Sat Dec 1 = Major (to me) accomplishment was to research, download and install AndFTP on my Android phone. With the app I can now upload files to my website, using my phone instead of a computer and a Wi-Fi Internet connection. It is pretty slick, and will come in handy later this week on my cruise.
Sun Dec 2 = Today I made some phone calls for comedy to Nassau in the Bahamas. This evening I did a quick light arms workout at the newly remodeled Moon Valley LA Fitness.
- Even later in the evening I found the box for the Plantronics Explorer 102 Blue Tooth I bought back in July, 2017 with instructions in the box. That motivated me to download the instructions, warranty etc. and complete my file for the Bluetooth headset. I guess I never got that done because I was in WI and IL on the road when I bought it.
Mon Dec 3 = I got my tire pressures checked today at 372,855 miles at Discount Tire. The guy would not check the passenger front tire because he saw a blemish on the sidewall that he said was from an impact. That is a little disturbing because I don't remember hitting anything with it and it is a new tire.
- I found Le Petit Chef online. It is a combination of technology, video and dining. What you see is what you get... with a twist. Here are a couple of videos:
- I learned that you probably should see your doctor if you are urinating more than 4-8 times per 24 hours. Also, at my age, I should not be getting up more than 2-3 times to pee at night. I'm kinda marginal in that department. Two main things to do are to limit fluids and eating within 2 hours of bedtime and elevating your legs before going to bed so fluid does not pool in them. If it does, it sort of drains back into your bladder when you are in bed.
- I did comedy tonight at Devil's Advocate in Tempe - a fun show. It was the first time I did my new Alexa With Lights routine.
Tue Dec 4 = I did that same stand up comedy routine at three places tonight: Dos Gringos, Tempe Tavern and Grand Avenue Pizza.
Wed Dec 5 = No more comedy until I leave for my cruise. I have been preparing for the triip, which involved organizing things to take and making lots of phone calls to the Bahamas and Miami for comedy appearances.
Thu Dec 6 = HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
George
younger brother who lives in Mesa, AZ
: 71!
- Making final arrangements and packing for tomorrow's departure: My Trans Union credit score is 822. They call that excellent. Today I put travel allerts on the credit cards I plan to use for the trip. Citibank makes it impossible to allert for overlaping dates, which means I cannot put on an allert for my whole trip that includes Miami and Nassau. Capital One no longer requires travel allerts, even for international travel. I guess they think their system is secure. I will take their card because they have no foreign currency exchange fee.
- What a find: the Sony ICD-UX560 recorder that I had lost last June 30th. Back then I had thought I had left it at The Creek and The Cave in New York City. For over five months it had been hiding down in the rails of my van's driver's seat. Now I have two of 'em since I replaced the lost one. It is not cheap, but is the best little stereo device for recording audiences.
Fri Dec 7 = At noon I drove down to Sky Harbor Airport and flew to Miami, non-stop. I was picked up by the shuttle for the Clarion Hotel, where I spent the night. The hotel was interesting and not too well maintained with splattered paint and only one elevator working. People were waiting about 30 minutes to get down to the loby. When the elevator would arrive at a floor, it was typically unusable, being chock full of people.
Sat Dec 8 = This was a BIG DAY. In the morning, after the generous complementary breakfast, due to the elevator problem, I took the inside stairs (accessible through the office and ordinarely exclusively for the staff) up to my 6th floor room and back down to catch the shuttle to the pier. The shuttle was about an hour and a half late, but still got me to the pier in time.
- On the Celebrety Equinox Ship our rooms were not yet ready so I went to the gym on deck 14 at the front of the ship for a slow, heavy, but abbreviated legs workout. About 3pm we shoved off for our voyage.
- Dinner was with Gloria, Mark and two others at our assigned table, #256, in the gigantic two-story Silhouette Restaurant (shown below) on decks 2 & 3 near the back of the ship. The ordering, service and eating took about an hour and a half, meaning I did not get to the theater much before the start of the comedy show. For the rest of the trip I'll plan on eating supper at the Oceanview Cafe, a huge buffet on deck 14, also near the back of the ship.
My home for three nights. Muster group, A1, deck 5, theater balcony
Massive Dining Room - style; not eating quickly
- Tonight's entertainment was stand up comedy by Rich Aronovitch. Excellent! After the show I enjoyed meeting him.
The theater spans the width of the front of the ship on decks 4 and 5
The pool area at night on deck 14, midships
Sun Dec 9 = Today was a day at sea, with the Celebrity Equinox leisurely heading for The Bahamas. My
Vivoactive
Garmin smart watch that has GPS, specialty timers, heart rate monitor and is connected to my phone via Bluetooth
showed our speed to be between 4 and 9 mph, not using much of the ships 27,200 KW (90,000 hp) total capacity. My activities included exploring the ship with its 10 high tech elevators, laying in the sun a little, bubbling in one of the 6 hot tubs with some new-found friends, a heavy arms workout in the gym and a shower. I have been trying to contact Dan France the cruise director and Christine, the editor of the ship's daily newsletter about doing a guest appearance or getting a blip in the newsletter about my comedy in Nassau. No dice on either of those endeavors.
- In the eating department, this morning I ate the stickiest, gooiest low quality nutrition bar ever, thoughtfully placed in my room. It didn't even taste good. It ended up costing me $4.72, charged to my room. I was smart enough to not use their VERY EXPENSIVE bottle of water. I had breakfast and supper in the Oceanview Cafe buffet. Lunch was at the healthy alternative AquaSpa Cafe on deck 12 and hardly needed.
- I spent a lot of time on Deck 9... lost... looking for my room, #9148. I never did figure out their room numbering system. The inside state room was on the starboard side, toward the front, in a middle hallway with the number facing away as you approached it. I did not miss having a window. The room was nice and dark in the mornings. If I wanted to see what was going on outside, I could always switch the TV to channel 5 for the view to the front of the Bridge.
- This evening's entertainment for me was the awesome cruise ship comedian Rich Aronovitch doing a late adult show. It was a good fun show and he didn't use much profanity. It was from Richthat I got the idea of my high tech USB albums.
Mon Dec 10 = We arrived at the Nassau (the capital city of The Bahamas) pier at 7am this morning. By 9:30 this morning I had eaten breakfast and was off the ship and walking to the
Exagon Restaurant & Bar on Navy Lion Rd After getting all my T-Shirts and cameras set up for my show, I went outside to scour up an audience. It turns out that no audience materialized because the tourests were all headed for beaches. The owner of the restaurant bought one of my T-Shirts. I packed up my stuff and went to...
- the
Lukka Kairi Restaurant on Woodes Rodgers Walk where manager, Allen Alpachino, was eager for me to do a show. There was an audience of 44 for my 15-minute show.
- Next, the most lively spot in Nassau, was
Señor Frog's on Woodes Rodgers Walks where I did an 8:18 minute show for an audience of about 200. What a poppin' place!
Carnival Elation in Nassau port next to our ship. There was some rain for our on-shore day.
In Nassau, the Lukka Kairi Restaurant sinks were carved from a log
- Back on the ship, we shoved off about 6pm and headed back to Miami at a speed of 26 mph according to my
Vivoactive
Garmin smart watch that has GPS, specialty timers, heart rate monitor and is connected to my phone via Bluetooth
in order to arrive at the port in Miami by 7am.
Tue Dec 11 = The Celebrity Equinox arrived at the Miami Port on time at 7am. Being in no rush, I ate a large breakfast, my last on the ship, realizing that I may not have another eating opportunity until evening.
- I disembarked, went through immigration and customs and caught my first Uber ride with Kirk to the Miami Airport Holiday Inn. Thanks, Kirk. Uber was so slick that, in the evening, I tried to join, but they did not like any of my credit cards. I ended up joining Lyft and took my first Lyft ride from the hotel to a Burger King within walking distance of the Villain Theater.
- This evening I performed at the Villain Theater for their open mic combination of improv, duals and stand up comedy. It went well and was a good audience of 34. That was my first appearance in Miami, my 105th city. One of the open mic comedians, a 65 year old gay guy whose name excapes me, took me to my hotel after the show. He said that I killed. I didn't think I did all that well with only 5.4 laughs per minute and people laughing only 12% of the time.
Wed Dec 12 = I ate breakfast in the top-floor restaurant and then took the hotel's courtesy shuttle to catch my direct flight to Phoenix. Something unexpected happened with the flight. It was the first time for me and probably a first for all the passengers and crew. Somehow the TSA missed their required between-flight safety inspection of the cabin. It was not realized until all were on board ready to leave. So EVERYONE had to remove their luggage from under the seats and overhead bins and get back off the plane... then get back on again. Sort of like a Chinese fire drill, eh? That little operation put us about an hour late. The pilot made up some of the time. Unlike some of the passengers who had to make connections, fortunately I was in no rush just going home.
TRANSPORTATION SUMMARY FOR THE TRIP
DATE
MODE
DESTINATION
Fri Dec 7
My van
Sky Harbor Airport
Fri Dec 7
American Airlines
Miami International
Fri Dec 7
Hotel shuttle
Clarion Inn
Sat Dec 8
$10 Shuttle
Port of Miami
Sun Dec 9
Celebrety Equinox
Port of Nassa, The Bahamas
Mon Dec 10
Walking
Exagon, Lukka & Señor Frog's
Mon Dec 10
More foot power
Port of Nassau
Mon Dec 10
Celebrety Equinox
Port of Miami
Tue Dec 11
Uber, courtwsy of Kirk
Holiday Inn, MIA
Tue Dec 11
Lyft (my first)
Burger King for supper
Tue Dec 11
Walking
Villain Theater
Tue Dec 11
Young comedian (64yr)
Holliday Inn, MIA
Wed Dec 12
Hotel shuttle
Miami Airport
Wed Dec 12
American Airlines
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport
Wed Dec 12
Shuttle
Sky Harbor Airport Parking
Wed Dec 12
My van
Home sweet home
Thu Dec 13 = Today I ordered a new Canon VIXIA R800 camcorder from Amazon. My old faithful one fell out of my fancy Bayer back pack on the trip after I forgot to zip up its compartment :(
- I phoned Amica Mutual Insurance and corrected and updated their information on
Dahlia
my Phoenix rental house located on Dahlia Drive
and increased the coverage so they would cover replacement.
- This evening I drove over to the West Thunderbird Best Buy and exchanged the malfunctioning Sunpak TravelLite Pro 63 tripod which had a bottom leg section falling out.
Fri Dec 14 = Today I got my new Sunpak TravelLite Pro 63 tripod labeled and ready for use. I also added white bubble paint to the feet so they would be more visible and hopfully not be tripped over when I am using the tripods in darkened theaters and comedy rooms.
- I have started using up out-of-date canned goods, namely consommé (substituting for a serving of tuna); and chicken noodle soup (substituting for a turkey sandwich).
- This evening I got my checking account resolved :)
Sun Dec 16 = About eight of my new T-Shirts had a little adhesive resedue from the white gaffer's tape size labels I have been using. It took time, but I cleaned off all the residue with paint thinner and then detergent. I made new labels of the same gaffer's tape but reduced the adhesive by sticking it on various surfaces around the house, including my house carpeting. I hope this works, as what I did today took lots of time.
Mon Dec 17 = Today I researched backpacks and ordered a Hynes Eagle 44L Carry on back pack that should be pretty handy on my next flight and include space for clothing, electronics, tripods and my cameras... and still fit under the airline seat (or so they say). I was ready to design a camera retention mesh system and closing schemes for my high tech Bayer back pack when I decided that it would take less time to order a new backpack, and maybe be better. We'll see. (see blog for Dec 21st)
- I finished getting my new spare cleaned T-Shirts all organized and packed in their clear storage bags (see yesterday's blog).
- For comedy this evening I did the last part of my Viagra routine at The
Devil's Advocate, accross the street from The Tempe Improv. My routine was a little rough and I have been working on it. It went well.
Tue Dec 18 = This evening I went to the first session of one of Tony Vicich's 6-week Comedy Schools Advanced Stand-up Comedy Class. I want to improve my set on hurting my hand in the Dominican Republic about three and a half years ago.
Wed Dec 19 = It took me extra time to finish paying my bills today because I did not get them paid on my usual schedule, on the 10th of December. I was in The Bahamas doing comedy so only paid the two that were immediately due.
- Toso's has discontinued their Wednesday evening open mics, so I only did one show: The
The Woodshed, in Tempe.
Fri Dec 21 = Today my new flight backpack arrived by UPS from Amazon. It is a Hynes Eagle 44L, Flight Approved Compression Travel Pack Cabin Bag. It is more than I had hoped for and will serve as my personal item when flying. For 2018 Hynes addressed some of the concerns mentioned in the online reviews. It has lots of compartments and opens like a suitcase so you don't have to repack everything when you retrieve an item. One selling point was its big size but still fits, or so they say, under an airline seat.
This is what they say about it (note: what they call back is the side against your back with the shoulder straps).
2018 Improved New Version, waterproof crinkle nylon and soft exterior structure for durability and decent performance, built to prevent your travel essentials without damage and moisture; 44 L capacity is perfect for a long journey, and able to compress to 38L;. Dimensions: 20.1 x 13.8 x 9.8 inches/ 51 x 35 x 25 cm; design to fit the allowed maximum size of an IATA flights, fit in the overhead compartment as well as the under seat storage in flight.
4 carrying options in 1 carry on backpack, back trolley panel for securely stacking on wheeled luggage; dual hide-away contoured backpack straps, top and side carry padded handles; padded back panels with breathable mesh for added comfort
Travel backpack features with
1 adjustable sternum strap and removable waist strap for stabilization and maximum carry comfort; 4 exterior compression buckle straps help to pack more compact, upgraded shoulder straps buckle for long lasting and durability.
2 quicker access front zip pockets and 1 middle zip pocket with multiple slip pockets for better organize travel accessories, 1 side pocket is designed to keep beverage or water bottle. Added back laptop compartment is up for 17 inches latpop.
Main compartment with 1 large zip mesh compartment, 2 small zip mesh pockets and 1 zip compartment to store necessities, from packing cubes to toiletry case
- I checked out the comedians appearing this weekend in the comedy clubs across the valley and found no compelling reason to go see any.
- Tonight I went to my neighborhood Anytime Fitness. After trimming my beard, a shower and a heavy arms workout I stayed and visited for a while with Christy McClain, the wife if the owner.
- My after-bedtime project tonight was spending way too much time admiring my new under-seat backpack, anticipating what to put in which of its many compartments and familiarizing myself with its various carrying features, including the tuck-away backpack straps. Tucked in, the backpack looks like a small suitcase. It even has a trolley panel to slip over your carry-on tote handle.
Sat Dec 22 = I got up early (9am) this morning and took my van to Discount Tire to replace the driver's front tire which had developed a sidewall impact blemish, so now I have tires of three ages - not my goal: the rear two are the oldest, the driver's front is almost new and the passenger front is brand new.
- While I was at Discount Tire my
Vivoactive
Garmin smart watch that has GPS, specialty timers, heart rate monitor and is connected to my phone via Bluetooth
indicated that motion was detected in my house. It turns out it was Pedro, my landscaper, outside a window trimming my shrubs. My security system is working!
- Tonight's after-bedtime project was researching comedy opportunities in North Dakota and the almost $1000 for C&R Tire to replace my van's two lower control arms. That seems awful high!
Sun Dec 23 = To make my new Hynes Eagle 44L backpack more usable, and since its computer pocket is a lot larger than my
XPS
Dell XPS-13 computer with 13.3" touch screen, 60WHr Integrated Battery, Windows 10, Intel 7th Generation Core i7 CPU, 16gb memory and 1TB SSD
,
I hand sewed across it to divide it into two pockets. Now the top pocket is for my computer and the bottom pocket is for its power supply and cords.
Mon Dec 24 = The USPS surely messed up on my package. I spent almost an hour at my post office trying to locate the Canon VIXIA R800 camcorder which was shipped from Amazon ten days ago. According to the USPS tracking the little package went all over the country and experienced some magical teleportation and time travel:
Louisville, KY, my package started its journey at 2:16pm 12/14
Lafayette, IN (showed up here two weeks before it was shipped) 11/29
Bristol, VA, departed (the next day), 11/30
Romney, IN, available for pick up (the same day) 11/30
San Francisco, CA, arrived (the morning of the next day) 12/1 (likely some magic was involved for this accomplishment)
Bristol, TN, Delivered at Front Door/Porch (the same afternoon) 12/1 (more magic)
Phoenix at my post office, (20 days later) "Unable to deliver item, problem with address" 12/21
Down to the Phoenix Main Distribution Center (three days later) 12/23
Phoenix at my post office again (the next day) 4:22am, 12/24
My mailbox - finally at 4:31pm Christmas Eve, 12/24
- I got my
XPS
Dell XPS-13 computer with 13.3" touch screen, 60WHr Integrated Battery, Windows 10, Intel 7th Generation Core i7 CPU, 16gb memory and 1TB SSD
backed up to an external hard drive. The first time I used the little Acer Spire One I got from
Stan
Stanley, my older brother who was a retired as a machinist for Eaton Corporation in Hutchinson, KS until he succumbed to a three-week bout with Myasthenia gravis in March, 2018
's
estate was to copy the backup to another external drive to take over to
George & Cindy's
my younger brother and his wife who live in Mesa, Arizona
tomorrow morning.
Tue Dec 25 = MERRY CHRISTMAS! To help you celebrate, here is an unusual version of Little Drummer Boy:
- I drove over to east Mesa for breakfast with
George, Cindy
my younger brother and his wife who live in Mesa, Arizona
,
Stacie (their youngest), Dave and Rocco and Cindy's brother & his wife who live in the northwest valley. After playing some Catch Phrase and Colt Express (a train robbery game with a physical train made of cardboard), I took a long nap, the rest left, I updated my website and then I left...
- for even further east and south for dinner with Matt & Becky and some X family. What a fun vist, and more good food.
- Avoid procrastination by writing out your reasons for doing a project or job in the first place, according to Damon Zahariades.
Wed Dec 26 = Today I made six of my famous Protein Frosties, did a heavy legs workout and put my name in as a test rider in the autonomous mini vans that Waymo is testing here in the valley. Unfortunately, it appears most of their testing is being done in the southeast valley (Chandler, Tempe and western Mesa) instead of my area. Pretty cool! Here are two videos showing how it works and what it is like to ride in one.
Thu Dec 27 = Today I did a comprehensive two-hour test of video/audio recordings using five cameras and three sound sources, to improve the quality the recordings of my comedy performances. They all turned out to synchronize with CyberLink.
Fri Dec 28 = I took my van in to C&R tire for a new rack and pinion... under their lifetime warranty.
- Back at home, without transportation, I tried all new batteries in my old wireless indoor/outdoor thermometer system and it still did not work. Then I spent a couple hours researching a replacement and ordered an:
Ambient Weather WS-21, wich has temperature warning alarms and gives simultaneous readouts of inside and outside temperatures and their respective highs and lows.
Sat Dec 29 = Due to tonight's comedy class, I am ditching comedy writing and switching to comedy speaking. Writing tends to result in material that is designed to be read, rather than designed to be said. The plan is to arrange my ideas on movable tabs, dictate the resulting routine and then have it transcribed by Rev.
- This afternoon's trip was to Home Depot for new rope for my grip stick, to
Dahlia
my Phoenix rental house located on Dahlia Drive
to visit with my tenant a few minutes, a Goodwill half off sale, to the 32nd St & Bell LA Fitness where I met Levi the Beast (left) and Don the talker (right) and did a heavy torso workout, poo & shower, to Dollar Tree for Post-a-Notes & stuff then back home.
- At the gym I met Levi the Beast and Don the Talker:
Sun Dec 30 = For the occasional color page I need to print, I decided I'd get my
Epson WF-100 going again. The ink was dried up, so I replaced the black ink cartridge, that I had bought 15 months ago, and did a couple of head cleanings.
- Already in bed, I needed to enable Alexa to access my Google calendar. Among others, she wanted permission to delete all my gmail calendars, so I had to find out how and to export my calander from Google first. Got everything don, calendar linked to Alexa and back in bed about 28 minutes later :(
Mon Dec 31 = Comedy routines were my main activities today. I revised the DR/Hand routine that I dictated and then had typed. Then I organized all the punch lines I oculd think of from my cruise trip into sort of a routine sequence. I do this with a bunch of tabs which I can rearrange on the kitchen island.
I got
Stan
Stanley, my older brother who was a retired as a machinist for Eaton Corporation in Hutchinson, KS until he succumbed to a three-week bout with Myasthenia gravis in March, 2018
's
9-year old Acer Aspire going enough to use it for updating my website in case a bus runs over my
XPS
Dell XPS-13 computer with 13.3" touch screen, 60WHr Integrated Battery, Windows 10, Intel 7th Generation Core i7 CPU, 16gb memory and 1TB SSD
or other emergency. The aspire has little going for it:
Old version of Windows 7
1gb RAM
160gb HDD
- Google sent me this cool map of all the places I visited in 2018:
