A Blog That You May Not Want to Read If You Just Had Dinner….Or Have a Weak Stomach
July 16, 2008 -
John Heald
Here I am at 6:15 am ………….in Germany……………..blogging. Guten Morgen everyone from a very cold (12 degrees Celsius/53 degrees Fahrenheit) Warnemunde as Heidi and her team prepare to disembark 1,200 people on tour to Berlin. The railway station is just a few minutes walk from the ship and waiting there are two private trains to take the guests to the capital.
This is quite an operation as each has to be given a sticker as they leave through the terminal building. This sticker will state which carriage they are on as well as which bus and restaurant they will eat dinner at. Heidi as ever has marshaled this plan brilliantly and I am sure all will be well. All I have to is make an announcement on the open decks to make sure people leave on time. I hate making announcements this early but needs must. Of course, they are not made in the guest cabins so hopefully I will not disturb anyone who maybe sleeping.
Heidi has just reported that people are leaving the ship in shorts and t-shirts and are amazed that it’s so cold. I placed the weather forecast in the Caper, told them in my talk and this morning in my announcement. However, some seem to think they are touring the Caribbean rather than ……..ummmm……….the Baltic……….I think the clue was in the title.
It’s now 7:20 am and the good news is that everyone is safely on the trains to Berlin. I have staff members on the tours as well so I will be sure to post their reports which I am sure many of you will find useful.
Let’s also go back a few days to our trip to Lisbon and show you these beautiful photos taken by Miguel. Many of you know Miguel who is a maitre d on the Carnival Liberty and was with us during the first European season. He is Portuguese and took these photos while on vacation and having visited the ship.
These clock changes are really a challenge. We already moved our clocks and watches forward one hour last night and we have to do so again this evening and then we do it again on the 18th…………..that’s three times. The first clock change meant a few people went to bed earlier and there may have been less people at the shows and around the ship than usual………………however, after a long day in port and for many a long train ride I am sure it will be dinner and straight to bed tonight for many.
Let’s have a look at some of the letters I have received. They include a tribute, a fairytale and we start…………………with an old favorite.
Now for those of you who are old friends of the blog you will know that occasionally here in Europe I get the odd comment that the TV channels are not the ones that guests expect to see. In this case the lady who wrote the letter seems to not understand that we are in Europe and that our satellite does not pick up the USA networks. Anyway, I spoke to her about this and tried my best to explain the situation. She seemed more upset that we didn’t have the news stations and when I explained that we had CNN International and BBC news this made her even more upset. Anyway, after 10 minutes of discussion she seemed to accept the fact that she wouldn’t be getting the American channels and we departed as friends………….I think.
I am sure this will not be the last time this comment is made and with all due respect to the people who will make them………………..I just do not understand how or why in a foreign land they expect and demand their local channels…………………oh well.
So, tonight we have our beer festival complete with local beer and brass band and the German buffet…………I am very much looking forward to this event and hope the weather gets better. I will of course report back with photos etc. Meanwhile, I have 122 e-mails in my in box and lots of work to be done but Heidi has insisted we take a walk. I have not been off the ship for three weeks plus so today the boss has told me that we are going ashore.
So, I will be back soon.
Here I am, it’s now 5:15 pm and we had a walk around the beautiful old town of Warnemunde. We stopped for lunch and then walked along the little streets dotted with colorful German houses and the odd concrete block its chipped grey paint a stark reminder that this used to be East Germany.
I want to talk to you about my diet…………..I am doing my best but it has been hard and to be honest……………I have been naughty once or twice and strayed off the path of righteousness and had some fries…………with ketchup………..and some crusty bread.
However, with things starting ever so slowly to calm down here I have since the 12-day cruise started on Sunday renewed my efforts and hitting the salads hard.
However…….this has resulted in something that I need to share with you all …………………. and me doing this is another example of how I share everything with you……..my wonderful blogger friends.
Since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes I have become totally paranoid about my health. I won’t even look at anything that has even a microscopic amount of sugar in it. I guess this paranoia comes from missing the signs that I was about to say goodbye to chocolate and spotted dick and for the rest of my life I would be shoving pills the size of cricket ball down my throat and say “Ouch, bugger” three times a day when I test my sugar levels by stabbing my finger. I had ignored the fact that I was as thirsty all the time and that my pee had a head on it………..like beer.
So now I think every lump, bump, cough, ache and pain is the onset of some terrible killer disease. I catch Ebola three times a week, and back in December, having discovered a nodule of something unpleasant near my left elbow, became fairly convinced I’d become the first person in human history to catch arm cancer. A few days earlier, I had managed — just — to shake off a nasty bout of Gout in my ear.
Of course, most of my ailments are designed so that I can lie on a sofa while my wife brings me eggs on toast and mugs of tea. I’ve never really thought I had anything really serious outside of the diabetes thingy, so I’ve never really known what it must be like to stare the Grim Reaper in the face and know that time’s up. The last two nights though, however, all that changed . . .
Now I want to make it absolutely plain before I go any further that I do not find bottoms or anything which comes out of them even remotely funny. I am not nine years old years old and I am not French. But there’s no way of saying what I’m about to say without being……….well…………… rude and disgusting. I’m sorry for that and if you are of a weak disposition I suggest you stop reading and log off.
What happened, you see, is that after my usual morning’s number twos, I noticed that the water in the bowl was red. Which meant of course that I had, without feeling any pain, passed a small amount of blood. ………………..Plainly, I had prostate cancer.
I am aware of this disease. I know that it is the most common form of cancer among men and it is likely to strike when the victim when they are about my age. I even know what colour wristband you should wear to show you support it……………………… blue.
I panicked……………I felt sick…………surely Mr. Murphy and his mate Monsieur Bells Palsy had not called on their mate to come and play. Now, a smart man would have gone immediately to see one of the ship’s doctors but me being me I didn’t. Now, before the diabetes set in the old me would have ignored this completely with the thinking that this only happened to others and the blood had been caused by a peanut scratching the sides. However, even though I wasn’t ready to face the Docs I knew something had to be done. I therefore turned to the internet and became Dr. John.
After about 30 minutes of surfing the “self diagnosis” sights it seemed that I had two choices……….see the doctor and before that…………..do something that I never thought I would have to do. So, armed with nothing but a well-oiled finger, went ahead and violated what for 43 years has been a strictly enforced one-way street.
I shall spare you the pain and the humiliation of this hideous mining expedition, but I feel duty-bound to explain that once I was in there, mincing about, I realised that I didn’t know what a prostate is, or what it feels like or where it is exactly……..so not only was I in this extremely difficult yoga type position but I was trying to read what was on the computer screen and hoping that Heidi didn’t walk in or even worse…….the cabin steward.
As I carried on potholing I discovered that a prostate is about the size of a Werthers Original candy, and that it lives “near” the rectum.
And eventually I did discover something in my bottom that fitted the description. But with knowledge gleaned solely from the CNN medical website and with nothing to hand except a soapy finger, I’m afraid I wasn’t able to say whether whatever I’d found was what was supposed to be there. The only evidence I had was the blood, and that really was enough.
I felt ……..well………….joking aside………………I felt awful, sick to the stomach and sat slumped in my office chair. I remember thinking that in 30 minutes time I had to host my Morning Show and that was the last thing I wanted to do. ……………honestly, words cannot describe how I felt. It was then that Heidi breezed into the cabin having returned from a meeting with the entertainment staff.
“Hello,” she said cheerily. “Have you been to the toilet yet, because all that beetroot we’ve been eating doesn’t half make it red?”
I stood up…………..and started to dance…………..there was no music………………..but there I was …………in the middle of the cabin…………..doing some weird Michael Flatley Riverdance impression…………………I had never been so happy but I promised myself I will learn what a prostrate is and have mine checked by someone other than myself…………..oh yes………………and I will never eat beetroot ever again.
Good Night
Your Friends
John and Heidi
Look, friends — there are a few things you should remember before you comment. The space below is for you to post your comments about the post I've just written above. If it is something that's unrelated, please use the Ask John tab above. Now, while I may not be able to reply to your comment below, I do sit in my underpants almost every morning and read everything that is here. So feel free to comment on the comments and then if someone wants to comment on the comment to the comment then go ahead as well. Please be courteous unless the poster is French...........then you can say whatever you want.
Hi John! Please…please…do what you can about not having the cigar bar for the Glory in the tiny sports bar! My husband enjoys a cigar after dinner, and at least when he’s enjoying his cigar I could listen to nice music and have a cocktail. Now, I’ll be stuck in the sports bar!! Plus, it is very small and noisy! Please ask the “brass” at Carnival to reconsider this! Please!!
I would have to second Sharona’s comments. I was on the Legend in March and Cigars and a bunch of TVs is just not the same as “Cigars and Jazz”. I was so relieved on the Splendor to see that the Robusto Bar is still available to enjoy a Robusto.
John, one top of all the jobs you have now your trying to become a proctologist. But just wait till you have the test were they run a TV camera up that oneway street far enough to see daylight coming in your mouth.
Was glad to here Heidi finally got you off the ship.
BIG ED
The same thing happened with my husband after eating beets. Unfortunately we didn’t find out the cause until after we had gone to the emergency room, blood was drawn, and a urologist was called in. Hubby made me swear not to tell anyone (so of course I’ve told everyone!)
John:
As usual, you are willing to be the butt of your own joke to make us laugh!!! (yes, pun intended)
If you think beetroot makes “things” interesting, you should discover the wonders that a Walmart birthday cake with brightly colored icing will do!!
Seriously, I am glad you are well. But I am also glad that you are adamant about keeping tabs on your body. Our bodies are our best defense against serious illness, if we will just listen!!!
Good job Heidi for pulling off the tours in Germany with such brilliance.
Loved the note about Nikki. As proud as her Mom is of her, we know that Nikki is so blessed to have someone who was there for her. BRAVO to Nikki’s Mom and all the other parents that take the time to truly love children the way they should be loved and raised!!
BTW< we got some great news today. Dakota (a band we have sailed with a couple of times on the Fantasy) will be on our Ecstacy cruise in Sept. and we are so excited. They are excellent!!! Lee (the lead singer) was Santa Claus on the Fantasy Dec. 06 and he was a hoot!! Goose has us all lined up to handle Funship Freddie….so we are good to go!!
Linda (the proud Mom of your friend DJ)
Hi John,
I’m glad you don’t have prostate cancer – although my first thought was that you had hemorrhoids, a much more common source of blood in the toilet. The beetroot story was hilarious!
As for Mrs. Fox News, I can give her a rundown of the stories they are airing:
-Barack Obama is a secret agent of Al Quaida who will force all Americans to convert to Islam when he is elected.
-The Iraq and Afghan wars are going just great! Pay no attention to the flag-draped coffins.
-There is no recession in America, or if there is, it’s Bill Clinton’s fault.
-Global climate change is a Liberal lie. And in a totally unrelated item, Carnival Cruise Lines plans to begin cruises to the North Pole.
John, if I get to meet you personally on my Aug 30th cruise I will not be able to keep a straight face.
Beetroot bottom, the lastest health scare!!! lol
Reminds me of the 1st time I ever pigged out on Oreo Cookies, “everything” went black for a week…ooopps
Thank you for sharing..lol, keep up the good work with the diet.
Lorraine
BTW your looking great for someone who is permanently on first name terms with Mr G Reaper
OMG John!!!! You had me panicking with fear for you and then all of a sudden I am in tears laughing.
I am so happy you are well but dam John! Ya didnt have to do your own exam!
John, Don’t you know that unrational fear is worse than just going to the Dr and telling him about it? The problems in your mind are always worse than the real problem.
You really outdid yourself this time. I was laughing so hard.
Jo
John– I am cruising on the beautiful Splendor in Oct. for the Transatlantic. Your pictures and descriptions of the Splendor have helped to make time pass more quickly. I have 3 questions: do you know who the Piano Man will be (as Ron Pass says he is leaving before the TA)?
Will you be the CD? HOw can I make Pinnacle reservations?
Thanks looking ofr ward to meeting you in person…Oct 29th!
John,
Having had prostate cancer and living to talk about it the best test the the PSA blood test. No probing until the number is in the danger zone. I hope to have the chance to talk with you a little during our 18 August cruise.
Take care.
Bill
I am still laughing but I do have a question. Did you have regular dinner for people who didn’t go to Berlin or did everyone just wait for the beer festival? We went to Berlin many years ago when it was still divided. Any suggestions on something to do if you don’t want to go to Berlin. Did you have soft drinks during the beer festival? I had problems in Berlin. I don’t drink alcohol and many places only had alcoholic drinks.
)
Hope things have cleared up for you so to speak.
Jo
OMG I can’t believe I just read all this things on the blog LOL AYY John you are terrible! It isn’t strange to me though. In my family nothing stays private everyone says everything. Are you my English brother?
Glad you took a walk today. Take care!!
Ahh John you sound just like me worrying about everything. I’m different from you though I go to the doctor inmediately so I don’t worry for no reason for long. But you went to the extreme with your self exam.
Don’t search in the internet you arew going to worry double for no reason. Anyway joke apart blood on stools is a sign of colon cancer very curable if taken on time. I’m glad it is the vegetable but a check up is always good for people our age.
Nanni
There you go John always being adventurous. Leave it to the professionals. At least Heidi came back before you ended up in the infirmary. But get it checked when you can.
Maybe the guest with the TV concern thinks she’s sailing of the coast of the US?
I think it’s great to get the flavor of the country you’re visiting music, food, TV and such. Otherwise it’s like you never left home.
The Prince & Princess letter was very entertaining.
Hello John and Heidi,
That sounds like something my husband would do! Tee hee.
For DJ’s mom, where did you get that beer in Canada? I’m going in a month, and I’d like to try it.
I haven’t been commenting much lately, because I don’t have much to add after everyone else has commented. I do want to say that the lady with the ship on a stick AND the champagne was very lucky to get both items. I think she’s – ehem – mistaken about the $100 on Princess. What is a category 3C? If 4a-? is inside, 6A – ? is oceanview, and 8A-? is balcony. What is 3? I know 1A is the one with bunk-beds that they don’t advertise. I never heard of category 3. She ALWAYS gets an upgrade from something less than inside (?) to a suite? Yeh, right. Hold on to your dreams, lady.
The German bier party sounds wonderful. Please tell us all about it.
Thank goodness you’re not sick!
Cheryl D.
Dear John and Heidi…
I want American T.V. channels, no smoking, an upgrade to a suite, the opportunity to save seats at the shows, better weather, to use dollars rather than Euro’s (some lines make whole countries change their currency when they pull into port), be changed to cruise I thought I was signing up for, less noise, no kids, better seats at dinner, ma jong games for everyone, smaller bathrobes, warmer weather, colder weather, sunnier weather, rainy weather…….well can’t you guys get anything right?
I don’t want anything to do with beets at any meal ever!!!
We love you guys!
John & Susan from Frisco, Tx
P.S. JOHN-PLEASE REPLY-Since you haven’t had anything to do the past several weeks we will not ask for the follow-up! We will ask however if you know if you will be the CD for the Dream crossing in Oct. 09. We are planning now and that will make a difference in our decision!
John, what would you do without Heidi? She is your nurse. She is your assistant, your wife, your lover, and hopefully some day the mother of your children (she is your mother)! You need a mommy to be there for you, so how will you be able to stand it alone when she leaves in October? You are a riot, beets will definitely cause a RED POOP! HA! HA! I can’t imagine how you were able to self-examine yourself! Also, not only should you watch your sugars, you should watch your carbs (potatoes, pasta, bread etc.) being a diabetic! It is HARD! At least you are only on pills (even if they are horse pills)! I am on insulin! So, don’t be so hard on yourself! By the way how much weight have you lost so far? It is obvious you have from the pictures I have seen of you lately on the blog! Tomorrow is THURSDAY, maybe it will be Smiley Face Day! Get with it, you only have less than 3 mos. to see the smiley face before Heidi goes home! Ciao my friend, Linda
I knew there was a reason I didn’t like beets. However I must have eaten them in the past….. or at least I was informed that I had ….. My mom fed them to me (forced?) when I was but a wee lad still eating the Gerber variety……anyhoo….. My distaste for such non-delectable victuals must have developed way back then …..since (according to witnesses) ……I spewed them all over some poor chap….
Mark
Let me write this down… beetroot… red… DO NOT EAT. There… that should do it…
John, I admire your verve for self diagnosis. I can’t imagine how you managed that… During my flying career I had that examination twice a year… fortunately I didn’t have to do it to myself… You, sir, are a trooper… of a sort…
I fear I missed the corporate jet you sent for me as I see that you’re pressing on with your Oktoberfest type celebration without me. Please have Gerry call me at his earliest convenience and we can work this out…
Ciao, my friend!!!
Host Mach
John,
Quit giving yourself the finger. You can do yourself harm and it is not an image most of us want to think about.
Say hello to Heidi and we will see you next month.
Dave and Jo
yo sharona….i was on the Glory back in may. the cigar bar is next to the internet room. did they move it?
John
YOU SCARED ME! Please don’t do that again and please don’t eat anymore beets!
Thank you.
Love to you and Heidi,
Princess Elaine, the quiet and single
John,
Please Please Please can we have a Bier Festival on the BLOG2NOLA cruise in February ????
I am of German heritage and can easily imagine the fun y’all are having tonight !! Save 2 souvenir mugs for Liz and I please. I sneak you some jelly beans in trade.
Surely we can get all the fixins on board from local New Orleans vendors !
Phil & Liz
John:
Glad everything is good now! I know how scary something like that can be and glad it was caused
by food! No more beetroot for you!!
Thank you for sharing the pictures of your adventures with all of us. It makes it easier to work every day knowing one day we may be able to take the same pictures. My next ones will be caribbean, but someday hope to do Europe!
Lot’s of people are asking about an updated CD schedule. When you get it we would appreciate it if you would post it for us. I know you told me Chris Jefferson will be back in time for my cruise on the Valor but others are asking on Cruise Critics.
Our CC group decided to host a 1 hour reception and so far we have over 40 people that have paid. We are hoping that maybe Chris can stop by for a drink with us, but know how busy the CD is on a ship!
Again, I look forward daily to your blog. I don’t always post comments, but do know I love reading them!
Nice that you are getting back in touch with yourself and back to a normal life at sea John..
John – boy am I glad that it wasn’t anything serious, I was holding my breath until you finished. Thank God for miracles. Keep the pictures coming, I love them.
See you soon.
Love,
Suzann
This may, in fact, be the only time I spent 15 minutes reading something that left me weeping ( the extremely touching princess story) and had me laughing so hard my husband actually crossed the room to see what could possibly be that funny!!!! Oh I do hope to cruise with you some day.
Sorry John i really shouldnt laugh because it must have been very distressing and worrying for you and having to do “your thing” but when you wrote about the beetroot i nearly choked, and the look on your face must have been a picture, let alone the dancing, so forgive me laughing, i just couldnt help it. What did Heidi say when you told her?
Donna
John
In the 16 months you have been doing this thingy
that is the funniest story you have ever told and there have been many.
Thank you for the many laughs
Papanh
John -
Your response is certainly understanding, but it also reminds me of a true story.
A patient went to the Emergency Room, complaining of chest pains. Of course, he was immediately whisked into the back, hooked into a gazillion monitors and various IVs. The doctor arrived and asked the patient “when did you start experiencing this chest pain?” “Right after I ate the jar of jalapeno peppers.” was the reply.
Go figure.
Jon
John,
This passenger’s complaint about not having FOXNEWS is a somewhat different from those from last years Freedom blogs in which a guest complained of not having U.S. domstic TV programming. Like CNN, FOXNEWS is a cable network available worldwide. Its audience in the U.S. is three times that of CNN. While CNN politically tilts left (Democrat- its domestic nickname is the Clinton News Network) FOXNEWS tilts right. While it’s not among my top 100 reasons for taking this Fall’s Splendor TA cruise, it would be nice to be able to watch it while the voting for the American presidential election takes place.
John,
I take it as a kid you never had a snow cone. Wait about a day or so and you get to see the color again out the other end. Blue and green are the most likely to show up. Apparently the body does not have a use for the colouring (your spelling) that is in the flavoring.
This conversation has gone down the toilet.
Dave
While reading this blog entry I understood your concern, your resultant bout of self-imposed depression AND your euphoria, in regards to your attention to what your body tells you.
In cases like this, isn’t it nice to know — at least occasionally — that there can still be a bit of miscommunication between our body and our selves?
Glad everything turned out okay “in the end”!
Terri
John,
Glad to hear that all is well. My wife’s doctor has banned her permanently from internet medical site. It really does save one a lot of worry.
Ahh, the old US TV request – when are Gilmore girls on? But before poking fun, let me own up that one of the wonderful experiences on Carnival Freedom was being welcomed back on board by cheery staff with a “Welcome Home” after ports. It did feel good to return to the familiarity of a North American culture (although we can discuss at another time how that was created by the multinational Carnival team). In any case, you would have to explain the difference between CNN International and regular CNN to me. Either of them would seem to present the Atlanta point of view – it is hardly Al Jazeera (sp?).
If it is any comfort to your guest, there is a website which will translate “How much is that in real money?” and other typical tourist phrases into 7 European languages.
Best Regards from Sunny Toronto
John Lewis
P.S. to my prior comments
My compliments to Heidi on organizing the excursions and getting everyone on the trains. You do a wonderful job of making sure that everything happens as planned. Too often one comments on the amusing guests without recognizing the way you keep all the activities going.
John Lewis
John, kind SIR!
Can you or somebody please find a picture of one
of the outside Fincatieri plaques on the Carnival Splendor and POST it!?!?!?
Hmmmmmm, just glad I don’t have to shake hands with you today. Hi to all my fellow bloggers and Stephanie. I have been so behind in reading the blogs I decided to just get current and then read backwards as I had the time.
Take care all,
Julie
And did you know asparagus makes your pee green? I thought it was going to be a case of “piles”, have never heard of beetroot doing that.
Will have to conduct an experiment over the summer months as we eat very little of it in winter.
Looks like we are going to have to check the world weather before we turn up in August, we thought that even in Northern Europe in their late summer early spring it would be reasonable, but maybe not? Please keep us updated on the weather as the trip continues.
Suzanne & Lisa
(Downunder)
Hi John,
Please say Hi to Miguel…He was our maitre d on the Carnival Liberty and was wonderful. He moved our table because my little one gets seasick and even participated in out spoon on the nose trick. (not my idea as appropriate behavior) but it kept her mind off the rocking…
Sometimes to much information is a bad thing. Thank God Heidi came when she did.
Kim Parker
Hi John/Heidi
I loved it there, but didn’t realize how much I missed all of you guys and blogging. I guess that I have grown quite attached to everyone. It was a great week. The only thing better, would have been to be on The Splendor or any cruise with you and Heidi and all the Krew/bloggers….I’mmm baaack….y’all (sorry, couldn’t help it!!)
Hope you guys are well. Wow! Weren’t YOU glad and relieved that Heidi walked in when she did, huh!?! I sure am glad everything;s fine….Well, I’m so glad to be homefrom Tennessee and Dollywood. Didn’t meet Dolly
Sue M
Hi John its me again,
and the 6th August is getting ever so closer and cant wait. My wife and I are reading your blog every day and are already laughing our heads of with your style of writing and adventures !!!!
Its is great reading your blog because it serves to increase our excitment in anticipation of our 6th August cruise on the Splendor.
I am really looking forward to meeting you and as you said make our cruise a wonderful one as I am sure you will.
Cheers
Norman from Sunny Malta
Hey John. I too had a similar experience with beets. I was in college at the time. Your typical poor starving student. The only thing I had in the house was a quart jar of home-made beet pickles sent by my grandma. Having not eaten anything else that day, I nearly finished the whole thing.
A few hours later I was shocked and terrified to find that I was peeing purple! It wasn’t until I walked into the kitchen to see the beet jar on the counter half filled with purple brine that I realized the nature of my ailment. To this day, My grandma still sends home a jar of beet piclkes, reminding me not to “pee purple.” (I have about 1,293 jars of the dreded root dating back to 1993 in my pantry care for some?)
I hope the day never comes where I must succumb myself to the stuff I have just read in your blog. As for the Activities I have one word… BBEEEERRFFEESSTT (you must watch the movie to fully understand).
Til’ Next Blog,
-BigMike
Chief of Blog Security
I have to say, hum, “self examination” feels better when you’re a woman. I know this for a fact.
John, you must understand that Fox News junkies are not allowed to watch CNN International or the BBC. Just ask them why if you have an hour to waste some day. My congratulations on keeping your cool with such complaints, personally I’d want to send them their very own “get a clue” sticker.
And, being French, let me share a poo joke with you: A child walks in to the living room and asks “Dad, where does Poo come from?” Without wanting to be too explicit the father replies “Well, son. First Mummy makes us dinner. Then we eat it. Then the body takes away all the goodness from the food to make us strong. Then we sit on the toilet and what’s left comes out as poo”.
Looking stunned and somewhat upset the child replies, “And what about Tigger?”
Keep telling us about the Freedom, I’m loving your blog!
URGENT STEPHANIE PLEASE REPLY: John kindly agreed to arrange a Cruise Critic meet & greet for the July 25 Splendor sailing. He asked me to remind me one week ahead of time and I tried to email you yesterday but haven’t heard back. I’m hoping we can still arrange something and can’t wait to hear back from you. Many thanks!
Annie
Guten Morgen John & Heidi,
John you are too funny. Don’t quit your day job. Beetroot, huh? Thanks for the info.
Lovely photos of Lisbon and I can’t wait to see those from Germany.
I’m glad you weren’t surprised about the letter complaining about the tv stations – you know it will happen again & again. Wait until someone complains they can’t watch some sort of sports event or want a tv station from Podunk.
But I loved that other letter about the Prince & Princess of the Carnival Splendor. Great story (and a very nice ring). I hope they have many, many enjoyable years to reign over their kingdom.
Hugs,
Carol
Hi John/Heidi:
Congrats Dr. John…If this whole CD thing doesn’t work out, you could become the next proctologist of the seas. At least you were able to find out what was causing the issues as opposed to being nervous and sweating over it for a long time.
I liked the pictures from Lisbon. Very pretty.
Thanks for another entertaining blog today and hope things warm up for you soon.
Take care,
David
Hi John: I guess I’m one of those stupid American’s who think that mid-July should be hot. Thanks for your weather reports as we are getting ready to leave next week for the July 25 cruise on the Splendor. After reading your blog I’ve immediately rethinked my suitcase with warmer clothes. Thanks again John!
Mary Lou
As a keen watcher of portcams I couldn’t help but notice that the Splendor left Warnemunde at 11.20pm last night (20 minutes later than scheduled). At 11.30 a large number of people appeared on camera apparently looking for a ship. Was the train from Berlin too late back to make the ship. It didn’t look too good to me. I am on a Baltic cruise soon on the Splendor but thankfully do not plan to go to Berlin!
John,
I see on Cruise Critic where they announced in Spain that the Holiday is due there June 2009 and is to be renamed the Grand Holiday. It took 4 months to redo the Celebration. So if you back up the time, then the Holiday would have to go into drydock around the end of February 2009.
Now the Sensation is all of a sudden going into drydock in February 2009. Hopefully to fix the propulsion problem and to get the Evolutions of Fun upgrade.
Now speculation would say this is going to be the ship going to Mobile. Since the ship has been doing 3/4 day cruises, it means that it no longer has ship pins. Lets hope that someone in Carnival management will go ahead and order the ship pins in advance of the ship arriving in Mobile. This way we wont have to go through the long wait like we did for the Fantasy pins. (plus the many letters that were written)
Dave
I’ve got to say that I’ve never met another person that could take a situation as you had and make the description of it quite so funny. You have a special gift….
John: As a former R.N. I can tell you what I tell my family and friends, STAY OF THE INTERNET!!!
You will be dead before you know it. I had a feeling though it was something you were eating. If you ever have dye injected into your eye, your urine turns a lovely flourescent green. Try that one. Glad you are OK, see you on 8/30/08.
Linda
Hi John,
Looking forward to that Blogger’s Boogie!
Finally updated my site through Germany…
Here are the 3 cruises so far.
http://www.zydecocruiser.com/splendor/splendor_pre_map.htm
http://www.zydecocruiser.com/splendor/splendor_three_map.htm
http://www.zydecocruiser.com/splendor/splendor_inaugural_map.htm
John, You certainly have a way about explaining what that Doctor has been doing to my bottom over the years. Wow I was beginning to wonder! However, My wife Mary is Diabetic and I can assure you that after her serious work-outs and watching what she eats has made a tremendous change. As they say you are what you eat. By the way I actually came back from a Carnival Cruise 1 pound lighter. No I did not skimp but I did do what you are probably doing which is I ate plenty of salads. Thankfully Carnival has always had a wide variety of great salad fixings so no I was never hungry. Stay with it and keep away from those beets (I love beets)
Jim
Hi John/Heidi:
2nd post today. I just got the phone call that you read my mother’s letter on the morning show today.
She was very excited and I appreciate the kind greetings. I look forward to seeing a copy of the show.
Glad you guys got to meet up.
Thanks!
David
JOHN, As you intended, I was laughing along with the rest of the bloggers at your latest adventure. For future reference:
Broccoli = comes out Green
Grape Juice = comes out Black
Beetroot = comes out Red
You should keep this list handy to avoid further worry.
Hugs from Texas,
Diane
What a Blog John
Just when I thnk you cannot possibly top yourself
get any more sentimental, get any funnier
you go and do it!
Kudos!
All I can say is Thank goodness I do not eat beets for the sugar content. I let the Mr. eat them and I will NOT let him near the Internet for self diagnosis, that’s why he married a nurse!
Take Care
The Tuckers
Elizabeth & Arnold
John, I can’t believe that you wrote this on a blog! Of course nothing affects my appetite. Took a parasitology course in college. Friends banned my friend and I from the dinner table (TMI) until we finished the course.
When you mentioned the red, after my heart skipped a beat, I thought “I bet he ate beets”. My mom gave me beets as a baby. She thought I was dying when she changed my diaper. HEHE
Don’t beat yourself up about slipping off the diet, everyone does. What is important is to get back into the routine ASAP.
Hi again John,
Since you don’t get American tv stations, I thought I would give you a news story I heard last night. A ship (I think its name is the Pacific Clipper, based in the Bahamas) was inspected by the Coast Guard in NYC and not allowed to resume its world cruise because there was a hole in its hull and lifeboats weren’t seaworthy, among other things. The ship was moved from the Hudson River to Brooklyn so the hull could be patched. The 1200 passengers were spending extra time in NYC. Those that I saw being interviewed were very happy to be in NY for the extra time. I haven’t heard anything else about it today.
I just read something else that might interest you – Rome has just banned people from eating in the city’s tourist areas, like in Venice. Hopefully you won’t have problems when you get there.
Take care,
Carol
John,
I too am a prostate cancer survivor. Blood in your stools is not a symptom of prostate cancer. The prostate is not inside the rectum, but close to the wall of the rectum making it the only area where it can be felt with the finger. As stated earlier, the PSA blood test is the best gauge for prostate cancer, although new advancements are being made every day. You should have a PSA test at least once every year along with a proper digital prostate exam by a doctor, not by yourself!
We love to cruise and enjoy reading your blog. We have only been on 3 cruises so far, all on RCI but hope to try Carnival sometime.
Keep to the diet! It takes discipline, but life is short enough, so don’t rush it!!
Bill and Linda
Naples, FL
dang beet root… does it all the time!
Glad to hear you’re okay, hon!
)
Hugs to you and your bride!
John,
I have to admit you’ve really got me laughing on this one. Like yourself, I’ve recently been diagnosed w/ type 2 and as much as I hate to admit, its turned me into somewhat of a self diagnosis expert about my health also. Good thing to be aware of whats going on with your body, but got to keep in mind not everything is a death sentence !!!
The other thing is the whole self-exam story. I too went through a similar expierience and decided that I of course could figure out the problem better than any doctor. So, armed with my trusty finger, and assuming the best yoga-like position I could attempt, the exam started. The only thing that came out of it was I couldnt get the Star Trek theme out of my head, and I decided if my wife happened to walk into the bathroom I’d just sign the divorce papers on the spot and not even try to explain.
John,
WOW!!! You spin things into a pleasure and joy to read… but Sweetie, you must have been scared!!! WOW!!! Prayers were answered with Heidi’s comment and your dance was wonderful!!!
I’m sorry your weight loss is not going that quickly, but if you’ve altered your diet a bit, that’s a joy and should be celebrated!!! WOO HOO!! That’s a step and all accomplishments are taken STEP by STEP… Just keep moving in that direction. Stay busy, have GOOD foods around to snack on… And walk, walk, walk!!! Challenge the passengers to walk with you. Make it fun… Put it in the Capers…
John… ANYTHING we can do, I can do, just let us know!!! You’re too special and wonderful to let anything happen to you that doesn’t need to happen.
God Bless SWIFTLY answered prayer!!!
Lambie