Periodontist

Wednesday, I got to see Dr. Ronnie Jones at the Batz & Weiner Dentistry. Dr. Jones is their resident periodontist. A periodontist is a dentist that specializes in gum disease and gum surgery. I'd seen Dr. Jones previously because my gums became seriously infected. I haven't flossed like I should AND I didn't get my teeth cleaned regularly like I should've. Dr. Jones had to descale my teeth. What that is where they go into each root of each tooth and clean out all the built up tartar and infection. It was an expensive and long procedure. After that, I was supposed to see Dr. Jones every 6 months but I opted for every 3. I figured I could keep the tartar and any possible infection under control that way even with my poor record for flossing. So, I got to see Dr. Jones Wednesday. The news wasn't great but it wasn't bad either. None of my teeth were in really bad shape and most were in good shape. There was some minor bleeding in the gums which indicates that I had some minor infection in some teeth. If I got off my lazy duff and flossed more, there wouldn't be any. I'll try to floss more though it is a real hassle. I'll get to see Dr. Jones again the end of September.

Gas Prices

I don't know how gas prices are where you live my faithful readers but here in Laurel, Maryland; they continue to climb. Today, I had to fill up 2 of our postal trucks at 2 different gas stations in Laurel. A Chevron gas station on MD-197 close to the MD-295 Parkway was charging $3.99 for regular. At an Exxon station on MD Route 1 close to MD-32, they were charging $3.89. A BP station on MD-198 just down from MD-295 was also charging $3.89. Prices apparently are still going up around here. It makes me glad I didn't buy that townhome in PA. The commute would've been a real killer money wise.

Genesis Class Ships

I found out some more information on the Royal Caribbean Project Genesis ships. Royal Caribbean held a contest to name the 2 new class ships the winning names were Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas (Source: http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/releases/052308_Oasis_of_the_Seas.pdf). The ship class will be called Oasis. The new class of ship will be the largest cruise ship class in the world. It will accomodate 5,400 passengers, have 16 decks and 2,700 staterooms (Source: http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/releases/052308_Oasis_of_the_Seas.pdf). The class will be nearly half again the tonnage of Royal Caribbean's Voyager class (220,000 tons versus 138,000 tons). The Oasis of the Seas will be based at Port Everglades which is just outside Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Currently, Royal Caribbean features cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean from Port Everglades (Source: Royal Caribbean 2008-2009 Caribbean Vacation Planner). The Oasis of the Seas is due to start service in late 2009 and with its sister ship joining it at Port Everglades in 2010 (Source:

http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/releases/052308_Oasis_of_the_Seas.pdf).

This should be one impressive ship though I can't imagine trying to fill all those cabins. I suspect there will be some good prices on cruises on these ships. From what I've seen, you get a better deal on Royal Caribbean's larger ships than you do on the smaller ones.

Transfer

One of the great ironies of working at the U.S. Postal Service is that it is one of the worst organizations to try to transfer from one state to another. It is ironic when you consider that no other organization/company has more branches throughout the U.S. than the U.S. Postal Service. In my case, I'd like to transfer to a post office that is in the York, PA area or to some post office close to I-83 in northeast Maryland. As either of those two areas are outside the Capital District that I'm currently part of, I'll have to take the rural carrier exam AGAIN even though I've been doing the job for almost 2 years now. Worst still, if I get picked up by a post office in the York area or northern Maryland area, I'll go to the bottom of the list of the subs at that Post Office. What does that mean? It means that I'll get the fewest hours and will be the last to get a route when one opens up. In order to transfer to the new post office, I'll forfeit all the seniority I currently have. It's one of the things that really bites working for the Postal Service.

Tax Rebate

I heard from the IRS yesterday. They told me how much of a tax rebate I'm going to get thanks to the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008. I'll receive $574.45. My first thought was "don't spend it all in one place." My second thought to myself was "do the imbeciles in Congress really think that is going to help me stimulate the economy." In my opinion, the Economic Stimulus Act is a joke. The money I'll get back won't make any dent in the economy and help very little in my finances. I see it as a sign of just how wacked out our representatives are in Congress. I also see it as a sign of how they just can't keep their stinking hands of my money and it is MY money, not theirs. I've rarely been so thoroughly disgusted with the buttheads in Washington as I am now. They continue to outdo themselves for sheer stupidity. I guess I ought to be grateful that they gave me back some of MY money but, I'm not. I'm not looking forward to next year as they'll take back all of the tax rebate thanks to them not making the tax cuts permanent. I'm certain we're headed for some hard times ahead and it will be largely due to the imbeciles in Washington D.C.

Stories

Today, I finally finished writing the stories of my Globus Scandanavian adventure. Writing the stories brought back the memories of the trip and the awesome things I got to do. I've kept in touch with a few members of the group we had. It's nice to hear from them. I wish they were going on the France tour I'll be going on as it would be great to see them again. The magic of the trip has faded some. It doesn't feel so close now. I may buy a videocam to take on the France tour so I can better remember the tour. Perhaps the magic of the experience will last longer that way. It might be funny to see how I do making an amateur video of France. We'll see. Once my friend Harvey and another member of the group have reviewed the stories, I plan to post them on the http://www.exchangetravelstories.com/default.aspx site. That way, others can see what the tour was like. It is definitely worth doing. Moments like what I got to do on that tour are what make life worth living. Cheers all!

Scare

I had a bit of a scare this past Friday morning. I was scheduled to work Montpelier Rural Route 2 at the Post Office. I got up early, had breakfast, got dressed and rushed out the door. I put my key into the door lock to lock the door and it wouldn't go in. I tried again and it still wouldn't go in. We've had a few break-ins at the complex where I live and I wondered if someone had tampered with the lock. As I wasn't about to leave my apartment unlocked, I called my supervisor at the Post Office. She hadn't come in yet so I left a message letting her know what had happened. Then, I searched for the number for maintenance at my complex. I couldn't find it but, I did find the complex office number on the web. I called that and they gave the number for emergency repairs. Subsequently, I called that number. A lady answered the phone. I told her my problem and she assured me she would pass it on to the maintenance person who would call me back within 10 minutes. Within 7 minutes, the maintenance person called. I explained to the person that I couldn't lock my door and I had no idea why. He said no problem and he would arrive in 20 minutes.

After about 20 minutes, the maintenance guy that was on call arrived. He inspected the lock and found out that a pin had come out. It was the pin that was preventing me from locking the door. He decided to replace the entire lock. That took only about 15 minutes. He tested the new lock and he had me try it too. It worked fine.

After that, I quickly drove to the Post Office where I got to work on the route I was scheduled to work. Because we are tight sub wise, they didn't have any one to cover for me. I was lucky in that the mail was light that day. I was able to get caught up in about an hour and hit the street at my normal time.

The door lock has been fine since. I was so pleased with the maintenance person who replaced the lock that I sent an email to the complex manager commending him for his work. I hope he gets to see the email. I was very grateful for his quick response and work.

Restaurant Review - Rita's

Rita's isn't a restaurant per se as a shop that specializes in flavored ices and frozen custard. I found out about it when I was delivered some mail to them. The stop is located in Laurel, Maryland on Maryland 198/Fort Meade Road just past the Maryland 295 Parkway. It's in a mall called the Corridor Marketplace.

The shop offers at least 8 different flavored ices as well as vanilla and chocolate frozen custard. They change the flavors of the ices regularly so they always have new flavors to try. They also offer cold drinks that combine one of the frozen ices with one of the custards. One item I've tried a number of times is their Misto shake. It is part ice and part custard thoroughly mixed together. Some of the flavors of their shakes have been very good. I particularly liked their Root Beer Float shake and their cream cicle shake.

Price wise, I've found Rita's reasonable. A large ice will cost you $2.50 and a large Misto shake will cost you $4.30 including tax. They have a card that you get stamped every time you visit. After your tenth purchase, you get a free item of your choice.

Parking is a little limited though I've never had a problem getting a spot. If necessary , you can use the bigger parking lot which is behind the shop.

Service has always been prompt, polite and knowledgeable. Also, there has rarely been a line when I've visited.

If you want something to cold to drink on a hot day here in Maryland and you happen to be in Laurel, you might want to give Rita's a try. They offer cool refreshing shakes, gelatis and ices that will make the heat more bearable. Cheers all!

Chik-Fil-A

Because my friend Modestine works at the Chik-Fil-A on Maryland 198 just off of the MD-295 intersection, I decided to treat myself to lunch there yesterday. It became something of a small course on Chik-Fil-A. For example, I learned that they make all their salads fresh on the premises. They must be awful busy in the morning getting all that stuff ready. Also, their lemonade is the real stuff with real squeezed lemons minus the pulp which they strain out. Modestine also gave me small samples of some of the stuff they sell. Their chicken strips were very good. Also, their sweetened ice tea had a good flavor. I liked their cole slaw which is made fresh every day. I'll be buying some more of that next time.

For my lunch, I tried their spicy chicken sandwich. I found that it wasn't terribly spicy. It was good. I had a large order of their waffle fries which were really good. Both the fries and the chicken were fried in peanut oil which I guess is lower in fat and has a less oily taste. Also, I had a large lemonade. I found their lemonade to be a bit tart. I wonder if it taste better if they sweetened it more. It was still good.

Overall, I had a nice lunch there and I plan to go back. Modestine has tempted me into trying some more of their items. So stay tuned for further updates on Chik-Fil-A.

Old Saying

There is an old saying that goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." I was reminded of this when I decided to upgrade to Outlook 2007. I had no idea all the problems it would cause. First, I tried to use the free version Microsoft sent me. I was never able to get that to work and I couldn't figure out why. Then, I bought the 2007 upgrade version Microsoft's Professional Office suite. I received the same errors I had with the free version. I wondered if the Outlook Connector program was the problem. I uninstalled it. Eureka! Outlook started working but, I couldn't access my Hotmail account through Outlook. No problem, I just downloaded the program, installed it and it would work. Wrong! After downloading it twice and installing it twice, I realized I had to contact Microsoft technical support. I called them and got bounced around like a ping pong ball. Eventually, I did reach someone who knew how to fix the problem. They had to create a new profile so I could connect to Hotmail. I was out of the woods right? Nope. I couldn't remember the password for the SprintPCS email account. So, I had to contact Sprint who reset it and helped me set the account up on the Outlook program.

So, my Outlook program is working finally AT LAST. I hope I don't have go through this crap for a good while. I will definitely remember that old saying about not fixing something that isn't broke and hopefully follow its sage advice.

Reminder

I just wanted to remind my readers that postage rates went up today. In the case of a first class letter, it went up 1 cent. If you have the forever stamps, you don't need to worry about the rate increase. Rates for other classes of mail also went up. To find out what they are, please check http://www.usps.com/.

Grrrrrr!

Recently, I received some errors with my Outlook program. According to the automated message that explains what causes the errors, my problem was my outdated version of Outlook (2002 version). Last year, Microsoft sent me a copy of Outlook 2007 since I use their Hotmail Outlook link. I decided to install the 2007 version. To my frustration, I haven't been able to get it to work. I may spend the money and buy the proper Office 2007 version so it'll work. We'll see.

Happy Mother's Day

I wanted to wish all mother's out there a Happy Mother's Day. May you enjoy your special day. A special wish to Kay and Judy.

2009 Travel

Well, I have good news for you my faithful readers. I sorted out my 2009 travel plans and there will be some exciting future posts on this blog. In March 2009, I'll be going on a 11 day tour of Egypt. I'll get to see the famous Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Queen Hatshepsut's temple, the temples at Luxor and Karnak and Abu Simbel. It should be an awesome tour. I'm more excited about that one than I am about my future tour of France.

In June 2009, I'll get to take my 2nd cruise. I'll get to visit 4 islands I've never been to: Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua and St. Croix as well as return to St. Maarten. I'm also going to stay in a Junior Suite vice Deluxe Stateroom. I found out how much the price can go up when you hit high season cruise wise. My travel agent offered me 2 June dates for the cruise I wanted: June 7th and June 21st. As you can see, they are only 2 weeks apart. They are $400 apart price wise because the 21st is high season and the 7th isn't. Had I been able to travel a month earlier, I could've saved an additional $400. Apparently, as you get closer to high season, the price begins to climb. I'll remember that when I go on my 3rd cruise.

Lastly, I plan to do a 2 week tour of Ireland in October 2009. This will be interesting as it'll be with the tour company CIE. My travel agent says for Ireland, they do a slightly better tour than Globus. Based on what I saw of their website, I'd have to agree. The Ireland tour promises to be an enjoyable adventure filled with great natural beauty and delightful music.

Sakura's

It had been over 6 months since I last ate at Sakura's Japanese Steak and Seafood House here in Laurel. In my opinion, it's one of the finer restaurants in town. It has a nice decor, great food, excellent service and the chefs who prepare the food are very entertaining. I was reminded of the place last week when I delivered mail twice on rural route 15. The restaurant is one of the businesses on the route. So, I drove out there today.

The restaurant hasn't changed a bit. It still has a pleasant decor and service was excellent again. I was promptly seated and my order taken. The meal came with the standard soup (which is great) and salad (which is good). I had the scallops for an appetizer with the filet mignon, shrimp and chicken for the main course. The main course also came with a choice of appetizer and rice. For my second appetizer, I had the sauteed mushrooms and I chose their fried rice as it has more flavor than steamed rice.

The filet mignon was well prepared and very good. The shrimp was very tasty. The chicken was little dry. The fried rice and vegetables were excellent. The sauteed mushrooms were very good and the scallops were excellent, especially with some of the seafood sauce which the chef called yum yum sauce.

Overall, the meal was superb. My glass was rarely empty for long and my plate was filled up with food. Two people that ate across from me had to get doggie bags because of the large portions. Price wise, lunch cost me approximately $36 without tip. If you live in the Laurel, Maryland area, Sakura's puts out a 10% off coupon in the monthly Valupak you get in your mail. I used the coupon and it saved me $3.44.

I would definitely recommend this restaurant. Like I said previously, the food and service are excellent. The restaurant also has decent parking. The restaurant is located just off of Route 1 on the right before you reach the Route 1 and Contee Road intersection. Bon Appetit!

Townhome

As I previously blogged about, I've been considering buying a new townhome in Dallastown, PA. The reason is that it would be enormously more affordable than buying a place in Maryland. The downside is the hour and 15 minute (minimum) commute from PA to work. At times, I thought I had it all worked out and I wasn't going to buy then, I learned something that changed my mind to where I was going to buy. Finally, I figured out exactly what I wanted and I was set to buy and, I ran into another problem. They don't have a unit finished that has what I want. Ok, so they can build it right? Unfortunately, they can't build it before my current apartment lease expires. They plan to start building another set of townhomes this month which will be finished in late August/September. What am I going to be doing in September? I'm going to France for 2 weeks in September. Crap! Worse still, if I were to go month to month on my lease, I'd pay an extra $300 or $400 a month. So, there isn't any chance of me moving into one of those units. I could renew my lease for a year and plan on buying a place there next year however, the prices will almost certainly go up due to price increases as well as the fact that as more people move in, it's easier for them to sell the remaining units. I saw this happen with some new single family homes in Hanover, Maryland. In 2003, I looked into buying one and got price shock. At that time, it would've cost me $308,000. The mortgage, property tax and insurance would have cost me over $2,000 a month. I wasn't prepared to pay that. You can still buy homes in that development but, they'll cost you $450,000 now.

So, I'm left trying to figure out what to do. I could see if the apartment complex I live in will do a 6 month lease. However, I suspect that will be more expensive as it will be harder for them to find a new renter in February vice July. People don't tend to move during the winter time. I'm also wondering if this is what God wants me to do. Judging by the timing, I'd say not. We'll see what happens. Stay tuned.