Traveling the Seven Seas? Not yet?

A friend suggested I write about my travels. I like to go to new places, but compared to my parents, I have not gone very far. You can see my online map here. My parents have two physical maps. One of the world and one with the US. There are many pins on both.

After my next scheduled cruise, I will have 80 days at sea. I guess that is not enough to be the Captain. Good enough to be a midshipmen?

I don’t travel well though it seems. I do not like being cramped in a chair for long flights. Talking to the person next to me is out of the question. I put on my noise reduction headphones and try to get comfortable.

I’m always praying no one sits next to me. Especially someone bigger or fatter than myself. And oh how I bothers me when people cram over stuffed, giant carry-on luggage into the overhead bin.

I utterly hate going through security. Especially domestic flights.

I’ve been working inside secure government buildings for the last 14 years or so and it seems that as soon as I step into an airport that same government that cleared me now views me as a criminal. The anxiety plagues me days before I leave my house to go to the airport.

On a cruise ship I can at least move around. It might take forever to get somewhere, but that is why they call it cruising. Might be nice to stay at a stop for longer than a few hours, but it is good to go to new stops without having to drag my luggage all over.

Men @ Work

I used to know this guy named Workman. I think he should have been called Mailman. He spent more time with mail then he did with work. He even had a typewriter to compose his mail. Who buys a typewriter?

Well, it was 20 something years ago.

Anyway, I feel kind of bad when I throw out garbage. Yet at the same time, it feels good to declutter the living space.

I currently live in a densely packed community and we seemingly produce a lot of garbage. Yesterday the garbageman came as he does every Saturday morning. After making dinner, I took out the trash and the giant bin was already halfway full.

Where does all this crap go? Maybe a bunch of it can be recycled.

The day after Christmas this last year, I walked by the bin and not only was it full, but there were mounds of boxes and what not around the area. I would have taken a picture of it if this lady wasn’t there. It appeared she was looking for something. Merry Christmas?

Hign school freedoms

For the most part I thoroughly enjoy the conversations I have a work. Today we randomly talked about some high school expenses. Most of the time I don’t give any thought to the school. It helps to be a thousand miles away.

I’ve never gone to a reunion and don’t plan on going in the future. Never understood why anyone would really want to.

Anyway, one coworker grew up in Jordan and went to some french, catholic high school. He told me about this yellow line on the floor that ran the length of the hallway. The students had to walk on the line in an orderly fashion.

I thought that was incredible. Not sure I would have enjoyed that.

There was one day at my high school that the National Guard showed up and took over the place. A bunch of trucks filled with guys in camo pulled into the parking lot and unloaded. They soon made up some really crazy rules.

Certain hallways became one directional. Other areas became off limits to certain genders. Armed guards at each entryway enforced the rules. Glad it was only temporary.

I think it was a good experience. It reminded me of how much I took for granted.

Get with the program?

The first time Trump tried to push his Muslim ban, one of his cronies was recorded by the news media to say “Get with the program.” It was meant for the judiciary and anyone else who opposed the Executive Order.

I had to chuckle at that. How many regimes both fictional and real extolled the same thing and ultimately ended in failure?

This is what makes America great. We all live together with different beliefs and opinions. We do not need to click our heels, salute, Goose step to every dictatorial decree from the current wind bag seated on the porcelain throne at the Whitehouse.

Dogs are not people

I came out of my apartment to check my mail box. Some dog slowly came walking up to me and this lady, whom I assume was the dog's owner, was telling the animal to say hello. Maybe she was talking to me.

I stepped off the sidewalk to go around the dog. I'm not saying hello. Maybe if the dog or the owner was cute, but they weren't. I might have done the same if they were.

The lady scowled at me is if I just did something rude. It's a dog, lady, not your child. I did say hello to her as I passed. I’m not a complete jerk.

Mickey Mouse for President

I thought it was funny when I heard the CEO of Disney, Bob Iger, was going to run for President. I wonder how many people who, like myself, was disappointed in the two party candidates selected, just might have voted for Mickey Mouse had we been able to write him in on the ballot.

I didn't vote for Clinton, not that I was worried about a female President. I just didn't think the Clinton's deserved to go back to the White House. Especially the dirty-old-man Bill.

I didn't vote for Trump because I think he is a bully and by no means represented me. And possibly most of America for that matter.

I could have voted independent and thrown my vote away like everyone else. But why bother?

Hopefully next election we can focus on someone who would make a good President and not a first XYZ President.

Another day in the GLBRM

For a Christmas Conference, almost 20 years ago, every zone in the GLBRM made a short film or put on a skit when we all got together as a mission.

My zone made this Wayne’s World parody. I was hoping it was uploaded to YouTube or something, but I haven’t found it. Would be fun to see again.

I had it all on some video tape. It might still be alright of I could find it. I believe I tried to get it digitized once, but the software used created a huge file that was too big for a CD. I guess we did not have a DVD burner.

Elder Wayne, Elder Garth, the Pope, Forrest Gump, Mr. Rogers, and the good President Bush. They were all there in our video. It was a classic. It even ended with the Called To Serve ending!

My part in the making of the video? Props. Well, I remember holding up cue cards for the French dialog.

Another zone did a parody on Cops the TV show. I think it was about the Zone Leaders busting trunky missionaries. That one was funny too.

I recall a skit about the starship Baptize or something like that. A friend of mine was the captain of the ship. It was kind of like a parody on Sat Trek.

Another skit was a funny rendition of the Lehi’s family leaving Jerusalem. The narrator would read the story while it was acted out on stage. When night came, in the story, I remember the people on stage would fall to the ground and pretend to be asleep. One guy managed to sleep with one leg raised in the air.

I recall Nephi always being ready and willing to return to Jerusalem every time his father asked him too. Except when he was told to go back and get the daughters of Ishmael. It was his brother’s that had to drag him along.