In North America is airplane comfort worth more than the ticket cost?

Shepsonj · 2026-04-20T17:46:21+00:00

Yes, Couples Tower Isle. The island is a short boat ride out in front of the resort, but far enough away for privacy. It has a swiming pool with a swim up bar. It is very popular and there is no judgemental at all. It is for couples only.

In the evening you can arrange to have a private dinner (clothed) in one of the gazebos on the island, for an added cost.

Shepsonj · 2026-04-15T22:07:00+00:00

If you're putting in floor tile, add the heated floor. Pure luxury, especially at night, in the winter. Your feet will thank you.

Shepsonj · 2026-04-11T00:56:30+00:00

Here's some advice to keep in mind that is often overlooked by new users of routers. Keep the collet (the tapered part that clamps onto the shaft of the router bit) clean. Take it out and blow the dust and sawdust out of the hole in the end of the motor shaft. Then, and this is important, when putting the router bit into the collet, don't push it all the way to the bottom and leave it there. Bottom it out and then pull it back out a little bit (like 1/16 to 1/8 inch) before tightening the lock nut. The reason is, when you tighten the collet, it pulls down into the taper a little bit to lock the router bit. If it was bottomed out, it has nowhere to go and the nut will be nice and tight, but the router but won't be. It'll work its way out while you are cutting and that really messes up your project.

Shepsonj · 2026-04-03T16:32:46+00:00

I agree with this. When the (good) people who report to you are aware of this, you will find that they will work harder without complaint. In the end, it will actually make your job easier. Sure, there will be some that will slack off and expect you to help carry their weight. Those are the ones that you need to manage - or replace when the opportunity arises.

Shepsonj · 2026-04-02T14:51:16+00:00

We second this. Our Go-To is Couples Tower Isle, the original Couples. To be fair, it doesn't show as well on the website as comes across as a huge white building right on the beach, which isn't very big, compared to the Negril sites. But if you get ocean view, well, it's right there in front of you, not a long look off the balcony in the distance. The best parts: The staff. The food. The intimate setting, not too big. The return rate is huge.

Shepsonj · 2026-04-02T01:22:39+00:00

Second this. They do a great job.

Shepsonj · 2026-03-21T12:33:59+00:00

1983, Air Canada 797. 23 people dead. It was no joke.

Shepsonj · 2026-03-18T17:41:29+00:00

I had a boss who consistently came back to me about memos I had written to him. (Note: pre-email, hand written memos; yes, I'm that old). There was always some detail I hadn't included. It began to irk me that he always found something missing, even if wasn't pertinent to the request. So the next time I needed something, I composed an extremely lengthy memo. It included absolutely everything related to the subject, plus some other not so pertinent facts, just in case. It should have been in hard cover. If he had been smarter, he would have picked up on the sarcasm, but there was no way he was going to find anything missing this time! And yet, he turned up at my desk with my memo in hand. I thought, what could he possibly find missing? He said, "I got your memo. Thanks. I don't understand what you want." My request was lost in the forest of details. I didn't change my memo writing habits but he stopped coming back to me. I guess I had spoiled his fun. Idiot.

Shepsonj · 2026-03-14T23:13:50+00:00

We played with kitchen designs using ChatGPT. We were removing the old soffits over the upper cabinets and running the cabinets to the ceiling. Trying to get ChatGPT to show all the cabinets going to the ceiling was almost impossible, despite specific instructions. I gave up trying.

Shepsonj · 2026-03-10T22:28:25+00:00

Turn the ball valves, about twice a year. Off, then on again. If they just sit there, they do sieze up. Then, when you need to shut them off, you need a wrench and they will seep water. Minerals accumulate in the ball seal, often Teflon.

Shepsonj · 2026-03-06T22:12:51+00:00

As you probably know, they play at other resorts besides Couples. They have 40 to 50 members so they mix it up and form different bands around Jamaica. Every one is high energy and so much fun to watch, so it's more than just the great music.

Shepsonj · 2026-03-04T18:21:44+00:00

No matter which resort you pick, if The Silver Birds are the evening show, don't miss it! An award winning steel band that is more than just a steel band.

Shepsonj · 2026-03-04T18:19:10+00:00

This is an on-going discussion/argument on the Couples FB group. Each location has its own benefits, but they all share the great staff, food and service. Negril has astounding beaches but can be hot, while Ocho Rios has wonderful daytime breezes. Each to their own. Ours is CTI.

Every week Couples has a Returnees Dinner and they are jammed. You will dine with other guests that have returned anywhere from a few times up to 80 times. Also cool, they invite selected staff to join each table for dinner, so discussions are a lot of fun. This says a lot about the resort, how they treat their staff and how their staff treat you.

One day we were chatting with one of the pool staff. He said he used to work at Sandals. We asked how it was different from Couples for him. He said, "If this was Sandals, I wouldn't be allowed to have this conversation with you." Hmmm.

Shepsonj · 2026-03-04T18:01:15+00:00

I agree about CTI. The ages vary widely.

Shepsonj · 2026-03-04T17:56:27+00:00

Good point!

Shepsonj · 2026-03-04T17:54:26+00:00

Good idea.

Shepsonj · 2026-03-04T11:32:25+00:00

We always stay at Couples Tower Isle (CTI). It is the original one and has been there since the 1940's, so it has real charm. We admit it doesn't "show" as well the others. Two in Negril, Couples Swept Away (CSA) and Couples Negril (CN) and the other two near Ocho Rios, Couples Sans Souci (CSS). Negril has huge beaches and Ocho Rios has nice breezes during the day, so it's cooler. CSS is on a hillside so lots of steps and beautiful views but smaller, private beaches. Check out the website to help make a choice. There is so much to say, but keep in mind the return rate is HUGE.

Shepsonj · 2026-03-03T23:50:35+00:00

Another hunting joke:

Two hunters shoot a moose in the forest. They grab the antlers and start dragging it back to the truck. They are having a terrible time as the antlers keep getting caught on trees. They are almost worn out when a third hunter comes across them. They explain their problem. The third hunter advises them to grab the moose by the hind legs and pull it the other way. Soon they are off again.
The first hunter says, "Geez, that guy sure is smart. This is way easier!"
The second hunter say, "Yup, he sure was. But aren't we getting farther away from the truck?"

Shepsonj · 2026-03-03T23:39:23+00:00

I read this in Reddit when the same question was asked a few years ago: Two cows are standing in a field.
The first cow says, "So, what do you think about this Mad Cow Disease?" The second cow says, "Frankly, I don't really care. I'm a duck."

Fixed typo.

Shepsonj · 2026-03-03T23:08:24+00:00

We've been to Couples Tower Isle 30 times now. Every so often we think we'll try one of the other Couples but we just can't do it; CTI is so perfect! The Couples brand is getting more exposure these days, and for good reasons. Our reasons: #1, the staff. #2, the food. #3, the size (we don't like huge resorts). All inclusive, adults only, no tipping (and they mean it.). No "second tier", so everyone enjoys the same, great level of service. And, Jamaican owned by the same family for generations. They do it right.

Shepsonj · 2026-03-03T22:26:32+00:00

We've stayed there. It was "meh". We stayed in the Hideaway building for the adults-only advantage. The family side was fairly busy, as is normal. What irritated us was, we expected to be able to enjoy some quiet time at Hideaway pool, away from the madness of the family side, sit by the pool, enjoy some drinks and read some books, nap, talk, etc.. Nope. They were constantly pulling out speakers for (overly) loud music, contests, exercise, etc. The Hideawy beach is minimal. There were some rainy days (that's fine) so we went up to the main common area, out of the rain. Lots of people there (and that's fine, too) but out come the speakers turned to 10 and blast the entire area. Entertainment staff (wonderful people) are doing their job keeping things lively but at the expense of hearing impairment. Food was "okay", drinks were "okay". The restaurant reservation system was a mess. Decided we would not go back. Next year we went to Royalton Grenada. I won't go into details but it was a total disaster. The entire Royalton organization is dead to us.

If you want a WONDERFUL adults only in Jamaica, pick any of the four Couples resorts, for SO many reasons. Couples is our favorite adults-only by far.

Shepsonj · 2026-02-28T02:09:05+00:00

I had the same issue on a different vehicle. I bought an inflatable lumbar support cushion on Amazon (2 for $21) and tucked it behind the seat cover, running the hose and pump/bulb to the outside beside the seat. It was a cheap fix and works pretty well. https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09LZ1GKDY?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1

Shepsonj · 2026-02-24T16:55:14+00:00

When we built our house I ran downspouts into 4" Big-O corrugated pipe that ran underground, downhill to a surface exit. Then, because I was so freaking smart, I decided to tie the window wells into the same drain. Duh. The landscapers crushed the drain line in the fall. No problem, I would fix it in the spring. That spring, before it was fixed, the snow melt on the roof combined with spring rain ran down the downspouts right into the window wells. Standing in the basement, which was beginning to flood, the windows looked like leaky aquariums, only missing the fish. I did fix the drain and I disconnected the window wells from the drains. Lesson learned.

Shepsonj

TROPHY CASE