Random snap ...

The Coliseum, Rome '09.

Labels: Random snap ...

Friday the 13th ...

Sitting in bed, watching Olbermann with the Mrs. and we hear a huge crash in front of the house. I thought some genius pulled into my driveway and hit the dumpster there. Fat chance. Some drunken idiot drove square into the light pole in front of my house, then takes off running. This is the scene as of 20 minutes ago.



Twit hit the pole at full speed and spun backwards into my driveway.



I guess Friday the 13th is my lucky day. Idiot missed my car by 10 feet and the electric wires are hanging a foot over the roof.





I gave my statement to the cops (I din't see nuthin', officer; just heard a big fucking bang.). Told the Long Island Power Authority guys that if the wind blows up the block, my power goes out but some genius can take out the pole in front of the house and the shit stays on. Then I told them all that I have to be up at 4 in the morning and I'm going to bed, and if they have to bother me, wait until morning. Wake me up in the middle of the night and I start shooting.

A little excitement for a Friday. Hope that busted up Toyota is outta here by the time I wake up.

Update (Saturday morning):

The LIPA guys were here first thing with a new pole. Poor bastids, working in the wind and rain to get everything squared away. I'm sure the overtime is good though.



Update Zwei (Saturday afternoon):

Well, there was one casualty. The bush on the corner was totaled (too bad it wasn't George W.) and I'll have to cut it up and replace it, but that's a job for spring.

Click pics to make big.

Cross-posted at the Brain.

The Office ... mo' color

I got the color on the lower half of the wall yesterday (though I still have to do another coat today).





We also went to OfficeMax, who was having a sale on office furniture, and picked up a phone, desk, chair, and bookshelves for the room. I also managed to weasel a new chair for my office downstairs too. Of course I gotta assemble everything.

Labels: The Office

Remodel ... final pictures

Well, this project is finally done and family and friends (who aren't on Faceboook) have been bugging me to get pics up. Here ya go.

And just a note, if you've forgotten what the place looked like originally, the "before" pics are here.

Click pics to make bigger.

Labels: Remodel

The Office ... color

Once I got the place primed all in gray, I told the Mrs. I was finished.

Me (using a cheesy, half-assed Russian accent): "You have been given newest version of Soviet office space. You will work in drab gray room until you die and then we get new worker."

The Mrs. (who is of Russian descent): "Yeah right, when are you gonna start painting?"

So we move on to adding color. 5 of them to be exact.





The ceiling is a 'French Vanilla' and Behr calls the trim color "Glazed Pecan"





The top half of the walls is a peachy something or another and the lower half will be burgundy. The trim around the window and the frame of the mural will be a dark teal. Pics as work progresses.

Labels: The Office

The Office ... optimus prime

Been working like an idiot this weekend, getting the trim and wiring done and putting several coats of primer on everything. I thought it was cool putting a coat of gloss white paint on the room the last time I painted it (8 years ago). Trying to cover it now was a chore.





The big white square is where the Mrs. wants a mural. The wall is decidedly rough with years of plaster and paint spooged over the divots (I did a number on the walls when I was a little kid) so I plastered and sanded the area smooth so the wallpaper would look decent.

Labels: The Office

The Office ... tabula rasa

Literally a blank slate. This is the smallest guest room in the house (8' x 9') and was my first bedroom when I was a little ankle-biter. I never did much with it when we moved in, only putting a coat of paint on it (up until then, it was painted 'Little Boy Blue') when my cousin Birgit and her family came from Germany to stay with us for a few weeks in '01. Been using it for storage since we started the big remodel in '07.







I'm gonna add some trim (cornice moulding and a chair rail along with new baseboards) and the Mrs. wants a mural on one wall. Happily, the room is already plumbed for phone and cable but I still have to run an ethernet line down there. Being a smart guy (mostly ...) I have the cable already run (snaked a bundle of 'em up when I did the line to the bar), coiled up in the attic above, just waiting for the Mrs. to decide where she wants her desk. She's also gotta make up her mind as to which ceiling fan she wants. I'll be getting to it in earnest this coming weekend.

Labels: The Office

Random snap ...

Approaching RMS Queen Mary 2 on a tender in a rainstorm, St. Lucia '08.

Labels: Random snap ...

Next project ...

Now that I'm almost done with the big remodel (I'm still waiting on furniture to arrive and for me to finish the baseboards before I post final pics), I'm beginning the Mrs.' office upstairs. This is an effort to get all her crap out of my office downstairs so I can finish my latest book in a modicum of time (been 4 years so far) and get my desk back in general. Posting will begin soon.

Labels: Remodel, The Office

I can't see it ...

But if it's your thing, have at it. Far be it for me to pee on anybody's sunshine, but sharing a ship with 5,400 other passengers ain't for me:

This year, new ships are bringing some of the hottest cruises ever to the Caribbean - with bargain prices to boot.

The big news is the debut of the huge Oasis of the Seas, the world's largest and most-anticipated cruise ship. Run by Royal Caribbean, it's the first cruiser that's larger than an aircraft carrier.

With the extra space, the 220,000-ton Oasis serves up a city at sea. Think New York City: The $1.4 billion ship comes complete with an open-air central park with trees, a Coney Island-esque boardwalk with a carousel and amusement park games, an AquaTheater with a deepwater pool featuring aqua acrobats and divers, and a huge indoor promenade with shops and cafes. The 5,400 passengers onboard will even enjoy a touch of Broadway with performances of the musical "Hairspray."

...

Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 (150,000 dwt)is about the biggest I'll go and she carries about half the passengers Oasis does. It's one of the reasons we love Holland America Line's Prinsendam (38,000 dwt) so much. She's like a big yacht and carries less than a thousand vacationers aboard. To me, the less passengers I have to deal with, the better.

Cruise tips ...

A few good tips if you're planning your first cruise. Check out some of the other links on the page too.

Random snaps ...

The remains of the night ... Aboard RMS Queen Mary 2, September '09.

Labels: Random snap ...

Am I the only one ...

Who finds this funny?

Next up ...

We'll be taking a week in spring starting 25 April (just a week because we got our 20th Anniversary cruise booked for August) aboard Holland America Line's MS Veendam from New York to Bermuda and back. It'll be a miracle if I get off the ship when we get there.

Random snap ...

At the Casino Bar, aboard RMS Queen Mary 2, September '09

Labels: Random snap ...

Denim gold ...

I won't say which crewmember gave one of these to both the Mrs. and me (didn't ask for 'em, didn't know they existed until we were given them) but we both consider it a great honor.

Click to make bigger.

Coming home ...

A full moon greeted us, along with our NYPD escort, as Mary swung northward into New York Harbor at 4:30 this morning.





The Commodore backed her engines down to dead slow as we approached the Verazzano - Narrows Bridge, connecting Brooklyn with Staten Island.



One of the reasons for our arrival so early in the morning is to catch the low tide in the harbor. The great liner only clearing the span by 12 feet at that time. I doubt they'd even consider bringing her in at high tide.







We swung right as Lower Manhattan appeared in the distance. You probably all know the beautiful lady on the left.



By the time the sun rose over Brooklyn, Mary was lashed to the quay and the union stevedores began their day, unloading the baggage for 2100 of Mary's passengers who'd be leaving in New York. The rest, and those embarking, would be doing a 7-day trip to Halifax, Canada and back, before an eastbound crossing back to Southampton.





We bid goodbye to the grandest Queen, knowing we'll be aboard again in less than a year.



We had a great trip, though we're glad we have the weekend to recuperate from it. Heh ...

Thanks for coming along!

By the way, since I posted this from the house, I had no bandwidth problems, like I had aboard ship, uploading the pictures on this post full-sized. Click on 'em to make 'em big.

"It is my pleasure ..."

It is a phrase heard quite often from the staff of this great liner and over the years traveling aboard her, we have become friends with a few of them. On some trips, one or more of them is off on vacation, visiting family after 4, 6, or 8 months at sea and we have to wait until next time to see them and catch up. (Now, with Facebook and email being so prevalent, we can keep in touch long distance, but we still look forward to seeing them in the flesh.

This is the lovely Yudani, from Bali. She has an infectious smile and a personality that can elicit a laugh from even the most crusty curmudgeon. She was with us on the Med portion of this trip but left the ship in Southampton to head home for 6 weeks. Of course, it was a teary goodbye, but we'll see her again next year.



This is Darko from Macedonia. (I call him the "Prince of Skopje"). He has brought wise ass to an art form (the reason I love him so much) and the man is always ready to serve me my afternoon pint and drinks after dinner.



And this is Mr. Navin, the man whom the Mrs. calls our adopted son. He is an "old soul", with a wisdom far greater than his youth belies. A spiritual man, I can spend hours in conversation with him. He is not only a master of mixology but a coffee god. I couldn't get my eyes open in the morning without a gourmet coffee (Starbucks, eat your heart out), and pastry at his place. I'm proud to call him my friend and feel honored he considers me as his.



While we don't get as close to everyone, the staff of Queen Mary 2 are professional and give life to the Cunard concept of "White Star Service". They are what make it my pleasure to come aboard this grandest of ocean liners and look forward to next time before the current trip is over.

We will be docking in Red Hook, Brooklyn tomorrow morning at 0500 and will be extremely sad to leave our friends, knowing in less than a year we will see them again and catch up as if we'd never left. Yes, cruising is great, but without them, it would not be as fulfilling. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts.

Random snap ...

Sunrise on the North Atlantic, taken 2 hours ago from RMS Queen Mary 2.

Labels: Random snap ...

Bath ...

After we arrived in Southampton on Saturday after 3 days at sea, we took a trip to the city of Bath while those disembarking Queen Mary and those joining the ship were processed. There's nothing much to do on those days so it was good to get out.

We drove though Salisbury first, a beautiful little city, so people could get out and stretch their legs a bit.





And then it was on to Bath. An impressive structure, the Royal Crescent was built as apartments for vacationing royalty spending time in the city.



Surprisingly, there were places for the Mrs. to shop. Heh ...



There were also many street performers and period actors who did their schtick.





Good thing I saw the sign before it got costly. Heh ...



And then, on the way back to Mary, we drove past this pile of rocks, so nicely arranged.



More from the ship later, but it's time for my afternoon pint.

In praise ...

As we begin the homebound leg of this trip, I would be remiss if I didn't thank the person who makes this so easy to do. Ann Hayward at Cruise Planners is the person who gets us the best price for our accommodations on these trips, in addition to making sure the logistics are all taken care of and all the connections are made smoothly and seamlessly. We certainly wouldn't have as much fun if we had to sweat all the little details.

So, once again, we say "here's to you, Ann". You're the best.



To all our readers, rumor has it she might be joining us on our trip next year so you'll finally meet the woman who takes care of us so well.

Thanks again, darlin', for everything you do.

Last leg ...

We left Barcelona on the last leg of the trip, slipping through the Strait of Gibraltar, and back into the Atlantic, yesterday afternoon. We came tantalizingly close to Africa, teased by Morocco as we passed at a distance of 5 miles. Hopefully, we'll get there one day soon.





As of this writing (1000 hrs Thursday, 24 September), we are heading north for Southampton, just off the coast of Portugal. We'll make Britain on Saturday morning. The Mrs. and I will stay aboard Queen Mary 2 for liner service to New York, though, to break up the long stretch of "at sea" days (9), we'll be taking a shore excursion to Bath while a new load of passengers embarks for the trip to New York.

Barcelona ...

Barcelona is Spain's second largest city and the architecture is mainly of the Gothic bent. Beautiful statues and buildings abound.







Even the streetlamps are unbelievable.



And then there are the creations of hometown architect Antonio Gaudi (understandable where the English word "gaudy" comes from). Not to be to harsh, but ...



And then there is the monstrosity known as the Expatorio de la Sagrada Familia (Church of the Sacred Family). They've been building this thing for the past hundred years and they estimate it'll take another 25 - 50 years to finish it (it's being paid for solely by donations).



I was pleased to hear that the Barcelonians (?) are moving away from their history of bull fighting. Of the three rings in the city, only one operates as a forum for the barbaric venue. This one is being converted as a fitness center. Good on 'em.



Finally, we went to the Museu Nacional D'art de Catalunya (National Museum of Art in Catalonia). An extraordinary building with a beautiful view of the city from its steps.





While Barcelona is nice and enjoyable, I'd recommend visiting other cities before coming here. Valencia (here, here and here) and Cadiz (here and here), for example.

Provence ...

As regulars know, the Mrs. and I love Provence, so at our stop in Monaco, we decided to take a shore excursion into the French countryside ... thankfully. Monaco was hosting their annual yacht show and the port was all balled up. Even Queen Mary 2 couldn't get an anchorage (she's too big to fit in the harbor, nor was there room for any ship with all the high-dollar yachts everywhere) and Commodore Warner had to do station-keeping maneuvers all day.



Our first stop was in the town of Grasse, to the Fragonard perfume factory. Not my thing, but the Mrs. was in heaven. I did learn about how they make the stuff, but my eyes were watering by the time we got done. At the end of the tour, I joined most of the men outside while the wives confiscated the wallets and shopped. Heh ...









After Grasse, we stopped for an hour at Cannes. While we didn't do much sightseeing, the Mrs. and I stopped for lunch at the Grand Cafe overlooking the port. It was nice and relaxing.





And then it was off to the hilltop medieval city of St. Paul Vence. St. Paul is the final resting place of the artist Marc Chagall and you can see his grave at the far end of the cemetery. St. Paul is not a "museum" but an inhabited city comprised of artists and sculptors. You can also stay here, renting a room in one of the local homes or the hotel.











It was a beautiful day (is there a bad day in Provence?) and we can't wait to get back to the south of France.

Florence ...

We've been to Florence so many damn times, it's become a shopping trip. We know the old city quite well and the Mrs. has a few shops (well more than a few) she frequents.

On the Piazza de Santa Croce, I couldn't help but be enthralled by the marionette master.



If you are into sightseeing, there are beautiful churches like this on almost every street corner (seems like it, anyway).



We found this little trattoria on a back street where I ate the most wonderful Italian food ever. Sorry all you New York Italians, as far as I'm concerned, after eating here, you got a high bar to jump over. I doubt I'll eat Italian in the States again, at least as long as I remember the flavors I experienced yesterday.





As you can see, the Mrs. was very successful. She came, she shopped, and she conquered. My back is killing me. Heh ...



If you want to see sighseeing pics, see my earlier posts from Florence (here, here, and here).

Family ...

Just a note before we head out to Provence, while I'm here checking email. I've mentioned over the years that members of the crew have become like family. During the "at sea" days (we have 9 of them after we leave Barcelona tomorrow), I'll introduce you to a few of them. Especially to a man who my wife calls my adopted son.

Later ...

Rome ...

Rome is one of those places where pictures don't do it justice. You can look at books, you can look at my pictures, you can read about it, but until you actually go there, you don't realize the magnificence of the place. Until you walk the streets the gladiators walked, until you touch the stones that were laid three millennia ago, you don't get the awesomeness of the place. I was awestruck from the minute we pulled into the city.

Unlike many medieval cities we've visited, Rome is unique. Most places, the older part of the city is distinct from the modern but Rome is different. The ancient ruins stand next to modern buildings and thoroughfares.






For instance, the Coliseum is directly across from a modern train station on a main drag; just a sidewalk separating a traffic-laden street from a place where Romans watched the games 2500 years ago.



And when you think of how, in a medieval age, the Romans spread their influence so far and wide, it is truly astounding. They reached places as far as England. The state in Germany where I come from retains its Roman name as the Rhineland Palatinate gives you some idea of their reach.



The ruins of the Roman Forum, where, between the two columns in the center, Mark Anthony stood to give his "I came to bury Caesar" speech so long ago, is so totally humbling.






How many Ben Hur types rode their chariots down this road boggles the imagination, yet some guy from Long Island actually walked upon it so many years later makes you think about your place in the big scheme of things.



St. Constantin's Arch is a reminder of all the battles waged to create the Holy Roman Empire.



And then there's the Vatican City and St. Peter's, which is beyond description, let alone the artworks and history sequestered within.



And of course, the Mrs. and I went and lost ourselves in the neighborhoods, getting in touch with the average, modern day Romans who do their ancestors proud. Who the hell knows what this fountain is called or what it commemorates, but it just appeared after rounding a bend in a little side street. Amazing ...



And lastly, the Castel Sant'Angelo, whose architecture is nothing but astounding, the mosaic work in the rooms is unmatched.



Folks, if you visit only one city in Italy, make it Rome.

We're heading into Monaco tomorrow, but we're going into Provence in France. More on that in the next couple days. Hopefully I'll have something up on our trip to Florence today soon.

Manifestations ...

[Note: I wrote this the day before yesterday. Rome was an all-day thing yesterday and I had zero time to organize pictures and get them up. Hopefully I'll have a little time after we get back from Florence this evening. Definitely after Provence tomorrow. Here's something to think about as you start your day]

Or, Can't We All Just Get Along?

It's a lazy day at sea today. It's 11:00 and I'm just rolling out of bed. So, as I lazy around this morning, I'm looking at the ship's passenger manifest. As an example, of 2599 souls aboard for this cruise, 1327 are British, 686 are American, there are 29 Germans and the same amount of Taiwanese, 54 from Mainland China, and 39 Irish. In all, 40 nations are represented among the passengers. The crew is even more diverse.

We're all packed inside what is, essentially, a quarter mile long tin can and guess what? We all manage to get along.

Yes, there are some annoying folks, but for the most part, everyone is kind and respectful to one another. People whose nations have centuries-old conflicts become friends over drinks, or at the card tables, or at a show in the Royal Court Theater. A Russian will buy a Chinese a drink and last night, I saw the cameraderie between Macedonian, Serbian, and Croatian crew members (yes, they were telling Russian jokes, but they were having a great time doing it). It is amazing how we all can put aside our differences on a cruise ship, which is essentially a microcosm of the world community at large, to find we have more in common than not.

I know I mention this every time we're on a float, and I realize Queen Mary 2 is far removed from the "real world", but if we can do it here, packed in such close quarters for 2 weeks at a time, surely we can have a little more understanding when it really counts. I mean, hell, in 20 years and almost 30 cruises, I have yet to throttle an old blue-hair who ran over my foot with their power chair on the buffet line (happens at least once on every cruise). Heh ...

I have no answers. If I did ... well, nobody would listen to a crazy old mechanic anyway, but I'd love it if we could bottle the "cruise mentality" and vaccinate everybody in the world with it. Maybe humanity could reach its potential before we manage to destroy ourselves. Personally, I just recommend people leave the safety of their "known world" and take a risk. Go to another country (even where you don't speak the language), take a cruise that stops in a few places, and see how folks live there. You'd be surprised how alike we are; how we all basically want the same things, and how, when understanding is reached, our nationalities and ethnicities mean very little in the big scheme of things. Instead of painting with broad brushes, we should get to know the other folks who inhabit this continually shrinking world with us. Hell, who knows, "world peace in our time" might just be possible.

Gibraltar

If you were with us last year, you know how much we love Gibraltar. The Gibraltans are an amazing people, British but with a mix of Italian, Spanish, and a sprinkling of other nationalities. They are fiercely proud of their little 3 square mile plot and never miss the opportunity to give the Spanish the finger (Spain has been trying to get Gibraltar for several hundred years).

Same as last year, we pulled in early in the morning.



Me and the Mrs. at the top of the Rock.



Queen Mary 2 at anchor below us in the Strait.



And of course, I had to pay a visit to my little pals, the Barbary Apes. They had another crop of youngsters 2 months ago and this little guy was jumping around like a lunatic, playing like only baby monkeys can.



Mama got protective and put herself between me and him, so he just climbed up for a bit of lunch. Seems mom was fine with me hanging around then. I'm less than a foot from mama and baby.



"Oh, yeah, right there. That's the spot!"



The Mrs. at Europa Point, the southernmost point of Europe. If you look closely, you can see Africa in the distance.



Before we returned to Mary, we stopped at the Gibraltar Museum and the Moorish Baths.





Back aboard now and getting ready for drinks and dinner. Rome day after tomorrow and we'll be spending tomorrow at sea.

See yas!

Liśboa

Great day in Lisbon. We pulled in early and docked below the 25 of April bridge.



The two Queens, the Mrs. and the Mary. Heh ...



Seems like every city in Portugal has a trolley service.



The Moorish influence is prevalent as it is in Spain.



Commerce Square, built in Portugal's seafaring heyday, think Henry the Navigator and Vasco da Gama, now the ministerial offices of the Portuguese capitol.



And as I've said before, the Portuguese are some of the most creative people in the world. Like everywhere, the sidewalks, all of the sidewalks, are made of mosaics.





The Mrs. at the top of St. George Hill.



Hey, Nunz, can we do up the shop like this?



And the Portuguese also do ceramic tiles like nobody else.



Me and the Mrs. on the way back to the ship.



More pics from Lisbon in my post from last year.

Gibraltar tomorrow. See ya then.

A note ...

Bear with me. Even though Queen Mary underwent a refit last October and wifi is now throughout the ship, bandwidth still sucks monkey ass. We were in Lisbon, Portugal today and I have some great pics but I have to compress 'em first before I can upload them. Be back in a couple hours after I have a pint or two.

Southbound, mama ...

Oy! Left JFK at 2100 Sunday night and didn't have much sleep on the plane during the 6 1/2 hour flight to London and then bureaucratic SNAFUs at Heathrow (plus traffic on the M3 motorway) put us a couple hours behind getting to the ship, docked at Southampton. After getting here, unpacking, saying hello to members of the crew that have become family, it was time for dinner. All we could muster after that was sleep (I don't care what anybody says, the only way to get over jet lag is to sleep your way through it). So, here it is, about 9 am Tuesday morning (we just woke up) after sleeping for 11 hours and I feel so much better.

We're currently heading south (sorta) off the coast of France (We left Southampton about 5 pm last night) and I'll be back later after I get some coffee.

London calling ...

We'll be leaving tomorrow night for London and then on to Southampton to meet Queen Mary 2 for 12 days on the Mediterranean and a six day transatlantic crossing. I'll be, as always, posting pictures and commentary here.

A note about commenting on posts: Due to the volume of spam comments, any comment submitted will be moderated. Since most of the folks who read this page live in the U.S., expect about a 6 hour time lag (we'll be 5 - 6 hours ahead during most of the trip) between submitting your comment and seeing it on the post. Same with email.

See you when we get aboard.

Random snap ...

I'm in a Paris mood today; there's French music playing in the house, the Mrs. is cooking, and the place smells wonderful. She's at the merry-go-round at Avenue New York, just below the Trocadero, Paris '05.

Random snap ...

Fog bound in the Atlantic approaching Gibraltar aboard MS Prinsendam, September '08:

Labels: Random snap ...

Definitions: Cruisitude

Stolen from my travel agent:

...

cruisitude [krooz-i-tood, -tyood]
–noun
1. manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a cruising and cruise vacations; tendency, orientation or state, esp. of the mind: a positive cruisitude; group cruisitudes.

...

Yeah, I gots it ...

I don't shill, period.

I got an email from Royal Caribbean Line the other day, basically asking me* to change the way I list them in the sidebar (to "Royal Caribbean Vacation Dreams" or some shit) and change the link I had to one of their choosing (presumably to their promotion - I didn't get that far).

A message to all those I link to. As you'll notice, there aren't any advertisements on any of my pages, nor do I shill for companies (I do peddle my own books but that's it). I am a shareholder** in Carnival Corporation & PLC, but that is disclosed every time I write a post concerning them. If I say something good about a business (be it cruise line or anything else), it is from personal, anecdotal, experience (My travel agent, for instance). I have a reputation for credibility and I won't tarnish it for any amount of money, let alone because a cruise line asks me to, by endorsing (explicitly or implicitly) any product I am not familiar with.

So Royal Caribbean becomes an example. Since they're not satisfied with being listed like everyone else (plainly, in random order), they no longer have a link here.

*****

A word: As you'll notice, the Mrs. and I travel with Holland America Line or Cunard Line exclusively after going with Carnival for many years. That is our choice (we enjoy the luxury, formality, and focus on service) and not a slight against any other cruise lines. There are many different options out there so people of varied tastes can have a wonderful cruise experience. While the Carnival family of cruise lines puts money in my pocket***, there are many others out there (Royal Caribbean among them) giving the same experience. The best piece of advice I can give to you for making a truly memorable and enjoyable cruise experience is to do your research beforehand and use a travel agent who specializes in cruising.

Bon voyage!

Update:

And I forgot to add, if anyone has questions about cruising, feel free to email (link in left sidebar) the Mrs. and me anytime.

*While I correspond with many different cruise lines and travel companies on a regular basis, Royal Caribbean has been the only one to raise the issue.

**I am a shareholder, not a board member, officer, or employee of the corporation.

***In the form of quarterly dividends on their stock and shipboard credit on our cruises.

Random snap ...

The Mrs. and I on Ille St. Louis, Paris 2005

Labels: Random snap ...

Oy gevult!

So, the Mrs. and I are done cleaning and we're sitting in bed with my laptop, watching the Mets, picking out shore excursions for our Eastern Europe/Scandinavia/20th Anniversary cruise next August (2010). As most of the regulars know, Mrs. F is a Russian/Eastern European Jew. So we're looking at shore excursions in St. Petersburg, Russia and Talinn, Estonia (she has people from both places) and we noticed they have some Jewish history/culture tours. So then we see that you have to be part of one exclusive Jewish group to go on these excursions. Naturally, my whole civil rights/equality/leftist thing kicks in and I ask the Mrs: "What makes this particular flavor of Jews more equal than you? Shouldn't you be allowed to experience your heritage too?"

"Google the name of the group," she said, not knowing what it was.

I did.

Seems we'll be sharing MS Prinsendam with these folks*.

So we both look over their website and I turn to her and say: "I wonder how many of 'em I'm gonna offend?" Gonna be an interesting cruise. Heh ...

*Not that I have a problem with it. Last year, aboard Prinsendam in the Med, we ended up hanging out with a whole buncha Presbyterians. Fun folks and I only pissed off one or two of them. Seriously, the reason we go on these cruises is to meet people from different walks of life to learn from and about them.

Cross-posted at the Brain.

Random snap ...

The Mrs. in front of her Lower Manhattan office (the top floor of the building with the dome) - on our way home from the Caribbean aboard MS Noordam 2007.

Note: There used to be two big towers right behind her building.

Labels: Random snap ...

Books

For the better part of the past year, people have been bugging me for information about how to purchase my novels. It's taken a while (I've had a buncha other shit to do - heh ...) but I finally set up a site to make ordering easy.

Remodel ... thanks

Now that this endeavor is mostly over, there are a number of establishments I'd like to thank for their help, in many different ways.

Home Depot - I did it, they helped. A good 80% of the lumber, building materials, and supplies came from the local H/D.

Interior Express.com - they supplied the barstools

Creative Wallcovering - the two great wall murals came from them

Home Goods - the game table and some of the art

Kohls and Kohls.com - the dining room rug, salon rug, artwork, picture frames, and stands

AC Electric - most of the lighting

Pat's Carpet Outlet - the wall-to-wall carpeting in the entry and hallway

Sears and Sears.com - tools and appliances

Michaels - many of the detail pieces and artwork

Sharp Electronics - Flat screen TV and Blu-ray player

Bed, Bath, and Beyond - A million little things.

Also, my buddy "English Pete" the Carpenter, without whose advice I would have never attempted the major structural rework that I did. Thanks, mate.

Mostly though, I'd like to thank my lovely wife. She always had confidence in my getting this done right, though I'd never attempted anything this grandiose before. She was involved in the design, planning, and execution from beginning to end and, while I did the work, her signature is on every part of this project. As she and I learned many years ago, we make a great team and together there's nothing we can't accomplish.

Nor can I forget Princess Shayna Mädel, our Australian Cattle Dog, who put up with being full of dust, having things dropped on her, and getting stepped on without making too much of a fuss.

Lastly, I'd like to thank all of my friends, family, and blog readers who've shown so much interest in an amateur architect/carpenter and his house. Thanks for joining us.

Labels: Remodel

Remodel ... fucking done!

Well, mostly. Lotta little detail work left, lotta unpacking and cleaning. The guys are coming to measure for the carpet on the stairs and down the hallway on Friday, and we still have to pick out a rug for under the dining room table. Lotta progress in the past couple weeks though. (Click on the pics to make 'em big)

I got the gate done at the bottom of the stairs, so the entry only lacks carpet.



Finally got the floor and the radiators done in the dining room. Then I had to move the furniture back in. Oy, my fucking back. A note: The table isn't staying; I just need it there to measure the length of the lights in the camp (you'll see). It only seats six (8 in a pinch) and will be replaced with one that seats 18 (22 if ya push it) once I get it from dad-in-law's house with a couple other things. Another reason we switched the living room and dining room; Mrs. F loves to entertain.





The fun house antique mirror weighs about 50 lbs. That was a fun trick hanging it up there. The china cabinet below it weighs about 10 times that. My mother's aunt had it built in the 20s and shipped over here when she emigrated before WW2. When she went back home to Germany to die in the late 60s, she gave it to my mother. I wanted to sell it but Mrs. F fell in love with it when we were dating. It's the reason we remodeled in the style we did.



This is the companion piece to the china cabinet.



I put 3 barstools at the "sideboard" too. It's a wild spot, with the mural across from it, it looks like you're sitting at a 2nd floor window or balcony.



An antique chair Mrs. F's grandfather brought back from Africa about 60 years ago. You'll notice a few books from my favorite author (me) and my favorite maritime artists, Stephen Card and Robert Lloyd.



The wind-up clock in the corner is a WW2 British Royal Air Force squadron clock. The outer housing is homemade (probably by a Brit aircraft mechanic) and the face has the RAF crest on it. I found it in an antique shop in West Point, NY.



And our ceramic kittens we bought in Betschdorf, France when we were visiting my family for Christmas 2 years ago.



I'll give ya a complete tour once the carpet and the rugs are in and everything's where it's supposed to be. Thanks for hanging out with me while I did this.

And if you're interested, the "before" pictures are here.

Labels: Remodel

Remodel ... short strokes

It's all stupid little detail shit now.

I got the footboard and guard done on the bar.



Almost finished with the gate at the bottom of the stairs.



Got the radiators built in the new dining room and I'm in the process of test fitting before detailing, sanding, staining, and urethane.

I built this for the china cabinet. It's 8 feet long and I didn't want to make such a big section of radiator inoperable. It allows the radiator to work while still letting the cabinet sit as close to the wall as possible.



The rest of the radiators that won't be blocked look like this.



And I built the shelf in the arch over the stairs for Mrs. F's gardenias.



Still more little shit to do before I get to the floor and have the carpet installed. I figure another month before I can say it's done.

Labels: Remodel

Next up ...

In September, we'll be heading to London to meet up with our old friend Queen Mary 2 for 12 days on the Med:



1 Southampton 05:00 PM
2 At Sea
3 Lisbon 09:00 AM 05:30 PM
4 Gibraltar 08:00 AM 01:30 PM
5 At Sea
6 Civitavecchia 07:00 AM 07:00 PM
7 Livorno 08:00 AM 06:30 PM
8 Monte Carlo 08:00 AM 06:00 PM
9 Barcelona 08:00 AM 06:00 PM
10 At Sea
11 At Sea
12 At Sea
13 Southampton 06:30 AM

And then we'll stay aboard for a transatlantic crossing to Red Hook, Brooklyn.

I realize it's 4 months away, but the reason I bring it up now is that we're booking our 20th anniversary cruise for August next year (2010).

As I've been saying, it's gonna be a shindig. We'll be flying to Amsterdam to stay a couple days on the front end and then meeting another of our friends, Holland America Line's Prinsendam for 14 days in northern Europe:



0 Amsterdam, Netherlands 05:00 PM
1 Enter Kiel Canal Brunsbõttel CO 10:00 AM
1 Enter Kiel Canal Holtenau CO 07:00 PM
2 At Sea
3 Tallinn, Estonia 10:00 AM 05:00 PM
4 St. Petersburg, Russia ON VX 07:00 AM
5 St. Petersburg, Russia VX 06:00 PM
6 Helsinki, Finland 08:00 AM 05:00 PM
7 Stockholm, Sweden 08:00 AM 05:00 PM
8 At Sea
9 Warnemunde (Berlin) Germany 06:00 AM 11:00 PM
10 Copenhagen, Denmark 07:00 AM 05:00 PM
11 Oslo, Norway 11:00 AM 08:00 PM
12 At Sea
13 Greenwich, London, England ON 03:30 PM
14 Greenwich, London, England 05:00 AM

And then we'll disembark, catch a cab from Greenwich to Southampton to board Queen Mary 2 for a ride home to Brooklyn.

Heads up to Ann Hayward: The Mrs. will be calling tomorrow.

Don't let this happen to you ...

From I Can Has Cheezburger

Do your research and use a good travel agent - like ours for instance..

Remodel ... entree vous

Got most of the work done on the entry over the past few weeks. The detail work is excruciating but I wanted to get the right look.





The mural and Tiffany lamp were the biggest pain in the ass because of the height here. I made up a scaffold (2 - 2" x 6" from the top step to the ladder) and groveled back and forth, much to the Mrs.' consternation. She's always afraid I'll fall and break my neck.



I also built a new door/gate to our bedroom and my office. The chrome railings I built from clothes rod. I just drilled and tapped threads (#10 x 32) and mounted them to off-the-shelf brackets.



I'm looking to be done (finally) by June.

Labels: Remodel

Remodel ... coming together

Blogging has played second fiddle to the house project lately. I've been pushing because shit's coming together and I'd like to be completely done by the time we leave for London in September. Demo started a year ago this past week and I'd like to, eventually, do something else with every spare minute.

First off, I finished the hallway (the only thing left is carpet, which will be the absolute last thing to get done).



I left the original drywall past the arch for several reasons, namely the doors have metal casings (original - 50 years old) and I'd have to destroy them to remove them. I didn't want to hang 5 new doors so I sanded everything, scraped off the old paint as best I could, spooged a coat of plaster over and resanded, before painting. The ceiling was pretty ate up so I made the faux 'skylights' to hide most of it. I painted the doors to hide 50 years of abuse as well.



We've also started hanging the artwork and the sconces we ordered came in, so I put them up too. An antique mirror is going in that big blank white space on the wall.





Amazingly, finishing off the front window was easier than I thought. As I did on the bar ... saloon ... salon furniture, 3 coats of Minwax Polyshades 'Walnut' under a coat of Minwax clear poly.



And this weekend, I finally got to work on the railing separating the new dining room from the entry staircase. I wanted it to be minimal (there's gonna be another mural on the wall in the background and I didn't want to obstruct it) but I didn't want to just do a rail-and-post setup. Functionality played a part and the Mrs. and I came up with this design (I have a good feeling it doesn't comply with safety code, but we don't have kids), giving it a 'sideboard' function. It'll be finished like the window.





I still haven't finished the cabinet doors and drawer fronts in the Salon, which I'll do when I finish the railing, and then I have to do the dining room floor. Once that's done, I can turn my attention to the entry and finish up. Finally. I hope.

Labels: Remodel

Previews ...

Since we're regulars on Cunard Line, we get the heads-up when good stuff is about to happen. This qualifies:



My mother came to the U.S. aboard the first Queen Elizabeth in 1951. Can't wait to cruise aboard her.

Um, no ...

As you know, the Mrs. and I travel all over the place. This ain't on the itinerary in the near future:

...

The first officially sanctioned Western tour group since 2003 is visiting Iraq in the latest sign of improved security.

...

The tour was arranged by a British organization and included stops in the semiautonomous Kurdish region and the ancient ruins of Babylon and Ur.

...

If I wanna go to Iraq, I'll reenlist.

I'll go to Egypt and Saudi before I drag the Mrs. through a war zone.

Cross-posted at the Brain.