SteveinSC

Id eat Giordanos pizza in a down right frigid breeze.... 

Same! We just had this snow here in NC and I'm wanting palm trees. I can't book but one cruise every few years and this will be the first time for my kids. The fact that it's a surprise for them is making it worse. My poor mom (who is going too) has to hear me talk about it all the time. 178 days to go.

@FManke That's also when patio furniture comes out at the restaurants downtown. Nothing like enjoying a meal in the sunny, cold breeze

You ever reach that point where you feel like youve researched all you can, youve set up all your excursions, youve filled out all there is to fill out.....and youre just WAITING. Its agony, and I just want my embarkation day to GET HERE. What do yall do to deal with the agony, the torture, the slow death of WAITING? 

That's when the pools and beaches open here.

It must be 50 degrees or above to grill. South Carolina law. 

It must be 50 degrees or above to grill. South Carolina law. 

It must be 50 degrees or above to grill. South Carolina law. 

We had quite an arctic situation in South Carolina, yesterday. There was actual snow falling from the sky....it left a trace of a dusting on everything, but the ground. I think we will be ok. Kids had a school delay this morning. Nothing we couldnt overcome. Keep us in your thoughts, prayers, send some good vibes into the universe....whatever all of yall believe in. #CarolinaStrong  
...and 43 days till Rhapsody out of Tampa. Wife scolded me and told me to quit adding stuff to the Amazon "cruise list". #SteveStrong 

@FManke What is weird is that it is totally normal to grill in the snow. We've been in our backyard and look over to see the neighbors in their down coats doing the same.

If I feel like grilling, I've been known to shovel a path to the grill. Puts a little bit of summer into a cold Chicago winter.

@FManke I was literally just telling my brother this is barbecuing weather?

Putting the furniture back out on the deck today. Supposed to be 38 today here in Chicago! ?

Not if you are @SteveinSC! ?

@SteveinSC I said a deep, strong prayer that God would see you through this natural disaster he caused.

We had quite an arctic situation in South Carolina, yesterday. There was actual snow falling from the sky....it left a trace of a dusting on everything, but the ground. I think we will be ok. Kids had a school delay this morning. Nothing we couldnt overcome. Keep us in your thoughts, prayers, send some good vibes into the universe....whatever all of yall believe in. #CarolinaStrong  
...and 43 days till Rhapsody out of Tampa. Wife scolded me and told me to quit adding stuff to the Amazon "cruise list". #SteveStrong 

We will be on the Allure a week from Sunday and can't wait. The Corona Virus threw us for a loop, but after careful research we are moving ahead. We come from cold country and want to get out of these arctic temps.

I’m 72 and 589! Definitely going to have to jump on Mariner sometime in between! Good think I’m 2 hours from Port Canaveral. Easier to get my fix! I sound like a junkie! ? 
The 589 days is Italy/Greece on Odyssey so I literally have tons of research I could do. Already wondering how will I fit so many clothes into 2 suitcases for 9 night cruise plus 3 day tour of Rome. Guess I’ll use RC laundry for the first time. 
72 days is Symphony which will be the 4th year in a row for eastern Caribbean so I already know that drill. Eat, drink, sit by pool/beach. Repeat. ? 
Seriously considering getting a deposit down on an Alaskan cruise for maybe summer 2021 or 2022. 

Yeah....its not economical to prepare for the one, MAYBE, snow "event" we get a year.  So if it snows, even a little, its hysteria. Everything shuts down. Even my employer sends everyone home. Is it excessive? Yes. Is it fun? Yes.
If im in the house with my family tomorrow, itll just give me more time to over analyze my packing list, order my last few things from Amazon.....44 days!!!!!!  No royal up decision yet. I think I wont get that decision till last minute. 
@kilmarlic enjoy your trip, and while youre sipping that drink by the pool in the sunshine.....think of your Carolina brothers and sisters in the snow/slush. 

You ever reach that point where you feel like youve researched all you can, youve set up all your excursions, youve filled out all there is to fill out.....and youre just WAITING. Its agony, and I just want my embarkation day to GET HERE. What do yall do to deal with the agony, the torture, the slow death of WAITING? 

I am now a big @twangster fan....man, I love facts and reason. ??

Yeah, im near Charlotte and the rush for bread and milk has begun!!!!  MILK SANDWICHES FOR ALL!!!!! Charlotte-Meck schools are already dismissing 3 hours early, and my kids school system (Rock Hill) has already determined a 2 hour delay tomorrow, but fully intend to make it a whole day if snow actually accumulates. HEAD FOR THE HILLS!!!!! On one hand, it makes the waiting for my cruise (44 days) even harder....but part of me feels like this is just going to make it that much sweeter. 

I am now a big @twangster fan....man, I love facts and reason. ??

The Flu is under reported in the US and it's BIG business here.  Drug manufacturers make billions of dollars from the flu.  No wonder there isn't a permanent cure, big business doesn't want the flu eliminated.  
This is why the CDC estimates between 14,000 and 36,000 have died from it in the US so far this flu season but they don't really know.  Think about it... is it 14,000 deaths or 36,000 deaths?  That's a huge difference.  Plus the data they do estimate from is extrapolated from just 8.5% of the US population.  So take CDC numbers with a huge grain of salt because they have very low accuracy.    
As such a developed nation we really don't do a very good job of tracking or handling the flu.  Doctor's are not required to report it.  Most people who get it go to the store and spend $20 - $50 on OTC flu drugs.  Everyone who is infected with the flu is allowed to wander about and infect everyone else.  Can't miss church or work, better spread this virus around.  Ride the bus with the flu?  Sure!  Why not?
At the moment there is much greater reliability in COVID-19 reporting and tracking in China then there ever has been of the flu in the US.  Flu statistics are just a little better than throwing a dart at a dart board.
For this reason you can't compare the numbers of flu versus COVID-19 that is available on the internet using a google search because the flu numbers have such terrible accuracy.
From the CDC website:
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/preliminary-in-season-estimates.htm
This web page provides weekly, preliminary estimates of the cumulative in-season numbers of flu illnesses, medical visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States. CDC does not know the exact number of people who have been sick and affected by influenza because influenza is not a reportable disease in most areas of the U.S. However, CDC has estimated the burden of flu since 2010 using a mathematical model that is based on data collected through the U.S. Influenza Surveillance System, a network that covers approximately 8.5% of the U.S. population (~27 million people).
 

Doctors in the US don't want the flu eliminated either.  Those 12,000,000 -17,000,000 (that's millions) of doctor visits are each billable events, more than the simple co-pay most of us pay, that's just the amount we pay, not the amount the doctor bills. 
The graphic above is a poster for buying stock in the US health care business.  
Bottom line:
Want to get sick?  Go to your doctor during flu season.  Do you see them sanitizing those magazines in the waiting room?  How about the door knob for their office?  Or the arm rest on the chairs?
Want to reduce the chances of getting sick?  Go on a cruise.

Wow!! This is crazy.. we were there on Symphony docked there on the 18th and everything seemed fine. Guess we lucked out!