Tag Archives: life

When I Let Myself Go…

Dearest Rachel – For all that I’ve been able to enjoy myself in these ports of call (particularly here in my beloved Japan), I don’t mind telling you that I’m looking forward to this stretch of sea days. It’s not as if we’re deep in the middle of the Pacific, like we were during muchContinue reading “When I Let Myself Go…”

But Why Repeat Myself?

Dearest Rachel – Ordinarily, on a day when we’re about to land in another port, I should be putting together an essay about culture and history, sights to see and things to experience… particularly with regard to local cuisine. But I have to admit that my heart’s not in it today. Some of that isContinue reading “But Why Repeat Myself?”

Hong Kong

Dearest Rachel – I deliberately brought my old journal from 1989 (which I think I might have directed at you by using “Querida” as the name I was addressing. The more things change, eh?) so that I would have a certain amount of reference in terms of certain ports we’ll be stopping at. Unfortunately, withContinue reading “Hong Kong”

Locked Out

Dearest Rachel – Really, it’s hard enough to get myself motivated to do actual work while I’m on this trip most days. Between the go-go-go of days that we’re in port, and the subsequent lethargy of sea days (compounded by having to deal with a restraining cold), I find myself dealing with a distinct lackContinue reading “Locked Out”

This, Too, Will Pass

Dearest Rachel – At a top speed of twenty-five knots, you might be able to guess that, as the Serenade of the Seas moves through the water, it generates a fair amount of wind against my balcony door. And for whatever reason, the door doesn’t seal tightly, causing a bit of a rattling noise whenContinue reading “This, Too, Will Pass”

A Place to Focus

Dearest Rachel – After so many days at sea from L.A. to Hawaii, from Hawaii to Polynesia, and now from Polynesia to New Zealand, I’m starting to become aware of just how much of that time I’m spending in my stateroom, rather than getting out and wandering amongst the crowds, such as they are (thisContinue reading “A Place to Focus”

Burning Daylight

Dearest Rachel – Well, honey, it’s official: we are clearly in summer. Not just because it’s so warm out (that could just as easily be attributed to the fact that we’re not that far from the equator, although we’re moving further away from it by the minute), but because it’s light out even at theContinue reading “Burning Daylight”

Sadly Waiting For Me

Dearest Rachel – Last night found me waking up in pitch darkness; not an unusual occurrence here, as I’ve mentioned before. I do think that it’s not so much a case of “still being on Central time,” as I’ve claimed in the past. I think my routine of working out right after dinner, while conscientiousContinue reading “Sadly Waiting For Me”

Tanning Bed

Dearest Rachel – I hardly need to tell you that I’m nobody’s sun worshiper. Ra, Aton, Helios… they’re all utterly foreign to me. That being said, I understand the need to get oneself the proper amount of vitamin D even if I don’t always remember the proper dosage; when I went to restock my pillsContinue reading “Tanning Bed”

Three Different Stories Every Day

Dearest Rachel – Unlike some of our travels in the past – Israel comes to mind in particular, with our guides often making it explicitly clear that “this is a tour, not a vacation,” as it’s a spiritual learning experience as opposed to one for relaxation – this trip is supposed to be a vacation,Continue reading “Three Different Stories Every Day”

More Hours in the Day…

Dearest Rachel – It’s considered to be an axiom of travel that, for every time zone that you cross in your journeys, you need a day in which to recover from the change. It doesn’t matter whether you’re ‘springing forward’ or ‘falling back’; any change in time causes a certain amount of disorientation that onlyContinue reading “More Hours in the Day…”

No Ragarts

Dearest Rachel – I’m giving myself just a little more than two hours from check-out at the hotel until my pick up for the cruise port. As I’m scheduled to show up for check-in at two, that gives me 45 minutes to ride those six miles, which may be absurdly too much time to getContinue reading “No Ragarts”

The Last Thing That I Need

Dearest Rachel – I suppose it could be worse; at least this way, I’ve got just enough time to let it run its course before I head out. This morning saw me waking up at about three-thirty to a very unpleasant sensation; not so much for the sensation itself, as what it represented. Lying there, tryingContinue reading “The Last Thing That I Need”

Proof of Concept

Dearest Rachel – I’ve concluded that there’s no way that I’m going to be able to tell you everything about my upcoming trip in so many words; pictures are going to be necessary, and perhaps moving pictures even more so. So between one thing and another, I’ve decided to put together short video letters to tellContinue reading “Proof of Concept”

Getting Things in Order

Dearest Rachel – It’s incredible to realize that only a month ago, we were all gathered at dad‘s bedside while he went over with us where he kept instructions pertaining to his funeral. We really thought – as did he – that he would hang on just long enough to see his way through ChristmasContinue reading “Getting Things in Order”

The Sign of Jonah

·Evil and sinful people [L An evil/wicked and adulterous generation] ·ask for [seek; demand] a miracle as a sign, but they will not be given any sign, except the sign of Jonah [see 12:40; Jon. 1:17].” Then Jesus left them and went away. Matthew 16:4, Expanded Bible Dearest Rachel – To be sure, when Jesus invoked the name of Jonah, as aContinue reading “The Sign of Jonah”

Before I Dig Myself A Hole…

Dearest Rachel – And to think, I was going to send you a letter yesterday, griping about how the weather folk had thrown us all into a panic Monday night by claiming we were on the verge of getting hit by a Blizzard (yes, the capitalization is intentional – that’s the kind of storm theyContinue reading “Before I Dig Myself A Hole…”

Easy On the Envelope

Dearest Rachel – On paper – or on the calendar, anyway – I gave up this weekend; I didn’t manage to fast at all. Both days saw me eating something, despite the fact that, apart from December (because, you know, parties and other holiday get-togethers), I’ve been trying to go without when I’m working the boothContinue reading “Easy On the Envelope”

God’s Veto Power

Dearest Rachel – You would have never countenanced it: “Son, when you leave, can you take that out of here? It’s been in the corner for too long already, and I don’t feel like looking at it anymore.” “Okay, sure, Dad; I’ll bring it back to the house.” “No, don’t bring it back to my house.”Continue reading “God’s Veto Power”

Last Christmas

Dearest Rachel – To say that this Christmas was different than most would be a blinding understatement. So perhaps I should go into the ‘why’ and ‘how,’ rather than just settling with a single, over-generalized statement like that. After all, if you look closely enough, every day is different from its fellows, so why wouldn’t one ChristmasContinue reading “Last Christmas”

Last-Minute Preparations

Dearest Rachel – As embarrassed as I may be to relate this to you, at least I can take comfort in the fact that you wouldn’t be giving me grief about it, as you were every bit as prone to procrastination (on a regular basis, I might add) as I have been this Christmas season.Continue reading “Last-Minute Preparations”

When Everything is Trivial…

Dearest Rachel – While the crisis has passed for now – Dad is settled in a nearly convalescent home, and undergoing physical and occupational therapy, such that he neither requires nor necessarily event wants too many people around him for too long thereafter, as he’s too tired to socialize, and will say so – thereContinue reading “When Everything is Trivial…”

The Important Out of Focus

Dearest Rachel – Given the situation that’s been more or less dominating our lives for the past two weeks, even overshadowing the Christmas season and its attendant hustle and bustle, you would think that I would have more to say about Dad at this point. If nothing else, I’m pretty sure I’d given you the impressionContinue reading “The Important Out of Focus”

A Fever Dream of Dream

Dearest Rachel – I think I may have the bed piled with too many ‘reindeer skins.’ Oh, it’s a comfort in the evening, when it’s just a little too cold to just sit around in, but by two o’clock this morning, I was waking up in a sweat. Then, again, it may have been theContinue reading “A Fever Dream of Dream”

The Call in the Middle of the Night

Dearest Rachel – It seems silly to marvel at the accuracy of scripture sometimes. I find myself reminded of some after-dinner speaker who is said to have begun a speech by pompously intoning, “As God said, and I think rightly…” One can only hope he was joking with such a line, but it’s just plausible that itContinue reading “The Call in the Middle of the Night”

Life vs. Existence

Waking up to another dark morningPeople are mourningThe weather in life outside is storming… Superchick, “We Live,” from Beauty From Pain (2005) Dearest Rachel – This song wasn’t the first thing in my head this morning. To be honest – and you’ll hear about it in a minute – there wasn’t much of anything goingContinue reading “Life vs. Existence”

More Time At the Office

No one on his deathbed ever said, ‘I wish I had spent more time at the office.’ Arnold M. Zack, labor and management arbitrator Dearest Rachel – Well, this is certainly one quote that I never needed to learn through experience. Even going back before turning into the worker drone that society expected me toContinue reading “More Time At the Office”

Side Quests

Dearest Rachel – On what I expect to be my last walk through the corridors of the Hyatt convention center, I found myself pausing at the sight below: It might be a more common sight at an anime convention than most times and places, but it was a new idea on me. I decided thereContinue reading “Side Quests”

from Rachel: Baby’s First Year Calendar

Dearest Rachel – Thirty years ago this evening, I came home to find you standing in the tub, mildly perplexed, with water running down your leg. Unlike your mom, you hadn’t had some sort of catastrophic breaking of your water; indeed, it was so minimal that you assumed it was no more than a prematureContinue reading “from Rachel: Baby’s First Year Calendar”

Zombies

Dearest Rachel – I’m sure you’re wondering about the title; all those apocalyptic movies and television shows (World War Z, the Walking Dead) all came out years ago, during your lifetime. These can’t still be popular to the point where I’d comment on them, are they? Especially since it was you who were into thoseContinue reading “Zombies”

Even Magic Can Only Do So Much

Dearest Rachel – I already had a topic to write you about today – in fact, it was already a day behind, about yesterday’s events – but when one wakes up with a certain song in one’s head, and fragments of a dream lingering in one’s mind, one needs to get that written down beforeContinue reading “Even Magic Can Only Do So Much”

No Footprints

Dearest Rachel – It seems that I should write you about today’s (or rather, this weekend’s, since I get to listen to it three times over) sermon, because it hits fairly close to home, especially for the two of us. Not that it isn’t common to all mankind, but given where you are, there’s aContinue reading “No Footprints”

Ready Or Not

Dearest Rachel – There are days when life comes at you fast, like a tree at the bottom of a hill. Other days can just seem to creep along, like the one when the remodeling crew is supposed to be arriving – it’s been pushed back yet another day, wouldn’t you know, to Tuesday (edit:Continue reading “Ready Or Not”