USN59-79

Well, the plumber showed up on time and after four hours we now have a new water heater that I can access with my phone and turn it off for the days we are away from home. The plumber was very professional and I might contact him when we think about remodeling our bath room. Time for a glass of red wine and to light the barbecue for steaks tonight. Ray

We have been home for a week and finally got time to read through the Daily. Almost missed out flight out of Taipei. Flight was to leave at 7:40 AM and DBIL left for the airport at 5:00, so we should have had plenty of time. Start checking for our flight to Korea and couldn't find it. Eventually found that we were at the wrong airport; Sungshan, the original airport, rather than Touyuan, the international airport. Grabbed a taxi, stuffed in our four suitcases and told the driver to hurry. He drove about 20 mph over the speed limit and we made it. He received a large tip. Never had a Mustang, but was into Thunderbirds. At one time I had 6 1963 t-birds. DW said "One or two is a hobby, but six is a sickness". Finally got down to one convertible I worked on restoring for about two years. Working under it one day and got rust particles in my eye and decided enough is enough. Sold it and bought a new Mazda Miata. Found our water heater wasn't working right when we got home. One of the heating elements had failed, so it worked, but not well. Since it is 38 years old, decided to replace it. Bought a new one yesterday and a plumber is scheduled to arrive at 11 today to switch them out. Sorry to hear about Jacqui's foot pain. Sara had hip pain all during our cruise, probably from sciatica. Hurt so much in the morning that we had our breakfast delivered to our room every morning. By noon she could walk with a cane and by dinner without one. We are both scheduled to see our doctor next week for annual physicals. Ray

Thought I would share a happening here on Taiwan. Before we left for the cruise Sara found an invitation to our wedding reception in 1963. Written in English and Chinese, and held at the First Hotel. Since we are celebrating our 61st while here, I decided to try to have a dinner party at the hotel for our friends and relatives on that date. My DBIL helped arrange it and sent out the invitations and we had 22 guests. Great food and they set up a karaoke for a sing along. Even a huge wedding cake with candles for 61. As we blew out the candles, I couldn’t help thinking “Not a good idea with covid still around “. Masks are not required here, but more than half of the people wear them on the streets and 90% in buildings. Anyway, the party was a great success. Earthquake thoughts. Could still feel a couple of slight aftershocks last night. Taiwan has strict building codes; thus the small loss of life compared to many other countries. Ray

It was exciting. Struck at 8 AM just while I was sipping a cup of coffee. We are on the fourth floor of the family home and the shaking lasted for about ten or fifteen seconds followed by a severe aftershock shortly afterwards. A few things fell to the floor, but no real damage. It was centered near Hualien, on the east coast at 7.4 with a 6.7 aftershock while Taipei felt about 5.0. We had a very enjoyable cruise on the Seaborne Sojourn for 33 days from Sydney to Keelung. I was very impressed by the service provided by the crew. Within 3 or 4 days it seemed that everyone knew your name and the wine you preferred. Only downside was the hot and humid weather from Australia to Indonesia and the Philippines. Ray

That is one way to look at it. My intention was to warn those who are entitled to a discount on a wine package that if they buy it before boarding they will be charged full price. They will then have to stand in line at the front desk to have the charge corrected and even then it might not be corrected. On Seabourn, you don't need a wine package as drinks are included. Ray

If you are able to get a discount as a 4 or 5 star Mariner, I suggest you wait until you are onboard before ordering it. On our last cruise on the Westerdam, we ordered the 8-bottle package and were supposed to get a 50% discount. We ordered before we boarded the ship. Noticed on my credit card statement that we were charged full price. Brought it up to the front desk, even showed them our credit card statement and they said they would take care of it. Didn't happen, so they still owe us about $300. We decided rather than fight with them, we would just choose another cruise line for our next cruise. Leaving this weekend for a 33 day cruise on Seabourn. Ray

I enjoy most of the memes on the Daily, but I particularly enjoyed @Nickelpenny's one on the elevator. Today was a good day. Most of the snow is gone, so no problem driving. A year ago I had a large toenail removed as it was ingrown. Unfortunately, it didn't grow back very good and if I wear a regular shoe, it presses on it with some pain. Went to the Bremerton Naval Hospital today and a really nice podiatrist trimmed it properly, prescribed some cream to soften it and when she heard that I was flying to Sydney this weekend, gave me some pressure socks so I don't get a blood clot from my legs on the long flight. I am really happy that since I retired from the Navy I am able to get healthcare from them. Tomorrow I will go to SeaTac airport and pick up a rental car. Will drive it home so we can leave really early to get to SeaTac and catch our 9:00 AM flight to SFO. Then fly to Auckland, and then to Sydney. Then we board the Seabourn Sojourn for 33 days of their World Cruise, debarking in Taiwan. Plan to stay there 17 days and celebrate our 61st wedding anniversary on 30 March. Sara found a copy of our wedding invitations from 1963 and noticed that we had our reception at the First Hotel there. Thinking about hosting a dinner there on that date for our friends and relatives in Taipei. In 1963 it was one of the better hotels in Taipei. Need to check it out as it might be kind of shabby by now. I am 84, but life is still good. Ray

With all of you having delivery problems, primarily USPS and FEDEX, thought I might mention being pleased with Amazon. Last night about 8:00 PM, Sara asked me to see if I could buy some pain relief cream (capsaicin) online. Found that Amazon had it and it took me less than a minute to place an order. This morning we woke up to about 3" of new snow. Amazon said it would be delivered by 10:00 tonight. An hour ago, a friendly Amazon driver delivered it to our front door. That is 18 hours. Ray

Today was a clear, but kind of cold and windy day here in the Pacific NW. Feel blessed when I see what those on the NE Coast are experiencing. Had a dental appointment this morning. Have had an infected tooth for a few months. They scraped it x-rayed it, and made casts of it to prepare for removing it in the future. Got a prescription for an antibiotic to handle it. Since I was going to Costco to get a chicken, told them to send it to their pharmacy, as the Navy one usually takes an hour. Found that Costco's also takes an hour. The good news is that wandering around the store for an hour I didn't end up spending a hundred dollars like I usually do. Ray

Thanks, it sounds like this is something I will have to download once I am on board. Ray

Thanks for the information and the links. I am wondering how this will work if you contract covid while on a cruise ship a few thousand miles from home. I have medicare, and the ship's doctor could provide a prescription and I assume the ship's pharmacy would have the drug so maybe I shouldn't worry about it. I heard on the news today that the CDC just said that there is no longer a requirement for a five day quarantine if you test positive. They just require quarantine until 24 hours have passed without a fever. Ray

We board the Sojourn in a week and just received an email from Seabourn suggesting I download an ap called PressReader to get access to newspapers. I looked at it and it has 7 or 8 thousand newspapers and magazines available for a $30. a month subscription. There are other plans, some free for a few days and some to pay for and access a paper for one day. I have never heard of PressReader and have a couple of questions: 1. Is there access to a daily newspaper on the ship, either in print or online? 2. Do you typically use PressReader when onboard? 3. If so, what plan do you use? Thanks for your advice. Ray

Sorry to hear about the covid issue. Do you have any idea on where you might have caught it? I believe that I am most likely to contract it on a flight to the cruise port. We have a 13 hour flight coming up this weekend and plan to wear N95 masks on the plane. On the 33 day cruise, unless most are wearing them we will probably not. We have had all of the available shots for it, including RSV and Flu, so if we are unlucky enough to get infected it shouldn't be too bad. In our area, I notice that maybe 10% or less of people shopping are wearing a mask. Looking at videos of Asia, maybe 30 or 40% of people on the street in Taiwan are still wearing a mask. (Sara checks out the daily news in Taiwan every day on YouTube). Ray

Surprised how easy it was to cancel DTV. Made a phone call and had it done in about five minutes. Since my gear is so old, they didn't want me to send it back. So that saves me about a thousand a year. Ray

I enjoyed the Super Bowl yesterday. It was much closer than I expected. We have Direct TV and normally would have watched it on the CBS station. However, DTV has not shown CBS for some time due to contract problems. They suggested that I try using an antenna. Big mistake on their part, as I found that I have more channels and a clearer picture with the antenna. So I plan to cancel DTV today and save a few bucks each month. I wonder if, as we become older, we naturally become less tolerant of some of the current "fashions". I couldn't believe the first singer they had before the game started. I am sure he started as an attractive young man. But after having most of his body tattooed including writings and symbols all over his face and replacing all of his teeth with stainless steel ones, I am wondering if anyone thinks he improved his appearance or that helps him get a job as an entertainer. Ray

I knew that, but forgot. Your rating badge is the same as the Navy has for the Engineman rating so it is an easy mistake. I have a lot of respect for members of the Coast Guard. Ray

Actually, you are confusing me with Jack @Heartgrove, probably because we both are ex-Navy people. I drive a Prius Prime, a plug-in hybrid Toyota. I suspect my next car will be be fully electric. Need to see what improvements and deals are out there this Summer. Ray

We were on the Diamond the same time as you, except we boarded in Beijing and got off in Vancouver. Easy for us to take a bus to Seattle from there. Just checked my photo file and all pictures from 2003 to 2011 are missing for some reason. We enjoyed those repositioning cruises; we also took the Diamond from Vancouver to Beijing the previous September. Ray

Well, I did delete the job offer from the UK company. Not sure how long things stay in the deleted file, but it is empty. I think the odds are that it was an honest mistake. I suspect either the applicant or offeror will follow up and contact each other this Monday or Tuesday without any help from me. Not sure that Tia really wants to know that she just offered a truck driving job with her company to an 84 year old man who lives near Seattle, Washington, USA. Ray

Thanks, Graham. That is the company. They expect me to start work there next Wednesday. I will just delete the email. I wonder if someone in the UK has an email address very similar to mine and is waiting for a reply for a job offer. Ray

Well, I finished the income taxes and went to the post office to mail it this morning. They will probably wonder why someone who owes taxes would mail it in so early. I just received a strange email. It is a job offer, thanking me for speaking to them and offering me a job as a FLT Division driver at a company called Board24. I am to start work next week. They even list the safety shoes I should wear and that they will provide ear and eye protection. The strangest thing about it is the company is located in Leicestershire, UK. I have never heard of the company and certainly have never interacted with them. Wonder if @grapau27 Graham has heard of them? Wondering if it is some type of new scam or that the sender, Tia Bettan just made a silly mistake. Ray

I am surprised that they still do that. We experienced it on a 49 day Carnival cruise back in 2009. I told the Maitre D how much we hated it and the loud music they played so you couldn't talk to your table mates at the time. He told me that I was in the minority; that everyone loved it. It was also our last Carnival cruise. Ray

Looking at the bar menus, I was surprised at how few drinks were available for $11. or less; less than 10%. Also, the menus are not very useful. Do they really only sell 5 or 6 different mixed drinks in the various bars? What is the point of a menu if you don't list the available drinks? I have never bought HIA, and it looks like I won't in the future. Our next cruise is on Seabourn, where they charge more up front for the cruise fare, but don't nickel and dime you for the drinks. In fact, most are free. Ray

Spent most of yesterday working on my income taxes. Should finish today as it is one of the last things I have to do before we leave for our cruise. Interesting to hear about Boy Scouts and golf as my experiences are different. Growing up on a farm, I was a member of FFA (Future Farmers of America). Our son wanted to join Cub Scouts. He went to one meeting and said he didn't fit in with those people. They kept a goat in their house. So it was one meeting and done. I never golfed, but as a child we lived for a short time near a golf course. My brother and I would go there to search for lost golf balls, sometimes diving in the river to get them. Used to get a quarter for the good ones, so it was a good source of funds for a kid at the time. Ray

Thought I might mention something about hot pot for those who haven't heard of it. It consists of a large pot of boiling broth in the center of a table with plates of many things that are added one by one by the people sitting around the table and eating. Those things are shrimp, thin sliced beef, fish balls, spinach, etc. Each person has a small bowl with a sauce to dip the cooked item they remove from the hot pot. It is common among our Chinese friends to get together for an hour or two over a hot pot. Sara makes the sauce with Bull Head Sacha Sauce and beaten egg yolks. Everyone uses chop sticks. The chop sticks you use to place an item in the pot are not the same ones you use to eat it with. Ray