doctork

Today I am headed for MerleFest "Americana plus" music festival in western North Carolina, my first time since pre-Covid.  Will travel for music - by land, sea, or air!

@ceilidh1 I hope you stay healthy.

Edited to add: I wrote this and attempted to post it this morning before I got on the plane.  Now that I am in NC I finally had a chance to look at The Tribe/CruiseCritic and here's a notice saying it's "now cleared" and I am permitted to post!  I don't get it.

Today I am headed for MerleFest "Americana plus" music festival in western North Carolina, my first time since pre-Covid.  Will travel for music - by land, sea, or air!

@ceilidh1 I hope you stay healthy.

I've been following along but not posting much because I haven't been doing much -working then going home.  The camaraderie and support among The Tribe is why I joined in here - I noticed what a good group of people are here, really exceptional  sort of because we're "ordinary," and we talk with each other about everyday topics.  If that makes any sense.

Sid I am so sorry about your uncle.  I hope you find some comfort knowing that he has set an example of how to live a life, with his career and his Adventures in Aviation, then making up his own mind about how to exit the stage.  But don't sell your ownself short.  Not only are you a talented travel writer, but consider - if you weren't here, we wouldn't have The Tribe to come to!

The discussion about traveling alone prompted me to think about the fact that I usually travel alone, as that way I set my own itinerary and make my own decisions about what to do when.  And oddly - I meet more people that way.  When I travel with friends or family we tend to stick together in our group.  By myself, I can easily strike up a chat with someone new.  It helps that most of my cruises have been charter cruises (on HAL or Disney), so everyone on the cruise has a common interest - the theme of the cruise.

Ever since he had a stroke (from which he has fully recovered), my husband doesn't care much for travel.  OTOH, no worries about who will care for the pets or guard the house while I'm gone.

7 hours ago, Travelicious said:

As for myself, I'll have to wait until I'm 62 to get a lifetime senior pass to national parks for $80.  It was only $10 until a few years ago.  Now that was a bargain!

I was at the Walnut Canyon National Park outside Flagstaff, Arizona and while inquiring at the entry, the ranger on duty saw my disabled parking hang card sticking out of my wallet.  He told me "Didn't you know that if you are disabled you can get a free lifetime National Park pass?"  

Well no, I didn't know that!  I don't even need that disabled parking permit all the time (that's why it was in my wallet, not in the car), only when I am having a flare, and I told him that.  He said "No problem!"  If you have the disabled parking permit you qualify for the free pass.

I already had an annual pass that was near the end of its validity so now I have the lifetime pass.

12 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

 That looks like it was a great concert!  I'm not really a metal fan, but I accumulated a major live concert deficit during Covid so Megadeth looks good.  Looking at outdoor amphitheaters for the summer - the Gorge in WA (close to home), Red Rocks in CO (friends live there), Tanglewood and Wolf Trap back east (visit nearby family).  Will travel for music.  I don't have a cruise until November.

7 hours ago, Hogladyrider said:

Sorry, I'm old, I'm lost on this one!

I didn't know this one either.  We're both old.

No experience with Carnival, but here on the left coast the WA state - British Columbia border traffic has really picked up.  After 2 years of wait times under 5 minutes, now they're up to 40 minutes heading north to BC.  OTOH, a friend (US citizen) returning from his nephew's birthday party in BC waited over two hours at the border to return home to the US.

Parking lots at Costco and the airport are filled with BC license plates.  Merchants on both sides are finally back in business now.

14 hours ago, Hogladyrider said:

Spending the day with our 8 year old granddaughter.  Made mom a surprise key lime pie now off to mini golf.

That pie looks fabulous!  I am amazed that after all those travel days you have energy to bake a pie.  I mean, I know you're stopping for a visit, but still... 

11 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

It's been one of those kind of days here at work. I went out to my car to enjoy my leftovers, just so I could get a bit of decent alone time, without being bothered. In other news, it looks like we have a celebrity client coming in on Friday. We're officially closed, but that's the day they chose to come in. I'll give you a small hint: One of THE biggest rock stars of all time... I'll say, at least in the top five. Whoever guesses will get a special prize...

Sting?

10 hours ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

When I worked at SWA for 12 years, we got Good Friday off. It was great, except the one year I got called in for jury duty on that day! I haven't had that day off anywhere else I've worked.

When I worked at West Virginia University we had Good Friday off.  I was surprised a state school would give a paid day off for eveyone (religious or not) for a religious holiday.

33 minutes ago, rwest898 said:

So we are cruising this weekend  on the Carnival Spirit which is a 16 day cruise (Panama Canal).  We got an email today that due to the length of the cruise we not only have to test 3 days prior we also have to test at the port.  The will test us at our check-in time and deliver our results within 20 min.  I think this is the first time they are doing this.

That seems odd.  If they require extra testing for a long trip, why not test in the middle of the trip to see if anyone has acquired Covid at a port, or took longer than 3 days to show a positive result?

14 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

They aren’t offering e-gift cards right now. If they were I would’ve picked that option for sure. Work is potentially even more dangerous because it wouldn’t be delivered to me. It would go to a big warehouse and I know from experience they sign for things they don’t receive. I’ve been having to do this for all of my Amazon prime orders for months now since they switched to ups and I haven’t had a problem. 

Doesn't Amazon Prime offer some delivery site alternatives to leaving a package at your door?

Since DH retired and is usually home while I'm at work, I haven't had to worry about this lately.  Plus we have the steepest driveway in our city so thieves on the street either can't seen any packages on the front porch or they are too lazy to hike all the way up to the top of the driveway to grab them!

I did not know that women are not allowed in Barbershops.  However, that is because I have never been in a barbershop so I guess I'm good.

greenpea, I like my alone time too.  When my dad retired my mom always said "I married your father for better or for worse but not for lunch."  She had a point.

I love sailing out under cool bridges!  We've done that once each for cruises out of Tampa, New York City, and San Francisco.  Each was spectacular.

There are basic biological differences between men and women.  Males who go through puberty have musculoskeletal differences that provide advantages in certain sports.  Petite women may have different musculoskeletal advantages that serve well for, say, gymnastics.  There are reasons that Simone Biles, at 4' 8" is an outstanding gymnast.  Even among the same gender, there are weight classes in boxing and wrestling for a reason.

I don't know about the effects of the swimmer in question on the feminist movement.  I can see that it could potentially be positive or negative.  But it is a unique case, which is why it makes headlines.

When booking charter cruises, I always wondered what happened to the passengers who were already booked on that cruise.  I figured that one reason that the charters cost more was the need to pay extra incentives for those we displaced in order to compensate for things like having to pay $2,000 more for their rebooked cruise.  I guess not!

When my charter cruise was canceled 6 days prior to departure in March of 2020 due to Covid, Holland America refused to refund or offer FCC.  They said that was the responsibility of the chartering entity (radio personality Garrison Keillor, who had put his own home up as security for the charter), not HAL.

There is some ugly stuff behind those charters and I'm sorry you and your sister have to go through this, @Greenpea2.

3 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

I was pretty close to quitting my job at least a couple of times today... Of course, I didn't, since I've gotten pretty used to living indoors and eating on a daily basis. But, it was quite frustrating to say the least. Finally home now, and I'm going to make some spaghetti with ground turkey and mushrooms. I'll definitely be drinking tonight, and Survivor is on as well. I guess that I am going to at least dip my toes into the job market, even though I have no idea what I'm even looking for. Most places just say "email resume", which I don't even have. I have plenty of experience in several different fields, but not really a "resume" per se... I guess that's something that I need to work on. 

 

 

I feel for you Sid.  I have loved my work for decades, but lately I've been feeling that maybe the hassles are not outweighed by the benefits.  My husband retired 7 years ago and maybe I should too.

Yes, that business of liking to live indoors and eat regularly puts the pressure on.  Maybe getting up at oh-dark-thirty isn't so bad after all.  @RenoNanaOz has a point.

23 hours ago, Hogladyrider said:

Is there any way to tell if the long term effects are from COVID or from the jabs?  It will be interesting for sure in the months or years to come.

 

We have not had COVID, fingers still crossed, nor have we had any jabs, fingers still crossed.

I have read that there are specialized lab tests that can determine if antibodies in the bloodstream originate from having the Covid disease vs having the shots, but I think at present that is fodder for research, not practical daily use.

For now, retrospective comparison studies between unvaccinated people who had the disease and those who have been vaccinated but subsequently develop Covid infection suggest that long Covid relates to actual Covid infection, not the jabs.

It's hard to separate all the factors - "long Covid" by definition occurs in those who had Covid (vaccinated or not),  some people who are infected do not have any symptoms, people who have been vaccinated tend to have milder infections, many people had both Covid and the vaccinations, treatment for Covid infection has advanced rapidly over the past two years...

It will be a long time before we have a good grasp on the nature of Covid and its consequences.

Meanwhile, stay healthy!

1 hour ago, Hogladyrider said:

Who does this?  Put your frozen meat out in the sun to thaw?

 

This is NOT ours....it is our neighbors!  I think it is CRAZY!

 That's risky if there are any BBQ-surfing dogs in the vicinity - disappearing meat!!

I agree, crazy for several reasons.

37 minutes ago, luvcruzing said:

Happened to read today that some doctors don’t believe that Long Covid is a real disease, and they are telling their patients that it’s all in their head and to see a psychiatrist. But, that kind of ignorance is declining due to pushback by patients with Long Covid.

I'm just starting to see medical journal articles with hard data on long-term adverse effects of Covid, several pertaining to heart and brain.  It's NOT imaginary or "all in the head."  Your friend may want to see a neuropsychologist to test and identify the deficits, then plan strategies to deal with those deficits.

Pebbles, you are right that transition from one gender to another is a complex process that is not undertaken lightly.  When I was in training in Colorado, one of my friends and colleagues was Bob Biber, who was the son of Dr. Stan Biber, a surgeon who did "sex change surgery" in Trinidad, Colorado.  Dr. Biber was doing the surgery starting back in the 1960's or 1970's, long before the word "transgender" was even known in the lay press, or for that matter, before it was a subject in the medical literature, let alone a condition with specialized clinics in major medical centers.  For all those years, not much conclusive data.

I don't know if the change in hormone levels in transgender individuals negates the effects of the pubertal hormones that occur in relation to assigned sex at birth.  That apparently remains a subject of debate.  However, the literature supports an improvement in mental health when the individual's hormone status changes to alignment with the identified gender.

I'm glad your son is feeling better now that his hormones "match" his gender identification.  It's a long journey.

Hi Tribe!  I started a new job 6 weeks ago and it has been very demanding - hardly any time on line lately.  Then my laptop misbehaved and I had trouble with all the passwords when I tried to use iPad or Kindle or iPhone instead.  Sometimes I wonder about whether all the electronics have really been such a great advance.

I'll have to do a little reading to catch up on everyone's latest news.

As far as the transgender competitors in women's events, it seems to me that those individuals who passed through puberty as a male/XY would have musculoskeletal advantages over those who experienced puberty as female/XX.  But when I search the literature to read more about it, it seems  there is some controversy and no consensus.

I don't understand why you don't have a key to get in.  Or did I miss something about you waiting outside until someone with a key arrives?

Anyway, your story is much better than a TV soap opera!

2 hours ago, Hogladyrider said:

Crowd Cow is a competitor of Butcher Box.  We order monthly or skip months when we are on the road traveling.  We get grass fed 80/20 beef; no sugar added bacon, pork butt; short ribs, steaks, shrimp, sword fish, mahi mahi, pasture raised chicken breasts.....we've been using the service for a year now and we absoultely LOVE all the products.

 

Even ordered quiche, mini pies, lots of goodies!  I love that I can pick which farm I want to order from.

The products are far superior to what we would purchase in the grocery store!

Thanks for the information!

That sounds similar to ButcherBox but we can't pick which farm or order quiche or minipies at least not yet.  We're just in our third month and are very happy with the quality and taste - much better than what we could buy at our grocery store.  We'd never heard of ButcherBox until someone mentioned it on another board, and this is the first I've heard of Crowd Cow, obviously.

On 2/17/2022 at 2:27 PM, Hogladyrider said:

Received our February Crowd Cow delivery today, all packed away in the freezer.  Tonight we feast on swordfish with baked tators and asparagus!  It's not Houston's but we don't have to leave the house either!

Did I miss something?  What is a February Crowd Cow?

We get a ButcherBox meat delivery every month and it has a variety of beef, chicken and pork cuts.