My Summer Cruise, Part 2: The Ports

Pier 1, Port of St. John. Our parking spot for the day.

On Thursday, June 6th, 2013, I woke to a bright, sunny day. It was about 6am EST, and looking out my porthole window, I start to see land. It's the second full day of the cruise and we are coming into the first of two port days: St John, New Brunswick.

St John--not to be confused with St Johns, they get very particular about that--is a small city with a population of 68,000 in the city proper; it is the largest city in the province. It is nice, but there's not much to do there except shop or head off for the Bay of Fundy. I did the bay last year, so I stayed in town. There are a good number of bars and restaurants, a craft fair, Farmer's Market, and the Brunswick Square Mall. There's even an old time General Store. The people are very friendly.


Since I had no particular rush to get off the ship as I was not on a group tour, I disembarked around 9. First stop, I needed to get to the mall as I heard about a store called the Little Shop of Science (those of you who know me well can see why this would be important.) And it's a little shop indeed, chock full of science toys, books and games.

After leaving the mall, I wandered around the park, past the University of New Brunswick-St John, and headed over to Barbour's General Store (www.barbours.ca) . This "old fashioned" general store and museum has been in operation for several generations and is a famous St John spot. Here I discovered something very delicious- and healthy- Barbour's own brand of almond butter with cinnamon. The roughly 14oz jar I bought cost $10 US, but it's definitely worth the money. So good.

Last stop, the Farmer's Market. This is a a great place to walk around and see some nice local crafts and food.

 

St  John Farmer's Market

You only need to be in town for a few hours to see it, in fact I was back on board in time for lunch, but it is a great place to take a break from the ship.

The next morning, Friday,  started with a bit of rain, but the ship's weather report said that it should clear early and be a sunny warm day--that, in fact, was the case. It's our second, and last, port day: Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Halifax, nicknamed by the locals as "Hill-ifax" or "The San Francisco of the North", is quite the hilly city with a population of 390,096 (2011 figures), is the largest city in eastern Canada, and is the seat of the provincial government. It's also home to the nearest North American airport to Europe.

Once again, I leave the ship around 9, but this time I'm going on a walking tour of the city. The tour, which will take about 3 1/2 hrs is lead by Jim, a former art teacher who grew up nearby.  We get on the bus for a quick drive to the Public Gardens, and will walk the rest of the tour from there.

 

Jim and the gang

The Public Gardens is a very beautiful place, although with my allergies, I wouldn't be able to spend the whole day there unless I planned ahead. The flowers and trees are perfectly manicured, however, as Jim told us,"Everything is left natural. No feeding, watering, or fertilizer or mulch. It either makes it or it doesn't". This is on purpose, he says. Once planted, the beds are manicured and weeded, but otherwise, nature just does what it does.

 

Halifax Public Gardens

The other interesting thing about the Gardens is down the center line, both sides are perfect mirror images.

As we leave the Gardens and head on the way to the Citadel, Halifax's old fort, we hear the story as to why Halifax has a close connection to Boston, Massachusetts.

They call it the Halifax Explosion. On December 6, 1917, 8:45am, the Belgian relief ship Imo was departing Halifax for New York when it collided with the French munitions ship Mont Blanc, which was coming in to wait for its convoy. The Mont Blanc was fully loaded and the resulting explosion killed nearly 2000 people and entire sections of the city were destroyed as the fire spread after the Imo crashed into Pier 9.

Boston's role here? Well, Boston was the first US city to send help. This is why Boston's official Christmas tree always comes from Halifax. Even all these years later the tradition continues as Halifax's way to say thank you. And it's a big deal for the Canadians too. If the tree comes from your land, you get to make the trip down to the States with the mayor for the lighting ceremony.

A few minutes later, we have climbed the hill to the Citidel and arrive just in time for the Changing of the Guard. In keeping with old tradition, the sentry at the gate is relieved every couple of hours and it is quite a show as the orders are given. Just before this (it's now local noontime) the ceremonial firing of the cannon takes place.

We didn't get a chance to actually go into the Citidel, but I certainly will when I go back. There are lots of great hotels in town, and it would be worth the trip to stay.

Changing of the Guard, Halifax Citidel

 



Working our way back down the hill to the boardwalk along the ocean front, you can see how the city's grid is laid out. All major roads work up the hill from the ocean, so it is easy to see where you are.

The tour has ended, but I'm not going back to the ship just yet; there is still one more stop to make. I have to get my Beaver Tail.

No, not an actual beaver tail...but the fried dough goodness that was probably the least healthy lunch of my life. I get a #9--peanut butter, chocolate, and Reese's Pieces. Yummy, yummy.                                                                                                 



With a full stomach, I wend my way a mile along the boardwalk and back to the ship. It was a good two days in Canada, and looking forward to going back.

In keeping with ancient tradition, the Nova Scotians see us off with a song on the bagpipes and drum.

My Summer Cruise, Part 1: The Ship

This is the first of a two part post. In Part 2 we will explore the Ports of Call.





The Carnival Glory--Home Away From Home

On June 4th through 9th 2013, I took a cruise out of Boston to Canada, with stops in St. John, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia, aboard the Carnival Glory.

Given all the bad press Carnival Cruise Lines has had the past year or so, let me start with the really, really, very excellent news: this was an uneventful trip. There were no mechanical failures, fires, or epidemic illnesses (although I did catch a cold), and no one disappeared overboard. Even when we spent a day sparring with Tropical Storm Andrea, the ship remained steady and true.

Having said that, this cruise could be rated "OK" at best.

 First off, there are a lot of what I'll call "vendors" on board. In food service, there's Guy's Burger Joint, as in Guy Fieri, the Food Network personality.  The entertainment department has "Punchliners Presented by George Lopez", which are comics personally chosen by the veteran comedian. Also in entertainment, there's "Hasbro: The Game Show", life size versions of popular Hasbro games. Finally, the shipboard sports bar is called "EA Sportsbar", named for EA Sports, the popular sports video game company. These are the four most obvious examples. My point here is that Carnival seems to be starting to lose their own personality, almost like they own the vessels and simply rent out space.



Chocolate Shake from Creamers Coffee Shop

Although, when it comes to the food, I do have to admit the burgers at Guy's are excellent, as are the fries! The Carnival Deli is also a good choice if you want a simple, light sandwich. The Red Sail Restaurant, the buffet style food service on Lido Deck, for the most part is good, however the food was a bit cold on occasion. (One way around that at breakfast is to use the omelet station, where they are made to order.) As for the dining room for dinner, the portions are a good size and taste good, but one of the people I traveled with had to send back the food three times over the course of the week because it was cold. On the other hand, I am glad to see that Creamers Coffee Shop still had their chocolate shake--the single best ice cream-based food on the high seas.


As for the entertainment, I can't say anything about Punchliners as I didn't go to any of those shows, but I did see both sessions of Hasbro: The Game Show and frankly thought it's just plain stupid and made me wonder what happened to my childhood. There were three Broadway-style production shows; I did see one of them and it was canned music-no live band-and it is possible that even the singing was lip-synced.

Other entertainment around the ship included a couple of soloists with guitars (one of which really stunk), and a husband-wife piano and singing duet called Summer Breeze who are really good.  There was some bingo, but not as much as in past years, and tons of trivia contests. The movies chosen for the Seaside Theatre, the outdoor big screen on Lido Deck, was an interesting mix running from Gone With The Wind to Men In Black 3. In the end, the entertainment, under the purview of Cruise Director Matt, was a mixed bag.

A quick note on the staff. The crew members overall were excellent. From the cabin stewards to the dining room waitstaff and bartenders to (from what I can tell) the Camp Carnival (the children's program) staff. The one exception here, unfortunately, is the cruise director staff, including Matt himself. There was a real edge to this group. Matt was very sarcastic (all cruise directors are to some point), but he took it to a new level, almost to the point of  being just plain mean. One of the trivia contests I participated in was hosted by Jessie, and he seemed really bored.


With all that, one of the most disappointing bits of news came from Kai, the host of the Future Cruise Talk. One good thing about this itinerary is that, being from the Boston area, it is a good cheap vacation; no flights needed. Well, no more. Starting in 2014, Carnival will no longer be going out of Boston. Fortunately, other lines will still depart Boston.

I started cruising roughly 13 years ago, all but one on Carnival.  In fact, this is the same ship and itinerary as last year. (We actually got the same cabin, too.) But this is the biggest year-over-year change I've seen in the line. This "new" Carnival Glory is part of the company's "Funship 2.0" concept, and of course this is based on one voyage on one ship, but if this is what's happening fleet wide, then maybe Carnival has lost its way.



The view from Lido (Deck 9) down to the Lobby (Deck 3)

Trek Month Comes to a Close

As the unintended Trek month comes to a close here at DWT, I thought I would bring out an old piece of writing.

I wrote this poem for one of my college writing classes. Inspired by the movie Star Trek: Generations, it actually won an honorable mention in a national poetry contest. Enjoy!

ODE TO CAPTAIN KIRK

 

Captain Kirk, what a man.

Played as only Shatner can.

Traveling the universe in the Enterprise,

He was the apple of all the girls' eyes.

With Spock and Bones and the rest of the gang,

Sometimes even Uhura sang.

 

Then, one day, he entered the Nexxus,

Where he was taken away from us.

He died alone, as he knew he would,

Although Picard did all he could.

When you join Starfleet, sometimes death is a perk.

Long Live Captain James Tiberius Kirk!

"Spock Versus The Volcano"

That's the first thing I said to my friend Duncan when we saw one of the trailers for Star Trek: Into Darkness a couple of months ago. But the movie is so much more than that.

Star Trek: Into Darkness--or, STID in fan-speak--is JJ Abrams' second film in his re-launch of the iconic TV and film series. This time, Kirk and the gang must head off to the edge of the Neutral Zone--a kind of DMZ between Federation and Klingon territory--to bring back a fugitive from justice.

And the team has help with this: Khan Noonien Singh--yes, THAT Khan. Because of this, some people feel this movie is just a remake of  The Wrath Of Khan, the second film with the original cast. But Khan's role here is different. While he is a bad guy and his backstory is similar to the original Khan,  he helps Kirk find the runaway fugitive, a Federation operative trying to tear things apart from the inside. Watching the film, I thought of this Khan more like Hannibal Lecktor, the dangerous man you have locked up who is helping you solve the real mystery.

The film is full of enough comedy, drama, special effects, and action to keep both Trek and non-Trek fans interested. One very funny scene involves Kirk trying to diffuse a lover's spat between Uhura and Spock--as they are going into battle. There is the introduction of Carol Markus and a mention of Nurse Chapel. Oh, and Scotty quits.

Even those who are not Trek fans will enjoy the film. The special effects are the best. The action scenes are great and there is just enough exposition as to who the characters are that you don't have to have full knowledge going in.

The one quibble would be that the Klingons give up a little too easily. But ultimately, it doesn't matter.

As for that pesky volcano, well, it's a sight you really just have to see for yourself. You'll be glad you did.

I've heard that Abrams is planning to make just one more film. If number three is the last one--not just his last one--I sure hope it's as good as number two. Which itself is the rare sequel that is better than the first.

To sum up, I'll simply repeat what I told Duncan as we left the theatre: "New favorite movie--ever!"

Movie Review: Trek Nation

Trek Nation
Documentary
Director: Scott Colthorpe
Roddenberry Entertainment for the Science Channel, 2010
Run Time: 1 hr 28 min

This film is a story of two stories. Hosted/narrated by Eugene Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, it is first a history of Star Trek and Trek fandom. But it is also the story of a son searching for his father, through the vehicle of the father's greatest creation.

The elder Roddenberry died when Eugene was just 17 years old, so Eugene never really knew his father; this film is an effort to learn about him. In pursuit of this goal, Eugene uses interviews not just with family, friends, Star Trek cast, crew, and fans, but also Seth McFarland, George Lucas, and JJ Abrams (at the time, Abrams was in the process of filming his Star Trek reboot). These are intercut with footage from Star Trek conventions and Roddenberry home movies.

Sitting alone in a planetarium, Eugene tells us the early history of his father's life: World War II bomber pilot turned Pan Am pilot,  then cop and TV writer. When we arrive at the beginnings of Star Trek, the film really hits its stride.

Roddenberry starts his journey with an interview with his own mother, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, who played Nurse Chapel in the Original Series. "She was not as open as I was hoping, " Eugene says in voice over. And the footage used in the film bears that out. She really doesn't say much, and, as she herself admits, doesn't have much to say. We can tell that she loved her husband, but we don't learn anything beyond that.

So, Roddenberry looks elsewhere. Two of the most interesting interviews are with George Lucas and Wil Wheaton.

Roddenberry drove  to the Skywalker Ranch for his talk with Lucas: "The father of Star Wars talking about the father of Star Trek", he says as the passes through the security gate, "this should be interesting." We learn that Lucas is a fan of Trek, but, as always, he has to plug Wars: "Star Wars is an action-based space opera. Your father created science fiction, but it's more than that: Star Trek is about the philosophy of the human condition." When asked about the whole Trek/Wars rivalry, Lucas says he doesn't get into that. " I can't imagine what would happen if the Millennium Falcon went up against the Enterprise".

In Roddenberry's conversation with Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation, we hear a story that says alot about Eugene's father: "Your dad and I were at a convention together. I was just 14 years old. Gene was on stage taking a lot of flack about my character. The fans hated Wesley. He stood up there and told them, 'This is my character, he is exactly the way I want him to be. You don't like him, you can go watch something else.' That really meant alot to me." It is fairly well known that Wesley was the most autobiographical of all of the Star Trek characters, in fact Wesley was Gene's middle name, so you can see how he took it personally.

Eugene admits to a bit of jealousy at this, but in the end, he does accomplish his goal. He comes away with alot more knowledge and respect for his father. He understands who his father was, and what he did. On this point, the film gets an A. However, we don't really learn anything new about Trek that hasn't been seen in previous documentaries. While this wasn't the host's main reason for making the film, on this level it gets a C.

The 2013 BAA 5K

Dedicated to all affected by the Boston Marathon Bombings: the victims and families; first responders and all the city's medical professionals; and all the runners who trained so hard but were unable to finish. This was all because of an evil act by a coward. Rest assured that we are a strong and vital city and we continue to be. We cannot--will not---be stopped.


On April 14th, 2013 the Boston Athletic Association held its 5th annual 5K (3.1 mile) road race. Traditionally held on the Sunday of Marathon Weekend--the marathon itself was on the following day-- the race takes participants past some of the city's most famous historical spots, and straight through the Marathon finish line.

I have run this race since the beginning, and this year it was the biggest yet, at 6,500 runners.

THE EXPO

But before I get to that, I have to go to the Runner's Expo at the Haynes Convention Center. Here there are hundreds of vendors from all around the running industry. There are representatives from all the major names: Nike, Reebok, New Balance, and of course the Marathon sponsor--Adidas. There are many other companies, too. Other clothing lines and sports related companies of all kinds, tables promoting various races and marathons from around the world --yes, there really is an Antarctica  marathon--and lots of food (runners love food!) There are seminars and talks throughout the weekend; you could even get a pre-race massage, and there are posterboards and markers throughout so spectators can prepare their signs.

The Expo is free and open to the public, but my colleagues and I are here on serious business. There is plenty of time to look around, but first I have to pick up my material for the race (I'm here on Friday afternoon, the opening day of the Expo). After wending my way through a couple of rows of vendors, I reach the 5K pickup area (the marathoners have a separate area, although many are here, some use our race as a last training run). I turn in my pickup card and  get my goodies: my t-shirt, bib (the paper with your number that you pin to your shirt), info on the course and, of course, a few snacks,  random coupons, and advertisements.

RACE DAY

8:00 AM Sunday. I've arrived at the start area in Copley Square and am ready to go. We are all lined up, various running legends have wished us luck, the National Anthem has been sung. The starter's gun goes off.....and so do we.

We are divided up according to our expected pace--I'm about a quarter of the way back from the start, about a 10 minute mile. About 40 seconds after the official start, I cross the start line. My sports watch is in chrono mode, I activate and begin my race.

Starting on Boylston St, running towards the Public Garden, the first turn is a left onto Charles St between the Public Garden and the Boston Common. Thus begins a giant near-loop around the Garden. Left on Beacon St, another onto Arlington. Just before the loop closes, a right onto Newbury St. Half a block further and one mile complete. Quick check of my chrono--9:28. Looking good.

Passing the water station, I grab a cup and start mile 2. The course takes us up and down various side streets, alternating runs along Newbury and Commonwealth Ave. Ultimately settling on Comm, we hit the two mile mark. 1.1 to go. Running down Comm, under the Mass Ave overpass, left on Charlesgate W, and back up the other side of Comm, under the overpass again, grabbing a last water along the way.

Almost there. Taking a right onto Hereford St--a short but steep incline, my personal Heartbreak Hill--from this point on I am on the actual Marathon course. One more left back onto Boylston, and through the finish.

Passing through the finish, we continue walking down Boylston, picking up our medals and goodie bags along the way: yes, more food!

(Click here to see the full course map.)

THE NUMBERS

Well, as might be expected I didn't win. The male winner finished in a blazing fast 12:46, the female in 15:16. But I did have a respectable run: finishing in 32:08--an average of  roughly 11:09 per mile. Given the number of runners and the bottleneck at Mass Ave, I'm happy with this time.

I was the 4108th finisher overall, and out of the 324 people in my age group, I finished in 279th place.

All in all, it was a great day. Perfect running weather, good run, and looking forward to next year!

Book Review: The Casual Vacancy

JK Rowling
The Casual Vacancy
Pub. Little, Brown & Co., 1st Ed. Sept. 2012
Hardcover, 503 pages


Rowling starts her first novel in the post-Harry Potter era with a death in a parking lot: Barry Fairbrother, a council member of the Parish of Pegford. Fairbrother, who was going into a restaurant with his wife Mary, has an aneurysm. This creates the "casual vacancy"--a sudden opening on the Parish Council. The news quickly travels through town, and thus the story begins.

The election of Fairbrother's replacement will have an effect on  the parish for generations to come. It all started 60 years before, when the local estate deeded some land to Pegford. On that land a housing development, called The Fields, was built and over time The Fields had become a slum. The problem is this: Under the unusual deal, The Fields is under Pegford jurisdiction, and therefore the parish is responsible for the social services; meanwhile, the neighboring city of Yarvil has responsibility for the infrastructure. In the economic downturn, Pegford can no longer afford to keep The Fields on. A border war has broken out, and at the same time a civil war wages on in the Council over this question: Keep The Fields, or redraw the border and make it part of Yarvil? This is what the election is all about: Will the new councilman be Pro- or Anti- Fields?

Ultimately, the novel--using the vehicle of the election campaign and other secondary stories--is about the people of Pegford and The Fields. We learn everything about them....everything....and that is my biggest issue with the book. The character detail may be useful for the author doing prep work sketches, but for the reader there is almost too much story. Perhaps if Rowling had stuck with the election and it's central issue--keep The Fields or cut it loose-- this would be a tighter book. I do believe she is a great storyteller who has created interesting characters, but it is overwhelming here. With careful editing, the novel could easily lose 20 or 30 pages and still have a strong enough plot. (For instance, cut everything about Andrew's crush on Gaia. As realistic a take it may be on how a 16 year old boy's mind works, it has no bearing on the main point.)  Rowling could always have come back to Pegford in future work.

The other thing, and this did take a little getting used to, is this is not your kids' Harry Potter. Billed as Rowling's first novel for adults, these pages are full to the brim with curse words, OCD issues, computer hacking, marital infidelity, rape, drug addition and recovery (and the funding of both), pedophilia, suicide, cutting, binge drinking, sex (both adult and teenage), domestic violence, and teenage pregnancy. It is almost as if Rowling had held so much back in trying to create a unique and relatively kid-friendly Potter universe, that the dam broke and it all spilled out here.

It is interesting to note, however, that the BBC has commissioned a TV series based on the book. I am curious to see how that turns out, as it may play better on screen than on paper. In fact Rowling herself has said that she thinks the best adaptation would be for television.

Overall, the election storyline is interesting--especially given that the US release was a mere two months ahead of our own election. But Rowling didn't need to put everything in one book. I can understand trying to do something different after living with Harry Potter for 10 years, but she should have paced herself a little. Good effort, but my final grade is...C.