HBE4

I love Succession. Didn't care for the ending at first but in retrospect, as absurd as it was, it really was the only way to end the series. But otherwise, a very well-written and perfectly cast show. Now that I know the author of the article was a writing on that show, I'm definitely going to read the entire article. . I knew all along it was satire but now I know it'll be enjoyable satire. I'll reserve final judgement until I read the whole article but I'm going into it with the expectation that it's like being in the front row of a Don Rickles show or the "honored" guest of a Dean Martin roast. You'll need to be able to laugh at the insults coming at you. As long as it's not too mean-spirited, I don't mind being on the receiving end of a joke.

Busy day yesterday. Took the train into the city. BTW, trains in and out of the city are also the beneficiary of the 3/4 of one cent per gallon of gas tax so figured I should get my moneys worth.😀 Plus, I hate driving & parking in the city. Anyways, festivities included attending the New York Auto Show with my nephew to begin the day and ended with attending the New York Ranger game. Final game of my regular season package, an impressive 5-2 win over Montreal. Next game for me will be playoff, sometime after April 20th. In between, I spent an hour waiting on line to buy a 4 pack of Solar Eclipse glasses from B&H Video. No exaggeration, the line stretched an entire city block, around the corner, down another city block to the end. As long as you got on the line before the stores 6:00 pm closing time, they would let you in. Once inside, the line zig-zagged up and down every aisle until it finally divided into two, for those that pre-ordered online and those (like me) that did not. The pre-order pickup line was 10 times longer than mine so I lucked out there. Of course, good old American capitalism was alive and well as some people would buy a few 10 packs, step outside & then sell the individual glasses to those waiting on line for $10 for one pair of glasses that cost $1. And people were buying them!!! Someone told me he was heading over to Time Square where he knows he could get $20 per pair. And in between all that, I found time to grab 2 beers at an Irish Pub and watch the beginning of the Catlin Clark show. I know very little of basketball and even less of college basketball but she looked like a pretty good player. 🙂

I thought for sure New York would have been number 2 behind California but after a bit of some confusing research, we are actually ranked 9th (all taxes including local sales tax) or 13th (just state tax) in the nation. And because I live so close to NYC, there is an additional tax to support mass transit but that's minimal, 3/4 per one cent on the gallon. Why not just round it up to a penny per gallon? The one good thing is that - with the exception of the sales tax - most of the other taxes are based on per gallon, not price, so as prices rise, we don't pay more tax. I grew up in Rockland County, NY which borders NJ. Back then, New Jersey gas was significantly cheaper so it was worth the drive to get "Jersey gas" as we called it. This was back when driving big old American cars with big engines and big gas tanks, getting 15 MPG. Plus it was an excuse to visit some of our favorite diners such as Park Ridge Diner @BonTXNY

It looks like from the balcony above, you can look down into the balcony below as well as the promenade. Not my cup of tea but I guess if someone likes people watching or meeting new people as they stroll the promenade, this is the balcony cabins for them. Or if they are an exhibitionist! 😲

Agree! Considering how hard he plays, its amazing he still is playing. I guess as long as he's productive & enjoying the game, I can see him playing a few more years. Part of me wants Gretzky goal scoring record to remain his and part of me wants to see Ovechkin break record. As noted above, The Great One has plenty of other records that should/may be untouchable for years to come.

Looks like St, Martin & Antigua identify with both Eastern and Southern. Does that make them itinerary-fluid? 😁 Hope that joke isn't to edgy🤪

Around 6:00 pm, I felt an aftershock. This time, it felt like a sonic boon from a jet. Or dynamite blasting way off in the distance. House trembled for a few seconds & that was it. If it wasn't for this morning quake, I wouldn't have given it a second thought. Someone mentioned it was a 4.0 magnitude.

Hilarious! When my step-daughter came home, she noticed one of the pictures hanging in her bedroom wall was askew. As she straighten it, she declared "We Will Rebuild!"

That is quite an accomplishment, it speaks to his consistency. Just bought my Ranger playoff tickets for rounds 1 & (hopefully) 2. Fingers-crossed, I don't see Sid the Kid. He's a Ranger-killer. Alex Ovechkin is 46 goals away from breaking Gretzky records for career regular season goals. If he can keep up his current pace, that's about a 1 1/2 seasons away. I wonder if he's going to play into his 40's to set a new record?

A few people on the news have likened it to a low flying plane/helicopter or a train or large tractor trailer passing by. It did at first but - not to sound like an attention-getting drama queen - towards the last few seconds, there was some very sharp & abrupt shaking of the house. More than just vibration. I'm mildly surprised there are no cracks in the wall or foundation.

You're right. I guess I was quoting something I heard from NJ media. 🙂 https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/10/07/A-moderate-earthquake-shook-a-large-area-of-northeastern/8000434347200/ In fact, today would rank #3 since 1957, after the 1983 noted above and a 1992 quake that was out in the Atlantic. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/05/us/earthquake-new-york

All good here! They are saying it's the worst earthquake in 240 years in this area.

I think the earthquake scrambled my brain. I read it 3 times before it sunk in. My brain must be like quicksand. 😄

When it finally dawned on me what was happening, the earthquake still seemed to intensify. Tha's when I began to get nervous & just like that, it was over. It was just me & Leonard. My step-daughter was at work & never felt a thing. Our friends on the Left Coast are probably scoffing at us right now. "Just a 4.8? Amateurs!" 😄😉🙃

They've recorded a few 2.0 aftershocks in NJ. Not sure those can even be felt.

Yeah, that earthquake was a bit freaky. I'm about 75 miles from the epicenter as crows fly but the fault line that it occurred on runs through the northern NYC suburbs, probably 12-15 miles away. Not sure if that amplified it but it lasted a good minute, maybe a bit longer. I was sitting at my laptop in my home office when I first noticed things around me start to shake a little bit, like the leaves on a plant in front of the window. First thought "That was a really strong gust on wind". Just then, the oil burner directly underneath my office kicked in as others items around me started to shake even more, like the coffee in my cup. Then a low rumble that got progressively louder and finally I could feel the floor move sideways and the walls shake. Second thought "My oil burner is going to blow". Which I think is impossible but I still headed for the door when the third thought dawned on me: "Is this an earthquake? Do I go outside, stay inside, lay on the floor, sit in a bathtub, where is Leonard?" All in about a Milli-second. No damage to report around the house & Leonard is just fine. Spent the last few hours watching the news.

I'll definitely check it out, starting from the beginning. Each video seems to be a nice, short, easy to watch size.

I had no idea what you guys were talking about so I started to type into Google Search "Sailing D" which is about as far as I got when it auto-filled the rest with "Sailing Doodles Amanda" Apparently she makes a, uh, big impression. 😁😇

I skimmed thru the NCL thread reading a few pages here and there. I might go back a re-read but I'm sure all the "good" posts are gone. I can imagine the emotional roller coaster the Late Eight must've felt. Maybe slight panic when they realized the tour was running late. Then relief as the driver called ahead to let "them" (Port Authorities? Captain? NCL HQ?, his wife?) that they were running late. Then joy that the ship was still there when they arrived at port. Disappointment that the tenders had left & been tucked in for the night. Ecstatic when the coast guard offered to take them to the ship. What a wonderful country they must thought & then crestfallen when denied boarding when they were sooooo close and yet sooooo far. Then fear when they realized they were being left behind with only their passports & clothing on their backs. Determination to make it to the next port Gambia only to have their hope crushed once again as the ship could not make port. Finally, anger at NCL even though NCL was helping them to get to the next port Senegal. Murphy's Law at its' best (or worst).

I'm curious if you are the author of this article as this is your first on CC? From what I was allowed to read, it looks like satire. Sure to entertain most and maybe infuriate a few. I'll decide later if I want to sign-up for a free trial. Maybe there will be a copy in the waiting room of my dentist or barbershop & I can read for free.

Agreed, when it's good-nature cheering & clapping congratulations, it's fun. I've given a friendly wave to those on nearby balconies when boarding with 10-15 minutes to spare. Speaking from only my experience, it seemed there were a few annoyed people who were cheering in a divisive manner, judging from their expressions.

I like to maximize my port time so I'm usually one of the last people to get on board but I've always made it in time without impacting sail away. I can remember on more than a few occasions, I'd be walking down the pier 20-25 minutes before all aboard time & seeing a long line at the gangway. Hating long lines, I'd stop and finish sipping my drink & take a few photo's. From the ship, I could hear people yelling "Run, Hurry". Knowing that it was a 4-5 minute walk maximum, I ignored them. Heck, I could craw on my hands and knees, stop to eat a sandwich and still make it back in plenty time. Next thing I see is a bunch of red-faced, out of breath not-in-the-best-shape people half jogging/half running back to the ship, only to wait 10-15 minutes in the heat on a long line to get back on ship. There was absolutely NO need for those people to run. As I mentioned some were out of shape or a bit too old to run. What would happen if one of those people had a heat stroke or heart attack from over exertion?? Those that encouraged them seem to get enjoyment out of this & I suspect some of the holier-than-thou posting on this thread would do the same. I took my time sauntering back to the ship much to the disappointment of those urging me to run. Still made it back with plenty of time to spare. Some people like to get back on ship 3 hours before sail away "just to be safe". That's fine but it doesn't make you a better passenger.

And your name is Jack Dawson* * - "Titanic movie reference.

I had a sore mekun once. It's no joke. Hope it improves soon.😉

Dang, I forgot to buy everyone a card. I guess one of these will need to do.