Day 1035: Hot Weather Training

So… while I think the only drawback to going to Suriname is the horrible internet speeds… Serena is pretty apprehensive about the heat.  Which I find kind of funny since she lived in Mombasa, on the coast of Kenya, for two and a half year… but I’m pretty sure she’s having horrific frizzy hair flashbacks.

Anyway, it’s pretty much 90 degrees Fahrenheit year around in Surianme… with 100% humidity.  So yeah… it’s going to be hot… and since spring is now coming to a close, the Schutz family has begun the longest summer of our lives… it should last until late 2014.

Honestly, though.  I’m looking forward to cooling off.  It’s only mid-May, but the daily highs in Islamabad are consistently hitting over 105 degrees Fahrenheit, (Tomorrow’s expected high is 108 degrees!)

And when you compare that to Suriname’s current highs, which are dancing around the high 80s to low 90s… Suriname is sounding pretty awesome right about now. 

Now, listen.  When you’re talking about temperate like 90 and 108, it’s pretty easy to dismiss it by saying, “Hot is hot,” but an 18 to 20 degree difference, like in the case of Islamabad and Suriname, is pretty darn significant.  Just imagine we’re talking about 50 vs. 70 degrees and you’ll see what I’m talking about.  That’s the difference between jackets and t-shirts.  And in the case of Islamabad and Suriname, it’s the difference between nudist colony and death by heat stroke. 

It’s HOT!  Dang hot!

Day 1034: Help with Satellite Internet... in Suriname

I am in desperate need of help and guidance.

There is no such thing as a perfect location and I have recently discovered a significant drawback for my next assignment in Paramaribo, Suriname: Internet is slow AND cost prohibitive.

The best (Platinum) DSL internet package in Suriname runs at a speed of .5 Mbsp, which is pretty much dial-up and folks already there say it’s impossible to upload pictures… So, SchutzHappens is pretty much going to be dead in the water at these speeds.

Plus, this extremely slow speed comes at a price: $150 per month!!!!!

Yeah, NO THANK YOU!

So!  I’ve started researching alternatives in the form of Satellite Internet providers (HughsNet, WildBlue, Skyway, and Starband).

Now, the thing to keep in mind is that DishNetwork and DirectTV are both available in Suriname, so, in theory, I should also be able to use one of these Satellite Internet providers, especially Skyway or Starband because they use the EchoStar Satellites (Dish Network) to deliver their service.

Anyway, I would love to speak to someone who has had experience using one of these providers in the Caribbean, Central American, or Northern South America… or any someone who has advice on an alternative I haven’t looked into yet.

Please email me at SchutzHappens@gmail.com

THANKS!

Day 1033: Top 15 Albums of 2003

Blink 182 – Blink 182 (Pop Punk)

**********

Dave Matthews – Some Devil (Rock)

**********

Death Cab for Cutie – Transatlanticism (Indie Rock)

**********

Dido – Life for Rent (Trip Hop)

**********

Evenescence – Fallen (Rock)

**********

Everclear – Slow Motion Daydream (Alternative Rock)

**********

Jem – It All Starts Here (Trip Hop)

**********

Linkin Park – Meteora (Alternative Rock)

**********

Michael Buble – Michael Buble (Big Band)

**********

Muse – Absolution (Alternative Rock)

**********

Sarah McLachlan – Afterglow (Adult Contemporary)

***********

Snow Patrol – Final Straw (Alternative Rock)

***********

The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow (Indie Rock)

**********

The White Stripes – Elephant (Rock)

**********

Train – My Private Nation (Roots Rock)

Day 1032: FTD Flowers is a Scam!

As Mother’s Day approached Serena and I thought it would be nice to send flowers to our moms.  We haven’t been around for Mother’s Day for quite a few years now and wanted to do something a little more special than just a skype call.

So, Serena started looking at FTD Flowers (www.ftd.com)... Which is VERY expensive and their cheapest set was like $25, plus delivery.  And if you’ve ever had flowers delivered you’ll know that delivery fees are not cheap… it was pretty much the same price as the bouquet!

Anyway, Serena remembered something!  “A few months ago I sent flowers to my Grandma for her birthday and as a ‘thank you’ FTD emailed me a coupon for 15% off my next purchase!”

Me:  “Sweet!  Let’s do it!”

Serena pulled up her account, found the email, clicked on the special link provide to claim her deal, and then Serena said, “What the heck?  This can’t be right.”

Me:  (Looking over her shoulder) “What is it?”

Serena: “Look at the prices.”

Serena had pulled up the same $25.00 bouquet of flowers… but now, the base price was $30.00 with a huge red ‘X’ through it and in large red writing it said, “ONLY $25.00!!!”

I couldn’t believe it.  Serena even pulled the two windows up next to each other… I really wish I had screen shots to show you.  But trust me.  FTD’s ‘special’ 15% off was totally a scam.  And I am sure many other companies are doing it too. 

Personally, I think lying to customers in an attempt to secure our loyalties is unconscionable.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that.  SchutzHappens DOES NOT endorse FTD.com.

Day 1031: Business Class, You Have Forsaken Me!

Okay, so… as I mentioned the other day I am determined to fly business class back to Belgrade when I finally leave Islamabad.  And get this; most of my friends have been getting business class upgrades for as little as $125 to $150 for their one way trips home at the end of their tours.

So, I’m like, “HECK YEAH!” and head down to the Travel Office to find out how much a business class upgrade to Belgrade with run me.

I could totally swing $150 as a gift to myself for a tour well done… and I’m sure Serena wouldn’t bat an eye at the expense either.

Well… the Travel Office informed me the upgrade would cost $1,717.45.

Yeah… I… I just don’t… understand.

I. Will. Not. Cry.

Day 1030: Grayson Is a Lucky Boy, Indeed

While I was home on my R and R Grayson said the funniest thing while playing with me in the back yard.

So, we were in our backyard throwing around this gigantic Frisbee… the kind made of fabric with Styrofoam around the edges.  It’s designed to float more than it is anything else and Grayson and I were having a great time.

Now, one issue we have when playing in the back yard is the fence.  It’s a ‘Sandlot’ style fence.  Do you remember the movie ‘The Sandlot’?  Where the boys play baseball is a vacant lot next to this enormous fence… and whenever they hit a ball over the fence it is lost forever?  Well, that’s the kind of fence we have in Belgrade.

Well… Grayson and I are always careful about not getting too close to the fence when we play (although we have lost a couple of things over the edge… including a sandal… which I am still confused about…) anyway, on the day in question Grayson threw the Frisbee wild… it went high into the air and over the fence…

Grayson: “OH NO!”

Me: “Oh man!  There it goes!”

And then… it stopped.  The Frisbee stopped and just hung in the air for a second (a light wind had blow through the yard and stopped the momentum of the Frisbee… it just hung there floated on the other side of the fence.

Grayson and I held our breaths with no hope of ever seeing the Frisbee again… waiting for the wind to subside and drop the Frisbee into the pit of despair… but it didn’t it just hung in the air.  It give you an idea, Grayson and I had time to look at each other and exchange a “What in the world is going on glance” AND return our gaze to the Frisbee without it moving.

Then… just as all hope was lost, the wind didn’t die down… it picked up… and a huge gust of wind came through blowing the Frisbee straight up into the air and as it began to fall back down, it floated back over the fence, into our yard, and into my hands.

Grayson and I were just took a stood there looking at each other…  at the fence… the Frisbee… and each other again.  Then we both busted out laughing and Grayson said, “I can’t believe it!  The Frisbee came back!  I just can’t believe it!  I’m such a lucky boy!  I have a mommy, a daddy, a baby brother, and a helpful wind.  I am just so lucky!”

Day 1029: The Myth of Business Class

So… you might think with all of my travels that I’ve been enjoying the fruits of Business Class. Well, my confession might shock you. I’ve NEVER flown Business… EVER! I’ve only rocked economy.


On second thought, this confession probably isn’t to shocking… I’ve probably already told you this OR you just assumed it because I’m so cheap. (FYI: American Diplomats have to fund their own Business Class Upgrades when on official travel).


Anyway, although I haven’t flown Business Class I have racked up quite a few SkyMiles and I’ve only used them once to buy a ticket from Washington, DC to Charleston, SC… which barely put a dent in them.


So, the point of my story is that on my resent trip from Belgrade to Islamabad I was intent on breaking my economy streak… and from what I’ve heard; if there are open Business Class seats at the time of boarding its pretty easy to use your SkyMiles for upgrades… I had just never tired it… but, that is what I aimed to do!


My flight from Belgrade to Rome is way too short to care, only an hour and a half, so the upgrade would have been a waste of points, so I opted to wait until I got to Rome. And when I got to Rome, I was greeted by one of the friendliest and most helpful ticket/gate agents I have ever met… so I took his word when he told me the flight was full and there was no chance of an upgrade.


However… five and a half hours later, in Doha, things got pretty strange. Again, I had a very helpful gate agent who took my frequent flyer number and added me to the waitlist for upgrades. He told me I was at the top of the list and he seemed hopeful for my upgrade… but when it came time to board nothing happened.


When boarding began and it was my turn to present my ticket (to a different ticket agent) I said, “I’m on the waitlist for a Business Class upgrade.”


Ticket Taker: “Oh sir, this is a full flight, I don’t think there will be an upgrade available.”


Me: “Really? It’s full?”


Ticket Taker: “Yes, it is nearly full.”


Me: (Joking), “Nearly full isn’t full. There could still be a chance!”


The ticket taker laughed, “Yes sir, it is possible.”


And finally, when I was boarding I informed the stewardess greeting us that I was on the business class upgrade waitlist. She asked me to take my assigned seat and they would see if there was any space after boarding.


Nothing happened and me, being a roll with the punches kind of guy made an assumption, “There must not be any space in Business Class.”


And I wish my assumption was correct.


I was sitting at the very front of the economy section… not the bulkhead, but the second row. And about halfway through the flight the two stewardesses working the Business Class section opened the separation curtains and lowered a wall panel (I don’t know why) giving me an unobstructed view of the ENTIRE Business Class Section.


There was ONE person there.


And trust me here, I am not exaggerating. Yes, I do exaggerate from time to time, but not now… there was ONLY one person sitting in business class.


And there I was… in economy… fighting for foot space… heartbroken… dreaming of business class.


I think the time for relying on fate is over… Come July (and the end of my tour) I think I’ve earned my upgrade… and I’m might just have to pay for it.