Caribbean Cruise

I paid off my future Caribbean cruise sort of. By that, I mean I made the last payment on the cruise via charge card but, I still have to pay the charge card bill. Also, Harvey and I have to decide on a hotel in the San Juan area where we'll stay one night so we can do a tour of San Juan before the cruise starts. Joel Mills, the travel agent we use is trying to find out what hotel would be best for the tour and the cruise. Once he knows that, he'll advise what to do.

Concerning my cabin on the ship, my step-mom/mom Kay got me to check into if I was getting the best deal cabin wise. Right now, I have a reservation for a Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom which has 173 square feet of space. The next cabin up would be a Junior Suite which has 280 square feet of space. The cost to upgrade would be a whopping $1,500! All I would get for that money is the roomier cabin. There wouldn't be any better food or other perks. When I learned that from Joel, I told him I'd stay with the cabin I have. It's on the 8th deck, seven decks down from the top of the ship but, it is the 3rd highest deck as far as cabins go. The passenger decks are deck 2 to deck 10.

The ship itself "Adventure of the Seas" must be huge. It can accomodate 3,114 passengers. It has 4 swimming pools, a rock climbing wall, an in-line skating track, an ice skating rink, a 9-hole miniature golf course and a full-size basketball court. It also has a spa and casino. It weighs an inconceivable 138,000 tons! It sounds like it's a floating town. I wonder how long it takes them to get everyone on board. I'll find out next year. Cheers all!

Humidity

One of the bad things about Maryland summers is the humidity. While the humidity isn't as bad as it is in Northwest Florida (I remember my glasses fogging up every time I walked outside), it still saps you when your outdoors. I feel certain it causes you to sweat more which is annoying. Yesterday was particularly bad. I was working at the Post Office and I could feel the humidity in the air as I cased my mail. It got worse when I hit the street to deliver my mail. The only good I could say about it was it sure did make you appreciate air conditioning. When I finished delivering my mail, I returned to the Post Office to turn in my undeliverable accountables (the people weren't home), packages I couldn't deliver (the people weren't home) and undeliverable mail (the people had moved). When I walked into the Post Office, the air conditioning hit me and boy did it feel GOOD! Sadly, the humid summers here last into August. So, I'll get to sweat and suffer for a good while. :-(

Crabs

One of the food specialties you'll find in Maryland are crabs. During crab season, a number of restaurants offer all you can eat deals. One such restaurant is Captain Jerry's Crab House in Laurel, Maryland. The last time I ate crabs was at the SHARE warehouse in Bladensburg, Maryland. I found it really neat though very messy. I've been wanting to eat crabs again and today, I decided to find a place. To my surprise, I found out there was a restaurant in Laurel called Captain Jerry's Restaurant (http://www.captainjerryscrabs.com/door/). I called and I found out their basic all you can eat crabs was $25.95. For $37.95 (I think), you're guaranteed to get only medium-sized crabs. Considering what crabs cost, it isn't a bad deal. You also get hush puppies and french fries. All you can drink sodas are $2. I managed to eat 2 platters of crabs which I thought was a respectable effort. It took me over 3 hours to do that.

Overall, I was very pleased with Captain Jerry's. I'd definitely recommend them. The service was very good and the place was clean. Parking was plentiful. I definitely plan to eat there again. If you're in the Laurel area and want a nice restaurant that offers all you can eat crabs, you might want to give them a try. Cheers!

Montpelier Mansion

Without a doubt, one of the surprise jewels in Laurel, Maryland is the Montpelier Mansion. The mansion was built by Major Thomas Snowden in 1781 and likely completed in 1782. The mansion had a number of distinguished guests including George Washington and Abigail Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams. The mansion is located just off of Maryland 197 and Muirkirk Road. Visitors can do a self-guided tour of the mansion for $3. The mansion has a number of rooms set up to what they would've looked like in the early 1800's. The mansion is situated in 70 acres of land. The greens around the mansion would be excellent for a picnic though I wouldn't do one right now with the summer heat and humidity.

The mansion has a gift shop in its carriage house. The gift shop is called The Little Teapot http://www.the-little-teapot.com/. The gift shop has the typical tourist t-shirts as well as an outstandting selection of loose teas (over 50) and tea sets. This shop may be the finest tea shop in Laurel and in the local area. It offers afternoon teas in the mansion on select Fridays. Reservations are mandatory. For information on future tea dates or to make reservations, you need to call 301-498-8486.

The mansion holds various special events during the year. One particulary noteworthy one will be hold on July 7th, 2007 from 10 a.m. till noon. Visitors will get to see what life was like for a Revolutionary War soldier. Admission for this event is $10. For further information on the mansion and other upcoming events at the mansion, check their website at
http://www.pgparks.com/places/eleganthistoric/montpelier_visitor.html.

Teeth Report

Yesterday, I saw Dr. Ronnie Jones, the Periodontist who was treating my case of periodontal (gum) disease. The visit was to check on how my gums were recovering. Once I had my teeth descaled, I had to use Listerine regularly, brush and especially floss. Listerine is important because it kills the germs that can cause gum infection. Flossing is very important because there are a lot of areas around the teeth a tooth brush doesn't hit. If you doubt, take one of those tablets sometime that shows you all the areas that has build-up on them. You'll be shocked.

Anyway, the visit went well. Dr. Jones measured how much space there was between my gums and teeth. The more space there is, the greater the chance of the teeth shifting or eventually coming out. Thanks to the descaling and my consistent efforts, my gums had improved enormously. The spaces between the teeth and gums and decreased markedly. This is good because you want the gums to be snug around your teeth. If they're snug, your teeth won't move. Also, it means that there isn't any infection below the gums which could cause teeth loss or cavities. I was pleased about the news though I kick myself for letting it get as bad as it did. It was an expensive mistake. It ended costing me over $400 though it would've cost over $1,300 if it weren't for the Delta Dental of California plan I received from the Air Force. Many thanks to the Air Force for helping taking care of me after I retired.

Middle East

David Horowitz has put together an outstanding presentation explaining what the situation really is in the Middle East. We often hear that all the Palestinians want is their own state and that Israel stole their land. Horowitz shows that the issue isn't about Palestinian statehood (the Palestinians were offered their own state in 1948 and 2000 and both times they turned to violence instead of accepting the terms) or Israel stealing their land (there wasn't a Palestinian state to steal the land from), it is about driving the Jews into the sea and completely out of the Middle East. Horowitz shows that Israel has much right to exist as Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon or Syria. When it comes to who has lived there longer, the Jews have lived in this region for over 3,000 years. The Arabs who claim all the land in this region didn't arrive until the 7th century during the Islamic expansion. In my opinion, the presentation also shows why there is little chance of peace between the Jews and the Palestinians. There is too much hate among the Palestinians and they won't give up their quest to drive the Jews out. Until they give up their hate and accept Israel's right to exist, there won't be any chance of peace in that troubled land. The presentation can be found at http://www.terrorismawareness.org/what-really-happened/. The presentation file is large and it may take you a few tries to download the whole thing. I know it did in my case.

Heat

Yesterday, summer hit Maryland with a vengeance. The high was supposed to be in the 90's and it felt like it. One of the bad things about working as a mail carrier for the U.S. Post Office is you have to work in all kinds of weather including high heat. Because of the heat, it was a real trial delivering the mail yesterday. I hate being sweaty. Unlike the cold where I can put on an extra jacket, with the heat, there is nothing you can do but suffer through it while you're delivering your mail. The heat can also make me irritable. I had to do my best not to get frustrated. Today is supposed to be more of the same but, I wasn't scheduled to work today and I don't plan to help out on the city side. I plan to stay indoors as much as possible to avoid it. Hopefully, it'll get cooler soon. We'll see.

New Line's Greed Strikes Again

New Line Films, the folks who produced the Lord of the Rings films, has struck again. A number of lesser known actors and actresses who had minor roles in the Lord of the Rings movies are suing them over royalty issues. It seems that New Line has made a good bit of money on lunch boxes, posters, toys, etc. but claims that after all the various charges are made, they don't owe the actors and actresses anything. In one case, New Line reportedly took in over $9,000,000 from the marketing of the Gil-Galad character alone but, after all the various charges were taken out, it supposedly posted a $400,000 loss! Something doesn't sound right here. Plus, with the way they've treated Peter Jackson, New Line is showing itself to be one of the greediest film companies out there. I definitely don't plan to see any of their movies. Also, I hope they lose the film rights to The Hobbit. If they do, and Jackson finally makes the film, they'll have mud on their face for their greed as the film will be a monster hit. Bob Shaye, the CEO of New Line, has shown himself to be a conceited jerk. Best of luck to the actors and actresses in their lawsuit with New Line.

Source of information: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10443373&ref=emailfriend

Music Review

When BMG had a special where you buy one CD at regular price and get 4 free, I looked for music I'd never listened to. One artist I decided to try was David Arkenstone. His music is new age and is put out by Narada. The CD I ordered was The Best of David Arkenstone. It turned out to be a very nice CD. Arkenstone creates various acoustic pieces of beautiful music. Some have nice beats like Under The Canopy while others sound use bells a lot as with his Night Wind. Some, I don't understand how the music ties into the title of the sound such as the song Temple of Vaal. Still, the music is beautiful and easy to listen to. I felt the CD finished strongly with the piece The Southern Cross (not anything like the Crosby, Stills and Nash hit).

Overall, if you like New Age music, I think you'd like The Best of David Arkenstone. It's a very nicely done CD. It is great music to sit back and relax to (to my embarrassment, I fell asleep 3 times while listening to this CD so I had to listen to it repeatedly so I could give a proper review on it). My only complaint with the CD is I wish he'd included more music on it. The entire CD lasts just 49 minutes 18 seconds which seems short compared to other CDs. Price wise, I believe it would cost $18.98 plus shipping and handling through BMG. You may be able to find it cheaper if you shop around. Cheers!

Recycling Depot

I did my quarterly trip to the Glen Burnie, Maryland recycling depot today. It's my bit for the environment. I took a load of cardboard, paper, cans, jars and plastic bottles and jugs to the depot. I had enough to fill up the trunk of my car and the back seat. I wish I could drop the stuff off here in Laurel but because of the trash collection rules, I have to drive to the depot in Glen Burnie. I think it's a little messed up. Anyway, it was nice to do my bit for the environment.

Discount Shoe Warehouse

I got an incredible deal yesterday at Discount Show Warehouse (DSW). I'd earned a $10 off my next purchase certificate from them through their shopper's reward program. The certificate was going to expire on the 10th. After procrastinating for a couple weeks, I finally got myself to their Columbia, Maryland store. I looked at their selection and tried to think of something I actually needed shoe wise. I'm not a shoe-aholic and really didn't need any new shoes. One thing I knew I could use was a pair of water-proof boots for when it rains. When I'm delivering mail, I'm outside a lot and I can get soaked if it really pours.

I decided to check out DSW's clearance section. They were offering double reward points for any purchases in that section. I found a pair of water-proof boots but, I wasn't sure they'd fit. To my delight, they did. The boots were on clearance but, I wasn't sure how much was going to be taken off their $40 price tag. It turned out, they were priced 80% off! That dropped the price to under $10. With my certificate, I ended paying just 1 penny for my boots. I was delighted. So, that is how I got a great deal yesterday at DSW.

Secret Shopper

I notified ICCDS that I didn't want to do any more secret shopper assignments. I felt that it was too much hassle for too little money. Before doing a secret shop at a Weis supermarket, I'd have to check out the ad for that particular store and figure out what I was going to buy. I'd also have to think of at least one question for each of the six departments. Depending on what store I inspected, it could take from 10 to 30 minutes to reach the store. Then, I had to spend a minimum of 35 minutes in the store itself. Once I'd finished my shop, I had to do a survey telling the good and bad things I'd found. Once the survey was complete, I had to file my assignment voucher. I ended spending some where between 2 and 1/2 and 3 hours for $10 plus up to $5 for whatever I bought a the store. It just wasn't worth it. Still, ICCDS was nice about it. If I decide I want to start doing shops again, all I have to do is email them my field representative number and I can start doing it again. Kudos to them for being so nice about it. If you like doing secret shopping, you should give ICCDS a try.

Magazine Review

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

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

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

Movie Review

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

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

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

Reminder

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

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

Church

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

Music Review

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

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

Last Day at Medieval Times

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

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

Gold Card

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

Happy Belated Mother's Day

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