Sober Blog

I saunter up to the check out in the supermarket with my sunshine smile and happy messages of hope and gratitude spilling all over the cashier and she says “Today is a terrible day!” I ask why and she tells me that it’s that time of the month. “Be grateful your equipment and everything else is working! You didn’t start your heart yourself this morning, did you?” “No” she
says. “It was a free gift from the Boss!” I giggle. She smiles and says “I have
a friend just like you, always positive.” “It’s a beautiful day every day; you
just have to take the paper bag off your head sometimes to see it!”

She sees my three cases of water and asks, “Are you getting ready for the storm?”  An optimist chooses to be oblivious of all storms until a pair of boots is required. Even standing in a room full of manure you hear, “There’s a pony in here somewhere!”

“What storm?” I line my groceries up on the conveyer belt immediately accessing what will melt if we have no electricity. I am suddenly grateful I stopped eating meat last month after returning from Africa and convince myself that except for the Talenti Pistachio Gelato there are mostly fruits and vegetables and they won’t spoil. I ignore the obvious that the ten kinds of cheese I bought will go bad if we do loose power from a storm.

A hurricane is on the way and her name is Irene. I had an Aunt Irene who loved to drink beer and do the “Dance of the Seven Veils” while her sisters cleaned the house. I am hoping that this Irene dances over southern Florida quickly as I have a speaking engagement on the west coast in Naples
this weekend and don’t want to miss it. I traveled once in terror over
Alligator Alley, the highway that connects the east side of Florida to the west
with 100 mile road lined with alligators and no exits. I hadn’t known that time
a hurricane was on the way. I casually got in the car and wound up driving in a white out for 4 hours on what is normally an hour and a half trip, praying like I was a saint hoping for beatification! I don’t want to ever do that again!

So because of the special sale, I have three cases of water and am prepared not to die of dehydration should the world as we know it end on Thursday. Irene, I’ve got my eye on you! I have met some of your sisters and I was not impressed!!!!

As if you were a pumpkin & if you will let them,  the people who have taken the 12 steps before you chop your head off so you stop thinking. You have to figure it’s a good idea since your best thinking got you to them in the first place.

Then they help you  scoop out all the seeds and yucky stuff so they can put the light inside of you. It is the God light of love, gratitude, service and faith and burns eternal, one day at a time, if you let it.

Passport, Visas & Documents
Check visa travel requirements to the country you are visiting at www.cdc.gov. All passengers traveling internationall are required to have a passport. Most countries require that the passport be valid for at least six months beyond the conclusion of your trip. A minimum of three blank pages in your passport is recommende when traveling, as many countries require blank pages. It is your responsibility to verify all visa and passport requirements. Photocopy pages of yoru passport with name, number, visas, photography plus airline tickets to assist replacement if lost en route; photocopies of driver’s license and/or birth certificate will also help speed up passport replacement formalities. (Keep copies separate from originals). It’s useful to carry spare passport photos too. You may wish to scan your passport and airline tickets, and have them as attachments to your own email address; in case of loss, you can download copies to assist in replacement.

Money & Budgeting
As a general guideline, bring a variety of payment means, in case you have difficulties with your preferred method of payment.

Cash
You will need money for meals and entrance fees not included in any tour you are taking, beverages, gratuities, shopping, and incidental expenses (allow the equivalent of approximately $50. Per person, per day in local currency).
For initial convenience, bring approximately Euro 100 cash with you from home. Although you can exchange money at your arrival airport (beware substantial charges), or at hotels, Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) provide the best solution to obtain cash as and when needed (they offer competitive exchange rates and automatic screening for counterfeit). For addresses of ATMs in the area you will be visiting: http://visa.via.infonow.net/locator/global/jsp/SearchPage.jsp. US Dolalre are generally not accepted, but if in exceptional cases they are, change will be given in local currency (Euro).
Euro coins differ according to country, but they can be used in any EU state. Bank notes are of uniform EU design (depicting European architectural styles through seven ages, from Classical to Modern).
To help you budget: food and drink often costs more than at home. Approximate cost of soft drink/mineral water/coffee Duro 3; sandwich Euro 5-7. Soft drinks and mineral water are often as expensive or more than wine or beer.
A few coins in local currency will be needed for restroom comfort stops.

ATM’s
Worldwide security basics for ATM use: avoid making withdrawals at night or in unlit/isolated areas. Use the special security rooms provided by banks whenever possible. Conceal your PIN code. Be wary of assistans from seemingtly helpful strangers, however polite or well-dressed (if distracted by anyone pres the cancel transaction immediately and get your card) Do not use a machine if it looks unusually in any way, has a loose front, or anything stuck to it. Only insert cards into machines bearing the logo of your particular card. Most machines have a maximum withdrawal limit (usually Euro 250). Debit cards are preferable to credit cards, inn order to minimize costs.

Credit Cards
Major credit cards are widely accepted, but consider bringint more than one card, as some locations may not accept all types. Most shops and restaurants require a miniumu purchase amount so cards may not be appropriate for incidentals (snacks, sundries, etc.) Be prepared to show identification (passport) when making transactions. Bring at least two working cards with you. Check with your bank to ensure you are able to withdraw cash on your cards aborad (you may need a new PIN code).
Advise your bank that you will be traveling abroad and plan to use your card/s (to avoid fraud, they may refuse charges made overseas unless they know they are being made by the card owner).
Check that the cards are valid for at least 30 days beyond completion of your vacation.
Ask your credit card companies for emergency numbers (suitable for internationsl access-not those starting with 0800) to report loss. Always keep these numbers with you while traveling (but separate from cards).

Travelers Checks
Traveler’s checks are increasingly difficult to sue and exchange abroad. Euro traveler’s checks may be even more difficult to exchange, or incur substantial charges. Generally it is not possible to use checks as cash to purchase items in stores or pay for restaurant meals; they can usually be exchanged for currency at a local bank. On the rare occasions that you are able to use checks as cash, a processing fee may be applied (usually 2-3%). If you do bring a few travele4r’s checks for back-up safety reasons, we suggest larger denomination check ($50-$100) because of fixed-rate service charges per check when exchanging for cash.

Tipping Guidelines
Restaurants: where the service charge is already included, round up the check/bill by the equivalent of a few Dollars to show appreciateion; otherwised 10%-15% is a reasonable amount, depending on customer satisfaction/quality of service (tips are usually left in cash, not added to the credit card payment). In most Italian restaurants there is also a per person cover charge, which will be added to your check/bill.
Hotel Staff: It is customary to tip hotel staff Euro 1 for room service.
Tour Director: Euro 4-5 per tour day per tour member
Driver: Euro 3-4 per tour day per member.

Taxis
Fares are normally rounded up to the nearest 1-2 Euro. City rides should be metered, but in order to avoid unpleasant surprises, we recommend you pre-negotiate fares for journeys outside city limits.

Comfort on Airplanes & Avoiding Jet Lag
• To help the adjustment to new time zones, after take-poff set your watch to the time zone of destination.
• If your flight arrives in the morning, try to sleep onboard.
• If available, rub moisturizer on face and hands or spray your face with water from an atomizer to avoid dry skin
• If you feel pressure in your ears due to change in altitude, swallow, yawn, blow your nose or chew gum.
• Loose-fitting clothing is recommended. Wear comfortable shores and try not to take them off as feet occasionally swell during long flights.
• When possible, walk up and down the aisle to stretch limbs and get blood circulating, and to avoid having the seat press agains the bak of your legs for long.
• Drink plenty of water and avoid caffeine, and carbonated drinks. Eat light meals while traveling.
• Avoid wearing contact lenses because cabin air tends to dry them out.
• If you arrive at destination in the morning or afternoon, try to keep awake until evening to help your body clock adjust more quickly.

Shopping
See Customs websites for allowances and purchases you will be permitted to bring back from you vacation:
http://www.cbp.gov for the US
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca for Canada
http://www.customs.gov.au/default.asp for Australia
http://www.customs.govt.nz/default.htm for New Zealand

Packing Tips
• Due to increasing security measures, and more possibility of baggage being delayed, as a precaution place a couple of changes of underwear, socks and t shirt in the bottom of your hand luggage.
• Look in the back of your closet for that item of clothing that is still new but never worn/never likely to be worn for one reason or another. Include it in your packing, wear it on vacation a couple of times, then put it in the hotel charity box or the trash bin in your hotel room, saving room in your suitcase for items opurchases on vacation.
• Roll up casusal clothes to reduce wrinkles, or layer plastic bags between folded items.
Put a label with your name, address and telephone number on the inside of your suitcase and hand luggage together with a copy of your hotel contact details in case it gets lost or delayed.
• Divide and carry cash between yourself and your traveling companion if you have one.
• Hide a couple of $50. Or Euro 50 bills on your person as emergency vacation funds.
• We recommend traveling light (a color coding plan may help when deciding what to bring) and a wrinkle-resistant, easy-care cotton/polyester clothing.

We advise against traveling with large amounts of cash as insurance companies don’g reimburse for lost or stolen monies. We advise against traveling with expensive items or carrying anything with you that will create an emotional or financial hardship if lost or stolen. Leave keys, as well as valuabgle or favorite jewelry, at home. Also leave your address book; instead, carry a duplicate or brief list of important addresses and telephone numbers only.

Thinking about traveling to Canada? You’d better reconsider if you have been convicted of DWI or DUI (Driving While Impaired or Driving Under the Influence) within the last 10 years. Any type of impaired driving offence is considered the equivalent to the Canadian Criminal Code offence of impaired driving. This includes misdemeanor convictions.  Canadian law considers impaired driving to be a serious offence. This attitude is also held by most Canadians.

Across Canada, impaired driving is driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above .08 or driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. It is a serious offence to fail to give a breath sample when requested by police, with penalties the same as those for driving while impaired. A first offense conviction of impaired driving results in a criminal record, a minimum $1000 fine, and a driving prohibition for a minimum of one year.

Routine screening upon entry into Canada includes the question, “Have you ever been convicted of a crime?”  If you have been convicted of impaired driving – even if no collision was involved - you may be denied entrance.  Even with no other criminal violations. Think carefully.  Don’t lie about any convictions, regardless of how ‘trivial’.  This is especially true if  you’re entering from the U.S.  Increased cooperation between Canada and U.S., as part of post-911 security measures, means that the border agent could already have access to criminal records. Lying/forgetting about a conviction could get you barred from entry into Canada for many years.  

A person with a conviction may be deemed rehabilitated and be eligible for entry after a certain period has expired from the completion of the sentence imposed (which would include any driving suspension) on the conviction.   Depending on the offence, this period may be as short as 5 years or as long as 10 years. If a person cannot qualify for deemed rehabilitation, they may apply for individual criminal rehabilitation.

A person may not apply for  criminal rehabilitation for 5 years following the original conviction (note the difference with deemed rehabilitation where the period begins with the completion of the sentence).  After this five-year waiting period (assuming the person has not been convicted of another offence) Americans (for example) can apply for “criminal rehabilitation” by submitting the following:

1. An application form IMM 1444E
2. A passport size photograph
3. A copy of your passport data pages
4. An FBI police certificate
5. A state police certificate
6. Copies of court documents indicating the charge, section of law violated, the verdict, and sentencing
7. Proof of completed sentences, paid fines, court costs, ordered treatments, etc.
8. Copies of the text of the law describing the offence.
9. Detailed explanation of the circumstances surrounding the offence
10. Three letters of reference from responsible citizens.
11. A non-refundable processing fee of $180 USD

     Polly P. & Bob D. spoke the whole weekend about the steps as outline in the Big Book. Can we ever get enought spiritual susteance? I can’t. Although I snoozed off a few times, I believe that all those words are deeply imbedded someplace in my heart for God to retrieve when He needs me to pass them on. I am so grateful that Clancy tirelessly carries the message of hope and miracle to our society. His history talk was exactly right on and illuminating for everyone  who hasn’t heard it before. We are truly blessed to be in the Sunlight of the Spirit.

I can’t believe the nerve of sober concierge who stole my writing off my website and put it word for word as their first page. How do some people look at themselves in the mirror? It’s amazing. I sent them an email two years ago and they said they would change it and never did. What, nobody there can figure out how to write a paragraph on sober travel???? Would you go on a vacation with someone who doesn’t even know what they are offering well enough to write about it? I wouldn’t!