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I did the dreaded task of changing Bulletin computers
By John Toth The Bulletin Changing Bulletin computers is no tea party, which is why I don’t do it all that often. But when I saw a deal on Black Friday, I could not resist, and now The Bulletin’s main computer is brand new and has all the features that I need - and want. A few weeks ago I wrote about the process of buying this magnificent addition to the Bulletin’s Production Department, which had not been upgraded for four years, mostly because the old computer I was using w
2 days ago3 min read
My personal New Year's resolution picks
By John Toth The Bulletin I cannot promise that I’ll resolve to exercise more, because that would give me less time in the gym to play with my phone. So, that’s out. Saving money is great. I like doing that. I have always stretched the life of my cars to extinction and beyond. Making smart financial decisions when you’re young will be rewarding in your later years. It has worked for me very well. Remembering peoples’ names when I first meet them will be a challenge, but I’ll
Jan 122 min read
Krampus shadowed St. Nick in my early childhood
By John Toth The Bulletin When I was a child, and December rolled around, we anxiously awaited Dec. 6, St. Nicholas Day - anxiously because there was a good and a bad side to that day, and the night before. I was born in a country where, for some reason, our ancestors decided that a good guy and a bad guy should visit the children on the same night. After all, what would a celebration of St. Nicholas be without an antagonist? St. Nicholas was a fourth-century Greek bishop of
Dec 1, 20253 min read
Return to sender, address unknown, no such number, no such zone
By John Toth The Bulletin An invoice I sent out in June just came back to me marked as “undeliverable.” Maybe it was, but why did it take...
Oct 6, 20253 min read
Toothpaste becomes expensive once the ship sails
By John Toth The Bulletin I love cruising, but there are some problems that are harder to solve in the middle of the ocean than on dry...
Sep 22, 20253 min read
Pesky calls remind me of past mischief
By John Toth The Bulletin We have been inundated every day by calls to The Bulletin for weeks, but not in a good way. Within the good...
Aug 25, 20253 min read
After 40 years, we made it back to an improved Nassau
After 40 years, we made it back to an improved Nassau
Aug 18, 20254 min read
Did Ernest Hemingway’s great, great, great grand cat steal my sunglasses?
By John Toth The Bulletin During our recent visit to Key West, Florida, one of our must-see stops was Ernest Hemingway’s home. When...
Aug 11, 20253 min read
We weren’t all that certain what would happen if the Y2K Bug reset computers to year 1900
By John Toth The Bulletin The year was 1999. Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” topped the charts; “Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom...
Aug 4, 20253 min read
Apollo 11 captivated the world, had me glued to the TV
By John Toth The Bulletin It was July 25, 1969, the day I found myself glued to the television set as the Apollo 11 Astronauts prepared...
Jul 14, 20253 min read
Cruise ships’ comedy is good, but Dennis was better
By John Toth The Bulletin Doing stand-up comedy is a hard way to make a living in the entertainment business. It takes a special kind of...
Jun 23, 20253 min read
Talking is hard after the dentist sticks a drill in my mouth
By John Toth The Bulletin I was sitting in the dental chair the other day as the dentist’s drill was churning relentlessly in my mouth....
Jun 14, 20253 min read
I waited all year for the endless summer to begin and hit the road to my summer job
By John Toth The Bulletin I was driving up to the hideaway and noticed that school buses started popping up on the streets around...
Jun 2, 20253 min read
I love cruising, but it also makes me grateful to live in the U.S.
I love cruising, but it also makes me grateful to live in the U.S.
May 27, 20254 min read
I took the roundabout way to graduating high school, college through 3 countries, languages
By John Toth The Bulletin When I was running around in the school yard in the third or fourth grade, I fully expected to graduate from...
May 19, 20253 min read
Cruising, sunshine and vitamin sea
By John Toth The Bulletin After my sixth cruise in two or three years, I am finding myself to be a guide to other cruisers not as...
May 12, 20254 min read
They say even young people need wills, so we finally got one
By John Toth The Bulletin I told some friends that I don’t have a will yet, and they were puzzled. “What do you mean you don’t have a...
Apr 14, 20253 min read
How I spent my first Easter in our new home, country
By John Toth The Bulletin The year was 1968. It was Easter, and I was an altar boy at St. Stephen of Hungary Catholic Church in the upper...
Apr 7, 20253 min read
The train ride: How my mother and I escaped from behind the Iron Curtain to the West
By John Toth The Bulletin It was a busy day on March 6 while I was working on The Bulletin, when I realized that this was not just...
Mar 17, 20255 min read
I turned car mechanic, but it became too complicated
By John Toth The Bulletin It was one of those very warm winter days when I decided to turn on the van’s air conditioner, just for a...
Feb 24, 20253 min read
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