XMAS/BOXING DAY MONDAY

I suppose this Monday is a holiday for some people, as Christmas fell on a Saturday, so in solidarity with those folks, let's all have the day off :)

Here's a couple of photos I took this morning from our forward hatch...

December 27, 2010 @ 8:30am - St Croix, USVI

If you'd like to get away from the arctic north and thaw out your toes, here's an opportunity... The catamaran Marolanga still has a cabin available on their special cabin cruise week, January 8-15, 2011. Click here for your quick getaway!

Bob did an Island Gourmand post this morning about New Year's Biscuits... Yummy picture. I hope this is a sign of good things to come next Saturday!

A bit of Amazon.com pimping... We only need two more orders to increase our piddling commission by 1/2%.  Not much, but everything is appreciated :)

Hmmm.... Maybe I should buy the saw guide that Bob mentioned in his Boat Bits post this morning: A tool that makes me happy...

Attention: Browncoats, Firefly & Castle Fans

This morning we did some Christmas shopping on Amazon.com with a gift certificate we received, and we were shocked to find that Castle Season Two was only $14.99.

Wow, such a DEAL !!!  Last time we looked it was $39.99... That's a 62.5% discount.

Mr & Ms Cheapseats did not have to ponder over this purchase very long... We might be cheap but not stupid :)

Thank you, Santa!

So, all of you Browncoats, Nathan Fillion, Firefly & Castle fans, if you don't already have this DVD buy it now as maybe this is a seasonal sale.  If you already have it, buy both Season One (also $14.99) and Season Two for a deserving friend.

I forgot to order the books, Heat Wave and Naked Heat which are the Nikki Heat books the character Richard Castle is writing in the television series.  Should be interesting.  Oh well, next order :)

These books are also available on Kindle...

We need to get an e-reader... See Bob's Boat Bits post: Tis the season for e-book conundrums...

Happy Holidays!

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Magnetic North Pole

Interesting article from the Scientific American that if the magnetic north pole keeps shifting as it is, it could pass the geographic north pole in a decade or so and carry on toward Siberia.

Read the article: Why is the north magnetic pole racing toward Siberia?

So It Goes...

Christmas with a twist, plus a few treats

Looking for some different things to do this Christmas and not the same old same old?

Here's a suggestion from those wild & crazy guys at Epic Meal Time... their twisted variation of a gingerbread house, including an interesting Jack Daniels eggnog :)




MP3 CHRISTMAS MUSIC

This is kind of cool...

• Kimo's Hawaiian Slack Key Christmas

and then, since we miss France:

• Noél Blanc (White Christmas) by Jacqueline Francois

plus, a couple of classics:

• Christmas With The Rat Pack
• Bing Crosby - Christmas Classic

or how about:

• Christmas A Go-Go ???

or maybe:

• The Ultimate Motown Christmas Collection 

I also found a few Christmas twist songs! Why? It's fun...

• Holiday Twist by Los Straitjackets
• Xmas Twist by The Twistin' Kings 
• White Christmas by Tom Twist  off the Wild Rockin' & Boppin' (X-Mas Edition) album

See Bob's Boat Bits blog for his Some Handy Hints for the Holidays post and watch the "A Very Zombie Holiday" instructional video.

For my fellow Beatles fans, you can find the Beatles Christmas recordings HERE

If you have forgotten someone on your Christmas list, or someone gave you a gift and you now need to buy them something (oops!), how about an Amazon.com Gift Certificate.  I know I would certainly appreciate one... hint hint...

So, dress up your cat, dog, ferret in their festive togs, grab a hunk of bacon, put on some Christmas Motown tunes, and enjoy a game of A Nightmare Before Christmas Monopoly!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

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Easy Honda Generator Oil Change

Last week we received our new doo-dad for our Honda EU2000i generator. It is a stainless steel extender that goes on the oil fill to make draining the oil much easier and mess free.

Bob decided to change the generator's oil Monday afternoon.  I took a couple of photos of the device before using it and then did other things while waiting for Bob to change the oil so I could take some pictures of the process using the new doo-hicky.

After awhile when I finally checked to see what Bob was up to, he was just putting the oil away. There was no swearing or other telltales that he was in process of changing the oil. I missed my photo-op but I'm not complaining as the results were fantastic. The newspaper under the generator did not have a drop of oil on it.

See Bob's Boat Bits post for more.

This is a "must have" for any Honda generator owner. Check it out at Amazon.

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Christmas Winds?

Invest 95??? What the frell???

This is too depressing for me... Please look at BoatBits for more info.

I'd rather be planning the party for the cats tomorrow and have visions of sugar plums :)

Buffy & Willow - 3 years

Today is the 3-year anniversary of when we adopted Buffy & Willow...

Little fluffy bundles of joy... plus the occasional pointy bits :)

Happy Holidays!

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eBook readers for Christmas and other things...

Bob wrote a post on BoatBits the other day about finding an eBook reader in his Christmas stocking...

See his BOATBITS POST HERE: Tis the season for e-book conundrums

If you can't decide on a Christmas gift for your special person, give an Amazon Gift Certificate and then they can pick out what they'd like...

Definitely a Win / Win situation :)

Being in the Caribbean doesn't make me feel very Christmasy.  Even though I was quite chilly this morning and closed the hatch above the bed (my clock thermometer said 80.5°F) it's not the same as a White Christmas, though I'm quite happy not having to scrape ice off of my windshield like I used to way back when.

I grew up with my parents playing Perry Como and Bing Crosby-type Christmas music... such classics!  The other day I stumbled across Mele Kalikimaka by Bing Crosby & the Andrew Sisters... Give it a listen!

I am tempted by some of the selections that the MP3 French Christmas Music search search had to offer.

Oh, wow!  I'm listening to iTunes while typing this and Claudine Longet just came up singing The Beatles' "When I'm Sixty-Four".  That made me smile.

Happy Holidays!

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St Croix Fireworks Cruzan Christmas Festival 2010

Last night was the lighted boat parade in Christiansted which kicked off the 2010 Cruzan Christmas Festival of St Croix, US Virgin Islands. I'd estimate that over 15 boats participated. Very impressive and fun.

 

Boat preparing for the lighted boat parade in Christiansted

I forgot there were to be fireworks afterwards.  There was a strange sound that I thought was our ladder banging into the hull, but then Buffy and Willow ran inside in a panic and wanted to hide. This was followed by larger booms and rattling of hull and flashes of light... They were shooting off the fireworks directly across from us on the beach.  Wonderful...

Short video of grand finale

I'm always worried about fireworks and potential damage to the boat.  This morning our deck was littered with bits of cardboard and ash.

One year when we were anchored in Long Bay, St Thomas, USVI the fireworks set Hassel Island on fire.

So, the festivities have begun... Enjoy!

St Croix Christmas Boat Parade TONIGHT

Tonight will be the Christmas Boat Parade in Christiansted Harbor, St Croix. See more at StCroixTourism

Today is the kick-off for the Cruzan Christmas Festival. See the schedule of events at STXFestival

It looks like it should be a nice day for the festivities!

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NOAA 2010 Hurricane season video

This is a cool video put together by NOAA...



Check out their YouTube channel

Wonder where we will be next summer...

2nd day of infamy

Yesterday, December 7th, was the day of infamy... Pearl Harbor Day.  Today, December 8th, is the second day of infamy, the 30th anniversary of the assassination of John Lennon.

Do you remember where and what you were doing when you "heard the news today, oh boy"?

... Paris, saw the newspaper while entering Blvd St Denis Monoprix



The only info given is 1967... Lots of various artists pictured such as Neil Young, Michael Nesmith, etc...

I finally was able to view the entire clip (we were having a slow internet time earlier) and was disappointed when it ended before its time. I'm sure the video would have had the entire song... But, I still enjoyed it and thought you might, too. It leaves you wanting more!

Information for cruisers - St Croix US Virgin Islands USVI

We are getting some new boats into the anchorage so I thought I should show links to the posts I did earlier in the year about where to find things in St Croix...

• Questions & Answers Christiansted St Croix USVI (January 15, 2010) I updated this a bit today
• St Croix USVI Bus Schedule between Christiansted & Frederiksted 
• Cruisers Map for Christiansted St Croix USVI
• Veterinarian / Pet Hospital within walking distance, Christiansted St Croix USVI

Fun Christmas Gifts for Your Pets

I was checking out various links on my new blog template and while looking at Amazon.com came across some interesting items for the holidays for pets...

Plush Puppies  Hanukkah Dog Toy

Hannukah Tickle Your  Fancy Catnip Dreidel

These are cute, too...

Christmas Paw Stocking	Dog Santa Bandanna
Antlers Pet Headband	Ferret Santa Suit

These are listed under Ferret Gifts, but I'm sure Buffy & Willow would enjoy them...

Ferret Super Sleeper Tent

Ferret Plush Hide-N-Sleep

That was cool... Now it's time to get back to work :)

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Yes, I changed the look...

I wanted to do something different so I changed my Blogger template.  Not real thrilled, but it's OK for now... I need to do other things.

Theoretically, it's over

Rejoice! H-season is officially over... It was an active year, with 19 named storms, 12 hurricanes, and 5 intense hurricanes.

Image from Dr. Jeff Master's WonderBlog

My Wonderground Tropical Weather widget over in the right column hasn't shown anything in a while, and the  NOAA messages have been saying "No North Atlantic Tropical Advisories".

Always keep an eye on the weather though..

Now that "it" is over, it is now Christmas season.  I was surprised when I turned on the radio during the night of Thanksgiving and heard one station playing solid Christmas music. I won't be listening to them again until the new year.  The occasional song is OK but not every one, please.

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