Feed the Beast

It has been an interesting week or so. Fourth of July was well...Fourth of July. Or as I like to call it now, ugly American day.

Don't hate. Its just down here you get an influx of mass quantities of people given the permission to act obnoxious in the name of our country's independence. 

I blame Miami.

If you need an explanation for that statement, please visit Miami immediately.

Anyhoo, the fourth while physically and mentally exhausting from the sheer volume of people, had no comparison to this past week. 

Ugly American day became ugly American week and challenged my faith in humanity. I did not expect it at all and was suddenly looking fondly back on fourth of July. 

How best to describe it?? 

Well, how about the start of work on my last day last week. An adorable toddler and his parents dining. We played peek-a-boo for a bit until I had to step away.

Minutes later an anxious Russian co-worker begged me to go say something to them. He couldn't, he just couldn't. He was frozen. I was a woman and I needed to say something, he said gripping the bar.

What?? Well it appeared that the baby had peed in his high chair and there was a rather large puddle now pooling underneath it while they all continued happily dining. 

No problem, maybe she just doesn't see it so I tried to quietly let her know that her cutie pie had an accident. I felt bad having to tell them but I figured she wouldn't want to leave him sitting in it. 

Nope. 

She and her husband conversed for a sec, told me it was water from the beach and then kept on eating. It didn't matter that he was bone dry coming in. 

That cutie pie was left to sit in his pee for about an hour. It was so ridiculous, that I had to just laugh and kept on laughing every time I saw that puddle. It got so bad I had to go back to the kitchen for a bit. And especially when another co-worker finally wheeled out the mop asking me "Do you think she'll mind??"

It did end the ugly American week in a good way.


I had the oddest sensation a little while ago. Something I haven't felt since I worked in a cubicle. See there's a bit of a fight going on about dredging the channel for bigger cruise ships. 

Its kinda a double edged sword, they bring in lots of steady groups of people but the people are like our summer time peeps year round. They spend little, clog up resources and jet out. 

Some businesses benefit but usually only ones with cruise contracts. A lot of people think it stimulates the local economy but others think its the wrong way to stimulate it. Its a piece of the pie and can't we all get along is the general mentality for cruisers.

Well they want to dredge the channel to bring in BIGGER ships. Most people don't really like the ones coming in already. I don't mind them too much but definitely don't want bigger ones. Especially when it harms our ecosystem, which it will.

Something I got really annoyed with today when I saw a hoard of cruise shippers at Ross. I don't know if it was getting almost run over with a cart by one of them or the fact that they actually cabbed out to new town and Ross that set it all off.

They were scooping up loads of cheap crappy merchandise to take back to the ship. So there is the answer to your argument about cruise ships helping the local economy and no I don't think Ross needs more help.

I made a comment on a community forum about a new port stop at Ross today and how I'd rather see fish and healthy coral than bigger ships and buffets. 

Well, wouldn't you know I just got a text from my paddle boarding gig and would I do a huge favor and do a tour for guest services of a large cruise ship company? The company is up for a big paddle boarding contract and think I'd be the best person to give the tour. Crap.

Seriously? The one day I decide to make a political comment on Facebook. Good god. 

So I had a crisis of conscience. Yes, for a paddle board tour.

I haven't had this with work since the early 2000's when I started to realize that my former advertising profession basically consisted of marketing crap to people that wasn't good for them. Or that they didn't need. And I started to feel like hell about it.

How can I do the tour given my stance on some of these cruise shippers today is what I'm thinking as I text my manager telling her I'd be glad to help them out.

Number one: I love the company I work for. They are a great group of people and would do anything for them since I have gotten so much working with them. I snuck in the company somehow years ago and it has taught me alot about people, myself and the ocean.

Number two: the more people we educate about the environment maybe those people will start to value it and make choices with it in mind. At least, I hope. 

It always makes me happy when someone lights up after a tour and wants to get back on the water immediately.

I still don't believe we should bring in bigger ships and I'd like to see the cruise ship industry get more eco friendly, especially given all the places they go.

A Key West dilemma for sure.

Cruise shippers start your paddle boarding engines. And please... stop shopping at Ross.