Carinval Glory - NYC to New England... A Memoir

[crusing_guy]

Delta Hotel & ShakeyBeef,

Thanks for another interesting update......Will there be another update or was this the final update?

I know what you mean about going through customs.......The feeling you described is exactly the way I feel.....Even though I have never done anything that would cause me to have to worry, I still do.....

Thanks again for the interesting read.......I think I am looking forward to your next cruise almost as much as you are.

Mike

[Delta Hotel]

[quote name='crusing_guy']Delta Hotel & ShakeyBeef,

Thanks for another interesting update......Will there be another update or was this the final update?

Mike[/quote]

There will be at least a few more updates. I plan on finishing up the memoir when we get back to Maryland, where the whole thing started. You'll most likely know when you reach the end because you'll see an overly-dramatic literary cliche.

DH

[dogbert's mom]

Just took myself off the subscribe list and all of the sudden you pop up again. Thanks for you continued efforts.

[F27TW]

[quote name='ShakyBeef']
[COLOR=blue]He knows he's giving y'all a lot of non-cruise related "brain vomit" in this glorious magnum opus of his; but (surprisingly, to us:o) some of you seem to enjoy reading this extra stuff. The kind and enthusiastically positive responses of so many so far appear to be proof of that. To all of you, thank you! [/COLOR]

[COLOR=blue]To all those who do not enjoy being taken along on his kooky mental detours, I apologize on behalf of us both. As his "Editor" I suppose I might be able to convince him to keep them to a minimum. But I have to admit, I love his twisted, sarcastic, wacky brain and the crazy stuff it has been spewing out here. And I'm loath to stifle it. [/COLOR][/quote]

Hey Shaky!

Speaking for myself only, I'm loving it all .. your husband's writing, your great retorts and all the ramblings. Don't listen to anyone making you feel like you have to apologize .. or convince him to keep the past memories to a minimum. Keep it all coming ! This is a fabulous report -- by far the best I've ever read on here!

I initially started reading it because my partner, his family and I are doing the same cruise on the Carnival Glory this June (out of Boston). But I never expected this masterpiece!

And I got a HUGE kick out of the Derby references .. I'm from the area too!

-Tony/Hamden CT

[ShakyBeef]

[quote name='F27TW']Hey Shaky!

Speaking for myself only, I'm loving it all .. your husband's writing, your great retorts and all the ramblings. Don't listen to anyone making you feel like you have to apologize .. or convince him to keep the past memories to a minimum. Keep it all coming ! This is a fabulous report -- by far the best I've ever read on here!

I initially started reading it because my partner, his family and I are doing the same cruise on the Carnival Glory this June (out of Boston). But I never expected this masterpiece!

And I got a HUGE kick out of the Derby references .. I'm from the area too!

-Tony/Hamden CT[/quote]

Aww, thanks, Tony! That's very sweet. We're both so glad that so many have gotten enjoyment out of this. Enjoy your cruise!:)

He is still working on getting the rest of this magnum opus finished. Hopefully it will be done by Christmas.:rolleyes::)

[EBONI325]

Thank you so much for this very entertaining memoir. Loved it.

[crusing_guy]

Shakey Beef and Delta Hotel,

Okay.....it has been more than a month since your last update.......This is your friendly reminder to post your next chapter in your memoir....

Thanks,
Mike

[Delta Hotel]

[quote name='crusing_guy']Shakey Beef and Delta Hotel,

Okay.....it has been more than a month since your last update.......This is your friendly reminder to post your next chapter in your memoir....

Thanks,
Mike[/quote]

Mike,
Ask, and ye shall receive. Thank you for the very friendly reminder. You can pat yourself on the back for being the primary catalyst for me actually continuing this memoir. I'll admit, I had been going for long periods of time without thinking about it. But - as I suspected, I've completed the memoir just in time for my next cruise!

I have finished the last chapter of this Glory memoir, and as soon as Shaky proof-reads it, I'll post it and put this monster to rest. Hopefully, the last chapter will be available sometime tomorrow evening.


Delta Hotel

[Pistol Packin Mama]

[B]Looking forward to it and the next cruise review.:):)[/B]

[Delta Hotel]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Just before we reach the street, we make a left turn into a large freight elevator. The porter who’s leading us turns his head a little and says to us, “Stay close.” As the porter begins to push the luggage cart into the elevator, I think to myself, “There’s no way that cart is gonna fit in there… and we’re definitely not gonna fit in there behind the cart.” Heeding the porter’s advice, we all quickly follow closely behind him, cramming ourselves into the already-tightly-packed elevator. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]I was wrong… again. The porter just kept pushing the cart, and miraculously, the people and other carts in the elevator somehow squished together to accommodate another luggage cart and six more people. It’s really 7 people, but since the girls are both small, I consider both of them as “0.5 peoples”, which makes for “1 peoples” in addition to 5 adults.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]The elevator ride to the upper parking level is relatively short, and thank goodness. It felt like there were 92 people in that elevator, and 134 pieces of luggage on 19 carts. The elevator stops at the upper parking level and the doors open slowly. Similar to the feeling of unbuttoning a tight pair of pants after Thanksgiving dinner – a deluge of people and luggage burst out of the elevator onto the sidewalk outside. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]As soon as we exit the elevator, we all try to get out of the way so that the rest of the sardines in the can may exit. I back up against a concrete wall, breathe a few times, and get my bearings. Yup… we’re on the wrong pier still – but I knew that already. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]The porter looks at us and says, “Where’s your car?”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]“It’s not on this pier. It’s on the next one over”, as I gesture northward.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]“Alright, let’s go”, says the porter.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]We all follow him and the cart to the end of the parking area which is marked by one of those “lifty bar gate” things with the diagonal stripes on them. We turn left onto the sidewalk which runs parallel to the exit road. As we turn the corner and head toward the north pier (about 100 yards away), it begins to rain. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Well, now that it’s begun to rain, I’m really glad that we’ve got a porter and that the small mountain of luggage is all neatly stacked and managed on a cart. Otherwise, this could be a little less pleasant. I apparently made the mistake of counting my chickens before they hatched. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]The porter stops the cart and begins to unload our luggage onto the sidewalk. We’re about 10 yards away from one pier, and about 90 yards away from where we need to be… and he’s unloading all of our luggage onto the sidewalk. “You’ll need to go get your car and bring it over here to your luggage.”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]“Can you help us get it all the way to our cars? They’re just over there”, as I gesture toward the line of cars on the next pier. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]“It’s better if I just leave them here, and you go get your cars.” [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Better for whom? For you, maybe… but this doesn’t seem to be in [I]our [/I]best interest at the moment. In retrospect, I’ve considered saying something like this out loud, but I didn’t.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]The porter says these last few lines as if he’s already made up his mind, and it doesn’t seem like he’s really that interested in helping us any further. I suppose he could make a lot more money if he just drops us on the sidewalk and returns to the baggage claim area to pick up another load. But hey… that’s just speculation.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Anyhow – we’re now standing between piers, with our luggage, in the rain. It’s not raining hard, thankfully. Just a mild sprinkle. All of the adults stare at the luggage trying to decide what the best course of action is. There’s more luggage than people, so we can’t just each take a bag or two and pull them to the cars. Dad and I decide that we’ll do what the porter said, and we’ll go get both vehicles, pull up alongside the sidewalk, and try to load the luggage as quickly as possible without blocking traffic. Dad and I head for the north pier.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]As we head north along the sidewalk, I notice that I’m looking down the side of the Glory from an angle that I don’t ever get to see – it’s the bow, but from the height of deck 5 or 6, and not the lower decks like normal. I slow down a little and snap a quick picture of the Glory.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[IMG]http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb479/Delta_Hotel/Glory%20Day%206/Nd3_2232.jpg[/IMG]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Naturally, as I slow down to take pictures, I fall a little behind Dad and have to double-time it in order to catch up. Taking pictures while double-timing it also slows me down a little. But that’s OK, because Dad’s not moving very quickly on account of his having forgotten his belt in his luggage this morning.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[IMG]http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb479/Delta_Hotel/Glory%20Day%206/Nd3_2234.jpg[/IMG]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]After another minute or two of fast walking, Dad and I reach our vehicles, and begin to warm them up. Dad is preparing his dash-mounted GPS for the trip home, so I take a few seconds to take a panoramic picture of the city from the running board of the SUV.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[IMG]http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb479/Delta_Hotel/Glory%20Day%206/ND3_2235_stitch.jpg[/IMG]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]A few moments later, Dad gives me the “let’s move” hand signal, and we both head out of the parking area to go pick up the girls and the luggage. As we approach the area where the girls are, we notice that all of the conveniently empty parking spaces have inconveniently disappeared. Dad snags a spot about 10-15 yards away from the girls, and I have to park well past them, just before the exit ramp from the cruise terminal.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]I jump out of my car and run back across the road to help Dad move the luggage to the closer vehicle. Luckily, Mom and Dad’s Ford Explorer has enough space in the back to hold [I]almost [/I]all of the luggage. Once everything is secured and closed up, Wifey and the girls all jog to our car as I wheel one of Wifey’s larger suitcases behind me. We get to the car, load up, buckle up, and we’re on our way home. The vacation is officially over.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Since Dad has the GPS, I wait for him to pass in front of me before I pull out of my parking space. I get right behind him and follow him down the little ramp to the street level. At the bottom of the ramp, there’s a traffic light that allows you to turn right, left, or go straight. We want to turn right and head south toward the tunnel. I notice that Dad turns on his right-turn indicator, so I follow suit. Our light is red, but there’s either a Port Authority officer or police officer (I didn’t notice which one) standing at the edge of the road, just to the right of our cars. The officer signals for Dad to go ahead and turn right, so Dad follows his instruction and proceeds through the red light and down the road. I begin to have a chest-tightening moment. I try to move forward to stay behind Dad – but the officer gets in my way and tells me to stop.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Crap. Now Dad’s driving down 12th Avenue without me, and I don’t have my GPS up and running… and now… I’ve lost sight of him. Crap. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Finally, the light turns green, and the officer signals for me to go. I turn right, and head south on 12th Avenue, and I know I need to get into the tunnel, so I’m not terribly worried. A couple blocks south of the cruise terminal, Wifey sees a sign for the Lincoln Tunnel, but it says that we need to be in the left lanes. I’m in the right lane… and… there’s a ton of cars whizzing by me in the lanes to my left. I keep up my speed and successfully move one lane to the left, but by the time that my turn comes up, I don’t make it far enough… so I miss my turn. Oh well… I’ve always enjoyed driving through Manhattan![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]To make a long story short – we take a few left turns, and a few right turns, and we go through about three dozen lights. I’m not entirely sure of how it happens, but we find our way back to the tunnel. While stopped at one of the many traffic lights, I look up into the smog-fog-rain and notice a very peculiar building. For the most part, it looks like a normal building – but it seems to be only 2-dimensional… like a cardboard cut-out of a building, and not a whole building. I look more closely, and then point it out to Wifey… and since we’re stopped at a light, I quickly snap a photo.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[IMG]http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb479/Delta_Hotel/Glory%20Day%206/Nd3_2243.jpg[/IMG]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]See what I mean? Pretty neat, eh?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]At another stop light, I make note of how the city seems to come to an end just a few blocks up. The smog-fog-rain is so thick up ahead that it appeared to be a blank white canvas where someone’s forgotten to paint more buildings and people.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[IMG]http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb479/Delta_Hotel/Glory%20Day%206/Nd3_2244.jpg[/IMG]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]A few moments later, while stopped at yet another red light, I notice that the cross street is named for one of my childhood heroes – Nicola Tesla. Yes, yes… I know. What kind of messed up kid idolizes Nicola Tesla? Me. That’s who. It’s all an integral part of my geek-ness, and is one of the cornerstones of my magic Geekdom.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[IMG]http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb479/Delta_Hotel/Glory%20Day%206/Nd3_2246.jpg[/IMG]

[Delta Hotel]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Moving along now. I make my way back to the tunnel, and as soon as we pass through and we’re safely in beautiful, lovely New Jersey, Wifey pulls out the cell phone and calls Mom and Dad. We’re now about 20 minutes behind them, so there’s no chance of us catching them if they keep going. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Mom and Dad have stopped at a rest stop and are now waiting for us to catch up. The rest stop is easy enough to find since it’s the first one we come to once getting on the highway. I park the car near Mom and Dad, breathe a sigh of relief, and we all get out of the car and head inside. Despite the fact that we just got off of the ship an hour or two ago, we’re really hungry. Having been acclimated to eating every hour-and-a-half, our bodies are in desperate need of sustenance. However, actually having to pay money for the mediocre rest-stop food is a bit of a shocker. <SIGH>[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Upon entering the building, I notice that someone has taken the liberty to add an unusual sticker to the door. I’m not entirely sure of its purpose, but if the desired effect was to make people stop and think, “what the… is that a man on a horse? Why is there a sticker of a man on a horse stuck to this door?”, then the effect was successful with at least me.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[COLOR=black][IMG]http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb479/Delta_Hotel/Glory%20Day%206/Nd3_2250.jpg[/IMG][/COLOR]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Inside the rest area, we grab some quick burgers, some over-cooked chicken strips, and some really unpleasant fries to hold us over until we get home. While sitting and eating, Wifey notices that there’s a bottle of cleaner sitting on top of one of the trash cans. Wifey’s so amused by the big warning on the bottle that she asks that I take a picture of it. Wifey hardly ever asks me to take a picture of something, so I gladly comply. By the way, I’m guessing that she rarely asks that I take a picture of something because it seems that I take pictures of almost everything. So it’s often difficult to actually find something interesting of which I haven’t already taken a picture. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[COLOR=black][IMG]http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb479/Delta_Hotel/Glory%20Day%206/Nd3_2251.jpg[/IMG][/COLOR]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]On the way out of the rest area, the girls notice the “squish-a-penny” machines near the door. I notice the “grab-machine” nearby. I won’t get into the details of it since I’m making an effort to keep this memoir streamlined and to-the-point, but I have a little thing for grab-machines. Each grab-machine is like a small test of patience, skill, and stupidity – all at once. I never actually [I]want [/I]anything inside of these stupid machines, but I just want to know if I can get something.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Both girls get a squished penny from the machine (one Statue of Liberty and one Empire State Building), and I fight my urge to play the grab-machine, but lose the fight when Mom hands me a couple dollar bills. Mom seems to like feeding this little awkward addiction of mine, and although I have dollars of my own in my wallet, I take her dollars and slip them gently into the “money slot”. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Again, for the sake of being streamlined and to-the-point, I’ll leave out the details of what actually happens while playing the grab machine, or how many dollars were sacrificed for the sake of two small, stuffed, brightly colored turtles.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]The girls ask if they can play the grab machine, in their excited little-girl voices. Since the machine costs $2.00 per game – which is about four times the normal amount for us back home, I tell them that they can try one back home. BUT – as a consolation prize, they get to stand in front of the machine, [I]pretend to play it, [/I]and I’ll take a picture of them pretending to play it so they can feel like they did, later. See? Where’s my Father-of-the-Year award? [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[COLOR=black][IMG]http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb479/Delta_Hotel/Glory%20Day%206/Nd3_2269.jpg[/IMG][/COLOR]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]After my exhausting battle with the grab machine, and the debarkation process in general, I can already feel myself getting a little tired. Dad and I grab a few Red Bull drinks out of the vending machine to help keep us company on the ride home. Surprisingly, these Red Bulls out of the vending machine at a New Jersey rest area are less expensive than on the cruise ship! They are still, however, much more expensive than the normal $2.79 that I would pay at a gas station, though.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]


[COLOR=black][IMG]http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb479/Delta_Hotel/Glory%20Day%206/Nd3_2255.jpg[/IMG][/COLOR]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Our fun-filled adventure at the New Jersey rest stop has come to an end, so we all pile back into the cars, and head for home. In just a few short hours, and a few hundred miles later… we arrive back in Maryland. Now… our vacation is really over. Home Sweet Home.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[COLOR=black][IMG]http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb479/Delta_Hotel/Glory%20Day%206/theend.jpg[/IMG][/COLOR]

[Pistol Packin Mama]

[B]Congratulations!! Glad you arrived safely home, now I'm ready for you next adventure. Where is it going to be again? Please post on here where we can find it, so we don't have to hunt all over. Really have enjoyed the trip thru you eyes and can relate to most of it.:):):)[/B]

[Delta Hotel]

Hey everyone, now that this memoir has officially come to an end, I thought I'd share some of the statistics that I've been tracking:

Date of Original Post: July 13th, 2011
Date of Last Post: January 8th, 2012
Total Days Lapsed: 179 Days
Thread Posts: 635
Thread Views: 68,266
Total Memoir Words: 107,391
Total Pages (MS Word): 267
Negative Posts: 0


Thanks to everyone that hung in there for 179 days with me. Hopefully I'll be able to find the motivation to write another one of these some day.

Happy cruisin' to all, and to all a good flight!

Delta Hotel

[Delta Hotel]

[quote name='Pistol Packin Mama'][B]Congratulations!! Glad you arrived safely home, now I'm ready for you next adventure. Where is it going to be again? Please post on here where we can find it, so we don't have to hunt all over. Really have enjoyed the trip thru you eyes and can relate to most of it.:):):)[/B][/quote]

Hey Pat!

If I can dredge up the oomf to try this again, I'll post a link to the new one inside of this thread. I have no idea when that'll be - but I'll try to let you know.

DH

[Daphne'sMom]

So glad you tied this up. It was a very enjoyable review. I was tempted to go back to find & re-post where you said a previous boss had called you a ninety-something per-center :D (sorry couldn't remember exact percentage and couldn't find the post). Thanks again to you and your wife for sharing your story and lovely family.

[Delta Hotel]

So glad you tied this up. It was a very enjoyable review. I was tempted to go back to find & re-post where you said a previous boss had called you a ninety-something per-center :D (sorry couldn't remember exact percentage and couldn't find the post). Thanks again to you and your wife for sharing your story and lovely family.

 

You're so very welcome - and I mean that... not just saying it. It may not seem like it or sound a little silly, but the simple act of writing this memoir (as informal as it is) has, in a small way, changed my life a little. I think I've said this before in this thread, but for those of you who have read this memoir all the way through - you've probably got a better idea of who I am than my siblings, parents, in-laws, and even many of my closest friends.

 

You were right - he called me a "90-percenter". I find it ironic and refreshing that since he called me a "90 percenter" to my face, I've been diligently working toward not being one. But enough about me!

 

DH

[jtwitch]

Man... I can't believe I wasted my time reading that!!!

 

 

 

(Just kidding... but I figured you needed to up the negative post count!)

[tandemcruzr]

DH and Miss Shakey. Everytime I wash my hands and get that 'squeaky' feeling, I think about y'all. Enjoy your next adventure. :)

[crusing_guy]

Delta Hotel and Shakey Beef,

 

Thanks for the wonderful memoir......I have truly enjoyed reading it and I apologize if I seemed "pushy" for you to complete it....You have a wonderful writing style and I compliment you on your efforts.

 

I hope you have a wonderful vacation.....

 

Regards,

Mike Tomlinson

[ShakyBeef]

Thank you all for your interest in this little project of his, your patience in waiting for the installments, and your kind words and praise. You all have made the whole experience of getting this memoir commited to "paper" so rewarding.:)

 

Oh, and thanks, jtwitch, for the negative post. You're right, we really did need one of those to round the whole thing out.;)

[jtwitch]

 

Oh, and thanks, jtwitch, for the negative post. You're right, we really did need one of those to round the whole thing out.;)

 

Happy to help!

 

:)

[kjblovestotravel]

I had a great trip and am looking forward to my version in June. We are going out of Boston to St John.

[justkiya]

Fabulous review!! I seriously doubt I'll EVER take this trip (my horror of cold possibly trumps DH's - 70's is downright shiver inducing!) but I've had almost enough fun reading it that I might consider it. In August. Of a VERY hot year. ;)

 

I'm an avid reader - and this is one of the better 'memoirs' I've read - thank you, Delta Hotel AND ShakeyBeef. (Shaky? Shakey? Only one has the redline, but it's the one that looks wrong, and it's too late for me to go back in the thread and look. Mrs. Hotel - lovely wonderful patient Beefwife - I thank you. Editing is a hard, HARD job. ;) )

 

K.

[Celandine]

I stumbled across this thread many hours ago... and I will not even begin to think about what I SHOULD have done today in place of what I have done.

 

 

THank you both for what is possibly the most enjoyable review I've ever read.

 

 

I wish I could meet you because you seem like the kind of people I befriend...

 

 

wow....

[Delta Hotel]

I stumbled across this thread many hours ago... and I will not even begin to think about what I SHOULD have done today in place of what I have done.

 

 

THank you both for what is possibly the most enjoyable review I've ever read.

 

 

I wish I could meet you because you seem like the kind of people I befriend...

 

 

wow....

 

Hey! You're welcome, and thanks for the kind words! Not to change the subject, by your signature is REALLY intriguing... I'd like to hear some of your story =)

 

DH