And so I have upset two lovely lady guests…………..as you will see
Now, in my defense, when hosting the marriage show I always ask for all the honeymoon ladies to stand up. I then ask for four ladies who feel that, without exception, their marriage proposal was the most extraordinary or out of the ordinary. Well, probably half of the 15 put their hands up and I just picked the four who looked the most animated and excited. At no point, did I see that there was a lady standing whose partner was a lady and purposely ignore them……that’s preposterous.
However, I can see that this may have been what the ladies in question thought and the last thing I want to read is that someone left my show in tears ……….and not tears caused by laughter. So, having read the letter, I called the guests and we chatted and ….. well ……. they really do feel that I purposely didn’t choose them because they are a gay couple.
They also referred to the incident they wrote about in the dining room. I had to defend the waiter because no matter what they may say, they do not have requests that often for cake to be served to a gay couple and I can understand why the waiter may have been a little confused.
I apologized over and over again and I think by the time the call ended, they felt better and I will be including them both as they requested in the afternoon show tomorrow.
So, good morning from a day at sea and today’s blog will include, among other things, quite a few photos. I am really behind on posting these and let’s start with Stromboli.
For those friends of mine who have been reading the blog for some time, you will know that on the Grand Med cruises we pass by the active volcanic island of Stromboli, located at the end of the Straits of Messina. Well, I had been promoting this to the guests for a few days and usually I do so with the comfort and knowledge that they are going to see something as Stromboli is as I said……..very active.
Last night then the balconies and open decks were packed with paparazzi passengers ready to snap the exuberant sight of an erupting volcano and as we got closer I am sure the guests will have heard me shout “bugger” on the bridge………because that is what old Stromboli was doing…………..bugger all…………the only eruption was actually on the bridge and that was due to the two boiled eggs I had for breakfast.
So, there we were…….2,000 guests all on one side of the ship staring at a big dark lump of rock…..and just as the bow drew level with the center of Stromboli………this happened.
Those wonderful photos were taken by Dr. Jason Wolfe (MB, BS, MRCS) the ship’s senior physician and we thank him once again for doing so.
Well, the guests cheered each and every flare and this put them in a great mood for the Talent Show later that night………well…………nearly everyone.
Guest: Mrs. ___________ Ref: 002U04989A
Cabin: _______ Booking#: ________ Added-Changed: 09/30/08 – 09/30/08UPSET GRITS NOT AVAILABLE FOR LUNCH ON LIDO AND AT TALENT SHOW
Ms. _________ came to the purser’s desk with a carnival cares comment card that read the following;
“I want grits served for lunch like most hotels and other cruise lines I have been on. Why do you not have them. I was told I could not participate in the talent show because I wanted to read a passage from the scriptures. This is unacceptable and I am very upset!”
This was a tough call. Adele called me and said that the guest wanted to read various passages from the Bible and talk about “sin” before singing a gospel song. I came down to the lounge and spoke to the lady explaining that we would love her to sing the gospel song but that the talent show does is not the right forum to read passages from the Bible.
Now, I am not a scholar of the Old or New Testament, but I am pretty certain that at no point did Jesus call anyone a “knucklehead” and, apparently because of my refusal to allow this, I am “going to hell.” I explained that if I am going there it will probably because I farted during Father Snell’s sermon when I was 14 and one time during harvest celebrations, I stole a fruitcake that had been left with other food stuffs by the penitent form and ate it…………it was supposed to go to an orphanage.
I am sorry to say that the lady did not see the funny side of this or me and left …………….. however…………….we do have grits for lunch today…….yippee………..by the way ………. what are grits?
So, let’s pause for more photos and to show you how far behind I am on posting them, here are a few from the beautiful island of Capri taken this cruise by Dance Captain Claire.
And here are a few of the many, many letters I have received this cruise in today’s In Their Own Words section.
And finally from today’s selection of photos we return to the chocolate box town of Dubrovnik and photos taken by Jaime and Lawrence and Brett, our brilliant lighting engineer. I thank them all.
OK, let’s catch up with part 3 of Chris “Bubba” Roberts Hawaiian Adventure.
The Hawaii Reposition Sea Day 4
So I got up this morning, turned on the TV, and we still have no reception. I am worried now because it’s Sunday and the football will be on soon. But it’s not the football that people are worried about this morning. Got a phone call from the pursers saying there was a guest who wanted to lead a religious service for everyone. I told them they needed to check with the hotel director. We don’t normally have a priest or chaplain on board. We try and have them during the High Holy days. But even then we can’t always staff all of the ships with them. About 20 minutes later I got another call from the pursers saying the same guest was not longer wanting to do the service. So I guess that’s another reason why we don’t have services……
It’s still kind of rough today…the wind just won’t let up. Last night we had a truckload of rain come down. Mother Nature just won’t seem to cooperate with us. But the sun is out….so Lido will still have people on it, but the upper decks will be empty as it is far too windy for any one to be up there.
My first activity this morning was “up close and personal, the ship life Q&A,” which I really enjoy hosting. It’s just an open forum where people can come in and ask questions about what it’s like to live and work on board. Normally we only have about 20 – 30 people….today there was like 150…standing room only. They had all the regular questions….how long are our contract, what are our cabins like, do we eat the same food, do we have married couples that work on board, how do you get a job working on the ship, etc., etc…they had a lot of questions about tipping today, which I found strange since it was only the fourth day of the cruise. We did almost an hour and 10 minutes of Q&A today. They all seemed to have enjoyed it and found it informative.
From there I went back stage for a Q&A of a different nature for our backstage tour. I was joined by our Dance Captain Tara, Sr. Tech Kevin & Backstage Manager Tim. We probably had about 150 + for the tour. More than I think I have ever seen for an activity like that. We split the people into two groups, and the dance captain and I took half into the dressing rooms and Tim and Kevin took the other half on stage. Then after everyone saw both sides we did another Q&A about the entertainment department.
Shortly after the backstage tour, I went back to my cabin to rejoice to the fact that the TV stations were starting to come in and we had football on. It’s was funny cause the game that was on was Green Bay vs. Tampa Bay. I as you know, am from Tampa, and our Dance Captain Tara is from Green Bay, so, of course, I called her right away to let her know that the game was on, and also that Tampa was winning ☺.
Today in my mailbox I got another envelope from a guest….this time it was a happy engagement card from someone who reads the blog. I will send them something nice tomorrow. It’s is really nice that everyone who comes on here who reads the blog has been so nice and supportive.
The best part of today was getting to do my matinee show. It was at 5 pm and it was standing room only for the show. I would guess about 400+ people were there. Myself and the band did about 10 more songs of Blues Brothers music and it was very well received. Singing with the live band is something I love the most about my job. If I could do it all the time I would. Left the lounge after the show and was met at my door by one of the security guards who had another bad weather advisory for me to sign. They do this to let us know that it’s gonna get rocky. Tonight we are supposed to have the deck party, so I went straight to the bridge to find out more as it was almost time to get set up for the party. The guys on the bridge gave me a “well, maybe” answer that it was going to rain.
Called the HD and food manager and asked what they wanted to do. I didn’t want to move everything up to the Lido and then have the party come to a grinding halt because of rain. We all agreed it would be best to postpone for one more day and hope that we have better weather tomorrow. So I scrambled to rearrange the schedule.
The show of the night was the Guest Talent show. We had seven acts in our show. Six of the seven were singing performance. One interesting act we had was a man who made balloon animals while dancing to swing music. The final act was awesome as they were a group of barber shoppers who performed a bit of doo-wop.
Overall it was a good day. The guests really seemed relaxed and are enjoying their time on board. Just one more day at sea and we’ll be in the islands. Can’t wait. That’s it for now. We’ll check back in tomorrow.
Thanks, Chris. It sounds like you are having fun and the guests are enjoying the crossing. ……do you know what grits are? Tune in tomorrow everyone for another Bubba adventure.
I am going to show you something very funny now. Do you remember my blog of a few days ago that mentioned the huge amounts of static electricity we were finding in the dance club?
Well, you may remember that I mentioned that the fleet’s senior DJ and my friend Shannon had touched a metal pole after walking across the dance floor and that I said the shock had been so great that he ended up looking like Don King ….. well ……. here he is.
So, I have upset a gay couple and an angry lady who wanted to spread the word ………… apart from those three and Mr.ABCNBCCBSFOX, everyone else has had a wonderful time so far. The weather has been perfect and the standing ovation the crew just received from the guests was testament to their exceptional service.
After the talk and, as normal, I held a Q&A session which was special because I was presented with an Hawaiian lei of ummm…nuts……….was told that I was the funniest cruise director a couple had ever seen on 29 cruises and was asked why we didn’t sell train tickets to Rome onboard the ship…………oh and yes………..there was one more thing…………I was told by a guest…….in public……..over the microphone ……. that she had laughed so hard at the bedtime story she had ………um….mmmm……had an accident and that I owed her a new pair………now that’s a compliment you never forget. This shows the genuine ups and downs that a cruise director will experience each and every day.
So, let me tell you about Blair Farish. I met Blair this morning on my way to get my morning cup of tea from the coffee bar………I am trying not to drink coffee at the moment and stick to my monkey tea. So, there I was dunking my tea bag into the hot water when I was welcomed with a cheery hello and a handshake and recognized him as a one of the guests that had joined me on stage for the welcome aboard show.
We had a lot of fun and I remember saying he looked like a professor and in fact I had encouraged everyone to call him just that……….The Professor………….and they did. Anyway, Blair asked if I could meet him later today as he had something for me and after the debarkation talk this morning I saw that Heidi was holding a book for me. It was from Blair…………it’s called………….The Clockwatcher. It tells the story of how in 1983 in the Canadian Rockies a small aircraft crashed, killing everyone except Blair.
His book is his own account of the horror of the fiery crash and the agonizing wait for rescue. He then tells how he survived despite being badly burned. He signed the book for me and, after I read it, I shall place it in the library here on the ship……you see, you never know who is onboard and you never would have known that as “The Professor” laughed and joked with the guests that first night that he had such a courageous story to tell.
It’s what makes this job so fascinating.
Now, let’s talk money.
During the inaugural three-day cruise of the Carnival Splendor, I was having dinner with some important people one of which was a banker and, as you can imagine, my watch immediately started going backwards and I had wished I had brought a book with me.
Time seemed to stand still, and as he droned on about mortgages and sub-prime markets in America, I began to wonder if I would be fired if I were to beat him unconscious with my lobster shell… Instead I ignored him and the rubbish he was talking about. What do you mean, trouble? Are you saying that because Mr. and Mrs. Smith from Chicago can’t afford to pay their mortgages, I’m in danger of losing my meager savings ………..what a load of old bollocks I said to myself and went back to dreaming about what damage I could do to him with a dessert spoon.
And I was thinking of Mr. Banker as I sat here in the cabin on Monday, watching the whole financial world on the brink of meltdown, I thought back to all the hard work I had done, all those Easy Jet nightmare flights and the 21 years I had spent at sea scrimping and saving in order to provide a better life for Heidi, my Mum and Dad……..and an Aston Martin for me.. And now, my savings were in danger of buggering off and my meager stock portfolio looked like being worth as much as a Betamax video player on EBay.
So, I did what most people do in a situation like this — and went to the bathroom.
Afterwards, I called my sister in Hong Kong who as you may know is a banker and does things with other peoples money.
This is how the conversation went.
John: Hello Sue Drip………..I am really worried. Is my money safe, what should I do, do you have any advice?
Sue Drip: You see, John, approximately $707 billion . . . of the $441 billion in notional exposure of the market’s super senior credit default swap portfolio represented derivatives written for financial I institutions, principally in Europe, for the purpose of providing
regulatory capital relief rather than risk mitigation. In exchange for a minimum guaranteed fee, the counterparties receive credit
protection with respect to diversified loan portfolios they own, thus improving their regulatory capital position.”
John: OK, bye.
No help there, then.
There is much finger pointing. Blame is flying everywhere. It’s the bankers. It’s capitalism. It’s the price of oil. It’s the Chinese. And, Al Gore, of course, blames global warming. We are told in these dark and difficult times, when people are eating their own pets and burning their children’s teddy bears just to stay warm, that the most important thing is the environment?
I would call my bank but even that isn’t easy anymore. Has anyone noticed that in this day and age you need to have a memory like someone from the Counter Terrorist Unit in 24?
You phone up some company – “What’s your password?” You revisit a website that you’ve forgot to tick “remember me” on. You pull out your chip ’n pin card in a shop and think “Well, there are only 9999 possibilities.” Soon our bloody refrigerators won’t open unless we can remember a 1,600-character, mixed-case password and we’ll all starve!
Anyway, because there is no safe haven for your money, you need to give it to someone else. That way, it becomes their problem. So, why not pay your income tax early? Need a new car? Why not buy one now? …………..and best of all why not give your money to Carnival by booking a cruise on the Carnival Dream or a trip to Alaska on the Carnival Spirit or to the Baltic on Carnival Liberty?
I have asked Carnival not to pay me for the rest of the year. I simply wouldn’t know where to put the cash. And so with that in mind, if you are the accountant at Carnival and you are reading this, the payment I would like for being the senior cruise director is for you to buy me a Bentley….GTC……a black one…..oh yes…..I want the license plate to read “THINGY.”
Oh, and the credit crunch is effecting every one………..even the Royal Family
Goodnight
Your friends
John and Heidi and H.M The McQueen
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.
From the desk of the Accountant at Carnival :
Dear Mr Heald,
Wth reference to your request that payment for services renderded be made in the form of a Bentley GTC with personalised number plate, after careful consideration , our response is………BUGGER!!!!!
Yours Sincerely,
The Accountant at Carnival
John, thank you sooo much for the pictures. They bring back wonderful memories. The vocano one is almost like we saw. Thanks again.
Jennifer
I for one wouldn’t mind having the credit problems of the Royal Family!@ HA! I will check out that book by Blair Farish-The Clockwatcher, sounds like it would be interesting reading. Yes, I think (NO, I know) we are headed for a DEPRESSION – NOT a RECESSION! I hoped I would not see one in my lifetime, but sounds like I will, so Mike and I have decided after our Splendor cruise Thanksgiving week we will not book another cruise except of cause for the one next Dec. 2009 on the DREAM. We will not take 2 cruises next year, just can’t afford to! Well, that is unless you want to invite us as your GUESTS on the Bloggers 2 cruise out of New Orleans? I will drive there! HINT, HINT!!! HA! HA! After all you said you don’t want Carnival to pay you for the rest of the year because you wouldn’t know where to put it, well you can pay for cruises for myself, Mike and even Nanni and her family on Bloggers 2. How does that sound John? Please respond! Ciao, Linda & Mike
John,
I can not believe the gay couple was so upset. I have tried every time we have cruised to join in on the shows and I have never been picked. So please tell me, is it my red hair, or that I’m not skinny, or I’m not tall enough for Carnival to pick me? That’s it, Carnival doesn’t like short people. That is just about as ridiculous of a statement made by the gay couple.
Great pictures, and I always enjoy Chris’s blog.
About your money…I’ll hold on to it for you! hehe
Princess Susan
Hi Hedi and Stephanie
John:
Please tell Ms “holierthanthou” that Gospel songs are sung in the Carnival Talent Shows all the time.
I have sung one particular Gospel song on no less than 10 different Carnival ships. In fact, on one Carnival cruise, Gospel songs made up 3 of the 6 acts and on another we had an entire Gospel Choir peform.
Ask her if she knows the song Ray Boltz wrote called “One Drop Of Blood”. It has a wonderful gospel message…no Scripture reading needed.
And Carnival has let me sing that song at least 10 times….without hesitation!
Have this info ready…because I guarantee when you have your newly married “friends” on your Show….you are going to hear from her.
As far as the economic situation….don’t fear. As bad as it sounds…it is only like 1% of the total picture. And yes, there is definately enough blame to go around. But most of the blame needs to land squarely where it belongs…in the laps of every American that is voting age. Most are to lazy to vote and many that do vote are either to lazy to be informed….or want something out of it.
If you asked the average voting American what the CRA is (the first step that caused the current economic crisis) …. they would have no clue.
Freedom is hard work. It take discipline and sacrifice and unfortunately….we are in short supply of both in our current American society. We are in a “we want it all now and at any cost, as long as it doesn’t cost us” mode…where people throw hissy fits because they can’t watch their US TV programs…in Europe.
how sad…..
On a happier note….I am continuing the journey of yesterday’s blog and am having a delightful time!!
Linda (Mom of your friend DJ)
John had to laugh about the grits, even though I’m not from the south (well south St. Louis, but I don’t think that counts) I have had this conversation with the waiters on Crystal, Something of the Sea who didn’t know what grits where and last year on the Miracle ( and would you believe it’s a Miracle!!) they knew what grits where. It’s ground white corn and looks a lot like hot cereal. Lots of butter, salt and pepper make for good eating. Now I admit I know what grits are and love them, but have never eaten them for lunch, while reading my bible. Guess I will have to add that to my list of things you need to have for my breakfast on the Oct. 17th cruise. Look forward to your joining Jim and I for grits and rashers for breakfast.
And the rollercoaster blog continues……more ups and downs than Millennium Force.
Raining on the parade of a happy go lucky couple…..a nearly disappointing wee little fire show at some Stromboli place (the mention of which sounds makes me really want one……very tasty…and I AM really hungry at the moment)
http://betsyrosspizza.com/images/stromboli.jpg
…..DJ Don King… Sue Drip’s banker gobbledeegook high finance wizardry lingo ….. the mushroom cloud in the financial arena….eating pets for sustenance (horrible thought)…teddy bear fuel cells…password encrypted refrigerators and for that matter the infuriating process of trying to remember a password for virtually everything….giving all of our money to Carnival……a befitting license plate on a fine automobile……and a lamenting Queen at the erosion of the Royal fortune all because a Chicago couple can’t pay their mortgage.
The Flying Dutchman
John -
A cruise without angry guests would be like a day without sunshine.
Jon
Hi John,
I remember what a magnificent sight Stromboli was when we sailed by. Even in the rain! I got some great photos of it with lava running down all in bright reds with the contrasting green grass. What a sight!
Thank you for sharing all the great pictures… makes me wish I was there!
Hugs!
Princess Barb
Gorgeous photos…especially of the volcano eruption. Reminded me of seeing the same thing in Hawaii.
Enjoyed hearing more from Chris. Those Q&A sessions were one of my favorite things tha Shawn did the few times we cruised with her.
Keep up the great work John!
Lisa K
Wow, the kooks are out on this cruise, I see. The religious nuts drive me crazy. We have one at work that has made it his life’s quest to convert me to Catholicism, and I’ve been told a hundred times that if I don’t convert to the “one true religion,” that I’ll be joining all my friends and all the cool people in some place called Hell. I keep telling him I’m OK with spending eternity in the Cayman Islands.
Jeff
We were on the Freedom last September in the MED. We also cruised past Strombolli. Why did you not turn the volcano on for us? You told us to stand on the deck with our cameras. We were there.
Please refund the cost of our cruise. I promise to use the refund to again cruise the Baltic with you next year, in compensation of course. ( We were on the Splendor inaugral (sp?) and were very pleased with our vacation).
Hi John
Grits are if you ask me a rather nasty Corn based porridge that in the southern US is served with almost every meal in restaurants. The state of Georgia declared grits its official prepared food.
I hope this is not too long but as a yankee in the south I had to learn what a GRIT is, so I will share this great revelation
What is a Grit??
Nobody knows. Many people feel that grits are made from ground up bits of white corn. This is obviously a lie. Nothing as good as a Grit can be made from corn. The most recent research suggests that the mysterious Manna that God rained down upon the Israelites during their time in the Sinai Desert, was most likely Grits. Critics disagree, stating that there is no record of butter, salt or cheese raining down from the sky and that God would not punish his people by forcing them to eat Grits without these key ingredients. Much research is being done on this subject.
How Grits are formed
Grits are formed deep underground under intense
heat and pressure. It takes over 1000 years to form a single Grit. Most of the
world’s grit mines are in Southern Georgia and are guarded day and night by
armed guards and fierce attack dogs. Harvesting the Grit is a dangerous
occupation and many Grit miners lose their lives each year so that Grits
can continue to be served morning after morning for breakfast (not that
having Grits for lunch and dinner is out of the question.)
Yankees have attempted to create a synthetic Grit.
They call them Cream of Wheat. As far as we can tell the key ingredients
of Cream of Wheat are Elmer’s Glue and Styrofoam. These synthetic grits have
also been shown to cause nausea and may leave you unable to have children.
The History of The Grit
As we mentioned earlier, the first known mention of the Grit was by the Ancient Israelites in the Sinai Desert. After that, the Grit was not heard from for another 1000 years. Experts feel that the Grit was used during this time only during secret religious ceremonies and was kept from the public due to it’s rarity. The next mention of the Grit was found amidst the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii in a woman’s personal diary. The woman’s name was Herculaneum Jemimaneus (Aunt Jemima to her friends.)
The Ten Commandments of Grits
1. Thou shalt not put syrup on thy Grits
2. Thou shalt not eat thy Grits with a spoon
3. Thou shalt not eat Cream of Wheat and call it Grits for this is blasphemy
4. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors Grits
5. Thou shalt only use Salt, Butter and Cheese as toppings for thy Grits.
6. Thou shalt not eat Instant Grits
7. Thou shalt not put syrup on thy Grits
8. Thou shalt not put syrup on thy Grits.
9. Thou shalt not put syrup on thy Grits.
10. Thou shalt not put sugar on thy Grits either.
How to Cook and Eat Grits
For one serving of Grits:
Boil 1.5 cups of water with salt and a little butter. Add 5 Tbsp of
Grits. Reduce to a simmer and allow the Grits to soak up all the water.
That’s all there is to cooking grits, now, on to
How to eat Grits
Immediately after removing your grits from the stove top, add a generous portion of butter or margarine. (WARNING: Do NOT use low-fat butter or margarine.) The butter should cause the Grits to turn a wondrous shade of yellow. Hold a banana or a yellow rain slicker next to your Grits, if the colors match, you have the correct amount of butter. Next, add your salt. (NOTICE: The correct ration of Grit to Salt is 10:1) Therefore for every 10 grits, you should have 1 grain of salt. See Diagram. Cheese is optional, however if you wish to add cheese, cut it into 1/4” squares and add immediately before you eat your Grits. You do not want your cheese to melt completely Now begin eating your grits, you should always use a fork, never a spoon, to eat Grits. Your grits should be thick enough that they do not run through the tines of the fork. The correct beverage to serve with Grits is Milk or Chocolate Milk (WARNING: Use whole milk only – DO NOT use 2% or, God forbid, Skim Milk.) Your grits should always be eaten in a bowl, never use a plate to eat Grits.
Ways to eat leftover Grits
If you happen to have any leftover grits, spread them into the bottom of a casserole dish, cover and place them in the refrigerator overnight. The Grits will congeal into a gelatinous mass. The next morning, slice the
Grits into squares and fry them in 1/2″ of cooking oil until they turn a golden brown. Many people are tempted to pour syrup onto Grits served this way; this is, of course, unacceptable. (See The Ten Commandments of Grits.)
the one
and only 1
Heidi-Beth
The pictures are great and I also have some like it but it wasn’t quite as big as these photos but the reaction was the same–all passengers standing on the deck in the dark and a collective gasp when it happened! It is an amazing sight!
Taromina is absolutely gorgeous and we had the best day there and we went looking for the narrowest street in the world isn’t it? Your video of the port talk was so funny that we had to go find that steet which was more like an alley. The views from Taromina are beautiful and it was where you told us to buy those canolli thingys which we did and sat with the locals at the corner bistro on the most beautiful Sunday morning–it was perfect!
Sounds like this is a good cruise for all but a very few passengers and that is good and you are a hit with the Bedtime Story again but that is not surprising. All of us think you are that funny too!
The picture of Don King is eactly how I pictured it when you described his death defying experience.
Sleep well and I hope I do tonight too.
Hey John…loved the pics of Stromboli and reminded me of when we sailed with you on the Liberty and witnessed this. My husband hopes he can meet you on our cruise on the Splendor in a couple weeks. I know he wonders if we have something going on. He comes home from work and I say “You won’t believe what happened to John today” Hope to see you soon> Regards from the BEAST…………
Need to add Dubovnic to the bucket list .. it always looks so special ..
I am so looking forward to cruising with Chris “bubba” .. I love his blogs on here.
And lastly (with tongue firmly in cheek)
Susan the banker speaks in very clear concise run on sentences .. Perhaps she would like to be Vice President of the US ??
Hi John,
Loved the response from Donal, the carnival accountant about what to do with your salary.
Hope someday, you`ll get your aston martin or bentley.
Dear John Loved the pictures as always.Where to start today?Lets see a Gay couple wanting to be noticed,Grits a marvelous concoction,Economic meltdown Oh Bugger!!!,Religious over stimulation.To much of a good thing.Aha I’ve got it.How was the fruitcake? Best wishes Gary and Bug
Hi John, It was about day 4 into our London to Rome cruise that I discovered the large black pot containing the yummy grits at the Lido deck breakfast buffet line…..ooo…la..la! I travel a lot and never do I find grits outside of the southern states…but I found them off-shore of France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy! Obviously the guest requesting grits for lunch (oh no!) is in a deprived grits mode, but what a wonderful way to recycle breakfast leftovers!
Karen
Has there ever been one cruise you have been on John were nobody complained, nobody demanded something and nobody wanted to be the center of attention? I truly doubt it.
I did not comment on the couple that overslept an missed their excursion. Some people really do think the world revolves around them. And Mr. ABC/Television just does not get it. When you tell someone that American TV is not something they can be go in Europe, how many times to do you have to say it? You should have charged him for the mic, even if it was not damaged. I say again, what ever they are paying you, it is not enough to have to deal with the pax that you have to bow down to.
The pictures are so good. Please tell Jaime she is quite the photographer.
Keep smiling John, it has to get better.
John, thank you for the picture section in nearly every Thingy. It’s a great incentive to save up and come across the pond for one of the European itineraries.
I do feel bad for those who want to be on the Marriage show and don’t get picked but for heaven’s sake – not getting picked in your category is far more likely than getting picked.
Years ago near our 20th anniversary the CD failed to select us when we hopped up and down and made passionate fools of ourselves. And do you know who the CD picked? A couple that lied! (“Misunderstood”) The CD had asked for the couple closest to 20 years on that date and we knew we were shoo-ins!
These people had been married 25 years, they announced when they got up on stage. Did they sit down? NO! Did the CD apologize to us and all those near 20 years who should have been 2nd, 3rd, or fourth alternates? NO.
However they got up there, they were lovely funny people, as most of the people could have been if they had an opportunity. We thoroughly enjoyed being in the audience. But the CD discriminated against people who do not lie! So please send our OBC immediately. We are thinking of the Triumph to Canada next Fall. We want to be on the Marriage Show then too.
John;
I can understand your position on the talent show, but no grits for lunch, how barbaric. This must be remedied immidiately.
Bob
John, another great blog thingy – I missed them the last couple of days!
I do have one not-urgent request. Maybe I’m getting old (turn 50 next week), but I can’t read the handwritten notes – they are often too light for me to make out. I know you can’t do anything about the writing of them, but is there a way to make them appear darker or clearer on the screen? Thanks!
Hi John/Heidi:
I like your idea. I”ll be happy to swap my paycheck for a new Bentley or A.M. as well. Sounds good to me.
Great blog today. I really enjoyed all the pics you posted.
Hard to believe how close he looks to Don King.
Thanks for the great blog.
Also great to hear from Bubba. Keep ‘em comin.
Hope all is well.
Take care!
David
Dear John, seeing your pictures of Capri reminded me of a delightful song about that island by Noel Coward called “In A Bar On The Piccola Marina. “If you look at Lyrics International web site you will find it. When I was a child my wickedly clever aunt would play the Noel Coward in Las Vegas album for me and we’d laugh until we cried. It’s about ‘a newly widowed middle-aged lady who discovered in the nick of time that life is for living. ‘ (Sigh) Perhaps I too shall visit Capri some day. Once more, I am living vicariously through your delightful blog. The photos are wonderful. Your soon-to-be- cruising- Hawaii pal, Pat.
Me again! As a North Carolina girl raised on Grits, It is indeed a course cereal made from ground corn, White corn is OK, but yellow corn is Nirvana. Butter, cheese and salt are indispensible, of course, but you ain’t lived until you’ve tried Shrimp and Grits, a Low Country brunch cassarole that will make you want to eat until you hurt yourself. For the recipe, check out an Augusta GA cookbook called Tea Time At The Masters. You may want to know that the dish is actually named after an exclusive sorority called Girls Raised In The South (GRITS). Pat