Turner Pictures Gettysburg

In 1996, Ballantine Press published Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels. The novel tells the story of the battle of Gettysburg. Unlike other Civil War novels, Shaara tells us the thoughts and emotions of a select few soldiers from both the Confederate and U.S. sides. He also very graphically describes the days there that would see Lee's plans of invading the North crushed and put him on the defensive for the rest of the war. The novel was an enormous hit and its movie rights were picked up by Turner Pictures who used the novel to make the movie Gettysburg. These are my impressions of the movie.

The first thing that impressed me about the movie was its excellent cast. Martin Sheen plays General Robert E. Lee, Tom Berenger plans Lieutenant General James Longstreet, Jeff Daniels plays Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and Sam Elliott plays Brigadier General John Buford. The second thing that impressed me about the movie was its attention to detail. The producers faithfully reproduced the uniforms the two sides wore right down to the boots. The result is a movie that succeeds in taking you back to that period in time. Thanks to the novel which was the basis for the movie script, we get to see the thoughts and feelings of a number of critical players in the epic battle.

We see Cavalry General Buford who knew good ground when he saw it and was determined that this time Union forces would have the advantage ground wise. It is Buford that unknowingly picks the site and begins what will be the bloodiest battle ever fought on U.S. soil. We see the great citizen soldier Joshua Chamberlain. A great academic, he had dreams of being a soldier and enlists in the Union Army. At Gettysburg, he showed extraordinary leadership and courage. He plays a critical part in the Union victory. We see General Longstreet who doubting the wisdom of General Lee's plan nonetheless follows it to its bitter end. Lastly, we see the extraordinary bravery of the men who fought on both sides. Chamberlain's men from the state of Maine who stopped the Confederates from gaining Little Round Top and thereby flanking the Union forces and driving them from the heights. We also witness the legendary Pickett's charge. 15,000 men knowingly walked a mile through shot and shell for what they believed in. If valor alone was the thing that won battles, the men of Virginia would have won the battle hands down.

Overall, the movie is superb. It is a must for any Civil War buff. My only complaint with it is that it is 254 minutes long. 254 minutes equates to over 4 hours of sitting on your butt. I don't know about you but, that is a long time for me. To break up that long stretch, I watched the movie in two parts. Considering the normal movie rental is for 3 days at least, you should be able to do this too. Price wise, I don't know what the movie is selling for. If your a Civil War or history buff, I would definitely buy it. You will find a new understanding of the great battle and be touched by what happened there. As I live in Maryland, I don't believe I'm that far from Gettysburg. I hope to visit the battlefield myself someday and see for myself some of the places where its momentous events occurred. God bless.

Music Review

It might be heresy but I can say truthfully, I have never watched American Idol. Why haven't I watched it? Because I don't own a tv. Can't I afford a tv (how poor are you ditto)? Yes, I can afford to buy a tv but, I don't care to own one. I think a lot of the stuff put out these days is junk. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I'm able to get all the latest news I want. Movie wise, I can rent a movie from Blockbuster. I have been tempted to get a tv thanks to all the cool channels offered on cable BUT the price of cable service has done wonders for cooling my desire to be able to watch Fox News, ESPN, A&E and the History channel (a typical case of Ditto cheapness). Still, I have heard of American Idol. It's hard not to considering what a big hit it is. Also, the radio stations have played the music of those who won like that Ruben fellow and those who didn't Clay Aiken (I hope I have that last name right, I don't want to mix it up with the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback). Because of this, when I saw the American Idol Season 5 Encores CD on sale at BMG music club, I decided to buy it and give it a listen. This review is on that CD.

The CD has the following songs:

Melissa McGhee - What About Love
Bucky Covington - Superstition
Mandisa - I'm Every Woman
Chris Daughtry - Wanted Dead Or Alive
Ace Young - Father Figure
Taylor Hicks - Takin It To The Streets
Lisa Tucker - Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)
Kellie Pickler - Walkin' After Midnight
Elliot Yamin - Moody's Mood For Love
Katharine McPhee - Think
Paris Bennett - Midnight Train To Georgia
Kevin Covais - When I Fall In Love

Of the songs available on the CD, I thought the best ones were McGhee's What About Love, Daughtry's Wanted Dead Or Alive,Young's Father Figure with an honorable mention for Mandisa's I'm Every Woman. The only reason I didn't rate Mandisa's work comparable with the others is because I don't care for the song itself. However, I thought she did an excellent version of it.

Concerning McGhee's What About Love, I thought she a very good job with it and sounded a lot like the group HEART however, I'd swear I could hear some country in the lady's voice and at times, it came through.

Daughtry's version of Bonjovi's great hit Wanted Dead Or Alive is great. I heard Daughtry was a true rock singer and it shows in Wanted Dead Or Alive. He gives the song all the intensity it deserves and hammers home every note. It is very comparable to Bonjovi's great work.

Lastly, Young does an equally great job on George Michael's hit Father Figure. His voice is equally smooth and very comparable to Michael's. The song itself is superbly composed and clearly was a good fit with the singer.

I'm not going to do a Simon (forget his last name) and start ripping into the other artists. I just didn't find the other songs as good. I particularly felt that Bennett's version of Georgia came no where close to the great version done by Gladys Knight and the Pips. I also didn't care for Pickler's Walkin' After Midnight though if she was the blond in the contest then, the song suited her looks. I just don't care for that kind of song.

Overall, I thought it was a nice CD. I suspect it would be a must for any American Idol fan. For other music listeners, it depends on what you pay for it. I would be willing to pay $10 for it but I wouldn't pay $20. It isn't THAT good. If you find it on sale, you might want to buy it. If nothing else, you'll get to see if some of the contestants are any good. Based on this CD, some of them clearly are.

Paypal/Ebay

I don't know what it is about Paypal or Ebay but it seems I get an incredible number of scam emails for these two. This blog entry is to warn people about them. The two services are very useful. I've been able to securely pay for items without having to give credit card information via Paypal. I've been able to purchase items I've wanted at considerable savings on Ebay. I also got ripped once on Ebay for $94. Make sure you know Ebay's rules on how they'll help you concerning you failing to get merchandise you were promised. You'll also want to look at the customer satisfaction rating and how many items the seller has sold on Ebay. Someone who has sold a lot of stuff on Ebay isn't likely to run off with your money. Concerning scam emails, Paypal does have a free tool called SafetyBar that you can download that will enable you to forward to them any scam emails you get. They also try to make some money off you by selling an additional spam filter. Fortunately, you don't have to order the spam filter in order to use the scam email tool. The tool is worth having if you use Paypal or Ebay.

Automatic Renewals

Recently, I had two different on-line companies automatically renew their services without me realizing it until I got the bill. That's why I'm posting this blog entry. Please double check the terms of the contract before you order. In the case of Classmates.com, you'll want to remove the automatic renewal. Once they bill you automatically, you can't get your money back with them. Fortunately, it was only $40 with Classmates.com. With TrueCredit, my mistake cost me $120! I suspect it is a very lucrative move by the companies as they can legally say they informed the customer and it helps them generate more business. I confess I don't like it as I think it is a bit scammish but I realize it is the customer's responsibility to look out for such things. So, the next time you order a membership to something or a product like credit warnings watch out for the automatic renewals. It could end up costing you more than you expected.

Gall Stones

It has been an eventful couple of days for me though to be honest, I wish I could've passed on them. Tuesday, I was feeling fine and working at SHARE when the stomach pains I'd suffered the last five days came back. I took two antacids but they didn't seem to work. I decided to head home early. I got home and took another antacid tablet. Again, I didn't see any improvement. I debated what to do and decided I'd better see a doctor. It turned out to be a very wise decision.

I arrived at the clinic where my regular doctor works and asked if I could see a doctor. I told them I was experiencing considerable stomach pains. To my relief, they got me in to see a doctor. My condition worsened. Less than an hour after arriving at the clinic, I was in serious pain. Later, I became nauseous and began to throw up. The doctor who saw me called an ambulance. I asked for some painkillers and was told I couldn't have any until they had figured out what was wrong with me. The ambulance medics arrived and asked me about my condition. The doctor told them what they knew and I filled in any missing bits. They subsequently rolled me on stretcher out of the clinic to the ambulance. While enroute to Laurel Regional Hospital, my condition worsened further. I began to throw up violently to the point to where blood began coming out of my left ear though I didn't realize it at the time.

The ambulance arrived at the hospital in good time and I was promptly wheeled into the emergency room. There, Dr. Koons examined me and ordered chest x-rays and a sonogram. It was the sonogram that would show the problem. I had at least one gall stone in my gall bladder. It was the stone that was causing my excruciating pain. Dr. Koons promptly called a general surgeon by the name of Dr. Daee who arrived around 10 or 11 p.m. He explained to me that the standard procedure for gall stones was to remove the gall bladder. He said I had to back-up organs that could produce the bile my body needs so losing my gall bladder wasn't a disaster. I agreed to the surgery and it was scheduled for the next day at noon.

While I slept, the gall stone or stones moved and when I woke up the next morning, I wasn't in any pain. I waited patiently for the surgery. The only thing I was afraid of was the stone moving and causing the terrible pain I'd suffered the night before. At 10:50 a.m., I was told the Dr. Daee had been delayed by another case and my surgery was now scheduled for 5 p.m. There was nothing I could do so I accepted it and continued to wait. I also made various phone calls on my cell phone telling my Post Office and Medieval Times bosses what was going on. I also let my Dad and Mom know. Finally, at 3:55 p.m., I was prepped for surgery. I was wheeled down to the recovery room where they put another IV into me. To my annoyance. Dr. Daee was delayed again. I wouldn't actually be operated on until 5:50 p.m.

I don't have any memory of the operation itself. I found out afterwards that they used general anaestesia on me and it definitely worked. I never felt any pain during the operation. They kept me in the recovery room until they felt the anaestesia had worn off. Then, I was wheeled back to my room.

I slept well thankfully. The next morning, I was told I'd see the surgeon and he would determine if I could leave or not. I very much wanted to leave the hospital if possible because I was bored silly, my cell phone battery was nearly drained and I knew how expensive civilian hospitals are. I have the standard retired military health plan called Tricare Prime. I knew it should cover the costs of my hospitalization but I didn't want to make my hospital stay any more expensive then I had to just in case. I remember how much it cost Tricare when I came down with a case of severe bronchitis two years ago. It was a rude awakening to how expensive civilian healthcare is here in the U.S.

I never got to see the surgeon. I guess based on what the nurses told him, he determined there wasn't any need to see me. I was told that I wasn't allowed to do any heavy lifting, to stay away from spicy and fried foods and to see him in a week. Later, I found out from the surgeon's office that I was grounded i.e. no driving either until he gives me the clean bill of health. Luckily, I have lots of movies to watch, reading for the college class I plan to take for the third time (I withdrew twice) and letters to write. I also plan to write some blog entries on some CDs I've bought. Still, it's going to be a boring week.

That sums up my two eventful days. I try to look at this experience positively. At least, I found out what was wrong with me health wise and the terrible pains that came when the gall stone (s) moved won't be coming back. I count myself fortunate to have a very affordable health plan through the military. I'm also grateful to Ray Baldon who very kindly picked me up at the hospital and drove me to the clinic so I could get my car back. I'll have to make sure I do something nice for his family. Lastly, I'm lucky to have family and friends who while they couldn't be there in person were able to give me words of sympathy and encouragement. It turns out my Dad and Mom also had their gall bladders removed because of gall stones. They could fully understand what I was going through and what I could expect. Now, I just need to rest, recover and carry on.

Executioner

I got to play the executioner at Medieval Times for the first time this past Friday. It is the most challenging role I've had so far at Medieval Times. For starters, the executioner isn't allowed to talk. He can only make various grunts as well as use various body movements to make himself understood. The executioner is supposed to be sinister and scary. You only get to see the executioner's eyes and they must instill a slight tingle of fear when they look at the customer. The executioner also makes money for the castle. The castle has a set of fake stocks where people put their head and hands in and the executioner brings down his mighty ax so it looks like they're having their head chopped off. The photos are a neat spoof photo. A number of kids and adults find it fun to get the photo taken. They cost $10 each. The executioner is supposed to help drum up business in that way.

I found the job challenging. I constantly mingled with the customers and sought to put a little fear in the kids. In some cases, it didn't work. I had one cute little girl come up and hug me. Some boys who came for the show gave me high 5's. Still, the kids for the most part seemed to enjoy what I did. I only scared two kids badly which I regretted. My main aim was to make their visit more enjoyable. I want them to come back for another visit. I'd also really like it if they would mention that I helped make their visit more enjoyable on the comment cards which are left by the food servers at the end of the meal. Photo wise, I helped sell seven photos which I thought good for the size crowd we had. The bosses should be pleased about that.

Improvement wise, I need to be more careful about how I handle the ax. It isn't at all sharp but it is BIG and it is conceivable that I could accidentally hit someone with it. I also need to further develop my version of the character. Every person who plays the executioner plays it differently. Each person has to come up with their own unique version as this is the one they'll be comfortable with and most easily play.

I don't know when I'll get to play executioner again. Hopefully, I'll get another go at it sometime soon. I look forward to it as it is a fun and challenging role. It also gives me another chance to do what I can to make the customer's visit an enjoyable experience. That is my ultimate objective. If I do that, I'll be doing my bit in promoting Medieval Times dinner and show.

New Links

I posted some new links on my blog. The first new one is for Old Soldier's blog. Old Soldier is a retired Army warrant officer. He's pro-military and patriotic. As I'm very much pro-military (I very much enjoyed my 26 years in the U.S. Air Force) and think the U.S. is the best country in the world, I very much like his blog and heartily recommend it.

The link to Jack Yan is interesting in that it offers different perspectives on various world events. Jack is a Taiwanese/New Zealand citizen who lives in Wellington, New Zealand. It appears he is something of a celebrity in New Zealand based on some of his blog entries. I can't say for certain as I've never watched New Zealand television. I also gather he is a very successful businessman and is the owner/publisher of the fashion magazine Lucire. I've enjoyed reading some of his comments on various issues. He also talks a lot about branding (product brands like Mars bars and Tide detergent and Rolls Royce cars) as this is one of his great areas of expertise. I confess discussions on that lose me but I like his reading his viewpoints which is why I recommend this site.

The last new link is to Life as a secret agent blog. As far as I know, this interesting lady isn't really a secret agent though she does like spy shows like Alias. She works for Proctor and Gamble (I believe) and is currently living in London. She took the opportunity of a lifetime and agree to a 2-year job posting there. As I seriously love London, she has made me green with envy. I can't wait till I can stroll down Pall Mall, look at the ducks in St. James park and see a theatrical show in the West End again. Her blog is interesting because she tells of her adventures and misadventures in London as well as giving her views on Cincinnati, Ohio. She swears it is one of the greatest cities in the world. I don't know if I agree with her on that but it is neat to read her blog entries on it. If you want to read some interesting posts on London and how an American would see things there, you'll want to check out her blog.

Cindy Sheehan

I read in Old Soldier's blog that Cindy Sheehan had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. I personally feel that this woman is a disgrace to her son. Her son fought nobly for his country and helped the Iraqi people recover from years of terrible oppression under the Saddam Hussein regime. This lady has sought undo all the noble work her son and soldiers like him have sought to do. When she has been criticized for her work, she has answered that her critics had no right to criticize her considering she was the mother of a dead soldier. While we most definitely should show kindness to those who have lost loved ones in the War on Terror, Cindy Sheehan doesn't deserve a free pass. Whereas her son sought to make this world a safer place, she has in her misguided way sought to make it unsafer. I hope Old Soldier's information is wrong. The last thing this woman deserves is a prestigious award for what she's done.

60,000 Mile Servicing

I took my Toyota Camry to the local Carmax dealership yesterday. It was time to get its 60,000 mile servicing done. I got some nasty shocks when I was told that the strut assemblies and drive belts needed to be replaced. All totalled, the bill came to $1,336! Serious ouch!!!!! Hopefully, this will be the last big auto bill for a while. I haven't forgotten what happened with a 1991 Plymouth Laser I owned. Once the warranty went out on that car, every time I went to the dealership, they found another thing wrong with it. As I remember, it was costing me an average of $200 a month in repairs. If that starts happening with the Camry, I'm going to be trading it in quick.

Disastrous Day at Post Office

I had a disastrous day at the Post Office today. I was scheduled to do route 6 and went in around 7:30 a.m. All went well with sorting the mail though there was a heavy load of mail. I ended up with 9 trays and packages. Just before I left the Post Office, I started experiencing some stomach pain. I figured I could tough it out and do the route. I was wrong. The pain got progressively worse. I wondered what was wrong with me. I was afraid I'd come down with something that one of my co-workers there had. I called him and found out he had caught the flu though he was over it now. This seemed somewhat similar in that I was sweating, coughing some and had very bad stomach pains. The worst part was the stomach pain. Still, I tried to carry on and thought I could do the route though I knew I was going to do it slower than normal. From coughing, I started feeling like I was going to throw up. I wasn't happy about that and tried to keep it down. It didn't work. To my horror, I started throwing up right in front of the kiosk mail boxes. I called the Post Office for help because I knew now I wasn't going to finish the route. I also didn't want people seeing a sick mail carrier. As the throwing up continued, I decided to try to drive back to the Post Office. I managed to make it though I was still in pain. I was seriously bummed because this was the last thing I needed to have happen at the Post Office. I've done my best for them and want them to think highly of me. This fiasco isn't going to help me in that way.

I turned in the outgoing mail I had and the one accountable mail I took care of. I turned the keys over to my truck to the supervisor on duty. One lady mentioned about taking some antacids which I turned down. I've never needed to use those that I can remember. I suddenly had to make a fast walk to the bathroom where I upchucked again though thankfully in one of the commodes. Also, thankfully this was the last time I threw up. After that, I managed to drive home where I tried laying down. The pain seem to lessen while laying down but it didn't go away. I decided to consult a home diagnose book I got while in the military. Based on what my symptoms were, it sounded like antacids would solve the stomach pain. I shakily ran over to Wal-Mart and bought a bottle of their ultra antacids. I took two, laid down and waited for them to work. Thankfully, they did. The stomach pain is gone though my stomach is still touchy. I ate some crackers for energy and potato chips for the salt, drank some water to put some fluids back in me, and took another three antacids to keep the stomach settled. I plan to rest tomorrow and hopefully I'll get over whatever it was that caused my stomach to go off. I don't know what set my stomach off and caused me to get sick. I don't think I ate anything outlandish for breakfast that would've set it off. Normally, when I do eat something that sets it off, I'll throw up and the pain will go away. It didn't this time which I think strange. The one bright side of this whole mess is it looks like I don't have the flu. Hopefully, I'll still be in the Post Office's good graces when I return. We'll see.

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Soundtrack

The movie The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (LWW) is a movie that I've very much enjoyed. I liked it so much that I bought the soundtrack for the movie. This review are my thoughts on the soundtrack.

One of the main reasons I bought the soundtrack is because I wanted to music to where they introduce the title to the movie. I found that particular piece of music enchanting. I thought it did an awesome job of introducing the movie title. It turned out the score is called Evacuating London. Like the music in the movie, the score on the soundtrack is really nice BUT I would swear it's shorter. This was a real disappointment for me. Another disappointment is the score Only The Beginning Of The Adventure which has its good moments but seems to be a conglomeration of bits. I feel some of them should have been developed further. Some music they put on the soundtrack was a total waste. In my opinion, Tim Finn's Winter Light is a total dud.

Overall, I thought the soundtrack nice BUT I wouldn't rush out and buy it. I found it disappointing though perhaps part of my problem is my standards have gone up since the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) music. I still listen regularly to a CD I made of various scores from the three movies. I love the scores Concerning Hobbits, Evenstar, Hope and Memory, The Return of the King, The Grey Havens, The Breaking of the Fellowship and Annie Lennox's song Into The West. The LWW soundtrack doesn't come close to matching the beautiful music of the Lord of the Rings movies. Hopefully, Disney will produce a better set of scores for the next LWW movie Prince Caspian. We'll see in 2007.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

A friend of mine at Medieval Times told me about a local burger chain called Five Guys. He said they made the best burgers in the Washington D.C. area. I promised him I'd try to check them out sometime. As I was driving home from another frustrating day at the Post Office, I looked up and saw a neon sign saying Five Guys. I thought about what my friend said about a hamburger chain called Five Guys and decided to see if it was one of their restaurants.

It turned out it was. I decided to keep my promise and bought a couple of their regular burgers and a large order of fries. The following are my thoughts on their burgers and fries.

The first thing I was impressed with was the list of free toppings Five Guys has. They have the standard ones of ketchup, tomatoes, pickles, mayonnaise and lettuce. Where they differ from the competition is they offer fried onions, green peppers, sauteed mushrooms, jalapeno peppers, bar-b-que sauce and A-1 sauce.

Another really nice difference is that they use freshly baked rolls for their burgers. These aren't your standard sesame seed buns from McDonalds. These are really good tasting rolls. The last thing I noted that was really nice was that you got two good sized burgers with the regular burgers. The result is that you get one BIG burger for your money. The only bad thing I could find with Five Guys burger was the price. The regular burger will set you back $3.99 each. That isn't cheap.

Concerning their french fries, they advertise that they cook them in peanut oil which has no cholesterol. To be perfectly honest, when I got to eat at a hamburger joint, the last thing I'm concerned about is my cholesterol. Hamburgers joints are not known for their healthy meals and if you're looking for one, you need to eat some place else. The fries themselves are nice and large and not heavily salted. They also weren't dripping with oil. I bought the large size and I thought I got a good size serving. The bad things I found with them were they are pricey. A large size will set you back $3.79. Flavor wise, I didn't think they were anything special. They also offer Cajun style fries which I haven't tried yet.

Another thing I should mention is the soft drinks. As I wasn't eating at their restaurant, I didn't buy one BUT I do think they offer a nice deal in this category. For $1.59, you get a 24 ounce drink WITH FREE REFILLS. I thought this was another really nice deal.

Overall, I think Five Guys sell excellent though pricey hamburgers. I don't see it as a place you could take a family to as it would be very expensive. If you want a really good hamburger and live in the Washington D.C. area, they are a place you should try out.

Maryland Renaissance Festival

I got to attend the Maryland Renaissance Festival today. Initially, things didn't look good. When I woke up, it was raining outside but luckily it stopped by 8 a.m.

I very much like the Maryland festival because I think they do a really good job i.e. excellent facilities, excellent acts, excellent shops and a good range of food for sale. There is something to please all ages and groups at the festival.

I also had something of a shopping list. I wanted to buy a doublet and some type of Renaissance pants so I could look the part of a Lord. I also wanted to buy a pair of leather gauntlets/gloves so I could look the part when I play the Executioner at Medieval Times. For the doublet and pants, I went to the Moresca shop. I've been very pleased with them with the cloak and shirt I bought from them. After checking what they had, I found a doublet that I thought looked all right. I got a shock when I laced the dang thing up. Suck in that gut! Yes, I now what a women feels like when she wears one of those bustier thingamajiggys. I definitely need to start doing some situps so I lose some of my gut. Pants wise, I didn't fair so well and ended up buying a pair of black breeches. They said they would be a bit baggy and I felt ya ya ok. Big mistake, I should've tried them on there. When I got home, I got another surprise. They weren't kidding when they said BAGGY. They're something fit for a clown. I'm definitely going to take them back and try to find something better.

After buying my doublet and breeches, I went in search of my leather gloves. I tried a couple places before arriving at Potomac Leather. I'd bought a leather pouch with strap from them before and well pleased with it. I needed the pouch as the black sweat pants I was wearing with my costume didn't have pockets so I needed something to carry my camera, keys and wallet in. The pouch did the trick.

I told one of the shops salespeople what I wanted and he quickly found it. It turned out they had a really nice pair of black leather gauntlet/gloves. I could've gotten ones with studs on them but I thought that was a bit too much. I also wanted to be able to wear the gloves with my Lord costume so I went with the plain ones. After that, it was time to check out the festival.

I got to see part of the Fight School act which was nice. It's a really nice act. My only complaint is they've been doing the same act for the last two years. Time for some new material guys! I got to watch a comic fake swallowing a very LONG balloon. He then faked popping it inside himself by swallowing a dagger. Yuck! I also took some photos which I plan to post here once I get them developed. Sadly, I didn't get to see the Medieval Baebes. I found out their first performance wasn't until 2:30 and I had to leave by 1:30 as I had to work at Medieval Times today. Damn! After shooting the rest of the roll of film I had in the camera, I decided to have one of those scrumptious smoked turkey legs.

I had no problems finding one of the stands and forked up the four dollars for one. It was as good as ever. It was also fun to munch on it barring having to pull out some of the ? quills maybe, I don't know what you'd call them. Anyway, barring that, it was great to eat one. I also found a stand selling root beer floats. I thought that sounded good so I paid two dollars and got half a glass of root beer and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I wasn't impressed.

Lastly, I listened to a group playing brass instruments. I don't know what they were called but they were very good. Some music sounds wonderful when it's played by brass ensembles. The music these fine musicians played was great. It was a nice finish to my visit.

I plan to go back again. I still have to try to find some decent pants that I can wear in costume with my full length riding boots. I also like being able to wear a cloak and not having people spaz out. I think cloaks are cool and it's neat to watch my cloak flutter as the wind hits it. I also like to wear a costume at the festival. The costume is one of the main reasons I like my new job in sound and lighting at Medieval Times so much. It's a lot of fun to wear it. I'll make sure I post more in this blog when I go back. Cheers my lords and ladies!

Job News

I've gotten good news the past week. I was asked to learn a fourth route at the Post Office. I took this as a compliment. It also means I can work for the Post Office another full week which means another butt kicking paycheck. I told the Post Office I'd be glad to do it. I just want to give the folks at Medieval Times a little breather before I disappear for another week. My boss at Medieval Times has been good to me and I didn't want to mess him over.

I also got a payraise to my surprise from the Post Office. I went from $16.45 an hour to $17.51 an hour. That was really nice news. I just wish the work wasn't so hard. I continue to make newbie type mistakes which can be really frustrating when I'm trying my dangdest to get all the mail delivered and get back to the Post Office. I think I'm getting better BUT I'm just not getting better as fast as I'd like. It makes it something of a battle everytime I go out to deliver mail.

I don't know if I mentioned it or not in previous posts but a second substitute mailman quit at the Post Office where I work. I was really surprised that he quit. I first met him when we were doing our initial processing. He was so enthusiastic when he started. He was also a source of encouragement when I've been struggling at the Laurel Post Office. I have no idea why he quit. It saddened me greatly to hear the news. He was a really nice person. I hope things work out for him where ever he moved on to.

Medieval Times wise, I'll get to learn the job of executioner tomorrow. It should be fun. You get to interact a lot more with the customers and try to drum up business for the spoof picture they tack of people in the stocks. The executioner is supposed to have his tongue cut out i.e. he can't talk so that makes it more of a challenge character wise. I've come up with some ideas for the character but I'll have to run them by the head of sound and lighting to make sure they're all right.

Chancellor wise, one of my co-workers in security may become the second Lord Chancellor. Supposedly, he was asked to read the script and the person in charge of the actors/actresses was impressed. He also has the chancellor look. To create something of a conflict for me, one of my best friends in gift shop is also up for the chancellor part. He also looks the role. I'm glad I'm not the one deciding who going to get the job. They're both super people who have paid their dues at Medieval Times. They both deserve the part but unfortunately only one can get the role. In regards to me doing the role, I was interested it but I have doubts whether I can do it. I still wish I could be a squire. Oh well.

We replaced all the old sand in the arena at the castle. Horses have calls of nature just like people do though unlike people, they let rip where ever they happen to be. Many times, they let rip in the arena during practices and shows. While the squires try to get all the crud up, small pieces do remain in the sand. These small pieces do rot and begin to stink. The castle can spray the sand with some stuff that deadens the smell BUT in time, this fails to take care of the problem. The only thing left to the castle is to replace the sand with entirely new sand. That's what they did this past Sunday. It's incredible how much nicer the new sand looks in the arena. We could have a mini-beach party down there now.

Besides my co-worker who may become the second Lord Chancellor, another person in security may leave. One of the old timers in security (and in my opinion one of the best people they have) has an interview at a chemical plant. I'm hoping he gets the job. It would help his family enormously and the guy deserves a good break. He is a super nice person and a very hard worker. I don't think the folks at Medieval Times have appreciated him as much as he deserves. Hopefully, lady luck will be kind to him and he'll get the job at the plant. We'll see.

All of this means considerable change in security. Personally, I'd like to leave security too but I have found one drawback to working in sound & lighting. The folks in sound & lighting don't get the hours the folks in security get. Pay wise, the two departments are about the same. I'm surprised sound & lighting doesn't have the personnel problems security has at times. I can only guess the reason for that is because working there is more fun and it is more prestigious. Fun wise, you get to wear a costume and be either the dungeon master, executioner, or one of the castle guards. Show wise, you are more a part of the show in sound & lighting than you are in security. The people who work the spotlights, sound system and special effects are crucial to the show. This puts you higher on the ladder than if you're in security. From what I've seen, security is big time at the bottom.

Spotlight Solo

Yesterday, I got to operate spotlight #4 at Medieval Times by myself for the first time. I was surprised when I found out I'd operate a spotlight by myself so soon. Still, I felt confident I could do it. As I'm somewhat hyper, I had to take a number of deep breaths to relax as I was quite nervous doing my first solo operating the spotlight. Operating one isn't super hard but, you do need to concentrate totally on what you're doing. One problem I had with my concentration was I was tired. I'd trained at the Post Office yesterday on rural route 6 for seven hours and then drove to Medieval Times two hours later. To make matters worse, they had someone doing a refresher as far as calling the cues. Whoever he was, he missed a few of them which left me trying to figure out what I was suppose to do. I also had to be careful not to accidentally open the shutter. Two or three times, I did that to my frustration. Overall, I thought I did all right for my first solo. Still, I know I could do better and plan to. Hopefully, I'll get to operate one of the spotlights next Wednesday or Thursday. We'll see.

Medieval Times Update

I got to work security and sound and lighting yesterday. There is no question which I enjoy more. Sound and Lighting is a lot more fun though I get fewer hours with them. Considering that I'll have three days a week with the Post Office, that won't be a problem. I got one surprise when I found out that supposedly, my boss isn't getting any new applications for security. The problem may be the pay. People with previous security experience supposedly see the pay, laugh and walk away. I think the pay is another issue in another way. While I was waiting in line at the Taco Bell Express, I noticed a sign saying help wanted, can start immediately. The quoted starting wage was $7.50 an hour. While I have no wish to work at Taco Bell Express, that is .50 more an hour than what I make at security at Medieval Times. I doubt others will be so picky. To make matters worse, I suspect the hours you'd get there are more secure. The last two weeks, we've had shows that were cancelled. I was released early or told not to come in at all. Because of that, I lost hours. Because of the lack of applicants, I'll be doing double duty at Medieval Times. I'll cover the Dungeon initially then, provide security at one of the posts at the entrance to Medieval Times till the gift shop opens then, revert back to my job in sound and lighting by working one of the spotlights.

Working one of the spotlights in pretty challenging, you have to know where to open the spotlight shutter, continuously adjust the the size of the light as the person you're covering moves around the arena and listen for the command to fade out the light. You also have to watch where you're at in the spotlight booth. The booth is at least 10 feet above the audience and the front of it wide open so the spotlight can have a clear shot on the various actors in the arena. You must stay aware of where you are in the booth. If you're not careful, you could fall out of the booth and come down on one of the tables or one of the customers. Another challenge is changing quickly back into costume. When the show is done, I had to hustle down the ladder from the spotlight booth, dash over to the sound and lighting booth, quickly take off my black long sleeve shirt (Sound and Lighting people must wear all black clothes during the show so we fade into the black ceiling.), put back on my fake chain mail hood, put back on my red overgarment (I don't know what else to call it.), put back on the belt with my axe (The axe is both cool in that it is neat to carry it and annoying as I keep jabbing myself with it. Thank God it isn't sharp!), and rush back to the Dungeon to collect tickets.

I've found covering The Dungeon fun as I get to joke with the customers. I tell them that the ticket guarantees they'll get in but they're on their on getting out. I'll also see some customers and say more food for the dragon. It was a bit unreal when one kid turned out to be something of an expert on dragons. He actually asked me if it was a Chinese dragon or not. I also ask customers when the come out if they found our dungeon suitably nasty. I assure them that we do our very best to keep a well stocked and suitably nasty dungeon. Lastly, I remind customers that we don't loan out any of the items in the dungeon for personal use at home (shades of kinky Suzanne). The customers seem to enjoy the jokes. I continue to be surprised by how many customers check out the dungeon. Last night, we must've had around 100 people check it out. Unreal!

Update on The Hobbit

According to the official Peter Jackson fanclub website (http://tbhl.theonering.net/index.shtml), MGM officially released the list of movies they hope to make and The Hobbit was on it. When Peter Jackson was asked about that, he replied that it was the first he'd heard of it. Jackson said that he'd be very interested in making the movie even though he has a number of projects planned or in various stages of development. I hope the fact that MGM hasn't approached Jackson isn't a sign that they plan to go with someone else. Jackson has the vision and so much of the development work for the project would already be done if they went with him. Interestingly, MGM reportedly plans to make The Hobbit into two movies. I wonder if they're trying to milk the novel for all its worth by doing that. Whatever, it would be awesome just to see the novel made into a real action movie vice the very well done cartoon movie that was made back in the late 70's (see my previous post for my comments on that movie). We'll see if anything turns out from this latest bit of titillating information.

Bad News Good News

I got word that I'm going to be the substitute mail carrier on rural route 6. The news was good and bad or vice versa. Bad in that my weekends will be virtually gone as I'll sub on the route on Saturdays with me also subing on Mondays and Fridays on rural routes 2 and 10. Bad because it's another 9 hour plus route which means another 12 work day for me. I can't wait for the day where I'll be able to do the route in the time that it's been assessed in. Bad because I'll be spending three days next week training on the route and then do the route solo two more. That's bad because that means I'll only be able to work for Medieval Times one day (Sunday) unless I can manage to help the primary carrier get it done on the training days in time to where I can go work at Medieval Times for another 3 or 4 hours. Bad in that I didn't get to do my new job at Medieval Times very long before this came down. Bad because I won't be able to work at all at SHARE during bagging week. Bad in that this route was so stressful that the previous sub walked out and never came back. Something, I've thought about doing at times. The main reason I don't leave the Post Office is because it is the best thing I have going right now. It offers a good future to it and pays really well.

Good first and foremost because it means more MONEY. I'll be guaranteed 26 hours a week now at the Post Office. I'll earn more during those 26 hours than I'd make working 56 at Medieval Times. Good in that it is something of a kudo that they gave me another route. I doubt they'd give me a third route to sub on if I was doing a bad job. (though they may have given me this route because I haven't quit yet, working at the Post Office has definitely taught me perseverance!) Good in that I'll get more experience as a postman.

We'll see how goes. Hopefully, I'll be able to continue to work at Medieval Times in Sound and Lighting. I got to try it a little this past Wednesday and I enjoyed it. Because of the increased hours at the Post Office, I doubt I'll try out for Lord Chancellor. I don't think they'll want someone who can do the part only 3 days a week. Another nice thing about the increased hours is it makes my chances of getting to go on the Globus Scandanavia tour more likely money wise. The big question is will I be able to get the time off from the Post Office. Right now, I don't know. I suspect maybe not but we'll see. I know if I don't get to go on that tour because of the Post Office, I going to be really miffed. We'll see what happens.

Guess Who

If you haven't guessed, it's me in costume. The reason I'm in costume is because I have a new job at Medieval Times. What lead to that was I got tired of working security. Security isn't a very fun job. You have to make sure people don't sneak in, don't do unsafe things like stand on the chairs or leave stuff in the aisles that the food servers could trip over and you have to be an expert on Medieval Times as you are the primary person customers come to for help.

The job I really wanted at Medieval Times was squire but I'm too old to be a squire. The only other job I could think of that I might want to do is Lord Chancellor. The problem with that job is that you are the emcee of the show and I've never been an emcee. You also have to memorize a staggering number of lines. I wasn't sure I could do it. To make matters worse, I got to watch the knights and squires work out and train which tormented me because here was the job I really wanted to do, felt I was qualified to do but, by the rules, I was too old to do it.

After much personal debate, I decided to heck with it. I was going to inform my boss that I was tired of security and was going to leave as soon as he could replace me. Actually telling my boss that I was going to be leaving proved to be a lot harder than I imagined. The fact is my boss at Medieval Times has treated me really well. Also, Medieval Times was the first place that hired me after I retired from the Air Force. For a bit, I was wondering if anyone was going to hire me so I was delighted when they gave me a chance. So, it wasn't easy deciding to leave and having to tell my boss the news.

My boss understood when I told him why I wanted to leave. He asked me to give him a chance to see if he could find something else I could do there. I couldn't imagine what he might find job wise. I didn't care to work in gift shop, reservations, or cash control. Still, because of how he'd treated me, I had to give him the chance.

I got a call from him Friday and he said he'd spoken with the person in charge of sound and lighting. He needed a Dungeon master and Executioner. My ears pricked up real fast when I heard that I could become the Executioner. I thought that would be fun and cool. I would also learn how to operate the spotlights and the sound system. I'd never done anything like it so it promised to be something totally new and challenging. I agreed on the spot to do it. Little did I realize how soon I would get to start.

I was scheduled to work security Sunday afternoon. I showed up, clocked in and went in search of the keys to the security office so I could put on my name plate and get a radio. My boss called me aside and asked if I was still game to do the job in sound and lighting. I said sure. He said good, you're starting tonight! Crap! The head of sound and lighting led me to one of his assistants who took me back to wardrobe where I got issued my costume. No one told me how to put the costume on so I got to figure it out myself. To my embarrassment, I put on the red overgarment you see in the picture backwards. I decided to have the lady who runs wardrobe check to see if I had the costume on right. She realized real quick my mistake and helped me with the costume. She also probably had a good laugh about my gaff. After that, I got to go guard the dungeon and collect tickets from customers who wanted to see it. I was surprised how much business we got. I found out that some nights over 100 people will check out the dungeon.

Just before the show begins, the dungeon closes. I got to watch Post 2 to make sure no one sneaked in. I noticed a big difference with people going by. Some kids wanted to see a little of the show so they could decide if it was any good. I had to tell them repeatedly they couldn't. I suspect they would've taken me more seriously had I been wearing my security uniform. I also had a couple little boys come up and shake my hand. I guess they wanted to shake the hand of one of the castle guards.

Once the gift shop opened, there wasn't any need for me to watch Post 2. I went to the sound and lighting booth where I got to watch the chief of sound and lighting and his assistant operate the strobes, the fog and the various soundtracks. It was interesting to watch. It was also something to watch the show from the booth. The booth has a great view of the show and audience. One thing I discovered the people in sound and lighting must have is a good sense of timing. They must know when to cut in with a certain piece of music and when to fade it out. They also must know certain cues which tell them when to do certain things like activate the fog or strobes. To the chief and his assistant, it was old hat but to me, it was interesting to watch as they carefully timed each segment of the show.

In no time, the show was nearly over and I had to head back out to the dungeon. I opened it up again and collected more tickets. I had to remind myself to call all the customers milord or milady. I now had to play the role of a medieval castle guard whereas in security we don't have roles. I suspect that's because we want people to take us seriously.

The audience cleared the castle quickly and I kept the dungeon open just 35 minutes. After that, I got the key to the security office so I could get my clothes back. Then, I changed back to my security uniform. I helped Dave (another person who works in security) brief two of the new security people on preseating and crowd control. After that, it was time to clock out.

Wednesday, I'll get to learn how to operate one of the spotlights. Sound and lighting operate four spotlights during the show. There is one person operating one of the spotlights who also directs the other three. It'll be interesting getting to learn how the commands and how the spotlight operates. I'll also learn more about the roles I'm supposed to play. First, I'll learn the role of castle guard. Later, I'll get to learn the role of Executioner. Sadly, I won't get to be the Executioner in the show. I found out they have to use one of the knights or squires for that. I will get to be the Executioner who gets his picture taken with people when they pay for the one of the spoof pictures they do at Medieval Times (They have a spoof picture where the person appears to be bound in the stocks and the Executioner is swinging his HUGE axe at them like he's going to chop their head off.) It should be an interesting time. I'm looking forward to learning my new roles and how to operate the spotlights.

9-11

I hadn't planned on posting about 9-11 but I read a post on Jack Yan's blog http://www.jackyan.com/blog/ and decided to write about it. (Jack has an interesting blog and shows a unique perspective on things as he's a New Zealander, you might want to check his blog out. He is also something of a celebrity in New Zealand which is interesting.) Concerning 9-11, I remember it well not because I lost anyone close to it but because I knew as it happened that everything would change. I later realized that 9-11 was just another in a series of attacks on the U.S. The attacks began with the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1991 and continued with the Khobar Towers attack, the attack on the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya and the attack on the U.S.S. Cole. I remember the attack on the Cole particularly as I was in the Middle East at the time and heard what happened. It is chilling that the attackers actually drove their suicide boat around the Cole at least once and during that time waved to the sailors onboard the Cole before they rammed it into the Cole setting off a massive explosion that nearly sank the ship. It was only because of truly heroic efforts on the part of its sailors that the Cole was saved.

Like many Americans, I don't think we realized that we were under attack during the first World Trade Center attack, the embassy bombings or the attack on the Cole. It would take 9-11 to hammer that home. I'd finished my assignment in Bahrain in August of 2001 and was sent back to the states. I was busy inprocessing and in a little limbo as the shop I was assigned was reportedly going to be phased out. I was checking in at that shop when someone came over and said that a plane had gone off course and flown into one of the World Trade Center towers. I was stunned. I rushed over to the tv where CNN was broadcasting the event. As I continued to watch, we watched stunned as a second plane flew into the second tower. It dawned on us that there was no mistake when a second plane flew into the second tower. The horror continued as the broadcast showed people jumping from the towers to their deaths. It got worse because 40 or so minutes later, the towers collapsed and fell to the ground. Everyone was in shock. I knew everything had changed though I had no idea what the U.S. would do about it. Because of that event, the U.S. went into the Afghanistan, became friends again with Pakistan and would go into Iraq. 9-11 had enormous repercussions and still does to this day though scarily, some people just want to forget about it.

We can't afford to quickly forget about 9-11 because 9-11 won't be the last attack on the U.S. If the terrorists have their way, it will be just one in a series of attacks as it followed the previous attacks before it. The only reason the U.S. hasn't been hit again is because of the extraordinary efforts of the U.S. military, U.S. intelligence community and the U.S.'s allies. The recent plot in Britain proves that the terrorists have no plans of stopping their attacks. We need to remember that we can defeat the terrorists thousands of times (and we have) but they only need to successfully hit the U.S. once and they will have won. We also need to put aside any political correctness and profile certain groups at airports. We shouldn't be shaking down grandmas and U.S. Marines. (I've heard of this happening and I think it is seriously STUPID!) They're not the ones that are going to try to turn an airplane into a flying bomb. As I've previously mentioned, the terrorists have an entirely different sense of time. To those of us in the U.S., five years is old history and fifty is ancient history. Fifty years is nothing to these terrorists. I can assure you that 9-11 will stay in their mindset for some time and will seem like only yesterday to them. President Bush wasn't kidding when he set that this was going to be a LONG drawn out conflict. Lets make sure we remember 9-11 and realize that we must keep fighting these terrorists. If we forget 9-11, we will be doomed to repeat it in some way in the future.

Lost Passport

I've had some interesting misadventures with my passport recently. The whole thing started when I took my passport with me on my trip to Richmond. I left it out in my room and the cleaning lady found it. She got worried that it might get stolen so she put it in the hotel safe. Later, the folks at the reception desk told me they had it. I subsequently forgot about it being in the hotel safe and enjoyed my visit with my friend Harvey.

Three week later, I decided to find my passport so I could have the things I'll need to prove residency to the University of Maryland. I searched every where and couldn't find it. I remembered vaguely that I might've left it at the hotel in Richmond. I consequently contacted them. They told me they didn't have it. I searched the apartment again and couldn't find it. I had to conclude I'd lost the dang thing.

I checked the State Department website and found out what I had to do concerning a lost passport. You have to file one form informing them of the lost passport, where you lost it, and what you did to try to get it back. You also have to fill out a form as if you were getting a passport for the first time. All totalled, my mistake was going to cost me $102 ($67 for the State Department, $30 for the Post Office to process the application, and $5 for the passport photos at Costco). I wasn't thrilled with that but I accepted it.

I filled out the paperwork, called the Post Office to make an appointment to process the application, and got two new passport photos. I drove out to the Post Office today to get it done. Afterwards, I did some shopping at the Commissary and Post Exchange. When I got home, I found a portfolio I'd planned to use to take all the forms and other paperwork to the Post Office. I could feel that something was in it so I opened it up to see what it was. I had no idea what I'd placed in it. To my disbelief, there was my missing passport. I checked it four or five times to make sure it was the passport I'd searched every where for. It was.

I realized that I needed to contact the Post Office and stop them from sending my application for a new passport in if I could. I tried calling them but couldn't get through. I then hopped in my car, drove back to the Post Office, and anxiously asked if they'd sent my passport application to the State Department. To my relief, they hadn't. I told them to tear up the forms. Since the Post Office had processed my application, they kept my $30. I didn't mind that. I was just glad to have my passport and to not have to file a lost passport with the State Department. I've also heard that it's taking as long as 6 months to get a new passport. I was glad to have one already.

I don't know how the thing ended up in that portfolio. I do know I plan to lock the thing up in my safe. I also know the procedures now if I should ever lose a passport (God forbid). I also plan to write down the number of the passport in case I should lose it. It's very important so the State Department can stop someone from trying to use it. It has been a trying misadventure and one I hope I don't go through again. If you have a passport, make sure you keep it in the same place so you can easily find it. You don't want to have to do what I did though in my misadventure, all turned out well in the end.

SHARE Update 8/27/06

I worked at SHARE yesterday. I was delighted to get to work for them. They're really nice people there and the job is more laid back vice my jobs at Medieval Times and at the Post Office. The only hard thing about the job is when they start on Distribution Saturdays. I had to be there at 5 a.m. 5 a.m. isn't a hard hour for me to be up. What is hard about is that in order for me to be at SHARE at 5 a.m., I have to get up at 3:30 a.m. so I can rustle up some kind of breakfast (don't ask what I ate as you wouldn't be impressed by my eating habits), get dressed, and drive down there (the trip can take any where between 15 and 60 minutes depending on traffic on Interstate-295). After a long hard day at the Post Office, I wasn't keen about getting up super early. Still, I dragged myself out of bed, scoured the fridge for something readily eatable, and slapped on some clothes that were reasonably clean.

It was a typical distribution day in that things were busy all the way until 10:30 or so. After that, it slacked off and by 11:00, we had only a slight trickle of customers. We started cleaning up around 11:30. By 12:30, everything was pretty much done. I clocked out shortly afterwards and drove home. I planned to take a 2-hour nap but fate had other things in store for me. I had difficulty finding out what days I'd work at the Post Office next week and my former best friend Mark Morton called. Then, the folks at Medieval Times called and told me they'd like to come in early. Crap! It ended up being a very long day (I was up for over 19 hours) though it was a profitable one money wise.

One final note on this topic, I'll be glad when summer is over. I know some people love summer but I confess I don't. It is way too hot and humid in Maryland. I like cooler climes. Some where between 65 and 75 is just right for me. Anything above 80 gets annoying for me since I hate sweating. I particularly hate it when I break into a new sweat after I just got out of the shower. It makes me feel like I wasted my time in the shower. Yesterday, it was particularly hot at SHARE and my shirt was soaked with sweat by the time I left. I'll be happy when fall arrives. I like the beautiful colors and the slight chill in the air. (I also like spring with its refreshing rains. There is nothing like breathing the air after it has rained.)

On a different subject: just a reminder that the Maryland Renaissance Festival opened its doors yesterday. It really is a great renaissance festival with great facilities and wonderful acts. It's very affordable and not terribly difficult to get to. It runs until October 23rd (I think). If you have a free weekend, it would be worth your while to check it out. And make sure you try one of their smoked turkey legs! They are really good and fun to munch on.

Medieval Times Update

I walked into the Arundel Mills castle where I work and found out to my surprise that the castle was celebrating its third year anniversary. It opened on August 22, 2003. It claimed that over 750,000 had attended the show at the castle though I would dispute that figure. I know the castle gets a lot of repeat business. I personally attended the show several times. The reason I did that was it is a great place to take visiting friends and family for a fun night out. I know of school kids who went with their schools and later got their family to go. There is no question the castle has been a major success for the Medieval Times chain. Because the mall concept proved so successful with the Arundel Mills castle, Medieval Times has built a second castle in the Atlanta area attached to a mall. That castle opened this month.

The anniversary coincided with an anniversary of sorts for me with Medieval Times. I've now been working for the Arundel Mills castle for six months. It's hard to believe it's been that long. The time has really flown by. I definitely feel like an old hand now at the castle. I've enjoyed various aspects of working there while hating others. I will be prudent and won't illuminate the things I haven't enjoyed about working there. Overall, I've liked working there and would recommend Medieval Times as a potential second job employer. Money wise, it isn't something you could pay the rent on. I think it is an ideal job for a high school student or one just starting to attend college. You should earn enough to pay your car insurance and cell phone bill and have some money left over for spending money. I can't give any advice if you wanted to make a career at Medieval Times. I have no clue what the various managers make. I do know they have a manager training program. In order to apply, you must've worked at Medieval Times three years and have a Bachelor's degree. Right now, I don't see myself applying for that. I don't see myself staying at Medieval Times that long. Hopefully, I'll have a long term job set up some where else in three years. Right now, I'd guess it would be at the Post Office but we'll see. One thing I've learned during the past year is nothing is definite.

Lastly, in four days, I'll celebrate of sorts being retired from the Air Force. I can't say I'm happy about that. I liked the Air Force and miss it. I fear my years there will be the best ones of my life. I know I did a crappy job of preparing for life outside the Air Force. I believe I did that because I didn't want to face the prospect of life outside the Air Force. It was something I didn't want to think about. I remember every time I thought about it feeling a cold chill go down my spine. Not thinking about something doesn't prevent it happening, it only makes things worse. So, now I get to face the consequences of my fear. I scramble around blindly trying to make a new life for myself. With God's help, I'll hopefully make a new successful life for myself. We'll see how it goes.

A Week at the Post Office

I survived working five very long days at the Post Office this week. The primary carrier for route 10 decided to take 4 days off and I did my usual sub for route 2 today. By accident, I got to do all of route 10 by myself Monday. It took me almost 13 hours to sort, case, and deliver all the mail and packages. At the end of the day, I was having to strain to read the names on the boxes as it was getting dark outside. Management wasn't thrilled about how long it took me and sent me help on the route every day afterwards. As I kept working the route, I gradually got faster and believe I would've gotten it done Thursday in 11 and 1/2 hours. The reason route 10 takes so long is first, there are a lot of addresses to deliver mail to (729 if everyone received mail). Second, route 10 requires two sorts vice one on route 2. You do an initial sort at the Post Office then, you do a second sort into the individual boxes when you arrive at the multi-mail box. Since route 10 has a lot of apartments which people move into and out (route 2 has a lot of homes where people tend to stay put more), I found I'd have to do a third sort of all the undeliverable mail. All first class and periodicals would be forwarded whereas all standard mail is discarded. Lastly, I've had a hard time finding some of the apartments or row homes on route 10 which has further slowed me down. I think it's just going to take time.

One encouraging sign job wise is that I done route 2 three times by myself and twice I've gotten back to the Post Office before 5:30 p.m. For those of you who don't know, all outgoing mail must be in by 6 p.m. so it can be put on the truck that will take it to the processing and distribution center in Capitol Heights, Maryland. If a carrier arrives back late, the mail may fail to make the truck and not get out till the next morning. I suspect such late mail hurts the Post Office's stats as far as to how much of their outgoing mail they get out on time.

Overall, I'm pleased that I'm making progress and getting better. I can't wait to see the check I'll get for this week. I'll get paid according to how many hours it's been assessed that it takes to do the two different routes I did, not how many I actually worked. In the case of route 10, it's been assessed that it takes 9 hours to do the route. Route 2 takes 8 hours. So, I'll get paid for 36 hours (four days) for route 10 and 8 hours for route 2. If I understand it right, I may get 4 hours of overtime which would really be sweet as that would be $24 plus an hour. We'll see.

Lord of the Rings Musical

If you want to see the Lord of the Rings theatrical version in Toronto, you're going to have to hurry. The show will be doing its' last performance in Toronto September 3rd. After that, the show will move to London where it will open in May 2007. Supposedly, the show hasn't done that well (the Detroit Free Press reports it lost money). One of the the things that may have scared people off about the show was its' supposedly length. Initially, it was over 4 HOURS! The Detroit Free Press reports in the following article (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060813/FEATURES07/608130515/1032) that they pared it down to just over 3 and 1/2 hours. That's a long time to be in a theater though it's incredible that they were able to cut the books down to that little time. It took Peter Jackson something like 10 hours to tell the whole tale in his three movies. I personally haven't seen the show but I did see a review by someone who did who said they did a nice job. I'd like to see the show just for curiousity sake. If anyone who reads my blog has seen the musical, please let me know what you thought of it.

On a different subject sort of, Alan Lee during an interview on 11 August said that he thought it likely The Hobbit would be made in the next three or four years. I hope he's right. I'd very much like to see it.

Book Review - The Heat of the Day

I've been meaning to write this review for a while. I've been busy so I didn't get it done till today. The book is one of the ones I had to read for the college class I was taking this summer. It is supposed to be a combination Graham Greene spy thriller with some of the insight of Virginia Woolf. I didn't find it terribly suspenseful and I found the dialogue in the novel tedious and melodramatic. The basic story line is our heroine (Stella Rodney) finds out from a shadowy character named Harrison that the man she loves (Robert Kelway) may be a spy for the Germans (the novel is set in London during the Blitz). The novel attempts to show how Stella slowly finds out that the man she thought she knew wasn't that person at all. In my opinion, it does a poor job of it. It is only at the climax that we find out for sure that her lover is a spy for the German's. The two lovers have their heartbreaking scene before Stella helps Robert make an attempt to avoid the authorities (yawn). The attempt fails of sorts as Robert falls to his death. We are given the impression that Harrison may have something to do with this though he later denies it.

Overall, I found the novel really boring. I also found the dialogue tedious. The only good thing I can say about the novel is it does give a snapshot of how things were in London during the Blitz. I definitely wouldn't recommend this novel to anyone. If you want a good spy novel, I would suggest you read John LeCarre who wrote Tailor, Tinker, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People. I remember seeing Smiley's People and I thought it was really good. I think you'll be more pleased with LeCarre than you will be with Bowen's The Heat of the Night.

What I've Been Up To

Since I got back from Richmond, I've been working every day. I've been pleased about getting the work though the 7-days a week thing is a bit of a grind. I've also been pleased about my growing bank account. As I told my Dad yesterday, he definitely doesn't have to worry about me hitting him up for a loan.

Work wise, I did my second solo on route 10 this past Monday. Supposedly, we got more mail than usual that day. I don't know if that's true or not. I just know I ended up with 8 and 1/2 trays of mail plus packages and accountables (registered, certified, etc.) to deliver in just 5 hours. It wasn't going to happen. Clinton showed up around 5:00 (I think) and started helping. Still, I didn't get back to the Post Office till 7:25 p.m. There are a number of reasons why. First, I'm slow sorting the mail into the case at the Post Office though I'm getting better every time I do it (price of being a newbie). Second, I made various mistakes. I forgot there are certain addresses where we can drop off the packages at the apartment manager's office. I only remembered this after I'd bundled up all my mail in the trays. I decided to write the slips up for the packages and remember to drop them off in the boxes as I went later. This idea fell apart in the crunch when me and Clinton rushed to finish my route. Third, on route 10, I have three sorts. A lot of people move in and out of the apartments on this route which causes a lot of mail to be undeliverable. I have to take that mail back to my truck where I have to separate it into First Class/Periodicals (magazines, newspapers, etc.) and Standard Class (catalogs and flyers from Non-Profit organizations). The First Class stuff will be forwarded on while the Standard won't. This third sort costs more time and time in the enemy of the mail carrier. You're always in a battle to get the mail sorted (cased) as quickly as possible and delivered (this is one of the things that makes the job so stressful). Fourth, I'm still learning the area. I had a piece of postage due mail and it took me at least 10 minutes to find the row house where the person lived. This was during the crunch which made those 10 minutes costly.

Incredibly, I'll get to work 5 days for the Post Office next week. The regular carrier on route 10 is taking 4 days off so she can relax a little before she starts evening classes at Anne Arundel Community College. The fifth day will be when I sub on route 2. I look forward to getting to work those 5 days as it'll mean a fantastic paycheck (possibly as much at $1,000 gross). Plus, the more times I carrier the mail, the better I'll get. I'll learn better who is and who isn't on the route and where various homes are located. In the case of route 2, I'll continue to learn the case better which in turn will help my sorting speed. I'm to the point now where I can tell you based on the street name if the address is on either of my routes. This is useful as it keeps me from taking out mail that I can't deliver. I'll also learn better how things work at the Post Office. I learned yesterday where the forwarding service is located in our Post Office for the two different zip codes we handle. Still, those five days promise to be trying. Every time I finish working at the Post Office, I'm wiped. It really is a bit of battle to get the mail out. We'll see how it goes.

Richmond - Part III

It is always a bummer when it's time to leave. I very much enjoyed myself in Richmond and it was great seeing Harvey. He's a lot of fun. We've have similar interests and enjoy doing things together (don't get any wrong ideas about our friendship though). We just like doing stuff together. I've gone on a number of fun trips by myself and enjoyed them but I've found I enjoy them more when I do them with a group or someone I like. That was how I came to meet Harvey. I'd decided to do an escorted tour of Australia because I thought I'd enjoy it more that way. As luck would have it, Harvey signed up for the same tour. We were the two bachelors in the group so the tour guide paired us up. We hit it off and have been friends since.

Packing was easy since it'd only been a two day trip. I slapped a few shirts back in my bag and double checked my hotel room to make sure I wasn't leaving anything behind. We had breakfast at the hotel restaurant as that was easiest plus their breakfast buffet was good.

We arrived at the Richmond Staples Road train station and waited for my train to pull in. There was a surprisingly long line for the train. We agreed to get together again the beginning of October when it would be his turn to come up to my neck of the woods (we take turns). We plan to see a show at Toby's Dinner Theater in Columbia, Maryland. We saw Beauty and the Beast there some time back and really enjoyed it. It was my first visit there and I was impressed with the place. The show was very good and the food was respectable. Also, you will get filled up unless you don't want to. We're also going to attend the Maryland Renaissance Festival. We did that last year and really enjoyed it. After that, we'll do a trip to NYC the end of November to see the Rockettes and a show on Broadway. It'll be nice to do that barring the $300 plus a night hotel (gasp!).

Finally, it was time to board. I gave Harvey a sad handshake and got in line. The conductor checked my ticket and directed me to the Business Class car. Five minutes later, the train pulled out of the station. The ride back was uneventful barring a problem they had after we left D.C. At Union Station in Washington D.C., they change the engines from diesel to electric as the line is electrified all the way to Boston. We pulled out of Union Station fine and we were making good time when the train unexpectedly slowed down. They made an announcement that the electric current on the line wasn't steady and it would take a few minutes to fix the problem. Because of this and a previous delay because of a freight train, I ended up arriving back at BWI Amtrak station at 11:30 a.m. which is about 30 minutes late.

Fortunately, I didn't have to be at Medieval Times till 3 p.m. I drove home and got ready for work. The show went fine and we had approximately 500 people attend that night. The next day, I'd get my last day of training on the postal route I'll be the substitute carrier for. That would be another adventure that I'll post about. This post is done as this concludes my fun trip to Richmond. Cheers all!

Richmond - Part II

I slept well at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The bed was very comfortable and they have a CD that helps you get a good night sleep. The last time I stayed at the hotel, I asked them if I could have a copy. They said sure and I've used it number of times since. The CD is made by some sleep specialists who help you relax so you can conk out quickly. I've found it really works and would highly recommend it.

Harvey and I had breakfast at the hotel. To my surprise, they gave me coupons for two free breakfasts. I found the breakfast buffet good. You'll be able to fill yourself up and may be able to even skip lunch.

After breakfast, we drove out to see Harvey's travel agent. His name was Joel and he works at the Richmond Carlson Wagonlit (Update 12/31/12: Joel no longer works for the Richmond Carlson Wagonlit as this company no longer exists in Richmond. He is a freelance travel agent now that works through 2 different travel companies - 1 in Richmond and 1 in Fredricksburg I think). The reason I was meeting him was he had gotten price information for us on a trip to New York City (NYC) to see the Rockettes. The last time we went to NYC, we discovered the Rockettes have certain seasons they perform. Late July wasn't one of them. We also discovered last year that you want to go to NYC during the prime season, you'd better book early. So, Joel was helping us put together a travel package for early December so we could see the Rockettes and another show on Broadway. Joel did a great job and found us a reasonable hotel though the price still made me gasp. It's going to cost over $300! a night at this hotel and that is one of the cheaper ones. The five-star hotels would go over $600 a night! I've never paid so much for a hotel. When they say NYC is expensive, they're not joking.

Another thing I checked into with Joel was doing a Scandanavia tour with Globus. I was really bummed when I had to cancel the planned tour this year. I found out Joel will be able to tell me if the tour has enough bookings to where it will go. He would also be able to help me if I had to cancel. I booked with another agency and found out I didn't know what credit card I used to charge me booking on so I couldn't get my money back when I cancelled since I couldn't prove I'd paid for the booking. It cost me over $200. Serious ouch! Hopefully, Harvey and I will be able to do the tour late-August of 2007. It would be a lot of fun to do another tour with Globus. We'll see if it happens.

After meeting with Joel, we travelled to the Virginia Museum of Art (VMA). It's a good art museum with an interesting exhibit on the famed Russian jeweler Faberge. Faberge didn't create the pieces he was renowned for but he did come up with the ideas for the renowned eggs. The famous Easter eggs were very beautiful. They also gave a poignant picture of the doomed Russian royal family. I found it really interesting viewing the various pieces of the collection. One painting the museum that I disliked greatly was a piece of modern art done I believe by a Dutch artist. It was a painting of a modern Black man dressed in modern clothes holding a sword. To me, it looked incredibly STUPID. I never would've wasted money on such a pathetic painting. I hope the museum got the painting cheap because in my opinion, it isn't worth much if anything. The museum also had the Mellon collection. The collection was donated by George Mellon and was nice. Mellon must've been into fox hunting as he had a lot of paintings on that. He also had three Renoirs, a Monet, and a bust of the apostle John by Rodin. I particularly enjoyed those. The Rodin piece was very impressive. I think Rodin was a great student of Michelangelo in that both emphasized the strength and majesty of the human body. Lastly, we saw an exhibit on Tiffany glass which was nice. The workmanship clearly shined through. The pieces were very beautiful.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend that if you like art and you're in Richmond, you check out the museum. We spent an easy four hours there.

After that, it was time to find a place to eat. Harvey remembered a place where he'd go for some noteworthy sausage sandwiches. I said lets go. We drove out to this mall only to find out the place had closed. Harvey then remembered a bar-b-que restaurant which was open. The bar-b-que however wasn't terribly impressive and it wasn't air conditioned. I would've rated it so-so.

I had a fun day and was pleased that we were able to make arrangements for future travels. The NYC trip should be a lot of fun. Sadly, I'd be returning home the next day. I was worried about Amtrak's timeliness as I was scheduled to work at Medieval Times from 3 to 11 p.m. Stay tune for the final installment of my Richmond trip and find out if Ditto makes it back in time or not.

Richmond Trip - Part I

As I mentioned in previous posts, I planned to take a train trip to Richmond, Virginia to see my friend Harvey who lives there. Last Wednesday, I finally made the trip. The following Richmond trip blog entries will concern the trip.

I woke up two hours earlier than planned. This was usual for me when I was going to be leaving on a trip. I was nervous about getting my bag packed, arriving at the train station in time, and being there when the train pulled in. I tried going back to sleep but it didn't work so I got up, got dressed, scrounged up some ready to eat food (I don't like to cook) for breakfast, and then packed my bag. The trip was only going to last a little over 2 days so it was easy to pack for. In no time, I was packed and ready. After wasting some time fiddling with some playing cards, I picked up my bags, stuck them in the car, and drove to the train station parking lot. The parking lot at the BWI Amtrak station is a large multi-level two garage lot. I suspect the vast majority of their customers are commuters who take the train into either Baltimore or Washington D.C. I know when I reached platform 3 that it was packed with people with no luggage who boarded the MARC (Maryland Railroad Corporation) train. There were only three of us left for the Amtrak train to D.C. and one of those worked for Amtrak. The train arrived about 10 minutes late which isn't any big deal. I found my seat in Business Class and settled down for the ride. I napped a little as I was a little tired. I didn't sleep great and as I mentioned, I woke up early. I also listened to some bible doctrine tapes to pass the time. The trip seem to go quickly and I arrived in Richmond at approximately 10 till 10 in the morning.

Harvey was waiting for me at the station. It was nice to see him again. He's a really nice person and a great person to chat with. We walked out to his car and started to catch up on the news. For some reason, it seems that though we've talked a number of times on the phone, there was always more to catch on (things we forget to mention on the phone perhaps?). We drove to the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Broad Street. I'd stayed at this hotel before and felt it was reasonably priced. It was also well placed in relation to the train station. Lastly, I was pleased with its service. The people there were always friendly and helpful. Check-in was easy and it was time to figure out what we wanted to do. There wasn't any set itinerary so the two of us hashed out ideas before finally coming up with a plan. We decided to see the Confederate White House, Museum of the Confederacy, and then go some place for dinner.

The Confederate White House is where Jefferson Davis and his family lived in Richmond during the time he was President of the Confederacy. It is a really nice house and the organization that runs the tours of the house has done a really nice job of restoring the house to the that time. Our guide showed us the rooms the rooms the Davis family lived in and told us stories about the family. During the time the family lived in the house, Davis had two children bringing the total to four. Davis believed children should be able to do whatever they want, not be disciplined, and should be listened to by adults. Not surprisingly, his children were unholy terrors and went through a number of nannies. The situation grew so grave that Mrs. Davis would post help wanted signs without her name so prospective employees wouldn't know what they were getting into. The house also had the rooms where Davis met with his generals including the legendary Robert E. Lee. It was something to stand in the same room where he, General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, and others met. Our tour guide was excellent and really helped make the house more alive to our group. After the house tour, it was time to see the museum.

The museum has three levels. One covers the history of the confederacy in general and the war. One covers the confederate navy which receives very little notice in most history books. And one covered the life of the conferate soldier. The confederacy in general floor helped explain the political maneuvering that took place and some of the painful choices those in the military had to make. One interesting thing that surprised me was how much the confederacy sought to draw upon from the U.S.'s founding fathers. They argued that the founding fathers approved of slavery and that made it right. In fact, a number of founding fathers disapproved of it but the issue was so contentious that for the sake of helping found the new nation they dropped the issue. Later, during the 1789 (I hope I have the year right) constitutional convention, the issue had to be dropped again as it again threatened to destroy the nation. The floor also had a number of interesting items including Brigadier George Armistead's sword that he used at Gettysburg. For those of you who don't know, it was Armistead who lead Pickett's famous charge. Armistead took off his hat, put it on the top of his sword, and then advanced toward the Union lines. Sadly, just as Armistead was reaching the Union lines, he was cut down by Union fire. The floor also showed how General Lee lived on campaign. Lee lived in the same conditions his soldiers lived. He believed it wrong for him to live better and it would bother him greatly if he did. He slept on a portable cot, used a simple mess kit, and slept inside a standard tent. The floor did a great job of covering the various issues and events. Harvey and I had no problem spending an hour and half there.

The floor covering the Confederate Navy was also interesting. It was the confederates who built the first iron-clad ship, the precursor to the modern navies of today. The ironclad C.S.S. Virginia could've helped break the Union blockade but the Union came up with its own ironclad the U.S.S. Monitor. The result was an epic battle. While the battle ended in a draw (neither side could penetrate the others iron armor), it marked the unquestioned end of the age of sail. Another interesting topic the exhibits help show is how critical the Confederate Navy was in keeping the Confederacy in the war. The South had precious little industry and had to import a large number of goods. Thanks to the Confederate Navy, they were able to get a number of the supplies they needed. Ultimately, the Union blockade slowly strangled the South but for a number of years, the Confederate Navy did its part in keeping the Confederacy in the war. The last thing of note that many people may not be aware of was that the confederacy helped further the development of the submarine. The Hunley was capable of diving and like modern submarines took in water to help it submerge. It used a harpoon connected to a barrel that contained as much as 135 pounds of gunpowder. The submarine would charge a ship, ramming the harpoon into the ship, set off the barrel containing the gunpowder which would either cripple or sink the ship. The idea actually worked and the Hunley became (as far as I know) the first submarine to sink an enemy ship when one sank the U.S.S. Housatonic outside Charleston, South Carolina. Sadly, the ship and crew that sank the ship were lost for unknown reasons. Later, the missing submarine was found just outside the Charleston harbor. It remains unknown what caused the submarine to sink. One last interesting note on the Hunley. The Hunley was human powered. It used eight men sitting cramped on a bench pushing and pulling a crank that powered the propeller which in turn powered the ship. The conditions the ship's crew lived in were appalling and speaks of the bravery and sacrifice the fighting men of the confederacy made for their cause.

The third floor on the life of a confederate soldier was interesting as it showed letters from the soldiers and told of the hardships they went through. It also showed art that done during the period. The quality of the art varied. Some of the paintings and drawings were well done while others weren't. The floor also has a painting of the last meeting between Lee and Jackson. It's a nice painting and has an interesting story behind it. The artist E.D.B. Julio planned to become the artist of the Confederacy but his grand plans went no where. His painting remained unsold for a number of years and he ended up going bankrupt. The painting was bought in the auction of his property and eventually donated to the museum. It was the only painting the artist did of the confederacy.

After seeing the Confederate White House and the Museum of the Confederacy, it was time to get something to eat. Harvey had heard of dining event that was being held at the Richmond NASCAR racetrack. Supposedly for $25, you could have all you could eat of crabs, corn on the cob, pie, and other various foods. It sounded really great. It was to be the beginning of our misadventures when it came to dining. We drove out to the racetrack only to find out that you had to buy tickets in advance. You couldn't buy them at the event. I still had a hunkering for crabs and Harvey thought he knew of a restaurant that would have them. After getting the address at his apartment, we drove out to Crabshack Louie's. Crabshack Louie's it turned out didn't have any steamed crabs though they did have soft-shelled crabs (which I tried). I was also frustrated when I tried to order something to drink. They didn't have lemonade or root beer and I ended settling for a ginger ale. I decided to try their calamari as a I really like the stuff. The waitress assured us it was enough for two. It wasn't. The only good thing I can say about their calamari was there weren't any big chunky pieces. Price wise, I thought it was a bit of rip-off. Overall, I thought the place was very pricey and I wouldn't recommend it.

After dinner, Harvey dropped me off at my hotel. The day had been a fun day and I looked forward to the next. The next day I would get to meet Harvey's travel agent, see the Virginia Museum of Art, and have another dining miss adventure. Stay tuned for Richmond Trip - Part II.

Neither Rain Nor Snow

I got to experience first hand yesterday one of the hard aspects of my new postal job. Yesterday, it hit 100 degrees and that didn't take into account the humidity. Summers tend to be very humid in Maryland. If you have high temperatures and low humidity, it isn't that bad being outside. When I was stationed in Texas, people would comment about it being a dry heat. They had a point as it was easier to deal with the high temperatures. Here in Maryland, we have a wet heat and it makes things worse. I wore the Seattle Sonics t-shirt my sister Ellie gave me for the first time. By the time I got back to the Post Office, it was soaked with sweat. Because I was sweating so much, I had to drink a lot of water otherwise I'd have become dehydrated. Lastly, the heat slowed me down in doing my job. When I'm hot and sweaty, I don't have the constant pep that I normally have. The result was it took me longer to deliver the mail. The mail delivery trucks don't have air conditioning which is a downer though to be honest, I don't know if it would help things much. A carrier is constantly getting in and out of the trucks or has the windows down so he/she can insert mail into the mail boxes through their driver side window. The trucks do come with a small fan with variable direction. The fan does help some in that it helps create some air circulation inside the truck. Still, the carrier for the most part is left to swelter. It is one of the aspects of his/her job that they must suck up in order to ensure the mail is delivered. As the old cliche goes, "neither heat nor snow nor driving rain or enormous heat will stop me from delivering the mail." For the Post Office that saying isn't cliche. It is a fact. The Post Office does its best to ensure that no matter what the weather, the mail will be delivered. As a carrier for the Post Office, it is something I'll just have to learn to deal with. Still, it'll be great when fall arrives (sigh).