from getting my Bachelor's degree. Also, when the Maryland Renaissance Festival opens in late August, I'll be able to go without having to take time off from my job. I'm hoping the festival gets the group Medieval Baebes back. I really wanted to see them last year but had to work both days they performed at the festival. Lastly, I'll be able to make more money. Thankfully, I didn't burn any bridges with the supervisors who direct the city carriers. I checked and I should be able to get at least 24 hours a week with them. While delivering the mail won't be as much fun as working at Medieval Times, it pays double what I'm getting at the castle. The extra bucks will help, especially if I have to pay the out-of-state rate at the University of Maryland. We'll see what works out.

My Routine at Medieval Times Part II

Once I've hung up my guard tunic, stowed my fake chainmail hood and put away any weapons I took to do guard duty, I head to my spotlight tower. There are four spotlight towers in the show arena, one for each corner of the arena. The towers are approximately 15 feet up. You climb a metal ladder into your tower. Once you're in your tower, you step from the ladder to the tower platform. You have to be careful at this point as a mis-step could result in a nasty fall. Once you're on the platform, you lower a metal plate over the opening so the platform is completely closed. Then, you get things organized on the platform for the show.

The first thing you do is turn on your spotlight. There is a power switch on the side of the spotlight which you flick then, you press an ignitor button right next to it. The spotlight will slowly come on. The second thing you do is don your headsets. The headsets help all the spotlight operators communicate with each other. Once the operator has donned their headsets, they'll check in by saying their name and the spotlight their on. Another important aspect of the headsets is that they enable the operators to hear the person calling the cues. There are certain times when specific spotlights have to be on specific knights or acts. The cues are the points when the operators has to open the shutter on their spotlight to highlight the knight or act or when the operator needs to close the shutter on the spotlight. The last thing the spotlight operator will do is set a chair for themselves. There are set points in the show where the spotlight operators stand down. The chairs give them something to sit on while they wait for the next cue.

If all goes according to plan, the show will last 2 hours or less. Once the show is over, all the spotlight operators turn off their spotlights and put their headsets back on the bar where they were before. At this point, I may end up doing one of three things. I may go to wardrobe to collect all the headsets that were used by the showcast. I may go back to the sound and lighting booth, don my castle guard costume and go to the dungeon to collect passes from those wanting to enter the dungeon. Or, I may take out the trash from the booth if the trash can is filled up. Once I've completed any of these tasks, I'll head back to the changing room. There, I'll change into my regular clothes. After I'm dressed, I drop off my costume at wardrobe. They'll launder the fake chainmail shirt, hood and hose. The Sound and Lighting booth is my last stop before I clock out. I drop off my boots there. By storing them there, I don't have to keep them in my car and I don't have to worry about forgetting to bring them to the castle. While at the booth, I may double check the schedule to see when I have to work at the castle again. Once I'm all finished at the booth, I clock out and head home.

That gives you an idea of what my days are like Medieval Times. It's fun working there. It's one of the few places where you can get paid for playing castle guard and using a fake English accent. It can also be a pleasure dealing with the customers. A lot of the folks that come to the castle are pretty nice. It's neat to see the small kids dressed up as knights or princesses. Sometimes, we'll get adults dressed up in Medieval or Renaissance garb. That can be pretty cool too. Cheers all!

Condolences

I was having a slightly busy day today. Between appointments, I decided to call my step-mom Kay and find out how things were going with her and her husband Ed. Ed has been sick for over a year at least. After scores of tests, the doctors finally found out what was wrong with him. He had primary amyloidosis. It's a plasma cell disorder which affects 2,000 people a year. There is a clinic in Boston which is renowned for treating the disorder and Ed was going to go to the clinic for treatment. I expected when I called Kay to found out that he had started the treatment. It came as a great shock when Kay told me that Ed arrived at the clinic this past Sunday and died there. I was very sorry to hear the news. From the few times I'd met the man, he seemed like a very decent bloke. I know he and my step-mom were very happily married. I hope my step-mom can find comfort in that at least his suffering is over. If any of my blog readers pray, please say a prayer for my step-mom to help her as she deals with this terrible event. I know she would appreciate it. Cheers!

Auction

One of the employee incentive programs Medieval Times has is a program called Medieval Dollars. Medieval Dollars are fake money that the castle awards to its employees for any number of things. It can be awarded for meeting your sales quota in gift shop or the photo department. It can be awarded for perfect timeliness. Basically, it is awarded for doing something beyond the norm. It encourages employees to give that extra effort.

Now, you ask what good are Medieval Dollars? That is where the bi-annual auctions come in. The auctions are where those who have earned Medieval Dollars get to use them to bid on various items the management has bought for the auction. Example: I bid and won on 4 tickets to the Maryland Renaissance Festival. For me, this was a really nice reward for giving that extra effort as it was something I really wanted to do. Others won an Xbox, a food processor, a 158 piece tool kit, gift certificates to Damon's Sports Bar and to one of the Texas Roadhouse restaurants. There were some nice prizes to be won.

Overall, I think the Medieval Dollars program is a great employee incentive program. It definitely rewards and encourages its employees to take their work up another notch. I know I will because of the program. It also makes me glad to have sacrificed some bucks so I could work at the castle. I can make a lot more money carrying mail for the Post Office vice working at the castle. The prizes I won at the auction made me glad I decided work at the castle vice making the bigger bucks at the Post Office.

Dentist

I finally got my lazy procrastinating butt to the dentist today. I've been needing a cleaning since January but I kept putting it off. Now, I wish I'd seen the dentist back in January. I received good and bad news. The good news was no cavities which was also a surprise considering how bad I've been about brushing and flossing my teeth. The bad news was that I have a moderate case of gum disease. I'll have to see a Periodontist three times to get all the crud cleaned off my teeth and then we'll see how my teeth and gums recover. This is the price for not brushing and flossing like I should've. Thankfully, I have a dental plan thanks to the Air Force. The bill for my teeth is going to run to almost $1,300! Because of the dental plan, I'll have to pay $390 which is better than paying $1,300. Hopefully, I'll get my lazy butt in gear and start brushing AND flossing more regularly. We'll see how the treatments with the Periodontist go.

My Routine at Medieval Times Part I

I thought my readers might find it interesting to find out what my routine is when I work at Medieval Times. This is what it is like for someone working in Sound and Lighting there.

When I first arrive, I clock in with a scanner that has a picture of two of my fingers. This way, the castle can make sure the person that is clocking in is the person they say they are. Then, I make my way to the Sound and Lighting booth. I store my Dehner full length English riding boots in there because they are so valuable. They cost me over $930. The castle didn't supply me with the boots. I bought them earlier when I was riding at Aspiring Heights Farm (http://www.aspiringheightsfarm.com). The castle supplies those who play castle guards a fake chain mail shirt, a fake chain mail hood, a pair of black hose, a cover tunic, a black belt to cinch around the cover tunic, and weapons. The employee is expected to supply their own black tennis shoes which they are supposed to wear with the costume. I don't think Medieval castle guards wore black tennis shoes back in Medieval days so I asked and received permission to wear my riding boots.

Once I have my boots, I head to wardrobe. Wardrobe has all the costumes for everyone who works at the castle. They're responsible for washing them and repairing them. After I pick up all my costume items barring weapons and gauntlets, I go to the men's locker room where I change and lock up my regular clothes.

I'm not finished getting costumed if you will. I have to head back to the booth where I get my big black leather belt (a dyed weight lighting belt with various studs added for decoration) and decide what weapon I want to carry on it. I usually pick out a sword as I think it's pretty neat to carry one. Then, I cinch the belt and smooth out my cover tunic so it looks smooth. After that, I put on a black ski cap. Why would I wear a black ski cap? Because it cushions really well the metal helmet I have to wear. The ski cap does get a little warm but it's warm it considering how well it paddens the helmet. Next, I put on my black leather gauntlets. Like my boots, I bought my own gauntlets. I thought they'd enhance my costume. I got approval from the higher ups (all changes to costume must be approved by them) and have worn them since. Lastly, I select which halberd I want to use to guard the entrance to the castle. The only difference between the two we have is one is shiny and one isn't.

I'm finally all set to play castle guard. Now, I have to wait till it's time for me and the others to go out to the castle waiting area to our posts. We take our posts 2 and 1/2 hours before show time. My favorite post is post 1. This is the entrance closest to the ticket booth. It is also the side that people line up on when preparing to check-in at the check-in desk between the two fake stone lions. Working post 1 is a bit of a challenge as I have to answer a number of questions concerning ticketing and reservations. I also have to make sure that only those who have a seating card (they get one of those when they check-in) are allowed in. Lastly, I get asked a lot to pose for pictures. I confess I enjoy this part as I find it fun. I'm always willing to have my picture taken by myself or with guests.

I remain at post 1 till the herald's trumpets sound and the Lord Chancellor makes the call to table. The call to table is where people are directed to the appropriate doors for their color section (there are 6 colors with each color corresponding to a particular knight). Once they enter the appropriate double doors, serving serfs and wenches direct them to their assigned table. Before the people are allowed into the arena and to their table, all of those doing guard duty and working the dungeon go back to the Sound and Lighting booth. There, we put our weapons away and change from our costumes into clothes that are entirely black so we can't be seen when we're working the spotlights in one of the spotlight towers.

To be continued.

New Postal Rates

In case you haven't heard, postal rates will be going up on May 14th. The price of a 1 ounce First Class letter will go up 2 cents. You can mail letters using the 39 cent stamps until May 14th. After that, you must have to have the increased postage on your letter otherwise it'll get kicked back to you. Believe me, it will. I've seen it. Your local Post Office should be selling the new 41 cent stamps as well as 2 cent stamps so you can use up your 39 cent stamps. For further information on the rate increase or to order stamps on-line, see http://www.usps.com.

Pete's Wicked Ale

On my last visit to the Corridor Wine Store, I bought some beer. I decided to try something I haven't tried before so I bought a six-pack of Pete's Wicked Ale. This is a product review on that ale.

The company that produces Pete's Wicked Ale states that it is extremely smooth. I did find it an easy ale to drink. It does have a smooth taste. They also state it has ruby color though I can't testify to that as I drank it right out of the bottle. I found out it was also potent. They don't tell you the alcohol content on either the bottle or carrier. I had to look it up on their website http://www.peteswicked.com/. I found out it is rated at 5.3% which is stronger than your normal U.S. brews. The potency doesn't take away from it being a good brew. Overall, I enjoyed drinking this ale. I found out Pete's Wicked Ale makes three other regular products: Pete's Rally Cap Ale, Pete's Strawberry Blonde and Pete's Wanderlust Cream Ale. I plan to try these some time and see how good they are. Stay tuned for further reviews on their products. Cheers all!

Cruise

My friend Harvey and I have agreed on what cruise we should take next year. Both of us were game to visit the Caribbean as neither of use had ever visited there. There is an ample number of cruise ships that do cruises out of the Caribbean so the next question was what cruise we should go on. Both of us agreed that it would be neat to take a cruise out of San Juan, Puerto Rico as that is another place we've never been to. We could do a little sightseeing and then board the cruise ship and see other places in the Caribbean. Boarding the ship at San Juan cut down the number of cruises. Our travel agent, Joel Mills at Carlson Wagonlit, helped narrow the choices further. We finally decided on a 7-day cruise with Royal Caribbean. We'll visit Oranjestad, St. Thomas, Willemstad and Philipsburg. As I've never been on a cruise, it should be an interesting time. I'm looking forward to going.