Its Getting Better....

"Its gettin better all the time...."  - - That lyric would be fitting about now.

Yes things are some what better. My meeting was great today and I have another one tomorrow. I'll also get to meet with people at Elon so I can get things planned for this fall. Two objectives down one to go (Get A Job)

 
I decided to post some more pictures from the cruise - various people we met.

  

  

The Rare Birds

Above is our trivia group.  Left to Right: Dad, Hannah, Me, Jim, Susan, Helen, and Mom - We are the rare birds because of an incident on one of our shore excursions. We were in the Shetland Islands on a bird watching tour. Half way though the tour our driver-guide stopped the buss and yelled though the mike "Raaar Baaed" that's Rare Bird in crazy Scots/Shetland/Old English talk.  He told us that he thought he saw a Black Beaked, White Winged, Black Tystie - "that's little back bird" but that it could be the even rarer Black Beaked, White Winged, Spotted Black Tystie but he wasn't sure. So told us he was going to find out. Before we knew it he had jumped off the buss and was running though the field towards the bird. The driver proceeded to chase this bird around a pond. Twenty minutes later he reappeared out of breath and total ecstatic. It was indeed a Raar Baaed! It was non-other than a true Black Beaked, White Winged, Spotted Black Tystie! He then called his best friend Dave and told him about it. Then he called Jim, and Bill but not before he called two other people. The driver then realized we were running 30min behind schedule. On the way back to the ship we saw all of his bird-watchin-buddies pass us and he even stopped the buss so he could talk to them. We finale reached the ship and still had time to explore Lerwick. Mom and Dad went into a store and the cashier asked them "oh, where you just on the tour, the one that saw the raar baaed, the Black Beaked, White Winged, Spotted Black Tystie?!!!" needless to say the whole town now knew about the Rare Bird!  We think it was probably on the front page of their paper the next morning.  After an encounter like that we truly did feel like Rare Birds - so that's how we came up with our trivia name!

Helen and Richard Shaw from Australia!  A truly wonderful couple. We met Helen playing trivia one day. The question was "what's another name of the kooks burra bird of Australia?"  Dad, Mom, and I were not having any luck and we began to look around the room. I glanced by  Helen sitting across from us and she mouthed to me "Jack Ass." I thought that woman just cursed me! I told Dad and Mom what had happened and it clicked in our heads - so we wrote for the answer "Jack Ass" After we did we coaxed Helen into joining our team - she proved to be a very valuable member. However she got the question wrong. Its known as the "Lafughing Jack Ass" - when Helen found out she responded with "oi!!! I should a known - I feed those buggers every day in my back yard!"

The last night of the cruise Helen and Richard asked us to dine with them. We only wish we hadn't waited until the last night. They stayed on the ship for the next cruise a total of 24 Nights!