News From Guam

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 19 Dec 03 - 07:50 AM

Aw I dunno, Freda. I'm a great believer in lavender! I sprayed the cupboards with lavender and water in a spray bottle when I first moved into East Ryde, and in the three years I was there, I never needed to use anything else on the cockies. I've seen the odd large one here but I think they are isolated ones that have flown in from outside.

Speaking of spray bottles...............

Note to self on survival gear for Woodford

1. gumboots
2. spray bottles of water or rosewater or whatever (to keep cool)
3. Good hat
4. blockout
4. "Rid" for the mozzies
5. little mattock for digging trences around the tent when it rains
6. rain poncho
7. lots of cool clothes

etc, etc, etc.

Oh this is going to be such FUN!!!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 19 Dec 03 - 07:15 AM

..ants in the pickup. I have a great cure for ants, cockroaches & other crawling things .

I have put lavender oils ( the cheap stuff from the chemist or supermarket, not any expensive stuff) over my front & back steps, and rubbed it into most shelves of my kitchen.

Brett, you've seen my place and all the others that are part of it here. We have been here for 8 years now, & my place is the only completely cockroach free one. All the others spray toxic chemicals. But most insects (including mossies) don't like the smell of lavendar oil, & just go somewhere else. The other advantage is that it is a relaxant and is also good on wounds (they used it on the soldiers in the trenches in france).

fred

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 19 Dec 03 - 06:40 AM

ya wouldn't catch me in a sub-tropical climate in the west season. It's also cyclone season (Nov-March) - hurricanes they call 'em in the northern hemisphere! No wonder it gets wet. Don't forget your gumboots, Jenny. Sydney will be much more pleasant & I will be sitting here with my electric fan moving cool air around.

cool sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 18 Dec 03 - 09:43 PM

Quick, send us some snowballs, Charlie! The hot weather we should have had while you were here, has now arrived, and then some! Currently, according to my favourite weather website, it is 36c (or 97f).

And to make matters worse, on Monday we are going to Woodford Folk Festival in sunny Queensland, where it is always outrageously hot and humid, and quite often rainy and muddy too. The Roaring Forties are playing there, and we're also involved in the running of singing sessions in the singing shed. Should be fun, anyway.

Come to think of it, the snowballs wouldn't stand a "snowball's chance in hell" here :-)

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 18 Dec 03 - 09:05 PM

Brett-

We're preparing you a care package. Did you pick up a copy of Port Douglas by Peter Lik, with lots of beautiful photographs of the area? We apparently picked up a copy the first time we were out there and now we have two! You're welcome to it if you're interested. We'll also enclose a snowball...

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 18 Dec 03 - 02:01 AM

I like Guam. It has a nice small town feel. The people are very friendly and the weather can't be beat. The only ice I see around here is in a tall glass of iced tea.

It has its drawbacks but any place does. I am tired of my encounters with Guam's criminal class. My pickup has ants in it. And there is little folk music to be found here, only one band plays it and they work in a very expensive restaurant.

And I miss my kids. And my friends. And a few other points about Maine.

But I am enjoying myself overall and I am glad I made the move.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 17 Dec 03 - 09:36 PM

Naemanson, do you remember not so long ago when you were wondering if you actually wanted to go to Guam? How do you feel about it now?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 17 Dec 03 - 05:50 PM

Barbara, it's funny you bring up Wiccan and spells. I have come to the understanding that the military is made up of mostly very conservative, Christian, staid, straightlaced people. So imagine my surprise when saw a whole row of books on spells and Wiccan philosophy in the base bookstore the other day. I have had to reorganize my little mental picture. There is obviously enough of a demand to get those books on the shelf. I was impressed.

As to the contract, my job will be team leader. There are plenty of people who will be doing the grunt work. They are good people and will make the job a lot easier to take. For perspective currently there are TWO team leaders doing that job. I shudder to think what will happen when they settle that cloak of responsibility on my shoulders.

Charley, I have some bad news for you. What we do for music would not be considered entertainment by the modern TV generation kids who make up the military. They would think it a waste of time and money. So it is unlikely we will be flying Roll & Go in for a winter concert series on the island. That's even if I had the power and money to make it happen.

When you mention snow removal I am reminded of something one of our Mudcat brethren or sistren said about house cleaning. It was something to the effect of; why bother, it only silts up again. Of course I know why you bother. You need to make room for more snow. And more and more and more. Charley, you are only half way through December and you already have a lot of snow. What are you going to do with the storms of January and February, not to mention March? I remember last winter when we were running out of room in the dooryard.

As for the "shite" threads, I generally ignore all those opinion threads. I don't care to read other people's opinions of stuff. I make my own opinion and keep it to myself unless asked. If someone has something negative to say I generally turn off anyway. It comes from being married for 17 years to someone with her own perpetual black raincloud, a glass-is-half-empty-and-could-spring-a-leak-any-moment kind of person. I've heard enough negativity to last me a lifetime.

Cairns is only four hours away but Sydney is a lot farther off. Still, I'll keep the festivals in mind. We'll see how the money and leave situation looks when we get closer to the date. I am planning to take a week off in March. I have to go to San Diego for a two week class and may take an extra week to fly home and surprise my parents. "Oh I was in this hemisphere and thought I'd drop in."

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Dec 03 - 02:07 PM

Brett, perhaps it will improve your outlook and understanding of your new job responsibility if you know that BOS also stands for Book of Spells, every Wiccan's basic operating manual. Perhaps you could slip a few in and no one would be the wiser, like perhaps a spell for cleanliness and order? Or appreciation?
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 Dec 03 - 09:38 AM

Brett-

You may want to check out Mudcat thread "are folk clubs shite?" which has some ungracious references to the folk club coordinators we recently met in Sydney.

So does your new responsibility as BOSC Team Leader mean that you can now fly in all your musical friends for entertaining the Base staff, general music parties, sailing, BBQ's, snorkeling, and beachcombing? Unlikely, I'm sure, but I just thought I'd ask...

Cheerily,
Charley Noble, preparing to "tidy up' the remainingg snow in the driveway before it forms its winter ice pack, not to be thawed out until June.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 17 Dec 03 - 06:58 AM

Brett - I like that tradition!

Big job & so much money! I assume you work with others & they can do some of it?

And don't forget Cairns is only hours away, keep an eye on the Festivals link, you might need some musical weekends. Any chance of coming over for the National at Easter? Its our biggest Festival, & held in Canberra where the days are usually warm & the nights can get frosty.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 Dec 03 - 06:30 PM

Now it gets scary! I just heard yesterday that I have been tapped to be the team leader for the BOS contract.

The Base Operating Support Contract (BOSC) provides all the required services that keep the base operating. This include maintenance of facilities and provision of utilities. All the little things that makes a big facility like a military base work is handled through the BOSC from trash disposal to line handlers for ships, maintenance and disposition of housing units to psychological counseling for sailors and their families. It's all bound up in one contract and now I have to run it with a team of experts. It's worth about $68,000,000 a year. As I say, scary.

Before you congratulate me you should know two things. One, there is no promotion, no more money and no additional perks. Two, I was not the first choice. The first choice refused the job.

But it will be mine and I will need to set things up to handle the new workload. I only hope I'm up to it.

On the plus side, Return Of The King opened here last night at 12:01 AM. If I had wanted to stay up for it I could have been among the first Americans to see it. As it is I may take the afternoon off to go see it. I will still be seeing it before my daughters and my nephew and that's good enough for me. So here's a raspberry at Tenjiro.

And, in the ancient tradition of our family here is a Christmas message to both of my daughters: Nyaah, Nyaah, Nyaah, Nyaah, Nyaah, Nyaah! I know something you don't know!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 Dec 03 - 02:01 AM

I called my parents this morning. They told me they expect 20" to 30" out of this storm. I couldn't keep from giggling while we talked.

Today is Dad's birthday. He's 76. And he'll spend part of it out in the truck, if he can get it started, plowing snow. It's a pain when you get this much snow this early in the year. If it keeps snowing you run out of places to put it. The dooryard just keeps getting smaller and smaller.

I don't have any checks because of the earlier thefts I experienced. I have no check card. So I am on a strict cash economy. If I want to pay my bills I have to find another source of checks, I'll have to use cashier's checks or something. I had to go up to Tamuning to pay for a delivery of LP gas and pay my rent. Tomorrow I'll get out to pay the other local bills.

I hope my new checks come in soon. And I hope no one steals them.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 Dec 03 - 11:53 AM

Brett-

Yes, we've gotten another foot of beautiful snow, thought you'd like to know.

The black opal we delivered to Sinsull? Judy actually bought it. It was for an engagment that fell through and was on deep discount. We even passed along the original card! We will convey the very modest price by PM. Not to worry.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 15 Dec 03 - 04:11 AM

Hi Charley (and Judy!)

some of us here in Sydney are keen for those pictures too (even if we only got in on the tail end of the trip!)...

Fred from Erskineville

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 14 Dec 03 - 10:32 PM

Hmmm, Charley, what did we actually give her? Is this like that episode of MASH where Frank bought real pearls for his wife and fakes for Hotlips? Where Hotlips made such a big deal over the fakes being real that Frank swapped them and she got the real ones? What is Mary trying to pull?

Conversely, what do I owe you for my share of the opal?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 14 Dec 03 - 08:10 PM

It's snowing, Brett. The snow that was supposed to start at midnight is snowing down.
Thank you for my black opal. I am so much more pleased with it than I would have been with a piece of asphalt. And now you don't have to dread the wrath of Mary.
Stay free, Brett. Sing, Sail, Carve canoes. Do whatever you have to do but stay free.
SINS.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 14 Dec 03 - 07:04 PM

After I left Manny went up to look at the log. He is concerned about an internal crack between the rings that may make it unusable for a larger canoe. We will be cutting a few feet off to see how far the crack goes. If we are lucky we'll have enough left to make a one man canoe and plenty of wood to make models.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 14 Dec 03 - 01:34 PM

Cheers. man!! I second the toast -- to beyond the )(&^ bubble!!! LOL

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 14 Dec 03 - 11:53 AM

Brett, here's to "beyond the bubble!"

We're getting close to sending a set of digital images from our Oz Foray to be posted on Mudcat. You are prominately featured in several!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 14 Dec 03 - 04:33 AM

Oh! I forgot to mention something. My friend Anthony was shopping for a ukelele. Now, I have always had the idea that the uke was little more than a toy. I remember Tiny Tim strumming his and I've know one or two people who play them as little more than for comic effect.

Well, Anthony bought his new uke. He paid $225 for a used uke with a plastic back. Man! Does it sound nice! I have had to rewrite some of my head software on instruments since I took up folk music but this is a major rewrite. He was playing it and I picked out a few notes on it. It has such a sweet happy sound. he told me of some guys who flat pick their ukes, other have different fingerpicking styles and others strum with a variety of styles. I guess I have some learning to do.

Anthony's goal is to be good enough to be able to justify buying a uke for $1,000! I wonder what the equivalent is in guitar dollars?

Amos, you'd be interested to note that I went to a "Holiday Drop-In" today. That is a military thing. You open your house for co-workers to drop in for some food and conversation and to share in the spirit of the season. It is as informal as they can get. So there we were, a bunch of people, the women sitting together talking woman things (babies, clothes, jewelry, etc.) and the guys sitting together talking shop and me in the middle bored out of my mind. But that is life inside the bubble.

All I could think is that these people needed to get out of the bubble and get a life. Don't get me wrong. They are, each and every one of them, good people. But they are in a corporate mind set that keeps them in a single track. They cannot break free and go out on their own. They cannnot rebel beyond a certain set of criteria. And they expect the white civilian employees to join in the game! Not me, buddy!

I am happy with my lot in life. I can go out with my Chamorro friends and harvest fallen trees and learn to carve with an adze and eat BBQ and drink cheap beer and tell dirty jokes and generally enjoy life. Next July, when I go to FesPac I will have an in with the festival because I will be there in connection with one of the island representative organizations. One of the guys owns a cruising sailboat and has suggested we take her out on a cruise with Manny as our navigator to teach us about the stars and how he gets around on the water. That will be a fun trip.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 13 Dec 03 - 09:35 PM

All I can say, man, is you are having a helluva a lot more fun than the average Guvvy!! :>)

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 13 Dec 03 - 08:04 PM

Well, that was a productive day. I joined the Seafarers at 10:00 Saturday morning. After an organizational meeting we split into two groups. One bunch stayed to work on the canoe and the rest of us headed up to Pagat to look at a breadfruit log that had been blown down in Typhoon Pongsana last year. I expected it to be in the jungle.

We needed to determine if the wood was still good. A year on its side made it likely to be full of termites or other wood destroying pests or rot. We need a large log to build another canoe. I'd heard this one was large enough.

I have to describe my mental picture of what I expected. I figured we'd park off the road and trek in through the woods to the site. There we'd see a tree resting on its side and ready to be cut up. Nothing could be further from the reality of the situation.

To start with the tree was unidentifiable. It rested in a pile of culch, rocks, dirt, and other stuff piled haphazardly at one edge of an agricultural field. Vegetation had overgrown the whole thing. What we saw when we arrived was a ridge of vegetation at least 150 feet long and between 4 and 8 feet high. Somewhere in there was our log.

We started with climbing carefully into the vegetation and feeling for the thing with sweeping chops of a machete blade. Then Gordon climbed up on top and started to clear off the vegetation. He and his son finally figured out where the main trunk ended and they cut it off there with the chain saw. Then they worked back to the root ball.

The bark was a thin fragile skin with composted material under it. It was full of worms, beetles, centipedes and other tiny wildlife. At one point Gordon lifted off a piece of bark and found a worm ball, a seething mass of earthworms all wrapped up in a tangle of writhing bodies. We cleared a lot of it off and then started in on the buttresses that make up the bottom of the tree.

Unlike most trees in my experience this one grows wedges of trunk like buttresses to support the main body. These are narrow and we had to cut them away so we could saw through the trunk just above the root ball. It was awkward cutting. I could see that from where I stood, hands in pockets, doing my part as supervisor. I know, it's a dirty job but someone has to do it.

Once we had it cut through we attached a rope I'd brought to a protruding branch and tried to roll it out of there. With seven men hauling in time to a regular chant of "Pull!, Pull!, Pull!" we managed to make it move just the tiniest bit. It was time for some heavy duty action.

The farmer brought over his little tractor. We tied on to it and he took a strain. Now, the rope was a good piece of 5/8 inch braided nylon. Good solid stuff. I bought it a year or two ago figuring I could use it with Roll & Go to demonstrate pulling to a chanty but I never worked out how to do it. Now it was seeing some real work.

The tractor pulled the log over on its side and raised another big branch into the air. We tied on to that one and cut off the first one. The tractor took the strain and once more pulled the log over on its side. And that was as far as that log was going to move. We tried different angles but it was no go. The tractor just dug itself into the red clay.

We gave up on moving the log any further and were engaged in cutting out some smaller pieces from the big branches in the pile when a friend of Frank's showed up in his big 6 wheel Chevy 2500 pickup truck. He hooked on to that log and yanked it out of the pile and out into level ground like there was nothing there.

And there we were. We now have a log about 25 feet long, all solid wood. It isn't large enough to build an ocean canoe but we can build a small canoe from it. Everyone is excited.

And now I am home, sunburned and tired. It has been a good day. When I got home I was dirty, sweaty, sore, and ready for a shower. Now I am clean and feeling good about the day.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Dec 03 - 09:57 PM

So, when do we get to see some of those images?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 11 Dec 03 - 08:03 PM

Well. if the breadfruit log doesn't work as a canoe, you can always use it as a Yule log.

It's raining here today in Maine. Goodby snow, hello hockey rink!

Judy is busy editing her digital images of us at the Loaded Dog as I post this.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Dec 03 - 07:06 PM

Well, there is no snow here and none in the forecast. The problem with that is the difficulty in finding some Christmas spirit. I went over to NEX II the other day to visit the dive shop. As I walked through the parking lot I caught the lovely scent of pine and spruce on the breeze. I was downwind from the lot where they sell the real trees. I stood there a moment bathed in the sweetness of a northern forest, remembering the feel of pine needles underfoot and the brush of boughs as I walked between the trees. It was a homesick moment.

I have not finished my Christmas shopping yet. My gifts will be very late, I'm afraid. I could make up all kinds of excuses but that won't get the boxes home any earlier.

Tomorrow the Traditional Seafarers are going into the woods near Pagat to check on a breadfruit log that may be big enough to allow us to build another canoe. It's been lying on the ground for some time now and may be infested with termites but we need to go check. We'll saw off the ends and see what it looks like.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,bbc at work
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 12:07 PM

Brett,

I just got about a foot of snow & it was Sat. & Sun.--easy to clean up & no place I had to be. That's the way do do snow, as far as I'm concerned!

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 12:34 AM

Well, Sins, the neighbors have the market on mean dogs. And I'd hate to use a post office box but I will if I have to.

Barbara, did you get clobbered down where you are? Did you mean you got 16" to 24"?

We have rain showers sweeping in over us today. The sky will be bright, then get dimmer. I look up to see the mountains fading behind a curtain of gray. And then the rain pours down hard for a few minutes, moves on and the sun comes out.

This morning, coming down off the mountain, I noticed that the horizon was gone. The gray sea ran on to find the gray sky and there was no distinguishing the difference. I remember seeing something similar on a clear morning. The colors then were blue and no apparent horizon. And floating out there, either in the sea or in the sky, was a ship with a red hull and pale yellow superstucture. The colors were vivid.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 12:14 PM

Yup, Brett, the weather is headed up to my sister in Maine--16-24 inches, maybe. Perhaps you're better off w/ a little rain?

hugs,

barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 10:00 AM

I FEEL HAPPY! i FEEL HEALTHY! I FEEL TERRIFIC!!!!!
Sorry about that, Brett. Part of the training.

You guessed it. Up at crack of dawn, buffet breakfast, lunch break plus two 15 minute breaks, and endless studying. How is anyone suooosed to feel happy and healthy on four hours sleep in a room with a stranger?

I followed your Australian trek even though I didn't post much. I was there back in the 70s and thought the place heaven. Someday, I may go back. Right now I can't get past aching to see Portland Head Lighthouse and my own little spot of heaven.

Your theft problem is really upsetting. Just a thought - Nanny Cams can be hidden to pick up wide angles. At least you will be able to identify the thief. It would be a shame if you kept your neighbors at a distance only to discover they aren't involved.

Time for a PO Box, I think.Or a really mean dog.

More later.
SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 07:43 AM

Well, for all my talk of good weather and going to the beach I didn't go. Not too long after my last post the clouds moved in and the skiesopened up. It didn't rain all day but it was cloudy and threatening. sigh.

Sins, are you trapped in Chicago because of the snow or are you there for a while? You used the word "training" so I assume you are getting an all expenses paid tour of the mid range hotels in Chi-town.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 06 Dec 03 - 10:41 PM

Hey Brett! No 30'Christmas trees? No removing doors to get it into the house? No placing six blue ornaments on one branch?

Just a thought - is there a local organization to whom you can pay a fee for protection? You are off limits? You know, where Nunzio lets everyone know that you are off limits? Just a thought.

I am being held hostage in Chicago. Training.Home to Maine next Friday.

Wonder if lobsters ship well...
SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 06 Dec 03 - 07:31 PM

Charley, this time of year the only thing that might fall out of a coconut tree is Christmas lights.

Now let me get this straight. Australia and New England are having crummy weather?

The snow storm in the northeastern US is all over the news (National Public Radio). I listened to the reports and decided it was a good day to go to the beach. I spent most of yesterday shopping and now I have to find the last of the presents and some boxes big enough to carry them. Do you know how much room a grass skirt takes up?

Last night my neighbors (the ones I think have been robbing me) had a birthday party for their two year old daughter. They invited me. I was of two minds on that score. It is custom to invite neighbors to a fiesta. It is an insult to refuse to go. Yet I don't trust or like them. Sigh, this must be what it's like to be an adult. But I went along, leaving my wallet behind. I sat in the living room and talked to the old man, Mr. Cruz. It was interesting to see how he was treated. He was the patriarch of the family. Every newcomer went straight to him first and greeted him. Apparently he lives in Saipan now but was down to visit on the occasion of the birthday party. As I watched they placed the birthday girl in her high chair and set the whole cake on the tray before her. Then they took pictures while she scooped frosting into her mouth. Then they lit the candles and did the same thing! We sang Happy Birthday. They had a second verse that everyone else knew and sang along.

The Lord has blessed you,
The Lord has blessed you,
The Lord has blessed Mary,
Happy birthday to you.

Then they filled the pinata and took it outside for the kids to break. The house and dooryard were full of screaming excited children. It's been a while since I have been through that and I took my leave shortly thereafter.

I have also encountered another interesting facet of life on Guam. Do-it-yourself criminal investigation. The police department cannot enter the Navy base to interview credit union employees and gather evidence on my stolen check card so I have to do it myself. Tomorrow I'll go over to the bank and get them to run a detailed list of the purchases and the dates and times they were made. Fun!

All this talk of snow has made me cold... no, wait! I just have the air conditioning set too low. I guess I'll go off to the beach to warm up.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Dec 03 - 07:44 PM

Geeze, Brett-

You should have flown back to Maine with us. You'd really be in the Christmas spirit right now with the temperature below zero Centrigrade and the weather people screaming about the one to two feet of snow we're expected to get this weekend. But I digress...

Nice to be home with our own kitties and the pet mouse.

Hope Judy makes it back on Sunday from her organizational meeting in Oklahoma.

Hug a coconut tree for me, would you? And give it a good shake.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 05 Dec 03 - 09:08 AM

Sandra, the Telecrap had a very dramatic picture of yesterday's storm building up. First one I've bought in ages.

I'm more interested in what you said about the link crashing you out. Something very strange happened to my computer about the same time. I'll send you an email.

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 05 Dec 03 - 07:29 AM

JennyO - I was making rude comments about you reading the Daily Telecrap when the link crashed me out. Pleeeze stick to better papers in future.

Today we has lunch at Doyles on the Wharf - yummy food & good company but drizzle everywhere. We travelled there in the ferry & saw lots of drizzle & greyness. At least the ferry ride back was clearer & we could see some scenery. We had a window table & they all praised me as if I had arranged the table, all I did was make the booking. I watched a feeding cormorant, swallows flitting around, seagulls in their proper environment (they do not belong in the Cross or the CBD) & several pigeons out of theirs.

I am listening to my new & borrowed CDs - very pleasant (tho not as pleasant as a singing session).

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 05 Dec 03 - 04:26 AM

Hi Brett. It sounds like you are having lovely weather there at the moment. I thought the weather was starting to settle down here, but it seems we are at the mercy of a series of storm cells at the moment.

The cycle of hot days followed by thunderstorms is not unusual here at this time of the year - our summers are not hot and dry, but hot and humid - more of a monsoon season. What I am finding unusual, though, is the cold. There have been spectacular thunderstorms for the last two days, yesterday starting out sunny and hot, but today has been cold, raining, windy and miserable all day. I think it is definitely colder than the day of our BBQ.

Here's how the Daily Telegraph saw it:

click on 'view today's front page'

There was also this story and this explanation

Much as I dislike extreme heat and humidity, right now it's a little too cold for my liking.

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennieG
Date: 05 Dec 03 - 02:07 AM

Brett - we always have a sunny hot Christmas - doesn't everybody? Although today Sydney is cold, windy and rainy, just like the weather on the day of the BBQ and Jenny and John's place. Except today is colder and windier I reckon. And there was I walking home from the station in just a t-shirt and skirt, bare arms freezing, 15 minutes is a long walk sometimes!
Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Dec 03 - 09:27 PM

Well, the dry season has definitely arrived. The skies are clearer than a month ago. Those clouds that are up there are small puffy things that give definition to the blue bowl of the sky. Yesterday afternoon I realized why the hills looked funny. The humidity has dropped and I am seeing them clearly for the first time. The days are cooler and the nights are very pleasant.

I'm having a tough time getting into the holiday season. There is no climate trigger to get me thinking of Christmas. The scene outside my window is green and blue and lovely but it doesn't conjure up images of Santa and his reindeer. Some places have strung bright colored lights but lights in a palm tree just don't carry the same connotation.

But I do have to get out to the stores this weekend. I want to get some local crafts for my family. My little nieces will get grass skirts and the little coconut halter tops that go with them. I need to send T-shirts from the Traditional Seafarers Society to some family members as well as other bits and pieces. My college daughters want the universal present, money. And I need to look around for other things to box up and send home.

Merry Christmas/Happy Chanukka/Happy Kwanza/G'day

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 04 Dec 03 - 08:47 AM

bugger - & even more rude words if your bank holds you liable.

I was planning to ask you for your address cos I have a great chrissy card for you, but the card is not for them, so could you email me your work address. I've had a Post Office box for years (decade?) cos of potential burglars. They are welcome to take the occasional junk mail that comes to my street address!

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Dec 03 - 01:59 AM

I have once again fallen victim to the criminals on Guam. When my laptop was stolen I had to cancel my bank account and open a new one. Since then I've been waiting for my ShareChek Card and my new checks.

This morning before work I went into the website for my bank account to check on balances and start the process for paying my bills this payday. I noticed there were purchases over the last few days using my ShareChek Card, the one I never got.

Sigh. This morning I canceled the card and ordered a new one. This one will be mailed to my office. Apparently they took the card from my mailbox. I wonder what else they've been lifting. If only they'd take the bills and pay them...

I get to talk to the police again this evening. When I called this morning the cop on dispatch remembered me! This is getting old and I am finally getting beyond annoyed.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 Dec 03 - 08:16 PM

It's December in Guam. Christmas looms on the horizon. The decorations brighten the roadsides, little lights swaying in palm trees. Somehow I can't get it through my head that I have to go Christmas shopping. The weather is warm and sleepy and the landscape is green. There just is no sense of urgency even though the holiday is only 22 days away.

But this weekend I must get out to the Chamorro Village and maybe down to Gef Pago to find presnts for the family. This year my presents will be unique assuming I can decide who needs what.

When I got back to the office I had over 390 emails waiting for me. I have it trimmed to about 200 now and am still working my way through the system.

Ah well, back into the pit!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 01 Dec 03 - 08:21 AM

I am indeed here. And still tired. Why is it we take vacations to relax and then return from them exhausted and needing to rest?

This may be the end of my travels for this year. I was supposed to go to headquarters next week (in Hawaii, for those who need to sympathize (sp?)) but that may have been canceled. I should find out tomorrow.

And I need to write up my excellant Australian adventure too. I may even buy a scanner so I can out some of my pictures up somewhere. I have one of Charley that he offered me money NOT to share. How much ya got there, Charley?

Today I got a copy of Alison Freeman's new album, Chanteyman. It made me laugh with pleasure to see it. Then listening to her pure voice and those old songs we all shared got to me. I had to pull off the road to let the tears come. This wasn't homesickness, I think. But I did have something that needed to come out and her CD triggered it.

By the way, she's done a lovely job on the CD and I recommend those of you in New England to go out and buy a copy.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 01 Dec 03 - 03:57 AM

Brett has returned safely to Guam.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 01 Dec 03 - 12:53 AM

Refresh?

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Jeri
Date: 26 Nov 03 - 06:23 PM

Just wait until you see your "in bin" - you'll get back into working mode! Hope your desk hasn't collapsed under the weight.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 26 Nov 03 - 05:38 PM

My vacation is winding down. Only two more nights and then I head for Guam. I don't know how I will manage to get back into the working mode. Sigh, now I know why I wanted to be independently wealthy.

Once I get home I will post my adventures in Australia. After all, by then it WILL be "News From Guam".

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 21 Nov 03 - 02:29 PM

Freshen up.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 Nov 03 - 08:49 PM

LOL!

Maybe I'm not as rested as I thought. I THOUGHT I was posting to the Oz Foray thread!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 Nov 03 - 08:47 PM

By now Charley and Judy are on the bus headed for Cairns Airport and Sydney. I head out in another hour and a half.

Port Douglas has been a wonderful experience for someone who has never really had a vacation before. It wasn't until I read Bill Bryson's book that I realized why people vacation. It isn't necessarily supposed to be time you take to visit family or build a new stable or workshop. Apparently it's OK just to go somewhere to enjoy yourself and see places you've never seen before.

I got my pictures developed yesterday and washed my laundry. I'll be arriving in Sydney with clean clothes and fairly rested. I figure I'll provide a detailed report on this vacation on the NEws From Guam thread.

As for the Sydney folk, I'll see a bunch of you this evening at the Harp!