Sept 17 2005 Magic - am i alone on the ship?

[Tammy1]

Good morning

Jen, Brad's right are you O.K?

Can anyone give me some idea on what kind of digital camera to buy??? I'm sure you know my husband by now..Mr. cheap so I need to get the biggest bang for my buck 'cause knowing him I'll get one shot at this.. any ideas??

Well another work day my mewest saying is September it will be better

Jen, or any of you that have been on a DCL before how about shareing with the rest of us a compised packing list of must have's. Hopefully we're smart enough not to forget some of the other stuff but you never know especially ME!!

Kids want to start working on their home made signs for the door the funny part is they want my help Well when looking at the doors, ours should really stand out. Glad I ordered one from Jenny so one sign will look like it didn't just get blown up at a craft store

Hope everyone doesn't work too hard and has a GREAT day.

 

[Tammy1]

Pathetic spelling...shows I've been working since 1:30 am...or at least it's the excuse I'll stick with

 

[TeaforWendy]

Tammy, my advice on cameras -- (I'm assuming you want digital), given to me by my friend who is a professional photographer:

-Don't spend more than $300-400 b/c in a few years you can spend that much again and get someting much better than $600-800 will buy you today.

-So DH gets me a Canon A70 for Christmas 2004 and I love it! At the time it was $299, but they have since come out with an upgraded model A75 or A80 or something that is $200 or $250, I think. You will want to upgrade the memory chip so that will be another $50-90, usually. But watch sales on those chips at Best Buy and the office supply stores. I think I got my 256 for $40., which at the time was a bargain. I don't know now. It was plenty for me on the cruise, but Jen says she goes through 2-3 512's! I may consider buying another card so I'll be watching sales, too. I'll let you know if I see something. Anyway, it's a super little camera, highly rated, etc. I'm sure there are other great ones, but that is what I know. Look it up on the internet. That is where you can find the best prices and sometimes a "kit" will be included that has the bigger memory card. DH just got mine at the local Best Buy. Maybe b/c he didn't shop until Dec 24? And left me and DD in the car when he went into Best Buy?

That's all I know. Good luck!

 

[Tammy1]

Thanks Wendy, I'll take that under advisement. I am like a fish out of water on this one soooo. I have heard the more something...can't even think of it. Darn it! Is it the memory chip?? I hear the better?

 

[jennat]

Hey all! I am fine. You all aren't posting enough ( defined as hourly) to give me something to respond to and I am not fascinating enough to talk to myself....well...actually I am, but I feel like after I have said all the good things into the mirror.....I am just repeating myself .

Tammy, I LOVE my camera!!!!! Remember I left it in Vegas....anyway, I bought the same one I love it so much. Good news...it was cheap. Like Wendy, mine is a canon. It is an s410. One difference is it has a 3 minute video instead of a 30 second one like some of them. I love this feature. I feel like it helps capture the mood of the moment w/out carrying my camcorder around. I use it all the time. I got it at http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3932558 and I am happy to tell you (but VERY sad for me) that there is a $50.00 rebate on it......so for $247.00 you get the camera, an additional 128 memory card (about 100 pictures) and a $50.00 rebate or you can forgo the memory card and get $70.00 rebate! Wow! You will need to get at least one 512 memory card in my opinion. That takes about 320 pictures on a normal (not the best) setting, which is fine unless you are going to blow them up huge. Anyway, Love this camera!
Some things to look for in a camera imho....how quickly you can go from picture to review mode and how quickly you can review pic to pic....That it is not easy to delete all the pictures (I hate it when it is on the same screen, gives me braindamage), zoom quality and ease....SOME people might look at dumb things like picture quality and stuff....me, it's just about ease of use

Here is Wendy's camera....http://www.bizrate.com/digitalcameras/pid7385471/compareprices.html
Another one that looked intriquing (but had to buy the one I loved) was this one....
http://www.nextag.com/Canon-PowerSh...znz500001z3z1z500001zB72z1--READ-REVIEWS-html
(canon a95) It has a swivel screen like a camcorder to protect it and help with different viewing options. Still only a 30 second record.
It looks like all the canon cameras are offering a reabate ($50. at least) right now and canon is a good company for digital (this is my third digital and I hated the other company (which I can't think of right now).
Finally, here is a site where I got generic extra batteries two for 16.00 (one real one costs $55.00) http://www.sterlingtek.com/twocanb14bap.html I have used them for 6 months or so and can't tell the difference.
Sorry to ramble on...just thought I would give you what info I knew. If you have any questions, just ask.

Tammy, Don't know how to attatch the list so I will e-mail it to you. As I told Wendy, you can't make fun of me for my obsessive qualities. Brad and Missy, I guess since you are a reformed packer, you don't get to have a really cool, overdone, if I need to clean dishes I have my kitchen sink kind of list...haha! I am going to try not to overpack (four people/two weeks), but at least this way I can chose not to take it and I won't forget it....plus it gave me another way to obsessively plan!!
Did I break my length record? SOOOOORRRRRYYYY!

 

[Tammy1]

WOW!!!

You just blew me away!!! Looks like I'll be doing some reading up on this subject.

Thank you so much, you've both been very helpful

I'll let you know the outcome, 'course you'll see me with it in Sept.

 

[rotary2808]

Here's the update: Dad calls me this morning, he talked to our TA and Delta has cancelled our flight out of Huntsville Saturday morning of the cruise. This is not the problem, we're now flying out Friday night at 6:45 and will arrive in Orlando around 9 pm.

I remember awhile back that alot of you got an amazing rate at the Hyatt. Where was it you got the rate from and do you think it is still available?

Thanks for your help!!!!!!
Emily

 

[missyoh8]

Jen........just a fun story for you thinking about packing for land and sea vacation. Our first cruise 2 years ago was land and sea. I packed enough that I had to do laundry after the parks on the last day before the cruise.

About midnight while the rest of the family slept I was in the laundry room at the Polynesian washing away when I started talking to a woman from Delaware. As we continued to talk I told her I was from Ohio. Turns out they had done their vacation the opposite way, cruise then parks. She had been telling me all about the cruise, as we had never been. Her stories about her husband on 80's night, playing adult games in the bars at night, etc. They were very funny!

She finally asked where I was from after about an hour. I told her Ohio and we continued laundry and chatting. Finally she said, "my husband is from Ohio originally".......I said I was from Columbus and she said her husband grew up in the outskirts of Columbus. Turns out he was from Westerville (where we live) and that he went to an all boys Catholic high school. Well, I went to a Catholic high school as well. So just for laughs I said what is his name?

Holy Toledo.....I knew him way back when and we ran in the same circles! I think she thought I was nuts until I started dropping names and describing the house he grew up in and his family situation! What a small world.....I never saw him after we graduated, apparently he moved to Delaware! At this point it was really late and we left early in the morning for the cruise. I never did run into him at the hotel, but I am sure his jaw dropped when she woke him up in the room to tell him who she met in the laundry room! You never know who you will meet in the laundry room.............

Theory is don't overpack..........I don't think you would have any trouble starting up a conversation in the laundry room to make a new friend!

Missy

(o.k. that was a pretty long post)

 

[missyoh8]

Here's the update: Dad calls me this morning, he talked to our TA and Delta has cancelled our flight out of Huntsville Saturday morning of the cruise. This is not the problem, we're now flying out Friday night at 6:45 and will arrive in Orlando around 9 pm.

the deal was through hotwire.........go play on the site and you should be able to figure it out..........they don't tell you the hotel names, but the Hyatt is the one that does NOT offer shuttle service to the airport (they don't need to since they are in the airport), and they do not have a laundry room listed as an amenity. good luck

Missy

edit...........it has 3.5 stars and is popping up at $61 for me right now. I am guessing that you know to search for hotels at the airport.

 

[jennat]

MIssy, Funny story. Something good came out of luandry...who would have thought! It is a small world!
I AM NOT DOING LAUNDRY! My husband said we should and I said, "Okay, my part will be buying the quarters and packing the soap." Not happening. My problem, as I said before is, we have 6 days land (casual, scummy, tanks, etc) and 7 days sea (no casual clothes needed)....so you may see me in only one formal (although I doubt it). I don't feel good if I am not dressed (up). My problem is...what fits and what will fit on day 6. I hate that!!! My husband is easy. I have to have enough clothes to try it on, go ..no that's not it, try on something else...nope....
In other words, I HAVE TO LOSE SOME WEIGHT! Only, there is just not enough time to lose enough!

 

[rotary2808]

Missy, thanks for the help. I couldn't find it. This was probably it, 3.5 stars, didn't list shuttle or laundry, but was $121 a night. Our TA got us a room at the Embassy Suites, less than a mile from the airport that has a free shuttle service, so we can get up, head back to the airport and get the first shuttle to PC.

Doesn't bother me that much. This is the way I suggested we go in the first place. I tried. Hey, it just means we get to go on vacation one day sooner. It will be a hectic day though. We fly out at 6:45, have to be there at least an hour early, so more than likely Jason won't work that day, I'll work a half day, go home get everything together, go get my parents, and head to the airport, at least we don't have to get up at 3 in the morning. This will work out so much better.

Later everyone,
Emily

 

[baward]

A revelation has occured at my household....Soon you mat be reading a post from my DW. My continuous talking (brainwashing) about these boards may have struck a chord with her. Or maybe, she is worried that I am alone in the basement chatting with a bunch of ladies.???????

The rain has stopped here, so I guess I can stop building the ark. But now, the grass is out of control. I really should be out there cutting it right now. But hey we all know this is way more fun. DW has volunteered to cut it. I don't want to lose my manly badge though.

Missy- I will have that tune stuck in my head now for the rest of the day. You know the one......It's a small world afterall......it's a small world afterall

Tammy- on the digital camera, Cannon would be the brand to go with. We were going to purchase one last year prior to the cruise, but got a Mini DV camcorder instead. I just like my SLR camera way to much. I did alot of research on digitals beforehand and Cannon always came to the top of the list. Just my 2 cents.

Jenny-where u at? Hope all is well with you.
Everybody else have a lovely day.

Alrighty then,got to go and surf the net for some auto insurance. Check back in later.

BRAD

 

[ChrizJen]

Hi there! I love reading the posts on this board!!!

Wow...it takes a long time to get caught up here...I guess I wouldn't have anything to crab about if I stopped in more often...lol

But I think I'm caught up now, and so hello to everyone, and WELCOME to the new folks!! You've definitely joined a great group of people!!!

Just for a quick update, my co-worker Sheila is doing MUCH better. She is slowly recovering her memory, and the Dr.'s are saying that she should make a complete recovery. She is headed home from the hospital today. It really is amazing how far she's come in just a week or so...I can't believe how quickly they send people home these days! I mean not to get too graphic, but they had to crack her chest open, and she had open heart surgery!!! It's amazing to me that she would already be sent home! But she's sure happy to be going home!

Anyway, I'm soooooooo excited!! I still haven't really gotten an official packing list together. I guess I'm more of the type mentioned before who just waits till the week of to make a quick list, then spends the night before packing...
I am a bad combination of two things...
1) I am a HUGE procrastinator (SP?), and
2) I'm really very laid back, and don't tend to get overly-worked up about much of anything...

I have to tell you all that I am really VERY excited about formal night!! I am having a dress CUSTOM MADE for me!!! (sort of...LOL) I was just going to go online and buy a nice evening dress, but I was talking to my friend, and he said,
"Why don't you just make a dress and save some money?" Let me just tell you that it was all I could do to keep from crying I was laughing so hard...
I said "ME??? MAKE a formal dress?!!?!?"
So he said, "I'll help you..."
This is when I said..."Hmmmmm...well, maybe together we COULD put something together..." (He's really very good at that sort of thing...)

So we went to the fabric store, and the rest is history...I have another "fitting" for the dress, but I tried it on Saturday night, and I'm so impressed! It's really quite beautiful! (needless to say, I'm not doing too much of the work on it... )

Anyway, I hope everyone's having a good Tuesday, and OH...Since I've missed a couple weigh-ins, I have lost a total of 5lbs since the beginnig of the weigh-ins. Not much, but I'm going to be hitting the gym really hard between now and the cruise...hopefully I can lose a few more...I have decided that I'm just gonna keep on track with my workouts and try to watch what I eat, and whatever happens between now and then is OK with me!

And for the 2 things I can't do without on the cruise...hmmm...I've only been on one cruise, so I guess I would have to say something to pull my hair back with, and a good book!

OK, I think I've sufficiently caught up...and I've used my entire luch hour, so even if I hadn't, I need to be done...LOL

Talk to you all soon!
Christal

OK, so am I even CLOSE to longest post now?

 

[TeaforWendy]

Hi all. One strange thing happened to us last year. We took our Camcorder (Panasonic/mini DV) on the catamaran day sail to St. John and it said "moisture alert" or something when DH was filming me rambling (imagine that!) and it hasn't worked since then. We never did use it often, almost bought a new one the day of the Christmas pageant at church this last year, but decided to wait. Still haven't done anything abt it. I like those really timy ones, but I'm afraid of ruining it like we did last year. Anyone else had that trouble?

Christal, that is so exciting abt the dress. What color? Or will you surprise us? Mine is no surprise since I'm wearing it in the first picture on FFC's album. I DID find one for DD that matches nicely for $6.99 at Gymboree. Left over Easter, but not very easter-ish I think. I do need to have it taken in for her.

I have two clothes lists -- one if I lose a certain # of lbs and one if I don't. I feel like I spend all week getting back to even and then gain all weekend -- and the cycle starts over. Ugg.

I'm glad everyone likes Canon's. Let me know if you see any specials on memory cards.

KSUMom, if my DH takes the week b4 the cruise off, which he might, we may be on your same flight Friday morn -- why not take advantage of the pool, etc. at the Hyatt that day? Who cares if we get up at the crack of dawn -- not like I will be able to sleep anyway.

 

[donaldsgal]

Hey guys,

Not much is new here. Had one of those days yesterday where EVERYTHING goes wrong. Today is better. I had dinner with friends that I used to work with, and it reminded why I'm so blessed not to work there anymore! They are fun ladies so it was a nice time.

Had some movement on the adoption waiting list that DSis is on. To make a long, complicated process short, she's got her paperwork completed for her adoption from Guatemala. Now we're just waiting for her agency to match her to a baby girl put up for adoption (this is called a referral). Well, she's been on the list since April 19th and only one referral has been made. This weekend, two more referrals happened! That's great because it had been about a month and a half since the last referral. Hopefully it won't be too much longer till she gets the referral. Once she gets that, then it's just the waiting game until the people in Guat. say we can come pick her up. That's usually about 4-8 months after the referral.

We're getting excited about our weekend trip to Hocking Hills. It'll be fun to get away.

Christal, it's good to have you back! I'm wearing a dress I bought for a friend's madrigal birthday party. It's unique - shimmery maroon with a black netting type material over the top, and a lace-up back. Normally I would not wear a dress like this since I'm a chunk, but you all don't know me that well and if I look awful, I'll never have to see you again to be embarassed! I'm actually looking forward to wearing it

Anything else? I can't think of much else to say. Hope everyone is well. I'm getting soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited about this cruise!

 

[TeaforWendy]

KSUMom/Susan -- it's official, we are flying out Friday morning instead of Friday afternoon. Yay. So much for being easier -- actually I'm excited b/c it gives us a nice long day at our expensive hotel (nevermind the Hotwire price I'm paying...) to hang at the pool, nap, decompress, etc. This means we leave our house around 2:30 am. I wonder what the cost to stay at an airport hotel and park there is vs. parking at the airport?

 

[jennat]

We want Angela! We want Angela! We want Angela!!
Brad, First, you are in the basement talking with a bunch of women. Second, We decided you can let her mow, and keep your manly badge, if you either a)buy her a riding lawn mower and a 12 pack of beer (which soooo wouldn't work for me) OR b) cook her dinner. Otherwise, hand it over.
Christal, Super cool on the dress!
Jenny, My dress is backless....well, actually it just is to tight to zip up Tomorrow is another day. I did real well today, but my neighbor, who is apparently in cahoots with the devil, just brought over some homemade Baklava. Who makes homemade baklava? (the devil) She is indian and the best cook (and did I mention evil). So far I have abstained but I feel it calling to me....trying to lure me to the dark side. Don't know how long I can resist...calling...calling
I'm back...just kidding...
Wendy, good news on the extra day Oh yeah! I know exactly what you mean by the week lb loss vs weekend. They should so only count the week!
Jenny, Sorry about your cruddy day but good news about your coworker. Thank goodness! And great news about your sister's adoption. I'm sure the wait is killing her. I have a lot of friends who have adopted babies from China. It is a big ordeal (but obviously worth it!)

 

[shmora]

Hi We are one and half hours away from Philadelphia airport so we are staying over in Philadelphia Thursday night and leaving our van there for ten days and we are paying 110.00 for everything so check out a sleep and park motel.

Shmora

 

[jennat]

Lorra, What is Shomora?
Wendy, Do you mean parking prior to flying to Orlando? I know to park at DIA in the far off lots is $5 per day or $6 per day valet, if that helps you guesstimate. For 13 days it will be $72.00 (one day free and valet).

 

[TeaforWendy]

I'm on the fence abt sleep & fly -- one more night of getting stuff out of bags but not unpacking, etc. Believe it or not I'm wondering if it isn't just easier to leave our casa around 2:30am? I'll leave that decision up to DH.

QUESTION 1) I'm shopping for (not buying -- don't know if I will or won't) a compact (tiny)camcorder -- any recommendations on those? I want to stay under $500, less even would be good. Is that possible?

QUESTION 2) Also for a rolling carry-on. I have a big PINK leather bag that I love, love, love -- but it gets heavy carting around all the toiletries, etc. and I'm wondering if a 20" rolling carry-on might be a good investment. Any recommendations?

DH told me I should be on a spending freeze -- but his ears sure perked up at the mention of BEST BUY and ELECTRONICS, tho (thankfully) he's really not a gadget guy. He would spend all his money on tools and Harley stuff, if he could.

Enough already. Have a great day. I'll be checking in. I'm glad Jen asked abt Shmora, I was wondering too. Also abt Baward? It's not quite Brad backwards and is the aw for Angela? It's like trying to figure out license plates.

Oh, and -- QUESTION 3) What night are those that bought the Mickey Tiki outfits wearing them? I'm considering Pirate night, thinking they'd have cool backgrounds and it is our Anniversary so thought it might be a nice family anniv photo. Thoughts?

W.