I finally bought something on e-Bay! (Yeah, it took me long enough!) So I'm no longer an e-Bay virgin. Yippee!
What I bought: a Nintendo Wii Fit bundle.
I had tried the Wii once at the Senior Center (just bowling, unfortunately, which I've not done much). I loved it, but there's no way I could justify the cost.
Today they had the Wii Fit bundle, and I had a chance to try a few of the "exercises" (games, really -- they're far too much fun to be exercise). I did the tilting table (fairly well), the tightrope walk (terribly -- I fell between the buildings both times), the hula hoops (fairly well -- I got up to 4 or 5 of them), and the step exercise (very very badly). Then I watched other people do crunches and pushups and head-off soccer balls. What a hoot!
Meanwhile, I'd won a $500 American Express gift card in a Dummies Books sweepstakes, and it was burning a hole in my pocket. So I found a Wii console and a Wii Fit bundle on e-Bay for just about $400 (a bargain!), with free shipping. It turns out Pay Pal accepts American Express, so I was able to bid on it and get it processed right away.
Now I can't wait.... It'll probably be about a week before it arrives. So now I have something huge to look forward to!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A few cruise photos
I took very few, and these are the best, I think.
Here's the airboat. Cold, cold, cold.
You can't see it well, but that's an alligator on the shore.
A closer look.
One more of me on a Segway. Gee, can you tell I love these things?
Saturday, January 3, 2009
The Post-Cruise Blues
I know, I know, I swore last March that I'd take another Norwegian Cruise Line cruise only if the price were really, really, truly right. Well, the price wasn't all that super, but it was good enough that Mom and I went to the Bahamas for Christmas. We drove first to Florence, SC (2-1/2 hours away -- that's the longest Mom's supposed to ride in any given day, per doctor's orders) and then went to Charleston, where neither of us had ever been. Nifty place! I do hope to go back some time.
Anyway, we spent two nights in Charleston. On Thursday night we drove through the holiday lights display in one of the city parks. Wow! The show they used to have at the Alltell Pavillion (outdoors) in Raleigh had nothing on this one. It was so good we drove through twice! (Didn't get out of the car, though -- Mom finally got her picture taken on Santa's lap in 2002 or so, and we couldn't think of any other reason to go to Santa's Village.)
The food in Charleston is every bit as good as we'd heard. We had a Thai lunch at a restaurant called Basil, which I've since learned has a reputation -- well-earned, from what I can tell -- as one of the best in the area. Dinner was at Hank's. Again, one of the best. It specializes in seafood, so of course we tried the she-crab soup, a local delicacy. And delicious it surely was. We also ate at The Charleston Crab House.
On Friday we took a Grey Line tour of the city. It was excellent -- and we were the only people on the entire bus! It seems tourism was really suffering.
Oops, I almost forgot. We stayed at The Andrew Pinckney Inn, a small hotel on (of course) Pinckney Street. Superb! Two blocks from the city market; a block from Meeting Street; harbor views from the breakfast terrace.
We both highly recommend the hotel and all the restaurants. And the Grey Line, too.
When we boarded the Majesty we discovered that they had put us in a double-bedded room. Yup, just one double bed for the two of us. No, they didn't have any other rooms -- they were booked solid. No, they couldn't guarantee what the home office would do about our payment if we decided to get off. So we talked about it and decided to stay on board. If nothing else, we could "hot sheet" the bed -- one of us sleep during the day, the other at night -- because we know we'd never get any sleep if we tried to share.
We were on our way to lunch when I saw a white-uniformed officer sitting in his office, with the door open. I stuck my head in and asked what address I should use to complain when we got back home. Well, it turned out he was the hotel manager! He found us someone to swap with -- unfortunately, it was a downgrade to an interior cabin; fortunately, it had twin beds -- and handled it immediately. He also gave us a $100 onboard credit. Now I just have to write to the corporate office and complain, praise the hotel manager, and ask for perks of some sort. A free cruise wouldn't be asking too much, would it? ;-)
Overall, the cruise was good. Not great, but good. The stops:
1. Port Canaveral, Florida: Mom stayed on the ship; I took an airboat tour of one of the local swamp/river areas. Saw a couple of 'gators and lots of birds. I don't know when I've been so cold -- the temperature was 58, and of course we got sprayed, and on top of that it felt as if we were going 60 or so. I assume we weren't, but damn, it was cold!
2. Freeport, Bahamas: Mom stayed on the ship; I should have. The "Freeport Heritage" tour, or whatever it was called, took us past industrial sites, churches, and fast food joints (all of which the driver pointed out, of course), and then dropped us at a block-long open-air market reminiscent of those in Mexico, but not as interesting. Then it took us to a huge market area and left us there for an hour. Some heritage! But it turns out Freeport -- which I assumed was an old colonal port -- was founded in 1955 or something like that, as a tax haven area.
3. Nassau, Bahamas: Mom stayed on the ship (can you tell there's a pattern here?) while I went on another Segway expedition! This one was more expensive than the one at the Biltmore, it didn't last nearly as long, but it was much much better. We went through a sort-of botanical garden, but with no labels and few flowers (hey, it was December!), but lots of greenery. We were mostly on trails, with lots of twists and turns and bumps. Lots and lots of fun!!!
4. Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas: Mom stayed on the ship. I did too, since the stop was canceled -- it's accessible only via tender, and the seas were too choppy. This was where I was going to try snorkeling again. Oh well. (I returned the mask and snorkel this morning; I'll buy new if I ever get the chance to go again.)
On board: I spent most of my time in the casino, of course! And I broke even for the week. I guess my winning streak is over, but breaking even is fine with me. And they bought me lots of frozen pina coladas, so I'm not about to complain! Mom chatted with lots of people, played some Bingo, and just did her thing on board.
The food was good. Not great, but good.
We met some nifty people -- some at meals, some in the casino (it seemed the cast of characters seldomed changed at the $10 blackjack table), some just sitting looking out the windows. We hope to stay in touch with a few of them, including a couple who live here in Chapel Hill.
When I cruised on the same ship in March, they didn't ask if I wanted to eat with someone else -- they just seated me alone whenever I ate in one of the dining rooms. This time, though, they always asked. I'm very glad that policy has changed. Or maybe I just look friendlier, or more civilized, or something like that.
We were unimpressed with the first-night sampler of the entertainment. The comedian was loud, a bit blue, and not funny; the singers and dancers didn't seem all that well-rehearsed, and they were far too loud. So we blew it off. No harm done.
I took very few pictures; eventually, I'll download them to the computer. When I do, I'll post them here.
Yes, I'll go on Norwegian again. It's not my favorite cruise line, but it's better than staying home. Yes, I'd love to go back to Charleston; I'd try to stay in the same hotel and eat at the same restaurants. (One benefit of having a handicapped placard: hotel parking, usually $14/night, was free; cruise parking, usually $110/week, was also free. That sure helped the budget!)
Meanwhile, keep on cruisin'....
Anyway, we spent two nights in Charleston. On Thursday night we drove through the holiday lights display in one of the city parks. Wow! The show they used to have at the Alltell Pavillion (outdoors) in Raleigh had nothing on this one. It was so good we drove through twice! (Didn't get out of the car, though -- Mom finally got her picture taken on Santa's lap in 2002 or so, and we couldn't think of any other reason to go to Santa's Village.)
The food in Charleston is every bit as good as we'd heard. We had a Thai lunch at a restaurant called Basil, which I've since learned has a reputation -- well-earned, from what I can tell -- as one of the best in the area. Dinner was at Hank's. Again, one of the best. It specializes in seafood, so of course we tried the she-crab soup, a local delicacy. And delicious it surely was. We also ate at The Charleston Crab House.
On Friday we took a Grey Line tour of the city. It was excellent -- and we were the only people on the entire bus! It seems tourism was really suffering.
Oops, I almost forgot. We stayed at The Andrew Pinckney Inn, a small hotel on (of course) Pinckney Street. Superb! Two blocks from the city market; a block from Meeting Street; harbor views from the breakfast terrace.
We both highly recommend the hotel and all the restaurants. And the Grey Line, too.
When we boarded the Majesty we discovered that they had put us in a double-bedded room. Yup, just one double bed for the two of us. No, they didn't have any other rooms -- they were booked solid. No, they couldn't guarantee what the home office would do about our payment if we decided to get off. So we talked about it and decided to stay on board. If nothing else, we could "hot sheet" the bed -- one of us sleep during the day, the other at night -- because we know we'd never get any sleep if we tried to share.
We were on our way to lunch when I saw a white-uniformed officer sitting in his office, with the door open. I stuck my head in and asked what address I should use to complain when we got back home. Well, it turned out he was the hotel manager! He found us someone to swap with -- unfortunately, it was a downgrade to an interior cabin; fortunately, it had twin beds -- and handled it immediately. He also gave us a $100 onboard credit. Now I just have to write to the corporate office and complain, praise the hotel manager, and ask for perks of some sort. A free cruise wouldn't be asking too much, would it? ;-)
Overall, the cruise was good. Not great, but good. The stops:
1. Port Canaveral, Florida: Mom stayed on the ship; I took an airboat tour of one of the local swamp/river areas. Saw a couple of 'gators and lots of birds. I don't know when I've been so cold -- the temperature was 58, and of course we got sprayed, and on top of that it felt as if we were going 60 or so. I assume we weren't, but damn, it was cold!
2. Freeport, Bahamas: Mom stayed on the ship; I should have. The "Freeport Heritage" tour, or whatever it was called, took us past industrial sites, churches, and fast food joints (all of which the driver pointed out, of course), and then dropped us at a block-long open-air market reminiscent of those in Mexico, but not as interesting. Then it took us to a huge market area and left us there for an hour. Some heritage! But it turns out Freeport -- which I assumed was an old colonal port -- was founded in 1955 or something like that, as a tax haven area.
3. Nassau, Bahamas: Mom stayed on the ship (can you tell there's a pattern here?) while I went on another Segway expedition! This one was more expensive than the one at the Biltmore, it didn't last nearly as long, but it was much much better. We went through a sort-of botanical garden, but with no labels and few flowers (hey, it was December!), but lots of greenery. We were mostly on trails, with lots of twists and turns and bumps. Lots and lots of fun!!!
4. Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas: Mom stayed on the ship. I did too, since the stop was canceled -- it's accessible only via tender, and the seas were too choppy. This was where I was going to try snorkeling again. Oh well. (I returned the mask and snorkel this morning; I'll buy new if I ever get the chance to go again.)
On board: I spent most of my time in the casino, of course! And I broke even for the week. I guess my winning streak is over, but breaking even is fine with me. And they bought me lots of frozen pina coladas, so I'm not about to complain! Mom chatted with lots of people, played some Bingo, and just did her thing on board.
The food was good. Not great, but good.
We met some nifty people -- some at meals, some in the casino (it seemed the cast of characters seldomed changed at the $10 blackjack table), some just sitting looking out the windows. We hope to stay in touch with a few of them, including a couple who live here in Chapel Hill.
When I cruised on the same ship in March, they didn't ask if I wanted to eat with someone else -- they just seated me alone whenever I ate in one of the dining rooms. This time, though, they always asked. I'm very glad that policy has changed. Or maybe I just look friendlier, or more civilized, or something like that.
We were unimpressed with the first-night sampler of the entertainment. The comedian was loud, a bit blue, and not funny; the singers and dancers didn't seem all that well-rehearsed, and they were far too loud. So we blew it off. No harm done.
I took very few pictures; eventually, I'll download them to the computer. When I do, I'll post them here.
Yes, I'll go on Norwegian again. It's not my favorite cruise line, but it's better than staying home. Yes, I'd love to go back to Charleston; I'd try to stay in the same hotel and eat at the same restaurants. (One benefit of having a handicapped placard: hotel parking, usually $14/night, was free; cruise parking, usually $110/week, was also free. That sure helped the budget!)
Meanwhile, keep on cruisin'....
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