So the wife and I have been purging in our home again. It's time to start that yearly spring cleaning and get rid of the things that we just don't need or use anymore.
So we have this movie collection. It's modest I would say. 399 movies worth of modest. I'm a film a geek and I know it. My wife not as much as me but she is nipping at my heels. After all she did attend Washington State University for film and theatre costuming.
We aren't purging our films. Sorry.
What we did decide to do was watch at least one movie a day (or more on weekends) and review it.
So whilst I've been home sick for the last couple of days I decided to inventory all the movies. I have one list for films with sequels, ie: Godfather trilogy, Star Wars trilogy, Riddick trilogy and basically any film that has at least one sequel.
The next list is comprised of the other films where there is only one and as such has no sequel, which I'm thankful for in regards to quite a few of these films.
Once each list was done they were each put into a master list combining the two lists together and then sorted in alphabetical form. Yes I sound like such a neat freak. I must confess that when it comes to my movie and music storage everything must be in alphabetical format and for those sequels they need to be chronological.
Shit. I am a neat freak.
So stay tuned for some fun critiquing of our personal inventory.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
military services: a must see at least once in your life
Last Thursday we put my grandfather to rest. As a United States Air Force retiree he qualifed for a military service.
I have to say that the service was nothing like you see in movies and on tv. In true military fashion it is very regimented. There is a specific time that you get and you must arrive in time to adhere to the schedule.
My grandfather is in Tahoma National cemetery. It's really quite large and very well kept. Services are officiated by local VFW members and most of the staff are veteran volunteers.
The actual internment is held for family and friends in a private vestibule shelter on site. There is a presentation of the flag for our service as grandpa was creamated. If this had been a casket service the flag would be drapped over the casket. Then there is a 21 gun salute and a playing of taps as the flag is refolded and presented to the family.
The flag presentation and 21 gun salute are provided by current enlisted servicemen that have been assigned to the national cemetary.
Once taps is done and the flag has been presented armed forces staff from the cemetary take the body, or in grandpa's case his ash container, away to be placed at the final resting place.
The VFW volunteer then provides a map with the location of where your soldier will be.
All this in 30 minutes.
No one want to lose a family member, but if they are in the military I do recommend that if you have the opportunity to attend a military service that you do so. The camaraderie that these strangers had for my grandfather as a fellow serviceman is something that you can't put into words and something that can't be taken away.
I have to say that the service was nothing like you see in movies and on tv. In true military fashion it is very regimented. There is a specific time that you get and you must arrive in time to adhere to the schedule.
My grandfather is in Tahoma National cemetery. It's really quite large and very well kept. Services are officiated by local VFW members and most of the staff are veteran volunteers.
The actual internment is held for family and friends in a private vestibule shelter on site. There is a presentation of the flag for our service as grandpa was creamated. If this had been a casket service the flag would be drapped over the casket. Then there is a 21 gun salute and a playing of taps as the flag is refolded and presented to the family.
The flag presentation and 21 gun salute are provided by current enlisted servicemen that have been assigned to the national cemetary.
Once taps is done and the flag has been presented armed forces staff from the cemetary take the body, or in grandpa's case his ash container, away to be placed at the final resting place.
The VFW volunteer then provides a map with the location of where your soldier will be.
All this in 30 minutes.
No one want to lose a family member, but if they are in the military I do recommend that if you have the opportunity to attend a military service that you do so. The camaraderie that these strangers had for my grandfather as a fellow serviceman is something that you can't put into words and something that can't be taken away.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Steampunk: It's all about nice clothes and manners.
So I'm having a phone conversation with a coworker of mine the other day. Mostly work related, but some non work items came up.
My coworker Lance is a Seattle Seafair Pirate. He's been involved with them for about 8 years now and really enjoys it. He very much looks the part of a pirate.
Seems he has been told that this current seasons outgoing captain is nominating Lance to be captain when he steps down. While he's honoured that he is being nominated he doesn't want the job. It's a huge leap in responsibility and one that my friend is just not prepared to do with the other organisations that he belongs to in addition to the pirates and is prepared to tender his resignation with the pirates should he indeed be elected.
Lance has recently found that the Paisley and I are steampunkers. He expressed an interest in joining the Seattle Steamrats if he is indeed nominated for captain. As he put it "it's all about nice clothes and manners". I had never really looked at it that way. In a way he is correct.
Manners definately play an important part of our group. It's one of our unwritten rules. Manners do go a long way and it's something that is lacking in most of today's society. I definately notice it when I'm speaking to directs and travel agents daily. I definately notice a lack of manners with my kids. My son in particular. Drivers on the road theses days.............yes. A definate lack of manners.
The nice clothes. Yeah I like that part. They don't have to be nice dressy clothes either. Just some accessory that really cleans up what you're wearing. I have a newsboy cap that I wear daily. I think it makes the rest of what I'm wearing look a little nicer. A lab length coat with some leather gloves is something else that I have and makes the rest of my clothing look nice.
Recenlty the Seattle Steamrats have started a function known as the Traveling Tea Party. It's a traditional afternoon tea held in a different location each month. The Paisley and I have periodically gone out for a traditional tea when we can manage. I think it's a nice addition to the day and really allows one to relax. For our wedding we had a traditional afternoon tea hosted by one of the local teahouses instead of having a standard wedding reception. Beside being a nice touch, I think it went well with our Scottish wedding.
I definately like dressing a bit nicer for no reason. The manners are a perk as well. I have to say that I've never been around such a large group of people with good manners.
I support my friend/coworker in his decision to join the Seattle Steamrats. Nice clothes and manners are a good reason if not for anything else. Steampunk is what you make it and this group definately makes everyone welcome.
My coworker Lance is a Seattle Seafair Pirate. He's been involved with them for about 8 years now and really enjoys it. He very much looks the part of a pirate.
Seems he has been told that this current seasons outgoing captain is nominating Lance to be captain when he steps down. While he's honoured that he is being nominated he doesn't want the job. It's a huge leap in responsibility and one that my friend is just not prepared to do with the other organisations that he belongs to in addition to the pirates and is prepared to tender his resignation with the pirates should he indeed be elected.
Lance has recently found that the Paisley and I are steampunkers. He expressed an interest in joining the Seattle Steamrats if he is indeed nominated for captain. As he put it "it's all about nice clothes and manners". I had never really looked at it that way. In a way he is correct.
Manners definately play an important part of our group. It's one of our unwritten rules. Manners do go a long way and it's something that is lacking in most of today's society. I definately notice it when I'm speaking to directs and travel agents daily. I definately notice a lack of manners with my kids. My son in particular. Drivers on the road theses days.............yes. A definate lack of manners.
The nice clothes. Yeah I like that part. They don't have to be nice dressy clothes either. Just some accessory that really cleans up what you're wearing. I have a newsboy cap that I wear daily. I think it makes the rest of what I'm wearing look a little nicer. A lab length coat with some leather gloves is something else that I have and makes the rest of my clothing look nice.
Recenlty the Seattle Steamrats have started a function known as the Traveling Tea Party. It's a traditional afternoon tea held in a different location each month. The Paisley and I have periodically gone out for a traditional tea when we can manage. I think it's a nice addition to the day and really allows one to relax. For our wedding we had a traditional afternoon tea hosted by one of the local teahouses instead of having a standard wedding reception. Beside being a nice touch, I think it went well with our Scottish wedding.
I definately like dressing a bit nicer for no reason. The manners are a perk as well. I have to say that I've never been around such a large group of people with good manners.
I support my friend/coworker in his decision to join the Seattle Steamrats. Nice clothes and manners are a good reason if not for anything else. Steampunk is what you make it and this group definately makes everyone welcome.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Where is your moral compass
I have to get this out.
I'm so pissed at the moment over something that I should not be taking personally.
You see, in my job I communicate the needs of guests with disabilities to our cruise ships. My department also intervenes when a guest requires a wheelchair accessible room to travel on our ships and there are none available. We review all those staterooms marked as such and contact the ones that have not completed and returned our form advising of their specific need.
I have some guests that have been scheduled and waiting for a wheelchair accessible room for a once a year sailing since last May and somehow, another guest has scheduled the stateroom the first guest was waiting for.
So we contacted the agent and let them know that we have someone that requires the ammenaties of the room to be able to travel with us. The reply stated that these other guests require the room as well and they will complete our form to be able to stay in it.
The form was blank. Nothing but a name. Legally we cannot violate ADA and ask a person what their disability is. They have rights. My loophole was that the agent volunteered a physicians lettre stating why. I asked for it to be sent.
What I received back has nothing to do with a disability, but the physician stated that the guest must have a wheelchair accessible room on this cruise. The guest is bringing ZERO mobility equipement!!!!
So now my hands are tied by ADA regulations and our own policies (which are based on ADA rules) and we cannot relocate said guest to another room to allow the first guests who really needs to the room to travel.
Even after pointing out that we have a guest requiring the wheelchair accessible, this guest is unwilling to do the good and morally right thing and move to another room.
I am so bothered by this!! I know it's not personal, but it still bothers me. Where is that guests sense of decency? Where is the physician's decency that provided the letter stating an able bodied person needs a wheelchair accessible room?
Sidestory time kiddies:
I have a friend who was taking his disabled mother grocery shopping a number of years ago. They went in his truck and she had her disabled placard to hang on the mirror.
Just as they were pulling into a disabled space at the store another car zipped right in and parked. The seemingly able bodied driver got out and nearly sprinting to the entrance yelled "sorry I'll only be a minute". He didn't have special plates or a hanging placard.
My friends mother was accepting the fact that she would have to walk further becuase someone was not courteous and took advantage of disabled parking. My friend was not ready to accept this.
He sloppily nudge the front of his truck (a four wheeler on 33" mudders and a lift and suspension kit) against the back of the other car. Moving around to the front of his truck he started pulling out the winch line and reached under this mans car and wrapped the cable around the rear axle. After tightning the winch and getting back in the truck he proceeded to drag this mans car out of the disabled parking and drag it some 150 yards to the opposite end of the parking lot and leave it high centred on a parking curb.
Not sure what happened to the other fellow nor do I care. Some people have no moral compass. Ignorance and lack of manners is a choice, disabilities are not.
I'm so pissed at the moment over something that I should not be taking personally.
You see, in my job I communicate the needs of guests with disabilities to our cruise ships. My department also intervenes when a guest requires a wheelchair accessible room to travel on our ships and there are none available. We review all those staterooms marked as such and contact the ones that have not completed and returned our form advising of their specific need.
I have some guests that have been scheduled and waiting for a wheelchair accessible room for a once a year sailing since last May and somehow, another guest has scheduled the stateroom the first guest was waiting for.
So we contacted the agent and let them know that we have someone that requires the ammenaties of the room to be able to travel with us. The reply stated that these other guests require the room as well and they will complete our form to be able to stay in it.
The form was blank. Nothing but a name. Legally we cannot violate ADA and ask a person what their disability is. They have rights. My loophole was that the agent volunteered a physicians lettre stating why. I asked for it to be sent.
What I received back has nothing to do with a disability, but the physician stated that the guest must have a wheelchair accessible room on this cruise. The guest is bringing ZERO mobility equipement!!!!
So now my hands are tied by ADA regulations and our own policies (which are based on ADA rules) and we cannot relocate said guest to another room to allow the first guests who really needs to the room to travel.
Even after pointing out that we have a guest requiring the wheelchair accessible, this guest is unwilling to do the good and morally right thing and move to another room.
I am so bothered by this!! I know it's not personal, but it still bothers me. Where is that guests sense of decency? Where is the physician's decency that provided the letter stating an able bodied person needs a wheelchair accessible room?
Sidestory time kiddies:
I have a friend who was taking his disabled mother grocery shopping a number of years ago. They went in his truck and she had her disabled placard to hang on the mirror.
Just as they were pulling into a disabled space at the store another car zipped right in and parked. The seemingly able bodied driver got out and nearly sprinting to the entrance yelled "sorry I'll only be a minute". He didn't have special plates or a hanging placard.
My friends mother was accepting the fact that she would have to walk further becuase someone was not courteous and took advantage of disabled parking. My friend was not ready to accept this.
He sloppily nudge the front of his truck (a four wheeler on 33" mudders and a lift and suspension kit) against the back of the other car. Moving around to the front of his truck he started pulling out the winch line and reached under this mans car and wrapped the cable around the rear axle. After tightning the winch and getting back in the truck he proceeded to drag this mans car out of the disabled parking and drag it some 150 yards to the opposite end of the parking lot and leave it high centred on a parking curb.
Not sure what happened to the other fellow nor do I care. Some people have no moral compass. Ignorance and lack of manners is a choice, disabilities are not.
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