Getting Prepared For Our Next Adventure

In 5 days Veronica and I will begin our next adventure. We will be flying out of JFK en-route to Barcelona, Spain for 3 days prior to boarding the NCL Epic.
We have never been on the Epic so we are very excited about checking out a new and different ship for us. We are also excited about our cabin location. We have a balcony cabin that is location on the aft of the ship. We are as far back on the ship as possible and our cabin and balcony face where the ship has been. These types of cabin are prime real estate for many cruisers. Our last truly aft cabin was on our very first cruise back in 2010 I believe it was. We went on the NCL Pearl to Alaska in a aft mini suite with balcony. We sure got spoiled on that cruise which lead to many cruises to follow. Back in those days a mini suite came with so many amenities...concierge service, a special restaurant for lunch, special seating area for shows, personal invites to visit the bridge to name just a few. Nowadays the biggest thing you get for a mini suite is the "location" which usually ends up being no big deal at all.  We had our chance at a mini suite for this cruise but decided to stick with our beloved aft cabin.
We are also excited about itinerary that will take us to many locations that we have never been to. Besides going to new locations we have also booked several really exciting excursions.
I will be writing journal style entries in my notebook so that when we return I can share each days activities along with hopefully some really good photos.
By doing this it is like keeping those memories alive when Veronica and I return to this blog to visit and remember things and places that we have done and been to.
Here is our upcoming cruise itinerary:

Day	Land Tours And Cruise Ports	Arrive	Depart	Activities
Wed	Barcelona, Spain	----	5:00 pm	0
Thu	At Sea	----	----	2
Fri	Cagliari, Sardinia	8:00 am	6:00 pm	0
Sat	At Sea	----	----	1
Sun	Palermo, Sicily	8:00 am	5:00 pm	2
Mon	At Sea	----	----	1
Tue	Naples, Italy	8:00 am	6:00 pm	0
Wed	Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy	6:00 am	7:00 pm	0
Thu	Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy	7:00 am	7:00 pm	2
Fri	At Sea	----	----	1
Sat	Palma, Majorca, Spain	8:00 am	5:00 pm	1
Sun	Barcelona, Spain	5:00 am	----	0

And Now For Some Editorial Comments

It amazes me...although at the ripe old age of 60 it shouldn't, how lazy, manipulative and scheming some people can be.
They go through a major portion of their adult life playing the victim and doing everything they can to utilize this excuse in order to live their life on someone else's dime....the typical poor pitiful me and you owe me mentality.
They also live their lives behind a huge wall that they put up all in the name of privacy. They will readily take your money year after year but when you turn around and ask what the money has gone for...well then the privacy card gets pulled out and it is none of your business what your hard earned money went towards.
In their own warped little mind they can justify what they have done and feel absolutely no remorse for the years of scheming and scamming.
As long as you keep the money coming in their direction all is good. They have lived years of their life never having to account for most expenditures...just telling 'money bags" any old story or whatever they think sounds good to make sure the story being told won't upset the flow of funds in their direction. They build lies upon lies to the point that they actually start believing in their own bs stories.
They go through years of their life without any kind of meaningful employment all the while living their very shallow life on someone else's dime.
Of course then there is the constant sickness and medical issues thrown in for good measure which prohibit them from gaining employment..why get a job when you will make more money milking it out of  their personal "moneybags".
And if they get challenged about their spending habits or if things look completely bogus then it is the usual...how dare you ask me about this. Just because you..."moneybags" have been supporting me for at least a decade gives you absolutely no right to question me about any of my financial affairs, even if your money was used in an obvious mismanaged and irresponsible way.
These shallow, lazy, manipulative and scheming people need to learn how to live on their own and be self sufficient. If you choose to live in lala land and live your pathetic little life encased in a tall thick protective wall that you call privacy then more power to you....that is your choice.
But if that is the choice you make....get a job, get a life and get real. You have only been lying to yourself. Others can see right through your childlike cloud of deception and know exactly the type of person you truly are. Do it on your own without sucking the financial blood out of someone else. Have a nice life whoever and wherever you might be.
****The above comments are about strictly fictional pathetic people and any resemblance to someone that actually fits the above description is strictly a coincidence****

Where Has The Time Gone

Hard to believe that it has been several months since I wrote anything or even visited my blog. To say that life has kept me occupied would be a vast understatement.
Between taking my Dad and picking him up from dialysis 3 times a week, numerous other appointments for him, cooking meals, bank runs, haircut now and then, grocery shopping along with whatever else might come up...it has been hectic and busy. Thankfully Veronica has helped me out as much as humanly possible and has also given me some breaks in my duties so that I can get in a workout and some walks now and then. I owe her a big "thank you". It got to the point where my own health was starting to worry me so my dad and I worked out a system where it would free up just a bit of my time to allow me to take better care of myself than I have been. We have just started our new schedule and it won't be in full effect until after the holidays. He will be getting a ride to and from dialysis twice a week from a local organization. This will give me a little more opportunity to keep me physically and mental health wise in a better place than it has been.
And now I look at the calendar and it is almost Christmas already. Then New Years and then it is TAX time again.
Veronica and I do have a a really cool adventure coming up soon. At the end of January we will be headed to Barcelona. After spending a few days there we will be boarding the Norwegian Cruise Line Epic for an 11 day cruise that will take us to places that we have never been before... Cagliari Sardinia(Italy), Palermo, Rome, Naples, Florence/Pisa and Palma Majorca Spain and then back to Barcelona. We have some really great excursions set up during this trip.
And the travel doesn't stop there...we are planning on returning to Paris in the Fall.
We have a lot to be thankful for.
And just in case I blink again and another month has passed me by without getting or taking the time for my next blog entry....just want to wish everyone out there a very safe and Happy Holiday Season.