As you can tell, I'm counting the days till I fly down to San Juan, Puerto Rico and board Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas for her re-positioning cruise which finishes in Baltimore, Maryland. Once there, she'll take the place of Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas which is re-positioning to possibly Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The cruise should be particularly good. One down side to cruising out of Baltimore, Maryland is you spend a lot of time at sea getting to and from places. The Baltimore cruise to the Bahamas takes 2 days at sea each way. With the re-positioning cruise, you'll only spend 2 days at sea en-route to Baltimore. Also, the cruise pulls into 6 ports: St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Kitts, British Virgin Island, Dominican Republic and Haiti (Royal Caribbean's resort at Labadee) (this may not be the correct order though these are all the port calls it'll make).
Others apparently think the cruise should be a good one as the last time I checked, the only cabins that were left were suites on the cruise which were going for over $2,400 per person! I managed to get a pretty good deal on an inner cabin. It'll be my first time in one of those cabins (I normally do balcony cabins) and, I'm curious to see what they're like. Also, it'll be my first time on Grandeur of the Seas though I did get to sail on her sister ship Splendour of the Seas last November on 2 great cruises to the Greek Islands.
After the re-positioning cruise, I'll be doing a follow on cruise on Grandeur of the Seas to Bermuda. That cruise will be interesting as that'll be the first cruise I'll ever done where the ship overnights at a port. Also, it'll be my first visit to Bermuda.
Both cruises should be a lot of fun plus, it'll be very convenient finishing in Baltimore. I won't have to worry about the weight of my suit case and, I'll only have to pay $35 for a shuttle to take me to the Extended Stay Hotel in Jessup, Maryland where I'll be staying again for at least another 2 months. So far, I've been very pleased with the Extended Stay Hotel. I plan to write on a review on it later on Tripadvisor.com. Stay tuned for my cruise updates. Happy travels all!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Wegmans Jelly Belly Jelly Beans
While visiting the Columbia, Maryland Wegmans supermarket this past Friday, I decided to buy some of their Jelly Belly jelly beans. Wegmans offers a very good price on them - $7 a pound. This is $2 a pound cheaper than the Sweets From Heaven shop I reviewed in December 2012. Wegmans doesn't offer the extensive selection of loose candy Sweets From Heaven offers though it does offer some loose candy as well as various nuts such as sunflower seeds and cashews as well as trail mix. Their honey roasted sunflower kernels are pretty good and reasonably priced at $2.69 a pound (price valid on February 27th 2013). The price Wegmans offers on Jelly Belly jelly beans also beats the price you'll find on the official Jelly Belly website where it would cost you between $8.59 a pound (providing you bought a 10 pound bulk package) to $10 a pound (for a 2 pound package). If you like Jelly Belly jelly beans, you're local Wegmans might be the best place to buy them. Happy jelly bean munching all!
Sunday, March 17, 2013
McDonald's Fish McBites Review
In the McDonald's coupon booklet I received in the mail, they mentioned their new food item Fish McBites. Fish McBites are small breaded square pieces of Alaskan pollock that McDonald's offers in 3 different size orders - snack (3.4 ounces), regular (5.2 ounces) and shareable (10.3 ounces). I tried the shareable size. I bought my McBite order at the 8700 Washington Boulevard, Jessup, Maryland McDonalds. It cost me $5.59 not including tax and came with 2 small things of tartar sauce which you can dip the McBites in. According to nutrition information McDonald's posts on its website http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/product_nutrition.chicken.1043.Fish-McBites-Regular-Size.html, the shareable size Fish McBites has 730 calories, 33 grams of protein, 39 grams of fat, 63 grams of carbohydrates, 1,260 milligrams of sodium, 5 grams of saturated fat, zero trans fat and 70 milligrams of cholesterol.
Overall, I thought McDonald's Fish McBites were pretty good. They are a novel way to enjoy fish as well as a very easy way to eat fish. Due to their small size, I would think there is very little risk of finding a fish bone, something you have to watch out for in larger fish portions. Time wise, there would be a minimal wait to get your order unless it's a particularly busy time at your local McDonald's. McBites might be a good way to get kids to try fish. I would think young kids would particularly like the small bite size piece like they like Chicken McNuggets. Bon Appetit!
Overall, I thought McDonald's Fish McBites were pretty good. They are a novel way to enjoy fish as well as a very easy way to eat fish. Due to their small size, I would think there is very little risk of finding a fish bone, something you have to watch out for in larger fish portions. Time wise, there would be a minimal wait to get your order unless it's a particularly busy time at your local McDonald's. McBites might be a good way to get kids to try fish. I would think young kids would particularly like the small bite size piece like they like Chicken McNuggets. Bon Appetit!
Friday, March 15, 2013
Godiva Biscuits
While visiting my nearby base exchange to get some Godiva chocolates as a gift for the 2 very sweet lady managers at EZ Storage on 8401 Contee Road in Laurel, Maryland, I decided to treat myself to a reward for finishing my move out of my apartment. Godiva is renowned for making high quality products and, I decided to try their biscuits (cookies to those of us in the United States). The 50 biscuit gift set was encased in a very nice orange tin with the Godiva trademark in the center of it. The tin held the following assortment of biscuits:
Godiva Signature - a traditional European biscuits with a square of Godiva chocolate on top with Lady Godiva riding her horse in the center of the chocolate square
Dark Truffle Heart - a heart shaped biscuit with chocolate on top filled with chocolate truffle cream
Hazelnut Praline - chocolate hazelnut creme set between 2 crunchy biscuits with milk chocolate on the bottom
Raspberry Premier - a thin chocolate biscuit topped with a layer of chocolate raspberry creme with a square of dark chocolate on top of that
Petit Mousse - a light biscuit filled with chocolate mousse dipped in dark chocolate
Chocolate Lune - 2 thin hazelnut wafers filled with chocolate creme half dipped in dark chocolate
Hazelnut Belgique - a meringue biscuit topped with hazelnut pieces encased in dark chocolate and drizzled with milk chocolate
All of the biscuits were beautifully made and stacked in the stylish tin. I tried each of the biscuits and found every 1 of them a delicious chocolate delight. Price wise, the tin lists for $40 on the Godiva website but, for military folks, you can buy the tin for $32 at your base/post exchange. For those who care about calories, each biscuit/cookie contains approximately 40 calories with 0 cholesterol and 0 trans fats.
Overall, the biscuits lived up to the Godiva brand. They're very good and should delight any chocoholic as well as making a very nice gift to anyone. I would heartily recommend this wonderful product. Bon Appetit!
Godiva Signature - a traditional European biscuits with a square of Godiva chocolate on top with Lady Godiva riding her horse in the center of the chocolate square
Dark Truffle Heart - a heart shaped biscuit with chocolate on top filled with chocolate truffle cream
Hazelnut Praline - chocolate hazelnut creme set between 2 crunchy biscuits with milk chocolate on the bottom
Raspberry Premier - a thin chocolate biscuit topped with a layer of chocolate raspberry creme with a square of dark chocolate on top of that
Petit Mousse - a light biscuit filled with chocolate mousse dipped in dark chocolate
Chocolate Lune - 2 thin hazelnut wafers filled with chocolate creme half dipped in dark chocolate
Hazelnut Belgique - a meringue biscuit topped with hazelnut pieces encased in dark chocolate and drizzled with milk chocolate
All of the biscuits were beautifully made and stacked in the stylish tin. I tried each of the biscuits and found every 1 of them a delicious chocolate delight. Price wise, the tin lists for $40 on the Godiva website but, for military folks, you can buy the tin for $32 at your base/post exchange. For those who care about calories, each biscuit/cookie contains approximately 40 calories with 0 cholesterol and 0 trans fats.
Overall, the biscuits lived up to the Godiva brand. They're very good and should delight any chocoholic as well as making a very nice gift to anyone. I would heartily recommend this wonderful product. Bon Appetit!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Moved Out
My crazy moving adventure finally finished today sort of. I still have to find a permanent place to live but, I'm not in any hurry. The Extended Stay Hotel in Jessup, Maryland that I'm staying at is very nice. I can cook food on the room's 2 burner stove top and store items that have to stay cold or frozen in the full refrigerator. The fast free WiFi in my room rocks!
Concerning my move, it has been a series of adventures and learning experiences. I never realized I had so much stuff. I always thought my 2 bedroom apartment was small. I managed to fill 2 7 1/2 feet by 10 feet storage units at EZ Storage with me using a 3rd (5 ft by 10 ft) unit till I figure out where to put that stuff in the other 2 units.
The biggest problem I had with my move was my job at the post office. I couldn't get time off to work on my move. I was supposed to have 2 days off this past week and, I got called back to the post office both days. This made it impossible for me to finish moving my remaining stuff myself. I ended up calling Original Moving and Storage Inc. a 2nd time so, I could get my remaining stuff out of my now former apartment in time.
Another headache I had was my former apartment being on the 3rd floor and, my former apartment complex doesn't have elevators. So, EVERY box had to be carried down 2 flights of stairs and out to my car. I did well to get 2 loads out to EZ Storage every Sunday and 2 more on Presidents Day.
Still, I was saddened a bit when I turned over the apartment key and the mailbox key to Melissa Napper, one the apartment complex managers. I lived at Camden Russett (was Summit Russett) for over 11 years. I haven't lived at any other address as long. I did the last years of my Air Force career while living there and started a new career with U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The transition was very scary and, I suffered a number of disappointments before finally ending up at the USPS.
The move in 1 way is more than an ordinary move. It's closing the Air Force chapter of my life though I'll always be Air Force Blue. You can't forget something that took up over half your life (26 years). I suspect I'll always address superiors as Sir or Ma'am. Now, I really will get to make my way in my Post Air Force life. We'll see how it goes. Stay tuned.
Concerning my move, it has been a series of adventures and learning experiences. I never realized I had so much stuff. I always thought my 2 bedroom apartment was small. I managed to fill 2 7 1/2 feet by 10 feet storage units at EZ Storage with me using a 3rd (5 ft by 10 ft) unit till I figure out where to put that stuff in the other 2 units.
The biggest problem I had with my move was my job at the post office. I couldn't get time off to work on my move. I was supposed to have 2 days off this past week and, I got called back to the post office both days. This made it impossible for me to finish moving my remaining stuff myself. I ended up calling Original Moving and Storage Inc. a 2nd time so, I could get my remaining stuff out of my now former apartment in time.
Another headache I had was my former apartment being on the 3rd floor and, my former apartment complex doesn't have elevators. So, EVERY box had to be carried down 2 flights of stairs and out to my car. I did well to get 2 loads out to EZ Storage every Sunday and 2 more on Presidents Day.
Still, I was saddened a bit when I turned over the apartment key and the mailbox key to Melissa Napper, one the apartment complex managers. I lived at Camden Russett (was Summit Russett) for over 11 years. I haven't lived at any other address as long. I did the last years of my Air Force career while living there and started a new career with U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The transition was very scary and, I suffered a number of disappointments before finally ending up at the USPS.
The move in 1 way is more than an ordinary move. It's closing the Air Force chapter of my life though I'll always be Air Force Blue. You can't forget something that took up over half your life (26 years). I suspect I'll always address superiors as Sir or Ma'am. Now, I really will get to make my way in my Post Air Force life. We'll see how it goes. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
New 1 mg Generic Propecia Available in the U.S.
Yesterday, I drove to the Arundel Mills Costco Warehouse to pick up my latest 90 day prescription refill of Propecia. The pharmacist at the counter informed me they'd given me a new generic propecia. The only generic I knew of was Proscar which is Finasteride in 5mg tablets. I never used Proscar because, I didn't want to mess with splitting the tablets into 4 pieces with a pill splitter. Supposedly Proscar was cheaper but, it wasn't worth the hassle to me.
The new generic made my Dr. Reddy's Laboratories in possibly India comes in 1mg doses like Propecia though the pills are a different color and smaller. Price wise, the generic has considerable savings. My refill cost $150.74 saving me over $57 for a 90 day supply. That amounts to over $228 a year! I was delighted with the savings.
Later, I found an article dated 3 January 2013 announcing beginning of sales of the product (http://www.fool.com/investing/businesswire/2013/01/03/dr-reddys-announces-the-launch-of-finasteride-tabl.aspx) in the U.S. on 2 January 2013. The article gives a few particulars like the size of the Propecia market in the U.S. though I don't know if they took into account those who were taking Proscar for hair loss prevention.
The big issue is the savings for Propecia users and, the knowledge they will be able to get a product that is unquestionably is what it says it is. If you bought a generic Propecia from a foreign pharmaceutical concern like I did 1 time, you couldn't be sure you were actually getting the genuine product. Presumably, with the generic Propecia made by Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Propecia users can rest assured they're getting genuine Finasteride in the prescribed dose. NOTE: Propecia users must still have a doctors prescription to get the generic Propecia. Also, pregnant women should avoid any contact with the generic Propecia just like the regular Propecia.
Update December 7, 2013: Today, I posted a new article about a 2nd generic Propecia entering the U.S. market. It's made by Camber Pharmaceuticals Incorporated and is apparently cheaper than the generic put out by Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Limited. See my article for further information.
The new generic made my Dr. Reddy's Laboratories in possibly India comes in 1mg doses like Propecia though the pills are a different color and smaller. Price wise, the generic has considerable savings. My refill cost $150.74 saving me over $57 for a 90 day supply. That amounts to over $228 a year! I was delighted with the savings.
Later, I found an article dated 3 January 2013 announcing beginning of sales of the product (http://www.fool.com/investing/businesswire/2013/01/03/dr-reddys-announces-the-launch-of-finasteride-tabl.aspx) in the U.S. on 2 January 2013. The article gives a few particulars like the size of the Propecia market in the U.S. though I don't know if they took into account those who were taking Proscar for hair loss prevention.
The big issue is the savings for Propecia users and, the knowledge they will be able to get a product that is unquestionably is what it says it is. If you bought a generic Propecia from a foreign pharmaceutical concern like I did 1 time, you couldn't be sure you were actually getting the genuine product. Presumably, with the generic Propecia made by Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Propecia users can rest assured they're getting genuine Finasteride in the prescribed dose. NOTE: Propecia users must still have a doctors prescription to get the generic Propecia. Also, pregnant women should avoid any contact with the generic Propecia just like the regular Propecia.
Update December 7, 2013: Today, I posted a new article about a 2nd generic Propecia entering the U.S. market. It's made by Camber Pharmaceuticals Incorporated and is apparently cheaper than the generic put out by Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Limited. See my article for further information.
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