Medical Care for the Crew

Hello, Readers, and thank you for tuning in to trumptettravels - the true accounts of my 11 year career on cruise ships as a crew member aboard Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, P&O Cruises, Premier Cruises and the Holland America Line.  Here I have blended sentiment, true stories, money saving tips and more to compose what I feel is something that should be educational, fun, entertaining, beneficial, and I'm hoping enjoyable.



This post is dedicated to a reader who asked me specifically about medical care on cruise ships.  I know both sides of the issue.  You see, for many years I was a ship's employee and for many years I was an independant contractor.  Both have their benefits.  As a contractor I enjoyed increased status and I could behave (almost) like a passenger.  I did not have benefits and for my wife son and myself I paid literally $1000/month in medical insurance which was tax deductible. As an employee, I had medical insurance through the company.

Firstly, my impression is that if you get hurt on a job the company can medically sign you off the vessel and pay you 80% of your salary.  That is good for a dancer hurt in the show who makes salary, but I don't know how it works for a waiter or bar steward who makes $50 a month.



Our first story is when I started ships a long time ago.  One of my friends on the ship suffered an illness when he was younger that caused him to lose his leg.  He used a prothetic on the ship and passed all of his medical exams.  At one point in his career he started suffering a swelling of his leg and his current prothetic started to malfunction.  This was on RCCL.  He went to a Dr. who recommended a state of the art limb.  Since he was a musician like me at the time he couldn't afford it, but he was signed off on crew medical.  The Dr. said, "lets's send the company the bill and if it doesn't work we'll consider our options."  I believe this was after 9/11 whe there were tremendous cutbacks at RCCL.  I was the first to complain about the corporate bastards not giving us raises (for 2 years) and trimming everything down.  Wouldn't you know shortly after submitting the expense Royal Caribbean paid for my friend's $14,000 leg?  Even better, getting this equipment allowed him to be as athletic as he could train and a few years later he ran a New York City marathon.

Load Your Nook Before Your Cruise

My second anecdote is from my days as an Art Auctioneer on the ships.  I think this is the first time I revealed what I did for the last half of my career!  A colleague of mine started coughing on the ship.  As you know the ventilation on ships is terrible and with the recycled air and fresh people every week airborne illnesses are rampant.  He suffered from a cough and went to the Doctor.  The ship is responsible for him while he is on the ship but they give him some antibiotics and encourage him to go home and get some rest.  He signs off the ship (freeing the cruise line of responsibility) and then the cough gets worse.  My friend loses his vioce, suffers from hospital bills and it get worse and worse.  Currently after 18 months my friend cannot speak for more than 1 hour at a time and is completely permanently injured.  I know this illness is a direct cause from being on the ship, but the line did not pay a dime of his medical because he voluntarily signed off the ship early on the Doctor's advice.  Of course, he was not allowed back on a ship because he failed his medical.

Well, in general, most crew members are taken care of.  Just remember, not everyone who works on a ship is directly employed by the cruise line.  I remember once before Cozumel on Royal Caribbean a cabin steward, bless her, from Jamaica went literally crazy.  She stripped naked and ran up and down the "I95" (main crew corridor, deck 4) screaming "in tongues." A friend of mine was going to the Dr. that next day so I tagged along and visited this poor girl who was softly mumbling for her mother.  Of course, the company paid her medical but the crew sometimes is under so much pressure and work hours occaisionally they can snap.

Which reminds me of ANOTHER story. When I was on the QM2 the strangest thig happened. A crew member, upset he was being paid less than his colleagues snapped and went crazy.  Strangely, he took a hammer and killed the cousin of one of his colleagues, who I think was unrelated to the department.

Going On A Cruise? Stock up on Paper Books or eBooks Today!

And I am saddened and shocked to learn while googling a link to what happened when I was there that ANOTHER crew (attmepted?) murder happened in 2008.  I am really surprised.  Things like this hardly ever happen but I guess we can all recall in our innocent little towns crazy things happening.

Well, that is it for tonight on trumpettravels.  This blog post is creditted ot an anonymous poster who was wondering about medical facilities on a ship.  I have more stories ot tell, but I guess you will have to wait.

You have Wasted 60 Bucks in St Thomas - a crew member saves you money.

[scroll down to see money saving tip and skip the witty banter]

Hello, Readers, and thank you for tuning in to trumptettravels - the true accounts of my 11 year career on cruise ships as a crew member aboard Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, P&O Cruises, Premier Cruises and the Holland America Line.

I think some day, when I get my act together, I'd like to have seperate blog entries for each amazing port I've been to in my 11 years as a crew member.  If I do, one of the longest entries would be St Thomas.  Home of great shopping and amazing beaches.  Duty-free everything and the bushwhacker (drink). And, of course, that SKYRIDE to paradise that thouasands of cruise ship passengers go up and down every week.  At $21 a pop.

Before I tell you my secret way to save 60 bucks I want to welcome you to trumpet travels.  I am an ex-crew member who has been sharing a few of the inside secrets of the cruise industry.  If you read my older posts you'll see how I got the job and what it is like for the crew, staff, and officers on a ship.  Happy reading and thank you for supporting my hobby.  After two entries I almost quit but I've received alot of question from readers and comments about how they've learned a few things and that kept me going.

Fodor's Island Guidebook

Once upon a time I wanted to go to the SKYRIDE up to paradise point.  The view is the BEST in St Thomas.  Since I was a crew member, I just showed my ID and for $5 (instead of the passenger $21) I got my ticket.  I seem to remember that the price was higher, but I just checked their site and it is only $21.  Well, when I was on Costa as an Art Auctioneer I took my cruise card to go up for a bushwacker and they would not give me the discount because I had a passenger cruise card. I explained to them all about my job, but still they would not budge.  I was very angry because my wife was with me and we'd been up there so many times I didn't want to pay $42 dollars.

Well, I bumped into a taxi driver, who was obliged I guess to offer us "some smoke" as all islanders are obliged to.  Well, I declined the offer and as I do struck up a conversation. I told him about my mountainous woes (I wanted to go up the mountain) and he said, "Well I'll take you."  I thought, "HOW?"  He said up the road!  How much? "5-10 bucks."

I was thinking that it was funny all the tens of thousands of dollars everyone pays every week to go up that tram - if they only knew about that road!!!

SO - the trick is - take a TAXI to paradise point instead of the tram!  With 4 people it will cost you max $20 roundtrip, instead of the $84!  That saves you $64!!!
That's it - very simple.  If you think you're going to St Thomas and you might use this trick - congrats you are smarter than 99% of cruise ship passengers!  go get yourself some Bushwhackers (AWESOME) at the top - for FREE (with your $64).  If you enjoyed this tip you can give me a free "thank you" by clicking on an ad on this web page.

OK - one more tip.  At the top of St Thomas/Paradise Point there is a shop that sells rare shipwreck gold coins. They claim 100% authenticity and I am not saying they are not authentic.  What I would like to say is that gold is an element.  It does not decay and does not age.  What this means is that if you created a gold coin in the image of a Roman gold coin there would be absolutely NO test to prove wheter is was 2000 years old or 2000 seconds old.  I'm not sayin nothin bout nothin, just putting that out there.  So many people lose their heads to romance on vacation and an ancient gold coin certainly does have a degree of romance to it.

Happy Travels Everyone and a Prosperous New Year to All!

A Crew Member's Secret: Don't Rent Snorkels if You Don't have To!

Hello, Readers, and thank you for tuning in to trumptettravels - the true accounts of my 11 year career on cruise ships as a crew member aboard Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, P&O Cruises, Premier Cruises and the Holland America Line.



 I've already shared alot so if you like this - get caught up already. And subscribe or "follow" me!

Some folks have marvelled at my interesting sentinmental stories about what it is like on the ship and others have made it clear they are more interested in tricks of the trade and how they can save money.  I gave them a great secret in how to get your best odds of beating the slot machines - see my Dec 27th post.



Well, here is a good one.  One of the dive managers on the ship was explaining to me how profitable the snorkel and masks were to rent.  A good mask might go for $50-80 and the cruise line actually buys the highest quality to rent out.  Why? They last much much longer than the cheap ones do and they are more suited for novices who don't know how to acheive a proper seal on the mask.

A little bit about diving: I got certified with Dive With Martin in Cozumel, Mexico.  It was AWESOME. I can't describe diving well, but I promise scuba diving is like flying. Like flying through a magical land filled with strange creatures who can fly.  That was my impression.  I loved diving and since I was certified I did a night dive, I saw the ship wreck near Aruba and even a Manta Ray and some Sharks in Costa Rica!

Anyway, if you are going on a cruise I HIGHLY recommend you get your own mask and snorkel.  Oh, yeah, the dive manager.  She was telling me the basically "sell out" every week (another great reason to buy your own) and that the mask paid for itself in about 5 weeks.  I asked how long those masks were there and she said about two years!  Now buying a mask would pay for itself if you buy a high quality one and it fits your face properly.  If you live in the South I recommend going where I went: Divers Supply in Tampa.  They were experts and fitted my mask to my face and advised me on the latest in snorkel tricks to keep the water out.  Even if you don't live in the South, I would check their prices before going down to WALMART and buying a garbage leaky mask that you'll hate and throw out.  Did you ever notice how sometimes "saving money" is wasting money?  That is so annoying. Call Divers Supply up or check their site (I think I put a link on that photo if I can figure out this LINK function in Blogger - try to click).

A package like shown in the photo is perfect for the novice: professional quality and not too expensive.

COZUMEL SNORKELING - So many people book tours to go snorkeling in Cozumel Mexico.  I love it there! I used to walk all the way to town every time, go to a few restaurants (LA CHOZA was a crowd favorite as well as GUIDOS). [Caution: those are secret crew restaurants with better food and lower prices than the main strip!) On my walk to town I used to walk by - ALL THE SNORKEL TOURS!!! You could literally walk 100 yards and go right in on the beach to some of the most beautiful snorkeling in the world!

This is how I see it. 4X$59 gets you a shore excursion for a family of four on a  catamaran with some cheap booze and loud music (and snorkeling) OR for 4X$59 gets you four snorkelling packages you can use the rest of your life plus $20 left over to split some guac and have a few beers if you go to the right places (the crappiest bars on the beach still have cold beer!) 

If you love snorkelling and you're going to once in Cozumel, it is worth BUYING your gear before and walking to the beach.  Off the top of my head, BONAIRE has a great spot you can walk off and snorkel and countless other ports do, too.  You'll spend the same amount ONCE and get to keep the gear. THEN every time you go snorkeling you're SAVING $60 a trip per person which can be used for other things.  Hopefully NOT cuban cigars which I will cover in blogs to come.

I hope you've enjoyed the latest edition of trumpet travels.  Just mentioning La Choza made me remember so many good memories.  Their margaritas also caused a loss of so many (good?) memories, too!  Stay tuned and why not "follow me" so you'll be notified next time I post?

Reader Question: Greek Officers

Hello, Readers, and thank you for tuning in to trumptettravels - the true accounts of my 11 year career on cruise ships as a crew member aboard Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, P&O Cruises, Premier Cruises and the Holland America Line.

A Reader asks if I could elaborate on Greek Officers.  Sorry, Anonymous, I think I said enough in my disparagement below (DEC 14th WHAT ARE THE OFFICERS LIKE?).  Although I do actually have a few more choice stories about Greek and Italian officers you'll have to wait until the time is right.

I don't want to lose my new readers with excessive negativity (wasn't I negative enough below!??!) haha -

thanks for your comments.

Some reminiscing from the cruise career...

Hello, Readers, and thank you for tuning in to trumptettravels - the true accounts of my 11 year career on cruise ships as a crew member aboard Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, P&O Cruises, Premier Cruises and the Holland America Line.

Thanks everyone for the great responses and comments.  Personally I find the information of what day-to-day life was like on the ship more interesting than my little casino information, but I had such a flood of visitors checking that out and emailing friends - my first post that a deluge of email pings came in!

I started this blog as an experiment to learn how to blog so I could teach my wife.  She wants to blog about her confusion in being an American Mom (she's from another country).  Well, I must say the support and comments I've received have convinced me I should keep going.  I think we'll have to fight over the computer when she starts her blog!

I want to share with you something you don't think about when you take a cruise.  You all have jobs and work 40-50 weeks a year so once every 5 years you can do a cruise or something special.  You all have social and family networks at home.

I did, too, and my first time I joined a ship I did it for six months.  I have a big family and we are very close.  It was so hard to be away from everyone for such an extended period of time.  BUT, I met so many amazing people, passengers and crew, and was exposed to new travel and new friends.

I had a girlfriend on my first ship after not being too much of a ladies man in college.  Halfway through my contract it was time for her to leave.  Of course we meant to stay together, but we went to different ships and there other distractions on the ship for both of us.  I was so confused why she was so amazing and why it couldn't work.  It didn't seem to gel with my notion of romantic love when I was told I was looking for that 'one' special connection.

Later, I came out of my heart-broken stupor and realized not only was I lucky it didn't work out, I was REALLY confused why we were together at all!  It is funny how circumstances can change so much.

I met so many amazing people after that and pursued some more romantic relationships.  The friendships that seemed so important now have faded as everyone who works out there on a ship goes for the experience, the travel, and the money only.  Logistically it would be impossible for you to keep in touch with the literally thousands of amazing people you meet.

I came to a conclusion, or maybe a realization.  When you are on land, you have the same friends, the same job, the same bar, the same ole same ole.  Nothing changes much and you could miss a year and everything will be the same.  When I was twenty years old I thought that was a curse.

When you are on a ship you get to meet thousands of people and make friends and travel.  Everything changes.  You avoid the boredom and stagnation of land, but it comes at a price.  Your friends fade, you lose touch, you move far away from everyone eventually.  Amazing people you once couldn't imagine yourself without are now in South Africa, the Phillipines, the UK and other countries all over the world.  You have facebook and other networking and try to stay in touch, but now in a 9 to 5 job on land and with a family here's the scary realization -

Just as I thought it would be depressing to have the same ole same ole of a land job when I first started cruise ships, now when I get in touch with my cruise ship friends I see they have the Same Ole, too!  The same ports, restaurants, bars, etc...  The life there is exciting but no more rewarding than somewhere else.  The one thing I'd recommend to anyone wanting to go work on a cruise ship - make a plan.  Get in and get out.  If you spend your whole life on a ship and then go to retire - who will you know?  Where will you go?

Well, that is my reminisce about my years at sea.  I used to give a little talk to the newbies who were depressed about losing friends to travel plans on the ship.  I would tell them, "You are priviledged to meet so many amazing people because of these ships and your job.  You have to enjoy every moment with all of your friends becasue they'll leave and you'll leave and the memories are all you're going to have at the end.  Saying goodbye to all of them is the price you pay for not having a boring job with boring friends."  In retrospect with the times I had, the benefit far outweighed the price.

Looking back now that I'm "out" - is it better to lead a less exciting life but have life-long friends who've watched you grow and mature? Or is it better to meet scores of the most interesting people in the world with the realization you'll not stay in touch after your time together?

Readers, tonight it isn't for me to decide.  I'll just pose the question and hope it makes you think about your life.  What new people do you meet?  Are you 'stuck' in the same crowd and bars or restaurants at home?  How could you bring the excitement and loss of inhabition of a vacation into your everyday life?  If you could do that, you could have the best of both worlds.

Thanks, readers, for staying in touch.  Why don't you check out my other entries?  There is no rhyme or reason yet to any of them.  I thought this would be a chronilogical story when I started but as I've received encouragement and comments from readers I have altered course a little bit.  Comments are always welcome and although it is becoming more difficult, I do my best to answer all questions.  Rememer clicking an ad here is free for you and encourages me to keep going, much to the chagrin of my wife.

The Secret of Cruise Ship Slot Machines and How You Can Get the Edge!

Have you recently heard of any funny business (cheating) going on in Las Vegas? No? That's because the Nevada gaming commission knows that any profits cheated would be far less than profits lost if the cheating becomes public.  Slots are regulated and the %wins can be calibrated by a machine.  It has to be locked into a certain percentage regulated by the gov't. (Technically some can be higher than others as long as they all average the given "take.")

Have you ever heard of cheating in the lottery (outside a bad John Travolta movie?) No? That is because there is regulation in government lotteries.

Who regulates and inspects the cruise ship casino? Anyone?  Did you know the company that runs the casinos on Carnival also runs the Princess, Cunard and other CCL ships?  They are all connected.

Here is the secret that not even most industry insiders know:

First, please read my other entries.  They won't make you rich but you might like them. Okay - you'll only hear this from an almost comatose drunk slot technician at 6am and as far as I know this information doesn't exist ANYWHERE on the internet!

SO - the percentage of a slot machine can be changed, RIGHT? (crowd: YES, TRUMPETDAD)

SO - if you were a cruise line, would you take everyone's money on the first night of the cruise? NO! The people would never come back during their cruise and they would tell all the passengers the slots are rigged or tight and no one would play.



SO - if you were a cruise line, would you give all your money away on the last night? Those people might never come back!  Why would you do that?  If you could change the % payout of a slot machine to maximize profit from a crowd of people over seven days, how would you do it?

Here's how it works, and how it can work for you.  On the first night alot of people "try their luck" and win.  It is so easy to win that even non-gamblers are so tempted to put their winnings back to see if they win more.  Throughout the cruise they ADVERTISE to other passengers how much money they won! You can can win and on the last night everyone wants to try one last time where they lose it all and then some.

Quite simply, anyone caught feeding the slots on the last night might as well buy Carnival stock so you can profit from their extra revenue!  The way you do it is think of a gambling budget for the cruise and play it the first and second nights ONLY.  For the other nights use your winnings for entertainment and stay out of the casino!

If you enjoyed this post, email it to a friend who loves to cruise!

I have more secrets from the ship and although I don't blog for profit, if you click on an ad to the right it won't cost you a dime and will encourage me to post more. 

More secrets to come from the inside world of a crewmember...

PS - one more tip. If you buy this item you are GUARANTEED to win in any casino in the world (just kidding.)

Reader's Questions Answered About Cruises

Thanks for tuning in to trumpettravels.  This is an experiment I started in reminiscing about my 11 year career working on cruise ships.  Previously I've explained how I got my first job on a ship and what some of the positions are like on the ship.  I've always had a lot to say about the industry, mostly good, but felt while I was employed by the cruise line it would be unethical to say something bad and without credit if I said something good.  Now, I work in an unrelated industry.  I know how passengers can drive the crew crazy.  I know how the crew can lose touch with the passengers.  But, overall, I've seen how millions of people in the world BOTH passengers and crew have delighted in the chance to eat, drink, travel, and meet new people and experience new things.  Some do it for a week, and some for 8 months.

"Dobie" asked me about tipping on the ship and if cash tips were supposed to be split.  Well, I think technically all tips are supposed to be reported (officially) but much like a waiter making tips in the states very little gets "declared." Once you have the cash in your hands you'd have to be pretty thick to turn it in to have it split 200 times and then returned.  It is accepted not in policy but in practice that all cash tips are property of the recipient.

Someone asked me what I like to bring on a cruise.  Well, I can't pack for you, but my advice: Pack your suitcase half full.  Crazy? NOPE.  You'll buy "cruisewear" and tee shirts in ports.  Why not wear them once while your there?  Most people STUFF their luggange and then they don't know what to do withb all their extra souvenirs on the way home.  Another thing that I really believe in is a pair of high quality sunglasses like Maui Jim or Revo.  They actually brighten up your days while relaxing your eyes and it is nice to distinguish yourself from the dollar store glasses most cruisers bring.

Bonnie wants to know about the different cruise lines and mentioned it was difficult to post a comment.  I've attempted a correction by allowing anyone to comment even anonymous comments.  I thought by having registered bloggers only it would discourage alot of garbage but all comments so far have been really "+."  Bonnie every line is different and I have some words on the lines I personally worked with.  I would do what you're doing - ask around, but also

Royal Caribbean is great an caters to families, plus the young and old.  Know if you're going there for a romantic couples getaway when you get in elevator a kid probably has pushed all the buttons and the hot tub might be filled with pee.  That being said, those ships are really fun and they have great gimics on all the ships.  The older ships have great discounts and the newer ships might blow you away with entertainment.  They do cater to a large Latin American crowd so practice your salsa dancing and brush up on your Spanish.

Carnival is the cruise line where I went the elevator and on the way stepped in a piece of pizza in the hallway.  When I got to the elevator the doors opened and a teenager wearing a bikini fell out on her back and rested a can of Bud Light on her stomach laughing uncontrollably. It's a party ship.  Everyone will be quite drunk and it is pretty much a "WALMART" hang.  That being said, the "supper club" specialty restaurant on the SPIRIT and I imagine all the new Carnival ships was seriously the best food I've eaten on any ship.  I made some huge sales to very successful people on Carnival so it isn't 100% WALMART, but for sure it is at least 80%.  It had a $30 charge pp. Better than QM2, better than Princess.  Crazy, huh?  Another thing, the company is so terrible to their employees on the ship it filters down through the crew.  I worked on the Spirit and one lunch in the staff mess they served us TRIPE SOUP.  I'm not kidding.  They took a big box of cow stomach that you wouldn't feed your pig and boiled it and served it to us. 

Princess Cruise Lines is my favorite cruise line.  I worked for them for about 6 years and they treated all the crew so well. In turn, you will always get a smile and great service from crew members how are genuinely happy to serve you.  Princess does see a lot of familes with 5-18 yr olds and the kids program is great.  I took my son there and he was only 2.  The rule was I had to be there because he had to be three to be left there.  After watching the youth staff for hours and hours on three different cruises I can say they are amazing.  Some kids cried when it was time to leave - EVERY DAY.  Towards the end of the cruise the parents would have no problem going to dinner and a show and leaving the kids there for 2-3 hours.  I think Princess gets a B+ or higher for everything they do, instead of other lines who are good at some things but not good in others.

Cunard, QM2 - I only mention the QM2 because I feel Victoria and QE are unremarkable. They are basically P&O cruise ships run by the P&O cruise division borrowing some Cunard officers and of course that valuable Cunard brand, purchased by the Carnival corporation.  If you like to wear a tux and love fine dining and a traditional British experience, you HAVE to try Cunard.  They have long voyages and small cruises.  If you go do yourself a favor and bring LOTS of formal clothes.  The point of sailing Cunard is to dress up and hob-nob with the elite.  Dress code is strict and you have a lot of Brits so prepare to have lots of conversations about the "currency exchange" and why the "World" Series is silly because it is American and why American Football players are wimps because they wear pads.  Sorry, Brits, I've heard it all before.

Costa - don't do it.  I know you are looking at expedia and it is cheaper then the next option, but don't do it.  I've worked for that company and it is run by the most incompetant officers and shoreside department I've ever worked for.  I don't hold a grudge, but I can tell you they were utterly useless.

Celebrity - never worked on one.  I heard the food was good and a lot of people who sail Celebrity love it.  I've never heard a complaint about one.  Alot of older people.  Celebrity is bad to the crew because they use Greek officers who are the worst.  They work everyone to the bone with no over time and Greeks are usually borderline abusive to the crew.  I never worked for Celebrity but I did work for the Premier Oceanbreeze which was Greek.  Also, the stories I heard from other crew about Greeks were ridiculous. (See my post below about officers.)

Norwegian - never been on one, either.  Everyone I've met have either LOVED or HATED Norwegian cruises so I can't tell you one way or the other to take one.  I guess you could say it is a gamble where Princess is a sure thing.  But people who love Norwegian like it better than Princess so who knows.

Holland America - if you lost a fortune in the Great Depression or are a member of Brokaw's "Greatest Generation" then Holland America is for you.  FREE fresh squeezed orange juice every day on the + side. Many free activities.  The cruisers are a little bit wacko, though. Like SERIOUS cruisers who took Holland America tote bags and made matching his-and-hers vests.  If you like a battalion or geriatric ice-cream eaters, God bless ya.  Go on a cruise with Holland America.  They do interesting activities there, though, such as a Culinary Arts Center where you can taste recipes from Executive Chef Rudi Sodamin and, of course, buy his cookbooks for a fee.  Overall, a professional line for older folks who like such hobbies as Mah Jong or crocheting.

Well, that is it for my synopsis.  I didn't work on any other lines so I couldn't comment on others. I did Ocean Village, but I don't think they are around any more, are they?  Who knows.

Floridarob - you want to be a FCC?  Why not try Captains Circle host?  They use the same computer program and while they are full of FCCs sometimes they have openings of the other job.  You can switch jobs on Princess by using a "career path transfer."  Personally, I would go for the Port and Shopping job or Art Auctioneer.  You have to be very outgoing, but you can do better in those jobs than the FCC job.

Well, bloggets and bloggudes, that is it for now.  Thank you for your encouraging comments, please keep them coming.  It is my first Blog and I've found it is kind of addicting.  I hope you have enjoyed my entries. If you want more, why not leave me a comment or question and then click on an ad on this page?  It will encourage me to keep going.