21 December 2009

The Sister Cruise: With Perspective

The Sister Cruise (nothing institutionalized, just 4 boomer women taking a cruise together) was a test in patience last week. Fog delayed our departure by 24 hours but before the Coast Guard and Carnival decided on that delay, we sat in the Mobile (Alabama) Civic Center for 7 hours. We finally bailed to Holiday Inn without waiting for the cruise line-arranged hotel discount. That was good because we paid $88/room and at least some who waited for the arranged room paid $130 (same hotel).

Our shortened cruise to Cozumel was cloudy. Not a problem for us: we preferred the beach without sun. And with a partial refund promised, The Sisters were satisfied that the salvaged cruise would suffice.

Ah, we spoke too soon. Our Fun Day at Sea back to Mobile saw 12' to 15' waves and 50 mph winds. Part of the crew became ill. Lots of passengers were ill. Two Navy sailors near us felt ill, too.

One Sister was particularly aware of the clock and reported that the waves quieted at 3am, about 4 hours before our scheduled docking.

Of course, we didn't dock on schedule. The Coast Guard had closed the channel again—due to bouys blown out of position. More patience as we waited for the all clear.

You might think that we would wish for a different week for the cruise, like this week with its beautiful weather at sea and at the ports. The question is put in perspective with one fact about the cruise following ours: 900 children on board. That makes our experience on The Sister Cruise a tad more tolerable.

© 2009 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

18 December 2009

YO-YO: You're on your own

YO-YO (you're on your own) joins another favorite, YMMV (your mileage may vary), as watchwords for the holidays. These advisories may be uttered best in more gentle language but I think of them as initials before crafting the more congenial translations of "You can make your own choice for lunch and then we'll plan a joint meal for dinner" and "If you'd rather not go to the movie/mall/museum with us, maybe you can think of something you'd enjoy more."

Family holidays!

© 2009 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

14 December 2009

Carry a big stick

Sometimes Sherman finds whole branches on the ground. There is tremendous noise as he drags them through his flap door. And we feel compelled to let him keep them in the house for an hour or so because, after all, we have favorite leisure pursuits, also.

© 2009 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

11 December 2009

DIY Dog Wash: $6 Soapings

You know the DIY car washes where you are wise to bring your own quarters rather than rely on the change machines? Well, think smaller. We now have dog washes. For a mere $6 you can soap up a canine and try to rinse him off. If you think that $6 is a lot to pay for a bath, then you haven't ever paid a dog groomer for the service. Truth told, Tom Bold and I did not soap up the dog. We actually came to see the "dog park" that a trainer told Tom about. The park is not really a park. It is a commercial establishment (the dog wash) in Colleyville, Texas, with two play yards. One for big dogs and one for small dogs. The big-dog yard has a nice set of structures for an agility course. I'm impressed with the wisdom of the entrepreneur because we will eventually make it back for a $6 DIY soaping. It's that platform that is attractive. And the ramp up to it. And access being possible by two or more humans.

© 2009 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

07 December 2009

New SF Favorite: Hotel Milano

I landed in San Francisco last month for a conference and ended with a hotel night on my own tab. It's usually a good idea to leave the conference hotel when the expense account ends. A happy discovery was Hotel Milano, just off Market and literally at the end of the block of the Westfield Mall.

Rooms are neat, clean, and big enough when you're upgraded. (I am not sure of the size of the intended smaller unit.) Internet access was fine and the view of neighboring buildings no worse than any other San Francisco hotel. For convenience to the Westfield, movies, and the Apple store, the Milano cannot be beat—because its room rent is low. I paid under $100.

I made a similar shift in lodging for a subsequent conference in Atlanta. I stayed in the conference hotel for one night (because I was scheduled to receive one night's lodging on expense account) and then moved to a less costly motel on my own dollars. That would be a drop from $190 per night to $50 per night. You've already guessed it: Motel 6 with AAA discount.

© 2009 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

04 December 2009

Personal Technology: Beach Advisory

Even when the Wave (Google's new email-conversation software) isn't operating, I learn from it. Chillax. The contraction for chill out and relax. With this sort of advisory from my email provider, I am reminded that life is all about chillaxing.

© 2009 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.