Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
No, that's not where I'm working, but it looks cool.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Musings on weather
So, I packed for 1 month in Nice, in the south of France, in September. Shorts, t-shirts, one light jacket. If we go to Hamburg I'm going to be in trouble. I have 1 pair of pants and no sweatshirts or anything warm for that matter. I just checked on weather.com and the average high in Hamburg in September is in the low 60's. FML.
Thursday 2 Sept 2010
Today is my first day flying solo. Everything has gone pretty smoothly. It was a dive day so I read and re-read all of the instructions for draining the tank, shutting off the valves and refilling the tank. Everything seems to be running again after all is said and done so I must have done it right!
Neil left yesterday afternoon for San Diego to go shark diving off of Guadalupe Island. People back home are jealous that I am here but I am jealous that he is there!! I'd rather be jumping into white shark infested waters off of Mexico....I've done this gig before! Scotty and I have always talked about doing that shark dive but we never have. Someday.
I had to move out of my original cabin and into Neil's cabin on the Shadow. Apparently, the room I was in is used for frequent "guests" and if the guy shows up, he wants his room. It has to be empty and ready should he just stop by, I guess. Now, if we should leave for Hamburg, the Odyssey and Shadow will split up so I will have to be relocated again to the Odyssey. The tank is on the Odyssey so I wouldn't be much use on the Shadow. I'm excited at the prospect of living aboard that big beautiful yacht but I was told that I might possibly have to share a cabin. That isn't exciting news as the cabins are pretty small. I'm sure I'll survive.
Neil left yesterday afternoon for San Diego to go shark diving off of Guadalupe Island. People back home are jealous that I am here but I am jealous that he is there!! I'd rather be jumping into white shark infested waters off of Mexico....I've done this gig before! Scotty and I have always talked about doing that shark dive but we never have. Someday.
I had to move out of my original cabin and into Neil's cabin on the Shadow. Apparently, the room I was in is used for frequent "guests" and if the guy shows up, he wants his room. It has to be empty and ready should he just stop by, I guess. Now, if we should leave for Hamburg, the Odyssey and Shadow will split up so I will have to be relocated again to the Odyssey. The tank is on the Odyssey so I wouldn't be much use on the Shadow. I'm excited at the prospect of living aboard that big beautiful yacht but I was told that I might possibly have to share a cabin. That isn't exciting news as the cabins are pretty small. I'm sure I'll survive.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
eReaders
They are great. Except the Kobo eReader. Which, of course, is what I bought. First, they had ads all over borders.com and in store about how if you buy it you get a $20 Borders gift card. Well, that only applies if you buy it online - which I found out as I was checking out, 2 days before leaving for France. That obviously didn't give me enough time to order it online. Why advertise that special in-store if you don't offer it in-store? Nowhere does it specify that in the text of the flyers or online ads. That did not make me happy and I let the clerk at the store know and I sent feedback to Borders through their website (and I have yet to get any kind of response).
Next, they won't let you actually try the thing in-store (not sure why they don't have a floor model - maybe it's too new) but all of the employees raved about it. It's light, it's compact yet the screen is still big enough to be useful, the technology that they have for the screen is great, you can read it in full sunlight (and here, that is an issue ;-)) Unfortunately it is a little slow to respond and refresh so the pages take a little while to turn. I have gotten to the point where I can hit the button just enough ahead of time that the next page comes up as I finish the current page but it can be a bit tedious waiting for it to do it's thing.
Finally, I ordered a book from Borders.com, it downloaded to my computer but when I tried to sync the eReader to the computer, something went wrong. The download didn't complete, I got all of these error messages and the book was not on the eReader. Another annoyance is the fact that there are 2 different computer applications for downloading and transferring books. One comes with the reader and automatically installs when you plug it in, the other is required when you purchase books online. They don't play nice with each other so if I download a book into one, I can't just transfer it over to the other. The Kobobooks.com website downloads to the Adobe Digital Editions app and Borders.com downloads to their app and it's kind of a headache. I think they rushed to get this reader out and hadn't ironed out all of the software kinks just yet. The help that is available is not that helpful - again, I think because it is so new.
After all that, somehow, today when I tried one more time to transfer the book to the eReading using the Borders app, it worked!! Yay, now I can read the most recent book from Dean Koontz's Frankenstein saga...
Next, they won't let you actually try the thing in-store (not sure why they don't have a floor model - maybe it's too new) but all of the employees raved about it. It's light, it's compact yet the screen is still big enough to be useful, the technology that they have for the screen is great, you can read it in full sunlight (and here, that is an issue ;-)) Unfortunately it is a little slow to respond and refresh so the pages take a little while to turn. I have gotten to the point where I can hit the button just enough ahead of time that the next page comes up as I finish the current page but it can be a bit tedious waiting for it to do it's thing.
Finally, I ordered a book from Borders.com, it downloaded to my computer but when I tried to sync the eReader to the computer, something went wrong. The download didn't complete, I got all of these error messages and the book was not on the eReader. Another annoyance is the fact that there are 2 different computer applications for downloading and transferring books. One comes with the reader and automatically installs when you plug it in, the other is required when you purchase books online. They don't play nice with each other so if I download a book into one, I can't just transfer it over to the other. The Kobobooks.com website downloads to the Adobe Digital Editions app and Borders.com downloads to their app and it's kind of a headache. I think they rushed to get this reader out and hadn't ironed out all of the software kinks just yet. The help that is available is not that helpful - again, I think because it is so new.
After all that, somehow, today when I tried one more time to transfer the book to the eReading using the Borders app, it worked!! Yay, now I can read the most recent book from Dean Koontz's Frankenstein saga...
Wednesday 1 Sept 2010
Last night I went for a walk along the waterfront promenade after dinner. It was a bit of a ritual I started last time I was here so it was nice to do it again. It looks like we will be going to anchor off of Antibes because there is some festival happening in the port this weekend. I may only have a few days left in Nice so I have to get in as many walks as I can! I may have to go get some gelato tonight or tomorrow! Of course, dessert tonight is panna cotta and having that AND gelato would greatly throw my good eating habits off track.
Anyway, I wanted to talk about my "walk" which turned into mostly a "sit." I found a nice sopt along the promenade to just sit and jot some notes in a little Moleskine journal that Rachel bought me. One one side of the the sun was setting behind the mountains kind of northwest of Nice. The way the rays lit up the sky behind the mountains made them look like they were ablaze, it was beautiful. To the east I watched the sky slowly darken over the water. The lowest part of the sky was this incredible not quite lavender/not quite purple color that faded to a pinkish hue and then a kind of topaz blue. Awesome.
Neil and I have been trying to get me my own uniform but I still have yet to acquire one. I guess I'm going to have to wear his stuff which is OK. Luckily we're pretty much the same size. If I'd have had to share a uni with the other aquarist that I subbed for I would have been in trouble because he was a tiny little guy!
Well, time to feed the fish!
Anyway, I wanted to talk about my "walk" which turned into mostly a "sit." I found a nice sopt along the promenade to just sit and jot some notes in a little Moleskine journal that Rachel bought me. One one side of the the sun was setting behind the mountains kind of northwest of Nice. The way the rays lit up the sky behind the mountains made them look like they were ablaze, it was beautiful. To the east I watched the sky slowly darken over the water. The lowest part of the sky was this incredible not quite lavender/not quite purple color that faded to a pinkish hue and then a kind of topaz blue. Awesome.
Neil and I have been trying to get me my own uniform but I still have yet to acquire one. I guess I'm going to have to wear his stuff which is OK. Luckily we're pretty much the same size. If I'd have had to share a uni with the other aquarist that I subbed for I would have been in trouble because he was a tiny little guy!
Well, time to feed the fish!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Fruit
I've been out of California for about 50 hours and I already miss GOOD fresh fruit. Don't get me wrong, we have fruit and some is ok. Nice kiwis, pineapple and melon at lunch but the apples are mealy, the bananas are brown and the oranges have no taste. I really miss the wonderful peaches and nectarines that are in season right now...
Tuesday 31 Aug 2010
Today I got in the tank for the first time with Neil watching and trying to guide me through stuff from the other side of the window. Now, as SCUBA divers we have a small repertoire of hand signals that we would use to communicate while underwater. Unfortunately, those signals are mostly limited to things like, "are you ok," "I'm out of air," "SHARK!" and "let's go up." I am unfamiliar with the hand signals for, "please move that mushroom coral from its current location to up on that rock over there behind the clam." Not only was he making ridiculous hand gestures, but his facial expressions were quite humorous. Did I mention that I am no good at charades? After alot of laughing at him through my regulator I seemed to accomplish what it was that he intended for me to do.
We started talking about some of the special circumstances that I might encounter if we go cruising. Rough waters pose the biggest complication as the reservoir tanks could slosh around creating a big mess and therefore headache. The life support system is housed beneath the tank in a very small, very cramped room. The reservoirs are located in this room. I would need to cover the tanks and secure the "lids" - which are simply pieces of plexiglass that attach with rusty bolts. There is also a phosphate removal dosing system that Neil has MacGyver'd up which would need to be drained and stowed. There are also about 5 different ways to do water changes depending on the circumstances so I have to keep all that straight in my head. Luckily, Neil is very well organized and had prepared a document with the basics of how to do everything so I feel pretty confident.
So, why might I need to know all this info? Turns out we will be leaving port. There is some event happening at the port which will require us to undock and sit at anchor for a few days. That won't be too bad, we will still have access to shore via tender boats. We will probably go to Beaulieu which is between here and Monaco.
Another possibility for leaving port would be if the boss comes aboard for a cruise. This would probably be sometime after September 15 and stay relatively close to Nice. In this case I would stay aboard the shadow boat and be shuttled over to the Odyssey to work on the tank.
The last possibility would be that the boss doesn't come and we sail to Hamburg, Germany where the ship will be in dry dock for repairs and inspections. This is my favorite option! We would sail through the Straits of Gibraltar, around Spain, through the English Channel and into Germany. I'll keep you posted as to which option wins.
Time to get back to work...
We started talking about some of the special circumstances that I might encounter if we go cruising. Rough waters pose the biggest complication as the reservoir tanks could slosh around creating a big mess and therefore headache. The life support system is housed beneath the tank in a very small, very cramped room. The reservoirs are located in this room. I would need to cover the tanks and secure the "lids" - which are simply pieces of plexiglass that attach with rusty bolts. There is also a phosphate removal dosing system that Neil has MacGyver'd up which would need to be drained and stowed. There are also about 5 different ways to do water changes depending on the circumstances so I have to keep all that straight in my head. Luckily, Neil is very well organized and had prepared a document with the basics of how to do everything so I feel pretty confident.
So, why might I need to know all this info? Turns out we will be leaving port. There is some event happening at the port which will require us to undock and sit at anchor for a few days. That won't be too bad, we will still have access to shore via tender boats. We will probably go to Beaulieu which is between here and Monaco.
Another possibility for leaving port would be if the boss comes aboard for a cruise. This would probably be sometime after September 15 and stay relatively close to Nice. In this case I would stay aboard the shadow boat and be shuttled over to the Odyssey to work on the tank.
The last possibility would be that the boss doesn't come and we sail to Hamburg, Germany where the ship will be in dry dock for repairs and inspections. This is my favorite option! We would sail through the Straits of Gibraltar, around Spain, through the English Channel and into Germany. I'll keep you posted as to which option wins.
Time to get back to work...
Monday, August 30, 2010
Fresh ON the Boat
I arrived in Nice, France yesterday evening to beautiful weather, friendly faces and good food! Neil, the aquarist I am relieving for 4 weeks was off mopedding around Italy and San Remo (lucky) and didn't get in until midnight. Needless to say, I was asleep. The flights were relatively uneventful. I got the lucky middle seat on the flight to London (awesome) but got to watch "Date Night," "Invictus" and most of "How to Train your Dragon." On British Airways each seat has it's own screen so you can watch whatever TV shows or movies you want. They also have an extensive music list that you can create your own playlists with so that was a perk. Amazingly, I slept for about 3 hours or so which, for me, is great when I'm on a plane. Put me in a car and I will pass out within 5 minutes, but on a plane I just can't get comfortable. Blame it on the long legs - and the guy with longer legs behind me constantly ramming his knees into my vertebrae.
Got to go through security AGAIN in London. Set off the metal detector. Got a very thorough pat-down by a nice gentleman who then asked what was in my pocket so I pulled out the chapstick and he said, "That was it." Seriously? Chapstick set off the metal detector? Wasn't aware that chapstick had metal in it. Anyway, had time to kill in London so I just walked around. Then a massive downpour occurred out of nowhere. Not in the airport, or course, but outside where it could delay airplanes. Luckily mine was not delayed. Funny thing at Heathrow, they don't feel it neccessary to announce that your flight is boarding. I was sitting in the waiting area facing away from the gate, checked my watch and thought, "Gee, we're supposed to leave in about 15 minutes, you would think they would announce the flight." I turned around and there was a big line of people getting on the plane. Really? Too lazy to come over the loudspeaker and tell us that it's time? Anyway, I made it on.
I arrived on time in Nice, collected my bags and walked right out, no customs, nothing. I wish the journey home was going to be that easy. I was picked up by one of the crew members who was told to look for, "the guy with the big earrings." The guys last time made a big deal out of my earrings and it must have made an impression because that was what they remembered!
So, here I am, on a mega yacht, in the south of France, heartbroken and jobless, taking some time for introspection and relaxation. There are worse places I could be and worse things I could be doing. For now I'll write as often as I can, try to stay positive, keep the fishies happy and go for long walks on the beach!!
Cheers!
Got to go through security AGAIN in London. Set off the metal detector. Got a very thorough pat-down by a nice gentleman who then asked what was in my pocket so I pulled out the chapstick and he said, "That was it." Seriously? Chapstick set off the metal detector? Wasn't aware that chapstick had metal in it. Anyway, had time to kill in London so I just walked around. Then a massive downpour occurred out of nowhere. Not in the airport, or course, but outside where it could delay airplanes. Luckily mine was not delayed. Funny thing at Heathrow, they don't feel it neccessary to announce that your flight is boarding. I was sitting in the waiting area facing away from the gate, checked my watch and thought, "Gee, we're supposed to leave in about 15 minutes, you would think they would announce the flight." I turned around and there was a big line of people getting on the plane. Really? Too lazy to come over the loudspeaker and tell us that it's time? Anyway, I made it on.
I arrived on time in Nice, collected my bags and walked right out, no customs, nothing. I wish the journey home was going to be that easy. I was picked up by one of the crew members who was told to look for, "the guy with the big earrings." The guys last time made a big deal out of my earrings and it must have made an impression because that was what they remembered!
So, here I am, on a mega yacht, in the south of France, heartbroken and jobless, taking some time for introspection and relaxation. There are worse places I could be and worse things I could be doing. For now I'll write as often as I can, try to stay positive, keep the fishies happy and go for long walks on the beach!!
Cheers!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)