righters re:treat

Camping is the new traveling.

Anyone out there?

Not sure if anyone still reads this, but might I direct you to my original blog astoltz.blogspot.com

the most recent post is some photos from my trip to the Cook Islands. My job after the cruise ship job sent me there to escort a group of travel agents around.


http://astoltz.blogspot.com/2010/07/film-from-far-away-lands.html

New Job

So I realized my last post is a little outdated. For those of you who care (basically friends' parents and my mom), I'VE GOT A JOB! A real one. And I've kept it/stayed for a whole month!

I now am an Account Coordinator at Myriad Marketing in Manhattan Beach, CA assisting in the representation of destinations such as: The Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, The Australian Outback, Macau, and much more.

So, take that, and rewind it back.

Yur gurlz got a salary son!!!

Business Casual Photos To Follow

Next Adventure?

Antelope Canyon!

I just learned about this place...sounds like a great weekend trip now that I HAVE A JOB!

That's right people, I got a real deal career job 9-6, 45-50 hour week gig.

I will be doing marketing & PR with Myriad Marketing in Manhattan Beach, CA

I start Feb 1st. Details to follow (as always).

-Al Pal

Forget using my degree....

I just applied for this job


The Tooth Fairy visits schools and makes brief presentations to children to children up to 4th grade using our classroom ready content. This includes leading classroom exercises as well as showing cartoon videos that teach children how to care for their teeth. You will also distribute toothbrushes to the kids and other oral health related material.

Here's my cover letter for such a prestigious position. I actually think I would love it and it's part time babies. And temporary.

----

If you want to track your travel

i recommend this. very thorough.

• Create your own travel map or travel blog


• Find cheap flights at TripAdvisor

Beating You To The Punch

Now that I've finished my contract with the cruise ship, many of you might ask me "What's Next?".

Well, I'm beating you to it and going to tell you What's Next.

1) I've reapplied to Norweigan Cruise Lines giving them my availablility Jan-MAy 2010 for another seasonal (short) contract. My #1 ship is Jade which goes here.

If I don't get Jade, I applied for Dawn which goes here and my friends Janelle and Bern will be aboard during a charter cruise called Cayamo.

It goes here.

And Lastly i chose one out of LA in hopes of staying close to family and friends while still working on the high seas...on booze cruises.





2) Working on an organic farm in my mother country (or other country).

Farm 0001

LOCATION: center of the transylvanian highlands, 400m over sea level, hilly grassland with woods and high diversity. Agricultural use, small farm entities, touristic area.
FARM: mixed organic (biodynamic) farm, roses for cosmetic use, herbs, vegetables, soft fruit, cereals, 10 cows, fodder crops.
MONTHS WHEN WE ACCEPT VOLUNTEERS: April - September
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES: garden works, planting, weeding, seeding, harvesting, herbs, roses, fruit, jam preparation, cheese preparation, making bread, marketing, harvest of hay and straw.
SIZE OF FARM: approximately 35 HA: 22 PASTURE AND GRASSLAND, 5 ROSES, 7 CEREALS, 1 VEGETABLES AND HERBS
FAMILY: the farm is run by two agric,. engineers, 1 tractorist, a cook, two persons responsible for the animals, vocational training for 5 young adults.
LANGUAGES: English, German, Romanian
DO YOU HAVE PETS? dogs and lots of cats
DIET: we eat meat but a vegetarian can survive easily.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: the farm is only in year 3 of its existence, there ae many construction works, accomodation is very simple, hot shower and rich food is assured. Next town and rail station si 8 km.

3) I also applied for a very wonderful job for May-August which I don't want to get my hopes up so I won't even jinx it with a photo. Should find out by January. If not I will apply to work May-Whenever back on the Gem going Here

4) I am sending out a letter and resume to STA Travel inquiring about current openings within their organization. Details to follow on that.

5) Also, a Costa Rican woman I met...the wife of the chief engineer...owns a few hotels and islands and offered me to come live with her and her family while I get an 8 month tourism degree.

WHO KNOWS?

Video From Monaco

What I came across in front of the Montecarlo Casino. (old video but i finally got internet)

MERRY LOVELY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I miss all you guys so much and I have to say.......something weird and definitely not anticipated has occurred...and I can only assume that tucked back deep in my psyche or subconscious or something it's because I'm longing to be with all of you in this holiday season...but I'M TOTALLY GRINCHIN!!!!!!!!!SCROOGEFEST 2009!!

Ya! Can you believe it!??! The last 5 things that have occurred starting with a 4am wakeup from drunken coeds screaming and turning all the lights on in my safehaven cabin---- all the way to now where I just got my revised schedule for today that says instead of working 1030am and getting off at 8pm (Everyone rotates to have this EASY DAY once a week...mine is on xmas)...and anyways now I work 730 to 1am. Neat. In between were a few more Debbies (Debbie Downers) for me but I'm trying to turn my mind around with an NPR "All Songs Considered XMAS Edition" Podcast. So listen with me please to Snowed In's "White Christmas" and maybe your positive vibes will come eastbound.

Wow I already feel em coming!

Today is a Merry Merry day and many children's dreams are coming true and for that I can celebrate.

And you know, it is Jesus' birthday and I never pass up a good party!

And things aren't really that bad...I'm going to bring my ipod to work and turn all the 6-9 yr olds into hipsters and liberals with my NPR mix.

ANDDDDDDDDDD I have unlimited hot chocolate here! That solves it, I'm going to get some cocoa!

Much love to you all and see you soon and very soon!

Peace

The highs

More details to follow up but here's the highlights

1) somehow got on stage at the crew bar to sing Final Countdown with the Gem Band "Prisim". I will not deny the 80s rock head-banging that transpired during the guitar solo and subsequent neck muscular failure. So i'm back in bed early at night and fixin to get a heat pack from the doctor soon.

2) STRANGER SHOUT OUT: This one goes to Javier from the BAhamas NAtional Guard for the free shuttle ride from the ship to town with miniml sexual advances and a confusing recommendation to use the "free internet cafe...only $5".

3) an all too close bathroom accident involving an indian man and his country fare.

And that's all for now folks.

My most recent thought

Sorry if I'm getting a little existential for you my 16 readers, but this is my most recent thought:

Isn't it weird how the people who choose you for a job, choose the life you will lead in many ways.

I wonder if they know they have this kind of power.

finally, some negativity!

ok i'm going to make this short because i'm in a really negative mood right now and no one needs to hear too much griping from a 23 year old girl working in the bahamas on a cruise ship. it's just wrong.

and plus i just bought this thermos from walmart and i couldnt be more pleased. thanks kikfeichy for the inspiration.

but i've hit the point in the contract where everything annoys me. someone stopped in front of me when i was walking down the main "highway" of the crew floor and you should have heard the inner monolgue of mine...something straight out of a 13 year old boy's myspace bulletin about his idiotic parents.

it's crazy, i don't know whats changed, maybe it's the fact that i've been feeling really stiff and sore with a headache since new york (saturday) but still , i know everyone's got their ailments. speaking of stiffness & headache, i finally went to the doctor...that's actually when i got the negativity bug...in the waiting room. (prob not the only thing i caught with GI supervirus sweeping the ship and some South African photographer hacking all over me, not to mention some little girlt he night before screaming in my ear so hard that a mass of saliva and snot shot out of her mouth and on to my jacket and hands.

where was I?

oh ya,negativity.

so after waiting from 930 to 11 to just see the doctor, a 5 minute consultation, and a confusing direction to the exit which actually brought me to a womans room who was reciving some "procedure" i cannot name----with all that--- I had only a theoretical "Muscular Virus" diagnosis, Vitamin C tablets, Ibuprofen, ICYHOT (as if I didnt smell like old people enough after the Transatlantic Cruise) & MUSCLE RELAXERS to treat my soreness ---to show for myself.

Fine, at least I had some serious drugs I could either take, or sell to any rave-wanabees in the teen center.

And we were in the Bahamas on a private island, so this California girl new a quick tan sesh and dip in cool clear waters could right any wrong...

But no, as I swiped my card to get off the ship the alarms sounded. Alarms make people look at you suspiciously, wanna know what makes people look ever moreso? When all the security start yelling "NO NO NO, GI GI GI, SUPERVIRUS, SHE HAS GI!)

Move over scarlet letter, GI is in this season onboard the Norweigen Gem and most cruise ships. But it was just a miunderstanding. the doctor forget to clear me after our consultation. it could be cleared up easily & quickly, and leave me bronzing in no time, right?

Wrong.

I will spare you the details, but after the entire security team of Nepal's finest, millions of terrified onlookers, two nurses, 1 unsuccessful trip to the medical center, and one very slow walking Doctor arrived, I was cleared 1.5 hours later and able to sit in the afternoon shade of Grand Stirrup Cay.

That was yesterday. Today is today. I feel better venting all that.

And Bye Bye Bye is playing so I'm smiling and thinking of me, bern, & lanas night in my car in Culver City.

And I am reminded that I am going to give a special shout out to my bestest lovely cutest brightest most amazinigest funniest cousin Taylor an

and my power just ran out so ihad to go back to my cabin adn get a power cord! see everything is so HARD. haha. ok here comes a little girl i have to babysitt for the day so nore more writing.

no pictures for today, as my negativity does not inspire photography...though now that i'm thinking perhaps i will work on a project highlighting my current genre of sentiment.

much love to you all AND ESPECIALLY TAYLOR!!!!

peace
al pal

Wanna see some real magic?

BARCELONA PICS UP

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Young Life Comes To Cruise Ships

So my favorite part about Young Life are the gamezzz (well, few other things too like proclaiming the freedom gospel of an infinitely loving God) but the GAMESSS!!!!

So i mentioned earlier we tried something "new" aboard the Norweigen Gem and I got to be a part of it. Here's the pics of the first annual Norweigen Gem Family Double Dare Challenge!

And for you YLers who were concerned, yes Cheeto Face was represented well!!!!

Crossed The Atlantic

Hey Peeps, It's been a little while since I last wrote. We have made it across the Atlantic from Barcelona to New York! ...(With a few stops in the first 4 days...Cannes, Livorno, Civitaveccia, Corsica, & Malaga). 6 Days at sea and we didn't even get to get off in NY because of immigration and a Coast Guard drill that took twice as long as expected.

I wasn't too bummed to not get off because i havent been feeling well....no GI or a supervirus, my body is just really achy and sore adn all i wanna do is sleep. My guess in dehydration & exhaustion which means i'm cutting back on the cabin parties and countless coffees per day. I'm sure i'll be better today since i slept from 2pm-6am and am writing to you now.

My next excitement is we land in Pt Canaveral tommorow and there's a walmart!!! I can't wait for cheap stuff!

We got new uniforms is the rumor, I hope the pants are respectable.

ok hopefully i get off in FL next stop so i can use my phone, because the ship doesn't really get any service.

Love
ally

PISA tOURIST photos

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

PHOTOS: Nice & Monaco & Montecarlo!

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6th day at sea!

And rumors we won't get off the ship in NY which will mean 9 days at sea total. Needless to say, I have no travel photos but a multitude of cabin party ones. Here's some highlights, as you can see I haven't let a little makeup change me and my facial expressions in most pics.

I miss everyone and can't wait to get to US waters to make some well-deserved phone calls.

LOVE XOXO

PS Gossip girl, ihavent watched in 2 days. OVER ITTTT




Peace Corp Boy and Alabama Slammah Sandwich

Got a call from security the next morning but luckily Tango my roomate has them all in the palm of her hand....


Coworker Dinner;;;check that face


Weirdest night cabin party in the botox dotor's room with hypnotista from colorado and Peruvian dealer. Tango my roomate is the one in the middle. I'm on the right.

Rome Photos Up!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=35167243&l=3cf25a654e&id=10801606

Click there for more~!