Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[jagsfan]

3 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

How are you feeling, Mimi?  I hope to hear that you are getting stronger every day!❤️

I am getting stronger. The only pain I’ve had has been turning over in bed, and going from sitting to standing. I’m sure that is from pulling on the soft tissue involved. 
I had my follow up appointment with my surgeon yesterday, and he is happy with me. 
He does want me to see an oncologist, just to determine whether I need any therapy at all. 
And surprise! He wants me to see someone other than MD Anderson!

That’s fine with me. I was not happy with their doctor who saw me in the hospital. Just about killed me with a contrast chest CT scan. I’m allergic to iodine. 
And they made me an appointment for the afternoon of Dec 23. I’m going to be in Christmas mode on the 23rd!

So I canceled that appointment and told them I’ll call. 
Now I don’t have to! I can concentrate on opening all the boxes that keep arriving at our door since Cyber Monday!

And starting my Christmas cards. 

[MJSailors]

Mimi- Good to hear that you are feeling stronger and making good progress !

Enjoy opening all those boxes. 

I admit the various delivery men have been making stops at our house all week long.

DH just says- Another delivery !!!?? I reply, Well, it is Christmas !

To all posting here who have gotten good medical news- congratulations. To those awaiting medical exams and tests- wishing you good outcomes.

For all posting and reading here, I hope you are having a pleasant day !

MJ🙋🏻

[grapau27]

51 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

Jim just got the news on his Lung Scan.  Stable!!  Exactly what we were hoping and praying for.  Repeat test in a year.  😊

This is excellent news Maryann.

Really pleased for Jim.

Graham.

[Luckynana]

20 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

Wonderful news!

Thank you, Bonnie!❤️

14 minutes ago, jagsfan said:

I am getting stronger. The only pain I’ve had has been turning over in bed, and going from sitting to standing. I’m sure that is from pulling on the soft tissue involved. 
I had my follow up appointment with my surgeon yesterday, and he is happy with me. 

So I canceled that appointment and told them I’ll call. 
Now I don’t have to! I can concentrate on opening all the boxes that keep arriving at our door since Cyber Monday!

And starting my Christmas cards. 

I am so glad to hear that you are getting stronger;  hopefully your pain from movement will soon subside.  My mom was also allergic to iodine..she was a mess after her operation around 60 years ago.  Good for you, cancelling your appointment right before Christmas!  Like you said, you can start enjoying the Christmas Season!🎄

3 minutes ago, MJSailors said:

 

To all posting here who have gotten good medical news- congratulations. To those awaiting medical exams and tests- wishing you good outcomes.

For all posting and reading here, I hope you are having a pleasant day !

MJ🙋🏻

Thank you, MJ, I hope that you also are having a pleasant day!

[Luckynana]

3 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

This is excellent news Maryann.

Really pleased for Jim.

Graham.

Thank you so much, Graham!❤️

[dani negreanu]

52 minutes ago, MJSailors said:

To all posting here who have gotten good medical news- congratulations. To those awaiting medical exams and tests- wishing you good outcomes.

 

Joining in the good wishes -- @Luckynana, @jagsfan, @Sunshine3601, @DaniDanielle and @grapau27

 

Sorry if I forgot someone....

 

And, on another note, where is Lucy, Andrew? @A&L_Ont?

 

 Heeding @ReneeFLL advice to limit space, and thinking of OB ( @Ocean Boy) 😁

[sgmn]

20 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

I'm not positive of this, but I don't think you can go into a Costco unless you are a member.

In the UK you have to be a member. I'm not, so I've only been a couple of times with friends who are members.

Mostly seems to be bulk buys stuff, at least the food items 

[John&LaLa]

So, around 11:20 Laura looks at me and asks, What time are our Covid tests. 🤔

 

Oops, 12:15 and 12:45. 🤣🤣

 

All negative. In line about 5 minutes. Had results back before the 12:45 appointment 😇

 

 

[dani negreanu]

5 minutes ago, sgmn said:

In the UK you have to be a member. I'm not, so I've only been a couple of times with friends who are members.

Mostly seems to be bulk buys stuff, at least the food items 

 

When we lived in Brussels, we could buy in a Costco-like "establishment" named Makro (in Germany - Metro).

We would go some 4-5 wives (mainly from the Embassy, if we reached a certain sum, we were exempted from VAT) and split the "bulk" afterwards. Saved a lot 😉.

So, in principle, I'm familiar with the need to have a membership card for entering. In Germany, where I'm going with my cousin, your card let's you in....

 

[Momof3gurlz]

4 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Googled it, Surviving Christmas

 

But found another I like. The Ref with Dennis O'leary

Great movie.  Haven’t seen or heard much by Dennis Leary lately. We’re currently re-watching Rescue Me.  

[DaniDanielle]

1 hour ago, Luckynana said:

Jim just got the news on his Lung Scan.  Stable!!  Exactly what we were hoping and praying for.  Repeat test in a year.  😊

YAY

[OnTheJourney]

4 hours ago, HBE4 said:

It was good.

Yeah, I like it, except that shes DOES accept her longtime boyfriend's proposal of marriage, but then changes her mind and gives him the ring back. Schnook. Although the boyfriend really wasn't suited to her and the rest of the family. The soldier was a much nicer guy LOL    Like I said...you knew what was coming halfway through the movie but still fun to watch. We have it on VHS. 

 

4 hours ago, HBE4 said:

It's way over played.  So over played, that a bar in Texas banned it.

 LOL!  Most Christmas music is overplayed, especially given that the stores, etc. start at it already  by early November. A bit strange for a church organist to admit, but, I'm not a great fan of most Christmas carols. Guess cause I've done them hundreds of times over the years. To prepare our church youth choir for Christmas Eve prelude, I used to look for arrangements of carols that borrowed from the text but otherwise were non-traditional (and thus not as recognizable) settings. Same for other Christmas music - appropriate text but not familiar tunes. More challenging for the older, more experienced kids for one thing. Probably helps to understand that our church children's choir accepts kids from grades 1 though 12 - so very diverse experience levels!  

 

An example - though have not yet gotten to actually do this piece with the kids. Click on the speaker icon "preview". It plays the whole song. I actually like this much better than the standard version of Silent Night! https://www.jwpepper.com/Silent-Night/10513821.item#.Yapm4y1h2u4  Absolutely gorgeous arrangement of the piece. Here's another beautiful piece that I've used several times - actually heard it first at the Dickens festival in Wellsboro. Liked it so much I bought it for our church. 

 

 

All that said, I totally 'get it' that people want to hear and sing the same old, traditional carols. 

 

Any other organists / choir directors out there???

Edited December 3, 2021 by OnTheJourney

[sgmn]

8 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Hi Dani. Yes, the Thai Navy Seal’s wife spoke on camera about her husband who sadly died.  There were many people involved in the rescue but the ones who lead the rescue were two amateur cavers from Britain and an anaesthetist from Australia who is also a caver. The rescue was miraculous. 

There's been a big rescue recently in Wales, though this was only one caver, it took 300 volunteers to rescue him

 

BBC News - The extraordinary story of how 300 volunteers rescued a stranded caver
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-59219380

Edited December 3, 2021 by sgmn

[jagsfan]

2 minutes ago, sgmn said:

There's been a big rescue recently in Wales, though this was only one caver, it took 300 volunteers to rescue him

 

BBC News - The extraordinary story of how 300 volunteers rescued a stranded caver
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-59219380

Our world is still a good one full of good people!

[jagsfan]

9 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

Yeah, I like it, except that shes DOES accept her longtime boyfriend's proposal of marriage, but then changes her mind and gives him the ring back. Schnook. Although the boyfriend really wasn't suited to her and the rest of the family. The soldier was a much nicer guy LOL    Like I said...you knew what was coming halfway through the movie but still fun to watch. We have it on VHS. 

 

 LOL!  Most Christmas music is overplayed, especially given that the stores, etc. start at it already  by early November. A bit strange for a church organist to admit, but, I'm not a great fan of most Christmas carols. Guess cause I've done them hundreds of times over the years. To prepare our church youth choir for Christmas Eve prelude, I used to look for arrangements of carols that borrowed from the text but otherwise were non-traditional (and thus not as recognizable) settings. Same for other Christmas music - appropriate text but not familiar tunes. More challenging for the older, more experienced kids for one thing. Probably helps to understand that our church children's choir accepts kids from grades 1 though 12 - so very diverse experience levels!  

 

An example - though have not yet gotten to actually do this piece with the kids. Click on the speaker icon "preview". It plays the whole song. I actually like this much better than the standard version of Silent Night! https://www.jwpepper.com/Silent-Night/10513821.item#.Yapm4y1h2u4  Absolutely gorgeous arrangement of the piece. 

 

All that said, I totally 'get it' that people want to hear and sing the same old, traditional carols. 

We don’t sing it, but have included “Nuns in Frigid Cells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in our Christmas Eve family songbooks. 
We do sing most of the old carols, with some newer ones, plus a few in German, Latin, and “Go Tell it on the Mountain”, one of our favorites. 

[davekathy]

14 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

On another note, I just finished watching all 3 parts (nearly 8 hours) of the incredible Peter Jackson documentary on the Beatles "Get Back." This is watching musical history in the making. It is so good. The insight the doc gives onto the Beatles creative process as well as the pressures of being in a band with strong willed people is a must see for everyone. The music they created is timeless and the look into their personal struggles with each other is so candid and revealing. It's amazing all this footage sat unseen for years. Peter Jackson's edit and telling of their story without any narration is nothing short of brilliant. I do recommend anyone watching this to watch with the subtitles on as there is a lot of conversations going on at the same time. Go watch you will be glad you did. It is on Disney Plus.

I agree. 

[Sunshine3601]

2 hours ago, Luckynana said:

Jim just got the news on his Lung Scan.  Stable!!  Exactly what we were hoping and praying for.  Repeat test in a year.  😊

Excellent💕

I'm sitting in waiting room to get my boobies squished in that horrible machine.

[Sea Dog]

2 hours ago, Luckynana said:

Jim just got the news on his Lung Scan.  Stable!!  Exactly what we were hoping and praying for.  Repeat test in a year.  😊

 

Great news Maryann. What a relief.

 

1 hour ago, jagsfan said:

I am getting stronger. The only pain I’ve had has been turning over in bed, and going from sitting to standing. I’m sure that is from pulling on the soft tissue involved. 
I had my follow up appointment with my surgeon yesterday, and he is happy with me. 

 

I'm so happy for you Mimi that you are making progress. Hang in there. Everyday will get better.

[h20skibum]

So, a busy day today.  Went to Sam’s club and picked up six cases of canned goods for a food drive, then dropped them off at our daughter’s school for them to distribute.  

 

Next, our daughter had told us about one of the less fortunate (poor? I am never sure what the correct term is anymore) students in her class.  She had given this boy a couple outfits that our grandson outgrew, but unfortunately they were small for him.  He was so excited to have some nice clothes to wear, he wore them, even though they were too small.  Susan and I went out and bought a couple new Nike and Under Armour outfits that would fit him, and dropped those off to give to him.  

 

Our day had started with our cruise documents and luggage tags showing up, so the tags got printed and put in the holders.  

 

Hope everyone is having a great Friday.  Tonight we will be making shrimp and spiral zucchini.  

[Sea Dog]

1 minute ago, h20skibum said:

Our day had started with our cruise documents and luggage tags showing up, so the tags got printed and put in the holders.  

 

Hope everyone is having a great Friday.  Tonight we will be making shrimp and spiral zucchini.  

 

Always a good day when it starts with docs and tags and ends with shrimp. Cheers!

[HBE4]

53 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

An example - though have not yet gotten to actually do this piece with the kids. Click on the speaker icon "preview". It plays the whole song. I actually like this much better than the standard version of Silent Night! https://www.jwpepper.com/Silent-Night/10513821.item#.Yapm4y1h2u4  Absolutely gorgeous arrangement of the piece. Here's another beautiful piece that I've used several times - actually heard it first at the Dickens festival in Wellsboro. Liked it so much I bought it for our church. 

 

Both are hauntingly & yet breathtakingly beautiful.

 

Not sure hauntingly is quite the right word but I hope you know what I mean.

[taznremmy]

Currently in Cozumel, parked next to the Harmony.  
I am way behind on reading posts, but will catch up.  
Hope everyone is staying safe and well!

[HBE4]

1 hour ago, sgmn said:

Mostly seems to be bulk buys stuff, at least the food items 

 

Who doesn't need a 55 gallon* drum of mayonnaise or peanut butter? 😄

 

* 55 US gallons = 208 liters.

[OnTheJourney]

28 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

Both are hauntingly & yet breathtakingly beautiful.

Perfect description - especially for the Silent Night arrangement. So disappointed I didn't get to do it in '19. Nearly all the veteran singers in the choir decided to quit at once (this sometimes happens as they get to upper High School age - especially if the oldest sibling stops singing). Still, they gave me NO advance notice so I prepared binders with lots of pieces (including this Silent Night) and had to completely revise the entire program when I wound up with only 4-5 singers - 3 of which were only 3rd-4th grade. It was most disappointing and actually ticked me off a bit for the fact that they didn't let me know ahead of time, even though I ask several times leading up the weeks before rehearsal. It's becoming a problem - the younger families don't want to commit like they used to. Oh well....enough 'choir rant'. 😟

[bobmacliberty]

6 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Sorry, I know we’ve moved on from holiday music but I just remembered another, Mary Did  You Know?, done by several artists but I love Mary J Blige’s version.  

 

John posted a video of an a cappela group called Straight No Chaser singing a great version of The 12 Days of Christmas on his Bella thread.  That got me watching other videos that they've posted and I saw this version of them singing Mary Did You Know? on the Today Show.  First time that I'd ever heard this song.  I need to go find the Mary J Blige version.