Just one more thing

For those admirers of Surfer Bob, sing along ....

Bob is so cool he even has his own theme song. It goes something like this: If there's a wave he can ride it, if there's a beach he can find it, Surfer Bob, Surfer Bob. He can hang ten, then he'll do it again, Surfer Bob, Surfer Bob. He's a cool dude with a good attitude, Surfer Bob, Surfer Bob. Bob's on the job! Surfer Bob is a 4-1/2" tall plastic surfer riding a permanent plastic wave. Blonde, tanned, and in a classic surf pose, Bob rocks back and forth on your dashboard as you drive.

Yeah he rocks so hard he lost that wave early on in search of the Big One. I'm thinking of adding music and posting a video on You Tube. He could be the next contestant on America's Got Talent.

Hiatus

As I stated before, Bone marrow Bob is taking a break. Hopefully it won't be for long. Not to worry, the donors will still donate and the recipients  will still get transfused and some couriers will still be flying. Let's  call this a respite, breather, a little downtime, courier interuptis, recess, time off, intermission or maybe a furlough or sabbatical. Let's hope its not a departure or farewell. So Godspeed, adieu, adios, bye-bye, cheerio, farewell, happy landing, happy trails, sayounara.
until we meet again...............................

Last trip to San Antonio

Iconic picture no. 47 Surfer Bob and cousin Dwayne at the Alamo. They didn't find Peewee Herman's bicycle and they didn't have a Phil Collins sighting but it was still a nice trip. There were a few Brits visiting. I guess its like Americans visiting the Tower of London without the jewels. No trip to San Antonio is complete without a stroll on the river walk.
So this is Bone Marrow Bob's last courier trip for a while for reasons I can't explain. Hopefully he will get reinstated next year and be back on the road. In the meantime he will have to settle for searching for the perfect wave.

Bob and Dwayne go to the Olympics

 Sometimes being a courier for the NMDP really pays off. Bone Marrow Bob was fortunate enough to make a delivery during the Olympics. He brought Dwayne along because he is such an anglophile. Here is their swanky hotel(not!), but the boys can always dream.
*sadly the pictures are a bit out of order but try and bear with me.
Surfer Bob scored a ticket to the men's synchronized diving final. Dwayne had to stay at the hotel because he gets so excited he might have jumped right into the pool. The next day Surfer Bob went alone to Wimbledon because he knew it was useless to try and get a ticket and didn't want to waste Dwayne's time. Sure enough there were no tickets to be had but at least he saw the famed tennis courts. No trip to the Olympics would be complete without a visit to the mega store for souviners. The line to get in was as long as Space Mountain in July but thankfully it moved quick so we could hurry in to elbow people out of the way and spend, spend, spend. There are a couple of things that Bob does not get about the London Olympics. One is the mascot, Wenlock. Its ugly and scarey even when dressed like a beefeater. The other thing is... what is the orbit? What is its purpose? Why is it there?
After an exciting day at Olympic Park, Bob and Dwayne went out for photo opts around town, surfing on the Thames, eating ice lollies, and almost getting run over by a couple of flowered bicycles. What an exciting time to be in London.It was a whirlwind trip but well worth it!

El Lay

 The glamor stops here at the Ramada Inn. BMB jumped on a first class flight to LAX , was picked up by a shiny black sedan and whisked to the City of Hope(Dopes), only to be deposited here in Culver City. It is border line Marina Del Rey, which would be ever so much more fashionable. The pool, right outside my room, was a green hot tub. The room had that sickening sweet motel smell and the one window look out on a wall. The upside was it was only a mile from the even more fashionable Venice beach.
City of Dopes? Well, they weren't expecting Bob and the product so early. I hope the recipient didn't have to anxiously wait longer than necessary.

New York City in the summertime

It is a busy time in the courier business. Fortunately for Bone Marrow Bob there were no weather delays this trip. In fact, the flight crew was very receptive for a change. There are so many good places to eat in New York and I guess you could call it the original food truck city. If you are hungry at midnight and you are walking down 6th Ave you will find a variety of cuisines. Of course these trucks are all over the city at all hours. Too bad Surfer Bob was full from one of his favorite standby restaurants Orzos.

He never tires from walking around at night and taking in the sights like the iconic Chrysler Building. Alas, one night is all he had because he had to rush home to prepare for his next adventure.

Another thrilling Houston Adventure

Two weeks later Bone Marrow Bob was back in Houston. There are no pictures this trip. I did take one of him in the jacuzzi in my room next to the bed but you will have to use your imagination. The photo is lost in the ether world, which is probably best. This trip went a little better than the last. I had to get the flight off the Tarmac in Dallas. Needless to say there were 144 passengers that were glad Bob was on their flight. Bob decided to spend the night because it sounded better than getting home at 3 am. Should have, would have been a good idea if the driver hadn't dropped BMB at the wrong hotel.Don't even ask how he got to the right hotel,which shall remain nameless unless you want a fancy room with a tub by the bed. Probably the last trip to Houston for a while.

the courier trip from hell

Every once and a while you encounter a bad trip. Its bound to happen, like a sore tooth or getting pick pocketed(another story but fortunately BMB doesn't have pockets in his suit).  So a one day turn around trip to Houston, in by 1:30 home by5:30, turned into a 12 hour nightmare. Flight home was delayed and involved several hours in Bush International where American Airlines is a blip in the the terminal(i.e. few food, bars and conveniences). Everything shuts down by 8:00pm. Fine, get home and wait on the tarmac for 3 hours for a gate. No food or water. Finally around 1:00am they passed out granola bars and a cup of water. What about those cookies in first class, not to mention the booze they must have on board. Then again, that is a non issue since Bob doesn't drink when on the job. Thanks to Patty, my favorite lab rat, for giving me a smile through the rain.Next time Bone Marrow Bob will get a hotel room!

Seattle in Springtime

So Bone Marrow Bob was on a whirlwind trip to Seattle. After he convinced the captain of the flight that it really was essential to expedite the delayed flight things went smoothly. ( Captain made a snarky comment about how everybody needs bone marrow before he got a message on his cell phone to take Bob seriously). With only a few hours to relax, Bob went clubbing. Jazz Alley had an exceptional show with Jack DeJonette, Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke. If you are a jazz fan you are now saying "yeah" to yourself. A short sleep then caught the 7:30am(red eye) back home. Now BMB would usually take a later flight but springtime is a busy time for a cool guy on the go.

Bob's BFF

Surfer Bob may be cool and suave but he has met his match with Cali Guy. Cali Guy comes with his own water bottle, energy bar and boogie board. Don't even try to comb his hair because he has so much product in it a Barbi brush can't even touch it. Surfer Bob is green with envy, totally.

Super Tuesday

 What a Super Tuesday it was! Bone Marrow Bob went to Ohio on March 6 to deliver life saving bone marrow. While he was there he missed running into any candidates and turned off the TV before the race was called but he did stop by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for a photo op. It was a beautiful evening and unseasonably warm like everywhere else in the country. Maybe next time, he will stay longer than 12 hours.

* gotta say, I love the changes they've made to blogspot. It's much easier and faster.

First Trip 2012

Bone marrow Bob was off to Nashville. Granted he has been there before and always ends up on music row. Mainly because the souvenirs are so tacky. Souvenirs are pretty bad where ever you go, Paris, the Vatican, Branson, Mo., but this beats all. I can understand shot glasses,guitar picks or bottle openers in the shape of a guitar, but who is the genius that came up with flyswatters?! They have them everywhere, in every color. this batch is from the Country Music Hall of Fame as you can see.  Since he had time to kill Surfer Bob toured the CMHF. He enjoyed seeing all the guitars. Most of them were Martins which Bob has a soft spot for. His first guitar was a Martin 0018 like this vintage model here. The outfits by Nudie where really great too.
I think I've said this before but Nashville has great food and its not all biscuits and grits. Venture off music row to find quality cuisine.

Holiday

If you plan to fly west hope the air is clear. Like 30,000 ft above the Grand Canyon. Yosemite was beautiful at Christmas time. No snow but that way Surfer Bob didn't have to trade in his surfboard for skies. Here is his poor man's tribute to Ansel Adams "El Capitan".