As always, apologies to the Boston Globe's Bob Ryan, from whom I shamelessly steal this idea from time to time.


Miserable. That's how I can categorize this cruise season. We have fewer drivers than I had when I was Head Conductor a few years back. The entire team is stretched to the breaking point, with three weeks still to go.

Yes, this includes your dear TriSec. I'm not wearing that Head Conductor name tag anymore, but since the current one is more of a management drone, I still feel it's my duty to watch out for the team and make sure everyone is surviving as best as they can.

"Cubbie" is always watching out for everyone else, but who watches out for Cubbie?

This time of year is very trying to my "Duty to Others" Oath.

You did see the "Silver Beaver Cafe" in action last weekend. The MassJam was a success; about 3500 Scouts from the Northeast converged on Cape Cod for the largest scouting event in New England since before Covid. My head chef did the math; we served over 800 meals last weekend to the Subcamp staff - with a kitchen staff of just five hard-working lunatics.

I haven't had much to say about the elephant in the room, but I will note that many of our Ghost Actors in Boston are of that faith - and more than a few have family in harm's way in Israel. So in addition to the stressful time of year at work, Many of my co-workers have larger concerns than an unhappy guest on a trolley.

And I'll wrap with this - it's not even on the local news, so I know you won't hear of it. But we had boots on the ground just one block from the Consulate in Boston.

We had a suspicios truck, a bomb threat, SWAT and Bomb Squad response, all in the middle of the day and the middle of our tour.

In the end, it proved to be nothing - but considering how frayed everyone's nerves are right now, it could have gone sideways.

Perhaps to Boston's credit - it didn't. As you saw from the marathon bombing, and from American history, Bostonians do not cower in fear; we rise up in action.

Stay safe out there.