evening sundries

[rm]

Cruise is now paid in full. As is the hotel, the airfare, everything. Rawr. We still have to choose and pay for shore excursions. The degree to which I am trying to refrain from the deeply unnecessary rental of a private cabana on the beach on the private beach complete with butler service is epic. But um, dude...

Enjoy the ultimate in luxury during your stay on Half Moon Cay with the use of your own private cabana. Board the first tender ashore, or have priority tender use, to maximize your time by being the first guests to arrive. For your comfort, you will find your cabana outfitted with a refrigerator, ceiling fan, air conditioner, table and chairs inside, and deck chairs and a misting shower on the private terrace.
You will be provided with fresh fruit, vegetables with dip, and chips and salsa to snack on as well as an assortment of soft drinks and bottled water to quench your thirst. Beach towels, floating mats, and snorkel gear are also included for your use throughout the day.

The Butler Service Upgrade Package includes:
- Unlimited beverages that are available from the various bars on Half Moon Cay. Drinks made from house brand liquor, all beers, soft drinks, bottled water and wine.
- A picnic lunch consisting of appetizer, entree, and dessert.
- Butler escort from your cabin to assist you ashore carrying all belongings to and from the ship.
- Your Butler will see to whatever needs you have on the island including shopping from the island shops and any Shore Excursion bookings you may like to make on Half Moon Cay.

So unnecessary, which is why I am posting it here to get it out of my system. On the other hand, what we really need to do is make friends with another couple on the ship and go in on it together, since the price is for up to four people.

Woah, Keith Olbermann tonight.

No matter what you think of him or him using this situation with his dad to talk about healthcare, I have to tell you -- on the odd chance you are well and everyone you love is well -- that the stuff he says, all rings very, very true to me, not politically, but as someone who has been through this healthcare drill with various cancer and stroke events with my parents, the parents of people I've loved, my friends, and of course my own relatively minor but completely frustrating healthcare adventures. The current system is fucked for a range of reasons included the fact that in many cases it enforces illness and poverty and then blames people for the illness and poverty the healthcare system has decided is their permanent lot.

I also think a lot of what he has to say about death in the piece, that idea that we're all so irrational about this critical discussion is related to the fear of death is also spot on. I should write a long thing about this at some point. Tonight's not that night.

Also, apparently, wanting to read and learn is a petty selfish want and a reason for a lawyer to berate an eleven-year-old in public. I am horrified. (thanks to copperbadge).

Hey the thing on my dad's kidney didn't change, so they think it's a benign cyst. Less family medical drama for the win.

Comments

[rednwhiterose.livejournal.com]

# Less family medical drama for the win.

Dude, I'm so there with you. My maternal g-ma, while visiting her older sister in Houston, had a mild stroke last Thursday. And being the former nurse that she is, decided she *didn't* want to go to the hospital down there, rather, she wanted to come home the next day (like she was scheduled to) and *then* go to the hospital to confirm that she did have a mild stroke. My mom and her sister were livid. She was bloody lucky that nothing happened, apart from her balance being wonky. But it has been for a while so not it's even more wonky.

[fremen-dancer.livejournal.com]

So glad to hear of your dad's probably-fine news. :)

[blackbird-song.livejournal.com]

That browbeating incident to which you linked is appalling. There is some small comfort in the fact that, at least in that post, the outrage over this does not seem limited to one political party. It's also horrid to have to note that as a comforting thing.

I am very glad to hear of your father's news, which I hope continues to be good. I'd also love to read the piece you're contemplating writing. Given my work schedule this semester, I can't usually watch Keith Olbermann, and thus missed what he said about how the fear of death is playing into the healthcare discussion. That it does play a role has been clear to me for a long time, but I haven't yet heard or seen anyone grapple with that idea.

Catherine

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

That's good, about your dad.

You're going on a cruise and waffling about whether or not to get a butler? Hah! Just get the butler.

Wow, that lawyer is like the perfect example of the self loathing rich who clawed their way into money. The true sign that's he's a stone cold bastard is the fact that he is president of the homeowner's association. Ugh, HOAs make me shudder.

[malle-babbe.livejournal.com]

The library story is one of those incidents that make one feel that "Idiocracy" is a prophecy of things to come...

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Wonderful News about your father's kidney, may it keep being so!

That link: OMG, what the fuck?! Though when I took a moment to think about it I can only imagine that this lawyer feels he's living in an Ayn Rand novel, in which children do not exist, community is evil and all you need is one "hero" (that no one appreciates or considers heroic other than himself) to save the day from evil (did I mention it was evil) community and communal projects.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

I'm very glad to hear about your dad. I hope the cruise is wonderful - private cabana and all.

[pennswoods.livejournal.com]

You're not going to hear any good arguments for NOT getting a butler from me. :)

As for that library confrontation - what an insecure hateful bully.

[liminalia.livejournal.com]

Pretty much. Libertarianism carried to its extreme, folks.

[ziactrice.livejournal.com]

I agree. I speculate that some lawyers apparently have sold their souls for reason of greed and stupidity. Fortunately, I have also known a lawyer or two who were Good People, so I know they're not all this... slimey.

[silmaril.livejournal.com]

Glad about your father's news.

The library-related link is truly horrifying and extremely enraging as well.

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

dude, keith almost made me cry last night - when he gets emotional about stuff like that, it's kinda scary (it's like watching my dad cry, which i have only seen once in my life)

[rm.livejournal.com]

I think, aside from politics, one of the reasons Olbermann gets so much flak (I know he's a PitA in person (I know people who know him), and celiac disease never made anyone a nice person -- I should know (seriously, Olbermann has a reputation for rages, and that's a common manifestation of celiac disease that I also deal with) is because here's this big manly guy being emotional about stuff. I think some people see that and there's an automatic "no no no!" fear of contagion that goes on. It's interesting.

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

for me, it's more like seeing someone who's usually so composed (i mean, yes, i've watched him get upset, he def shows his anger) and then you see him... break, and it's so the opposite of angry
and he's made me nearly cry a couple of times simply b/c he looks as if he might cry

[sociallyawkrd.livejournal.com]

Go for the cabana and butler. 1. I have heard it is awesome from our cruising friends and 2. Every single time we waffled on something on vacation because the price seemed high it ended up being the thing we loved. Zip lining in Costa Rica, taking the boy SNUBA'ing on our cruise last year, lots and lots of stuff we did/bought in China.

I believe vacation is exactly the time for spurlges I would never ever do in real life.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I totally agree (unclearly, clearly). I think he really challenges some people's idea of masculinity with that, and I think it causes even greater irrationality in their response to what he has to say because of it.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Talk to us about SNUBA.

[sociallyawkrd.livejournal.com]

LOVED IT!! We did it over scuba because of the age of Thomas (he was 8 at the time and will be 9 when we do it in Belize next year) and is too young both in rules and our comfort to SCUBA.

Is there a reason you would do SNUBA over SCUBA? I can give you more details if I understand why one over the other. As two adults I would totally SCUBA over SNUBA. And there are some medical conditions that will limit you. Because of a particularly bad rupture of an ear drum several years ago I can't SCUBA very far anymore. But I can go what typically happens on resort dives.

What port of call would you SNUBA in?

[rm.livejournal.com]

I'm not someone who's super comfortable as a swimmer in ocean-water (Patty is though) and I have bad sinuses, so my general feeling is that SCUBA would be too stressful or uncomfortable for me, hence investigating other stuff.

It's hard for me to gauge from the cruise brochure how hard things are, because the labeling seems to be for the least active people ever. I tend not to think of myself as strong or having endurance, but that's because I'm comparing myself to athletes and dancers without my medical stuff and not the average America who very much does not walk miles a day as we all do here.

I have to look up in the brochure what is where, but yeah....

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

i don't pay much attention to his 'opposition' i guess you'd call it - my dad watches him every night, listens to NPR pretty much all day, or Air America, Ed Shultz, so basically, i hear 'what everyone says' from my dad - so i don't really see or hear much from the other side

so when i read comments on blogs or (jeez) on youtube in response to things he's (keith) said, my brain just does not compute the how or why ppl can think or believe these things
i can only *try* to understand their position and it just never makes sense to me

[sociallyawkrd.livejournal.com]

Ok, not sure if you mean swimming with flippers or not, but you need to do straight leg scissor kicks. It is hard to master, you might get it right on the first chance because of your dance background. I had a hard time for a while and it was hard to pick up again when we snuba'ed (after 9 years of no dive time).

It is not hard. Not at all. Not in any way. You both would be completely able to do it. The most likely things to happen: The regulator freaks you out. It freaks me out and it always takes 5-10 minutes for me to get used to it. It feels mildly claustrophobic but once I let go of the WTF I am breathing under water thoughts I totally forget about it.

Snuba you don't go past 20 feet and that may not happen so sinuses won't be an issue. I do suggest you practice clearing your ears and sinuses on flights etc by holding your nose and closing your mouth and attempting to blow out. I can't really explain it well written apparently. And since you have sinus issues you literally need to do it every few feet. That is how I handle the ear situation (on planes too, I do it constantly although it often reruptures) and with the relatively shallow water you are in it won't be a problem.

You will both be together on one tank that floats on a raft above you. No need to check air or anything. You will do a brief 30 minute class on general safety stuff. Your risk is minimal. Even of the bends. It *could happen* but it is really unlikely even if you quickly ascend. You should acsend slowly and use your air line to slow your ascent (hand over hand) but really, risk is really really low.

Most places will not allow you to take pics if you are not scuba certified, but they will take pics of you in your gear and underwater and you can buy them. Ours are here:
http://tinyurl.com/yzmg4jx
http://tinyurl.com/yfp967h
http://tinyurl.com/ylkfkel

We liked it so much we are doing it again when we do another spring break cruise. Thomas loved it and it was a great way to introduce him to scuba.

I totally recommend it.

Let me know if you want to know anything else. And what port of calls you are going to/snuba is offered at. I might be able to give you some help.

[sociallyawkrd.livejournal.com]

Also, our cruise experience is on Carnival, so i can give you cruise line specific info if you have questions.