Time for some PICTURES!

The brilliantly colored hallway of my airport hotel in Oslo, Norway. Where I was only supposed to spend one evening. But ended up spending two (with a brief visit to Molde, Norway inbetween).



Apparently my office computer freezes every time I try to rotate a picture, so you will have to forgive me for the sideways vertical shots. But this is the shoe polisher!



The sign that made me chuckle.



The ironing station - supercute!



This is my hotel room in Amsterdam. With the lovely bed I got to share with my lovely obese Filipino bedmate - who, by the way, sounded like a warthog gargling a slurpee through a mouthful of marbles.



And this is how I felt about that entire situation.



My first glimpse of my new home.



My second glimpse of my new home.



My first sailaway from Amsterdam.



Another sailaway glimpse.

>

Aft, Forward, Starboard, Port! AHOY!

Well, let me just start by saying I have been a little more than busy lately. Not as busy as I am during Ohio Bike Week, but probably twice as busy as I was with IN THE MOOD.

Let me also start by saying that change is really really good. I am VERY happy with this change in my life. Even though I miss family, friends, and Brian (who deserves his own category of miss-age).

Erin Heare, the girl that I am replacing, will leave early on the 29th, so after that date I will have the computer to myself and will be sure to do a much more extensive post (with lots of pictures) than I am doing right now.

Currently my daily schedule has been something like this:
9:00-12:00 TRAINING (Safety, Human Resources, Policy, Management, etc.)
12:00-13:00 LUNCH
13:00-16:00 TRAINING (On the job, administrative, planning, etc.)
16:00-18:00 BREAK
18:00-24:00 PRODUCTIONS/EVENTS

As you can see... busy busy busy. Sometimes training doesn't start until 10:00 which is incredible. And sometimes the administrative stuff is a little lighter.

Do note the use of military time. Welcome to one change in my life.

My cabin is small. My shower is impossible. To shave I have a special manuever involving both the toilet and the sink. But I get turndown service every day which is nice. I am only in a temporary cabin right now, too. When Erin moves out I will take her cabin which has more space and a much larger bed.

I have already started picking up tagalog (the primary language of the Phillipines). Most of the AV staff (more commonly known as stage crew) is Filipino. I have to stop treating them like UmpaLoompas (sp?) because they are small, cute, and smiley. They are people, too.

Mostly right now I am trying to find any kind of rhythm (yeah, right) and get a bit caught up on sleep. I have certainly been burning the candles at both ends trying to be sociable at night and diligently attending trainings in the morning. I don't want to be friend-less once Erin leaves, and I certainly don't want to get any counseling or warnings for missing training.

The ship is VERY strict with policies and regulations. If you slip up once... on anything... enough for your manager to feel that discipline is necessary, you get a verbal counseling. After a verbal counseling, there are first, second, and third warnings. A third warning results in a masters hearing with the captain, and likely termination. First and second warnings mean that you cannot get promoted, or receive a bonus or a raise for one full year (all warnings expire in a year).

For an example:
You could get a verbal counseling for being out of uniform in a guest area. If an officer sees you in a guest elevator, it would escalte to your first written warning. If you forget to punch out your time card, then you could be issued your second written warning. Then if you are violating safety procedure by wearing flip flops onboard, you could be issued your third warning and terminated. Violations can be in ANY AREA of policy.

I find it nerve wracking that not only could I be disciplined this way, but I have to discipline my cast and team this way if any chronic or serious issues arise. It will certainly have to bring out a different side of me.

I did find out about family/friends on board. I can sign anyone on for a day in almost any port (meaning you could come on and visit while we are at port, but would have to leave before the all aboard call to sail). Once I have completed 6 months of employment (which I will by the end of this contract) there are two options. A guest can come on a cruise and stay in my cabin with me - probably only an option for Brian - at a rate of $10 a day. You get full guest benefits (like free food and non-alcoholic beverages). Anyone else can stay in their own guest stateroom for $40/day. Pretty incredible. So let's hope for everyone's sake that I manage to not mess things up in the next 6 months.

The ship is still in Norway. It is STUNNING here. I have only been able to get off one time - in Flam. It was a cute little town. Outside of that my training schedule has been too demanding to allow for more than meal breaks during the day (we are usually at port from 8am-4pm).

As I get more of a flow for my job, I have no fear that I will be getting off of the ship with more regularity. Though, you have to be careful, because ports of call is where you will spend all of your money. Well, ports and the bars on the ship. Though at the crew bar a beer is only 90 cents. Not too shabby.

And yes. I do lots of stairs. Lots and lots of stairs. I would guess next to 40 flights a day. It's rough stuff if you want to dine in the guest buffet (deck 10) and you are on the crew deck (deck 1).

More information and pictures to come. Your patience is greatly appreciated (that's the saying of my life as all of my coworkers accept the fact that I have NO IDEA what's going on some of the time).

Ciao!

Psst... I'm on a ship...

I MADE IT! FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY!

I am sitting at what will officially be my office starting July 29th (that's the day Erin, the current PM signs off the ship). She is awesome by the way. I wish we could work together because I'm fairly sure we would get along amazingly.

I am officially on the Constellation at port in Amsterdam. The ship will be leaving port in about 20 minutes :D which is why I have a moment of privacy to write because everyone else is involved in the passenger mustering drill.

ANYWAY... a few quick highlights so far
- last night I not only shared a room but shared a BED with a stranger. UNCOOL.
- during the flight yesterday in the sea between Denmark and Amsterdam I saw a windfarm in the middle of the ocean. It was 7x13, so 91 turbines total. AWESOME!
- I had to wake up at 5 am this morning (after finally falling asleep around 130am last night). Our shuttle was at 6:15am. ouch.
- Pretty sure I'm running entirely on adrenaline at the moment.
- The theater is very aesthetically beautiful but technically it is not that impressive.
- I think the people here are going to be excellent to work with.
- The cabin I am in is temporary and I will move into Erin's cabin starting on the 29th.
- My scheduled leave date is March 10th (I'm slipping this in the middle hoping no one will notice that it got extended).
- I am not allowed to wear my hair down.
- I'm getting a stress pimple.
- I will have to call shows I have never seen before.

I will be sure to write more later. I have pictures to upload - nothing amazing, but pictures to break up my boring words would help my massive fan base.

I love you all! I'm off to ... checks schedule ... Stavanger, Norway!

You have GOT to be KIDDING me

Safely in Amsterdam. Woohoo.
Safely got shuttled to my hotel. Woohoo.

Found out I am sharing not just a room but a BED with a complete stranger. Older larger Phillipino lady... unwoohoo.

Found out the shuttle to the boat is at 6:15 am and we will wait until 10am to board. Please just kill me.

But the upside is that they provide the first twenty euro for our breakfast... which is served at 7am. Wait... what...? I will have left 45 minutes earlier?!?

Amsterdam: Here I come (I hope)

Leaving the beautiful Radisson Blu at the Oslo Airport for the second time in two days. Let's hope I don't come back in 6 hours this time. In theory I should be in Amsterdam by 2pm... crossing my fingers that lots of people speak English there. Need to call to get picked up by the hotel shuttle and then need to call the port agent for transportation tomorrow to THE BOAT!

Woohoo!

A small reward...

All of this being trapped in airports and on airplanes all day every day did let me accomplish one thing... Done with The Poisonwood Bible. On to Bossy Pants. Thank goodness.

Close... but not quite.

So I successfully made it across the street back to the Oslo airport this morning and leisurely checked into my flight to Alesund, Norway. Got on the plane, no problem! Flight going ahead of schedule - SAWEEET (since I had a tight turnaround time from the plane landing to catching the boat). Heading into final descent -- starting to get those butterflies of anticipation. WOOO. Plane pulls back up into the sky.... Whaaa??? Plane keeps going for a long time. This seems like the opposite of a descent? Pilot makes LOOOOONG annoucement in Norwegian. Everyone around me chatters in Norwegian. Flight attendant picks up radio. Through a thick accent I catch something along the lines of, "Due to thick fog we are unable to land in Alesund. We are rerouting and will get back to you with more information." 30 minutes later we land at the worlds tiniest airport -- could easily be mistaken for a parking lot. All hopes shattered for catching the cruise today...

We landed in Molde, a small city I'd never heard of. We waited for 45 minutes to see if the Alesund airport would open back up, but it didn't. They hired some buses to take the planeful of people to Alesund (a 2 hour bus ride not including traffic from some festival that I couldn't make out). A really nice woman translated the annoucements for me. I explained my dilemma to her and she suggested going inside to see if I could catch a flight back to Oslo (which would allow for much more flight flexibility than Alesund). I thanked her and did just that.

A swell idea indeed, in less than 25 minutes I was back on another plane headed back to Oslo. Of course, by this point I had had no access to a phone to tell anyone with Celebrity what was happening. The poor port agent waiting for me at Alesund was probably really pissed when I didn't show up with the bus. But there's only so much I can be responsible for keeping all 8 billion people involved with my travel plans (that are always a mess) in the loop.

So I'm back at the hotel I was at last night. In their business center which is becoming my second home. I just got my new itinerary via mail. I fly to amsterdam tomorrow at noon. Have to arrange a pickup from the hotel shuttle, and have to arrange transportation to the port with the port agent the next day.

Long story short, it will have taken me 5 days of travelling to join this damn boat!

See you on the big blue!

Enjoying my last few moments in Oslo as I write. Just had the most amazing hotel breakfast buffet I have ever experienced. An entire table of artisan breads. SO MANY TEA OPTIONS! Just wonderful. And it was nice to sit in front of a window and take an hour to gnosh and read my kindle. I am almost done with The Poisonwood Bible. (Thank goodness because reading it has become a bit of a chore.

The shower here is really nice. It is automatically heated to a perfect 38degC and takes barely a tap in either direction to notice temperature change. I was staying in a single person room last night. It's actually quite interesting because my bed was the size of a full (I think), but I only had twin-sized bedding on it. The bedding came straight from heaven, by the way.

Yesterday I slept on and off from 11am - 3pm. Had a 4:30pm dinner. Slept on and off from 6pm to 8pm, and slept slept from 2am to 8am. Napping is not an option today, so lets hope my body figures this whole sleep schedule thing out on its own.

Oh, and they REALLY love The Simpsons here. It is on constantly.

From Syracuse to Oslo...

So I am officially off to my first adventure with Celebrity Cruises as their newest Production Manager. Brian dropped me off at the Syracuse airport yesterday morning where my multi-flight, multi-day trip of joining the ship began. The picture below was captured between moments of hugging, crying, kissing, and more crying right outside of the security checkpoint. Yesterday will be the last day I see him (or anyone else not on the ship, for that matter) for a minimum of six months.


While waiting for my first flight, I had a nice chat with my dad and got a chance to say my final farewells to both him and Cindy. The flight from Syracuse was smooth and short. When I pulled into JFK my first thought was... this place is a total shithole. I mean really... they have more temporary terminals than permanent ones and you walk for what feels like miles in these underventilated, overheated, enclosed archways. It's just a pit. I thought about making a Facebook Group to bring it to more people's attention (something like, "WTF Is Wrong with JFK?!"), and then I realized what a product of my generation I am that my first call to action would involve a social networking site. *sigh*

The layover at JFK was long but at least I had a chance to get lunch, charge my phone, and touch base with my mom and Brian. Speaking of getting lunch, at the end of the buffet line, there was a station with a plastic bag rack (like you see at a grocery store bagging station at the end of the checkout line). I looked down and there was an envelope containing some dude's passport and boarding pass. I started walking to their gate while overhearing final boarding annoucements for their flight. I immediately spot my guy as he is the only person in the terminal making a panic-filled sprint to erratic locations around the gate. I asked him if he was looking for his passport and held up the envelope. I had never seen someone so genuinely happy.

Flying from JFK To Amsterdam was the real stretch. Just under 8 hours. The seats were uncomfortable. The girl next to me was nice enough, but I really did not get as much sleep as I was hoping for. Luckily the flight got in 25 minutes early, giving me some breathing room for an already-tight layover. I ended up needing to go through a customs check point in Amsterdam (which I thought was odd since it was just a through point for me, but no matter).

My last flight was Amsterdam to Oslo. Pronounced aus-lau (think of Australia and loud without the "d"), NOT Oz-low like you are some idiot who has never been there before and isn't even positive what language everyone is speaking around you. Luckily, every other person spoke excellent English. I was sitting in an exit row, and it was really interesting because the flight attendant has to make sure you understand how to operate the door and has a 2 minute schpeel about everything, but the whole speech starts with figuring out what the row's common language is. I was luck that EVERYONE else in my row knew English - including an 8 year old girl. Nothing like being out language-ed by a kid to make you feel a bit subpar. The flight landed in Oslo at 845am. I picked up my bag and when to the customs processing point. There was a divided wall, half painted red with the writing "items to declare" and half painted green with the writing "nothing to declare." Me, having nothing of note, went to the green half which literally just led to a door going to the main part of the terminal. I never even saw a customs agent.

A lot of people have asked me what I am going to be doing on the ship. Aside from running the shows, coordinating daily production schedules, and managing guest entertainers, I am not terribly sure. But what I am sure of is that I will have a much better idea by tomorrow afternoon.

I had made really grand plans to skype with people from my hotel tonight, without really thinking about the fact that the outlets in Norway do not match the outlets in the USA. This is a non-issue on the ship because it uses US plugs, but for tonight... no power for my laptop. So I am writing this at the business center of my hotel for tonight. I have to be really careful when I am typing because the keyboard symbols are all in different locations than on a standard US keyboard. It took me about 60 seconds to find the AT symbol on one of these computers only to find out just now that it does not even exist on this keyboard. Oh well!

Two cool things about this hotel (pictures forthcoming when I can use my laptop)... On my floor when you get off the elevator there's a sign that says "shoe polish --->", and sure enough, right next to a little sitting area is an electric shoe polishing machine. Another cool thing is that there is this little alcove built into my hallway. I peered inside and it was an ironing station. I think this is genious because there is absolutely no reason to provide an individual iron and ironing board in each room like we tend to do in the US. So few people actually use them.

I have forgotten to notify credit card companies that my whereabouts are going to be sporadic. I will attempt to remedy this when I get on the ship tomorrow (and until them I am crossing my fingers that I have no need for credit cards until then).

Other than that, I cannot think of anything I have overlooked. Just give it time, I suppose.

Oh, and as soon as I know my mailing address I will be sure to post it here so all of you have it.

Tomorrow's a big day.... 1pm flight to Alesund, Norway which lands at 2pm. The ship leaves port at 4pm. Let's hope for no delays and a punctual port agent (I get to be one of those people who have one of those other people holding a sign with their name on it at the airport waiting for them at baggage claim). That's right! IM FAMOUS!

-----------

One noteworthy thought that my dad brought to my attention while we were chatting yesterday morning...

Two years ago I was writing in this blog while I was living in LA. Distressed about not getting the job I had applied for at Macy's, feeling personally and professionally defeated, and constantly being hauntingly lonely. Now here I am, LESS than two years later and I have an amazing finance, a job within my desired industry, and the benefits of world travel. I am really really lucky. And I am really really nervous. But mostly I am really really excited for what tomorrow is going to bring.

My First Cruise Schedule

Does that go in the babybook somewhere between my first steps and my first school dance?

The current plan is to fly out of Syracuse late Sunday morning (July 17th). I will arrive in Oslo, Norway early on the 18th where I will spend the night in an airport hotel. At 1pm on the 19th I will fly to Alesund, Norway. My flight arrives at 2pm and the ship pulls out of the Alesund port at 4pm. No time to mess around (or get lost!).

Assuming all goes well and I meet the ship on the 18th, my contract schedule is:


19-Jul-11 ALESUND, NORWAY
20-Jul-11 AT SEA

21-Jul-11 AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
22-Jul-11 AT SEA
23-Jul-11 STAVANGER, NORWAY
24-Jul-11 FLAM, NORWAY
25-Jul-11 ALESUND, NORWAY
26-Jul-11 GEIRANGER, NORWAY
27-Jul-11 MOLDE, NORWAY
28-Jul-11 OLDEN, NORWAY
29-Jul-11 BERGEN, NORWAY
30-Jul-11 AT SEA
31-Jul-11 OSLO, NORWAY
1-Aug-11 AT SEA

2-Aug-11 AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
3-Aug-11 AT SEA
4-Aug-11 BERLIN (WARNEMUNDE), GERMANY
5-Aug-11 AT SEA
6-Aug-11 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
7-Aug-11 HELSINKI, FINLAND
8-Aug-11 ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
9-Aug-11 ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
10-Aug-11 TALLINN, ESTONIA
11-Aug-11 AT SEA
12-Aug-11 COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
13-Aug-11 AT SEA

14-Aug-11 AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
15-Aug-11 AT SEA
16-Aug-11 BERLIN (WARNEMUNDE), GERMANY
17-Aug-11 AT SEA
18-Aug-11 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
19-Aug-11 HELSINKI, FINLAND
20-Aug-11 ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
21-Aug-11 ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
22-Aug-11 TALLINN, ESTONIA
23-Aug-11 AT SEA
24-Aug-11 COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
25-Aug-11 AT SEA

26-Aug-11 AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
27-Aug-11 AT SEA
28-Aug-11 BERLIN (WARNEMUNDE), GERMANY
29-Aug-11 AT SEA
30-Aug-11 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
31-Aug-11 HELSINKI, FINLAND
1-Sep-11 ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
2-Sep-11 ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
3-Sep-11 TALLINN, ESTONIA
4-Sep-11 AT SEA
5-Sep-11 COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
6-Sep-11 AT SEA

7-Sep-11 AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
8-Sep-11 BRUGGES,(ZEEBRUGGE),BELGIUM
9-Sep-11 CHERBOURG, FRANCE
10-Sep-11 AT SEA
11-Sep-11 VIGO, SPAIN
12-Sep-11 AT SEA
13-Sep-11 GIBRALTAR, UNITED KINGDOM
14-Sep-11 AT SEA
15-Sep-11 SICILY (PALERMO),ITALY
16-Sep-11 AT SEA
17-Sep-11 ATHENS (PIRAEUS), GREECE
18-Sep-11 AT SEA

19-Sep-11 ISTANBUL, TURKEY
20-Sep-11 ISTANBUL, TURKEY
21-Sep-11 AT SEA
22-Sep-11 EPHESUS (KUSADASI), TURKEY
23-Sep-11 BODRUM, TURKEY
24-Sep-11 MARMARIS, TURKEY
25-Sep-11 RHODES, GREECE
26-Sep-11 SANTORINI, GREECE
27-Sep-11 ATHENS (PIRAEUS), GREECE
28-Sep-11 MYKONOS, GREECE
29-Sep-11 CHANIA (SOUDA),CRETE, GREECE
30-Sep-11 AT SEA

1-Oct-11 ISTANBUL, TURKEY
2-Oct-11 ISTANBUL, TURKEY
3-Oct-11 AT SEA
4-Oct-11 EPHESUS (KUSADASI), TURKEY
5-Oct-11 BODRUM, TURKEY
6-Oct-11 MARMARIS, TURKEY
7-Oct-11 RHODES, GREECE
8-Oct-11 SANTORINI, GREECE
9-Oct-11 ATHENS (PIRAEUS), GREECE
10-Oct-11 MYKONOS, GREECE
11-Oct-11 CHANIA (SOUDA),CRETE, GREECE
12-Oct-11 AT SEA

13-Oct-11 ISTANBUL, TURKEY
14-Oct-11 ISTANBUL, TURKEY
15-Oct-11 AT SEA
16-Oct-11 EPHESUS (KUSADASI), TURKEY
17-Oct-11 BODRUM, TURKEY
18-Oct-11 RHODES, GREECE
19-Oct-11 MARMARIS, TURKEY
20-Oct-11 SANTORINI, GREECE
21-Oct-11 ATHENS (PIRAEUS), GREECE
22-Oct-11 MYKONOS, GREECE
23-Oct-11 CHANIA (SOUDA),CRETE, GREECE
24-Oct-11 AT SEA

25-Oct-11 ISTANBUL, TURKEY
26-Oct-11 ISTANBUL, TURKEY
27-Oct-11 EPHESUS (KUSADASI), TURKEY
28-Oct-11 RHODES, GREECE
29-Oct-11 AT SEA
30-Oct-11 ASHDOD, ISRAEL
31-Oct-11 ASHDOD, ISRAEL
1-Nov-11 HAIFA, ISRAEL
2-Nov-11 HAIFA, ISRAEL
3-Nov-11 AT SEA
4-Nov-11 ATHENS (PIRAEUS), GREECE
5-Nov-11 AT SEA

6-Nov-11 ISTANBUL, TURKEY
7-Nov-11 ISTANBUL, TURKEY
8-Nov-11 EPHESUS (KUSADASI), TURKEY
9-Nov-11 ATHENS (PIRAEUS), GREECE
10-Nov-11 RHODES, GREECE
11-Nov-11 MARMARIS, TURKEY
12-Nov-11 AT SEA
13-Nov-11 ASHDOD, ISRAEL
14-Nov-11 ASHDOD, ISRAEL
15-Nov-11 HAIFA, ISRAEL
16-Nov-11 AT SEA
17-Nov-11 AT SEA
18-Nov-11 VALLLETTA, MALTA
19-Nov-11 AT SEA

20-Nov-11 BARCELONA, SPAIN
21-Nov-11 ALICANTE, SPAIN
22-Nov-11 MALAGA, SPAIN
23-Nov-11 AT SEA
24-Nov-11 FUNCHAL, MADEIRA
25-Nov-11 TENERIFE, CANARIES
26-Nov-11 AT SEA
27-Nov-11 AT SEA
28-Nov-11 AT SEA
29-Nov-11 AT SEA
30-Nov-11 AT SEA
1-Dec-11 AT SEA
2-Dec-11 AT SEA

3-Dec-11 FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA
4-Dec-11 AT SEA
5-Dec-11 AT SEA
6-Dec-11 ORANJESTAD, ARUBA
7-Dec-11 WILLEMSTAD, CURACAO
8-Dec-11 AT SEA
9-Dec-11 ST. GEORGE'S, GRENADA
10-Dec-11 BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS
11-Dec-11 CASTRIES, ST. LUCIA
12-Dec-11 ST. JOHNS, ANTIGUA
13-Dec-11 PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN
14-Dec-11 CHARLOTTE AMALIE, ST. THOMAS
15-Dec-11 AT SEA
16-Dec-11 AT SEA

17-Dec-11 FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA
18-Dec-11 AT SEA
19-Dec-11 AT SEA
20-Dec-11 ORANJESTAD, ARUBA
21-Dec-11 WILLEMSTAD, CURACAO
22-Dec-11 AT SEA
23-Dec-11 ST. GEORGE'S, GRENADA
24-Dec-11 BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS
25-Dec-11 AT SEA
26-Dec-11 ST. JOHNS, ANTIGUA
27-Dec-11 PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN
28-Dec-11 CHARLOTTE AMALIE, ST. THOMAS
29-Dec-11 AT SEA
30-Dec-11 AT SEA

31-Dec-11 FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA
1-Jan-12 AT SEA
2-Jan-12 AT SEA
3-Jan-12 ORANJESTAD, ARUBA
4-Jan-12 WILLEMSTAD, CURACAO
5-Jan-12 AT SEA
6-Jan-12 ST. GEORGE'S, GRENADA
7-Jan-12 BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS
8-Jan-12 CASTRIES, ST. LUCIA
9-Jan-12 ST. JOHNS, ANTIGUA
10-Jan-12 PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN
11-Jan-12 CHARLOTTE AMALIE, ST. THOMAS
12-Jan-12 AT SEA
13-Jan-12 AT SEA

14-Jan-12 FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA

Everywhere there's a hard return marks the start of a new voyage.

I was going to make a list of the places I am really excited to see, but as it turns out I was actually just copying the schedule again - so I'll spare you all of that.

I guess I had better start studying some scripts or something...

Its About Time

So, since last I wrote I got engaged, have done a summer as a stage manager at Interlochen Center for the Arts, did another nation-wide tour of In the Mood, survived another Ohio Bike Week (promoted to Operations Manager), and have begun the process of finalizing arrangements for my next job -- not to be mentioned in any formality until it is set in stone.

Consider yourself updated.
More to come.