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take the necessary precautions!
&nb sp; NEW DISEASE
&nb sp; The Center for Disease Control has issued a
medical alert about a highly contagious, potentially dangerous virus
that is transmitted orally, by hand, and even electronically.
&nb sp; This virus is called Weary Overload Recreational
Killer (WORK). If you receive WORK from your boss, any of your
colleagues, or anyone else via any means whatsoever - DO NOT TOUCH IT.
This virus will wipe out your private life completely.
&nb sp; If you should come into contact with WORK you
should immediately leave the premises. Take two good friends to the
nearest grocery store and purchase one or both of the antidotes - Work
Isolating Neutralizer Extract (WINE) and Bothersome Employer Elimination
Rebooter (BEER). Take the antidote repeatedly until WORK has been
completely eliminated from your system.
&nb sp; You should immediately forward this medical
alert to five friends. If you do not have five friends, you have already
been infected and WORK is controlling your life.
Ok everyone, it's time for the last of my blogs on our recent trip to Utila. Once again, a huge THANKS to DiveArea for a fantastic opportunity. We had a great time. Read on:
The weather finally decided to settle into something more conducive to a tropical vacation by Sunday. We went out on “Old Tom” for some more diving. The surface temperature for our dives was 80 degrees, pretty reasonable. The viz however, remained less than ideal. There was still quite a lot to see though. We dove along a shallow wall that gave way to sand channels here and there. We came across several puffers of various sizes, some rays and a wreck of an old sailboat. The moderate surge motion was an enjoyable ride.
For the afternoon dive I chose to remain topside and enjoy some of the sunshine that had finally arrived while my husband ventured below once again. We finished the day with the completion of TWD’s Gas Blender course.
Monday began with questionable weather once again. We decided to forgo the morning dives. My husband’s computer was advising “no fly” for 22 hours and mine for 12. Instead, we walked down to the dive center and packed up all of our gear to bring back to the hotel. The sun decided to come out and it warmed enough to warrant some sunbathing.
At the end of the dock there is a two story deck with a marvelous view of the harbor and beyond. We sat above enjoying the air and observed an open water class below. Ah, the good ole days…remember the swim test? Fun and somewhat grueling at the same time. They were swimming laps between two docks and were enjoying every minute. I did mine in a pool…tedious. Oh well.
Since the afternoon was sunny and warm and we could not dive, we asked if we could bum a boat ride and enjoy some snorkeling. The hospitality at UDC is superior and we boarded Old Tom one last time. The snorkeling was wonderful and the visibility had finally cleared. I found that highly ironic as we were leaving in the morning. We practiced our freediving and wandered on the surface with the sun on our backs. We were treated to a group of lively blue tangs, several grouper and a flounder that tried to quickly scoot over the rocky outcropping without being noticed.
We enjoyed our trip to Utila. It is a beautiful place with sincere authenticity. It lacks the bustle of the more mainstream vacation spots. The people are friendly and hospitable and the diving is fabulous. Utila Dive Center is a quality dive center with a professional, multinational staff. It is clearly the predominant choice for learning to dive on Utila. The Mango Inn is equally as impressive for the easy going dive traveler. Again, we wished the weather had been better for our visit. The fact that it wasn’t only means that we will have to go back again!!! TWD is already thinking about more Tec classes…
PL 
Hi All! I'm back again, sorry it's been a few days, things get busy around here sometimes! Anyway, for those of you that have been anxious to read more, well here you go...
So after a day of diving nothing beats some good food and relaxation. After stowing our gear for the evening we wandered slowly through town and made our way back to the Mango Inn. Dinner at the Mango Café begins at 6 PM. After perusing the menu we decided on the special: spicy shrimp pizza. The Mango Café boasts a beautiful domed brick oven that sits beside the main kitchen area. The entire café is open air under a ramada. We sat and watched as the pizza dough was kneaded and rolled. The finished product was wonderful.
The majority of our dining on Utila was at the Mango Café. It was a convenient stop in the morning for breakfast and coffee. We enjoyed the yogurt (made locally), granola and fruit, which came in a huge bowl with fresh pineapple, banana and assorted melon. For dinner, we enjoyed a variety such as a traditional hamburger, amazing chili, shrimp pasta with vegetables and my personal favorite, the most distinctive nachos I have ever enjoyed! All are served in ample portions and there is a reasonable selection of soft drinks, beers and cocktails.
We had absolutely no complaints with our dining experience at the Mango – my history of usually losing weight on vacation was busted!
Our diving the next day (Saturday) was cancelled due to unfavorable weather conditions. We decided to take the morning for some souvenir shopping before TWD began his Gas Blender course. We inquired and were directed to Bay Island Originals where we were able to stock up on all we needed to let our loved ones know we were thinking of them; t-shirts, hats, cigars, key chains and the like. We then walked down to the local private beach – Bando Beach. Bando Beach is located on the east end of the harbor and boasts a large cabana with refreshments. The beach itself lies just beyond the reef and is a good point to get in the water for snorkeling. We enjoyed a windy walk on the beach and shell hunting. We even found one shell still attached to its owner – I dubbed him Mr. Crabs!
Well, one more blog to go! Stay tuned for more!
PL
Hi all, Pirates Lady here. Installment 3 of 5 about our recent adventure to Utila is below. I hope you like it!
When we first climbed the stairs to the large covered porch we first noticed the huge whiteboard. The whiteboard virtually covers an entire wall. On the whiteboard are the boat schedules for an entire week. Passengers are listed and coordinated with Divemasters and/or Instructors depending on the purpose of the dives. We stepped into the shop and introduced ourselves. They had been expecting us. Past the desk and out the back door brought us to the top of stairs that lead to the remainder of the facilities, the dock and the boats.
Utila Dive Center is an impressive operation with a lot of island appeal. The entire facility is covered in wooden decking, even the shop boasts very nice wood floors. Descending the stairs places you between two covered social areas, one containing a modest concession bar with sitting area and the other a large coffee table and seating to relax, study or chat. The concession stand serves the usual prepackaged odds and ends, soda, bottled water and the like. Around mid-day the ladies begin cooking or baking. We were treated to the most amazing “cookies” one afternoon; sweet, minced pineapple essentially baked in a pocket. An absolute treat! Another afternoon the menu offered chili-cheese fries, with homemade chili of course!
Beyond the social area we were showed the secure storage area where we could stow our gear. Each wall contains hanging racks, hangers and shelving above for bags when not in use. The storage area is roomy and convenient and is securely locked each evening.
Across from the storage area is the fill station. The fill capabilities at UDC are impressive. The center boasts 2 compressors, one for air and the other for nitrox and tri-mix. They can fill 4 tanks simultaneously and make efficient work of it when the boats come back in.
To the rear and underneath the shop is the rental gear. Wow…the selection is unbelievable. There is ample gear available to meet virtually any diver’s needs. It is neatly organized and the staff is ready to assure that you have everything you need. For myself (I chill very easily-even in 80 degree water), I had concerns that the 3 mm shorty I brought may not be enough. My husband prefers no wetsuit, I get cold thinking about it! Anyway, I expressed my concern to our DM and she stated that they would bring along an extra suit for me just in case, no trouble at all. It’s a good thing we brought that 3 mm john and jacket because it definitely made me more comfortable.
On to the dive site! Now, you will remember that the weather had been somewhat uncooperative on our arrival. Well it really hadn’t gotten much better. Rain is usually no big deal to divers, it doesn’t rain beneath the surface. Unfortunately, the wind and subsequent surge don’t play nice with the visibility. Quite frankly, we really didn’t care, we left the coldest day of the year thus far and were as close to the equator as we’d ever been…the somewhat limited (50 ft) was disappointing, yes, but hardly going to ruin the trip! To be honest, it was better than we'd seen in a year!
Our first dive kept us on the south side of the island. The dive sites we visited were mazes of coral, walls and sand channels. The geography of the diving is exciting, supporting a variety of coral, sponges and fish life. Even the navigationally challenged would do well diving Utila, the walls and rock outcroppings are easy to follow.
The fish were, of course, beautiful. We frequently spied queen angels, French angels, butterfly fish and parrotfish. There were also yellowtail snappers and a variety of groupers. A few of us were lucky enough to pass a goliath grouper resting in a sand channel. Just after the battery on our camera gave out we came across a sea turtle gliding through the water. Not long after that we found another making a mid morning meal out of some coral. He (or she) was seemingly undisturbed by our presence.
Stay tuned for more...
Hi all, Pirates_Lady here! This is the second of five blogs about our recent trip to Utila, courtesy of DiveArea. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and hope that you enjoy reading about it.
At first glance the Mango Inn does not overwhelm one with its presence. I will admit that my first impression was not one of great excitement. We were pleasantly greeted at the front desk and sincerely welcomed. We were given our key and shown to our accommodations by Hector, a very amiable local man who sees to many duties at the Mango.
We passed through the red wooden gates and were immediately embraced by a glorious jungle garden. OK, maybe I am being a bit dramatic, but it was beautiful! Multitudes of various palm trees, hibiscus, and so many more that I could only guess at.
On to the accommodations! Let me first start by cautioning that we are what I would call a moderately adventurous couple. It really doesn’t take much for us to enjoy ourselves, especially when there is diving involved. So if your idea of a great vacation in an all inclusive luxury resort with a huge whirlpool spa and room service, then this may not be for you. However, if your ideal dive vacation accommodation means that you have your own private bathroom, then this is the place for you!
Our Standard room contained one single and one double bed, a ¾ bath, tv and a small bureau. The linens were clean and the mattress comfortable. The shower had a great supply of hot water and ample pressure, that made my day! All in all, a good place for a tired diver to rest his (or her) head before the next dive.
After settling in we inquired at the front desk on how to get to Utila dive Center. It was a 10-15 minute walk we were told, so if we’d like to take our gear there (they had storage facilities for customers), Hector would take us in his truck. Good idea we thought, as we would not want to haul it back and forth. Within 10 minutes Hector met us in front of the office and we loaded our gear bags and ourselves into the back of his Toyota pickup (with wooden benches conveniently built in).
The ride through town was quick we were easily deposited in front of the Utila Dive Center.
Introductions at UDC to come in the next posting. On behalf of TWD and I, Happy Diving!!!
Hi all, greetings from Utila, Honduras!! We are finally settled and have completed 1 day of diving! With a Diet Coke in my hand and a beer in TWD's it's time to sit down and share some notes on the trip so far...
Getting here: what I would categorize as a minor adventure. We departed from Louisville at an early hour, I won’t say “bright and early” as the sun was nowhere near up at the time. We arrived in Houston with about 45 minutes to our next flight which would take us to San Pedro Sula. All went smoothly, flights on time, currency exchanged, luggage accounted for and through security. Our next two flights would be via a Honduran airline and would take us to La Ceiba on the coast and then to Utila.
Our flight was due to depart San Pedro Sula at 2:30 PM. By 3:00 we were beginning to wonder what might be going on. At this point no one from the small airline was available for inquiries. After several attempts we finally were relieved to see a familiar face – although not a smiling one. We were then herded through the gates and onto the tarmac toward a twin prop commuter that had clearly served its time. No worries, we have flown our share of what some would consider questionable aircrafts, not even the smell of Jet A fuel permeating throughout the cabin could reduce our excitement!
Finally, up and over the clouds we went and landed gently (the best of three so far) at La Ceiba. Here the rain was nearly torrential and the wind was howling. We were asked to deplane and wait in the lobby. After waiting nearly an hour we were ushered to the ticket counter where we were informed that our 15 minute to Utila was cancelled…in fact the airport was cancelling all flights and the ferry was cancelled as well. The airport closed at 10 so we would have to find accommodations.
After hooking up with 3 young ladies enroute to the same destination and the help of two gentlemen from Guatamala who spoke fluent English and Spanish we piled into a taxi and went into LaCeiba to some very reasonable accommodations at the Hotel Paris. After a nice dinner and several power outages we went to sleep prepared to rise at 0400 to meet our taxi back to the airport.
At 5 AM the airline personnel had not shown up yet and when they finally came in at 5:10 there was a long line awaiting them. No worries, at least it looked like we were going to get somewhere. We boarded the same aircraft we flew on the night before. Then we sat….for about an hour when we were then asked to go back to the lobby, the tower would not clear us. So we waited a while longer and they finally permitted us to board again. By this time we were all having a great time, yes it was disappointing to arrive later than expected, but fortunately this crowd was a go with the flow kind of crowd! We had music via Otto’s cell phone and joked about the leaks coming through the pilot’s windshield. When the props finally came to life we all cheered!
Our landing at Utila’s “airport” was less than stellar, but exciting nonetheless. It consists of a ramada and a runway. We then packed 11 people and luggage in a tiny taxi van to take us to our accommodations!!
The long journey was over and we checked in to the Mango Inn around 8:30 in the morning. As the boats had already gone out for the day we decided to explore the town and inquire about the Gas Blender course that TWD would be taking with Utila Dive Center.
More later on the diving and the accomodations, rest assured we are having a wonderful time! This is our kind of place!
Pirates Lady & Tradewinddiver
Dear Employees:
It has been brought to management's attention that some individuals
throughout the company have been using foul language during the course of
normal conversation with their co-workers.
Due to complaints received from some employees who may be easily offended,
this type of language will no longer be tolerated.
We do, however, realize the critical importance of being able to accurately
express your feelings when communicating with co-workers.
Therefore, a list of 18 New and Innovative 'TRY SAYING' phrases have been
provided so that proper exchange of ideas and in formation can continue in an
effective manner.
Number 1
TRY SAYING: I think you could use more training.
INSTEAD OF: You don't know what the f___ you're doing.
Number 2
TRY SAYING: She's an aggressive go-getter.
INSTEAD OF: She's a f___ing bit__.
Number 3
TRY SAYING: Perhaps I can work late.
INSTEAD OF: And when the f___ do you expect me to do this?
Number 4
TRY SAYING: I'm certain that isn't feasible.
INSTEAD OF: No f___ing way.
Number 5
TRY SAYING: Really?
INSTEAD OF: You've got to be sh___ing me!
Number 6
TRY SAYING: Perhaps you should check with...
INSTEAD OF: Tell someone who gives a sh__.
Number 7
TRY SAYING: I wasn't involved in the project.
INSTEAD OF: It's not my f___ing problem.
Number 8
TRY SAYING: That's interesting.
INSTEAD OF: What the f___?
Number 9
 TRY SAYING: I'm not sure this can be implemented.
INSTEAD OF: This sh__ won't work.
Number 10
TRY SAYING: I'll try to schedule that.
INSTEAD OF: Why the f___ didn't you tell me sooner?
Number 11
TRY SAYING: He's not familiar with the issues.
INSTEAD OF: He's got his head up his a__.
Number 12
TRY SAYI NG: Excuse me, sir?
INSTEAD OF: Eat sh__ and die.
Number 13
TRY SAYING: So you weren't happy with it?
INSTEAD OF: Kiss my a__.
Number 14
TRY SAYING: I'm a bit overloaded at the moment.
INSTEAD OF: F__ it, I'm on salary.
Number 15
TRY SAYING: I don't think you understand.
INSTEAD OF: Shove it up your a__.
Number 16
TRY SAYING: I love a challenge.
INSTEAD OF: This f___ing job sucks.
Number 17
TRY SAYING: You want me to take care of that?
INSTEAD OF: Who the f___ died and made you boss?
Number 18
TRY SAYING: He's somewhat insensitive.
INSTEAD OF: He's a pr_ck.
Thank You,
Human Resources
  Being the family chef/ cook and backup dishwasher, I'm now in the process of doing baking. I've had several request over the past 3 years for my rum cookies, so I'd like to share the recipe with you
Should you care to make them for your familly, please read all instructions carefully so you don't miss any of the steps in baking them
Bon Appetit
Rum Holiday Cookies
1 cup of water
1 tsp of baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp of salt
1 cup of brown sugar
1 Tbsp of lemon juice
4 large eggs
1 cup of nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 Bottle of Rum
Step One
Sample the Rum in a large glass to check the quality
Take a large bowl, & check the Rum again, to be sure it's of the highest quality. Pour one level cup & drink
Turn onthe electric mixer, Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again
Step Two
 At this point, it's best to make sure the Rum is still OK, so try another cup
Turn off the mixer thingy
Break 2 leggs & add to the bowl & chuck in the cup of dried fruit
Pick the frigging fruit & damn cup off the floor
Mix on the turner, If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers, just pry it loose with a drewscriver
Step Tree
Sample the Rum to check for tonsisticity
Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Check the Rum
Now sift the lemon juice & strain your nuts.
Add one table
Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.
Greash the oven
Turn the cake tin 360 degrees & try not to fall over. don't forget to beat off the turner.
Put the bowl through the window, finish off the booze & make  sure to put the dirty stove in the dishwasher
CHERRY FRIGGIN HAULINDAZE AND MISTMAS TO ALL!
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