Happy Birthday to me!
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Ignorance is ... bliss?
Just found this article on the web -- I'm glad we had no idea what was going on! There was one TV which worked intermittently, and we watched CNN a couple of times in the evening. That was the extent of our news. The resort manager was monitoring reports on the Internet, so we weren't completely blind!
Hurricane Wilma rains lash Honduras Caribbean coast
18 Oct 2005 19:49:59 GMTSource: Reuters
By Gustavo Palencia
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Hurricane Wilma dumped heavy rain along Honduras' Caribbean coast on Tuesday and emergency crews prepared the evacuation of 10,000 people, including tourists on idyllic scuba diving islands.
Wilma, expected to intensify into a major hurricane with winds of more than 110 mph (177 kph), hovered off Honduras' Caribbean coast and the government declared a maximum alert as the storm menaced the beautiful Bay Islands.
"Wilma is the biggest threat for Honduras in this hurricane season," said Jose Ramon Salinas, operations chief of the government's emergency relief agency.
The islands of Roatan, Utila and Guanaja -- diving resorts popular with U.S., Japanese and European tourists for their pristine coral reefs -- were among the most vulnerable areas, Salinas said.
Plans were in place to evacuate at least 10,000 people from low lying regions, including the Bay Islands and other northern coastal regions, Salinas said.
"We are sending food to areas that could become cut off and we are moving heavy machinery to repair roads in the event of flooding or landslides," Salinas said.
"Rains are likely to become heavier and people have to be on the alert, especially for flooding," said Luis Corea of the National Weather Service.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center forecast Wilma could deluge Honduras with up to 10 inches (15 cm) of rain, piling more misery and damage on Central America, which is still recovering from Hurricane Stan earlier this month.
More than 1,000 people in Guatemala and El Salvador were killed or disappeared in mudslides and floods triggered by rains from Hurricane Stan.
Wilma is the 21st tropical storm of the Atlantic season, tying the record for most storms. It was not expected to make landfall in Honduras or anywhere else in Central America but its proximity meant heavy rainfall was certain, raising fears of new landslides.
Forecasters bet Wilma would take a northwesterly path into the Gulf of Mexico between Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba in the next few days and then cross over southern Florida on Saturday.
Roatan's airport was shut down temporarily because of heavy overnight rain and poor visibility and the airport at La Ceiba on the Honduran mainland, which serves the Bay Islands, was also closed.
Alice Newman, an bookstore employee on Roatan, said Wilma lashed the island with wind and rain overnight but by midday Tuesday the diving paradise was enjoying a respite.
"Right now, we have clear skies and there's a soft breeze but we know that can change fast with these hurricanes so we are keeping close checks on the weather," Newman told Reuters by telephone.
Honduran President Ricardo Maduro cut short a visit to Spain and flew back to his country on Tuesday to oversee emergency plans.
Hurricane Wilma rains lash Honduras Caribbean coast
18 Oct 2005 19:49:59 GMTSource: Reuters
By Gustavo Palencia
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Hurricane Wilma dumped heavy rain along Honduras' Caribbean coast on Tuesday and emergency crews prepared the evacuation of 10,000 people, including tourists on idyllic scuba diving islands.
Wilma, expected to intensify into a major hurricane with winds of more than 110 mph (177 kph), hovered off Honduras' Caribbean coast and the government declared a maximum alert as the storm menaced the beautiful Bay Islands.
"Wilma is the biggest threat for Honduras in this hurricane season," said Jose Ramon Salinas, operations chief of the government's emergency relief agency.
The islands of Roatan, Utila and Guanaja -- diving resorts popular with U.S., Japanese and European tourists for their pristine coral reefs -- were among the most vulnerable areas, Salinas said.
Plans were in place to evacuate at least 10,000 people from low lying regions, including the Bay Islands and other northern coastal regions, Salinas said.
"We are sending food to areas that could become cut off and we are moving heavy machinery to repair roads in the event of flooding or landslides," Salinas said.
"Rains are likely to become heavier and people have to be on the alert, especially for flooding," said Luis Corea of the National Weather Service.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center forecast Wilma could deluge Honduras with up to 10 inches (15 cm) of rain, piling more misery and damage on Central America, which is still recovering from Hurricane Stan earlier this month.
More than 1,000 people in Guatemala and El Salvador were killed or disappeared in mudslides and floods triggered by rains from Hurricane Stan.
Wilma is the 21st tropical storm of the Atlantic season, tying the record for most storms. It was not expected to make landfall in Honduras or anywhere else in Central America but its proximity meant heavy rainfall was certain, raising fears of new landslides.
Forecasters bet Wilma would take a northwesterly path into the Gulf of Mexico between Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba in the next few days and then cross over southern Florida on Saturday.
Roatan's airport was shut down temporarily because of heavy overnight rain and poor visibility and the airport at La Ceiba on the Honduran mainland, which serves the Bay Islands, was also closed.
Alice Newman, an bookstore employee on Roatan, said Wilma lashed the island with wind and rain overnight but by midday Tuesday the diving paradise was enjoying a respite.
"Right now, we have clear skies and there's a soft breeze but we know that can change fast with these hurricanes so we are keeping close checks on the weather," Newman told Reuters by telephone.
Honduran President Ricardo Maduro cut short a visit to Spain and flew back to his country on Tuesday to oversee emergency plans.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Twelfth Night
Classic fun for Delta College's 'Twelfth Night' production
Dianne Runion
Special to The Record
Published Tuesday, Oct 18, 2005
In San Joaquin Delta College's production of Shakespeare's 1601 comedy "Twelfth Night," laughter bubbles, energy bounds and lovers ultimately unite in marriage.
Rarely is classic Elizabethan theater this much fun.
"Twelfth Night" succeeds largely thanks to the exotic locale, fast pacing, director Harvey Jordan's portrayal of the brawling Sir Toby Belch and set designer John White's proud and melancholy Malvolio.
The Elizabethans didn't even know about Polynesia, but they loved strange settings in general. This 19th-century placement works well for its music, flowers, color, Robert Sereno's sound design, White's multilevel set and the ready-made rationale for multiethnic student casting.
The complex plot washes up twins and shipwreck survivors Viola and Sebastian -- skilled actors Catherine R.J. Frye and Parker Cushing -- on different parts of an island. While not related, makeup, blond good looks and Beverly Norcross' costume design create the illusion of a strong resemblance between the actors.
Brian Peccia plays the handsome duke, nearly sick with love for Hawaiian noblewoman Olivia -- beautiful Chalia La Tour. He sends Viola as his page and envoy to woo her, but she falls in love with the disguised youth -- a girl in love with her boss, the duke.
John White's Malvolio is easily the most interesting character in the play. Wearing a morning coat and pinstripe trousers and carrying a black umbrella, he's as grave as a Victorian undertaker. Malvolio's pomposity makes Olivia's drunken relative Sir Toby, his richer sot of a sidekick Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Olivia's gentlewoman Maria hatch a plot to persuade the ambitious steward that his mistress Olivia is secretly in love with him.
Chris Hayhurst plays the remarkably agile Aguecheek, while the warmly natural Ciera Coyan is the witty Maria. In what Malvolio perceives as secret signals, he appears smiling foolishly in grass skirt, red long johns and a costume so wild Sir Toby and company dance around him in a Polynesian exorcism dance, shaking feathers and a shrunken head on a stick.
That and sword fights that progress from feint to faint saw opening night's high school students in the audience shouting, rooting for the romantic leads and sighing in sympathy for Malvolio's strangely moving ultimate comedown.
Joanna Bernazzani plays the fool. Her lovely mezzo voice opens and closes a show rich in song. One of the funniest is Sir Toby and company's fast rendition of the "Twelve Days of Christmas," the twelfth-night revels from which the play takes its name.
While great fun, Delta's "Twelfth Night" loses some of Shakespeare's lines. Diction, projection and low-level lighting on night scenes were also problematic without spoiling a young, well-acted, deliciously physical production crammed with eye and ear candy.
Dianne Runion
Special to The Record
Published Tuesday, Oct 18, 2005
In San Joaquin Delta College's production of Shakespeare's 1601 comedy "Twelfth Night," laughter bubbles, energy bounds and lovers ultimately unite in marriage.
Rarely is classic Elizabethan theater this much fun.
"Twelfth Night" succeeds largely thanks to the exotic locale, fast pacing, director Harvey Jordan's portrayal of the brawling Sir Toby Belch and set designer John White's proud and melancholy Malvolio.
The Elizabethans didn't even know about Polynesia, but they loved strange settings in general. This 19th-century placement works well for its music, flowers, color, Robert Sereno's sound design, White's multilevel set and the ready-made rationale for multiethnic student casting.
The complex plot washes up twins and shipwreck survivors Viola and Sebastian -- skilled actors Catherine R.J. Frye and Parker Cushing -- on different parts of an island. While not related, makeup, blond good looks and Beverly Norcross' costume design create the illusion of a strong resemblance between the actors.
Brian Peccia plays the handsome duke, nearly sick with love for Hawaiian noblewoman Olivia -- beautiful Chalia La Tour. He sends Viola as his page and envoy to woo her, but she falls in love with the disguised youth -- a girl in love with her boss, the duke.
John White's Malvolio is easily the most interesting character in the play. Wearing a morning coat and pinstripe trousers and carrying a black umbrella, he's as grave as a Victorian undertaker. Malvolio's pomposity makes Olivia's drunken relative Sir Toby, his richer sot of a sidekick Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Olivia's gentlewoman Maria hatch a plot to persuade the ambitious steward that his mistress Olivia is secretly in love with him.
Chris Hayhurst plays the remarkably agile Aguecheek, while the warmly natural Ciera Coyan is the witty Maria. In what Malvolio perceives as secret signals, he appears smiling foolishly in grass skirt, red long johns and a costume so wild Sir Toby and company dance around him in a Polynesian exorcism dance, shaking feathers and a shrunken head on a stick.
That and sword fights that progress from feint to faint saw opening night's high school students in the audience shouting, rooting for the romantic leads and sighing in sympathy for Malvolio's strangely moving ultimate comedown.
Joanna Bernazzani plays the fool. Her lovely mezzo voice opens and closes a show rich in song. One of the funniest is Sir Toby and company's fast rendition of the "Twelve Days of Christmas," the twelfth-night revels from which the play takes its name.
While great fun, Delta's "Twelfth Night" loses some of Shakespeare's lines. Diction, projection and low-level lighting on night scenes were also problematic without spoiling a young, well-acted, deliciously physical production crammed with eye and ear candy.
Copying Lizzie's blog...
| You Are Boot Cut Jeans |
 You're fashionable and sexy - in an understated way. You're more about looking good than following the latest look of the week. |
Monday, October 24, 2005
Back from the deep...
I'll post more next weekend -- hopefully I'll have my photos back by then. I spent most of my time on the Wreck of the Prince Albert (image) near CoCo View Resort where I earned my PADI Open Water Diver certification.
For those who wondered, we WERE affected by Hurricane Wilma. There was minimal damage at the resort, and all dives were cancelled Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday. I did dive in some pretty hairy weather on Tuesday afternoon, and the visibility was dreadful on Friday, but I managed to finish the course!
We visited the West End on our tour of Roatan on Friday and saw noticable damage. Apparently, the waves had completed crossed the beachfront road, and it was being regraded while we were there.
For those who wondered, we WERE affected by Hurricane Wilma. There was minimal damage at the resort, and all dives were cancelled Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday. I did dive in some pretty hairy weather on Tuesday afternoon, and the visibility was dreadful on Friday, but I managed to finish the course!
We visited the West End on our tour of Roatan on Friday and saw noticable damage. Apparently, the waves had completed crossed the beachfront road, and it was being regraded while we were there.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Images from Roatan 10/15-10/22
We flew via Continental on a jet that had lovely little "winglets."
Some reef ... somewhere. It seems we're too high for this to be Roatan...maybe the coast of mainland Honduras?
Our official CocoView water taxi!
And our welcome to CocoView's dock.
What a lovely day! This is the view from the back porch of our bungalow ("D").
Housekeeping was very attentive and creative!
Lotsa rain.
This guy was a bit crabby...
CocoView's clubhouse.
Dive boats and a stormy looking sky.
Another view of our bungalow.
Flowers of CocoView
Pancho the wonderdog
Unbelievable!
More rain.
Island Tour - Friday Afternoon
Iguana farm
Cute little baby iguanas
Iguana pile!
Is this my best side?
Definitely my best side.
Botanical Garden
Mickey was slower than your average mouse.
Yes, we have no bananas!
Which end's up?
Hurricane damage at West End
I was given a bottle of wine as congratulations for getting my Open Water certification. We drank it (of course!).
Fire Dancers - Friday Evening
Saturday, October 08, 2005
A new record low...
Today, I was honked at for stopping at a green light because an ambulance with full lights and sirens was oncoming. It's bad enough that turn signal use is at a record low -- now this! Grrrr.
I got my contact lens challenge straightened out. My "near" lens is now corrected for mid-vision, instead of close. I couldn't focus on a computer screen or read music the way it was before! I can cope with having to strain a bit to read fine print.
I went to Sears today and ordered bifocal glasses with blended lenses for $97 (thanks for pointing me in their direction, Jeannette!), and 12 sets of contact lenses. I now have some astigmatism in one eye, so that contact lens (toric?) costs about double what the other costs. If I use them as daily wear, each pair is good for two weeks. They can be worn continuously for one week, but I really don't care for that wood chip feeling one gets in the morning waking up with dry lenses.
I got my contact lens challenge straightened out. My "near" lens is now corrected for mid-vision, instead of close. I couldn't focus on a computer screen or read music the way it was before! I can cope with having to strain a bit to read fine print.
I went to Sears today and ordered bifocal glasses with blended lenses for $97 (thanks for pointing me in their direction, Jeannette!), and 12 sets of contact lenses. I now have some astigmatism in one eye, so that contact lens (toric?) costs about double what the other costs. If I use them as daily wear, each pair is good for two weeks. They can be worn continuously for one week, but I really don't care for that wood chip feeling one gets in the morning waking up with dry lenses.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Got our lycras!
We look almost exactly like this in our lycras, except mine has hot pink sleeves! These are to protect us from coral - especially fire coral. Sounds like a friendly little critter, doesn't it? I won't be diving too deep because I'm a brand-new beginner. Probably no more than 25-30 feet this trip. I'm planning to go to the Sunday matinee of Twelfth Night on October 23rd. Tell me quick if you're interested in going with me; if we get all our tickets at the same time, then we can sit together. I think I've told everybody enough times that Cat's playing Viola!
I'm also going to go to the Preview Night on October 13th, but the tickets aren't available at the box office. Maybe we'll just sneak in...
Monday, October 03, 2005
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