Musing, blogging, reflecting, affirming, complaining, documenting
It’s Tuesday, May 30, 2023 and we had an 11-hour port call from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in Virgin Voyages’ Beach Club at Bimini, Bahamas. BearCruise group activities 8:00 am – 7:00 pm: Bimini Beach Club (private beach club owned by Virgin Voyages) Look for us by the pools or on the beach if … Read more
It’s Monday, May 29, and we have an “at sea” day today, which means no port call and extra BearCruise-organized activities! Today’s breakfast: We ate all of our breakfasts and lunches in The Galley, which is described as: There were a few more stations in this food-court-like dining area, including: The Sweet Side: The Sweet … Read more
It’s Sunday, May 28, 2023 and we had a 9-hour port call from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Most of our group went on this excursion: Excursion: BearCruise Private Catamaran Shore Excursion | 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (4 hours) Hop on board your own private catamaran as we set … Read more
It’s Saturday, May 27, and we have an “at sea” day today, which means no port call and extra BearCruise-organized activities! Bob and I had breakfast in The Galley, which is essentially a food hall, with lots of different stations of different food choices. We chose coffee, juice, omelets—mine with ham and cheddar and Bob’s … Read more
It’s Friday, May 26, 2023, and as we usually do, we had a very early morning flight to make sure we made our ship’s departure time of 6 p.m., allowing for possible unexpected delays. Many thanks to our friend Neal for taking us to the airport at such a godawful hour. We appreciate you, Neal. … Read more
I’m hanging out downtown Raleigh, reading on the patio of my previous employer. There’s a nearby intersection, and in the last 30 minutes, two cars—one a top-down convertible, and the other with 4 “rolled-down” windows—stopped at the intersection’s light have caught my attention. Well, one really couldn’t miss them. Both had their music so incredibly … Read more
The guy at the convenience store checkout counter is holding an iPad in one hand, which he was looking at while waiting in line in front of me. The cashier finishes ringing up his stuff and indicating the payment processing terminal says, “Okay, it’s ready.” He contorts the wrist of his free hand to “tap” … Read more
There’s a store called Treasure Hunt Bin Megastore that buys “truckloads of overstock & returns from big box retailers such as Amazon, Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s & Costco.” All items are put out in bins and sold for a set price, which changes each day: We decided to check out the place today, which … Read more
I started a new job as a business analyst in a food-testing lab. I came into the break area with my lunch, and I could tell by the looks from my new, skinny colleagues that they approved of neither the amount of mayonnaise nor the mound of shredded cheese on my deep-fried chicken sandwich. “Just … Read more
This taste test was run by the Sensory Service Center (SSC) at N.C. State University, on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, was a “home usage test,” and I was paid with a $20 Amazon gift card. This is the first SSC taste test I’ve participated in that’s been a “take home test.” I loved doing it … Read more