Re: summing it up so far - To a, from ken...

[Guest guest]

Greetings, a! Thank you for your concern! Yeah, I have been kind of " quiet " ,

for a while....When it rains, it pours, so people say, and rather than just get

on hee and whine, I have just been reading, and trying to deal with " what ails

me " , haha!

Even tho', (in my opinion) I have it " bad " , there are so many others who have

it worse!.

Tammt and I do not drink(booze), but unfortunately, my disfunctional family

are all alcoholics, and we screwed up, and accepted a " paid for " cruise to the

Virgin Islands with my brother and his family! Woof, what a nightmare!We had to

take two vehicles down to Miami(Thank God), because my " father " is also in a

wheelchair, and , at least, Tammy and I were able to be alone on the trip down!

I say that, because my brother started drinking, even before he left the house,

and we watched him weave his way down there!

Unless you are a confirmed drinker, do NOT ever take a Carnival Cruise! There

are seventeen bars and lounges on the ship, two saltwater pools(with a bar right

there, of course!), one big casino, and two formal dining rooms, and nothing

else! There is absolutely nothing for a " non drinker " to do, except watch all

the others rapidly turn into stumbling,disoriented drunks!

Now, myself, I am a gentle man, (so sayeth others), patient, and easy going,

but my brother is another story! If I hadn't been right there, so to speak, I

would never have believed it, but, my brother tried to pick up one of the

barmaids, was rejected, got mad, called a complete stranger over to him, by

motioning with his hand, and just reared back and coldcocked him! That poor guy!

Then he punched out the guy that my niece was " hanging out " with, and it took 4

security guys to wrstle him to the floor, with the end result of him putting two

of them into the ship's infirmary! Woof! I have never been so embarresed in my

whole life! He came to within a hairs breath of being kicked off the ship, and

being arrested by the U.S. Marshalls!

And, to top it off, I had requested that the ship's purser please put an

injection of Humira in their refrigerator, untill the day I had to use it, and

they forgot, thus ruining the injection!

I think, next time, we will just make arrangements to go and visit one of my

" R.A. Buddies " , friends that I have made , while visiting this site, hahaha!

Another reason that I have been " quiet " is because R.A. has settled into my

lower back, and I am in pain constantly! The V.A. is kind enough to supply me

with morphine sulfate, and generic percocet, but, anymore, it is just like

taking aspiren, to me....(whenever my wife takes me there, I always say, " cool,

I'm going to the vet, haha!). They STILL haven't done a thing about my

cateracts, tho' !

On a different note: I grew up in Palm Beach County, and when passing thru

there, on the way to Miami, I hardly even recognized it! Wow! It is NOT the

Florida I remember, growing up, when you could still buy tee shirts that said " I

slept on Fort Lauderdale Beach! As a young man, I remember driving my car up

on the beach, on Singer Island, in Riveria Beach, on a friday night, setting up

a tent. and camping out 'till sunday night, when I had to go home to get ready

to go to school! Boy, has Florida grown! Woof!

Here's an intersting note: The band " Three Dog Night? Thet were seniors in

North Shore High school, and I was a ' " Junior " . I remember partying with them!

Anyway, a, I wanted to thank you for your concern! I am o.k., I

guess, all things considered....there's an old saying that applies: " I used to

be disgusted, now I'm just amused! " Ha! May the sun kiss your face, and the wind

be upon your back today, and may you wear that smile that lights up your face!

Thank you, and I send to you all my love! squarehead ken

How sweet you are Ken. I was wondering if we needed to send out the

RA calvary for you.

You've been so quiet. I hope all is well with you and your family.

a

On Nov 4, 2005, at 3:54 PM, kenneth samuelsen wrote:

> Dreamer, this is " squarehead Ken " ,and I have read your tale.....

> I am so sorry you have all these troubles,

> which surely would make a grown man wail,

> but yet, like fine champaigne, still do you bubble!

> If only I could reach across the miles, to lend a hand....

> if only I could say " the majic spell " ,

> to wisk your pain to another land,and you, and yours were well.....

> I surely would!

> I feel for you, I hurt for you, surely you must be so very strong,

> (altho' right now, you probably can't figure " what went wrong? " ....

> I pray that all will work so things work out.....

> I wish I had the magic words,for, surely I would shout

> To Heaven itself,'till my voice break.....

> I would pray to Him, please , God ,........

> Give this poor Dreamer a break!

> My prayers are with you, for you, about you........I pray things

> turn out well........For, I know that surely, sweet Dreamer Woman,

> right now,

> everything is hell.

> May God provide the answers,

> send help to you, who fights all this alone.......

> But, should you

> need someone to listen,to talk to......let me know....I'll send you

> my 'phone.....you don't know me, but I care!

> Try to smile, don't lose faith, call me

> collect..

> and I'll be there!

> All my love to you and yours...........ken....(the squarehead)

>

> dreamer_plus <dreamer_plus@...> wrote:

> on Saturday while I was caring for my mom and hubby was home sicker

> than I knew,

> Lil Dude was playing. A rock hit him in the eye. I did ntot know

> until Sun

> when Bekky called me to tell me: dad has not been awake since

> Thursday mom and

> Lil DUdes eye is bleediing. I could not find anyone to come watch

> mom, so I had

> to finally leave her alone Sun afternoon to come check hubby and

> LD. I wound up

> havng to take LD to our ER. Our ER said he scratched his cornea and

> bruised his

> conjunctiva. Gave me eyedrops for him and that was all, told me to

> have

> opthamologist check it in 3-4 days. I called optha Mon morn and

> they could not

> see him until THurs.

> SO yesterday I took him to optha who freaked. The eye is split in

> half and he

> sent me immediately to another specialist on the spot, who then

> sent us to

> another specialist in chicago. LD cannot eator drink anything cuz

> they are not

> sure if they are going to try corrective repair surgery or not or

> what. He is

> also not to move...they said it is a miracle the eye did not drain

> dry and fall

> out.

> He did have considerable pain over the weekend and light hurts his

> eye terribly.

> Turns out he has lost vision in that eye. COmpletely. (sadly he has

> been

> punished ta school for not doing his work)

> The pain has gradually lessened until yesterday - which could be

> from all the

> eye docs prodding and or fear over surgery.

> Monday I did come back home from moms to stay at home, and realized

> hubby was

> far more ill than I thought and I took him to the VA ER and they

> admited him....

> Hubby is still over at VA hospital....I have been unable to get any

> docs there

> to return any calls to me to tell me whats going on with him or

> howhe is,

> andhubby is um.incohereant, mumbly, confused, disoriented weepy,

> arguementative.

> Visiting hours there do not work out so I have not been able to

> even go there

> around LDs school schedule and me not having anyone to watch LD so

> I can go, and

> only Buffy is old enough to visit hubby. SO hubby has been alone

> entirely.

> Noone went to watch over my mom and Tues she got very ill....

> Buffy is freaking out cuz her dad was in hospital on her birthday

> and her

> brother and I were gone many many hours at the eye docs and noone

> called her to

> tell her happy birthday and her party got put on hold indefinetly.

> My siblings know hubby is in VA hops very ill and that LDs eye is

> in question

> and that it was Buffys birthday......but they have not called

> emailed or sent

> anything in themail at all and they are not watching mom.

> Mom is an hour from me one direction, hubby is 90 mins another

> direction and

> when we get the call to go to eye specialist in chicago, thats at

> least 2 hours

> in yet another direction. My middle dtr told me last nite dad said

> he might get

> discharged today, altho hubby told me nite before that he has been

> started on

> shots in the tummy for blood clots? and without any of the docs

> returning my

> calls so I know whats really wrong with him etc....well, and with

> me being busy

> with LD.....

> ACK I am only oneperson and have noidea how to manage it all. I am

> sticking to

> what MY CHILD needs for now. Hubby and mom will have to ....wait it

> out or

> something. Mom has my siblings and their spouses.

> But I am going nuts.

> Ironically the Marine Corps League wanted me and hubby to go do

> some VA hospital

> visits and volunteer to do things for veterans especially this week

> as it is

> Marine Birthday and also Veterans Day coming.....I emailed them all

> and said

> well we couldn't right now and I told them everything going

> on..........and I

> have not heard one word from them andneither has hubby. Here I am

> the president

> of the auxillary and they just keep on looking for veterans to

> help-- and

> veterans to visit but.......

> the cobblers kids go shoeless.

> My sister does Meals on Wheels and also meals to families in crisis

> and theres

> our mom sitting there and heres us sitting here......and we have

> not heard one

> word from her. And my other brother who not only is a minister with a

> congregation but also a hospital chaplain for several

> hospitals......his mom

> sits alone.

> SOmehow Ineed tofigure out how to clone myself so mom is not

> unsupervised and

> gets fed and to her doc appts and how to force hubbys docs to talk

> with me and

> somehow let my husband know and get the message thru his head that

> our son is in

> crisis and I have not abandoned hubby......and I hafta take care of my

> son.....Meanwhile Buffy feels totally neglected cuz her birthday

> was not what

> she expected at all. Now she is off who nows where on her own. I

> need to be

> atleast 4 people. But I am only one. with all these eople in immediate

> crisis.....all depending on only ME

>

> My mom had lung cancer twice, now it is in her brain. I have been

> there the last 5 weeks 24-7 sleeping beside her and sitting beside

> her nonstop.

> My husband has COPD, multiple cancers from AGent Orange and

> multiple mental illnesses from combat PTSD and his spine is

> deteriiarating. He drifts in and out of cataonic fugue states (and

> has since 1990)

> My oldest, (turned 17 yesterday) is bipolar, has major major painic

> attacks, is not able to be in school, My middle dtr is 15 and has

> HS course overload, all honors classes and is very active in

> community service. My youngest is the one whose eye is hurt, he is

> 10 and has something called heterotopia, (his gray matter and white

> matter in his brain are all in wrong places) he also has seizures

> and cerebal palsy. But he is an active 10 year old boy. (most

> obvious issue is he cannot read or write) And then me, with RA and

> Lupus.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Greetings, a! Thank you for your concern! Yeah, I have been kind of " quiet " ,

for a while....When it rains, it pours, so people say, and rather than just get

on hee and whine, I have just been reading, and trying to deal with " what ails

me " , haha!

Even tho', (in my opinion) I have it " bad " , there are so many others who have

it worse!.

Tammt and I do not drink(booze), but unfortunately, my disfunctional family

are all alcoholics, and we screwed up, and accepted a " paid for " cruise to the

Virgin Islands with my brother and his family! Woof, what a nightmare!We had to

take two vehicles down to Miami(Thank God), because my " father " is also in a

wheelchair, and , at least, Tammy and I were able to be alone on the trip down!

I say that, because my brother started drinking, even before he left the house,

and we watched him weave his way down there!

Unless you are a confirmed drinker, do NOT ever take a Carnival Cruise! There

are seventeen bars and lounges on the ship, two saltwater pools(with a bar right

there, of course!), one big casino, and two formal dining rooms, and nothing

else! There is absolutely nothing for a " non drinker " to do, except watch all

the others rapidly turn into stumbling,disoriented drunks!

Now, myself, I am a gentle man, (so sayeth others), patient, and easy going,

but my brother is another story! If I hadn't been right there, so to speak, I

would never have believed it, but, my brother tried to pick up one of the

barmaids, was rejected, got mad, called a complete stranger over to him, by

motioning with his hand, and just reared back and coldcocked him! That poor guy!

Then he punched out the guy that my niece was " hanging out " with, and it took 4

security guys to wrstle him to the floor, with the end result of him putting two

of them into the ship's infirmary! Woof! I have never been so embarresed in my

whole life! He came to within a hairs breath of being kicked off the ship, and

being arrested by the U.S. Marshalls!

And, to top it off, I had requested that the ship's purser please put an

injection of Humira in their refrigerator, untill the day I had to use it, and

they forgot, thus ruining the injection!

I think, next time, we will just make arrangements to go and visit one of my

" R.A. Buddies " , friends that I have made , while visiting this site, hahaha!

Another reason that I have been " quiet " is because R.A. has settled into my

lower back, and I am in pain constantly! The V.A. is kind enough to supply me

with morphine sulfate, and generic percocet, but, anymore, it is just like

taking aspiren, to me....(whenever my wife takes me there, I always say, " cool,

I'm going to the vet, haha!). They STILL haven't done a thing about my

cateracts, tho' !

On a different note: I grew up in Palm Beach County, and when passing thru

there, on the way to Miami, I hardly even recognized it! Wow! It is NOT the

Florida I remember, growing up, when you could still buy tee shirts that said " I

slept on Fort Lauderdale Beach! As a young man, I remember driving my car up

on the beach, on Singer Island, in Riveria Beach, on a friday night, setting up

a tent. and camping out 'till sunday night, when I had to go home to get ready

to go to school! Boy, has Florida grown! Woof!

Here's an intersting note: The band " Three Dog Night? Thet were seniors in

North Shore High school, and I was a ' " Junior " . I remember partying with them!

Anyway, a, I wanted to thank you for your concern! I am o.k., I

guess, all things considered....there's an old saying that applies: " I used to

be disgusted, now I'm just amused! " Ha! May the sun kiss your face, and the wind

be upon your back today, and may you wear that smile that lights up your face!

Thank you, and I send to you all my love! squarehead ken

How sweet you are Ken. I was wondering if we needed to send out the

RA calvary for you.

You've been so quiet. I hope all is well with you and your family.

a

On Nov 4, 2005, at 3:54 PM, kenneth samuelsen wrote:

> Dreamer, this is " squarehead Ken " ,and I have read your tale.....

> I am so sorry you have all these troubles,

> which surely would make a grown man wail,

> but yet, like fine champaigne, still do you bubble!

> If only I could reach across the miles, to lend a hand....

> if only I could say " the majic spell " ,

> to wisk your pain to another land,and you, and yours were well.....

> I surely would!

> I feel for you, I hurt for you, surely you must be so very strong,

> (altho' right now, you probably can't figure " what went wrong? " ....

> I pray that all will work so things work out.....

> I wish I had the magic words,for, surely I would shout

> To Heaven itself,'till my voice break.....

> I would pray to Him, please , God ,........

> Give this poor Dreamer a break!

> My prayers are with you, for you, about you........I pray things

> turn out well........For, I know that surely, sweet Dreamer Woman,

> right now,

> everything is hell.

> May God provide the answers,

> send help to you, who fights all this alone.......

> But, should you

> need someone to listen,to talk to......let me know....I'll send you

> my 'phone.....you don't know me, but I care!

> Try to smile, don't lose faith, call me

> collect..

> and I'll be there!

> All my love to you and yours...........ken....(the squarehead)

>

> dreamer_plus <dreamer_plus@...> wrote:

> on Saturday while I was caring for my mom and hubby was home sicker

> than I knew,

> Lil Dude was playing. A rock hit him in the eye. I did ntot know

> until Sun

> when Bekky called me to tell me: dad has not been awake since

> Thursday mom and

> Lil DUdes eye is bleediing. I could not find anyone to come watch

> mom, so I had

> to finally leave her alone Sun afternoon to come check hubby and

> LD. I wound up

> havng to take LD to our ER. Our ER said he scratched his cornea and

> bruised his

> conjunctiva. Gave me eyedrops for him and that was all, told me to

> have

> opthamologist check it in 3-4 days. I called optha Mon morn and

> they could not

> see him until THurs.

> SO yesterday I took him to optha who freaked. The eye is split in

> half and he

> sent me immediately to another specialist on the spot, who then

> sent us to

> another specialist in chicago. LD cannot eator drink anything cuz

> they are not

> sure if they are going to try corrective repair surgery or not or

> what. He is

> also not to move...they said it is a miracle the eye did not drain

> dry and fall

> out.

> He did have considerable pain over the weekend and light hurts his

> eye terribly.

> Turns out he has lost vision in that eye. COmpletely. (sadly he has

> been

> punished ta school for not doing his work)

> The pain has gradually lessened until yesterday - which could be

> from all the

> eye docs prodding and or fear over surgery.

> Monday I did come back home from moms to stay at home, and realized

> hubby was

> far more ill than I thought and I took him to the VA ER and they

> admited him....

> Hubby is still over at VA hospital....I have been unable to get any

> docs there

> to return any calls to me to tell me whats going on with him or

> howhe is,

> andhubby is um.incohereant, mumbly, confused, disoriented weepy,

> arguementative.

> Visiting hours there do not work out so I have not been able to

> even go there

> around LDs school schedule and me not having anyone to watch LD so

> I can go, and

> only Buffy is old enough to visit hubby. SO hubby has been alone

> entirely.

> Noone went to watch over my mom and Tues she got very ill....

> Buffy is freaking out cuz her dad was in hospital on her birthday

> and her

> brother and I were gone many many hours at the eye docs and noone

> called her to

> tell her happy birthday and her party got put on hold indefinetly.

> My siblings know hubby is in VA hops very ill and that LDs eye is

> in question

> and that it was Buffys birthday......but they have not called

> emailed or sent

> anything in themail at all and they are not watching mom.

> Mom is an hour from me one direction, hubby is 90 mins another

> direction and

> when we get the call to go to eye specialist in chicago, thats at

> least 2 hours

> in yet another direction. My middle dtr told me last nite dad said

> he might get

> discharged today, altho hubby told me nite before that he has been

> started on

> shots in the tummy for blood clots? and without any of the docs

> returning my

> calls so I know whats really wrong with him etc....well, and with

> me being busy

> with LD.....

> ACK I am only oneperson and have noidea how to manage it all. I am

> sticking to

> what MY CHILD needs for now. Hubby and mom will have to ....wait it

> out or

> something. Mom has my siblings and their spouses.

> But I am going nuts.

> Ironically the Marine Corps League wanted me and hubby to go do

> some VA hospital

> visits and volunteer to do things for veterans especially this week

> as it is

> Marine Birthday and also Veterans Day coming.....I emailed them all

> and said

> well we couldn't right now and I told them everything going

> on..........and I

> have not heard one word from them andneither has hubby. Here I am

> the president

> of the auxillary and they just keep on looking for veterans to

> help-- and

> veterans to visit but.......

> the cobblers kids go shoeless.

> My sister does Meals on Wheels and also meals to families in crisis

> and theres

> our mom sitting there and heres us sitting here......and we have

> not heard one

> word from her. And my other brother who not only is a minister with a

> congregation but also a hospital chaplain for several

> hospitals......his mom

> sits alone.

> SOmehow Ineed tofigure out how to clone myself so mom is not

> unsupervised and

> gets fed and to her doc appts and how to force hubbys docs to talk

> with me and

> somehow let my husband know and get the message thru his head that

> our son is in

> crisis and I have not abandoned hubby......and I hafta take care of my

> son.....Meanwhile Buffy feels totally neglected cuz her birthday

> was not what

> she expected at all. Now she is off who nows where on her own. I

> need to be

> atleast 4 people. But I am only one. with all these eople in immediate

> crisis.....all depending on only ME

>

> My mom had lung cancer twice, now it is in her brain. I have been

> there the last 5 weeks 24-7 sleeping beside her and sitting beside

> her nonstop.

> My husband has COPD, multiple cancers from AGent Orange and

> multiple mental illnesses from combat PTSD and his spine is

> deteriiarating. He drifts in and out of cataonic fugue states (and

> has since 1990)

> My oldest, (turned 17 yesterday) is bipolar, has major major painic

> attacks, is not able to be in school, My middle dtr is 15 and has

> HS course overload, all honors classes and is very active in

> community service. My youngest is the one whose eye is hurt, he is

> 10 and has something called heterotopia, (his gray matter and white

> matter in his brain are all in wrong places) he also has seizures

> and cerebal palsy. But he is an active 10 year old boy. (most

> obvious issue is he cannot read or write) And then me, with RA and

> Lupus.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Ken,

So sorry your cruise wasn't so great. I have the same opinion about

Carnival. My husband's employer sent the company on a cruise with

Carnival. I've been on several cruises, but this was my first

Carnival cruise. Unless it's free again, it will be my last with

Carnival. It is geared to the younger partying generation. We rarely

drink except for an occasional glass of wine, so booze cruises don't

impress us. Not only that, but the boat was full of kids! That

wouldn't bother me if they behaved, but we had 2 rooms of kids next

to us whose parents left them to go party and the kids were running

up and down the halls and yelling at 2am. Carnival is known for

being a party boat. I prefer Royal Caribbean.

Your brother is lucky the guy he hit didn't press charges. I hope you

got a little enjoyment. Also, if you every go on another cruise, ask

them for a refrigerator for your room. They supply them free for

people with medication. Plus that it's handy to have in your room so

you can bring back something to drink for the middle of the night

thirst. I'm very surprised that they even took your medication.

Yes Florida has grown. Before moving here, I vacationed here almost

every year since I was 8 years old.

Back in the 70's I was in Miami after going on a cruise and they

enticed us to take a trip to the west coast to

tour orange groves and to try to sell us building lots. The road

across the state (alligator alley) wasn't even paved. I had to laugh

at the swampland they wanted to sell us. That swampland is now where

I live and the the property is worth big bucks.

I listened to Three Dog Night quite a bit. So cool you have those

memories of partying with them.

So sorry your back is affected. Wishing you a pain free evening.

a

On Nov 7, 2005, at 6:36 AM, kenneth samuelsen wrote:

> Greetings, a! Thank you for your concern! Yeah, I have been

> kind of " quiet " , for a while....When it rains, it pours, so people

> say, and rather than just get on hee and whine, I have just been

> reading, and trying to deal with " what ails me " , haha!

> Even tho', (in my opinion) I have it " bad " , there are so many

> others who have it worse!.

> Tammt and I do not drink(booze), but unfortunately, my

> disfunctional family are all alcoholics, and we screwed up, and

> accepted a " paid for " cruise to the Virgin Islands with my brother

> and his family! Woof, what a nightmare!We had to take two vehicles

> down to Miami(Thank God), because my " father " is also in a

> wheelchair, and , at least, Tammy and I were able to be alone on

> the trip down! I say that, because my brother started drinking,

> even before he left the house, and we watched him weave his way

> down there!

> Unless you are a confirmed drinker, do NOT ever take a Carnival

> Cruise! There are seventeen bars and lounges on the ship, two

> saltwater pools(with a bar right there, of course!), one big

> casino, and two formal dining rooms, and nothing else! There is

> absolutely nothing for a " non drinker " to do, except watch all the

> others rapidly turn into stumbling,disoriented drunks!

> Now, myself, I am a gentle man, (so sayeth others), patient, and

> easy going, but my brother is another story! If I hadn't been right

> there, so to speak, I would never have believed it, but, my brother

> tried to pick up one of the barmaids, was rejected, got mad, called

> a complete stranger over to him, by motioning with his hand, and

> just reared back and coldcocked him! That poor guy! Then he punched

> out the guy that my niece was " hanging out " with, and it took 4

> security guys to wrstle him to the floor, with the end result of

> him putting two of them into the ship's infirmary! Woof! I have

> never been so embarresed in my whole life! He came to within a

> hairs breath of being kicked off the ship, and being arrested by

> the U.S. Marshalls!

> And, to top it off, I had requested that the ship's purser

> please put an injection of Humira in their refrigerator, untill the

> day I had to use it, and they forgot, thus ruining the injection!

> I think, next time, we will just make arrangements to go and

> visit one of my " R.A. Buddies " , friends that I have made , while

> visiting this site, hahaha!

> Another reason that I have been " quiet " is because R.A. has

> settled into my lower back, and I am in pain constantly! The V.A.

> is kind enough to supply me with morphine sulfate, and generic

> percocet, but, anymore, it is just like taking aspiren, to me....

> (whenever my wife takes me there, I always say, " cool, I'm going to

> the vet, haha!). They STILL haven't done a thing about my

> cateracts, tho' !

> On a different note: I grew up in Palm Beach County, and when

> passing thru there, on the way to Miami, I hardly even recognized

> it! Wow! It is NOT the Florida I remember, growing up, when you

> could still buy tee shirts that said " I slept on Fort Lauderdale

> Beach! As a young man, I remember driving my car up on the beach,

> on Singer Island, in Riveria Beach, on a friday night, setting up

> a tent. and camping out 'till sunday night, when I had to go home

> to get ready to go to school! Boy, has Florida grown! Woof!

> Here's an intersting note: The band " Three Dog Night? Thet were

> seniors in North Shore High school, and I was a ' " Junior " . I

> remember partying with them!

> Anyway, a, I wanted to thank you for your concern! I

> am o.k., I guess, all things considered....there's an old saying

> that applies: " I used to be disgusted, now I'm just amused! " Ha!

> May the sun kiss your face, and the wind be upon your back today,

> and may you wear that smile that lights up your face! Thank you,

> and I send to you all my love! squarehead ken

> How sweet you are Ken. I was wondering if we needed to send out the

> RA calvary for you.

> You've been so quiet. I hope all is well with you and your family.

>

> a

>

[Guest guest]

Ken,

So sorry your cruise wasn't so great. I have the same opinion about

Carnival. My husband's employer sent the company on a cruise with

Carnival. I've been on several cruises, but this was my first

Carnival cruise. Unless it's free again, it will be my last with

Carnival. It is geared to the younger partying generation. We rarely

drink except for an occasional glass of wine, so booze cruises don't

impress us. Not only that, but the boat was full of kids! That

wouldn't bother me if they behaved, but we had 2 rooms of kids next

to us whose parents left them to go party and the kids were running

up and down the halls and yelling at 2am. Carnival is known for

being a party boat. I prefer Royal Caribbean.

Your brother is lucky the guy he hit didn't press charges. I hope you

got a little enjoyment. Also, if you every go on another cruise, ask

them for a refrigerator for your room. They supply them free for

people with medication. Plus that it's handy to have in your room so

you can bring back something to drink for the middle of the night

thirst. I'm very surprised that they even took your medication.

Yes Florida has grown. Before moving here, I vacationed here almost

every year since I was 8 years old.

Back in the 70's I was in Miami after going on a cruise and they

enticed us to take a trip to the west coast to

tour orange groves and to try to sell us building lots. The road

across the state (alligator alley) wasn't even paved. I had to laugh

at the swampland they wanted to sell us. That swampland is now where

I live and the the property is worth big bucks.

I listened to Three Dog Night quite a bit. So cool you have those

memories of partying with them.

So sorry your back is affected. Wishing you a pain free evening.

a

On Nov 7, 2005, at 6:36 AM, kenneth samuelsen wrote:

> Greetings, a! Thank you for your concern! Yeah, I have been

> kind of " quiet " , for a while....When it rains, it pours, so people

> say, and rather than just get on hee and whine, I have just been

> reading, and trying to deal with " what ails me " , haha!

> Even tho', (in my opinion) I have it " bad " , there are so many

> others who have it worse!.

> Tammt and I do not drink(booze), but unfortunately, my

> disfunctional family are all alcoholics, and we screwed up, and

> accepted a " paid for " cruise to the Virgin Islands with my brother

> and his family! Woof, what a nightmare!We had to take two vehicles

> down to Miami(Thank God), because my " father " is also in a

> wheelchair, and , at least, Tammy and I were able to be alone on

> the trip down! I say that, because my brother started drinking,

> even before he left the house, and we watched him weave his way

> down there!

> Unless you are a confirmed drinker, do NOT ever take a Carnival

> Cruise! There are seventeen bars and lounges on the ship, two

> saltwater pools(with a bar right there, of course!), one big

> casino, and two formal dining rooms, and nothing else! There is

> absolutely nothing for a " non drinker " to do, except watch all the

> others rapidly turn into stumbling,disoriented drunks!

> Now, myself, I am a gentle man, (so sayeth others), patient, and

> easy going, but my brother is another story! If I hadn't been right

> there, so to speak, I would never have believed it, but, my brother

> tried to pick up one of the barmaids, was rejected, got mad, called

> a complete stranger over to him, by motioning with his hand, and

> just reared back and coldcocked him! That poor guy! Then he punched

> out the guy that my niece was " hanging out " with, and it took 4

> security guys to wrstle him to the floor, with the end result of

> him putting two of them into the ship's infirmary! Woof! I have

> never been so embarresed in my whole life! He came to within a

> hairs breath of being kicked off the ship, and being arrested by

> the U.S. Marshalls!

> And, to top it off, I had requested that the ship's purser

> please put an injection of Humira in their refrigerator, untill the

> day I had to use it, and they forgot, thus ruining the injection!

> I think, next time, we will just make arrangements to go and

> visit one of my " R.A. Buddies " , friends that I have made , while

> visiting this site, hahaha!

> Another reason that I have been " quiet " is because R.A. has

> settled into my lower back, and I am in pain constantly! The V.A.

> is kind enough to supply me with morphine sulfate, and generic

> percocet, but, anymore, it is just like taking aspiren, to me....

> (whenever my wife takes me there, I always say, " cool, I'm going to

> the vet, haha!). They STILL haven't done a thing about my

> cateracts, tho' !

> On a different note: I grew up in Palm Beach County, and when

> passing thru there, on the way to Miami, I hardly even recognized

> it! Wow! It is NOT the Florida I remember, growing up, when you

> could still buy tee shirts that said " I slept on Fort Lauderdale

> Beach! As a young man, I remember driving my car up on the beach,

> on Singer Island, in Riveria Beach, on a friday night, setting up

> a tent. and camping out 'till sunday night, when I had to go home

> to get ready to go to school! Boy, has Florida grown! Woof!

> Here's an intersting note: The band " Three Dog Night? Thet were

> seniors in North Shore High school, and I was a ' " Junior " . I

> remember partying with them!

> Anyway, a, I wanted to thank you for your concern! I

> am o.k., I guess, all things considered....there's an old saying

> that applies: " I used to be disgusted, now I'm just amused! " Ha!

> May the sun kiss your face, and the wind be upon your back today,

> and may you wear that smile that lights up your face! Thank you,

> and I send to you all my love! squarehead ken

> How sweet you are Ken. I was wondering if we needed to send out the

> RA calvary for you.

> You've been so quiet. I hope all is well with you and your family.

>

> a

>