#1 Blogging Tip

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My favorite blogging tip from Afford Anything blogger Paula Pant is:

Don’t waste your readers time. 

She actually puts it further down her list of blogging tips, but it’s my favorite, so I’ll call it #1. Paula helped get me started blogging at her workshop a couple of years ago. She does very well with her blog and has a lot of good ideas, so I try to pay attention to her tips and tricks of the trade.

I almost never try to write a post if I don’t have something to say. Something I think is worth passing on. I don’t normally feel the urge to post every day. When I join in these challenges like I’m in now (Just Jot It January), I find it a lot harder to follow Paula’s tip.

Sometimes, I just don’t feel like I have anything useful to say. Normally I would just not post anything. But when I’m challenged to post something every single day, it’s really, really hard to come up with something that I don’t think will be a stupid waste of time. For you and for me. Lately, I’ve been following the prompts for lack of anything interesting going on around here. It’s really hard to come up with something to say about the prompt subject sometimes.

I hate to quit any challenge, so I hope I can keep things interesting for another 2 weeks. I know I must be getting pretty boring since I haven’t been working at all lately and hardly going anywhere. I’m trying hard to make my savings last until I can get back to work, so not able to travel or go out much. I’m pretty upset about it and trying not to get too depressing about the unemployment situation around here.

So ya’ll let me know if it gets to be too much. If you think I’m wasting your time, let me know!

Leadership

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Today’s prompt for Just Jot It January is: leadership.

I’ve actually written about it before here. I haven’t really thought much about it since I had to take that ‘training’. I still think leadership is more a natural trait than something you can be taught.

I think you need to be passionate about something to be inspiring. I think real leaders inspire others to that same passion.

I think real leaders are pretty hard to find, especially now. I think our culture here has been working against them. Here’s a little chart I found on google that explains my thoughts a little bit.

That part about welcoming risks is a biggie IMHO. Our society now is all about eliminating any even slightly possible risk. “Thinks ideas”, that’s another problem in our society. We spend the years from 3-16+ training our kids how NOT to be creative. NOT to have ideas of their own. How to do nothing but sit down, shut up and follow orders. That is NOT the way to encourage leadership (or anything other than blind obedience)!

Here’s another quote I found on google today. It goes right along with the first one’s “wants to create the future”, “needs to make change”, “high emotional intelligence”.

How many of the people we call “our leaders” are really leaders when you consider those things? I can’t say I see anyone in any level of government that fits. They do everything possible to dis-empower everyone except themselves! Those people are most definitely NOT my leaders!

I’m sure there are still some real leaders in other fields of endeavor (not politics). Teachers, scientists, businessmen, artists, innovators of all kinds. Why don’t those kinds of people get more influence in our society?

I try in my own way to be a leader, rather than a follower. I want to influence the world for good in some way. I try to share information to empower people and especially to encourage more freedom in the world. I hope I’m a leader like this…

Motivation

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For today’s Just Jot It January topic of motivation, about all I can say about it right now is that I don’t have any!

Why not? I’m just one of those people that has to have a goal. I need to have some kind of idea in the back of my head that I’m working toward. Also, I’ve never been much of an optimist. 🙁

Due to the present situation offshore, the steep drop in the price of oil and 100’s of thousands of people (including me) getting laid off, I am lost. My whole life has been totally tied to my work.

My job has given me the money to do the things I love (like traveling) and the time to enjoy them, (I only wish I had both of those things at the same time more often).

Now, with no work, and not even much prospect of any for months, if not years, I have plenty of time but no money.

My motivation is always tied to my goals. I’m having a hard time deciding what my goals should be right now. How to set my priorities. My goals right now are: somehow survive financially until work picks up and I can get back offshore, find something interesting and enjoyable enough to keep me busy in the meantime that doesn’t cost any money, make some kind of progress on moving.

They’re not too conflicting, the problem I’m having is that there is still that tiny bit of hope that a real job will come up (one that pays decent money). If it does I would most probably jump on it asap, which won’t work very well if I’m busy doing something else like taking the TEFL course or contracted to teach.

I’m not sure how to get motivated to do something when my life is in limbo and I don’t really see any good choices or possible ways to make things work out the way I’d like. I don’t like it, but I don’t know how to change it. Bummer. 🙁

Washed Ashore

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I was at the Houston Zoo a couple of weeks ago. I always like to go there, watch the animals and take lots of pictures. It relaxes me and I’m a member, so it’s free. 🙂

Last time I was there, they were doing the “Zoo Lights” event and getting ready for this new exhibit: Washed Ashore.

I got a picture of one sculpture. I thought it was pretty neat. Very creative and a nice way to use up a lot of plastic junk and turn it into something beautiful instead of just leaving it as ugly old trash on the beach.

I try to help with the beach cleanups when I can, but there’s a LOT of plastic floating around out there in the ocean and we’ll never be able to clean it all up from the beaches, we need to stop it from getting in the water in the first place!

Yes, that whole thing was made with trash collected off the beach! Washed Ashore will be at the zoo from Jan 15-April 15.

Dunes Day at Surfside Beach will be Jan 23 (0900-1200). I can’t find the date for the next International Coastal Cleanup, but they should be getting it organized soon. It’s usually in spring (Apr) and fall (Sept). Here’s a link to the results from last year.

(and another post for Just Jot It January)

Sacrifice

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Today’s prompt for Just Jot It January is: sacrifice.

3. the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.

For the sake of today’s post, I’ll use this definition, and this quote (some versions add “and lose both”).

I feel extremely isolated in that I agree completely with that quote. I seem to be 1 out of many millions. 🙁 Most people today seem totally willing to sacrifice ALL their freedoms (and mine too), in return for a (false) ‘promise’ of safety.

I can barely stand it; waiting in line for the TSA to grant me permission to travel. It’s all I can do to keep my mouth shut so I don’t lose that RIGHT forever. And the worse thing about it is, listening to the people around me in line making comments like “If you don’t have anything to hide, you don’t have anything to worry about”, or “I don’t care what they do as long as they keep me safe”, or “they’re only doing their jobs’.

Yeah, so were the NAZI’s!

We have given up SO many of our freedoms already, I can’t even begin to count! Just for a start, we have all the violations of the TSA, PATRIOT ACT, NSA spy programs, NDAA, etc. Restrictions of our rights to travel, to earn a living, to defend ourselves, what we can eat and drink and smoke, to choose how to take care of our own health, insane threats of fines and/or imprisonment dictating every single thing we do down to what kind of light bulbs and toilets we can have!

And yes, along with every other right listed in the Bill of Rights, even our right to speak freely has been violated (to all those who inform me how I would be imprisoned for what I say in North Korea or Iraq!).

I am NOT a North Korean or Iraqi! I was NOT brought up idolizing their dictators or ayatollahs as having the god-given right to run my life! I was raised as an American, one who believes whole-hearted in the ideals written down in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Those ideals that millions of Americans before me sacrificed everything up to and including their lives for. Things like individual liberty and freedom.

I can’t believe so many here are just forgetting all that, just throwing it all away, just giving it all up without any fight, without even a feeble protest. What the hell has happened to the American people that they put up with this? All I hear is how ‘times have changed’, ‘we have to go with the flow’, ‘the constitution was written 200 years ago’ and best answer yet- ‘you’re a real nut-job’!

All I have to say to that is: our founding fathers were RIGHT and  principles NEVER change, FREEDOM and individual liberty deserve all those sacrifices made in their name, ‘safety’ and ‘security’ do NOT, even if they were possible to achieve (which they’re not).

Skulls

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Today’s prompt for Just Jot It January is: skulls. I know some people are really into them. I’m not. But I have seen some really cool artwork done with skulls. I mentioned this one before, it was just fantastic!

plasticine on wood by Grupo Mondongo

plasticine on wood by Grupo Mondongo

This group of Argentinian artists created this huge skull (its a couple of feet taller than I am) out of plasticine. It’s incredibly detailed, full of all kinds of images out of our common culture. Historical figures, religious figures, movie stars, etc.

They must have spent ages putting this thing together. I wouldn’t have the patience, but I’m glad they did. 🙂

It really is a beautiful work of art.

Check out this video I found on Youtube (warning: some nudes, explicit sexual images, in the art shown, don’t watch if you’re going to get upset over that kind of thing!). It’ll give you a better idea of their work. I’m very rarely impressed by modern art, but these guys really impressed me. I would love to see more of their stuff!

 

PS- the featured image for this post is another art installation at the MFAH. It’s in the tunnel between different parts of the museum. It’s called “The Light Inside” by artist James Turrell.

Teenage Idol

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The Daily Post asks today (yesterday actually) who was your teenage idol?

Hard to remember that far back. 😉

I would have to say my biggest crush was on David Cassidy from the Partridge Family TV show. I liked the whole cast, but I thought he was just sooooooo cute! And he could sing too.

David Cassidy- photo from google

David Cassidy- photo from google

I liked their music. I guess it was pretty much made for little teeny-bopper girls. I even got my mom and my stepfather to take me to a concert one time. That was a thrill. Yeah, I remember screaming along with all the other little girls. My parents were amused by it all.

Effortless

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Today’s prompt for Just Jot It January is: effortless. I’m having a hard time thinking of anything to do with me that’s been effortless, other than gaining weight!

I certainly never had to make any effort at all to do that. In fact, I make all kinds of efforts to reverse the trend and yet no matter how many efforts I make, the pounds just keep on piling on.

People mostly think it takes some kind of effort to gain weight. You have to eat “a lot”, “like a pig”, ‘too many sweets”, “lie around like a sloth”, “couch potato”, “lazy bum”,  etc. But nope, not really.

All the ‘authorities’ have to say is: “calories in = calories out”. Nope, that’s most definitely NOT the way it works for me!

I wish it were that simple. I really wish it was. If it was as effortless to lose weight as it is to gain it, that would be wonderful. 🙂

Just Jot It January: Sane

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Here’s another Just Jot It January prompt I really have no idea what to do with.

The prompt for today is: sane. I’ve always thought of the word as meaning ‘normal’, specifically normal mentally. The dictionary says

adjective, saner, sanest.
1. free from mental derangement; having a sound, healthy mind: a sane person.
2. having or showing reason, sound judgment, or good sense: sane advice.

3. sound; healthy.

So,  I understand the definition of the word. Now, how about the way the word is used in reality. I always had a problem with the use of the word ‘normal’, like who gets to decide what is normal? How do they decide that? Who gets to pick who decides?

I have the same issues with the word ‘sane’. Who gets to decide who’s sane? Who gets to decide what’s reasonable? Why do those people get to decide? Who picked them? Are they sane? Who says?

Is all this picking and choosing just a matter of numbers? Of statistics? Of group think? Or is there a real, rational, reliable, repeatable, scientific way to judge sanity? (and/or normality)?

You really ought to watch One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (with Jack Nicholson), especially if you believe the psychiatrists are the ones who ought to be in charge of deciding who’s sane (and who’s not) and what to do with the ones who aren’t!

I remember having discussions about this kind of thing with my best friend J. We would argue for hours over what makes a society work, what kind of society is best for people, what is good for people, who decides, on what basis, what limits should there be on human freedom?

I was always on the side of the most freedom. I always argued that people (‘normal, “rational” adults’) had an inherent right to choose how best to live their own lives, that nobody else had any right to interfere. That as long as they weren’t objectively hurting anyone else, that they had the right to do whatever they wanted.

Most people, (my friend included) seem to feel like it all comes down to numbers. That if you’re in the minority, then you just have to suck it up and follow all the rules the majority happens to make, no matter how stupid or harmful they may be.

Is that sane?

SoCS Virgin- Frankenstein

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This is my first time. I’m a SoCS virgin. I’m not really sure what I’m doing here. I’ve seen these SoCS badges around, but I never really figured out what was going on.

I’ve been participating in Linda’s Just Jot It January challenge and the prompt for today was: “SoCS- Title“. So, from what I gather, the idea with the SoCS post is to just write -freely- whatever comes to mind.

Then there is the prompt: title. I found a post that suggests we are to just pick a movie title. Just whatever comes to mind first. So, mine was “Frankenstein”. I was thinking of one of the old black and white versions (there have been a lot of movies featuring Frankenstein), but then I started thinking about Young Frankenstein. I loved that movie!

THAT was definitely my favorite version! I love scary (or supposed to be scary) movies. I love all those corny monster movies with the BUMs (bug-eyed monsters). I remember waking up early on Saturday mornings to watch cartoons and we would always watch “Creature Feature”.

I loved Dracula and Frankenstein and the Werewolf. I really loved watching the Addams Family and the Munsters on TV. I read all kinds of stories on those kinds of things.

I really loved Young Frankenstein. Gene Wilder was cool, Marty Feldman was hilarious as Igor, the whole cast was great. A great Mel Brooks movie. I love Mel Brooks! Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, History of the World Part 1, High Anxiety. He’s up there with Monty Python. 🙂

Anyone who hasn’t seen Young Frankenstein by Mel Brooks, do yourself a favor and watch it. 🙂

Arribada!

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I haven’t been doing a whole lot lately. I’ve been out of work and so out of money and so not able to do much traveling. I’m trying to avoid spending money as much as possible while I’m trying to find a new job.

I’ve joined in the Just Jot It January, where the challenge is to ‘jot’ (post) something every day for the month of January. I’m finding it a little hard to find interesting things to post about that often, especially when I’m pretty much stuck at home. Things are really pretty boring around here right now.

I did a post a few days ago about what happened last year. Sabrina, (The Photographicalist), commented on it that she’d like to see some pictures of the arribada. That’s where the sea turtles struggle ashore on the beaches to lay their eggs. I did find one picture (almost all my photos from that trip were stolen).

I was lucky enough to see the arribada last year when I was in Nicaragua. So sorry, I wasn’t able to get any good photos since it was night, it was very dark, and tho they passed out little red lights, they warned us not to shine them at the turtles. It might upset them enough to make them stop laying their eggs. I don’t know why they don’t go see them in the daytime, I never got a straight answer to that question. I hope one day to see them in the daylight. 🙂

I did take a few photos anyway. It was such an amazing experience, I soon gave up messing with the camera. There were dozens of turtles (olive ridleys) coming and going up and down the beach. Like all sea turtles, the olive ridleys are endangered, it was thrilling to see so many of them at once. It was hard to see them, but you could hear them coming and you’d better get out of their way cause they weren’t moving out of your way!

We went as a group (I signed up for a tour at a hostel- Casa Oro– in San Juan del Sur), we all watched a movie before we left and our guide explained everything for us. She even scooped out the sand behind the turtle as it was laying, so we could all see the eggs being deposited.

I’d like to go back someday, it was a fantastic experience. If you ever get the chance to see it, you should!

Making a Living Without a Job…

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“…Winning Ways for Creating Work that You Love”. That’s the full title of the book I picked up at the Fund Your Life Overseas conference put on by International Living.

I went to Phoenix in November for the conference. I had high hopes to find some way to finance my highly desired move overseas. I spent 3 days there, listening to the speakers, talking to other hopefuls, collecting literature, entering contests for prize give-a-ways, soaking up the information. 🙂

One of the speakers I got to meet was Barbara Winter. The one who wrote the book. I had actually read the 1st edition of her book years ago. I figured there would be updates (and there were), so I bought a new copy. I love her ideas of being “joyfully jobless” and would really, really love to join her fellow travelers, but I still haven’t found my way.

google photo

google photo

I like Barbara’s ideas about having multiple sources of income. I’d actually been working on that before I ever read her book. I have (had) my job, rental properties, investing in the stock market, vending machines (not making any money), blog (still trying), writing (sold one article for $250), photography (sold 4 photos for a total of $2).

I’ve been reading “Making a Living…” off and on since I got home, working through some of the exercises, thinking hard about a lot of things. What are my goals? What do I really want to do? What do I really like to do? What do I need in my life? What can I do without? What are my skills? Could I learn some new skills?

Barbara talks a lot in this book about finding your passion. She asks questions like “What were the things you loved to do when you were a kid? What would you choose to do with your life if money was no object?” She helps you visualize. She helps motivate.

Then she talks about all the things that could be holding you back from pursuing those ideals (fears) and how you can get past those obstacles. She’s very motivating and inspiring. But a lot of the things she talks about just don’t seem to click for me, I don’t really want to work online, I’m not a computer geek and not really interested in becoming one.  I don’t want to start a business so I wind up working harder than I ever did at a job!

I want to RELAX. I want to spend my time doing things I enjoy: reading, writing, painting, making music, hanging out with interesting people, exploring new places, cooking, eating, sailing, hiking, snorkeling, SCUBA diving, beach combing, etc. I read the book, I still can’t figure out any way to make a living from one or any combination of those things. Maybe a beach bar? (If I had enough money, I could think seriously about that idea, but I’m broke!)

Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life. -Confucius

I totally believe that! My stepmother always used to tell me when I worried so much about something not working out “do what you love and the money will follow, the Universe is in divine order”.

Well, it always worked for her. It DID work for me when I was young and I LOVED working on those boats, before the accountants and insurance companies managed to screw it all up!

I wonder if there’s anywhere left at sea (or anywhere) where you can still just do your job, without all the extra pure bullshit they bury you in? Yeah, I’m still dreaming of that kind of life. The life of a seafarer 30-50 years ago. That would be perfect! 🙂

Another Just Jot It January post. 🙂

Just Jot It January: Robust

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Today’s prompt for Just Jot It January is ‘robust’.

Up until a couple of months ago, I would’ve used that word to define the oilfield… “booming, powerful, potent, vigorous, prosperous, tough, roaring, rough, rugged, vital…” . Yes, it was all of those things.

Now, I don’t know what to call it. Busted maybe, but it’s certainly no longer “robust”. 🙁

Best of 2015

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The best posts on my blog last year (according to you, my readers) were:

  1. Daves Peach Pie Moonshine
  2. This Dumbo Octopus Video Will Melt Your Heart
  3. A Typical Day on a Drillship
  4. Crock-Pot Apple Pie Moonshine
  5. Daily Prompt: Toy Story

I’m not sure I would have chosen those as my best posts, but at least it looks like we’re all on the same page. We all like things to do with the water and drinking! 😉

Actually, those two posts about the moonshine are not very useful anymore. The links to the recipes have disappeared into cyberspace. I don’t know how to get the originals back. I did try to make amends recently with these posts:

  1. More Moonshine
  2. Cherry Pie Moonshine

But it looks like ya’ll took those New Years resolutions seriously, no one has even read those posts or clicked on the links for the recipes. I haven’t been out much myself lately. It’s just too dangerous anymore to go out and have a drink with friends and I’m not really into drinking at home by myself. 😉

I’ve been having a hard time lately, mostly with the work situation in the oilfield. I don’t want to be too depressing on here. I notice I’ve been pretty down on here lately and my posts don’t seem too interesting to me (hopefully they still are to you). I don’t want to run off my readers. So, in hopes you can help me liven it up around here, what would YOU like to hear about here?

I’m still in the Just Jot It January challenge, to post every day for January.

Just Jot It January: 2016

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Today’s prompt for Just Jot It January is about 2016. I was going to write about this anyway, so here goes…

My goals, dreams, plans for 2016 (in no particular order) are:

  1. Take the TEFL course (Teaching English as a Foreign Language)
  2. Teach for at least 3 months in Mexico
  3. Paint more
  4. Upload at least 100 photos on Bigstock, iStock, Dreamstime
  5. At least 1 blog post per week (after finishing JusJoJan)
  6. Sell beach house
  7. Get yard cleared up and looking half-way decent again
  8. Query local newspapers about writing for them
  9. Sell article re: Best Burgers on the Beach
  10. Sell article re: Deep in the “Start” of Texas
  11. Write (and sell) at least 6 more articles
  12. Enter at least one local art show
  13. Sail more!
  14. Fix blog issues
  15. Start playing the piano again
  16. Sign on a voyage through Crewseekers, Crewbay, etc.
  17. Go to Panama, investigate moving there
  18. Sail a tall ship to Antarctica!
  19. Explore Vietnam
  20. Thailand for the Songkram festival
  21. Granada for the Hippica I missed last year by a week!
  22. Spend some time in Ireland
  23. Take a cruise (on a big cruise ship)

That’s just a short list. Notice I didn’t put anything on there about losing weight this year. 😉

I think I can actually accomplish all of them down to about #16, even tho I’ll probably still be unemployed. The challenge is going to be for me to stop worrying about being out of work and how long I’ll probably be out of work, and what the heck am I going to do if I’m out of work for so long,etc. STOP letting those worries run me down and just LIVE life for a change!

Thank goodness I was able to prepare at least a little bit for this plunge in the price of oil. I knew I would probably get laid off, just like so many others already had been. I wish I had saved even more, but I’m not one for denying myself everything! I save what I can, but I still like to enjoy life in the meantime. 🙂

The most important thing I have to do this year is renew my USCG license (US Coast Guard). They’re only good for 5 years now. 🙁

Without that, I can’t work anywhere. It’ll expire in mid-December, so I have to start getting everything ready to turn in by October at the latest. So, that means I’ll have to be around here. 🙁 Otherwise, I think I would just stay down in Mexico teaching (at least until some offshore work starts up again).

I can’t wait til I’m able to RETIRE! Oh, how I wish I could forget about working from now on!!! I’ve been trying to figure out some way to quit working for the last few years. Now that I’ve been laid off and no real hope of a job anytime soon, I’ve been constantly thinking of possible scenarios. What if? What it? So far, I haven’t been able to come up with anything that makes any sense.

It’s a new year and hopefully it will turn out better than the last one. I hope that’s true for ALL of us! Here’s to 2016! 🙂

Songs of the Sea: Dreamboat Anne

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https://youtu.be/Ehv65xC7pTU

Here’s another oldie but goodie for my Songs of the Sea series. Its “Dreamboat Annie” by Heart. I remember singing along with this when I was going into high school. I still think it’s a beautiful song 🙂

“Dreamboat Annie”

Heading out this morning into the sun
Riding on the diamond waves, little darlin’ one

Warm wind caress her
Her lover it seems
Oh, Annie
Dreamboat Annie my little ship of dreams

Going down the city sidewalk alone in the crowd
No one knows the lonely one whose head’s in the clouds

Sad faces painted over with those magazine smiles
Heading out to somewhere won’t be back for a while

Just Jot It January: Dachshund

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For today’s Just Jot It January post…

Just a little joke. Enjoy. 🙂

Resolution 2016

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It’s New Years, traditionally a time to reflect on the past and think of the future. I’ve pretty much given up on making New Years Resolutions. I always make the same one every year: lose weight. For 40 years I’ve never managed to accomplish that goal. 🙁

If you do make resolutions, you are in step with the ancient Babylonians who started the whole malarkey. They began each year with oaths to kings and gods. The Romans swore to the two-faced god Janus who looked back and forward into the old year and the new.

That was the beginning of an email I got this morning from International Living. It got me interested enough to read further (I’m studying how to write good leads).

I’ve subscribed to their magazine for a LONG time. Just like it sounds, they’re all about living internationally. Somewhere other than your original familiar surroundings.

I’ve been wanting to move overseas somewhere for a LONG time. At this point, I don’t even care too much where, there are so many good choices! Mexico, Belize, Thailand, Italy, France, Philippines, Malaysia, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Chile, etc. The ONLY reason I haven’t done it yet is (of course) money.

It’s MUCH cheaper to live overseas, but you still need to have some money. If I was retired, it would be no problem, but I don’t want to wait another 15+ years to leave. I haven’t yet been able to figure out how the heck to support myself anywhere without being able to work. I’ve researched it and it’s damn near impossible to get a work visa other than as a teacher (and teaching doesn’t pay enough to cover my bills).

But, it IS a way to make the move. It IS a way to immerse yourself into a foreign country, to learn the language and the culture, to live like a local and not like a tourist, to spend enough time in a place to see what it’s really like.

I’ve been researching language schools online. I’m just about ready to sign up for a TEFL course in Mexico. I’m having a hard time adjusting to the idea of staying ashore for that long, but right now I can’t seem to find a ship anyway. 🙁

So maybe this year I should try again to make a resolution. Something a little different. Something to at least move me somewhat nearer my ultimate goal.

Forget about losing weight and just concentrate on trying to find a way to GO somewhere!

Sign up for the course and just go with the flow. Go to Mexico and see what happens. It can’t hurt, right? 🙂

This last quote from the email is some serious motivation. I might just accomplish ALL of my goals if I just concentrate on this one!

And here’s something: A list of the most popular resolutions is identical to the most commonly hailed benefits of a move overseas…lose weight, save money, enjoy life more. “Get organized” is another one on many lists.

My resolution for 2016 is: take the TEFL!

PS-all posts for this month link to Just Jot It January

Just Jot It January: Frozen

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I’ve joined in Linda’s blog challenge of Just Jot It January. I’ve been posting every day so far but today is the first time I’m using one of the prompts. Today’s prompt is: frozen.

I can’t help thinking about yesterdays Icicle Race out on Galveston Bay. One of the guys who was out on the boat with us was just about literally frozen the whole time! Unlike myself, he’s a skinny little guy and has no natural insulation. 😉

He’s usually the most enthusiastic sailor of all of us. He’s constantly checking the sails and tweaking the trim for every last bit of speed he can get out of the boat.  But yesterday he stayed holed up down below through most of the race. Even the standard sailors cure (a shot of rum) didn’t do much to help. 😉

We joked about the ‘wind chill factor’ the rest of the afternoon, how it was so much colder on deck with the wind (since there really was not much wind). We finally gave up on the race when the wind died down to only 2-3 kts, and motored the rest of the way in to the dock. We got there in good time for the crew party at the clubhouse. The hot chili and a few more shots of rum finally did the trick. 🙂

Icicles

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Today was the first in the series of Icicle races here on Galveston Bay. I pried my eyes open early and ran up to Kemah to join Capt Vic and his crew. We got underway in time to get the crew warmed up and make a couple of practice runs at the starting line.

It was cold and damp, cloudy and drizzling rain, but we were in good spirits. We had some decent wind (N 10-15 kts), to start the race. We had a great start. Crossed the line right on time and were making about 7 kts all the way to the first mark.

From that point on, it was all down hill. The wind started shifting and dropping off. We had to tack a couple of times to make the next mark. That cost us a lot of time.

By the time we rounded the 2nd mark, the wind had died down to under 5 kts. Not enough to do much for a heavier boat like ours. We tried to sail wing and wing downwind, but it really wasn’t working well. We didn’t have a spinniker and weren’t classed for it anyway so couldn’t have used it if we did have one on board.

We tried for about a half hour, pretty much every other boat had already passed us so we decided to just throw in the towel and head for the dock. At least we would get there before the rum was gone (Cruzan Rum is one of the major sponsors of the Icicle Races). 🙂

There are 4 more races to go. I hope the weather is better for the next one. It’s not a lot of fun to sail when there’s no wind. Even so, I was happy to be out on the water today. 🙂

The pictures are from last years races, I haven’t had time to download the new ones yet.

PS- I’ve joined in the Just Jot it January challenge, you can see what it’s all about here.

Year of the Fire Monkey

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According to the Chinese zodiac calendar, 2016 is the Year of the Fire Monkey: a year of strength and determination. It’s the year of not only setting goals, but also meeting them.

What will your 2016 bring? What goals will you set this year? Which ones will you meet?

That was the beginning of an email I got this morning. It went on to talk about how the prediction calls for a year of prosperity. It ended up trying to sell me financial advice (I didn’t buy it).

I don’t know much about the Chinese zodiac, other than I’m an Ox. All I can say to this prediction is, I sure do hope it comes true! It would be great to actually meet more of my goals this year!

PS- Join in the Just Jot It January challenge here.

PS- Those photos are not actually monkeys, they’re chimps (from the Houston Zoo), but the best photos I could come up with out of my stash. 😉

2015: Year In Review

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Whew! I’m glad it’s over! Here’s hoping for a better year this year!

It didn’t start out too bad. I was working steady for Ocean Rig, and no matter how much it sucked, it was still a job. That’s MUCH better than where I am now, with NO job! Or maybe I should say no money, I could do without the job if it didn’t mean no money!

Yeah, I hated their petty BS, they never really listened to me (or anybody else on the vessels) and insisted I repeat time wasting, un-necessary “training” instead of allowing me to enjoy my time off. I hate all the rules and regulations, but that’s something to deal with pretty much everywhere now. I keep hoping to find a small mom and pop company that does things the old way. Somewhere we all could really ENJOY work again (and not just do it for the paycheck).

Even so, I still loved the job for 1. the pay, that allows me to enjoy 2. the time off, and when I go back to work 3. it’s still out there on the water instead of in some dreary office cubicle!

drill ship

I really didn’t do much other than work last year. I did manage to go sailing a few times with the local meet up group Sail La Vie. I actually managed to finish ONE of my goals from last years New Years resolutions (post at least once a week). I SOLD an article! I uploaded a few photos to the stock agencies that were accepted (most failed).

Nothing really exciting til I took a vacation down to Central America in late July. I had been planning to go to a blogging workshop in Costa Rica for months and hoping I could make it work with my schedule. At the last minute, I was able to work over and so could make the trip.

I flew to Managua since it was the cheapest flight I could find. I went directly to Granada for a week long Spanish immersion class. From there I went to the blogging workshop in Costa Rica. I had been considering moving my blog to a paid site for a while since I thought I had to do that in order to ‘monetize’ it. I only started blogging as a way to earn money and yes, I still DO want to do that.

I wanted to find a way to get my photography out there, my writing out there, my experiences out there- PAST the editors and to the people who might enjoy it! So far, I am not making much progress in any of that. Yes, I have had a few people ‘like’ my posts, but nowhere near enough ‘followers’ to make it worth trying to put any sort of links or ads on here. So I moved the blog while I was at the workshop and had help.

That was a pure DISASTER!

For 3 months, I had a total of 3 new followers, 4-5 likes, a dozen or so views. I was so frustrated and discouraged. I still haven’t figured out what went wrong or how to fix it. I DID finally find out that most of my old followers hadn’t actually disappeared, they were still here, on my OLD blog and didn’t get transferred to my NEW blog like they were supposed to have been (automatically).

So, I have basically had to start BOTH blogs over again from scratch as far as finding an audience. I was about to just say the hell with it all and chalk it up as just one more failure. One more money making scheme that will never work. But then I thought about it some more and I really do like blogging just for the sake of blogging. It’s not all about the money. I like meeting people from all over the world, I like seeing what they’re all doing, I like participating in the challenges, and I also like seeing what I can do to increase my stats. 😉

So, I will keep on blogging, still hoping to someday figure out how to make some money off it, but in the meantime having fun with it.

I did really enjoy the workshop and it was helpful (except for the screwed up blog move). I had a good time with all the other bloggers, but after it was over I was eager to get back to Nicaragua. Costa Rica was just too expensive for me!

I went to San Juan del Sur and stayed to see the arribada (the turtles coming to lay their eggs). That was really something! I wish I could have stayed longer to do it again, but I wanted to go back to Granada for the hipica. That was supposed to be something really special. Something like the running of the bulls in Pamplona but not as crowded, plus fancy horse carts and all kinds of celebrations. I was really looking forward to it.

I got back to Granada and found out they had changed the dates (without notice) and so I would miss the celebrations after all. 🙁

My friend from high school was coming down and I was getting sick of the heat and humidity, so I decided to meet him in the northern mountain town of Matagalpa. That was a nice change. We went riding around in his rental car. We went searching for the town of the weavers which turned into a real adventure. I would never had tried to take a little rental car up in those crazy mountain roads, but T had no problems.

We finally found the place, only about 100 population, I’m still amazed we even got there. After that, we had to buy some fabrics. T did.

I went back home to look for work after that trip, Ocean Rig called and laid me off while I was down there. T decided to go take the TEFL course. He’s happily teaching English in Mexico now. I’ve been thinking about doing the same thing.

I’ve been trying to figure out what in the hell I’m going to do now. I’ve spent my entire life at sea, never really done anything else and now there is NO work out there. Now that the price of oil has taken a nose dive and the forecast is not looking good for the next year or 2 (at least).

I went to Phoenix for a conference on how to earn a living overseas. That was interesting, especially if you want to run a business, but I don’t want to work any harder than I do now.   I still don’t really have any great ideas on what to do myself. Not unless I can flat out ‘retire’ with enough money to last til I die (I can’t). I went to the Workboat Show in New Orleans, hoping there would be someone hiring at the job fair there (there wasn’t). I went to a writing workshop in Colorado, hoping to get my writing polished up enough to send in to magazines (still working on that).

I’ve mostly hanging around the house, filling out job applications, waiting for emails or calls about work, not feeling like doing much of anything, wondering what can I do to make things work out. How can I make a move? How can I motivate myself to just DO IT? or at least do something?

PS- This is my first post in Linda’s Just Jot It January challenge. Click the link if you want to join in. 🙂

Happy 2016!

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fireworks

I sure hope this year turns out better than last year was. Happy New Year 2016! Hope you’re all happy and healthy and ready to roar!

Thanks for checking out my blog, I appreciate it and hope to see you all stick around for more. 🙂

PS- I took the picture at the Renaissance Fair a couple of months ago.

Ogden

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I was in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago for the Workboat Show. I always try to go if I’m not working. It’s interesting and New Orleans is always a blast. 🙂

This year, the schedule was a little off, also I’ve been laid off and no idea when I’ll get any work. It could be months. Years even. I was hoping to find somebody hiring at the job fair. Or, talk up some of the recruiters at their booths. So, I went to the show, but I cut back. I didn’t stay as long as usual. I didn’t spend as much money as usual. I was only there 4 days instead of 5-6, but I still had a good time.

I flew in Wednesday and flew out Saturday. I had hoped to be able to do some tourist stuff on Friday since I had all day free. I wound up spending all day long driving down to Fourchon and back to pick up some paperwork from my last ship.

So Saturday morning I had to return the car. Lucky for me, I saw on the way that they were setting up for the Krewe of Jingle Christmas Parade. I was planning to spend the day in the WWII Museum. I had heard it was really good, especially the movie (Tom Hanks).

Because I really wanted to see the parade, I skipped the WWII Museum (I thought it would be worth more than 1-2 hours) and went to see the Ogden Museum of Southern Art instead.

It’s nice that all those museums are so close together. Almost right across the street from each other. There is also a Civil War museum right there and a contemporary arts museum there too. I’ll have to do those and the WWII Museum next time. 🙂

The Ogden Museum was interesting. They had an exhibit of photographer Bill Yates that was pretty good. They displayed a bunch of black and white photographs from a skating rink (FL in the 70s), reminded me of when I was growing up over there. There was another exhibit of Michael Meads that I really liked. A lot of those were huge drawings/paintings, mostly in black and white but very intricate. (Not allowed to take pictures of those exhibits).

I started from the top (nice view from the balcony) and worked my way down. Four floors, pretty compact. They had painting, photography, pottery, sculpture, glass and more. They had an exhibit by some school kids that I really liked. Made out of garbage (plastic) and painted. Sculptures of fantasy creatures and interesting objects. I thought it was very creative and nice to recycle.

They had some of the more traditional museum type paintings, they also had some strange stuff that really got me thinking about ‘what is art?’.

Some of the things they had I could see really took a lot of effort, a lot of thought, a lot of creativity, a lot of talent. I could see why someone would want to put them in a museum (and probably pay a bunch of money for them).

"Victim of Silence"- Mark Messersmith 2011

“Victim of Silence”- Mark Messersmith 2011

detail

detail

But some of the things they had on display I thought “WTF???”. Why in the world would anybody want THAT hanging around? Much less pay anything for it! Why would anyone consider it ‘art”?

mud & paint on plywood by Jimmy Lee Sudduth

mud & paint on plywood by Jimmy Lee Sudduth

Those items looked to me like anybody could make them. A child could do better. A MONKEY could do better!

Why are these things sitting in a museum? What makes them worth it? What makes them ‘great’? I’m assuming if they’re in a museum, they’re considered to be ‘great art’. Why do the curators pay high dollars for these things when the majority of people who see them think the same way as I do and wouldn’t pay 10 cents for them? What makes them art and your kids refrigerator specials not?

So, what does make art?

And what makes ‘great’ art (worth of a spot in a museum)?

I’m really curious. Come on with your comments…

Songs of the Sea: Sons and Daughters

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https://youtu.be/E5H8DwJI0uA

One of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands!

I’ve been listening to this CD a lot in my car lately. I’ve been driving a lot more than usual lately. Instead of working offshore, I’ve got some part time work in Houston, so I’ve got a couple of hours a day driving back and forth when they’ve got something for me to do up there. This song always gets me in a good mood while I sing along. 🙂

“Sons And Daughters”

When we arrive, sons and daughters
We’ll make our homes on the water
We’ll build our walls aluminum
We’ll fill our mouths with cinnamon now

These currents pull us ‘cross the border
Steady your boats, arms to shoulder
‘Til tides all pull our hull aground
Making this calm harbor now home

Take up your arms, sons and daughters
We will arise from the bunkers
By land, by sea, by dirigible
We’ll leave our tracks untraceable now

When we arrive, sons and daughters
We’ll make our homes on the water
We’ll build our walls aluminum
We’ll fill our mouths with cinnamon now

When we arrive, sons and daughters
We’ll make our homes on the water
We’ll build our walls aluminum
We’ll fill our mouths with cinnamon now

When we arrive, sons and daughters
We’ll make our homes on the water
We’ll build our walls aluminum
We’ll fill our mouths with cinnamon now

Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away

More Jingle

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A few more photos from the Krewe of Jingle Christmas Parade in New Orleans. I always try to go to New Orleans the 1st week of December for the Workboat Show and they have this parade right afterwards. It’s always a lot of fun. 🙂

Krewe of Jingle Christmas Parade 2015

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I went to New Orleans for the Workboat Show again this year. I didn’t stay as long as usual  (due to not working this year), but I still had time to catch the Christmas Parade. 🙂

I had actually forgotten about it. They changed the usual schedule for the Workboat Show, so I was off on my planning. I flew in the morning of the show, made the WISTA tea that afternoon, went to a party that night, spent the next day working the Show. I spent all day Friday tracking down paperwork from my last boat (in Fourchon).

I had to return the car Saturday morning, so got up early. I had planned to go to the WWII Museum right next to the car rental, but I saw them setting up the streets for a parade and it was going to start in only a little over an hour. I wanted to see it for sure!

I decided to spend the time before the parade started in the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. It was interesting and I managed to check out all of it and still have enough time to get a good spot to watch the parade. I even had time to wander around, check out the costumes and take photos before they started marching. 🙂

some Pussyfooters

This is the Krewe of Jingle parade, they’ve been doing it the last few years right around the same time as the Workboat Show (Dec 5 this year). I LOVE this parade! They have such great people, fun costumes, and they’re all having such a great time. It’s contagious. 🙂

I’ve got a lot of great photos from the parade. I’ll share more later, don’t want the blog to get bogged down loading. 😉

So Hot!

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Jeeze, it’s Christmas Eve, but it’s so hot here I’m gonna have to turn the air conditioner on again!

Is anyone able to enjoy a real WHITE Christmas, with SNOW and all the stuff we usually think about for Christmas? You know- snow, snowmen, snowball fights, real icicles dripping from the eaves (not pretend little LED lights), sitting around the fireplace sipping hot chocolate- yeah, all that!

I live in Texas now, but I still remember that stuff and I do miss it. We never get real snow here.

I took that picture a couple of weeks ago from right outside the door of our writing workshop in Evergreen CO. I loved seeing the deer right there, and the SNOW!

Thank goodness I don’t have to deal with it all the time. I have no idea how to drive in it, I’m sure I wouldn’t like having to shovel it out of my driveway every day, but it sure was beautiful to look at and I’m missing it right about now. 🙂

Merry Christmas 2015

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DC AWAI workshop

I hope you all have a great Christmas!

It looks like I’ll be home for the first time in decades. I’m having a hard time trying to get into the holiday spirit.

I’m going to see some good friends tomorrow for Christmas, so looking forward to that. We’ll eat, drink and be merry. Hope you’re all doing the same. 🙂

Gathering: Bikes and Blues

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This week the Daily Post is doing a challenge on ‘gathering’. They seem to be looking for something more along the lines of a holiday gathering of family and friends. The typical Christmas kind of thing. I don’t really get into that kind of thing much.

Here’s a gathering of a gathering of bikers last year at the Summertime Bikes and Blues festival they have in Freeport every year. I have a lot more fun at these kinds of ‘gatherings’ then I do at Christmas!

I like to go to this event when when I can. It’s local, it’s not too crowded, it’s cheap. I love the music, the foods good, there are lots of cool bikes to check out and I always have a good time. 🙂