Author Archives: Sparky
TC2 Day 2: At sea
Our first full day on the Pride. We had breakfast in the buffet and met a lovely woman from Michigan, Amy, who was traveling alone and made arrangements to dine with her at dinner. It was a formal night so Marlene and Amy were both dressed to the nines. I was definitely the thorn between … Continue reading
TC2 Day 1: Embarkation in Tampa FL
My transatlantic cruise, with Marlene, has begun. We boarded the ship – the Carnival Pride – in Tampa Thursday around noon. We are now underway. But before the trip began we had to figure out how to get from home to the ship (Tampa) and from the airport (Miami) back home. The astute reader might … Continue reading
Dance, dance, dance
I think 2023 will be the “year of the dance,” thanks largely to Marlene. She loves to dance and goes to clubs and other music venuues three or four times per week. And then there are the festivals. In the past couple of weeks we have gone to Redbones to listen to Zydegatorz, a local … Continue reading
Re-tired
I had my first flat tire with my Corolla last week. I was on my way home to prepare for my afternoon volunteer gig driving golf cart for cancer patients at Lee Health Regional Cancer Center when my front left tire started losing air. I suspect I ran over something dropped from a flatbed that … Continue reading
“Sanibel Flats” by Randy Wayne White
Copyright 1990 by Randy Wayne White. Published by St Martin’s Press, New York. This is the first of White’s series of mystery/adventure novels featuring Doc Ford, marine biologist. There are currently 26 books in the series, so this is the flagship of a very successful series. The book opens with Doc Ford returning from a … Continue reading
First – and last – anniversary
I met Ooma a year ago today. The year consisted of two months of joy, 4 months of bewilderment and 6 months of increasing acrimony. I now regard her as the most despicable person I have ever known. I have no plans to have anything more to do with her. But, in case she reads … Continue reading
Second transatlantic cruise (TC2) preview
My 10-week auto trip last summer with Ooma was a disaster, but hope springs eternal. Marlene loves to cruise. So do I. And she has access to deals far better than anything I can get. So when she found a 13-night transatlantic cruise aboard the Carnival Pride from Tampa FL to Barcelona Spain for under … Continue reading
St Patty’s Day in Fort Myers
I had never attended a St Patrick’s Day in Ft Myers. Until now. This year St Patrick’s Day – March 17 (and what would have been my 20th wedding anniversary with Jett) – fell on a Friday. And not just any Friday but the once-a-month Friday when Fort Myers has its MusicWalk, a celebration of … Continue reading
Introducing the REAL Ooma
Ooma and I were in court on Monday. We had each applied for restraining orders on the other – she accused me of stalking her (ridiculous) and me accusing her of dating violence (not ridiculous – she physically assaulted me twice in November). Both were denied. So how did things get this bad? Let me … Continue reading
Fun with phones
I helped Marlene update her cell phone today. She bought the phone 2 months ago and we both avoided the upgrade task because we expected that it would be massively annoying. We were right. The first step was actually easy: transferring apps, contacts, call logs, etc. There is an app for that. I went pretty … Continue reading »