Port Explorer # 20 – Hilo, Hawaii
PORT: Hilo, Hawaii
DATE VISITED: September 2004 (Land-based trip), April 2009
TYPE-OF-PORT: Port-of-Call
WHERE THE SHIP DOCKS: Along a long pier just to the north of the airport.

What’s Near The Pier?

The ship docks at a large building that feels more like an aircraft hangar than a cruise terminal. There are a few vendors selling a variety of items ranging from wooden objects with “Hawaii” carved into them, to jewelry, to Leis. Otherwise, the cavernous building is empty apart from the security screening area and the small (and kinda dingy) tourism board office.

Once you get outside of the terminal, there is not a whole lot to do within walking distance. The closest thing to the cruise pier is the airport. The closest point of interest is Banyan Drive (lined with the beautiful “droopy” banyan trees) and the adjoining park. However, you half to walk about a mile from the ship to even get to the start of Banyan Drive . . . and of course, that means you’ll be walking another mile to get back. Long story short, if you want to get away from the pier you should rent a car, take a taxi, or book a tour.

The large cruise terminal building at Hilo, as seen from our cabin on the approaching Carnival Spirit. The industrial area surrounding the pier is part of the "There is nothing to do near the port" problem present here in Hilo.

 Our Shore Excursion

Land Of Frozen Fire

Witness the results of Kilauea’s repeated eruptions, Hawaii’s newest land.

On this exhilarating excursion you will:

• Travel from the pier in an air conditioned van to Lava Tree State Park in Puna.
• See lava tree molds made from when lava wraps around the tree, cools and then drains away.
• Visit Ahalanui warm springs with volcanically heated 90-degree water.
• Continue your drive to MacKenzie State Park to view dramatic scenery formed when lava meets the sea: cliffs, lava tubes and blow holes.
• Journey to the tropical coast and stop in Kaimu, once the sight of a famous black snad beach and small town, both destroyed by a 1992 lava flow.
• Walk on the “Frozen Earth” and see an active volcano vent in the distance.

Note: This excursion is designed to provide an adventuresome experience without dangerous ground.

Some walking on flat, but uneven State trails, up to half a mile, and undulating lava with cracks involved.

Walking poles, water and ponchos (if needed) will be provided.

The theme of this entire tour is the repeated eruptions of Kilauea volcano. The first stop – Lava Tree Park – is a location where lava from Kilauea came rushing through a forest at a high rate of speed. As the lava hit the trees, it would essentially “splash” up and cool instantly . . . . thus freezing for eternity into the shape of the tree. Other trees that were not hit as hard would catch fire and burn all the way down to their roots. Several holes exist around the park, marking the spots where trees met that exact fate.

Ahalanui Hot Springs are interesting – it is especially amazing that such a pretty place is so uncrowded! The water is indeed very warm, although we did not swim here. MacKenzie State Park is also quite pretty – although there is no beach here, you could picnic if you so chose. MacKenzie Park offers some nice views of rocky cliffs . . . and the famous Hawaii ”lava plume”.

Kaimu Beach is incredible!! Here you get to walk along a lava flow all the way to the beach where the lava once entered into the ocean. The walk begins right before the spot where the road which used to lead into the town of Kaimu (destroyed by the volcano in 1992). The lava plume is visible from here as well, but is much closer and just feels more “real” than at MacKenzie Park. Of course, since this is a lava flow, you are also treated to a wonderful black sand beach!

We have been on many excursions over the course of our cruises, and I must say that our tour guide – Keoke – is the best tour guide we have ever had!! Not only was he hysterical (we were laughing the whole trip), he also added several features to the tour that were not on the schedule. First, we made a stop at Kehena Beach to look at what Keoke billed as some “very special dolphins” . . . so we all got our cameras ready and headed to the beach . . . . our “dolphins” were a bunch of nude sunbathers!! One of the funniest moments I’ve ever had on a tour! A few minutes later, Keoke also stopped a block or so away from some Hawaiian “agricultural/chemical businessmen” . . . . these were the type of “businessmen” that needed a lookout for cops. Interesting to watch these guys in action.

A couple of more special unplanned stops – we stopped at the Mauna Loa Macademia Nut Factory (interesting, but way overrated – a tourist trap), and the Mehana Brewing Company where we participated in a beer tasting. Our last stop was a visit to an arts and crafts fair that was going on as part of the city of Hilo’s annual Merrie Monarch festival; where we could shop for awhile.

This tour was scheduled to run 8am – 1pm; but thanks to all of Keoke’s special stops, we finally arrived back at the ship at about 3:45pm!! He gave us nearly 3 hours of free tour, and that’s about the coolest thing I have ever seen a tour guide do!!

Thank you Keoke!!

Overall Impression

We had visited Hilo during a land-based vacation we took to Kona (on the other side of Hawaii’s Big Island) back in September 2004; so we have seen more of the area than just what the tour delivered. Hilo is not what would come to mind when you think of Hawaii – there are no beautiful beaches in town, it is cloudy most days, and there is a rampant drug problem in the city. On the other hand, if you chose to you could take an excursion up to Mauna Kea (Hawaii’s highest volcano), there are many pretty waterfalls within a short drive of town, and Volcanos National Park is definitely worth a visit!

Hilo itself is not particularly impressive; but don’t forget that you are in Hawaii – and any day in Hawaii is a good day! Should you cruise here, plan on heading out of town to see one of the many sights on the east side of the big island (either on your own or as part of an excursion). Don’t stay in town – it’s disappointing. Overall, the typically Hawaiian abundance of sights within a short drive is enough to make a trip to Hilo worthwhile!

OKCupid: 6 Days & Adiós!

I quit OKCupid Monday night. I couldn’t get over the fact that the site admits that only 32% of the e-mails that male users send female users ever get a reply. I found myself getting increasingly frustrated over the fact that I did everything right – set up a good profile, took a lot of the sites questions & quizzes, and wrote thoughtful emails to girls I liked – and yet a majority of them didn’t even have the decency to send me a response.

I would have been fine with it if a girl wrote me back and told me she wasn’t interested in me at all (Over the years, lots of girls have told me they weren’t interested . . . . I’m used to it . . . . bugger all!!). However, most of the girls on OKCupid didn’t even give me the time of day to just write a short “Sorry, Not Interested” email. I think this is disrespectful and rude; and I quickly lost faith in the site.

I have, however, written a pretty sizable review of the site which I will be posting here on the blog sometime in the future.

What I’m Thankful For

There’s a lot of talk right now about giving thanks for this, that or the other. I would like to take a moment here to reflect on some of the people I am thankful to:

• The folks at WordPress who make this blog possible.
• The folks at Facebook who have created another interesting online medium.
• The folks at Gmail who have seen a lot of my Future Cruise Director stuff flying through their network.
• The folks at Webshots who have created a great spot to host all my thousands of photos that I post here.
• The folks at Rosetta Stone who have provided me with what will likely be a key to getting hired by a cruise line.
• The authors of the books I have reviewed in my Book Reviews, and Captain Albert whose blog I reviewed months ago.
• The folks at Holland America Blog who mentioned my blog and sent me a great deal of readers.
• The outstanding staffs and crews of the 14 cruises I have taken!!
• The people at Celebrity – Stewart Turnbull, The Recruiter, the Hiring Partner, and the Department Manager (although I have not yet spoken to him), for giving me a chance to at least get a look at this much of the hiring process!
• My current employer and my boss, who (knowingly or unknowingly) provide a lot of the customer service based material I include here.
• My parents; who of course are the reason I am able to take all these cruises!
• My friends – both in real life, and on Facebook; many of whom have looked at the blog and have contacted me (either on FB or in real life) with feedback about what I have written!
• Many others I cannot think of right now.

And last but definitely not least:

• Each and every person who has stumbled upon this blog and taken the chance to read even a little of what I have had to say!!

I hope I have been able to educate you a little bit about various aspects of cruising, offer a perspective of what is definitely a daunting task, but most of all put a smile on your face!! I am thankful to everyone who has read this, and I thank you for giving me the time!

Please take a moment and think about who has added to your life – in any way, large or small – and take a moment to express your gratitude to them here in the next couple of days.

All that is left is to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving and I hope it is full of nothing but good times, great food and holiday cheer for you and yours!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

If you’re looking for ambience and cultural flair in your next beach vacation, we have the place for you.

We found all we needed in Ventura, one of those places that we always wondered about as we drove through this area on our way up to other scenic destinations on the Central California Coast. For us, this was drive-by country – scenic, yes, but always someplace we just passed on the way to someplace else.

Ventura’s location is really quite an advantage for travelers. For Southern California residents, it’s an easy drive that takes you just beyond the megalopolis where back-to-back cities finally give way to a coastline that is less overwhelmed by development. Beaches along the Central Coast are great, but if you’re coming from the south and don’t have a lot of time, Ventura is a fun beach destination all on its own.

For Northern Californians, Ventura is a just close enough to the “Big City” to be a reasonable base of operations for visits to many L.A. tourist attractions, most within an hour’s drive. Yet, you’re staying in the quintessential California beach community that is far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city. Don’t want to go into the city for a day? Just chill out on some of the state’s most scenic beaches.

The one reminder of the city was our hotel – the Crowne Plaza, a former Holiday Inn that is being converted to the more upscale brand name. At 15 floors, it’s the only high-rise in the area and could not be built again with today’s stringent coastal regulations. The hotel offers incredible views of the ocean, the Channel Islands and the verdant hillsides at Ventura’s northeastern edge. The Crowne Plaza is situated so that every room above the second floor offers guests spectacular coastal views.

Within minutes of arrival we were walking the promenade that stretches far from the hotel in both directions along the shore. A great beach is just footsteps from the hotel, and there are restaurants and plenty of activity at the nearby Ventura Pier. Bikes and other contraptions are available for rent and, on this Sunday, vendors offered a variety of wares in the plaza just between the beach and our hotel.

Just up California Street from our hotel was a colorful small-town shopping district with shops of all kinds, restaurants and a high concentration of antique stores that are fun to browse. Several surf shops are nearby and, like other California beach towns, the feel is more retro than trendy. The historic City Hall sits majestically on a slight hill at the edge of the downtown district, serving to remind us that Ventura really is a town and not just a stretch of uncoordinated beach development.

Intersecting with California Street is Main Street and, if you walk just a few blocks, you come upon the Mission San Buenaventura. This mission was established on Easter Sunday, March 31, 1782 and became the ninth California mission founded by Father Junipero Serra. Fires and earthquakes have taken their toll on the mission but, over the years, local residents have restored the building to much of its former glory. In any event, the mission “feels” original and is worth a stop when you’re downtown.

Just across the street from the mission is the Museum of History and Art, which offers a broad range of exhibits tucked into a relatively small space. Historical artifacts, farm implements, 18th Century figurines – the museum offers quite a variety.

One thing you notice after spending a few hours in Ventura is that, every place you go, you’ll hear ’60’s music. It’s probably not unrelated to the fact that many surfer and beach types from that era continue to hang out in this popular beach town. But no doubt about it – whether it’s the hot dog vendor on the promenade, the antique store on Main Street or even the downtown sushi restaurant, they’re all playing music from the ’60’s.

The aforementioned sushi restaurant is the Sushi Marina, a local hot spot where we stopped by for dinner. But a word to wise here – the restaurant apparently is quite popular with locals, yet it has relatively few tables and no real space to wait for your table to be called. The food was good but we definitely will time our future visits to avoid the rush.

There are about two miles of beach in the Ventura area that are considered to be part of the local State Park, and visitors are enthralled by the wide, relatively unpopulated beach where one can look out on the Channel Islands and also get a spectacular view of the coastline stretching west and north to Santa Barbara. At sunset, we made a point to stop by Surfer’s Knoll where you can walk through the sand dunes to find an ideal place to view the sun going down in the western sky. Folks around here treat the sunset much as they do in Key West – it’s an event, and people make a point to amble down to the beach each night to celebrate the area’s scenic beauty.

If the beach and a vibrant local shopping district aren’t enough to get your attention, here are a few other visitor attractions from the Ventura area:

The Ventura Harbor Village and Marina – If you like boats — or just being close to them — the harbor area has hundreds of them along with a 33-acre shopping and entertainment complex, Harbor Village. There are lots of boat rentals, fishing charters and an assortment of restaurants. Be sure to check out the “almost” antique Carousel with its 36 animals that was built in 1955. This arcade also offers home-made fudge, fresh popcorn and enough games to keep your youngsters occupied for hours.

Channel Islands National Park Visitors Center – Located in the Ventura harbor area, the center offers exhibits on the flora and fauna of the island as well as a graphic relief map that gives visitors some idea of the islands’ size. The islands are visible from the Ventura area and are a favorite for daytrips, diving, snorkeling, swimming, and bird watching. It’s also possible for visitors to camp, hike and picnic on the islands, with tours leaving from the harbor area.

A.J. Comstock Museum – a look at early firefighters and their methods. It’s a free museum and open all the time.

The Albinger Archeological Museum – Located near the mission, this free museum features artifacts dating back 3,500 years and several different cultures. You can also see the original mission foundation in the dig area. AT A GLANCE

WHERE: Ventura is located about 65 miles north and west of Los Angeles on one of the state’s major north-south freeways, Highway 101. If you don’t want to drive, it’s easily accessible by Amtrak and the Ventura stop is only two-tenths of a mile from the Crowne Plaza.

WHAT: Ventura is the quintessential California beach community with miles of broad beaches and an eclectic shopping district that blends the surf subculture with a touristy downtown. It’s Small Town, yet close to the Big City.

WHEN: Anytime. Ventura enjoys a sunny climate, although its location can make it breezy at times, especially on the beach.

WHY: Ventura truly has its own character and charm. Geographically, Ventura is located in one of California’s most scenic coastal areas.

HOW: For more information on Ventura, contact the Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau at 800-483-6214 or visit www.ventura-usa.com. For information on the Crowne Plaza Hotel, phone 1-800-980-6429 or visit http://www.cpventura.com.

The Royal Caribbean New Hire Handbook

Some Nifty Documents

The “Hiring Partner” called me this morning (I was still asleep), and told me that she had e-mailed me a bunch of documents pertaining to working for Celebrity Cruises.

Of course, I quickly went and took a look at my e-mail box – sure enough, there it was! The documents she sent me were:

• The official RCL Employment Application (similar to ones retailers use).
• Life Insurance beneficiary Information (i.e. the form which tells who RCL pays off should I tragically die onboard).
• New Hire Data Sheets (Similar information to the employment application, but in spreadsheet form).
• Reference Form (They want me to list a couple references).
• Release Form (I will not sue Just Cruis’n Recruitment if I don’t get hired).
• RCL Drug & Alcohol Policy (A document full of legalese – similar to what my current employer makes us all sign twice a year – saying that I will not do drugs at work, will not report to work under the influence, and I can be drug tested whenever I am at work).

By far the most interesting of the documents she sent me was the largest:

• “Getting Onboard” (the Royal Caribbean New Hire Handbook)

Royal Caribbean’s New Hire Handbook

This is an approximately 50 page document that is given to employees who have been newly hired by Royal Caribbean / Celebrity. I am not going to post a link to the document here, as I would expect some of the information contained therein is confidential. However, here are some of the interesting tidbits I found while reading through the book:

• The book starts very similar to my company’s “New Hire Handbook”, with “Welcome” messages from the CEO and VP Human Resources.
• The first real page of info explains that a “contract” is an expected period of service; but they have the right to terminate you before your contract ends, should they choose.
• Employees are hired before a ship assignment is given to them. It may be several months before you are given a ship assignment after you are selected.
• You are required to pass a medical exam before being officially hired.
• Try to use collapsible style luggage (duffel bags, etc.) as you don’t get much space.
• Dress code is important – “Your undergarments must not be seen through your uniform”.
• If your RCL uniform breaks (your shirts that say “Celebrity, etc.), they will repair it free of charge.
• No Tattoos may be visible while on duty.
• Grooming – You must shower each day, keep your teeth clean, your fingernails trimmed, no crazy hair, and ladies have to keep their pits shaved!
• Your supervisor has the right to deny any hairstyle, fragrance or makeup they deem unacceptable.
• The book gives suggestions on what to pack.
• Employees work up to 70 hours per week. Over 70 hours results in being paid overtime.
• You are paid in cash, unless you want to get your money wired home.
• Using the ship-to-shore phones isn’t much cheaper for crew than it is for guests.
• DO NOT ENTER GUEST STATEROOMS – “If you are found in a guest stateroom and you are not fulfilling a guest request, you will be dismissed immediately. No exceptions”.
• Do not use guest elevators. Surprisingly, this is primarily about not being accused of sexual stuff in there.
• No profanity.
• No harassment, vandalism, theft, violence, fake IDs or illegal substances.
• No trash-talking the company on the internet. (“activities that are contrary to the interests of the Company including posting inappropriate material on the internet, or other public forums, with the intent  to portray the Company and/or coworkers in a negative manner. I’ve always expected to say a bunch of positive things about working on the line; and that appears to be exactly what I’m going to do!
• No unsafe acts.
• NO SEXUAL CONTACT WITH GUESTS. Just like my employer, a huge percentage of the rules pertain to this topic. My answer: Duh.
• You may not work with a BAC above .04, and you may not have a BAC above .08. Period.

Code Of Shipboard Operations:

My employer has a document called “Employee Responsibilities”, which we have to sign a few times a year. We call it the big long list of stuff you can get fired for. Apparently RCL does too – here it is:

1. No Drunkenness
2. No Illegal Drugs or Weapons
3. No Profanity on Duty
4. No Brawls or Fights
5. Officers and Staff can go in Guest Areas. Crew are not.
6. No defacing, abusing, or stealing company property.
7. Always be respectful to officers and coworkers.
8. Always be respectful and courteous to guests.
9. Attend all safety drills.
10. Report to duty on time.
11. No changing cabin assignments.
12. Be back on board the ship 1 hour prior to departure.
13. Show your crew cards when boarding ship.
14. Must be properly dressed.
15. Mealtime schedules are enforced.
16. Do not miss the ship.
17. No gambling.
18. No smoking in bed.
19. Keep your cabin clean.

Romeo Leary – Our Cruise Director Travel Agent

I mentioned on Friday’s blog that I was going to have a conversation with our travel agent – former Holland America Cruise Director Romeo Leary. This conversation occurred on Sunday.

Leary’s road to the big chair started in 1995 as a Cruise Staff. Over the next couple of years he did a couple of other positions – Youth Staff and DJ – before becoming an Assistant Cruise Director and eventually the Cruise Director.

Romeo Leary was a Cruise Director before several years, before finally coming back to land. I asked why he quit, and his answer was that he had been just about everywhere you could possibly want to be during the summer season on the various ships. In the winter, nearly everyone is working in the Caribbean – and he was just tired of working the Caribbean season. Also, it had been several years since he had enjoyed Thanksgiving and Christmas with his family; and he decided it was time to leave.

A couple of Leary’s friends from his days at Holland America are now in the personnel division at Celebrity. Romeo says he is going to get in contact with these old buddies of his and put in a good word for me. This sure can’t hurt!! We’ll be hearing more from Romeo in the coming days!

Thank you Romeo for all your help on the mission!

- – – – – -
Rosetta Stone Tracker
129 Activities Complete
129/820 = 15.7% Finished
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Well, I’m off now to fill in all those forms and e-mail them back to Just Cruis’n. I sure hope everybody enjoys the rest of their Monday, and we’ll be checking in with you again on Wednesday!!

Cheerio!

Jim Abbondante

Being a guy I understand the tendency to not always want to follow instructions, especially when I purchase something that needs to be assembled ‘before’ it can be used and enjoyed. After figuring out some of it on my own and then getting stumped, I will usually end up getting out the instructions, I’ll take the time to read through them and then I’ll follow the simple steps they provide and I’ll almost always succeed. How about you?

It’s not always fun having to follow instructions or directions but they are important because if you will simply read them, believe them and follow them, they will typically lead you through the process of producing some pretty outstanding results both in and through your life. Let’s take a few moments together to take a look at probably the most important instructions that our Lord gave all of us when He was here during His earthly ministry.

Let’s consider first Luke 4:18-19; Jesus had just completed His 40 days in the wilderness, He had overcome the attack of the enemy, He was baptized by John and He was confirmed by the Voice of God. Immediately following these extraordinary events in His life, one of the first things He did was to find His way to the synagogue where He stood up to read out of the Book of Isaiah, (specifically chapter 61, verses 1 and 2). You might say that He was formally introducing Himself to His own people as being their long awaited Messiah.

Luke 4:18-19 (King James Version)

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Luke 4:18-19 (Amplified Bible)

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity], To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound.]

Not only was Jesus formally identifying Himself as their Messiah (and ours), but He was also giving them (and us) insight into what His mission was and still is, and the specific instructions that the mission included. By the way, there was a reason why he stopped His reading in the middle of verse 2. Everything up to that point referenced His ‘first’ coming, and everything beyond that point referenced His ’second’ coming; but let’s get back to our main focus which was the mission assigned Him by the Father.

Now let’s ‘fast forward’ to the end of His earthly ministry. Jesus had invested three and one half years among His people focused on the accomplishment of His mission and following the instructions He was given by God. In simple terms, He loved His people, He set the example, He preached the Gospel, He taught His disciples and all those who were drawn to Him, He validated the fact that He was their Messiah through His teaching and by the miracles He performed (Mark 16:20), He then went to the cross, was crucified and was raised on the third day. The mission however, was still not completed.

It’s interesting to note that one of the very first things He did immediately following His resurrection was to go to where His disciples were. They were ‘laying low’ because it wasn’t particularly popular to be one of His disciples during that time. Anyway, Jesus was getting ready to return to the Father but He had some important instructions for His disciples before He left that He needed to deliver personally. Let’s take a look at what those instructions were in John 20:21.

John 20:21 (King James Version)

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

John 20:21 (Amplified Bible)

Then Jesus said to them again, Peace to you! [Just] as the Father has sent Me forth, so I am sending you.

Now, let’s slow down for a minute and really think this through. What was Jesus actually saying to His chosen disciples? First of all, He was telling them not to worry or to be fearful, that it really was Him that they were seeing; and secondly, and more importantly, He was telling them that He was passing on to them the responsibility of completing the mission He began during His earthly ministry, the mission He was assigned by God our Father. He was telling them that it would now be up to them to follow through and complete the mission that He had begun and that He had actually been training them to complete during His time with them.

I am reminded of what the Apostle Paul said to Timothy, his young protégé in 2 Timothy 4:7-8. On many occasions, when referring to the Christian life and our walk of faith in particular, Paul would use the example of an athlete ‘running a good race’. When you consider what Jesus was saying to His disciples in John 20:21, the picture I get is that of a ‘relay race’. Jesus was actually handing off the ‘baton’ if you will, to His disciples; not only to those who were there that day, but to us as well if you consider Jesus’ prayer in John 17: 20-21.

Well, we are told in Acts 1:3 that Jesus stayed with them for 40 days and continued to teach and speak of the Kingdom of God right up until the time He left to return to the Father. One of the very last instructions He gave His disciples before leaving can be seen in Mathew 28:18-20.

Matthew 28:18-20 (King James Version)

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Matthew 28:18-20 (Amplified Bible)

Jesus approached and breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be).

Jesus was not only passing on the ‘baton’ to them, but He was laying out the specific instructions they were to follow, in specific detail as God the Father had done for Him in Isaiah 61: 1-3. And, in addition, He reassured them by reminding them that it was going to be a ‘joint effort’ between He and them when He said that He would be ‘with them always’, even to the end of the age (or until the completion of the mission).

In essence, what He was saying was that while He expected them to continue on toward the completion of the mission after His departure, it was important that they understand that they would have to learn to rely on His presence within them in order to be able to follow and implement the instructions He had given them, which would then lead to the successful completion of the mission. You can see that illustrated in what He had said to them earlier in John 15:5.

John 15:5 (King James Version)

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

John 15:5 (Amplified Bible)

I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.

By the way, what ‘fruit’ was He speaking about? It was more than just the ‘Fruit of the Spirt’ referenced in Galatians 5: 22-23. James referenced the ‘fruit’ Jesus was speaking about in James 5:7. Jesus’ comment in John 15:5 explains why He told them in Acts 1:4-8 to go and wait for Him there in Jerusalem until they received the promised Holy Spirit. He explained that upon receiving the Holy Spirit (His Spirit, His Presence, as promised in Matthew 28:20), they would then be empowered with the ability to execute the instructions He had given them, which would then lead to the successful completion of the important mission that God had assigned Him.  More specifically, He would then be able to complete His assigned mission ‘through’ them. Again, it was really intended to be a ‘joint effort’, as it still is today, in particular, given the fact the we are now His Body on the earth (Ephesians 1: 22-23). The mission was assigned not only to Jesus and the early disciples but also to those of us who today are His disciples, those of us who remain committed to being busy about our Father’s business  (the ministry of reconciliation) and to hearing Him one day say, ‘Welcome home My good and faithful servant.’ So the question still remains – how well do you follow instructions?

Summary Questions

There is so much more that can be said about the mission and the instructions we have been given by the Father through His Word, but at this stage, I’d like to challenge you to consider each of the following questions in light of this brief study, and more importantly, in light of the call that’s on your life as a member of the Body of Christ. Ask the Lord to speak to you as you address each question individually. If you would like, you can feel free to share your answers and/or any observations you would like to make by clicking on ‘Leave a Comment’ located at the top of the article just below the main title – and just above the photo. I will then look forward to following up with a response.

What’s the mission?

What are the instructions?

What do these verses have in common?

Luke 4:18-19  What the Father sent Jesus the Messiah to accomplish;

John 20:21  As the Father sent Jesus, He stated that He was (is) sending us;

Matthew 28:18-20  Specifically what our Lord is sending us to do;

John 15:5  The empowerment we will need to get it done.

Who are they being directed to?

What’s the main message?

What should be our response?

How well are you following His instructions?

What was Jesus referring to in Revelation 3:16? (Ouch!)

By the way, we’ve had a number of people ask about our availability to conduct Bible Studies. You’re always welcomed to join us for the regular Bible Studies we have in our home, and we’re happy to make ourselves available to conduct Bible Studies anywhere else the Lord might lead as our desire is to be a blessing to those who are hungry to learn more about who they are in Christ and how to develop a more intimate and life-changing relationship with our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You can contact us at (800) 955-0109 or through the Leadership Institute.

See you next time!

Jim Abbondante

Come see me on Facebook!

What We Do

Latest Update With Celebrity

After our little mixup on Tuesday (see Wednesday’s blog), I didn’t hear back from either Celebrity or the “Hiring Partner” for the next few days. Just this morning, the lady from the Hiring Partner – Just Cruis’n Recruitment – called me back. Impeccable timing, as I was in my car driving to work (7:35am Pacific, 10:35am Eastern). By the time I was able to call her back during my lunchtime (1:50pm Pacific, 4:50pm Eastern), she had apparently already left the office.

Aw shucks; now we’re going to be heading into next week – Thanksgiving Week – before we can have that conversation I’ve been looking forward too.

Again, I guess that’s how the cookie crumbles.

Our Next Cruise

We’ve just confirmed our next cruise!! We will be headed back to sea on the January 16th sailing of Holland America’s Oosterdam. Although this ship is HAL’s entry in the 7-day Mexican Riviera run sweepstakes (weekly 7 Day cruises from Southern California to Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta), for whatever reason Oosterdam is running a one-time-only 11-night itinerary adding Acapulco and Huatulco to the regular route.

Huatulco will be the only new port for us on this itinerary, but since January is a miserable time of year here where we live, it will be nice to get away from here for 11 nights!

. . . . oh, and they gave us a couple of free bottles of wine to convince us to book!

The Back Door To A Job At Celebrity?

We have used the same travel agent for our past 7 or 8 (possibly more) cruises; a gentleman named Romeo Leary at online-based travel agency VacationsToGo. This guy knows his stuff – he has been a travel agent for quite some time; but knows cruise ships and the cruise industry inside and out . . . . and I do literally mean both inside and out. You see, prior to becoming a travel agent selling cruises, Romeo Leary was a Cruise Director!! He worked for the Holland America Line, and actually “brought out” (was the very first Cruise Director of) the Oosterdam.

When we were booking this cruise, my dad mentioned my whole “Become a Cruise Director” thing . . . and it turns out that one of Romeo’s good friends from his Holland America days is now in Personnel at Celebrity Cruises . . . . Intriguing. My dad says that if I get in touch with Romeo (my work schedule doesn’t allow me to do this until Sunday or Monday), it sounds like Romeo will talk to his friend(s) over at Celebrity and put in a good word for me over there. Sweet!!

I’ll tell you how my discussion with Romeo goes during Monday’s blog.

Cruise Director Critique # 9 – Warren Allen
Cruise Director: Warren Allen
Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean (11 Day)
Date of Cruise: January / February 2008

Cruising With Warren Allen

Warren Allen comes from a broadcasting background – if my memory serves me correctly, he was a radio DJ (perhaps a newscaster?) prior to joining the ships. This was a unique cruise in that we were sailing on a fairly small ship (650 feet long, 1600 passengers) that was operated by the same line that is about to introduce the new world’s largest cruise ship (1180 feet long, 5500 passengers). There is definitely a different “feel” to a smaller ship as opposed to one of the midsize/large/gigantic ships popular nowadays. Among the atmospheric changes is a closeness you feel to the staff – including the Cruise Director.

There were a couple of signs around the ship that said “Small Ship . . . . Big Heart”; and that was definitely the feeling you had on this cruise – not only from Allen and his staff; but from the entire ship’s crew. Warren Allen – as were all the ship’s “senior” officers – were much more accessible on Empress of the Seas than on the other ships we have been on (as there are the same number of officers for many fewer guests); and this really created an everyone-knows-everyone atmosphere with both crew and fellow guests.

At The Shows

With his radio/broadcasting background, Warren Allen was an expert at both the “performance” aspect and the “mingling” aspect of the Cruise Director position. Each time he would start his shows by jogging down the stairs at the side of the auditorium and doing a little pirouette manuever before introducing the act. While Allen was out outrageously funny as some of the Carnival CD’s were, he did deliver several funny lines; and was entertaining out on the stage.

Warren Allen stands out because he masterfully walked that tightrope of being smooth and polished, without being too smooth and polished (sounding like a used car salesman); and being a performer while still being completely folksy and approachable (which I know from my own experience that while in ‘performance’ mode, it can be difficult to come off as ‘approachable’). This is an art, and Allen has perfected it.

Around The Ship

This entire experience revolved around the fact that we were dealing with a small ship with a similarly small crew and guest capacity. This greatly increased the odds of bumping into Allen or one of the members of the cruise staff; and you almost began thinking “Gosh! This guy’s everywhere!”. Similar to our previous RCL cruise, Allen worked the gangway (maybe RCL requires this of their Cruise Directors?), and you could find him nearly every time you boarded or disembarked the vessel. Whenever you saw him, he was courteous and professional, yet friendly and approachable. This definitely creates a positive impression!

What I Will Borrow From Warren

Warren’s persona is definitely something worth striving for – his mix of folksy fun with professional showmanship rank him as one of the best Cruise Directors we have ever had. While I’m not sure I would ever pirouette on stage, starting each show with a trademark cutesy move might be kind of fun! Warren Allen is a positive role model for any aspiring cruise director!

What I Will Do Differently Than Warren

There was nothing about Warren’s performance that made me recoil and think “Gosh, I would NEVER do that!!”. Although I will probably be a bit more energetic/slapstick-funny than Warren was, there is not a whole lot I would change about how he ran his ship.

Where Are They Now?

According to Royal Caribbean’s Entertainment Website, Warren Allen is still one of the line’s Cruise Directors. Strangely, he is listed on the website as Warren Melhuish (did he change his name?). Oddly enough, he is not mentioned (under either name)  on their 4th Quarter CD Schedule (available on Cruise Critic – just search for “Cruise Directors” on the Royal Caribbean board). I can’t explain this, but hopefully Warren is still out there somewhere; he’s one of the best out there!

Cruise Photo Of The Week

I cannot believe – I honestly cannot! – that the blog has been going for 20 weeks now!! As this 20th week comes to a close, I present to you this week’s “Cruise Photo of the Week” – featuring a photo from the cruise we shared with Warren Allen:

Just a couple of hours prior to boarding our Empress of the Seas cruise in January of 2008, we took a walk along the beach in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We happened - pretty much by accident - to come upon this spot; which we instantly recognized from a series of "Visit Puerto Rico!" commercials that were playing in the Pacific Northwest that winter. It was awesome to be standing in the same spot we had watched longingly in a commercial just days before! Looking at this place, I can sure see why the folks at the Puerto Rico Tourism Board chose it to be in their ad, can't you?

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Rosetta Stone Tracker
129 Activities Complete
129/820 = 15.7% Finished
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I certainly hope everybody has a fantastic weekend, and we’ll look forward to talking to you again on Monday!!

I think it all started by David inviting me to grab dinner. Now, as I met David years ago by borrowing hot sauce at a taco stand, we usually go back to the same taco stand when we eat together… I was stuck at work and couldn’t go, but tacos have been on my mind ever since.

So, when I was on Print Society later I found myself really liking this Erik Otto print. I went to his site, and he’s from the mission. And there you have it—Tacos. One word and I’m missing SF.

So, yeah, Erik Otto of SF, you are my Poster Friday.

Speaking of, welcome home Laur!

Celebrity Cruises Update

I received a call yesterday from one of Royal Caribbean / Celebrity’s “Hiring Partners”. I’m not sure what the real role of the “Hiring Partners” are, but I guess you can apply for cruise jobs through these companies rather than going through the cruise lines themselves. Apparently they also set up interviews; which is what they called me about.

The very nice lady from the “Hiring Partner” said she had actually been asked (by the gentleman I had been communicating with before) to contact me sooner than she really had. I guess the idea / hope was to set up an interview with the Department Manager guy for yesterday. However, since she hadn’t gotten the message on time; by the time I responded, the Department Manager was too busy to do the interview yesterday as they had hoped.

. . . . that’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

Hopefully, however, I’ll be hearing back from them fairly soon and we can set something up – even if I don’t get a job from this, going through the process is interesting and extremely informative.

Also, if you’re curious, the “Hiring Partner” that Royal Caribbean / Celebrity uses in North America is Just Cruis’n Recruitment.

Port Explorer # 19 – Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
PORT: Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
DATE VISITED: January 2007
TYPE OF PORT: Port-of-Call
WHERE THE SHIP DOCKS: Half Moon Cay is a Tender Port. The tenders drop guests off at the island’s central plaza.

Tendering at Half Moon Cay

Half Moon Cay is a private island owned by the Holland America Line (who is, in turn, owned by Carnival Corporation). Thus, this island is 100% designed to cater towards cruise guests – including the tenders. There are a couple of very large tender boats, which cover the distance from the ship to the shore (less than half a mile) quite quickly and comfortably. We hit this port on a nice day, which helped as well.

What’s Near The Pier?

Short answer: Pretty much everything. Again, this is an island that is actually owned by the cruise line itself – there is no “town” here, there are just a variety of facilities you would expect to see at an upscale resort, littered along a path circling most of the island. If you walk far enough (a round trip, if I recall, is somewhere in the neighborhood of a mile), you’ll find a beautiful beach, a couple of bars, Cabana Huts, Bike Rentals, Snorkeling, Stingray Swimming, a dining area, and several other amenities.

A view of Half Moon Cay, from the Tender heading back to the Carnival Elation. There is no "Town" on Half Moon Cay, just all the amenities you'd expect from a luxury resort - all available just for the ship guests!

Our Shore Excursion

All the shore excursions available at Half Moon Cay are simply organized walks to one of the island’s amenities (Snorkeling, Scuba Diving, Biking, etc.) and partaking in the activity as a group. We decided to go it on our own and thus we passed on the excursions.

Overall Impression

The basic idea behind a private island such as Half Moon Cay is that the cruise lines essentially found asked “What does a cruise guest expect from a trip to a tropical paradise?”. When they heard their answer . . . they built it! Just about everything that a cruise guest could want from a tropical island has been provided here; from beautiful beaches to fun activities to flowing drinks to good food.

Obviously the island is very clean; almost to the extent it feels “sanitized” in the same way that Disneyland does not feel like the real world. The cruise line actually makes their own ship’s crew disembark their ship and provide the service on the island . . . as a result, you have the same festive pampered atmosphere on the island as you do on the ship.

I really enjoyed my experience here, and definitely would not mind returning to this – or another cruise line private island – at any time!

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Rosetta Stone Tracker
129 Activities Complete
129/820 = 15.7% Finished
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My kitty’s blood tests are back – she’s Hypo-Thyroid something or other. That’s the bad news. The good news is that there is medicine for that . . . . and hopefully the meds will keep her around for awhile longer!! This turned out a bit better than I had expected it to!

Fun With OK Cupid!

Remember my posting about Eharmony, where I mentioned that I may sign up for another dating site for the fun of it . . . . last night, I decided to do so! This time, I picked “OK Cupid”. The site is actually a lot of fun – you answer a bunch of silly multiple choice questions, and it compares your answers to those of other people who have answered the same questions (it’s a 3000+ question database, so not everyone has answered every question). Then they tell you how “Matched” and how “Friendly” you are with each person (and how “Enemy” you are too!).

OK Cupid says that the typical response rate of girls to messages sent to them by guys is 32 Percent (W-T-F Ladies??!?!?! Less than 1/3rd?? Isn’t that like disrespectful and stuff????? Good Lord!). I’m going to test that – to see if it’s really that bad. If it is – really, what the heck is wrong with girls??

My theory is that the same “truths” I discovered on Eharmony will occur here on OKCupid as well:

• If the girl makes more money than you, you will be ignored.
• If the girl is significantly more attractive than you, you will be ignored.
• If the girl is taller than you, you will be ignored (I’ve lost more girls I was really interested in based on this than just about anything else!!).
• The “match” has a much better chance of going far if the girl initiates contact.

We’ll see.

Okay, so far, here’s what’s up. I’ve been a member for about 12 hours.

Matches Contacted: 5
Responses: 1 (20%)
Girls Initiating Contact: 0

I doubt I’m going to post these stats every single blog, but I’ll throw them up from time to time for entertainment’s sake.

Unless a miracle occurs and I land a cruise staff job in the near future, I plan on giving OK Cupid (which, btw, is FREE!) the same 90 days I gave Eharmony, and then compare experiences!

I hope everyone has a fantastic rest of your day, and we’ll talk to you again right here on Friday!

Cheers!

The knock came at the front door, but because we never use that door, we think of it as the back door. Luckily, I had just come downstairs and heard it, there’s no bell and the sound of knocking at that door doesn’t carry very well.

“Yes, may I help you?” I asked the young lady who was standing outside near an SUV which another woman was driving.

“Yes, we were wondering if you could tell us if my father is here.” The girl said.

“I’m sorry, but by law we aren’t allowed to either confirm or deny whether or not anyone is a resident. How long has he been missing?”

“About a month.”

I masked my surprise. Usually when people come looking for a loved one, it’s a matter of hours or at the most days.

“Have you filed a missing person’s report with the police department?” I asked.

“No. If I show you a picture could you tell me if you’ve seen him?” She persisted.

“Let me ask you this: is he healthy? Is he all right mentally?” I countered.

“Yeah, it’s nothing like that. He just left and we got worried about him.” She sounded evasive, so I decided to probe a bit further.

“Is he here legally?” I asked, since both women were obviously Mexican and the girl had to translate for the woman in the SUV who I took to be her mother. “We don’t care if he is or isn’t, I was just thinking that he may have been deported.”

“Oh no!” The girl assured me, he’s legal. It’s nothing like that.”

I wondered what it was like that she wasn’t telling me. It was something, of that I was sure.

“Does anyone live here, now?” She said, looking at the deserted looking exterior of the building. Since all of the activity takes place on the other side of the building, most people who come to that entrance might wonder the same thing.

“Sure there are. Look, I’m sorry that I can’t help you. I understand that it must be very difficult for you not knowing if he’s OK or not. However, people decide to leave their homes all the time and we have to recognize that they have a right to do so.”

“Is there anywhere else you could suggest we look?” She asked, ignoring my last statement.

“Other than filing a missing person’s report, I really can’t tell you where to go.”

“Is there anyone else we can talk to?” She asked, looking me up and down as if assessing my legitimacy.

“No, I’m the chaplain here, and there’s nobody here that could tell you anything different than what I’ve told you. If you’re not willing to file a police report, your best bet is to just wait for him to contact you. Either he will or he won’t, but if he’s in his right mind, either way, it’s his right. I can, though, post your name and number on our bulletin board, with a short message. That way, even if he’s not here now and comes sometime later, if he sees the message, maybe he’ll call. I always encourage all of our residents to make contact with their families; I look up addresses and phone numbers and we give them paper and envelopes and stamps.”

The girl spoke to her mother, explaining about the police and leaving a message, but in the end they declined. I don’t know what the real situation was, but I do know that they weren’t telling me anywhere close to the whole story. It made me wonder (and not for the first time) how people expect to receive full and truthful answers to veiled and deceptive questions.

I watched them drive away from the dining room; they craned their necks as if they could somehow see inside by sheer determination.

I lifted a quick prayer that they find their loved one if it was God’s will.

Surprise Callback from Celebrity

Thursday evening after work I found an interesting voicemail on my cell phone – the gentleman from Celebrity/Royal Caribbean (they are two divisions of the same company), called and asked me to call him back as soon as I could. Of course, when anyone from a cruiseline calls – I respond . . . ASAP. Of course, by the time I arrived home it was about 11pm in Miami; where their offices are (it was 8pm here on the west coast where I live). Fully expecting voicemail, I called . . . . and the gentleman answered!!

Where this story is going is that the gentleman I’ve been talking about these past couple of weeks, (officially he’s a “Talent Recruiter” for the company), says he has given my information to the Activities Director at the Celebrity brand (the guy at the office that the Cruise Directors report to) where I apparently match up fairly well with one of the positions they have open.

Here Comes Round 3

Where I work, there are 4 “Rounds” a potential hire must pass to get hired:

Round 1: Screening (Exam taken when person applies. Also considering Resume, etc.).
Round 2: Interview with the Personnel Manager.
Round 3: Interview with the Department Manager.
Round 4: Background Check, Drug Test, etc.

Putting it in Celebrity Terms: Getting a call back on the resume passed Round 1. Having your information forwarded to the Activities Director (the Department Manager)  means I somehow passed Round 2.

When is Round 3 going to be? The Recruiter said that I should be hearing from the Activities Director fairly soon. When? Who knows. He mentioned Tuesday as a possible Interview day; but we’ll see, as I haven’t heard from the Activities Director yet.

I still won’t get my hopes up over this – I’m stunned I’ve made it this far!! Regardless, the fact that I may soon be in contact with the guy the Cruise Directors of one of the major lines report to is pretty danged cool!

We’ll keep you posted.

Are You Here To Work . . . . Or Just Here To Goof Off?

The 90 Day Rule

My employer has what is called the “90 Day Probationary” rule. Essentially, this amounts to our having the right to dismiss anyone who has been with us for 90 days or fewer without prior notice, and for just about any reason. Certain legal restrictions apply, but we can pretty much terminate anyone within their first 3 months without having to give a reason aside from “It wasn’t working out” or “This wasn’t a good fit” or something similar.

In my department – Guest Service – we rarely have to use this rule. Among cashiers, the work pretty much comes to you – you can’t really “slack” – and the things that you can screw up (negligent money handling, gross discourtesy to a customer, etc.) are fireable offenses anyway, regardless of how long you have worked with the company. Since nearly all the positions in the Guest Service department are driven by customer flow, the opportunity to “screw off” and not really do your job really isn’t there.

Cart Pushers are technically part of the guest service department – they report to the Guest Service Supervisor (my position). Their job, obviously entry-level, has about the most freedom of any position in the department – they are expected to keep the entire parking lot and the whole guest service department clean. This is a lot of ground to cover, so these folks have to be moving constantly!

Not a Place For A Princess

Jobs in the Guest Service Department are not easy. They are not sexy. They are not glamorous. Jobs in Guest Services are work. This is why, whenever a “princess” type is hired (and you all know what I mean!), that there is an undercover ‘pool’ set up taking bets on how long they’ll stay in Guest Services. These ladies don’t like the idea of hard work, and realize (correctly so) that they really don’t have to do a hard work job to get by in life. Usually, Princesses are what you would consider classically attractive . . . . however, there have been a few princesses where the ‘pool’ had to be set up later, because it was discovered that they came from a family with money and for whatever reason decided to get a job here . . . . and I’ve heard everything from “forced to by dad”, “they’d buy me a car if I could hold a job for 6 months” to “They’re only paying my tuition in college and food, if I want to party, I have to pay my own way”.

My favorite story was when one “family with money” princess told me the only reason she worked for us was because her parents wanted her to get a ‘real’ job (she wanted to be an artist), so they wouldn’t buy her art supplies . . . . nor would they give her money for alcohol, partying, or weed (all of which she did regularly). Classy.

Anyway, once the princesses get hired into Guest Services, their days are numbered. Very shortly they realize that our jobs are indeed work. Although nearly all of them have what we would call “Opportunity for Improvement” in the Work Ethic category, we very rarely have to employ the 90-day rule on them, as when your work ethic is not up to par at my employer – you are called on it! We expect people to work hard, and it’s fairly unforgiving here when you don’t. Anyway, within 90 days nearly every “Princess” does one of the following 3 things . . . .

• A: They realize they can get a more glamorous (and easier) job elsewhere for the same pay.
• B: They transfer departments – to Apparel or Electronics, which are the “Easy” divisions.
• C: They get fed up and quit.

This is just how it works. I’m not trying to sound sexist, bigoted, or anything else . . . these are just facts I’ve observed in the past 8.5 years.

Equal Time: While this posting is primarily about females, there are plenty of male slacker employees too.

More Equal Time: I would also like to give a shout out to the only two princesses – both “beautiful” princesses – who busted the pool by beating their 90 days in Guest Services: Sarah (who has now been with the company going on 5 years – and is a backup Guest Service Supervisor), and Chelsea (who pushed carts for a year, then did a summer as a checker while going to college . . . . lol, and since she was going to Wazzu Pullman, she’s now probably got 40 pounds worth of beer belly – but that’s another story for another day)

Our Most Recent Princess

We hired a princess a couple of months back. Although not classically beautiful, it was obvious she was a “family with money” princess from about day number 2. Every day there would be glitter on the face, makeup on, and nice clothes . . . . oh, yeah, and she was hired as a cart pusher.

Let the countdown begin!

It took about a week until we caught our new cart pusher committing about the worst sin you can commit while on company time at my employer - texting. Within a few weeks, she became a thorn in the sides of the Guest Service Supervisors by constantly being texting, chatting, and most of all flirting. Pretty much anything besides pushing carts or cleaning things – which, by the way, are what we were paying her to do.

We don’t have time for that.

A couple weeks back, we used the 90 day rule and let her go.

Honestly, I’m surprised she lasted long enough for us to employ the 90-day rule. Apparently she enjoyed sluffing off here . . . but we don’t have the manpower to pay people to just chill on our time.

My company takes really good care of you if you’re a student working your way through college. We offer competitive pay (after you’ve been with us awhile), extremely flexible schedules (we will work with pretty much any class schedule you have), vacation time (yes, a college kid job that pays vacation time!) and even health benefits (how many college jobs do that?).

But you have to be willing to work.

“I’m Not Here To Work” – A Problem For Cruise Staffs?

I have a very strong suspicion that the people who hire for Cruise Staff jobs are constantly fighting against the same phenomenon: Employees who sign up not with the desire to actually do the work, but for one of the following reasons:

1. Heh, working on a ship would be cool! Heh . . .
2. It’s easy . . . . you call a few games of bingo then screw around all day.
3. I want to see the world.
4. Dude, imagine how many babes are gonna be on these cruises! Drunk babes, too!
5. 24/7/365 party, man!!
6. That looks like a job that doesn’t do very much. Cool.
7. I can’t get any further away from my parents than on a ship!
8. My current job sucks ass!
9. Dancers. I can shag dancers, dude!

Permanent Passenger, reviewed here on the blog several months ago, is just such a story . . . . and this guy was hired in as Assistant Cruise Director! That would be awesome – to be hired in as an assistant – but something I’m not expecting to have happen to me! Berman wanted to party . . . and that he did . . . . while hating the work aspect of the job.

Why I’m Different . . . .  

For my part, I’m in this fight because I happen to want to do the work – entertaining and making memorable experiences for guests! Sure, there’s other work that comes with it . . . . but I realize it’s very much a guest first position, and that’s the business I’m in! Yes, seeing amazing places would be kinda cool . . . . sure, the close proximity to dancers may be neat . . . . but the primary reason I want to be a Cruise Director is to use my talents (well, what I consider to be talents) to create memorable moments for people!

I have pretty much mastered the art of making memorable experiences at a food store . . . . and am ready to take my “talents” to the next level. If I can make something mundane like a trip to the grocery store memorable, imagine being given the opportunity to shape someone’s vacation! The Cruise Director – essentially, the one responsible for the Overall Guest Experience – is a huge responsibility, but one that I am sure I could tackle . . . and positive I would cherish!

The long and short of all this is that I’m the cruise line applicant who is there to do the work of the Cruise Staff position. I am willing to do all the work necessary to work my way from Cruise Staff to Assistant Cruise Director to finally the big chair. While many others may be there to party, I realize that the work . . . . making guests happy . . . . is what we are there for; and making guests happy is really my expertise and what I love. That is the “work” in this position, and that’s what I want to do! As I’ve mentioned before . . .

It’s not about me . . . . it’s all about the guest.

Spanish Blog Update

I’m going to make a change to the Spanish Blog. The reason or this being that (although it should have been obvious when I first set it up), that mimicking this blog (updated 3 days a week) with one updated just once a week would result in it taking forever to run all the same features we run here (for example, at 1 Port Explorer per month, it would take 5 years to go through the whole series!).

I want to have some sort of Spanish language blog . . . I need the practice writing Spanish. However, simply mirroring this blog (on a smaller scale) isn’t going to work. I’m probably going to take a bit of time off from Spanish blogging to come up with a better idea. I’ll share it with you when I devise it!

Cruise Photo Of The Week

From time to time I will select a "Cruise Photo of the Week" that tells a fun story of cruising rather than just being pretty. The guy on the right is comedian Bob Ray. The guy on the left is Dan. This was the "Late Night" (10:30pm) comedy show on board the Norwegian Sun. Dan (just a guest on the cruise) walked in late; and Bob did what many comedians do to late arrivals - ask them embarrassing questions to get a laugh at their expense. What's so interesting about that? Well, Dan was a tad slow . . . and EXTREMELY talkative!! Dan told Bob (and the audience) about the prizes he won as a Jitterbug dancer, his romantic interludes, and even his sex life. Dan liked the attention and took over the show . . . this photo was taken about 20 minutes into "Dan's Life Story - The Unabridged Saucy Edition!".

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Rosetta Stone Tracker
129 Activities Complete
129/820 = 15.7% Finished
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I hope everybody has an enjoyable weekend – I can’t imagine the weather being much worse than it was today (rained all day with a fairly severe hailstorm in the afternoon) – and I will look forward to talking to everybody again right here on Monday!!

¡Adiós!

Pi Bar– beer bar
Mission District
1432 Valencia St @ 25th St (Google Map)
Official Site | Yelp | BeerAdvocate
Local microbrew: $5
Open every day 3pm-midnight
MUNI: 12, 14, 26, 27, 48, 49, 67
BART: 24th St/Mission

π, as I will goddamn insist upon calling it, as that’s what’s on the sign out front, is one of the newer additions to San Francisco’s beer scene, and as it is in the trendy Mission district, it got a lot of attention in the weeks up to its unveiling.  As I hate everything trendy (aside from the beer renaissance San Francisco seems to be in the middle of) I approached π with one eye squinted, but ended up honestly digging the place.

Locals know that new hipster joints can be woefully pretentious, but you may be pleased to find that π is not at all pretentious (nor really even a hipster joint, if you’re one of those allergic to skinny jeans).  Entering the place, you’ll find a large communal table along the Valencia St window and several tables along the right side and in the back.  But the pièce de résistance is the huge bar spanning the whole left side of the space.  Seriously, you could choreograph a tap number on the bar.  Unfortunately, the size of π’s bar prevents there from being another row of tables, so you might not find a seat immediately if there’s more than two or three of you, so shoot for happy hour, as the seats may all be spoken for by about 8pm.  (That was the case on my last visit, but it’s worth nothing that the Chronicle and SFist both wrote the place up that morning, so I suppose 8pm is pretty good.)  That extra room does make the place feel wide open, but the lights are dimmed on the light walls just enough to keep things comfortable.

by Hopp

The food & beer menus on their website would lead you to beleive they have a dozen bottles available, but that website is happily outdated, as they’re actually up to 30 bottle at present, along with six taps.  The taps focus on special and not-so-special releases from the West Coast. Anchor’s Humming Ale was on tap shortly after its release, and they’ll often have at least one non-Pliny offering from RRBC.  The bottle list is quite varied and interesting, and you’ll likely to find several beers you may not have even heard of before.  Lots of Belgians and other European brews, with surprising attention to glassware.

by Troy McClure SF

Even I was a bit overwhelmed by the choices, so I and my friends turned to the bartenders for guidance, and were not disappointed. With a starting point, they were able to recommend  several beers, as well as a tasting order and food pairings.  (I should mention that I know one of the bartenders here from another bar, but my interactions with the other five bartenders & waitresses over two visits have been fantastic across the board.)

Oh yeah, the pizza. The owner’s from Brooklyn and is the latest in a long line of East Coast transplants who think SF pizza sucks. But to his credit, he’s actually trying to do something about it besides write five-paragraph tirades about it on Arinell’s Yelp page.  (Seriously, New Yorkers, if we admit that New York pizza is the bestest pizza in the whole wide world forever and ever amen*, will you shut the fuck up about it?)  Pizza is the obvious focus of the kitchen, as there are but a handful of other food options.  A slice is 3.14 and the 2πR Happy Hour special is a pint & a slice for $6.28.  All in all, it’s a pretty nifty spot to check out.

*-Chicagoans- Between me and you, this, obviously, is a lie.

I finally got my copy of the Scott Gullan book. I cannot wait to read the extra footnotes about the 2009 win. Now, all I have to do is wait for the club to send it to me.

Speaking of club stuff, i believe they should send out member applications now. People would love to cash in for Christmas. * writes to marketing manager for a job.

Today is November 11th (11/11) – Veteran’s Day here in the United States. No matter what your political beliefs may be, I believe we owe a debt of gratitude to all those men and women who are serving (or have served) our country in the armed forces. These folks have done something that frankly I don’t believe I have the guts or bravery to even consider doing . . . . and they deserve a huge amount of respect for that.

Thank you veterans, for everything you have done for our nation & our world!

The Celebrity Conversation

This afternoon, a nice gentleman from Celebrity Cruises gave me 26 minutes of his time to discuss Activities Staff jobs with his company. No, I don’t have a job offer in my hand after this conversation . . . . but I did gain some valuable information that will help in ‘The Mission’:

• My personal style “matches” one of the “mass-market” lines (Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian) more so than the “premium” lines. This was more of a confirmation of something I already knew.
• Being able to show some documented on-stage experience is just nearly crucial.
• He never even asked about any of the things I mentioned on Monday’s blog. Very interesting.
• There was quite a bit of attention paid to my academic accomplishments.
• The astronomically bad odds of actually getting on in a position like this was brought up again.
• This same gentleman is a recruiter for both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity (both owned by the same company)
• He is forwarding my information to an Entertainment person for Royal Caribbean, who will contact me with some more interesting information here within the next couple of weeks.
• Spanish – while a very functional & useful language here in the states – is not one the cruise lines value all that highly. What languages do they value most? German, Italian & the Asian Languages!

I’m grateful that the guy gave me nearly half an hour of his time, and I’ll definitely be using the insights he gave me as I continue onward with my Mission!

Port Explorer # 18 – Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands
PORT: Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands
DATE VISITED: January 2007
TYPE-OF-PORT: Port-of-Call
WHERE THE SHIP DOCKS: Along a very long pier, at the island’s south end.

What’s Near The Pier?

Grand Turk has one of the larger “By The Cruise Lines, For The Cruise Lines” malls that we’ve ever seen. The usually suspects are all here – the touristy restaurants, the overpriced gift shops, and . . . lest we forget . . . jewelry stores!! The “anchor” of the whole complex is a very large Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville location. Margaritaville’s ’area’ includes 2 pools, a double-story restaurant/bar and some beach right across from the ship.  Outside the terminal area, you are looking at a walk of at least a mile to get to anything more interesting than a gross looking greenish “lake” and an industrial shipping area. 

This photo - taken from the very front of Carnival's Elation - shows the long pier at Grand Turk. In this shot, you can also see part of the terminal. However, in my humble opinion, the most interesting part of this photo is that you can see how close the pier is to the very tip of the island!

Our Shore Excursion

While looking over the list of available excursions, nothing stood out to us as being worth booking. As a result, we didn’t book an organized tour here Grand Turk. There are shuttles available for a small fee taking you to “town”. We opted to take one of these shuttles.

Cockburn Town

The shuttle departing from the cruise terminal drops you off in the center of the largest town on the island: Cockburn Town (c’mon, you know that your inner junior-high-schooler wants to make a “Cockburn” joke!). This is a town of under 4,000 people . . . . and honestly, there is not a whole lot to do here. Some of the buildings are pretty, in that most of them are old and small (“cute”). There’s also a pretty waterfront area (no beach); where signs claim to be the spot where Columbus and his gang first landed on the New World. The most interesting thing we did here was debate how we were going to get back to the ship – it was a nice day, and we decided to walk most of it; before hailing a cab for the last mile or so.

Overall Impression

There’s not much to do in Grand Turk. The “town” on the island is small; and while it is charming and cute, does not hold much for a tourist to do. As the Cruise Director warned us (see the CD critique of Goose Neumann), many of our fellow guests spent their entire time here at Margaritaville. There was quite a large contingent of people from our cruise who ended up staggering back to the ship after many hours of “wastin’ away again in Margaritavilla”.

Honestly, I can’t blame these folks for spending the entire day at Jimmy Buffet’s; as there’s not a whole lot else to do around Grand Turk. A couple of the local people we spoke to during our time here were very friendly, and there is a definite warm feeling on the island. That being said, Grand Turk is far from the most interesting cruise port out there; and while it is worth visiting, this is definitely not a place you should go out of your way to visit.

- – – – – -
Rosetta Stone Tracker
129 Activities Complete
129/820 = 15.7% Finished
- – – – – –

On a personal note – my kitty is at least 15 years old. The life expectancy for cats like her is 12 years; so she’s been around for quite a while. I’ve had her for the past 13 years (yes, literally half of my life!). Anyway, she is suffering from an increasing number of health problems – a bad hip, early-stage cataracts, chronic vomiting, and a few weeks ago she had a seizure. As a last-ditch effort, we are having blood tests done on her – in the hope that the tests will come back and reveal that most of her problems are due to a treatable condition that we can give her medicine for.

So I’m hoping beyond hope that these tests (results due back this evening or tomorrow) come back with good news – we can treat her. If the tests reveal she’s suffering from something terminal, well, we don’t want to see her suffer; and of course that means . . . . . .

I don’t want to think about it.

Regardless, I really hope you all have a fantastic rest of your day . . . and we’ll talk to you again on Friday!!

Cheerio!

Why?

This seems like the simplest question in the world. It’s easy to read, only one syllable, and usually does not need to be explained. On Sunday, November 8th, I challenged myself to this question pertaining to my heart in Romania. I didn’t plan or premeditated my answer in any way, it just…. happened.

I was throwing kind of my own “welcome home” party where I invited supporters and family members. The pinnacle of events was when I was to show a picture presentation and share about my time in Romania. Again, the only preparation I did was organize a 20 picture slide-show… it just happened.

After I showed and explained these pictures, I then proceeded to explain that I’m not staying in America, but returning to the place that radically changed my life. The question that I have received so many times…..

You’ve had your adventure…. so WHY are you going back?

It finally received an answer… and it just came as I spoke….

The last two weeks of my outreach were spent in a village about 12 kilometers outside of Sighisoara. This place that changed my life is called Soard. We lived, worked, and ministered in and among the Gypsy people who live in this village. I have never in my life seen what I saw there. People who’s lives are so hard, that their mind isn’t focused on cars or clothes, but where the next meal to feed their family might come from, living in a house as large as my room. This was not all of the residents, but some.

Why did this change me? How on earth could this simple experience bring a revelation that would cause me to make a decision that deeply affects the next 2 years of my life and the people around me? These people…. some were hurting, some confused, some angry, and even some that seemed to possibly be on their last red bull while trying to keep up in a race that seems unfair and unforgiving. “Wait, so why” you may be thinking……

The bottom line is that they were     lost        scared       alone

with nowhere turn.

They need Jesus… something tangible.

They need Jesus… something they can see, touch, and feel.

They need Jesus… something they can talk to.

They need Jesus… someONE they can actually TALK to.

They need Jesus… someONE that will never leave, forsake, or abandon.

They need Jesus… someONE to show them that love still exists….

That someone….

IS ME

Tomorrow is the day that I get my few minutes – via this Skype thingie - to make my case to the gentleman from Celebrity as to why I should be hired as a Cruise Staff (Celebrity calls them Activities Staff). Of course, I have been thinking alot about things to say during the interview these past couple of days. Today’s blog is about things I intend on saying during the interview. The nature of this Skype thing is that I will be sitting at this very computer during this event, and thus will be able to have a sheet of notes in front of me. I intend on printing out today’s blog and having it available to me during the interview (in a spot the Skype camera will not see).

Why Should We Select You For This Position?

I posted a couple of months ago on how this question has killed me in the past. Well, if this question (or one of its variants) are asked during this interview, here are some answers I have come up with:

• I use a strategy of “100% Focus on the Guest” and using my own uniquely created style of “World Class Customer Service” to create memorable moments for guests. These experiences I hope will immediately result in improved Guest Questionnaire scores. In the longer term, as a cruiser, I know that cruisers love to share their experiences with others – and the more memorable experiences we create, the more stories our guests have to share about Celebrity to the guest who may be deciding among cruise lines. It is often the little things that will cause a guest to return – or praise us to others – and those are the little things I am prepared to provide
• Although I am interviewing today for Activities Staff, my true goal is to ride the wave up the ladder to Cruise Director. Sure, this will inevitably take several contracts as an Activities Staff member, and eventually Activities Manager – which I believe is what Celebrity calls their “Assistant Cruise Director” position – before reaching the CD position. Therefore, an investment in me is a long-term investment which I promise will pay large rewards in the long run.
• Although I realize I am applying for an Activities Staff position; once I am able to move up to the Activities Manager and/or Cruise Director positions, I will be uniquely qualified to handle these positions from the beginning. I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, and have now over 3 years of management experience. Stepping into the managerial capacities of these positions will be a natural and seemless transition.
• Having worked in Guest Service Management for the past 3 years, I understand the crucial importance of the Comment Card / “Guest Satisfaction Survey” / “Guest Questionnaire” system. My current employer employs several guest satisfaction measurement devices; and the results of these are very important to office-level management. Thus, I have a great deal of experience in the ongoing effort to maximize the scores on these systems; through all means – including, of course, World Class customer service.
• “I’m too good for . . . .” is not a phrase in my vocabulary. Whatever the most mundane, petty . . . . or even disgusting job that a Cruise Staff is ever asked to face – I’m up for it. As an example, my current position requires me to, when it happens, clean up . . . . human waste . . . . when it hits the floor in the store. Also, I’ve seen some of the things that Cruise Staff are asked to do on various lines – from NCL’s show where you stand on the stage in a toga while other cruise staff spit on you, to Carnival dressing up an ACD as a hula boy on a Hawaiian cruise – and I would have absolutely no problem with sacrificing myself for the enjoyment of the guests.
• I hold 8 years experience in the Customer Service business . . . . in the art of one-on-one communication with guests, I am nearly impossible to beat. This has won me 15 Customer Service awards; as well as the “Employee of the Year” award at my location.
• I currently write a blog about cruise lines – both being a cruiser and the journey from a land-person up to the Cruise Director chair. If management is interested, I’d love to provide a “Through The Staff’s Eyes” perspective of Celebrity/Royal Caribbean International in a way similar to what John Heald does for Carnival.

The “Theatre Experience” Question

One of the hurdles I face in this interview is that I lack any formal theatre experience – something which the line clearly wants from its’ applicants. When this subject comes up, here is my answer:

While I can’t tell you I’ve actually worked in theatre, over the years working in guests service, I have had many guests tell me that I should have been working there (or that maybe I’m just a natural). These comments include:

• “You’d be awesome working at Disneyland. Probably be more fun, too!”
• “You make us feel like we’re on ‘Price is Right’! How cool!”
• “Did you get voice lessons from Bob Barker?”
• “You’re wasting your talent in a place like this”
• “How do you always manage to make coming grocery shopping fun?”
• “Do you EVER have a bad day?”

Several times per day:

• “Where can I get some of your energy?”

Here’s a comment I get at least a couple of times per week:

• “You should go into radio!”

Here’s one from a manager:

• “Maybe one of these days you’ll get a job at a theme park. You’d do great there.”

From our department’s Assistant Manager, just about a week ago:

• As much as you love cruising, I’m surprised you haven’t left yet to go be a Cruise Director or something. They do all the things you’re strong at, and the stuff you seem to like.

Why do you want this?

• My love is helping people and making them smile. I naturally gravitated to Guest Service management; and have developed my skills in entertaining and helping . . . while gaining experience in management. After a nearly 3 years in a managerial role, I decided it was time to take my entertaining skills on to the next level . . . . in a forum where they are really demanded . . . . and the perfect position for my abilities and desires would be a Cruise Director. This Activities Staff position is the “foot in the door” step towards becoming Cruise Director.

Do You Speak A Second Language?

• Not really. I am familiar with Spanish – I understand the grammar concepts and whatnot – and if I were sitting with a dictionary, I could read quite a bit of it. But am I conversational? No. To become conversational is one of my goals, and within a couple of contracts I hope to be able to be at least able to communicate with Spanish Speaking guests.

Other Things . . .

Since the folks on the other side will be able to see me and my living room through the computer screen via this Skype application, I will be doing a bit of re-arranging to make sure that the view they get is a 100% positive one.

Will I Get Hired Through This?

Mathematically speaking, probably not. While I believe myself to be a very strong candidate for this, it really depends on whether the folks at Celebrity are willing to take a risk with a not-quite-traditional candidate and offer me a position. Will they? We shall see.

- – – – – -
Rosetta Stone Tracker
129 Activities Complete
129/820 = 15.7% Finished
- – – – – –

On Wednesday, I’ll share with you about how the interview went – and of course, we’ll take a look at our next Port Explorer location!

Have a great rest of your day – see ya then!

Am fost aseara la lansarea Windows 7, cu o super mega petrecere organizata de The Mission.  Nu-mi cumparasem bilet, dar uite, sunt “condamnata” sa traiesc printre hipsteri, prietenii stiu de ce Mi-au placut Gorillaz Sound System, Underworld a cantat prea mult pentru gustul meu iar la Dubfire nu am mai rezistat, decat la cateva mixuri.

Dintre sponsori, Romtelecom a fost insistent cu o reclama pe ecrane. Concertul/ele s-au auzit bine (eu venisem cu prejudecati la Polivalenta, de la un show mai vechi), luminile si scenografia au fost si ele in regula, mai ales momentul cu baloane albe imense. Animatorii nu au aratat cine stie ce, dar publicul era in delir si delirul in public. A fost ca o seara de club la puterea a doua, pentru cei care prefera aceste genuri de muzica.

Dupa cozile de la intrare, erau mai multi oameni pe guest lists decat cei care plateau intrarea, dar eu zic ca meritat investitia in PR. Daca erau si bauturi incluse, era perfect; sistemul de cumparat jetoane cu care apoi iti iei bautura e enervant pentru toata lumea.

Za people from za crowd pareau in general cool. N-am fost niciodata la Ibiza, dar atmosfera era ceva de genul inceputul de la “It’s all gone, Pete Tong”, ar fi mers un Schwab – DJs in a row. Sper ca Windows 7 e cel putin la fel de tare…

Andy is the face of what I call the ‘new’ homeless. He is a chronic alcoholic. His alcoholism is fueled by a $700 check that he receives from the government every month. Within a week, all of that money has been spent on alcohol and to a lesser degree, cigarettes. Sometimes, he springs for a hotel room for himself and his cronies, but at $50 a night for those hotels that will take in an obvious street person without ID, these are few and far between.

When he’s out too late to sleep at the Mission, or when the Mission is closed to daily clients, he sleeps in patches of weeds or bushes near the train tracks, or in abandoned buildings. He eats sack lunches or bean burritos on those rare days when his much-abused digestive system will let him, and is never short of a new blanket or sleeping bag. He never eats a hot meal or gets any vegetables. If he has a heart attack or a seizure in the middle of the night, there is no phone to call an ambulance nor any responsible party to go for help. He has severe cataracts, but of course saving money for the surgery that would give him back his eyesight is then. Booze is now.

Once, in the middle of the day, I saw him walking so close to the train tracks, that only the wind from the oncoming train pushing him to the ground kept him from getting run over, he was so blind, and blind stumbling drunk. Later, I found out that the beer that tipped the scales had been begged off the barmaid in the downtown tavern that derives all of its profits from these down-and-outers.

Andy slept at the Mission almost nightly for six years while Pastor tried to talk him into joining our program, but like most of the new breed of street people, he knew that if he joined the program, he’d have to work every day. Sure, he’d get a safe warm bunk to sleep in every night with clean sheets and good blankets; sure, he’d get hot meals three times a day, and his pick of the donated clothing that came in, but he’d also have to attend two of those pesky Bible studies, work, and, most importantly, remain sober. It’s much easier to just stay on the streets and let our “kinder, gentler’ society cater to his every whim.

Andy has a running buddy named John. John is as bitter, resentful, and irreverent of a man as you can hope to find. He has severe heart disease, among other chronic conditions, and it’s a miracle that he’s been able to survive so long on the streets. John rarely drinks and has nothing but contempt for drug addicts; the reason he’s on the street is his inability to follow the most benign and least invasive rule. As Pastor says, John graduated from Frankie U: He does things his way.

One of the first things I did after coming to the Mission was to toss John out on the street in the middle of the night for opening the door to a couple of residents who had left on a drunk earlier in the day. I threw them out, first, of course, but following Pastor’s express order, John had to go too. Every resident knows that after 10 pm, the door cannot be opened for any reason or for any person. If a police officer comes, they cannot open the door for him or her. If a member of the board of directors wants to gain entry, they must wait until the door is opened at 6 am. If Pastor himself has forgotten his key and wants to come in, he has to go back home and get his key. There is no entry for anyone not possessing a key to the front door after to pm for any one or for any reason.

John threatened me with a drawn pocket knife that night, but due to the disparity in our sizes (I”m 6′ and near enough to 300 lbs as to make no difference, while he’s 5′3″ and lucky to tip the scales at 130 holding a brick), and the puny size of the knife, I ignored the threat and continued to escort him out the door.

In the months since then, I’ve run across him here and there and, far from his threat that I’d better watch out for my very life should I ever meet him on the streets, we’ve had his version of civil conversations as I inquired about his health, how he was getting along and whether or not he had had enough of living on the streets yet. His responses were minimal, but for the most part non-threatening and contained a minimum of profanity. He always gave the Mission a wide berth.

Until yesterday.

“Hello, John. How are you doing? You just missed the pastor.”

“I’m here to talk to Andy.”

Ahh, just missing the pastor was intentional, then.

“John, John, John. You know that residents aren’t allowed to talk to anyone. If you have anything to tell him, I’ll be happy to pass along the message, but you can’t talk to him.”

“F*in’ Nazis! F*in’ holy rolling Nazis!”

Just then, Andy came out the door.

“Andy, forget the Pastor! Come on!”

That was the straw that broke my civility’s back. Just that morning, Andy had confessed that he’d been really struggling with the temptation to chuck it all and go on a binge. Now, here was the devil incarnate knocking down the door.

“JOHN! GET OFF OUR PROPERTY NOW! NEVER COME BACK!”

At this point, John turned to me and thumbed his nose at me, mimed defecating (along with sound effects) and continued calling to Andy to–to my ears–abandon sanity and run off to die with him.

It’s amazing what adrenaline will do. My back has been paining me for weeks now, and I can barely walk, but I moved so fast that I surprised everyone, myself most of all. I snatched John by the scruff of the neck and started dragging him towards the street.

The poor man was more than shocked, the look on the face that turned towards me showed bald terror. he pummeled me so ineffectively that if I hadn’t seen the blurring of his fists, I wouldn’t have known it was happening. When we reached the street, we were moving at such a rate of speed, that he tripped over his own feet and fell to the pavement, striking his head and opening a cut over one eye.

I felt bad about that. I’d never intended to hurt anything more than his pride. Obviously, as Pastor’s wife put it, he still thought he was running something at the Mission, even after getting evicted months before. Obviously, he needed to understand, in as firm a way possible, that his presence on Mission property was surplus to requirements, however, I wish I hadn’t made him trip and cut his head.

John moved off shouting about having me arrested, and indeed I felt that there was a good possibility that I could be. I went passed the wide eyes and open mouths of those residents who see me only as the fat chaplain, a hard-case, but basically harmless, and made sure that the correct doors were locked and that I had my coat handy should the police show up. Texas has strong private-property rights, but being as how there was an injury involved, I thought I’d rather be safe than sorry. Whichever way it went, I’d find out soon; the police department is just across the street and he headed towards it like he’d been shot out of a cannon.

Evidently, since I’m here writing this the next day and not cooling my heels waiting to see the judge, the police never showed up. Either he thought better of turning me in (as Andy insists) or the police dismissed his charge out of hand. Andy also believes that John was only there to return the $20 that he’d loaned him sometime before.

“I cudda really used that twenty bucks!”

“For what?” I asked, trying to pull his mind back to reality, “When you’re on the streets, you spend your whole $700 check nearly overnight. Then you use your overdraft protection and squeeze out maybe another week, making your next check even smaller and paying all kinds of overdraft fees. You’ve told me about how quickly it goes yourself. Just last week you said how you’d figured out that in only 4 months, you could afford to have one of your cataracts removed, but only if you stayed off the booze. Isn’t that more important than a measly twenty-bucks?”

I guess I’ll find out when I next see him–if he survives.

Andy took off this morning. I’d like to blame it all on John, but while John’s appearance showed perfectly diabolic timing (literally), I can only claim as the Word does, that “…every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed…” (James 1:14) He would have probably allowed his cravings to get the better of him sooner rather than late, but it would be nice to find someone to blame it on, or to be able to excuse my excessive behavior with John by extension.

So, he’s thrown himself back on the cruel, cruel streets.

That’s sarcasm.

In this city, there’s an organization which, in the twisted mentality of the world, believes that helping the chronically homeless to receive supplemental security (SSI) checks every month actually helps them. This organization accepts every homeless person, regardless of why they are homeless or any other factor, and guides them through the disability process so that they can get a check every month.

What do you get when you give an alcoholic more money? A drunker alcoholic.

What do you get when you give a drug addict more money? Richer drug dealers.

Does the money ever go towards buying food or paying for shelter?

No. Almost never.

There are other organizations that deliver blankets and sleeping bags to where the chronic homeless make their camps by the tracks. If you live in my city and want a good, slightly used blanket or sleeping bag, just go down by the railroad tracks on the first warm and sunny day after a cold snap and you’ll find them abandoned all over.

Still more organizations have decided that these poor individuals, so abused by society, shouldn’t have to even put down their bottles long enough to walk to a soup kitchen, or have their civil rights abused by forcing them to endure the torture of a gospel message before a meal. And God forbid that they should have to do any work! Unthinkable!

No, they deliver sack lunches to their campsites and serve them bean burritos wherever they can find them. Pastor sarcastically calls it “bums on wheels” service.

After one of his good friends divested him of the unnecessary baggage of his SSI check one month, Pastor’s urging to join the program finally bore fruit with Andy. He stayed for two months, working slowly, but with a will. He ate well, slept well, and got along well with staff and fellow residents alike. But, in the second month, with a rare full check burning a hole in his pocket, he just couldn’t stand it any longer and snuck out the back door of the Mission. We found him later that day beside the tracks, passed out drunk near an empty half-gallon of cheap bourbon.

Today’s exit was his fourth. He almost never makes it more than one day past the day his SSI check is direct-deposited in his account, but this time he’d made it nearly two weeks. I watched him struggling to carry his pack down the alley; I wanted to run after him and beg him not to go, but we don’t do that here. It probably wouldn’t have made the least bit of difference, anyway.

“Andy! Think!” Was all the luxury I’d allow myself.

But he didn’t

Shot by Matt Davis. Edited by Atticus Culver-Rease.

This represents everything that I hope to accomplish with Food Dude, namely bringing attention to great places you might overlooked. Juan and his crew really CARE about the food they are serving you. THAT is the difference between an okay place and a GREAT PLACE TO EAT.

They know about good, quality ingredients. Don’t let the low class location fool you.

From the outside, you would think it’s all Costco Brand salad dressings and condiments, but in reality it’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil, BALSAMIC Vinegar, DIJON Mustard. This is definitely a don’t judge a book by its cover kind of place. Very high quality food, prepared with love and care, at very reasonable prices.

TIP: Stick with the specials, the deluxe sandwiches. They are absolutely worth the price. Any sandwich with a crazy name, like “Al Pacino” or “Godzilla”, etc., is a hit. The regular sandwiches are just that – regular. Go with DELUXE, you won’t regret it.

Things we didn’t get to show in the video: They do REALLY GOOD SALADS, at very reasonable prices. If you are into the whole Atkins/no carb thing, you can get a very nice assortment of greens, tomatoes, avocado, etc., AND ADD real roast turkey, or steak, or chicken to it. And it’s under $8! Seriously! When I was working in the area I used to order that all the time.

The only downside: Hey, you can’t rush greatness. It’s good, it’s cheap, but good food takes time. If you’re in a hurry, you can always go next door to McDonalds. But if you want good food made with good ingredients, AT AFFORDABLE PRICES, this is the spot.

Fine Dining Al Fresco!

CLICK ON IMAGES to be able to read menu items.
Just one of the many DELUXE sandwiches. Check the ingredients.

Many great VEGETARIAN OPTIONS. Seriously, this is one sandwich shop that doesn’t short-change you Veggie types. It’s not just a “normal” sandwich minus the meat. They create unique, delicious sandwiches just for you. (And don’t forget, salads are available, too.)

Breakfast sandwiches, hot and delicious. Beef Chorizo? Oh yeah! Say it with me now: “Beef Chorizo!” Feels good, don’t it?

The Sandwich Place is located at
2029 Mission St (betw. 16th and 17th Street)
San Francisco, CA 94110-1217
(415) 431-3811

Shot by Matt Davis. Edited by David Pond.

Trying to pick the best Burrito in The Mission is challenging. There are SO MANY CHOICES, each with subtle differences from the next, and the majority of them are pretty amazing. So, we’ll save that particular discussion for another day. What we are highlighting here is the AMAZING BREAKFAST DEAL at El Castillito. Honestly, I don’t think there is any place you can get this much food, this fresh, for under $7.

Things that I like about this place:
– they bring your food to you. I know, they are not the only ones who do that, but a lot taquerias don’t do it, and it’s a nice touch.
– they have a salsa bar. Again, this isn’t their idea exclusively, but not everyone is doing this, and I really like being able to get more salsa on my own, without having to ask the folks behind the counter.

We can argue about the merits of grilled tortillas vs. steamed tortillas, and whose Burrito is the biggest or best forever. (They grill their tortillas here, which is BETTER OF COURSE THAN STEAMED!) For now, let’s just say that for breakfast – desayuno – no one can touch the deal at El Castillito. They will serve it up any time of day or night, which is great for late sleepers like me, or brunch on the weekend.

Just in case you forget what you were coming here for.

If it’s good enough for The Virgin Mary, it’s good enough for you.

Help yourself, just don’t be greedy.

El Castillito is located at
2092 Mission St
(near corner of 17th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 621-6971

The picture of hand-wringing anxiety, John just kept repeating it, over and over, as he stood in the hallway outside my door:

“Maybe this was a bad idea…”

“What was a bad idea?” I asked, wanting to assure him that there was no ‘maybe’ to waking me up in the middle of the night being a very bad idea, but instead giving him the benefit of the doubt.

“Coming here. Maybe it was a bad idea. I think I need to go.”

“If you go now, you realize that you can’t come back.”

“Yeah, maybe it was a bad idea.”

“Well, the front door’s not locked, have a nice life,” I said, beginning to shut my bedroom door.

“You have my cell-phone locked in your office.” He reminded me.

“Go on downstairs and I’ll be there in a minute.” I said, shutting the door. I’m busy enough every day just overseeing the supply of the needs of those who are grateful for a safe place off the streets without being woken up in the middle of the night by junkies.

I’d known immediately when Jim told me that he hadn’t taken any drugs for years that he was lying, but even I hadn’t realized that his addiction was so pressing. If he’d shown any of the usual jonesing telltales, I’d missed them. Perhaps it was because he’d misdirected me–he’d told me that his drug of choice was meth, but at 2 am it was looking more like crack. Maybe heroin, but he was more agitated than nauseated.

As I took my time dressing, I wondered if there had been anything more that we could have done to help Jim. Quickly, though, I slammed the lid down on that can of worms, thanking God that the pastor had warned me straitly about the evils of second guessing. We’d done everything we could have done. I was probing in my interview, uncovering and discussing as much as I could and trying to find out what Jim wanted to do to change his life. I knew the pastor’s interview must have been even more revealing. If there’d been a problem that Jim wanted to talk about, but had been unwilling to bring up himself, better men than we would have probably missed it.

Pastor’s Bible study had also been very appropriate. We were in John 3 where Jesus informs Nicodemus in no uncertain terms that “Ye must be born again…” Pastor’d given ample invitation and example of the sinners prayer; anything more would have by definition been up to the Holy Spirit to do.

Maybe it had been the dinner; I’d made poached samon with a deconstructed bearnaise sauce featuring fresh duck-egg yolks and then made a waldorf-style salad with fresh pears and stuffed it in fresh cantaloupe halves. Yeah, that must have been it; the dinner was far too soup-kitchen-like. I should have made more of an effort, I muttered sarcastically as I walked painfully downstairs, my back still giving me fits.

Jim wanted to explain more; belabor the point that he was a normal, reasonable person neither insane nor drug-craving who had just come to the realization at 2am that our homeless shelter was not in his best interest. Then, instead of waiting until the next morning and taking his leave, he had prudently and reasonably chosen to leave in the middle of a cold night having neither winter coat nor (if anything he had told us was to be believed) money.

I wasn’t buying it.

“Good luck kicking the habit,” I said, rather petulantly as I handed him the sealed envelope containing his cell phone.

“What habit? I have a cigarette habit, that’s all. What habit? I’m not a drug addict! How dare you?”

At least his refrain has changed, I mused as I watched him stomp his way out the door into the cold, cruel night.