Where We've Been

Tomorrow, I start back to work as a middle school teacher, so summer as a holiday is just about over for me. It's been a crazy, busy, exciting few months. I have to admit, though, I'm ready to go back to work. I'm the new adviser for the yearbook this year, so I've got a brand new challenge to look forward to. As if teaching lower-level hormone-addled prepubescents wasn't enough. I printed out my rosters on Friday and see that I have several of the same students again, some of them in 7th grade this time around, and some of them, well, in the same dang grade they were in last year. Either way, I'll try and mix it up so they won't be bored.

This past Wednesday, my principal paid the way for four of us to go see Dr. Harry Wong in Pensacola. If you're not an educator, you probably have never heard of Harry Wong. If you're in the field, you can't miss him; he's like the weather, everywhere. Wong is a long-time classroom teacher who dispenses practical advice and wisdom, and his mantra is "procedures, procedures, procedures." That's what he and a colleague from Madison, AL talked about to 1400 teachers at the Civic Center. You'd think talking about procedures (how to run everything related to your classroom) would be boring, but it was not. I'd read his phenomemally best selling book (3 million copies sold) and I'd seen in on video, but to see him in person was worth the price of admission. I got some great ideas about how to "do" the first days of school, and I was inspired by his tough-compassionate approach to teaching. The only thing that bothered me was the way he wears his pants. He's a man without a waist, so the beltline seemed arbitrary and a bit high (like under the armpits). But, hey, it's a small matter.

Where did I leave off? I think I wrote about Erin's visit last time. Guess I should write a bit about the cruise. Ed and I cruised from Jacksonville on Carnival the week of July 23. We went down to Key West, then to Nassau in the Bahamas. Here are some observations, in no particular order:

This ship was smaller and older than the Norwegian boat we went to Alaska on. No deck chairs, only loungers by the tiny pools. No grand lobby. No little bistro specialty restaurants or coffee shops. In this way, the Celebration was not the better boat. Word is it will retire next year.

On the positive side, the beds were better and the staterooms were larger. Carnival has invested in down (or down-like) comforters and pillows and a higher grade of linens. You can tell the difference. Also, the beds feel like big foam mattresses, not like boards laid across sawhorses.

There were singing and dancing waiters. They did the macarena. Enough said.

Security was tighter this cruise, and I didn't hear anyone complaining. Exiting the boat, you had to check out with your cruise card. Boarding the boat, you had to show your photo i.d., walk through a metal detector, have your shopping bags searched, and check in with your card again. The set up at Nassau was admirable. If you were not a cruise passenger, you did not have access to the dock area. I felt reassured by the security and safety measures taken by the cruise line.

We had no problem leaving the U.S. without our passports. Getting back in was another matter. The customs man did not take my printout showing our passports were being processed seriously. He wanted to know where our birth certificates were. Well, we had to send them in to get our passports. Duh. Finally, a supervisor intervened. Our passports showed up two weeks after we got home. I'm already talking up a trip to Italy.

Key West is the hottest place I have ever been to. Ever. Mental note: do not go to Key West in July. You will feel like you are in hell's waiting room, about to get on the down escalator.

That being said, "Key Weird," as our guide called it, is an interesting and colorful place. I plodded and sweated through a 1.5 mile walking tour of the city that included the Little White House, the Hemingway Home, and the original Sloppy Joe's Bar. Even the cats were fagged out by the heat. Not a whisker was moving.

The water in the Bahamas really is that color. Also, it is saltier than the Gulf and easier to float in. This makes snorkeling a warm up activity for sleeping in the "dead man's float" position. I kept drifting off. My husband got an evil sunburn on his lower back. Since we were snorkeling in a controlled access beach situation, there weren't any coral reefs or exotic fish to see. Ed saw one starfish and one sand dollar. I saw sand. Mental note: next time, go for a more advanced snorkeling adventure.

The sand fleas are vicious and they will bite. Giving tourists directions while they are standing in 95 degree heat on a beach filled with sand fleas while the Caribbean winks in the background is just evil. I looked like I had the pox the next day.

If you want to cruise cheap, give up the soda and the booze before you leave. Just a word of advice.

You cannot get a decent cup of coffee from a syrup and hot water mixing machine in the lido buffet line. Just forgettaboutit. We can recommend Kick Ass Coffee Company in Key West. In Nassau, we found Starbucks.

I am again amazed at how wonderful people who work with tourists all the time CAN be. At Disney World, every cast member we came in contact with was pleasant, helpful and friendly. On the cruise, 1500 employees from 53 countries willingly met our every need with a smile. One of the employees had competed with 300 other people in his country for the job with Carnival. It is a humbling thing to realize how good we have it in this country. I'm certain that these are not high-paying jobs, but they are better than most work people can find in their own country. The boat we were on is out for five days. We arrived in Jacksonville Saturday morning at 7 a.m. We were off the ship by 10 a.m. and they turned around and set sail on another 5-day cruise at 4 p.m. Then, they were back and off again on a 4-day cruise. Crew members work long hours cheerfully. I don't know how Disney and the cruise lines do it, but the employee culture is truly amazing.

I checked out the gym on the boat before we left Jax, and never went back. Be prepared to eat six times a day. The food quantities and choices on these floating smorgasbords is legendary. You can work out when you get home.

Well, guess that's it. For my birthday present this year, my husband gave me a brand new house. We moved in and spent our first night August 4. I still can't believe that I can stand anywhere in the house and it will be 78 degrees everywhere. Central air is wonderful after living with a window A.C. that sounds like a jet airplane hanger. Things are getting put away and we are settling in. Fifteen months from the time we poured the foundation until we moved in -- and now we see it was surely worth the wait. We are so blessed with our new home. Next time you're in this neck of the woods, come see us.

Final note. We finally gave up on the two-channel antenna system. We got Dish Network on Friday. My husband is excited about racing on ESPN and catching the playoffs and World Series this year. I'm an HGTV junkie. With 100 channels, I'm sure we'll waste tons of time. At least until the novelty wears off.