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On the Map: Surviving Martha’s Vineyard (A Harrowing Cruise Catastrophe)
On the Map is a feature at LGBTSr for the not-so-weary traveler.
By Mark McNease
We just went on another great cruise, which is my favorite way to vacation. For me it means no cat litter, no chores, no obligations, and no appointments. I get on the ship and go where it takes us. And as much as I’ve enjoyed the different ports we’ve been to over the years, I also luxuriate in sea days. Nothing to do but relax, read books, and of course eat. Food is the one great, irresistible temptation on a cruise for me. Judging by the other passengers, it’s just as much of an attraction for them. The only drawback this time is that I’ve been on a GLP-1 medication since August and lost 30 lbs. I knew it was going to be a challenge not to backslide. Now that we’ve been home for almost a week, I think the damage was minimal.
The cruise went from Bayonne, NJ, where we prefer to leave from so there aren’t any flights involved. We sailed from there to Martha’s Vineyard, then on to Charleston, SC, and finally to Bermuda. We’ve been to Charleston and Bermuda before, and there wasn’t any particular reason I wanted to go again except that’s where the ship went. The real experience this time was Martha’s Vineyard and our near-death experience in a lifeboat masquerading as a tender.
Cruise ships are too large to actually dock at the Vineyard so they transport you from ship to land using small boats (tenders). Most times the ship hires a local third party to provide the tenders, but this time they used lifeboats. We knew the weather was going to be raining the day we were there, but no one expected what happened. We got on land in about 15 minutes, and discovered that on offseason there’s really not much happening at Martha’s Vineyard. We didn’t venture far from the ship, just walked around the little town area that’s there and bought some souvenirs, followed by lunch. The weather was getting worse so we decided to head back, and that’s when the harrowing experience began.
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This Week’s Survey: What’s Your Favorite Kind of Murder Mystery?
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Wishful Doing: Name Your Poison
Welcome to Wishful Doing, a practical guide to creating the lives we want to inhabit, one action at time. No supernatural ingredients are required.
By Mark McNease
“Have patience with all things. But, first of all with yourself.”
―Francis de Sales
Observing the current cultural and political climate, I’m reminded of a scene from the westerns once so popular with American moviegoers. A bartender in a grimy, dusty saloon, says to a weary customer, “Name your poison.” The customer asks for whiskey—they all drank whiskey in the movies, with names like Rot Gut and Dead Eye—and the bartender serves him from a bottle on the shelf. The customer throws back a mouthful from a greasy shot glass, grimaces as it burns its way down his throat, then smiles, slaps the glass on the counter and orders another one. That sure felt good.
Today we have many things to choose from besides whiskey as we name our poisons. We have twenty-four hour cable news channels to make sure we’re alarmed, angry and indignant. We have addictions of a breathtaking variety, from sex to nicotine to apps making us feel special with every little balloon bursting on our smartphone screens, while data miners dig further and further into what remains of our privacy. But like that weary cowboy in that filthy saloon, we enjoy the way it feels going down and we order another one.
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Survey Results: What’s Your Favorate Way to Vacation?
Thanks to everyone who took the latest survey! Look for a new one this week. Here are the results (multiple selections are allowed). – Mark
Pack my bags! I’ll go anywhere 43.75 percent
Call me a homebody – staycations are my thing 12.50 percent
I’m retired – every day’s a vacation 37.50 percent
What’s a vacation? 12.50 percent -
Savvy Senior: Top Job Search Resources for Older Job Seekers
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
What websites or apps can you recommend to help older people find employment opportunities? I’m 60 and have been out of work for nearly a year now and need some help.
Seeking Employment
Dear Seeking,
To help you find employment, there are a number of job-search websites and apps specifically tailored to older workers seeking full-time, part-time or remote positions. Here are 10 great options that are recommended by U.S. News & World Report for 2025, most of which are completely free to use.
AARP Job Board (jobs.aarp.org): Designed for workers 50 and older, AARP’s job board allows users to search by job title, keyword, company or location. The platform also offers search filters for full-time, part-time and remote work opportunities. Employers who are part of AARP’s Employer Pledge Program are committed to hiring older workers.
CareerOneStop (careeronestop.org): Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, you can use this site to explore career opportunities, access training programs and job-search resources. You’ll also find help looking for a remote job, filling out a job application, getting started as a self-employed person and choosing a path that’s right for your stage in life.
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The Weekly Readlines May 14
From the Editor’s Desk: It’s a short one this week – I’m on a cruise!
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S STOP STORIES
Trump Limits Kids to Two Dolls Each, Snags $400 Million Plane for Himself
How many dolls can you fit on a flying palace?GOP to Cut Medicaid by $880 Billion to Fund Tax Cuts for Oligarchs
Home remedies set to make massive comebackPop Leo Makes Woke Great Again
Infuriates MAGA with Jesus’ teachingsEpiscopal Church Refuses to Help Resettle White South African ‘Refugees’
Meanwhile, Afghanis will be sent back to the loving arms of the TalibanLGBTQ
Abortion Bans Are Disproportionately Hurting LGBTQ+ People – MSN
HHS Deletes Mental Health Report On Utah’s Transchildren – Advocate.Com
Dr. Fauci Receives Harvey Milk Award, Reflects On Legacy Of Love And Public Health
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This Week’s Survey: What’s Your Favorite Way to Vacation?
This week’s survey seems appropriate. What’s your favorite way to vacation, if at all?
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Health Beat: Bridges, Dentures and Implants (Oh, My)
By Mark McNease
As anyone knows who has not simply let their teeth fall out, effectively gumming their way through life, dental work is incredibly expensive.
In some ways I consider myself fortunate to only have about 8 ‘real teeth’ left. You can’t need expensive dental work on teeth you don’t have! The rest—those spaces where my natural choppers used to be—are filled in by very reasonable facsimiles with the cumulative price of a small automobile.
My lower front teeth were replaced about 15 years ago with a permanent bridge. The dentist, now long-retired, did a good enough job. They’re still there, still permanent, and will most likely last until they escort my body to the crematorium. The problem has been the top teeth. They, too, were initially replaced with a permanent bridge, but it had been anchored to a couple teeth I had left, and it was a mistake. The bridge came loose about 10 years ago, and I got a partial denture instead. By then I was I my 50s, married, and determined not to spend another small fortune to replace something I could just take out at night for a much better price.
As anyone knows who has not simply let their teeth fall out, effectively gumming their way through life, dental work is incredibly expensive. I’d paid approximately $10,000 for each of those bridges. Out of pocket. That is not a typo! So when I had to get a replacement for the top one that had proven not to be so permanent, I refused to shell out another ten grand. The partial option was only $2,000, so that’s what I went with. I quickly learned that Polident is my friend, and I found other ways to spend the difference.
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Book Review: Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder, by Rachel McCarthy James
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sez“Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder” by Rachel McCarthy James
c.2025, St. Martin’s Press $28.00 259 pagesCall it a difference of opinion.
You say one thing, your opponent says another. You thrust and parry, they rant and argue, you both agree amiably, then disagree vehemently. Is there a place you can come together, a consensus on which you can settle? You’ll find it, if you’re patient but, as in the new book “Whack Job” by Rachel McCarthy James, be careful how you split hairs.
Over the years, and especially after having co-written a book about a nineteenth-century axe murderer, Rachel McCarthy James has thought a lot about axes as weapons. Doing someone in with a heavy, sharp instrument, she says, has “become a permanent punchline,” found in movies, television, and bad mystery stories. Axe-as-weapon is so “unserious” that we barely even think of it as a mode of murder – but it most definitely is.
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Savvy Senior: Does Medicare Cover Vision Care and Eye Exams?
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
What all does Medicare cover when it comes to vision care? I currently have good vision insurance through my employer but will lose it when I retire.
Almost 65
Dear Almost,
Many soon-to-be retirees are a bit blurry with what Medicare does and doesn’t cover when it comes to vision care. The good news is that Medicare covers most medical issues like cataract surgery, treatment of eye diseases and medical emergencies. But unfortunately, routine care like eye exams and eyeglasses are usually the beneficiary’s responsibility. Here’s a breakdown of what is and isn’t covered.
Eye exams and treatments: Medicare does not cover routine eye exams that test for eyeglasses or contact lenses, but they do cover yearly medical eye exams if you have diabetes or are at high risk for glaucoma. They will also pay for exams to test and treat medical eye diseases if you’re having vision problems that indicate a serious eye problem like macular degeneration, dry eye syndrome, glaucoma, eye infections or if you get something in your eye.
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Just Added! In-Person Workshops In September
5 week autobiographical writing workshop at Bucks on BridgeI’ve just added four in-person workshop in September, to be held at Bucks on Bridge in their art space run by the artists’ collective Soupcon. I’m a partner, and this has been a terrific space to hold workshops. I just completed a 5 week journaling workshop there in April, and we’ve all bonded so much we’ll be reconvening in July.
You can read about each of the four workshop here on the website, and register at the links below:
Fiction Writing Essentials, Monday September 8 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
REGISTER HERE ($40)They’re Alive! Creating Vivid Characters, Monday, September 15, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
REGISTER HERE ($30)Self-Publishing with KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), Monday, September 22, 10:00 AM – 12:oo PM
REGISTER HERE ($40)Guided Autobiography: A 2 Hour Introduction, Monday, September 29, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
REGISTRATION FOR THIS ONE WILL BE OPEN IN MID-JUNE ($40)
Contact me at YourWritePath AT Outlook. com before then -
Fiction Writing Essentials at the Bristol, PA, Library
This was one of my best workshop experiences yet: enthustiastic attendees who told me it could have gone another two hours. Several of them expressed interest in a self-publishing workshop and spoke to the program director about it afterward. Such a great morning.
