8/17/08 Captain Jack's Repossession Repo Cruise to PC thru TPC Part 8

[jonesing]

That's AWESOME!! I don't have the lightscribe, but my brother does, and he LOVES it!!

You'lll (ahem! SHE'LL) love the 17" screen!! I have a 17" Toshiba Satellite with built-in wi-fi, and I LOVE it!! It's where I do all of my AutoCAD work. My only gripe about it is that it's not quite as portable as the smaller ones. It's a bit heavy to carry around...

And yes, having to lug a cord around the house DEFINITELY defeats the purpose of having a laptop!!

You know, I tried this one out for weight in the store and it's about the same as the old 15.4" laptop! I have Lightscribe on my desktop and have only played with it a few times until I found that utility that increases the contrast (and burn time) by allowing you to get darker blacks than with the original lightscribe firmware. I figure if we bring this one on the cruise she could take oodles of photos (now that I found a source for her 2-4Gb Lexar professional chips), burn them to DVD & label them as well! :

 

[Verandah Man]

Car?! Our area is going to phase in new meters (or in many cases an add-on module) that will record the information, send it to a concentrator and then transmit the data wirelessly to the Utility...yes, that means that a lot of meter readers (many of whom are temp employees) are going to be out of a job because they won't even have to drive around!

We do have one town in our area that gets their meter readings through the phone line. The computer sends a signal to the meter and the meter sends the reading back. I'm not in favor of this type of meter, at least not until after I get to retire........then they can do whatever they want.

Heck, I still have to write the meter readings in the meter book with my #2 pencils!!!

 

[PBader]

im about to throw this laptop i have been on here for hours i bought 2 jetskis off ebay from jacksonville i found a cruise out of jacksonville and a flight down for 49.00 now i cant find a rental car company from florida to nj that has a hitch to tow them backnow that i vented back to trying to figure something out
hope everyone has a better day than me

This may be dumb,,,but can you add a hitch and then remove it?

 

[Verandah Man]

Andy, I sure hope you are retired before that happens!!

I think I'm pretty sure that won't be happening anytime soon in our township. My boss already has a younger fellow helping me out from time to time, preparing him to take over for me when I lay down my pencil for the last time. Our township, has increased in size, by about 35% to 40% since I started doing this job 28 years ago. About 1,000 new homes have been added in just the past 5 years.

 

[PBader]

It is after 5 and DS is not home from school yet. He was supposed to go to a football meeting after school. His current football coach was fired about a month ago now. Adam was one of 2 players suppossively(I have heard he was already picked before they fired the other) to help assist in the selection of new coach.

I really liked his coach. Adam doesn't even know if he is going to play. I really hope he does because it will be his senior year. He will have played 5 years since he got to play as an 8th grader. But with this change, he will have had 4 head coaches in 5 years. It really makes it hard to build a program with so many coaching changes.

 

[PBader]

I think I'm pretty sure that won't be happening anytime soon in our township. My boss already has a younger fellow helping me out from time to time, preparing him to take over for me when I lay down my pencil for the last time. Our township, has increased in size, by about 35% to 40% since I started doing this job 28 years ago. About 1,000 new homes have been added in just the past 5 years.

They are building everywhere. It is amazing where they keep cramming in new subdivisions!

 

[miztigg]

This may be dumb,,,but can you add a hitch and then remove it?

you can with ease just add a ball hitch if they have a hole in the bumper but i will have to drive from fl to nj with no lights i just looked at car down there i need a junker to drive to the city so maybe ill just buy the car and put a hitch on. with all these issues the car will blow up on the way home

 

[jonesing]

Waiting is difficult, but we're really trying to enjoy the time and savor all of the steps of the process. We're getting the room ready, (and trying to control ourselves and not buy every kid thing we see!!! )

I've been keeping a little journal of the whole process that I will someday share with my son or daughter.

We didn't keep a journal but I did write him a letter that he'll get to see in 17 years or so

Good idea about not buying everything right now...you need to see how big the little tyke is! DS was 8lbs 5oz at birth and then just turned into a little giant! He quickly hit the 90-95 percentile for height and weight in a matter of days! As one doc put it "I can tell this one has never missed a meal! "

IIRC you're looking at a newborn? Depending on the hospital, they'll make a mommy room available to you as the prospective adoptive parents...BY ALL MEANS make use of it! And if they don't offer one automatically, ask about it.

Also, make sure you are on the same page now about circumsicion if it's a boy...and be prepared to communicate that to your counselor/hospital/birthmom as soon as you are notified! DW's cousin had a baby boy and they brought him to her in the mommy room a few hours after delivery...they had already done it! She doesn't remember signing anything to have it done nor does her DH. But evidently that hospital still does it as a matter of practice and you pretty much have to threaten them with legal action to NOT have it done! Our DS' hospital, by contrast, waits until Day 2 or 3 and then asks if the procedure is to be done or not

Not to scare you but be aware of the vibes you send out because whenever a nurse or hospital social worker comes to check on you & baby, they'll make a note of it in the baby's file! "Parents feeding baby" "Baby changed at 0915, wet diaper, parents did changing" "Parents seem nervous/scared/totally at ease with baby"... As the discharge nurse told us, she has prevented several parents from leaving the hospital with a baby until they calmed down or perhaps even completed the baby training offered by the hospital!

And double-check your state's rules for baby seats. You'll have to have one before they even consider cutting off that "Don't steal me" sensor tag(s)!! We found out that even though some car seats (like the Britax convertibles) can accomodate kids from newborn to 3 years, some states require you to use the infant carrier!

 

[miztigg]

It is after 5 and DS is not home from school yet. He was supposed to go to a football meeting after school. His current football coach was fired about a month ago now. Adam was one of 2 players suppossively(I have heard he was already picked before they fired the other) to help assist in the selection of new coach.

I really liked his coach. Adam doesn't even know if he is going to play. I really hope he does because it will be his senior year. He will have played 5 years since he got to play as an 8th grader. But with this change, he will have had 4 head coaches in 5 years. It really makes it hard to build a program with so many coaching changes.

they just voted my DH to the head coaching job of the towns 105's he has been a assisant coach since DS started playing since he was 4. tell your DS to stick with it if they chose him maybe hes good enough to get a scholarship its only 1 more year good luck

 

[PBader]

you can with ease just add a ball hitch if they have a hole in the bumper but i will have to drive from fl to nj with no lights i just looked at car down there i need a junker to drive to the city so maybe ill just buy the car and put a hitch on. with all these issues the car will blow up on the way home

Good luck to you. Hope you come up with a good solution.

 

[jonesing]

That is great find. Glad you got to get complete sets. Sometimes that is difficault at TJM. Are you able to fit them inside of each other? If so I always pack my large suitcase into my empty XL. That way I have room for everything I load up with on vacation. I am sure that I will need to do this with atleast 2 of my suitcases for this TPC cruise. Last time I was in the gift shop begging for an empty box.

The main reason I've been after these particular duffels is that the large (32" and 26") models fold down to nearly flat The "foot" (the part that the bags stand on when upright) folds so that when the bag is packed, it will stand on its own just like any other piece of luggage. BUT when empty, you can fold that foot (end) part down and the whole thing will slide unde the bed! So even if we have 3 of the large and medium bags, they'll all flatten down and slide under the bed, saving us precious closet space!

 

[Verandah Man]

I am off, have a good evening / afternoon all.

Night Andrew

I'm still trying to ketchup here!!!

 

[ChrizJen]

We didn't keep a journal but I did write him a letter that he'll get to see in 17 years or so

Good idea about not buying everything right now...you need to see how big the little tyke is! DS was 8lbs 5oz at birth and then just turned into a little giant! He quickly hit the 90-95 percentile for height and weight in a matter of days! As one doc put it "I can tell this one has never missed a meal! "

IIRC you're looking at a newborn? Depending on the hospital, they'll make a mommy room available to you as the prospective adoptive parents...BY ALL MEANS make use of it! And if they don't offer one automatically, ask about it.

Also, make sure you are on the same page now about circumsicion if it's a boy...and be prepared to communicate that to your counselor/hospital/birthmom as soon as you are notified! DW's cousin had a baby boy and they brought him to her in the mommy room a few hours after delivery...they had already done it! She doesn't remember signing anything to have it done nor does her DH. But evidently that hospital still does it as a matter of practice and you pretty much have to threaten them with legal action to NOT have it done! Our DS' hospital, by contrast, waits until Day 2 or 3 and then asks if the procedure is to be done or not

Not to scare you but be aware of the vibes you send out because whenever a nurse or hospital social worker comes to check on you & baby, they'll make a note of it in the baby's file! "Parents feeding baby" "Baby changed at 0915, wet diaper, parents did changing" "Parents seem nervous/scared/totally at ease with baby"... As the discharge nurse told us, she has prevented several parents from leaving the hospital with a baby until they calmed down or perhaps even completed the baby training offered by the hospital!

And double-check your state's rules for baby seats. You'll have to have one before they even consider cutting off that "Don't steal me" sensor tag(s)!! We found out that even though some car seats (like the Britax convertibles) can accomodate kids from newborn to 3 years, some states require you to use the infant carrier!

WOW! We have already decided that if it's a boy, we do not want circumcision. I wasn't aware that some hospitals just do it!

And that bit about the nurses taking notes?!?! That's a little creepy!

I do know that our state will not let you step foot out of a hospital with a baby until you prove that you have an infant seat, properly installed.

Thanks for all of the information!
Some of this stuff is just mind-blowing!! (Just when you think you're prepared to become a parent!!!)

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Question 1: Besides Things 1 & 2, maybe Cindy Lou Who?

Question 2: Have you left the kids before? For how long? If you can stand it, I'd recommend the 7 nighter. I've heard both good and bad on Carnival and Norwegian...it's all in what you make of it!! If you do go on Carnival, let me know. We have a 7 night booked on the Valor in June and I'm hesitating...it's a suite and we got a really good deal on it...it's just not DCL.

We have left the kids before, only with sister. We went to Jamaica summer before last and it was only us, no kiddaroos.

Costumes.....when does she need one? Somewhere here I have a kid's elephant costume...would work for the book Horton Hears a Hoo...or was that Who?


Cruise....Jay & I took the kids on the Dream, Christmas before last. We LOVED it! That's the one that has the absolutely stunningly gorgeous, young Croatian Captain!!! But really...small ship, but the entire crew, even the officers, were so friendly. Made us feel like family. We loved the shows, we loved all the activities that they had. The food was good...actually really good.
I've not been on Carnival...and I'm sorry, but I don't think I'd want to.

The Dream is one of NCL's older ships, and it was "stretched"....but it was extremely clean, and didn't seem like it was "old". I was really glad we took that cruise. That's why we wanted to do NCL again this past Christmas, because we liked the Dream so much. This year, we went on the Sun....much bigger, newer, etc. But we really did NOT like it nearly as well.

They (yes, son came home with the same note today! Boy they sure don't give you enough time to do things around here...) need something by Friday- that's the day they should dress up.
I've heard mention of the ship being "stretched". What exactly does that mean? I don't get it...

I've never received a "Castaway Club" compass in my life. Didn't know there was such a thing. We did receive a broken CD after our last cruise.

Never received such a thing either.

I have received nothing from them as well. Not a scrap of paper, much less an e mail.

I'm not so sure that it costs A LOT less to cruise other lines...a lot of them do not include things that DCL does, and it can add up. I will say, though, that DCL during their peak season does seem to charge more of a premium than the other lines. Maybe that will change after 2011/2012.



It will be here before you know it, and sooooooooo worth the wait!

Well let's just put it this way- for next week Norwegian dreams 7 day for both of us oceanview room/taxes/etc. is under $900. Cheapest for DCL is $2203 for cat 12 and we'd have to also add 2 airfares to that!
(adding airfare on DCL website makes it almost $3000) By contrast it's right at $1000 for Carnival for a 5 night cruise, inside room.

I have never watched any of the previous seasons of AR, but I've been watching this season. I'm a little perplexed when it seems that airline people are willing to give info and special deals to some, but not to others.

I thought that it must be something I missed out on in the past seasons. Like maybe only the first so many teams got priviledges, and the others are just outa luck.

What is AR?

Thanks to everyone that responded with ideas on the costumes. There simply would not be enough time to purchase something on ebay and quite frankly I didn't want the additional cost for something they'd wear one day anyway. Thanks so much to my new best friend Julie for the offer of the shirts!!!


Thanks also to everyone that responded about the cruise. I'm still not sure we'll even go... found out my sister's kids don't get spring break at the same time (week after us) so I'm not sure if she'll want to watch my kids at the same time hers are in school (so all of them have to get in the vehicle to go back and forth, her kids won't be home during the day to play with mine, etc. It just makes it different than if they were all out the same time and my kids there would merely give her children someone to play with- yanno?)

But we'll see... we probably should just save the money for the trip of a lifetime. LOL

 

[radioclash2]

People even buy used lotions & stuff from B&BWs....seriously!!!

eew, I gaged when I read that

 

[jonesing]

AR = Amazing Race

 

[dahuffy]

I know what you mean, my orthopedic surgeon is trying to hold off as long as possible before he does my total replacement as well. I did have a partial knee replacement done to my left knee in March 2001. The doc said it should last 8-10 years, but giving the kind of job I have, I'm not sure if it will actually last that long. I was bone on bone on the outer side of the knee, but now the inner side is starting to give me trouble. I guess a lot depends on what the x-rays show. I'm going to see about the possibility of getting another round of Synvisc injections, they did help before for awhile.

Owie, Rooster Shots!

 

[scuba.mom]

It's a really exciting time in our household these days! It's sort of like being in the last trimester of pregnancy! We're just in that waiting/preparing stage!!

Our DD (12) is adopted from Korea. We were told in July that she had been born and then had to wait 6 months for all of the paperwork to go thru. They told us they would give us a few weeks notice before her arrival. In the end, they called on a Monday and said she will be in the US on Thursday - not much time to do final preparations, but at that point, oh well. She has been a great addition to our family, as I am sure your child will be. Good Luck.

 

[Diznyfan68]

Questions please?

Does anyone have any CHEAP ideas for how a small girl could dress up as a "Dr. Seuss character" for 1st grade in school? They do this every year (atleast I've gone thru it a few times because she's the last child) and I never know what to dress them as... short of buying a costume which I'm not going to do. So my kids always do not participate in this. Ofcourse my DIVA youngest daughter wants to dress up as something... but what? Any ideas? I'm at a loss on this one and even doing a google search to try to get ideas has only led me to cat in the hat costumes where a costume would have to be purchased or quite extensive to try to make one. I can't think of what kind of "character" she could be that wouldn't require a bunch of money to be spent! I have to figure out something by next Friday..


And figured I'd ask here because it seems a lot of you cruise not only DCL...
If you had to choose between a 4-5 night inside stateroom on a Carnival cruise or a slightly CHEAPER 7 night cruise with oceanview room on Norwegian Dream- for 2 adults only- which would you choose? Itinerary are similar, although ofcourse extra ports on the 7 night. We're considering this because Dh got a bonus check we weren't expecting and yeah, it could be saved for the "trip of a lifetime" but I think we're okay with everything else we have earmarked to save for that... and we could go next week when the kid are out of school on break and stay at sister's home... the cruise would mostly be relaxation for me, scuba diving at atleast one port for DH. It could be a birthday celebration, DH turns the big 4-0 on March 4th. We're not big drinkers nor are we young enough to go partying into the night either. I didn't think I'd ever consider cruising other than on DCL but this is just much cheaper and we'd never go DCL without the kids anyway..

So which would you choose if you had the choice? (based on what I have told you what we're looking for in a cruise and based on your experience OR things you have heard of either cruiseline.

I can't help on the second, but the first - why not dress up as a Who? That shouldn't be too much, or the girl from Cat in the Hat?

 

[ChrizJen]

Our DD (12) is adopted from Korea. We were told in July that she had been born and then had to wait 6 months for all of the paperwork to go thru. They told us they would give us a few weeks notice before her arrival. In the end, they called on a Monday and said she will be in the US on Thursday - not much time to do final preparations, but at that point, oh well. She has been a great addition to our family, as I am sure your child will be. Good Luck.

Since we're adopting through the state, we should be notified a little more in advance than that. There will be a 6 month period before our adoption becomes final too, but fortunately we will have the child with us for that 6 months. We have friends who adopted from Guatemala, and I can remember the 6 month wait and how difficult it was for them. I remember them saying how they had pictures of their baby, but they couldn't hold him or care for him. I can imagine that it's really difficult to know there's a child who is yours, but you can't have him or her yet.