April 7, 2017

Why can't I change my avatar?

Can't do it at Discussionist either?
Is something busted?

April 2, 2017

So what do you all think of Mama June's transformation?

March 29, 2017

Oh HELLS yes...

Some of you may remember that I'm an electrician in the Fort Lauderdale area.
Earlier this month I got into it with my boss about compensation. I wanted what I thought was a well deserved raise. He disagreed and wanted to wait.
Well, there's a ton of work down here so I decided to put in my two weeks notice and see what was out there. He didn't like that and told me to take my vacation pay and just go now, so I did. I took two weeks vacation and started my job search when I got back and oh, my God. Over the last twelve days I've submitted 20 or so resumes and got 14 replies back! After 14 interviews, I've gotten 5 offers of employment.

Today I finally said yes to one.
They more than doubled, DOUBLED my salary, 401k, company phone and truck! I am stoked!
I'm sitting here trying to type this while I'm bouncing off the walls. I haven't made this kind of scratch since Las Vegas was booming in the early 2000's. I was doing okay here, but now I'm actually going to be able to afford a nice house for myself (no more roommates), and maybe a boat to go with a new truck.
Maybe even find a steady girlfriend.

I hope this inspires others out there that are sick of their jobs and feel they can do better. Granted, I don't have a wife, or kids to feed; but sometimes you gotta jump into the deep end and start swimming. There are jobs out there, folks. You do not have to stay stuck somewhere that you feel you're under-appreciated. Put some feelers out. Submit some resumes.
Whaddya got to lose?

Just wanted to share some good news.

And thanks for all the rec's

March 1, 2017

The TNT series "Claws" is filming an episode at my parents hotel!

They're in their 70's and operate a little beach resort on Casey Key near Sarasota.
The studio scouted the site and start filming in two weeks.
The studio is building a tiki bar in the courtyard, putting up a fake sign, and repainting the whole place. My folks are so excited.


Www.gulfsurf.com

January 3, 2017

Crazy Cruise III... Bunch of pics

I managed to get the HDD working on my laptop and here's a batch of photos from the trip.
Heading out:
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They say this stuff prevents seasickness. I don't know if that's true, but I'm not taking any chances. This was my third.
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Central Park
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Notice the balconies? They overlook the Boardwalk and Central Park
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My nephew and me on the carousel on the Boardwalk.

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Watching the Dolphins game
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Relaxing with backgammon in Central Park
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Aqua Theater just before the show
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More later...

January 2, 2017

Crazy Cruise III... Back to the grind.

For me, the best thing about returning home is that it's a 20 minute cab ride from the port.
got off the ship at 9:00am. I'm already unpacked and doing laundry.
I turned on this laptop and it tells me that a hard drive failure is imminent. GREEEAAAT.
i gotta get this fixed before I can start my photo album.

Well, you all know what a great time I had. I just want to say thanks for letting me share good times with faceless friends. Hope I didn't bore anybody.

January 1, 2017

Crazy Cruise III... Sailing home.

Wow! What a night. 2017 sure came in with a bang last night on the Allure of the Seas. The crush of people on the Promenade made it hot and hard to breathe, so we went down to Casino where there wasn't any crowd... or kids. Except my nephew. We snuck him in and I let him play a hand of video poker and he won $5.00.
He made sure he got paid, too.
So we had champagne all around and went back to gambling. I lost and wrapped it up around 2:00a.m.
This is the last full day of my incredible trip. Just packing today and cashing in my chips in casino. Maybe have a go on the Flowrider again.
My room attendant, Viola brought my luggage tags and my mail and inside I found a certificate. It says:

"You have been awarded a vacation for two on board one of the most innovative and exciting cruise lines in the travel industry... This certificate entitles the below casino guest a complimentary Royal Caribbean International cruise"
And on the back side is a list of all these cruise dates I can choose from.
You know what this means, don'tcha?

CRAZY CRUISE IV !!!

Probably in the spring. But I'm bringing my buddies this time. I need a playmate outside of casino. It's no fun doing the on-shore excursions by myself. I'm the more adventurous type and like things a little challenging physically. My family not so much. Except my nephew but he's only 7 and too small for the cool stuff.
Lunch time. And time for the game. GO DOLPHINS!
More later...

December 31, 2016

Crazy Cruise III...day 9 in Labadee, Haiti

Happy New Year's Eve everyone! We finally get to put this rotten year behind us and look forward to what can only be better days.
Here on the Allure of the Seas, there are 6 neighborhoods. That means 6 different themed parties going on... all within walking distance. But that's later.

Labadee is the private resort owned by the cruise line. Today I took my nephew and his mom over to the beach where they have these big inflatable things to climb on and dive off of into the water. I also paid for tickets to the water slide for him and me.
A couple years ago I was here and went on a gravity roller coaster. Paid for an all-day pass and went down probably 20 times. This year they said the day passes were sold out- for a rollercoaster. I don't understand how you can sell out a rollercoaster, but whatever. I asked the girl what it would cost for my nephew and me to ride down together. She looked me square in the eye and said $49.75.
Now, this rollercoaster has little 2-seater cars that get hauled up a hill and released down these rails. You control the brake. The ride lasts about 45 seconds.
"Seriously?" I said. "You expect me to pay $50.00 to go down that rickety-ass thing only one time?"
"That's the price for two people," she says, avoiding my gaze this time. "not per person."
"Yeah, I got that. Never mind." I made sure everyone behind me knew they were getting overcharged and a few people got out of line. The rest...
So I disappointed my nephew by not doing the rollercoaster and he was a little short for parasailing. I am a failure as the favorite Uncle.

But every cloud has a silver lining.
I come back to the ship and get out of the swimwear. I walk down to deck 5 (fully clothed) to get a soda and decide to go see if the casino is open. Surprisingly, it is. I took a quick beating in here last night and I wanted to take the machines' temperature before I decide to play later tonight before the party. I dropped $40 and cashed out $1600.00 'Bout frikken time! I've usually hit two or three of them by now. So, yeah, Ima hafta stop by later.
Meantime, I gotta get dressed for dinner and this thing that's going on tonight. It's a good thing I'm not driving. Won't need Uber either.

And let me just put this out there folks.
I have very positive feelings about 2017. I'm not worried about work or my health. And I'm not going to get all worked up over President Trump. I think there are many in the government that are going to keep him in line, so I'm not going to constantly check on the next Twitter posting this man puts out. I can't explain why I feel this way, I just do. Positive Vibes. So I hope everyone here has a super night and a great New Year. See you in the morning.

December 30, 2016

Crazy Cruise III... day 8 at sea...

Dinner last night was a hit. Started off with a gooey, cheesy onion soup followed by a Dungeness crab and shrimp cake that was so good you ate it in small bites and chewed it slowly. Main course was a 20oz. Porterhouse, medium rare, with mushrooms sauteed in garlic and butter; asparagus, and a loaded baked potato (Is you're mouth watering?). Washed it down with a couple Heinekens.
A little later I went to the casino and had some fun then went to my cabin around 2am.

Today we are at sea. Sailing to Labadee, Haiti; our final stop on this wonderful vacation.
Labadee is a resort that is owned by the cruise line. Kinda like Coco Cay in the Bahamas. You got your snorkeling, jet skis, parasailing, waterslide, a 2000 foot long zipline, gravity rollercoaster... you get the idea.
So what does one do when they are at sea? It looks like most people sit out at the pool. As I'm looking over the pool area and the crush of humanity(there isn't a lounge chair to be had), I keep getting a picture of the seals that take over the beaches of Patagonia. Sounds the same, too. Although I'm from South Florida, I'm not a big sun worshipper, so I'm gonna find something to do inside. I was just watching a sale of women's handbags marked down 75% on the Promenade and I wouldn't go near there with a helmet and pads. I think they're playing trivia up in the Schooner Bar. Casino's open but I'm not In the mood.

Time for a late lunch... see ya.

December 29, 2016

Crazy Cruise III...day 7 in San Juan, Puerto Rico...

Another warm, almost hot, sunny day in the tropics, folks. What can I say?
This morning I went on a walking tour of the fortresses of Old San Juan. They are all managed by the National Park Service and beautifully maintained. I took a bunch more pics of the forts and the city.

And yeah, guys I took a ton of pics this trip and I'll publish them all in an album when I get home. Trying to upload from this internet service is nuts. I would be home before they got finished so I'll just do it from la casa. You'll love it.

Tonight I'll be dining at Chops Grille. The specialty steakhouse here on the ship. Then maybe a show in the theater or a stand-up comedian. We don't leave PR until around 11pm, so the casino won't be opened until late. Probably wouldn't kill me to stay away from there tonight.



Nah, I'm going.