Getting back to life. Here is a brief rundown of what I have been doing since I got to Chicago.
Task 1: Check on our car that was in storage
When a car sits for 8 months with the battery still connected it probably needs some work. I knew this going in. I had planned on getting the car towed to a shop and having a oil change, fluid check...basic full car check up.
I had a picture of the car in my mind with spider webs, flat tires, and a layer of dust. What I DIDN'T picture was the mold that had grown. It wasn't everywhere...just where people had touched. The steering wheel looked like it had algae hanging off of it. The shifter and arm rest were gross. It was so bad that the auto shop wouldn't work on it until it was cleaned out...and they didn't tell me this until late the day after I had dropped it off. If they had told me in the morning I could have easily gone down and cleaned it. But I found out around the same time I was heading to our storage unit to get some stuff.
I cleaned it, but it was gross. When they looked at it they said we needed new brakes and tires...which was true. All in all they charged us $1400 and said we should really get it detailed to get the mold out of the carpet and vents.
So, I took it to a detail place and that was another $210. But NOW we have a shiny car!
Task 2: Find our sublet
We subletted an apartment while we're in between ships. It is farther north than where we were by just a little bit, but much farther north than where are car was. From here I rode the Red Line train or the 36 bus wayyyyy more times a day than I cared for just going to storage or mechanics or whatever.
Task 3: Storage
I am still trying to find our ironing board and iron, but I found the xbox!
That ends the tasks. The rest of the time has been spent seeing friends and playing xbox.
Now you're all caught up!
Oh...and if you need headshots...
Friday, July 31, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
7/18/09: Portland, OR
We've gone from Europe, to Alaska, to Portland, OR. Operation: Family and Friends is nearing a close. Operation: Headshots, Shows, and Xbox is about to begin.
We stayed our first two nights with Deanna's friend Linda. It is out in Washougal, which isn't necessarily near anyone we know, but it didn't matter. Hanging with Linda's family is always a blast. Her two kids are the best (you can see them in the Kids section of www.rancerizzutto.com), even when they're fighting over who owes who $8.
It was a great time of hanging out and all of Deanna's main childhood/high school friends either saw Deanna during the day or came over that night.
Yesterday we came and checked into a hotel downtown and had dinner with Jeremy and Carrie. They've traveled around a lot and it was nice to hang with them and chat about Greece and Carrie's supposed diseases.
Tonight we're doing a show at the Brody Theater at 10:30pm. So, if you live in Portland and read this and it is the 18th...go to our show!
The rest of my time here will be headshots, catching up with friends, and trying to get the cheapest price on my luggage on the flight home to Chicago!
This may be the last post for awhile...chances are it will pick up again in November. Wink!
We stayed our first two nights with Deanna's friend Linda. It is out in Washougal, which isn't necessarily near anyone we know, but it didn't matter. Hanging with Linda's family is always a blast. Her two kids are the best (you can see them in the Kids section of www.rancerizzutto.com), even when they're fighting over who owes who $8.
It was a great time of hanging out and all of Deanna's main childhood/high school friends either saw Deanna during the day or came over that night.
Yesterday we came and checked into a hotel downtown and had dinner with Jeremy and Carrie. They've traveled around a lot and it was nice to hang with them and chat about Greece and Carrie's supposed diseases.
Tonight we're doing a show at the Brody Theater at 10:30pm. So, if you live in Portland and read this and it is the 18th...go to our show!
The rest of my time here will be headshots, catching up with friends, and trying to get the cheapest price on my luggage on the flight home to Chicago!
This may be the last post for awhile...chances are it will pick up again in November. Wink!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
7/15/09: Alaska Recap
Today I'm actually in Washougal, WA. BUT...we have been in Alaska since the 8th.
You'll have to check the photos on Flickr, and I'll put an actual link here...when the photos are up.
Alaska was a swarm of delicious home cooked meals, various wildlife (bald eagles, moose, etc.), and Palin supporters.
Deanna's favorite part was probably Al and Evie's dog, Chichi. A chihuahua, but the breed that looks more greyhoundish. A good dog. Deanna probably liked that the best because she has been itching for a dog and I have wanted nothing to do with that. Now at least I can imagine having one.
You'll have to check the photos on Flickr, and I'll put an actual link here...when the photos are up.
Alaska was a swarm of delicious home cooked meals, various wildlife (bald eagles, moose, etc.), and Palin supporters.
Deanna's favorite part was probably Al and Evie's dog, Chichi. A chihuahua, but the breed that looks more greyhoundish. A good dog. Deanna probably liked that the best because she has been itching for a dog and I have wanted nothing to do with that. Now at least I can imagine having one.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
7/8/09: Land addendum: the air addendum
This day is all travel. Literally.
We woke early around 7:30am in Barcelona we probably could have gotten up closer to 9:00, but we had an 11:20 international flight, and our apartment was on a street that we weren’t sure taxis would frequent. We had no problem getting a taxi however. Deanna and I and our 8 bags headed off to the airport!
At the gate we were told which line to get in and then…waited…for a long time. There was a “guy in a hat” (read that like it is said with disdain) that was taking FOREVER in line and had that look of outrage on his face that comes from misinformation. Meaning, we read about the $50 per second bag charge, and the excess fees for heavy bags…he probably didn’t. So, instead of realizing that and paying, he made a stink about it while everyone in line behind him waited. There was also a group of teens wearing these blue “Education First” t-shirts. There were about 5 not too far in front of us, but more…the late ones…kept showing up with their parents and just would cut into the line with the rest of the group. Boo, I say…boo!
Luckily I was trying to be in good spirits because we had a long day ahead of us. Starting with the 8.5 hour flight to NYC. Luckily our flight had individual screens and a menu you could choose from. This made the flight pass by much quicker. I watched: Taken; I Love You, Man; Sunshine Cleaners; Monsters vs Aliens; and part of Dragonball…and maybe one other movie I’m forgetting. I just kept watching movies so I could spare the batteries on my laptop and iPod for the other flights. Piece of cake.
Customs and all that in NYC was actually a breeze. We went through, headed to the gate for our flight to Salt Lake. For that 5 hour flight…I had a middle seat. I have a slightly bad knee that I just need to straighten out and pop time to time. Hard to do in the middle. But, I made it through. I watched: the rest of Dragonball; 12 Rounds; part of Duplicity.
Keep in mind I hadn’t slept on either of these flights. By the time we arrived in Salt Lake it was 4:00am in Barcelona. I was tired. I had planned on sleeping on the final flight. We flew from Salt Lake to Anchorage Alaska to spend time with Deanna’s dad and step-mom. I had an aisle seat for this 4.5 hour flight, but I could NOT get comfortable. I think I fell asleep for 15-30 minutes before I woke up to the lady in front of me getting out her suitcase right over my head and I couldn’t fall back asleep after that. I was pretty done with traveling at this point. I just wanted to SLEEP!
After 23 hours of travel we arrived. I don’t need to get on a plane again for awhile…but I still will be going to Portland and then home to Chicago. So, a couple more Land Addendums to come.
We woke early around 7:30am in Barcelona we probably could have gotten up closer to 9:00, but we had an 11:20 international flight, and our apartment was on a street that we weren’t sure taxis would frequent. We had no problem getting a taxi however. Deanna and I and our 8 bags headed off to the airport!
At the gate we were told which line to get in and then…waited…for a long time. There was a “guy in a hat” (read that like it is said with disdain) that was taking FOREVER in line and had that look of outrage on his face that comes from misinformation. Meaning, we read about the $50 per second bag charge, and the excess fees for heavy bags…he probably didn’t. So, instead of realizing that and paying, he made a stink about it while everyone in line behind him waited. There was also a group of teens wearing these blue “Education First” t-shirts. There were about 5 not too far in front of us, but more…the late ones…kept showing up with their parents and just would cut into the line with the rest of the group. Boo, I say…boo!
Luckily I was trying to be in good spirits because we had a long day ahead of us. Starting with the 8.5 hour flight to NYC. Luckily our flight had individual screens and a menu you could choose from. This made the flight pass by much quicker. I watched: Taken; I Love You, Man; Sunshine Cleaners; Monsters vs Aliens; and part of Dragonball…and maybe one other movie I’m forgetting. I just kept watching movies so I could spare the batteries on my laptop and iPod for the other flights. Piece of cake.
Customs and all that in NYC was actually a breeze. We went through, headed to the gate for our flight to Salt Lake. For that 5 hour flight…I had a middle seat. I have a slightly bad knee that I just need to straighten out and pop time to time. Hard to do in the middle. But, I made it through. I watched: the rest of Dragonball; 12 Rounds; part of Duplicity.
Keep in mind I hadn’t slept on either of these flights. By the time we arrived in Salt Lake it was 4:00am in Barcelona. I was tired. I had planned on sleeping on the final flight. We flew from Salt Lake to Anchorage Alaska to spend time with Deanna’s dad and step-mom. I had an aisle seat for this 4.5 hour flight, but I could NOT get comfortable. I think I fell asleep for 15-30 minutes before I woke up to the lady in front of me getting out her suitcase right over my head and I couldn’t fall back asleep after that. I was pretty done with traveling at this point. I just wanted to SLEEP!
After 23 hours of travel we arrived. I don’t need to get on a plane again for awhile…but I still will be going to Portland and then home to Chicago. So, a couple more Land Addendums to come.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
7/7/09: Land addendum: Barcelona
Over the last two days we visited a couple of places that we just never really made it to while in Barcelona on the ship. The first was up on a hill…an amusement park by a church. It is called something like Tibudabo. I can’t remember exactly because Deanna and I took to calling it “beeboobahboh.” The church up there was very tall and we were able to climb up to the top for a great view. I think the only place taller is Montserat…a mountain with a monastery near the top. To get to Tibudabo we thought we would need to take a subway, to another subway, to a funicular. That estimate was close. This is when we found out that two different subway companies run in Barcelona. So, we took a subway one stop to transfer and found out we had to pay for new tickets on this other brand of subway. We took that subway to a trolley. We took that trolley to the funicular. Four forms of transportation to get up a hill to a church.
The next day we went to that other tall place…Monserat. Not only did we go from subway to subway to rack and pinion train to funicular, but we added a hike to the mix. It was a partly-cloudy day but this place is so high up that we were able to get some great views. I can’t really describe it. It was high up. As we were at a viewing area so high up at the end of the trail, the clouds started to come in. Our entire hike back, a hike that was filled with views on the way up, was obscured by clouds. Completely. As in, we were in the clouds.
That took up most of the day. You’ll have to go check out my pictures on flickr…when I get them up.
The next day we went to that other tall place…Monserat. Not only did we go from subway to subway to rack and pinion train to funicular, but we added a hike to the mix. It was a partly-cloudy day but this place is so high up that we were able to get some great views. I can’t really describe it. It was high up. As we were at a viewing area so high up at the end of the trail, the clouds started to come in. Our entire hike back, a hike that was filled with views on the way up, was obscured by clouds. Completely. As in, we were in the clouds.
That took up most of the day. You’ll have to go check out my pictures on flickr…when I get them up.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
7/5/09: Day 252: Barcelona
The Grand Finale. After 252 days at sea we are now done. Well, done with this contract.
Deanna and I are staying in Barcelona for a couple days on our own before heading back to the states. Today was all about getting our 4 suit cases and 4 carry-ons from the ship to the apartment we rented. Our bags are big. I researched the Delta site to find out that our bags could be 50 lbs max before we would get a fee…51-70 lbs is $150, 71-100 is $300, over 100 is, well, not allowed. With all of the stuff we brought and bought I had my work cut out for me. Luckily we lived on the same floor as the scale. Out of three suitcases and one giant duffle bag that I got on sale at the L.L. Bean outlet in Maine the weights were as follows: 49, 49.2, 49, 69.3. I tried to get them all one pound under just incase we bought any other little things in Barcelona.
One of the first things we did today was chill and then walk around. While walking Deanna bought a US to EU power converter…just a little 5 euro attachment. I was worried about whether it would convert 110 to 220 and back. Deanna assured me that they used a little plug like that in Italy when she went with her girlfriends. So, I plugged our power strip into the converter then plugged into the outlet. POP! Three circuit breakers flipped and there was something rattling around in the power strip. That power strip was bulky and weighed about 2-3 pounds on its own. Guess we just bought ourselves a little breathing room in the luggage department!
That night we went around and saw a cool fountain up by the Espanya stop. They had music playing and lights and everything that you would expect with a fountain show.
Back that night we slept in our mildy air conditioned apartment. So mild that we sweated our way through the night. Gross.
Deanna and I are staying in Barcelona for a couple days on our own before heading back to the states. Today was all about getting our 4 suit cases and 4 carry-ons from the ship to the apartment we rented. Our bags are big. I researched the Delta site to find out that our bags could be 50 lbs max before we would get a fee…51-70 lbs is $150, 71-100 is $300, over 100 is, well, not allowed. With all of the stuff we brought and bought I had my work cut out for me. Luckily we lived on the same floor as the scale. Out of three suitcases and one giant duffle bag that I got on sale at the L.L. Bean outlet in Maine the weights were as follows: 49, 49.2, 49, 69.3. I tried to get them all one pound under just incase we bought any other little things in Barcelona.
One of the first things we did today was chill and then walk around. While walking Deanna bought a US to EU power converter…just a little 5 euro attachment. I was worried about whether it would convert 110 to 220 and back. Deanna assured me that they used a little plug like that in Italy when she went with her girlfriends. So, I plugged our power strip into the converter then plugged into the outlet. POP! Three circuit breakers flipped and there was something rattling around in the power strip. That power strip was bulky and weighed about 2-3 pounds on its own. Guess we just bought ourselves a little breathing room in the luggage department!
That night we went around and saw a cool fountain up by the Espanya stop. They had music playing and lights and everything that you would expect with a fountain show.
Back that night we slept in our mildy air conditioned apartment. So mild that we sweated our way through the night. Gross.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
7/4/09: Day 251: Sea Day
Happy America!
This morning and beyond is our final day on the ship. This means we have to go through various departments to get things signed off…returning our safety card, settling our bill, etc.
But the real gem was around 9:20 this morning. ESPN and BBC News are right next to each other channel-wise. 31 and 32. We got to 31 first and were watching a hot dog eating contest…with Kobayashi and others. It was gross (or G-Ross) to watch. When we changed channels to 32 it was about refugees starving. America!
At this point I know I have been keeping things secretive about our guest on the ship. A celebrity who rented out the entire ship for two weeks. What I CAN tell you is that rumors were flying like crazy about who all would be coming on the ship as guest entertainment. Because of the “pull” of the person renting the ship, the rumors seemed feasible. Here are the entertainers that the inner-ship gossip circle reported would be gracing our ship with performances: Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Mary J. Blige, and Beyonce. Yes, all of these celebrities were supposedly going to be performing on the ship for the lucky passengers.
Nope.
We did see a laser show on the fourth though. Not like laser Floyd or anything, but nice to have some sort of fancy light thing.
This morning and beyond is our final day on the ship. This means we have to go through various departments to get things signed off…returning our safety card, settling our bill, etc.
But the real gem was around 9:20 this morning. ESPN and BBC News are right next to each other channel-wise. 31 and 32. We got to 31 first and were watching a hot dog eating contest…with Kobayashi and others. It was gross (or G-Ross) to watch. When we changed channels to 32 it was about refugees starving. America!
At this point I know I have been keeping things secretive about our guest on the ship. A celebrity who rented out the entire ship for two weeks. What I CAN tell you is that rumors were flying like crazy about who all would be coming on the ship as guest entertainment. Because of the “pull” of the person renting the ship, the rumors seemed feasible. Here are the entertainers that the inner-ship gossip circle reported would be gracing our ship with performances: Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Mary J. Blige, and Beyonce. Yes, all of these celebrities were supposedly going to be performing on the ship for the lucky passengers.
Nope.
We did see a laser show on the fourth though. Not like laser Floyd or anything, but nice to have some sort of fancy light thing.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
7/1/09: Day 248: Santorini, Greece
Okay…enough is enough. Stop with the beauty already!
Santorini is awe inspiring. The entire population is built on the top of what seems like a crescent moon shaped island with a small black island in the middle of the “C”. What it really is is a huge volcano. The black island in the middle of the water being the dome. Since all of the buildings were so high up there were three ways to get up there: monorail type sky car things; donkey; or walking. We went donkey. The trail zig zags up the steep side of the island for about a mile (total, not a mile straight up). The donkeys are used to doing this all day and just kind of keep going. And the only way to walk up or down is along the donkey road…so you’d be walking in poop the whole way.
We didn’t really have all that much time on the island. As we were walking around we ran into Ric, Sayjal and Demian. They were walking a few towns away to have dinner and we joined them.
From there we hustled back (via donkey again) to clean up before our show. Audiences have been pretty sparse in the other shows, but we had a good turn out for our last show of the contract.
Santorini is awe inspiring. The entire population is built on the top of what seems like a crescent moon shaped island with a small black island in the middle of the “C”. What it really is is a huge volcano. The black island in the middle of the water being the dome. Since all of the buildings were so high up there were three ways to get up there: monorail type sky car things; donkey; or walking. We went donkey. The trail zig zags up the steep side of the island for about a mile (total, not a mile straight up). The donkeys are used to doing this all day and just kind of keep going. And the only way to walk up or down is along the donkey road…so you’d be walking in poop the whole way.
We didn’t really have all that much time on the island. As we were walking around we ran into Ric, Sayjal and Demian. They were walking a few towns away to have dinner and we joined them.
From there we hustled back (via donkey again) to clean up before our show. Audiences have been pretty sparse in the other shows, but we had a good turn out for our last show of the contract.
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