Heading toward home

What a great trip it's been. It's taken us a few days to find our way around this huge ship, along with the 2670 some other passengers and 1300 some crew. All-in-all, we've had a really nice time.

The ports of Alaska haven't been the parts of Alaska I'd seek out on my own, but the scenery and sites have been very nice.

I just left an amazing chamber concert put on by the five amazing musicians who have been entertaining us all cruise from the main atrium and shop area. Just before that I was putt-putt golfing with my daughter after eating our fill of really good food for lunch. Only here, steaming along at 20+ knots, can we effortlessly find so much variety. Once we've unpacked, I'll expand a bit on that part of the trip.

The thing that's impressed me most has been the level of service of the crew. Our steward, Sammy, has been fantastic - beyond words. He works long hours; probably receives little appreciation from passengers; and, I hear, he gets very little pay. I've had a chance to talk with him a bit, and he (and others) have said that they make more on ship, 10 months away from their families and home countries, than they would if they worked at home. While that's true, I know they face more than a bit of sadness at the prospect of being away, especially from their children. They say that it's a sacrifice they're willing to make for their families.

I'll be doing my part to make that sacrifice a bit easier, both in the load of their tasks, the obviousness of my appreciation of that of my family, and in the tip I give Sammy before we leave. Whatever it is, it won't be enough.

Full Steam Ahead

We're steaming toward Alaska. Sailing away from Seattle at a little past 4pm.

The good news is that the ship is incredible and they give a new meaning to customer service. The not-so-good news is that if you're not careful, you can rack up your share of incidental costs - like internet access. Of course, the Princess.com is free, but everything else is not, so I'll have to be careful. I won't be checking my email or blogging willy-nilly.

So far, everyone is having a good time. The food is good, the staff is terrific, and the accommodations as a whole are just really first rate.

And the best thing of all, I've completely turned my brain off - except for focusing on my wonderful wife and awesome daughter. Work? What work? Bills? What bills?

So, not as frequently, but do check back from good stuff!

North, to Alaska.... the rush is on...

We're heading to Alaska on what my daughter calls 'A Big Boat'.

It's my first cruise, and from what I can tell I think I'll like it. Relaxed, plenty to do, lots of food, pampering, do-your-own-thing, turn the brain off - all sounds great to me. We'll be traveling with my in-laws, which I'm sure will be an experience in itself. Our prayer is that the trip in no way resembles the voyage of the RMS Titanic or The Poseiden Adventure.

The official count down is a packed and frustrating 4 hours, 20 minutes of work, 30+ hours to loading up, a night stay in Seattle, church Sunday morning, and then Northern bound.

It'll be nice to escape. Real nice!

The Parents Forum

I'm playing the role of moderator of what could be a great resource for parents, whether new or seasoned - The Parents Forum.

The discussion board is currently in need of those willing to give serious thought to the subject of parenting and post on the board. Questions, answers, resources, and ideas are all welcomed.

And, if you're not ready, let a friend know about it.

{Posted using Hello}

Note to self...

OK, I really have to start keeping my mouth shut instead of shooting it off when I don't have a darn good reason - it just creates this sense of expectation that ends up falling flat.. way flat.
 
Is that the lesson I'm suppose to learn?
 
No, I don't exactly believe in Karma - especially in its spiritual sense - but I do believe that we keep receiving the lessons we need to learn most until we've learned the lesson.
 
Well, consider me savvy - at least until the next time I get excited about 'what could be' and get met squarely by the 'what is'.
 
If for no other reason, the hope of having learned the lesson is why we shouldn't give up, though that thought has crossed my mind this weekend, if only professionally.
 
Being a potentialist with a bent toward the idealistic can be a lot of hard work.
 
I know, I'm still being cryptic, but for reasonably good reason. My hope is that before September I'll no longer have reason to be so paranoid. Until then, I'll keep trying, and I'll just figure that you're smart enough to generally figure out what I'm blathering on about.

A Walking Contradiction

Today, I'm feeling pessimistically optimistic. I'm positive and feeling good, but don't want to get my hopes up. Still, I can't help it - which may or may not be a good sign, I'm waiting to see.

Cryptic, I know. I'd probably make more sense if I wrote in Sanskrit or Hieroglyphics, but then you'd know too much, and it's too soon to know. Not too soon for me to get my hopes up, but too soon to publically share the either good or bad news.

This could all make much more sense later or I'll try to act like nothing ever happened - either way, ignore everything I just said until I say more, then connect the two and you'll know what I'm talking about.

Here's a hint: no, we're not expecting another baby...

Badges, we don't need no stinking badges...

Imagine... a tunnel from Mexico to San Diego. Who'da thunk it.

And to top it off, the article closes with this comforting thought...

About a dozen tunnels have been found along the U.S.-Mexican border since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when authorities increased border security.

Now that's a fire!

I was driving through a less than successful neighborhood recently and saw a man, stumbling across his weed infested front yard toward his barbeque, placed strategically just outside his lean-to of a car port. In his hand... a red plastic container with a long black pour spout.

I didn't check back to see the damage.