Cruisin' Day 5-- Naples/Capri

Up at the crack of 6:45 A.M. today. The breakfast buffet provided fuel for the day's activities. We met the rest of our troop of 8 at 8:00 A.M. to set out for the fabled Isle of Capri.

Step 1: Obtain a ticket for the hydrofoil. Fortunately, the weather was calm, although cloudy. 32 euro bought a round-trip ticket and the opportunity to board along with a few other adventurous souls for the half hour or so sail. It was actually a bit boring; the ship was not set up to be anything more than transportation: lots of seats, small windows, but a snack bar and a guy trying to sell donuts and caps (not many takers for either). We snapped a few photos in the harbor area...

Next, we bought tickets for the funicolare to go up to the center of the city. Either walk for thirty minutes or ride the tram-like thing up the hill in a few minutes--no brainer. We planned to explore the city of Capri, but spent more time tying to figure out how to relocate Janet's mom, Vicky's husband, and brother Mike, who had all strayed. Of course, they weren't all together; Mike and camera were off on their own. This was where we saw them last...

W e decided to return to the funicolare station, get a yummy lemon slush, and wait. I guess Capri is known for lemon everything. The owner of the slush stand ran us off because Janet and Janice tried to sit there and eat pizza that they had purchased elsewhere. "Non permisso! Non permisso!" Yeah, yeah, whatever. Took a few more pics....

Vicky located hubby and Janet's mom around the corner having a beer. Well, we were up to 7 of the 8 and knew that Mikey would turn up eventually, so we set off to get bus tickets to Anacapri, another town farther up the hills. Funicolare and bus tickets were 1,40 euro each way. That's when I figured out that these folks use a comma where we use a decimal point in the prices of things. They also sometimes use three places to the right for whatever reason. It was somewhat of a relief to figure out that lasagne was 12 euro, not 12,000 as the sign seemed to indicate. Oh, and in case you were wondering why there would even be mini-trucks like those turning up here and there, I have seen the reason. The "streets" are about as wide as sidewalks, and these little vehicles are about all that could run down them. Main thoroughfares are a bit wider, but accommodate two-way traffic. We got on a little orange bus wide enough to seat one person on each side and allow two people to stand between them and hang on. Off we went up a steep, serpentine road with hairpin turns, missing sideview mirrors of oncoming traffic by inches. Little guard rails separated traffic from a steep cliff. Janet had to look away or close her eyes. Yet we made it safely to Anacapri.

This time we set a time and place to meet, in case we got separated, which, of course, we didn't. We did a little shopping ( would have done more with a more favorable rate of exchange). No major purchases, just some lemon chocolate. After the bus back down, we got on the funicolare back down to the harbor. There was Mikey waiting to catch the boat back to Naples! He had been on his own adventure to some ruins of a fortress. Can't wait to see some of his pictures. Once again, didn't get arrested; made it back to the ship!

After dinner at the buffet, I went up to the very top deck at the back of the ship to watch the sun set over Naples and the sailaway. I had a nice conversation with a couple from Maine. Being a retired teacher brings up all sorts of topics relating to education. Everyone has stories to tell. I got some nice pictures.

Naples is a bustling, modern city--not really my cup of tea. Maybe if I were incredibly wealthy...

Extract from the Deck Log

10th October 2009- Naples, Italy

Overnight, Ruby Princess continued her transit of the Tyrrhenian Sea and in the early hours our track took us by the active volcano island of Stromboli. Just before sunrise we transited into the Gulf of Naples passing close by the beautiful Island of Capri, before turning to the northeast towards the breakwater. Prior to embarking our pilot at 06:06 and entering the harbour we left the historic city of Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius on our starboard side.

Once we slipped our lines and thrusted off our berth we exited the port of Naples. Ruby Princess then eased back into the Gulf of Naples and after rounding the Island of Ischia to the southwest to port, northwesterly courses were set towards Civitavecchia, the port for Rome.

09th October 2009-- at Sea

Extract from the Deck Log


Throughout the course of the day, Ruby Princess continued to transit southeastwards through the Adriatic Sea towards the Strait of Otranto and into the northern part of the Ionian Sea. At 11:36 we altered course to 222 degrees where we rounded the "heel of Italy" after maintaining this track for 165.2 nm we set a northwesterly heading and set up our approach into the Messina Strait.


We boarded the Pilot for Messina at 20:50 at a speed of 19.5 knots and carried out the 40 mile transit navigating through the heavy traffic passing Sicily on our port side and the Italian mainland on our starboard side. We then disembarked our Pilot at 21:15 then increased our speed to meet our 0600 ETA to Naples.





Venice to Naples- 816 Nautical miles- average speed 20.8 knots





If you don't find that interesting, maybe over the course of the rest of the cruise postings you'll learn to skip the italicized stuff, hmmmmm?

Land Ho! Since we were on the starboard side, I guess that's the Italian mainland. Going out to the balcony upon waking became the daily ritual, not always terribly informative sometimes. More informative was the TV channel that showed a map with our current position marked. We were late rising today. Last night saw dinner in one of the restaurants, visits to clubs on board, karaoke singing, and ordering pictures for today's class. Did I mention how fortunate I was in roommate roulette? Janet R., hereinafter referred to as Roomie Janet, is fabulous! She is so sweet and fun-loving (requisite for hanging with me). I was a bit anxious signing on for 18 days in a stateroom with someone I had never met, but it couldn't have worked out better. I love the woman!

We hit the breakfast buffet at 11:00, and then we went down to pick up our pictures. Surprise! The kiosk we had used to order pictures was not plugged in to send anything to the printer. Four of us taking the class had no pictures to work from. Travel agent Vicky (need a good travel agent? I can make a recommendation.) sought out the manager to pitch a ring-tailed fit-- said we should get them for free. We gathered our materials and headed for deck 18, the Skywalker Lounge (and me without my lightsword). Janet did a lovely demonstration, and I tried to behave myself. But Carl pointed out some dolphins doing the dolphin thing beside the ship-- had to watch them. Then came time to set pastel to paper. I did have one pastel drawing under my belt before the cruise. Expect great things, huh? What to do, what to do....hmmmmmm.... I sketched in some buildings, started the sky, decided I didn't like the buildings, made them go away.... Better luck next time.

I headed back down to do some balcony sitting before dinner. Vicky called and said to go down to pick up my pictures. Too late for class, but, hey, I wanted 'em! They weren't free, but half price. I should have ordered more. Who knew?

Back up to the room to get ready for dinner-- formal night. Ughh... I hate dressing up! And the food! Too fancy! No, I don't like wine. No, I don't want fancy-schmancy appetizer followed by soup/salad. Forgot my reading glasses, so I couldn't quite make out the menu descriptions, especially since they were printed in gold on beige with low lighting. Anyway, I have decided that if a five-year-old would like it, it's my kind of food. I opted for pork roast, mashed potatoes, some kind of apple sauce, and then, just to ruin the whole thing, cooked red cabbage. I am not eatiing THAT! Well, just the meat that didn't get cabbage-corrupted and the potatoes. Chocolate sundae with some microscopic cookies with a far bigger name for dessert.

Afterwards, we came across the Captain's Champagne Party. Weirdest thing I've ever seen-- a whole bunch of champagne glasses with a cherry in each stacked in a pyramid. With musical accompanyment, people would climb some stairs so they could reach the top to dump champagne from a bottle onto the pyramid of glasses. Other folks took pictures. WEIRD! Very Titanicesque.

Next, we went to see a magician perform, got there relatively late, got seated on the side that didn't evidently register on the performer's consciousness, and saw very little presditigitation. Off to bed. Docking in Naples, meeting Mike and Janet, etc. at 8:00 A.M. Off to the Isle of Capri on a hydrofoil! Adventure awaits!

Cruisin': Day 3

We started day 3 with breakfast delivered to the room so we could eat on the balcony in jammies. I could get used to this, despite today's view of another ship. We could still watch boats going by between the ships from our vantage point on deck 10.

That picture of breakfast doesn't look so great. Whenever I go somewhere, the Loved One always asks, "What'd ya have to eat?" Sooooo, what if I take pictures of food? Can't wait to show him! It's playing in my head now...

"What'd ya have to eat?" he asked with genuine interest.

She whips out a stack of pictures.

"Alla this stuff," she replies smugly.

"What is it?"

"What's it look like?"

Just can't wait! He didn't want to come along; so, hey, stay home and eat your own cooking!

Well, I digress.... Back to the day's adventures. We caught the water taxi back to St. Marks.

Bellisimo! I can't wait to see brother Mike's pictures---he's got the expertise and the equipment. He's also got the sense of direction. My family members know how directionally challenged I am. Add to that disability the fact that I don't speak Italian and needed to get back to the ship before it sailed, and I decided to stick close to Mike as we ventured off into the city. There are areas not directly on canals, little piazzas that feature wells like this one in the square.

That would be Mike back there, not too far away from yours truly. We only had a few hours before needing to get back to the ship. Just such a beautiful place! Definitely not northeastern Oklahoma! I had taken over 150 pictures before we left Venezia, Italia. Come on over; I'll be happy to show you all of them!

Didn't get arrested; made it back to the ship! We went up to the top deck, deck 19, to take pictures during the sail away from Venice... offered a magnificent vantage point.

In the distance you'll see the Carnival cruise ship that was docked next to ours. Big, huh?

Extract from the Deck Log of the Ruby Princess:

8th October 2009- Venice, Italy

At 13:19 with all pre-departure checks satisfactorily completed, Ruby Princess slipped her moorings and maneuvered slowly astern. Turning at rest to Stb within the tight confines of the harbour the ship headed to the east, navigating through the narrow, shallow canal network towards the breakwater. We passed the "Piazza San Marco" to port at 13:53. Our pilot disembarked at 14:30, one nautical mile south of the breakwater in the Gulf of Venice. Courses were then set south-eastwards into the northern Adriatic sea, navigating between the many oil and gas rigs, down towards the Strait of Otranto.

There and Back Again: Story of a Cruise

Day 1ish--day 1 kind of ran into day 2:

Larry dropped me off at the airport in Kansas City at about the time the security station opened. No waiting! Resolved one quandry: mascara--gel or not? In the 1 qt. bag or not? Hadn't really thought about it, but if toothPASTE is a gel.... I mean, mascara isn't a liquid, is it? Is it a gel? Jeez! the things I get hung up on! Anyway, on October 6, 2009, at KCI, it's evidently not a gel. Whew! I did have to take out my boxes of pastels for examination though. They evidently were suspicious. At least I didn't try to take any acrylic paints. No telling what kind of subversion those could suggest. OK, I'm glad all of the precautions are taken, and I understand why. It's just all of the strange uncertainties I can come up with. I met up with Mike and Janet, and my new roommate Janet at the Atlanta airport. We joined up with ladies from Texas and Janet's Mom from Denver. All together, 21 of us boarded the plane bound for Venice. My first transAtlantic flight! The idea was to go to sleep after dinner on the flight. Didn't happen for me. I was three short, cramped rows back from a TV screen playing some stupid Eddie Murphy movie. I figured I might as well try to watch it, but the headphones were being temperamental. I did get them to work finally, for awhile. A flight attendant came down the aisle with a beverage cart, bumped my aisle armrest, and the headphones quit. Oh well, time for the ipod. Music to listen to, but annoying light flashing in my eyes. Time for the sleep mask. Little cracks of light coming in.....long story short--no sleep for me. At some point, day 1 became day 2.

Day 2 saw me off the plane, through baggage and passport check, and on a van to the port where we would board the Ruby Princess.

We needed our passports, boarding passes, and another security check. Yep, wanted to see the pastels again (colores the guy called them). Luggage was delivered to the stateroom, and the cruise card became my new best friend, getting me on and off the ship, into the stateroom, and charging anything on board the ship. This is some seriously huge ship! 953 feet long, 19 decks, 3,000 passengers...really, really BIG!The ship just turned one year old...big, new, beautiful! After getting settled into our staterooms, six of us, including Mike, Janet, roomie Janet and I, caught the water taxi to St. Mark's Square, Venice.

Snap, snap, snap.... take lots of pictures! They're free! Gotta love the digital age! I ended up with over 1,000 photos by the time I got home. Obviously, they won't all appear here. Even if you wanted to see them all, they take too long to upload. You'll just have to stop by for the whole array of pics. We just wandered around trying to get pictures and not lose each other. Venice must truly be one of the most beautiful places in the world. Absolutely breathtaking! There are no vehicles, just pedestrians, canals, and gondolas and boats. Incredible! We ate dinner outside at a restaurant on the Grand Canal with singing gondoleers passing by. There are just not enough superlatives to describe it. OK, so maybe I'm easily impressed, but WOW!

There'll be more of Venice from day 3. One day down in a foreign country. Didn't get arrested; made it back to the ship. So far, so good!

Cowgirls Don't Cry

Granddaughter Jade came out for the weekend last Saturday. We first went to Gage's football game (they lost). Jade displayed the same love for the game as I have. (Is it over yet?)

That's Gage at center front of the picture, one of the relatively few times he was on the field. We all cheered him on--well, maybe not big brother Lane so much, and despite all of the years attending Brian's games, I still have no idea what is going on. Just wait until it's over and hope no one is hurt. That's me, and Jade seems to share the feeling.

Afterwards we stopped at the swap meet looking for treasures. Didn't find much of interest and continued on home to Jade's main event--PONIES! She told me that she knows they are ponies, but she calls them horses. This was to be Jade's first ride "all by herself." Before this visit, she had been led around while riding Lucy or Desi. Now we were going to trail ride with Lucy just following me and Flicka. Jade wasn't too sure until I told her that we had tried it out with Gage riding during his last visit. Lucy would follow Flicka. She might get a little behind since she is smaller, older, and doesn't walk as fast; but though she might trot to catch up, she wouldn't run off. We watched an episode of Julie Goodnight on the DVR dealing with being the boss and making the horse do what you wanted. It also talked about the proper way to hold the reins, etc. Jade was ready, so out we went to saddle up.

She was READY! Larry supervised Lucy while I mounted up, and off we went. Larry said he put the rein over the saddle horn so Lucy wouldn't stop to eat--I didn't think much of it. When I checked back, Jade's expressions ranged from uncomfortable to terrified when Lucy trotted a bit. I figured as long as she wasn't screaming, we were good. I love it when a plan comes together. I bought Flicka partly because I knew Jade couldn't learn to ride when her horse was being led. I also didn't want to lead the horse for miles until Jade was tired of riding. If I could just get Lucy to follow me on another horse..... It worked! We came back to the house and prepared to dismount.

I dismounted and turned just in time to see Jade tumble off over Lucy's head. It seems that although Larry told me he "wrapped" the reins around the saddle horn, I heard "looped" the reins. I didn't know they were, in effect, tied to the horn. When we stopped in the yard, Lucy decided it was time to eat, so down went her head with some determination. There is no back cinch on the saddle, so it tipped forward, and off went Jade! Good thing Lucy's short--not too far to the ground. Besides, Cowgirls don't cry! Better luck next time.

Next time came the next morning. Jade was ready to go! This time no tying of the reins; she would hold them and figure out how to grab the saddle horn if she needed to. We shortened the stirrups a notch so she could manage the trotting a little better. Off on the trails we went. A little "City Slicker" looking, but not so scared. She was able to learn by watching me, and she decided she was having fun. The dismounting went off just fine, and we decided to tie the critters out to eat in the yard for awhile. Jade wanted to leave the saddles on so she could go for another ride in the afternoon. Ahhhhh... a child after my own heart. I recently read in a magazine that one way to find contentment was to return to the activities one loved between the ages of 10 and 13. Those were the Montana years for me, and horseback riding was everything. I'm Back!

I'll get you closer!

Just got back from Grand River below the Pensacola Dam. We've had quite a lot of rain, causing GRDA to be running full generation and to open several floodgates. Time to go catfishing! I don't fish, but I read, hook up to tree limbs if Larry wants to wet a line, and give my Kodak easyshare a workout. It's tough sometimes to get pictures of wildlife because, well, it's wild and unapproachable. Don't have telephoto capabilities, but Larry tries to indulge me whenever possible and detour toward the banks. We passed a hole up on the mud bank, and Larry thought something was in there. There were two of them, whatever they were.

"I can see something, but I'm not close enough!" I whined as I looked through the viewfinder.

"I'll get you closer," replied the ever-helpful Loved One.

One of the critters made a break for it.

"It's a beaver!"

"I can't see it very well," I claim, still focused on the tiny viewfinder. "Can you get me closer?"

"I'll get you closer," came the resigned, long-suffering relpy.

Yep, it's a beaver alright! Now, the thing about boats is that when they are gliding in a direction, they don't necessarily stop on a dime. We continued toward the bank, I snapped one more photo and raised my face from the viewfinder.....

YIKES! All I can think of is Jeff Foxworthy telling a story about some guy getting his nipple bitten OFF by a BEAVER! And those are some scary orange teeth right there!

Fortunately for me, the fight/flight choice was for flight. I looked for less scary subjects. How about birds? I love the egrets and herons that populate the shores.

I can't get too close to them though. It does amaze me that such a beautiful, graceful creature can produce such a harsh, discordant utterance. I would think they would produce something more melodious, not the jarring croaking that comes out of them.

Anyway, it was a good trip: cool weather, deserted campground, 18 catfish, 1 drum, and a big ol' carp that was fun to catch and throw back.

Visitors

The feeders are going! They look a bit like alien invaders, but they are actually barrels on legs filled with whole corn and fitted with a device that throws the corn out at set intervals. We start them up, three of them, every year at this time and keep them going until around late February or so. It's a hunter thing. Other landowners around here have feeders going in addition to food plots planted just for game attraction. There are no croplands close by. That's part of the attraction of the property for me-- no chemicals running off onto my place. However, it limits food availability for wildlife.

During the fall, feeders attract game animals to the property, and they help the animals make it through the winter. As is the case with all hunter sponsored wildlife activities, non-game animals benefit also. Once the feeders are going and there are signs of activity, it's time for the trail cameras. They are motion activated and have a flash for nighttime. Pictures include a date and time stamp to identify patterns. Although this big boy came in during the morning, once the season starts he'll become more nocturnal, coming in after shooting hours.

Hopefully, these bandits will keep visiting the feeders instead of visiting the henhouse. Other critters-- rodents, rabbits, and squirrels--sometimes attract predators. We've seen bobcats and a fox on trailcam pics.

Yes, a hunter would gladly harvest the buck, but a doe with a spotted fawn? Uh-uh. A barren doe? Sure. Turkeys? Sure, if the season is open. Somehow during the spring turkey season, these guys are not on the place. It's good to see these guys though because few hunters had a shot at a turkey this last season. Proves there're some still around.

We only harvest animals we're going to eat. I'm not too fond of squirrel or rabbit, so as far as I'm concerned, those guys are safe. Other pictures show crows, bluejays, and other birds. One picture showed an armadillo visiting. I really enjoy looking at trailcam pictures.....ahhhhhhhh, the country life!

They're everywhere!

This year hasn't quite equaled the bumper crop of last year, but there certainly is no shortage of thistles. We're after 'em though! Just when ya think you've got 'em, more appear. Actually, they're not so easy to spot at a distance until they bloom. They are kinda pretty.
The purplish flowers are attractive--love the color, but, according to North American Wildlife, "It is against the law in 37 states to allow the Canada Thistle to grow on one's land." Yep, it's noxious.

Maybe this isn't a Canada Thistle; maybe it's an Okie Thistle. Maybe this isn't one of the 37 states; maybe there's a whole lot of lawlessness goin' on. Hmmmmmm....






Anyway, I'm acuttin' 'em! Don't want any more of them.


Now, a neighbor, who's a farmer, told Larry Loved One that once they bloom, it's too late to cut them; they'll come back anyway.

The guy said that the buds are actually seeds.

What?!?!??

Now, my undergraduate major was English, not botany; but HUH? I thought the process went bud, bloom, seed in that order.
These buds have seeds in 'em? Seed, bud, bloom? Really???? Never would have thought this guy was into alternative, illegal crops, but what's he smokin'? I just don't believe it, and I'm cuttin' 'em if I see 'em.
And what the heck is this thing? I was riding down a trail on the estate hunting thistles and spotted this plant. I'm sure it's noxious. Never have seen one before and have only seen this one. I looked in North American Wildlife, but didn't find it. The Loved One says it's a Yellow Tower Flower Plant.

Whatever....

P.S. Shortly after I started the blog, I read Jeffrey Deaver's Roadside Crosses. Deaver is one of my favorite authors. Features a blogger...Kinda scary...made me think about a few things I should be careful of. Highly recommend anything by Jeffrey Deaver!

Remember the ThighMaster?

I'm looking for mine.
Suzanne Somers plugged the device and testified that it would firm and reshape all those jiggles in the lower hemisphere. I was younger and more foolish then....thought there might be hope. I somehow convinced myself that if I bought one, I would use it. Learned nothing from the ankle weights, the exercycle, or the Nordic Rider. This contraption was simple and inexpensive, not to mention easily stored and portable! How could I fail?
How about by not using it? Despite the alluring visions of myself with Suzanne's bod, it was too Hard! Not FUN, WORK! She never grimaced when demonstrating the wonders of ThighMaster reps. What was I doing wrong? Nevermind, pitch it out in the garage! No, no! The Loved One might see it out there and give me grief. Under the bed! He'll never look there!
You know, I even think I moved it with all my worldly possessions more than once. But where is it now? The list of places it isn't is growing. Surely I didn't throw it out! A treasure like that? As soon as ya throw something out, you're gonna want it! I know better!
So, why am I looking for the darn thing? Well, I need it! No concern about jiggles, no illusions about Suzanne's bod. It's simple, really. I need to strengthen my inner thigh muscles.
What???
No, really, I do! You see, every other time, I ride Flicka with a bareback pad, trying to make sure she'll ride with the saddle or pad. Good for her because there is less weight; bad for me because of the inner thigh muscle thing. Why? According to the saddlemaker guy, Flicka has narrow withers. That means I have to clamp on harder with, you guessed it---inner thigh muscles. Those seem to have gone the way of all flesh, and I need to build those muscles up. Right now I am only riding for a short while so I don't get too sore. Flicka doesn't mind at all; apparently, a walk in the woods is not as enjoyable when lugging me around. What sort of exercise builds inner thigh muscle strength? ThighMaster! Where is it? The Loved One thinks it's out in the garage. I looked, but obviously not as well as he can.
We'll see....

...and a river runs through it.

Well, a stream, actually. Big Sugar Creek, to be more precise.

Wanderlust struck, reinforced by logic. Huh? School has just started, people are reeling from back-to-school expenses and are saving for that last Labor Day fling. What better time to go canoe floating? With Friday off work, a fresh pay day, and a beautiful weather forecast, it's the only logical thing to do. There had been some recent heavy rains in the area, and Larry felt that the rivers would be muddy. I have to bow to the expertise of anyone whose sender name on his email that he never checks is "River rat." Seriously, would you open an email from that moniker? We checked out a river or two anyway, and, yep--muddy. Then, a mere two hours from home, we found Canoe Sugar Island (CSI--what a catchy name!). There were several full-time campers parked there, but with the exception of the owner's son, who claimed illness and a need to get someone else to drive us to a launching point, there were no other canoers. Yea!! Private canoeing! It's not often you get the water to yourself unless heavy duty protective gear and a foolhardy nature are required. The water was crystal clear and the weather was absolutely beautiful!

Larry caught a few small mouth bass, and we saw a groundhog and these horses. Wonder why they don't wander off. The water is shallow and we never saw any fencing. I've had to take a four-wheeler to round-up goofy Dezi when he has gotten the urge to explore. What keeps these critters contained?

After about five glorious hours on the water with only one very short portage, we returned to camp. And some moron was using a leaf blower around his trailer. Really! Who takes a leaf blower to "get away from it all"? Obviously at least one guy does. We moved to a more remote campsite, easy to do with a motor home. We sat out listening to the water 'til dark, had a good night's sleep, and came home to take care of animals. Great outdoor adventures close by!

Next adventure? As soon as I post this, I'm getting out a four-wheeler and going thistle hunting! Despite my careful cultivation and subsequent destruction of 6' tall, tiny blooming velvetleaf plants, I am no lover of noxious weeds. Thistles are starting to bloom, and we get rid of them before they go to seed. Thistles and red cedars don't feed anything, so they are just taking up space--gotta go!

I am...

a walking, talking Larry-the-Cable-Guy joke. I went out to the swap meet last Saturday to "git me somethin' nice fer my birthday!" Found some treasures: a 16x20 picture frame for $1 and this lovely piece of furniture for $10. "Ain't it purty?" I think it was once a cabinet used for filing papers; there was one paper tray left in it. There was also a record album on the remaining shelf. Maybe there were too many records put in it, and the weight broke the shelves. Anyway, I'll be stripping it down and painting it. I'm thinking of staining the legs, painting the top to resemble marble, and painting landscapes representing the four seasons on the sides. Then I'll find it a home. I have no use for it; it's just something to do. I need projects!









The technological nightmare that lurks everywhere has surfaced at the pharmacy. The last two days at work have been horrendous. There is a computer system utilized at two stations to bring up customers' orders, get identification when required, obtain signatures for insurance, and check the medications out. Neither one worked! Most people aren't thrilled to be getting medications anyway; add a whole lot of waiting and inconvenience and things can get downright ugly. As the cashier, I'm the one in the danger zone, a target right on my forehead evidently. If looks could kill, I'd have been an early casualty. Good thing I was off work today because I'd have had a hard time making myself go in. Hopefully the stuff will be working tomorrow. This keeps up, I could have a meltdown!





Even when the equipment is working, there are plenty of unhappy campers. Sometimes doctors don't call in prescriptions in a timely fashion, or the busy pharmacists don't check the messages exactly when they come in. Many customers seem to be suffering from CoUD ( Center of the Universe Disorder) in addition to whatever malady took them to a physician in the first place. One guy yesterday gave me attitude in reply to my information that I had nothing ready for him. "Well, I was standing right there when he called. This is ------- isn't it?"


"No, it's the effing moon!" my inner self silently replied. My inner self could alienate a whole boatload of customers if it ran amok.


Just another day in paradise. One unhappy gentleman did seriously bother me though. When he first came to the counter, there was one prescription ready and two in the process. He said he would wait to get all three and come back. Unfortunately, one of the three could not be filled because we have had difficulty obtaining the med from the suppliers. When he came back, he unloaded on the target in front of him, me. " I am never coming back to this store. I'll take my business elsewhere. You people have done this to me for the last three months! I called the other day and was told my prescriptions would be ready. My daughter drives all the way to get me and bring me to town; I'm practically blind and can't drive anymore!" on and on... He refused the one vial of insulin we had and stormed off. His daughter was standing behind him and mouthed, "I'm sorry," before following her father.


I think Karen probably had similar experiences with Dad. I was 1200 miles away, but I do know that an incredibly polite, rational gentleman became irrational, aggressive and sometimes combative. So very sad. I hope Brian is spared the experience of his parents going through this, but what will be, will be.