Five Years

It has been five years since we met these little kittens and invited them home.

They accepted and we're a happy family...

So it goes...

Feel much better now

I'm not as ratty as I have been.  We have new internet service and that has made us happy campers.

At the beginning of November (election day), the day before our monthly subscription with BroadbandVI our frustrating ISP (INTERMITTENT Service Provider) for a couple of years expired, we went shopping for a new service.

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BroadbandVI was just getting worse and worse. One day we tried and tried to get online all morning and finally did after 1:00 pm and then only for 45 minutes. Very stressful. Such a time waster and a good cause of rattiness. When I called their office I was told that we (hotspot users) were no longer "part of their reality"... We are real enough when they take the $60/month! So, we were as mad as hell and weren't going to take it anymore.

Over a year ago when I called BroadbandVI to complain about their crappy service, the technician told me to check AT&T.

We went to Sunny Isle shopping center and stopped first at Radio Shack to find our internet solution. They only had plans that required contracts, while we wanted month to month service. The lady at RS told me that she uses Choice Wireless at home and she was happy with them. She suggested that we go a few doors down and visit AT&T.

So, off we go in search of the internet grail...

At AT&T I only had to wait about 30 minutes which wasn't bad as they had a display with the names of waiting customers and you could see your name rise slowly to the top. Nice feature. The lady I had was very nice and helpful. She showed me their MiFi device that was the size of a credit card that could connect up to 5 computers. It was only available if you took a 2-year contract and had a pretty hefty early termination fee. She suggested that I try Choice Wireless. She even hunted down a phone book so I could get their number.

I called Choice and talked to someone in the States. We were happy with their no-contract plans and we had a nice walk of a mile or so to their local office. We had to wait a bit but that was good because we could see what sort of service and care they gave the customers. They did not seem in a hurry which is good as I'm always nervous that I'm taking too much time and there are so many people waiting behind me.

It was our turn. You have to buy the modem/radio/antenna (call it what you will) but it was on special offer at only $10 instead of the normal $99 AND the first month of service was only $10. Such a deal. We opted for their middle plan of $55/month (up to 3Mbps and yes, we have downloaded files at that speed) with UNLIMITED usage.

The Greenpacket 4G Modem has an omnidirectional antenna so it works well at anchor. It allows for 5 devices to be connected via wifi. We are getting such great service. Sometimes it's so fast you don't realize that the page has changed, and at the slowest times, it is running at about the best speed that we received with a BroadbandVI hotspot. They told us we have two towers near us... one at Hotel on the Cay which is the resort on the little island in Christiansted and another at Mount Welcome. When I was at the charter yacht show on St Thomas last month, the boats who had the same plan as ours were very happy with it.

While we were at Choice, we decided that we should get a smartphone so we could check our email & do other stuff when necessary when we are off the boat. The sales rep told us that they were going to have a Black Friday sale so if we could wait we could get another great deal.

So, with a few days left on our AT&T GoPhone plan which was $50/month for unlimited long distance, texting, and dumbphone data (which I never used), we went back to Choice Wireless and bought a Samsung Galaxy II (50% off) and their monthly smartphone plan (50% for 1st month). The smartphone plan is $65/month but has UNLIMITED data. With AT&Ts plan, it was also $65/month but with only 1GB of data and then $$$ for each GB thereafter. We lucked out again because Choice was offering a free month of service if you kept your old phone number. Such a deal...

This has made our lives a bit easier... and every little bit counts. Thank you Choice Wireless and keep up the good service.

So it goes!

Latest book cheap today on Amazon

We picked up the first two books of Bernard Cornwell's The Saxon Chronicles series at the flea market but, unfortunately, never found the next two books in the series.

Well, today, 12/12/12, Amazon has the latest book of the series, number 5, Death of Kings: A Novel (The Saxon Chronicles) [Kindle Edition] for only $1.99.  Even though I don't yet have books 3 & 4, I know I'll never see such a good price as this again so I snatched it up. It goes with the cruising the Caribbean philosophy of "if you see it, need it, buy it" because it most probably won't be in the store next time you shop.

 BLOGGER IMAGE UPLOAD NOT WORKING

Death of Kings: A Novel (The Saxon Chronicles) [Kindle Edition]

Bernard Cornwell (Author)

If you are a Bernard Cornwell fan, GO FOR IT !

So it goes...

Hurricane Season is officially over!

Today is December 1st which means that hurricane season is officially over in the Caribbean & Atlantic. On So It Goes, this is an important holiday... Let's do the happy dance!

WAIT

WHAT'S THIS ???

Invest 91 L

Didn't he get the memo?

SPECIAL TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
830 AM EST SAT DEC 1 2012

FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

1. SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM LOCATED OVER THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC OCEAN ABOUT 1150 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE AZORES HAS NOT BECOME SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER ORGANIZED SINCE YESTERDAY. HOWEVER...SOME DEVELOPMENT OF THE LOW IS STILL POSSIBLE BEFORE IT MERGES WITH A FRONTAL SYSTEM IN A COUPLE OF DAYS.  THIS SYSTEM HAS A MEDIUM CHANCE...50 PERCENT...OF BECOMING A TROPICAL OR SUBTROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS AS IT MOVES GENERALLY NORTHWARD AT 10 TO 15 MPH.

IF NECESSARY...ANOTHER SPECIAL TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED FOR THIS SYSTEM LATER TODAY OR THIS EVENING.  ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND IN HIGH SEAS FORECASTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

SHUCKY DARN

At least it's not in our neck of the woods.

So It Goes...

Silly words

The phrase "aprés poe" must be relatively new as Edgar Allan Poe was born in 1809.

Here's something related that I found on Dictionary.com

The correct definition of flibbertigibbet is the second one...

Would be an interesting name for a boat... Try to say it fast 3 times on a VHF :)

So it goes!

The Bugpatch

After reading this blog post of Trail Cooking and the Outdoors, I'm definitely going to try this product that Sarah is recommending.

My legs look just as bad as hers, but my bites are due to no-see-ums. Fortunately we don't get too many mosquitos on the boat unless it is still after heavy rains.  I've had Dengue Fever and don't want to do that again...

I can't use OFF! because one of our cats wants to lick me after I apply it. This is a natural product so I'm looking forward to checking it out... Maybe I'll even win the contest :)

So it goes....

Used Toothpicks Anyone?

Can I interest you in a box of toothpicks?

I really find this hard to believe. Someone on Amazon is selling a box of used toothpicks for $19.99 which is over 475% more than the new price of $3.41, plus they are charging $4.99 to ship!

This is the link, although the sellers may have changed...

Why the high price? Are they John Lennon's toothpicks, perhaps?

So it goes...

Ferret Fun & Frolic - Clothing & Costumes

I wonder how ferrets fare on boats...

 Ferret Car Magnet

Do they just enjoy tunnelling or do they gnaw on things and get into mischief? I sometimes think that our cats are part ferret because of the way they enjoy getting into tubes and things.

Well, Halloween is almost here, soon to be followed by Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Is your ferret prepared for the festivities?

Here's some interesting togs & costumes for your ferret from Amazon.com

Fashion Flower Collar - - - - - Bee Costume

Bandanna - - - - - Red Cap

Sweatshirt, Red - - - - Sweatshirt #2

Santa #1 - - - - - Santa #2

Fleece Tech Vest - - - - - Jean Jacket

Sweater - - - - - Tee

Hat & Sweater - - - - - Parka with Fur Trimmed Hood

Rhinestone Tee, Pirate - - - - - Harness & Lead

Rhinestone Tee, Blue - - - - - Rhinestone Tee, Pink

Here's a post from 2010 that you may want to visit again as it has a couple of great ferret videos!

Check out yesterday's post for costumes for dogs and cats... plus Amazon Halloween Store
.

HALLOWEEN COSTUME SALE 2012 - People & Pets

Wow, it's almost that time of year again... Do you have your Halloween costume?

Amazon's Halloween Store is having a 60% off sale. Such a deal! Click HERE

While they have great people costumes that look like a lot of fun, don't forget your pets. Dogs really make out...

Batman - - - - - Hot Dog - - - - - Pirate

Police Dog - - - - - Shark

The shark would also be good for Jimmy Buffet concerts!

While we did find some spiffy outfits for cats, you can try dog costumes in small or x-small...

Cowboy - - - - - Jolly Jester - - - - - Little Devil

Hula - - - - - Elf - - - - Tie

Santa - - - - - Bumble Bee - - - - - Crown Hat & Collar

You can find more cat stuff HERE.


And what about you ferret aficionados out there?

Ferret Bee Costume

Plus there's more ferret frenzy here... Costumes & clothing for your ferret friends.


Here's a link to an old post that has a couple of good ferret videos.

Tropical Storm Rafael - US Virgin Islands

Well, I'm very happy to say that it is a beautiful morning today.

Yesterday was also a fine day (Rafael Day, part 1)... much better than the day before which was very breezy with lumpy seas. That's the type of rock & roll that I can do without!

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Saturday's NHC 11am forecast had Rafael going right over the top of us (note the first "S"), but that didn't happen. As it was, if we didn't know better, we would not have had a clue that a tropical storm passed within 85 miles of our location.  I'm NOT complaining :)

http://www.passageweather.com/

So,  after another cup of coffee, we'll retrieve our extra ground tackle, redeploy our solar panels,  unbatten the hatches, and see what the day brings.

Hope we will have decent wifi (such an optimist) so I can check out some Android Apps from Amazon.

UPDATE: It has taken well over 90 minutes to do these few lines and trying unsuccessfully to upload a 28KB image. BroadbandVI is really the pits... We pay $60/month for this "service". This is why I haven't posted anything since July 1st. When we do have a bit of acceptable wifi, I have to do more important things first, such as update our websites, etc.

But, today is a happy dance day! Waffles for breakfast, too :)

So it goes!

Picking Up a Mooring

Bareboaters... Here's a tip:  The term "picking up a mooring" does not apply when you are leaving.

Gallows Bay Moorings, Christiansted, St Croix, US Virgin Islands
(Click photo to enlarge)

I heard someone's anchor windlass going and I thought "oh, the catamaran must be leaving... but wait, they're tied to a mooring".

I looked outside and yes, they were still tied to their mooring but there was a person in the water diving between the cat and the mooring ball... The chain is going tick-a-tick-a-tick-a.

Why did they drop an anchor on top of the mooring they were tied to? What is the state of that mooring now? It's probably not that they don't care about the probable damage done, but they more than likely don't have a clue that they might have pulled out one of the two mooring screws and have made yet another one of these moorings unsafe.

This is why you should always dive and inspect the mooring you have just tied to... especially before leaving your boat unattended. 

So it goes...