Another Review

   OK folks. First of all, I have to admit my plans for keeping in touch with everyone have changed. I was expecting free wireless on the ships but that isn't going to happen. My blogs won't be updated as often as I would like but I'll try to keep everyone posted.

   Second, I don't have much time right now to go in detail so I'll be giving a quick recap of what's happened so far. As I become more accustomed to being on the ship and I get used to the scheduling I'll fill in the gaps.

   Training Week- I started with one other photographer from San Diego and got to know him a bit while we were working together. We shared a room while we learned the ropes on the Diamond Princess. At first it was all fine but as we went along from port to port I noticed that every time we landed and had time to hang out with the rest of the photo crew, he would just stay in his cabin and watch movies on his laptop. I found out very quickly that getting to know the people you work with is important to surviving on the ship. The photo crew would often eat together and go out into the towns in groups and always invite us new guys out. He would decline and I would always accept. The crew later told me that independent people often don't last because of the way ships work.

   By the time I finished my training I was ready to go to the new ship. I made new friends and saw some of the most beautiful landscapes America has to offer. Unfortunately, for the other guy I trained with, he did not enjoy the week as much as I did. I can't go into details because of time restrictions but when we flew from Vancouver to Seattle to meet up with the new ship I lost track of him. All the clues say that he went home realizing he wasn't the type to work on a ship. From what I hear it happens often but it was better for him since he knew that before trying to live on a ship for six months. Ok, folks. I'm out of time. Talk later.

Traveling across time zones

Things I found out when traveling to Alaska:

- It's not wise to wait until the last night before your trip to start packing.

- Don't pack heavy things into your carry-on and plan to carry something in your hands.

- People involved with a church or religious group do not all look alike. Some can blend in.

- The only things that are still free on long flights are peanuts and soda.

- Mountains are beautiful.

For the most part my trip went well. I met some interesting people and had short but enlightening conversations with them. I traveled from Tampa to Memphis, from Memphis to Seattle and from Seattle to Anchorage. I didn't have much time at each airport to do any kind of sight seeing but what I saw from the Seattle airport makes me want to go back and check things out.

Anchorage has its own beautiful sights but I don't know if I will be able to take it all in while working. I look forward to everything that is going to happen. I'm not even scared or nervous. I think it's more of just wanting to get things started. 

An update

   OK, so I'm going to cheat with this post. It will have very little to do with anything except for what I need to get done. Almost like a list for me to follow. Don't say I didn't warn you in the first post. It was all laid out in perfect english...English. You know what I mean. So read ahead and at least pretend to enjoy.

1. Packing - Yeah, can you believe I haven't done that yet? Of course I still have about two days to organize my stuff and I'm figuring the sensible thing to do would be to start early. But if you know me then you know I'm a major procrastinator.

2. Find out the details of my trip - I'm expecting to find out Wednesday (today) what time my flight will be leaving and exactly where I'll be flying through and to. (the last sentence may or may not be grammatically correct)

3. Cleaning my room - Some could argue that this is not necessary. Let me tell you that with my mother being a cleaning freak and my sister threatening to use my closest while I'm gone, this is a must. By organizing myself I can minimize the collateral damage that will occur when I leave and still know where my things should be when I get back.

   You know what? It's getting late and I need to wake up early in the morning. How about I tell you what I have been doing. I've been trying to say my goodbyes. It's not as easy as it sounds. People have crazy schedules and sometimes things don't work out.

   If I don't reach you personally before I leave I would like to say, "I wish you all the best and I hope you achieve your goals."

Yeah, it's a little cheesy but that's how I feel. I'm an optimist.

My First "Blog"

   Welcome one and all to my first blog. Like many before me, my prior experience comes from the Myspace/Facebook phenomenon and is not what some would call... interesting or maybe even worth the time spent writing. Well bad news for those of you expecting something different because I can't promise better content right off the bat. What I can promise is my experiences and feelings about the adventure I am about to embark upon.

   For an update on my current situation here is a quick recap. I call Florida my home and have lived with my parents my entire life. If all goes according to plan, I will be heading to Alaska next Friday and will be leaving behind family, friends and pretty much everything I know. There is a mixed sense of excitement and fear. I have never been on my own for longer than a week. This will be the point in my life where I will look back and think, "Wow. That's how it started."

   This is the reason I am writing. That and the fact that I need to satisfy my own ego by putting myself in the spotlight. Oh yeah, and I want to keep my friends and family updated on what I am doing.

Well, I think this is enough for now. I can tell by this post that I'm going to babble on for at least a few more posts before I write anything meaningful or interesting. If anyone decides to keep up on this let me know if there is anything you want to know either about me or what I think about something. Whatever.