How to Transfer Between Cloud Files ... Quick, Easy and Free!

A while back I discovered SkyDrive (now called OneDrive), a place to store files "in the cloud" for free (up to 15GB).  I thought this would be a great place to back up this site and store our music files.  I can't imagine losing everything on this blog, or all of our music!  Ken and I have grown up listening to songs from the 60's and 70's, as well as the "oldies" from the 50's.  As we grow older, music continues to be an important part of our lives and we enjoy most of today's music too.  We don't like rap, country or some of the teeny-bopper bands, but we like the good stuff!

After downloading over 800 songs a little at a time, I've continued to upload new music files as I got them.  I've had no complaints with SkyDrive, but was getting a little nervous about the limit of 15GB of free storage (although much better than the initial 7GB).  Our music files are at about 8GB right now and I plan on storing movie files in the future, which could quickly eat up the rest of the available storage.  So when Google's cloud, Drive, gave me an extra 50GB of free storage (for a total of 65GB) after activating my very first smart phone this month (woo hoo!), I wondered if it was possible to quickly copy my music files from one cloud to another.

After a bit of research, I came across Cloudsfer, a free online service (first 10GB then a fee) that doesn't require any downloads and quickly moves and/or copies your files from one cloud to another.  I figured I'd give this a try, and it worked!  It was very easy, and I was able to copy all of my music files in just over an hour.  An hour was a lot less time than I'd spent downloading all the files to SkyDrive!  Now I can keep all of my music and future movie files in my Drive cloud, while keeping my SkyDrive storage for documents and backing up this site.  I may even store my photos there, but so far I've been happy with Photobucket for that.

So, if you want to move your cloud files around or copy them to another cloud (even a friend's cloud with their account/password information), Cloudsfer is a great solution!  With all the free cloud storage sites and the ability to move or copy files, I don't see the point of paying for cloud storage.

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BTW, wanna know how to record online music for a one-time payment of $20?!  It's how we've gotten most of our music (we do support our favorite musicians when we can), and I've written a post here.  We've been using this for a couple of years and love it.  

Wanna listen to your own music on your smart phone without taking up precious storage space?  Look for a post real soon about an app I found that allows us to stream all of our music files directly from the "cloud" to our new smart phones!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

A Win At The Casino!

View from our backyard and the canal to our "exit to freedom" ... if only we could hit the jackpot!

Ken and I recently escaped for a night to the nearby Mississippi Gulf Coast.  We found a good deal at one of the casino hotels, so we figured we'd book it.  The casino we stayed at isn't all that much, but we played blackjack for a couple of hours and were up about $6 between the two of us when we left the table.   We were happy since we'd been having fun and getting free drinks.  Since we were near the new "Golden Nugget" casino that we'd been wanting to check out,  we headed there next.  After signing up at the Player's Club, Ken got a free seafood buffet for his birthday that month ... the night was starting out pretty well.

After filling up on some finger-lickin' good king crab claws and shrimp, we headed out the restaurant with plans of finding a blackjack table.  About ten steps later,  I saw a sign about the "Collective Soul" concert that was going on that night.  Collective Soul ... tonight?!  In 5 minutes?!  I looked at Ken as I took a detour down the hall and told him I was going to find out how much the tickets were .. just curious.  I left Ken behind and walked down the hall and up to the woman taking tickets to ask how much they were.  Her answer:  "Are you here alone"?  Me:  "No, I'm with my husband. Why"?  Her:  "Well I have one ticket you can have".  Me:  "Really?!  Yes, I'll take it!  Thanks so much!  I'll still have to buy one more .. do you know where I need to go to buy one"?  Before she could say anything I felt a tap on my shoulder.  I turned around expecting it to be Ken, only to find an older man holding out a ticket.  Me:  "Is that for me?!"  Man:  "Yeah, you can have it".  I couldn't believe my luck!  In less than sixty seconds I'd scored two free tickets to the concert.  After thanking both of the generous folks again, I headed back down the hall to find Ken walking towards me.  I waved the two tickets in my hand ... we were going to the concert!  We walked into the room just seconds before the music started.  Ken & I have been to a ton of concerts, but we'd never seen Collective Soul before ... it was awesome!

With free drinks, $6 bucks in our pocket, 2-for-1 seafood buffet, and two free concert tickets ... I'd say we won at the casino!

We really needed this night to lift our spirits, and we are so grateful to those two generous strangers.  Perhaps some of our good karma is paying off.

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Blues In The Sun

After a rainy Saturday, Ken and I had to get outta the house on what was going to be a gorgeous Sunday.  What to do when our sailboat isn't ready and we're longing for something fun?  When watching the news Sunday morning, we saw that the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival was going on in New Orleans.  Bingo!  We jumped off the sofa and started getting ready.  This is a free festival in a park on the edge of the French Quarter, and it's always provided great food and music.  As I've mentioned before, Ken and I love music and it's always been a large part of our lives.  Free music in the city ... we're there!

We were glad to see that a guy we recently discovered at the New Orleans Jazz Fest was going to be there ... Jonathon Boogie Long.  He's from nearby Baton Rouge, and toured with B.B. King this past April.  I think he's got a successful future ahead of him.  This guy sings and plays the guitar with passion, and it was a real treat to watch him perform.  You can see his passion in the pics below ...

Blues in the sun, along with a few beers and some amazing brisket quesadillas, made a perfect day.  While we can't wait to start exploring other parts of the world, we're fortunate to live so close to a city that always seems to have something going on.  

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Running On Empty!

Since I wrote a post about "everything is broken", I feel like I'm "running on empty".  Our house hasn't sold yet, the repairs never stop, the bills keep coming in, and I'm working my butt off to keep from acquiring any new debt.  Lately, I've been putting in a lot of hours at the office and I haven't seen a dime.  I had to steal a few minutes to write this post!

As most of you probably know, I'm a real estate agent and it's been too long since I've sat at a closing table.  Now, before you start thinking, "Man, those real estate agents don't have to do anything!  They just show a house and wait for that nice check at the closing" ... let me tell you how it really is.  We deal with many buyers and sellers, and only a small percentage actually bring a closing.  Unless there's a closing, there is no payment for showing house after house in 98 degree weather, those late night phone calls, tough negotiations with other agents, and the mental breakdowns of a frustrated buyer or seller.  In fact, most of us agents have had to learn not to take things personally and deal with rejection, because we've all had those clients that used us up ... only to disappear off the face of the earth!  Get them pre-approved, find them temporary housing, show them countless houses ... and then they're gone.  WTH?!  It happens to the best of us.  I take my job seriously and I know I'm a hard-working, good agent but it's happened to me a couple of times this year ... ugh!

Anyway, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the closing I have scheduled in about 10 days goes through.  It would sure ease my mind a bit.  I'm not down, but have I mentioned lately that I can't wait to sell our house and be free from debt and timelines?!  A negative attitude won't make things easier so I focus on the fact that with every day that passes, we owe that much less on our debt.  I know our house will sell eventually.  It's definitely not priced too high and other homes in our waterfront subdivision haven't moved either (a perk of being an agent and able to always check out the market and the competition).  It's just a matter of bad timing and a lot of patience.

I've actually been looking for another job the past 4-5 months, and at 46 years of age that's been a scary experience.  After about 50 job applications from working at the grocery store, to retail stores in the mall, to an administrative assistant at the hospital I previously worked at for over 7 years ... I've only had two responses and interviews.  Needless to say, I didn't get the job.

Sometimes I think I'm going backwards.  We're supposed to be selling everything, ditching the rat race and sailing .. yet I'm out looking for a job?!  I tell myself it's all temporary and just like part-time cruisers ... I'm just doing what I need to do to cruise in the future. 

So, that's what I've been up to lately.  Pretty much the same for Ken.  He's making a living, but construction work ain't easy.  We're both tired and ready for a change.  Keep the good vibes coming our way!   

Gonna end this with a song I've always liked, "Running on Empty" by Jackson Browne.  When times get tough, may as well sing!  Here's a few of the lyrics too ... yep, a lot of us are running!

Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
Looking back at the years gone by like so many summer fields
In sixty-five I was seventeen and running up one-on-one
I don't know where I'm running now, I'm just running on.

Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
I don't know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels
Look around for the friends that I used to turn to to pull me through
Looking into their eyes I see them running too

Running on, running on empty
Running on, running blind
Running on, running into the sun
But I'm running behind

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Flippin Out!

Flippin Out in Nirvana's salon

When I received an unexpected package at work, I got excited and it felt like Christmas.  It's so nice to have a  surprise every now and then.  What could it be?  The only thing I could think of was that email I had responded to a few weeks ago about reviewing a cool new product.  I hadn't heard anything, so surely it couldn't be.  To my surprise ... it was!  What's the new product that had me so excited?  Flips!

Flips are HD headphones that are comfortable and provide great sound, but what's even better is that the headphones "flip" into speakers.  Since we have an iPod, I thought these would be great to have.  We'd finally have a way to listen to our music anywhere we wanted.   Flips fold up and come with a small carrying case with a clip, which makes them easy to transport and use.  How cool would these be for cruising?! 

Flips also come in black with a lime green accent

When I got home I immediately charged the Flips, which was supposed to take about 2.5 hours, but only took about 1.5 hours.  I couldn't wait to try these out, so I plugged in our iPod that night for Ken and I to listen to.  While I'm definitely no expert on sound quality, I do love my music.  I thought they sounded great! Ken has a better "ear" and he was impressed with the sound as well.  

The next night we figured we'd listen to the Flips and see how long a full charge would last.  The instructions stated that the Flips last about 2.5 hours when used as speakers, and up to 100 hours when used as headphones.  When the battery gets low, a little light will start blinking to let you know.  I'm not gonna test the 100 hours, but I can tell you that after listening to the speakers for 1.5 hours the Flips started to blink.  Another 30 minutes later they were still playing, but we were ready to call it a night.  Based on our experience, 2.5 hours seems to be an accurate estimate.

We've had the Flips for about 2 weeks now, and we're really enjoying them.  Ken has brought them in the garage while getting ready for the next day's work, we've brought them out back to chill in the evening, we've brought them on Nirvana while hanging out and making plans, and last night Ken even brought them into the bathroom while taking a shower!

Enjoying some tunes after work

Flips can hang just about anywhere

I will note that Flips are NOT waterproof, but I can imagine these really coming in handy when cruising.  I think of times when the headphones will be used ... when we're in a crowded anchorage or when one of us can't sleep.  The speakers will be nice to bring to the beach ... just find a place to hang them and keep them from the sand and water.

I don't get anything for your purchase, but I'd recommend these headsets.  Wal-Mart just started carrying Flips, and you can also order them online from their site.  If you order online by July 16th, you can get $10 off their $120 price and an upgrade to rush shipping by using the code:  FA0010INT

As Ken says when grabbing the headsets, "I'm gonna go Flip Out"!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

"Hello Old Friend"!

Eric Clapton in New Orleans!

If you read my recent post, you know that I was lucky enough to win a pair of tickets to the Eric Clapton concert in New Orleans.  The concert was this past Saturday night, and after spending the day working on our rental we were looking forward to a night out.  We met up with our daughter's future in-laws, who were also going to the concert.   After a few drinks at the Hyatt and meeting some other great folks, we made our way to the arena nearby.  

We were pretty pleased with our seats, and had a pretty good view of the stage.  "The Wallflowers" were the opening band, which should have been pretty good but the sound quality was terrible!  We really like some of their songs and were looking forward to hearing them, so we were disappointed.  We were hoping that Eric Clapton would sound better.

We love the guitar, and Eric Clapton is one of the best.  Ken and I had never seen him in concert before, so we were pretty excited about my win.  We weren't sure if Eric Clapton would turn out to be like our recent "Meatloaf" experience, which wasn't so good.  Poor guy used to have an amazing singing ability, but it's time for him to retire. 

As the stage lights came back on Eric Clapton and about six other guys (plus two female back-up singers) walked on the stage, grabbed their spots, and started jamming.  The first song was "Hello Old Friend", which we thought was a pretty good way to start the night.  Hearing so many of Eric Clapton's songs that we hadn't heard in so long was kinda like reuniting with an old friend.  Luckily, Eric Clapton sounded much better than "The Wallflowers" ... and "Meatloaf"!

  After all these years, Eric Clapton's still got it!  He picked up several guitars throughout the night, and played one familiar song after another.  About two hours later he sang a Joe Cocker hit, "Ain't It High Time We Went", and then he and his band "went".  

We really enjoyed the show and again felt lucky to be able to see such a legend.  Ken and I have been to a lot of concerts, and this one was one of the best.  There were no fancy laser shows or theatrics ... just good music.  

I started thinking about all the musicians we've seen over the years, and here's a few ... Greg Allman, Queen, Rush, Journey, Edwin McCain, Our Lady Peace, The Fray, Lifehouse, Eddie Money, David Bowie, Cheap Trick, Pink Floyd (one of my favorite bands), Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz, KISS, Cowboy Mouth,  Irma Thomas,Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Rockin' Dopsie, Tab Benoit, Kid Rock, Bozz Scaggs, Meatloaf (he was great the first time), James Taylor, Hillary Duff (with our daughter), Jessica Simpson (again with our daughter), Counting Crows, Black Crowes, The Black Keys, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tony Bennett (another contest win),Van Morrison, Dr. John, Fats Domino, Steely Dan, Steve Miller Band, Better Than Ezra, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, World Leader Pretend, Joe Cocker, Paul McCartney ... and so many more I can't remember!  Other than Rush (boring) and the second Meatloaf concert, I'd say all of these performances did not disappoint ... even Hillary Duff and Jessica Simpson were pretty good.  We love music, and we're lucky to live so close to New Orleans ... a city that always has a good band playing somewhere.  We saw a lot of these bands at the New Orleans Jazz  Fest that's always the last weekend in April and the first weekend in May.  There's also our favorite, the French Quarter Fest that's always mid-April and provides lots of free music throughout the quarter ... come on down!

By the way, Lenny Kravitz and Kenny Wayne Shepherd are also amazing guitar players and are on our "favorite concerts" list.  If you get to see any of these guys, don't miss it!  Did you know that Kenny Wayne Shepherd is NOT the singer?!  We had no idea until we went to see him play.  It turns out the young blonde-haired guitar player is Kenny Wayne Shepherd.  He mentioned the fact that most people don't realize that he's not the singer and that he doesn't sing as well as he plays the guitar so he needed a singer.  This young guy is really good, and we were pleasantly surprised to learn who he really was.

We look forward to listening to all the local island music once we start cruising!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Care!

 

By now we've all heard about the terrible tragedy in Connecticut four days ago ... 20 little children and 6 adults were shot and killed at their elementary school.  While I don't want to dwell on such tragic news, I feel compelled to at least dedicate one post to these victims, their loved ones, and the first responders.  It would be easier to just flip the channel as the story unfolds, but what if we all did that?!  If my child was taken from me so early and violently, I'd want to know that others cared about the loss that my family and my community had endured.

 

I've seen the faces of the victims, learned their names, and learned a little bit about each of them.  This took my breath away and really made this nightmare a reality.  I literally still cry every time I hear of a victim's life or the trauma that the survivors went through.  While the shooter isn't worth my time, his mother and family are also victims and my heart goes out to them.  The first responders also deserve our compassion.  They viewed a scene that will haunt them the remainder of their life. 

 

  My thoughts are with this community during their difficult time.  After all, this could happen anywhere and we could easily find ourselves in a similar nightmare.  While I feel helpless, I do know that I can "care".  I can do my part by living right, having compassion for others, and raising our daughter to do the same. 

 

If you've followed our blog for a while, you know that we love Kid Rock!  As he's matured, so have his songs.  Here's a few of the lyrics from his song on the "Born Free" album called "Care".  We love this song and I thought the lyrics were appropriate for this post. 

 

"Care" ... Kid Rock

 

Day by day my life gets colder. My eyes grow thin as I get older.

Peace in pieces, bloody and bruised.  I feel so helpless and confused.
'Cause I hear screaming on the left, Yelling on the right

I'm sitting in the middle trying to live my life.
'Cause I can't stop the war ... Shelter homeless, feed the poor.

I can't walk on water.  I can't save your sons and daughters.
Well, I can't change the world and make things fair .

The least that I can do, The least that I can do, The least that I can do is care.
Ooh, yeah, ooh I pray and pray for life's salvation.

Faith is tried and true in tribulation.

Love is lost and lonely, check the news

And with these open arms I'll wait for you

 

And here's the music video ... take a listen!
 

 

Speaking of caring, there are still a ton of great people in this mixed-up world!  In my last post, I wrote about a generous follower that donated to our cruising kitty.  Since then, we've received yet another donation from another generous follower!  We can't convey how appreciative we are of these donations, and how it warms our heart to be touched by such kind people!

 

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Ain't No Rest ...

After a whirlwind weekend in Florida, we can relate to the above photo.  The older we get, the longer it takes for us to recover from a good time!  Today's Friday, and we're almost back to normal.

Leaving town was almost impossible, and after coming home Sunday night we were quickly thrown back into reality.  This past week has been really tough, with being exhausted and fitting in work and hurricane repairs.  Sometimes it seems that we really pay for leaving town!  

Without going into a bunch of negative talk, let's just say that the hurricane repairs to our house have NOT been going smoothly.  Ken has been trying to find the source of our leaky roof.  You know how boat repairs just seem to grow ... same goes with our house.  With repairs complete on our home before the hurricane, and now re-doing sheetrock two and three times ... ugh!  Add to that some damage to our rental from an overflowing a/c in the attic AND the 8 month old pool pump destroyed by hurricane waters ... Ken replaced it before we left town and it's already burned up from oblivious tenant.  Pump number 3 to be installed tomorrow, and damage from a/c is just gonna have to wait for repairs.  We gotta get our house finished and sold!  It's been 4 months since we started renovations to our home, 2 months since we put it on the market, and 6 weeks since the hurricane damage ... we seem to be going backwards.

Speaking of going backwards, I thought I'd take a look at one of our top posts ... Anticipation and Frustration".  I had written this post back in October, 2010 amd wanted to refresh my memory.  I spoke of our hectic life and wanting to get our house sold no later than Spring, 2011 ... now I'm hoping for Spring, 2013!    It doesn't seem like much has changed, but at least we're ALMOST finished with our house and it is on the market.  We haven't had any viewings yet, but until the repairs are complete we're not pushing things.

Wait, I said I wasn't gonna have a bunch of negativity.  This is our life ... it is what it is.  We did have a great time with friends and this Sunday is gonna be a "No Work" day.  Maybe it shouldn't be, but it's required to keep our sanity and a positive attitude.  

Makes me think of that song, "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" ... we don't wanna "close our eyes for good" but we do look forward to the days of slowing down.  Guess we need to stop being wicked.

Oh, there ain't no rest for the wicked,

Money don't grow on trees

We got bills to pay,

We got mouths to feed,

There ain't nothing in this world for free.

I know we can't slow down,

We can't hold back.

Oh you know, we wish we could

No there ain't no rest for the wicked

Until we close our eyes for good!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Lady Luck and Birthday Meatloaf!

Meatloaf and Patty singing the infamous "Dashboard Lights"

Ken's birthday was this past weekend, so I gave him Meatloaf for his birthday!  No, not the food (although I have a great recipe) ... the band!  About 8 years ago we saw Meatloaf in concert and it was great!  So, when I saw that Meatloaf was coming to a nearby Mississippi Gulf Coast casino around Ken's birthday I bought some tickets.

The new Margaritaville Casino was nearby, so before the concert Ken and I made a visit to Jimmy Buffett's new place.  While we're not "high rollers", Ken and I enjoy playing $5 blackjack.  We quickly took a seat at a table and were immediately approached by the pit boss.  He was a great guy and in just a few minutes we had a $30 comp to the restaurant ... nice!  After about an hour and a half of playing cards and drinking free Landsharks, it was time to move on the restaurant's bar to use our comp for more Landshark and a huge pile of nachos!  We were starting out Ken's birthday night pretty good ... free beer, free food, and we each won at the blackjack table.  Ken won $15 and I won $75 ... enough to cover our concert tickets!  

Loved the decor ... check out the pineapple chandelier!

Enjoying a Landshark at the restaurant bar ... it looked like something from the Flintstones!

The restaurant is pretty cool, with Jimmy Buffett videos and music!

All those Landsharks required a trip to the bathroom ... the prettiest bathroom wall I've seen!

As the sun set, the bay's bridge lights made some pretty scenery.  We were wishing that our sailboat was docked in the marina!  

After stuffing ourselves with nachos and beer, we made our way to the concert.  We had great seats!   I have to admit that Meatloaf himself no longer has the voice he had 8 years ago.  His band pulled him through the show.  His voice quivered and he just couldn't sing anymore ... kinda sad.   However, Meatloaf puts on a great show, and his band is full of talent.  The piano player, saxophone player, guitarists ... all were amazing. Patty, the female vocalist, still has the same great voice that she had the last time we saw her.  We're not usually fans of female singers, but this woman has such an awesome voice!  She sang almost the entire show, and she really puts a lot of energy into her performance.

At the end of the show the band shot t-shirts into the audience, and as Lady Luck would have it ... I caught one!  It fits Ken ... a great way to end the night.

It's not too often that we can go to a concert, play blackjack, drink beers, eat nachos and bring home a concert t-shirt ... all for free!  Needless to say, we had a great time.  It's always better when you win!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Frugal Fridays - Download Free Music!

I've previously written about free music, but here's another way to download some of your favorite tunes.  If you have a library card, and that library is a participant, you can download music for free!  My local library is a participant, and I'm able to download up to 3 songs per week.

If you have a library card, just go to Freegal Music and type in your library card number.  If your library is a participant, you'll be able to download songs from their music library.

The library is often forgotten these days, but they provide so much more than books! 

  Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

*For those that missed the other posts of this series, check them out below:

• Frugal Fridays - The Rest Stop!                              Frugal Fridays - The Internet
• Frugal Fridays - Goodwill                                         Frugal Fridays - The Day After 
• Frugal Fridays - Happy Hour!                                 Frugal Fridays - A Little Patience
• Frugal Fridays - An Almost Free Vacation!           Frugal Fridays - Free Music!
• Frugal Fridays - The Class Room                            Frugal Fridays - Free Workout Videos!
• Frugal Fridays - Free Corona                                  Frugal Fridays - Bring It!
• Frugal Fridays - Credit Cards!                                Frugal Fridays - Retirement Accounts
• Frugal Fridays - Portion Control                              Frugal Fridays - Tour Like A Local!
• Frugal Fridays - Free Cloud Storage                         Frugal Fridays - Free Books!
• Frugal Fridays - Close to Home                                Frugal Fridays - Reward Cards
• Frugal Fridays - Negotiate!                                       Frugal Fridays - Invest in Life!
• Frugal Fridays - Wheels or Status Symbol?               Frugal Fridays - Do It Yourself!

Hawaiian Flashback!

Our first view of Maui

Three years ago today, Ken and I were on the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii with several friends.  We were celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary, and all of us were renewing our wedding vows on Waikiki beach!  I can't believe how fast time has flown and that we're already celebrating our 23rd wedding anniversary.  Ken and I have been together since high school ... 29 years.  Wow, that makes us sound so old!  We've spent a lot of years together, but we still have a lot of amazing plans for our future!

Here are a few pics from our Hawaii vacation and vow renewal in 2009.  Shortly after this vacation we started our cruising plan and purchased Nirvana 5 months later.  I guess that's why the past 3 years have gone by so fast!  

Scenes from Oahu and Maui, Hawaii!

Our 20th Wedding Anniversary Vow Renewal on Waikiki Beach!

View outside our hotel of Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head

I've created a Hawaiian playlist that puts us back on the islands.  You can listen too through Spotify ... I think you'll enjoy it!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

A Sunday With Jimmy Buffett!

Jimmy Buffett wearin' his "FREE SEAN PAYTON" shirt ... nice!

This past Sunday Ken and I were off to New Orleans for another free concert due to the Final Four event.  After Ken finished work for the day (again) we headed to the city around 3:00, just in time to catch the end of Big Sam's Funky Nation.  We'd heard of this local band, but this was the first time that we'd listened to them ... they were really good!

Next was local legend, Dr. John, and although he's been around a long time he's still got it!

Dr. John

Following Dr. John was a band we'd never heard of, the Avett Brothers.  They turned out to be yet another great band, really jammin' on the cello and banjo (among other instruments).   We love to see bands that use more than just the usual instruments.  

"Parrothead" for the day!

Our "Pampered Pirate" bag really came in handy!

Throughout the afternoon the crowd got thicker and thicker and we decided we'd better claim our spot!

Wearin' my "pop top" that the Mayor Gonzo Mays gave me during Mardi Gras!

Our daughter and her boyfriend joined us.

The sun set and at exactly 8:00 Jimmy Buffett came on stage, and the crowd cheered when they saw what he was wearing ... a "Free Sean Payton" t-shirt!    As always, he put on a great show and had a huge screen behind him that showed great views of the tropics.  We felt like we were off on some island with him!

As the show was coming to an end, a big surprise!  Our Saint's football coach that our city loves so much, Sean Payton, walked on the stage!  Sean proceeded to take a spot behind the bongos and played them during the song, "Changes in Latitudes, Change in Attitudes" ... so cool!

Who Dat on the bongos?!

Payton on the bongos, and the blonde backup singer that's been with Jimmy forever ... lucky girl!

Here's a video of Sean Payton playing the bongos with Jimmy.  The next day the news reported that Sean Payton jokingly said he wasn't worried about his suspension 'cause he got a job with Jimmy Buffett!

Looks like Sailor Jerry was in town too ... sweet car!

Needless to say, we had a great time and wished we didn't have to go to work the next day!

Hasta luego ... until then!  Mid-Life Cruising!

KISSed in New Orleans!

KISS Love!

This past Friday night kicked off the "Final Four" basketball celebration in New Orleans.  While Ken and I aren't into basketball, we took advantage of the free festivities and went to the KISS concert in a park on the banks of the Mississippi River.  

I love this picture ... what a great view for the concert!

Frugal Fridays - Free Music!

Free is always a good thing, right?  I've posted about this before, but it's been a while and I thought this would be a great addition to the "Frugal Fridays" series.  There's a fairly new product in the US called "Spotify!", and it is awesome!  It's an online radio that has been around for some time in other countries, and it's finally here in the USA.  What makes this online radio so great is that you control exactly what you listen to.  It's like having a huge music library at your fingertips! You just type in an artist, album, or genre and hit play!  You can even create a playlist and share the link with your friends that also have Spotify.

But what if you want this music when you're not online, or you want it on your iPod or CD?  Well, Spotify provides some options, but there's another great product called Replay Music.  This product allows you to record music from any online radio or video!  To make it even better, you can set Replay Music to transfer all of your recordings to your music files on your computer (doesn't have to be iTunes) and/or to your mp3 player/iPod once it's finished recording.  I've been using this for a few months now, and I LOVE IT!  I transfer the recordings to my computer's music files, then using WinAmp (no iTunes for us), I transfer them to my iPod.  Unless the price has changed recently, Replay Music is only $20 bucks.  That's one heck of a deal!

With the two of these products, I'm already working on quite a music library for our sailboat!  In fact, here's a link to a my "Reggae" playlist that I created.  Of course, you need to join Spotify first to listen to this.  I hope you enjoy it, and check our Facebook page in the future for more playlists.

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

*For those that missed the first seven posts of this series, check them out below:

• Frugal Fridays - The Rest Stop!
• Frugal Fridays - The Internet
• Frugal Fridays - Goodwill
• Frugal Fridays - The Day After 
• Frugal Fridays - Happy Hour!
• Frugal Fridays - A Little Patience
• Frugal Fridays - An Almost Free Vacation!

Frugal Fridays - A Little Patience!

This week's "Frugal Friday" tip may seem like yet another common sense tip, but aren't they all?  I mean, being frugal is just a way of life and it's really not rocket science.  Anyway, my tip for today is ... have a little patience.  It seems that today's society is always in a hurry ... too much of a hurry!

When you're in the market for something, do a little research and hold out if you can.  For instance, I've been wanting a hammock for Nirvana for quite some time now and recently decided that I'd like to start actively looking for a hammock for the upcoming summer months.

I surfed the internet a little bit, only to find that most hammocks were a little pricey.  Since we've not yet begun our cruising life, I knew that I didn't need a really expensive hammock ... just something to get us through a few seasons.  So, I decided to hit the Wal-Mart, Target, and Academy stores to see what they had to offer.  It turned out they didn't really have much either.  Then, I decided to go where I should have begun my shopping ... the outlet stores.

As luck would have it, the very first outlet store that I went to had what I was looking for ... woo hoo!  Yep, the local "Ross" store had four hammocks on clearance for just under $10 bucks!  These canvas hammocks came in a variety of colors, and included a matching storage bag.

So, my find is just a reminder to be patient, be flexible, and shop around!  Now, I'm not saying that in every instance you should give up quality for a cheap price.  However, a lot of things do have an inexpensive substitute that will work just fine.

In my life, there have been many times when I knew of something that I wanted and managed to make it fit into my budget.  No, I didn't stretch my budget!  I just took my time (heard of island time .. get used to it!) and looked around for substitutes that would have the same or similar effect.

A great example is when I decorated our home that we moved into a few years ago.  I saw really expensive "looks" in magazines and stores, thought about the effect I was trying to create, then found very similar substitutes.  Now, if you insist on getting things as soon as the desire hits you, then this won't work for you.  But I tell you, I am very pleased with the look and feel of our home.  I don't think I'd feel much different if I'd paid $60 per curtain panel instead of the $8 per panel that I paid.  The savings caused me to go without curtains for a little while, but I've learned not to stress the small stuff.  If that was going to cause me to stress, than I was gonna have a rough road ahead of me .. LOL!

As I mentioned earlier, having patience is also a big factor in living the frugal lifestyle.  After all, the consumer's lack of patience is what the marketers are counting on!  Why do you think they place all those "impulse" products at the checkout counter?

Roll Me Away!

Not much exciting happening lately.  Unfortunately, football season is over here in New Orleans and we haven't spent any time on the water.  I've been working with Ken the past several days painting the inside of a client's house.  I don't mind painting, as long as I don't have to paint trim or cut in ... just roll!  After several days of "rolling" while dreaming of the day we become cruisers, the song "Roll Me Away" by Bob Seger kept running through my mind.  After all, this song is about hope and choices!  Plus, before Ken and I bought a sailboat we spent a lot of time on our motorcyles.  They've been neglected for quite a while now .. time to clean them and go for a spin soon!

Here are a few of the words to this song ...

Stood alone on a mountain top, starin' out at the Great Divide
I could go east, I could go west, it was all up to me to decide
Just then I saw a young hawk flyin' and my soul began to rise
And pretty soon My heart was singin'!

Whether on two wheels or on the waves of the water ... just "ROLL ME AWAY"!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Forty Five?!

Yes, today I am forty-five years old!  I can't believe how the time has flown.  It seems like just yesterday I was sixteen, hoping that when I turned thirty I would still be feeling young.  Thirty seemed so old at the time.  Now I'm 45, and 65 doesn't sound old ... or that far away!   Luckily my fears did not come true, and I don't feel any different than that 16 year old.

Today also marks two years since Ken and I became the proud owners of our sailboat, now named Nirvana!  Yep, we made the deal for Nirvana on my 43rd birthday.  Needless to say, that was a pretty awesome birthday!   Although we're not as far along in our cruising plans as we thought we'd be after two years, we're pretty happy with the progress that we've made on our sailboat.  Part of the fun of cruising is getting there, so we're trying to be patient and enjoy the journey.

We're big fans of "Kid Rock", so I thought I'd share a funny little song that he sang about getting older, called "Forty!".   We first heard this song at this year's New Orlean's Jazz Fest and loved it.  I think you'll enjoy it too!

I'd say we have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.  We hope you do too!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

NKOTB - Memories n Melodies!

NKOTB (New Kids On The Boat) ... A Weekly Series Sharing Our Thoughts and Questions as Beginner Sailors and Future Cruisers.  NKOTB or Experienced Cruiser ... Tell Us Your Thoughts!

I'm writing this post today, about 5 hours after I usually already publish it.  Why?  Well, my computer's been giving me problems all week, and after researching the internet it may be due to downloading the latest iTunes on my Windows Vista computer.  Ugh!  So, I'm using another computer and writing this post real quick, so bear with me.

Since all of my computer problems seemed to start when trying to update my iTunes for my iPod, I thought it would be appropriate for today's topic to be about memories and melodies ... or pictures and songs while cruising.

These problems that I'm encountering have got my wondering ... what do cruisers do to store and protect their songs and photos while exploring paradise?  Currently, I am using Photobucket and my Facebook page to store my photos.  I also have copies on my computer, but if my computer loses everything, will Facebook and Photoshop be sufficient? 

Music is very important to us, and we couldn't imagine cruising without a large music library.  I've been downloading music to iTunes and then syncing iTunes with our iPod.  Our music library is pretty large now, so I just copied all of our music files to a flash drive.  Now that our music is safe on our iPod and flash drive, I'm thinking that I really need to delete all of the music files from our computer, as they are taking up a ton of space.    Is this my only option to make more space on my computer?

I hope to purchase an inexpensive video camera soon, as well as start downloading movies for those days when we're stuck in our salon.  So, I have the same questions regarding movies and storing them. 

I've taught myself everything I know about computers, therefore spending a crazy amount of time learning the ins and outs of creating a blog, a Facebook account, etc.  I'd really like to save some time and would love to know what you all are doing to keep your memories and melodies safe, without crashing your computer!

Also, since I believe iTunes is the problem ... I'm wondering how I can sync my iPod to Windows Media Player instead of iTunes.  I've been able to sync our flash drive to Windows Media Player, but my iPod already has a "relationship" with iTunes, which I can't get to ... help!

With the latest technology, I believe capturing memories and sharing them with friends and family is such a nice option.  Your advice about WiFi, music, videos, photos, etc. are greatly appreciated!
Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Note:  Here are the previous posts from this series.  Check them out and feel free to give us your advice.  We've really enjoyed reading your comments!

• NKOTB - Bad Weather!                                               NKOTB- The Anchor!
• NKOTB - Sailing Experience Required?!             NKOTB - The Right Boat!
• NKOTB - How Much Will Cruising Cost?             NKOTB - Cruising ... The Guilt Trip
• NKOTB - Private Space                                               NKOTB - Overnight Passages
• NKOTB - Hygiene!                                                         NKOTB - "Down Under"!
• NKOTB - Sea Creatures!                                              NKOTB - Comfort!