day 56 – at sea

today would’ve been the day we went to koror, palau if we had gone… there are a few people who persist in grumbling about not getting to go… if i had the choice between going there or my colleagues who are 10 months at sea at a time getting to go home and see their babies for an extra day, no contest… take me to manila!  i’m not sure if some of the grumblers have empathy… i know how much i miss my almost grown son while doing this, i would never have been able to stand it for a minute if i had to be out here when he was a baby or toddler or even very young child… a lot of the kids of our staff are being raised by their grandparents, and they all do it so they can have a better life than their folks did, and that their kids can go to college… my bartender is so proud to have put his two kids through college, which a generation ago in his family would not have been possible… my own dad was in the navy when my oldest brother and sister were born and had to miss out on a lot, but i think parents do whatever they have to do so their kids can have a good life… and it ain’t easy all the time!  our extended family at large probably thought my folks were completely nuts when they moved us all up to alaska to grow up, but i think that was a good choice… you just do the best you can and you have to follow your gut and hope that it all turns out for the good of all concerned, and it has and it does…

i was victorious today in that i got all my laundry done… hooray!  no small task with a community washing center where there’s usually at least one or to machines out of eight that don’t work… i stayed kind of on the down low today, snuck upstairs for the earliest lunch possible (skipped breakfast) when it wouldn’t be too crowded, sat waaaaaay in the back and took my magazine (magic shield of oprah) to protect me from having to speak… i am not trying to be antisocial (well, maybe a little), i am trying to rest my voice for a day!  singing 7 nights a week is hell on your pipes if you don’t take a proactive approach, which for me, means trying to get at least one day a week where i don’t speak unless i have to… it’s like a day off, even tho it’s not exactly a complete day… i escaped with minimal schmoozing and took the nearest crew exit out and back down below to fold my clothes and stay below ‘til i had to go to work.

got a call from musical director asking to come over and chat… i was like, ‘oh crap, what have i done?’  then i was annoyed with myself for thinking this way because i haven’t done anything!  he was actually there to inform me that the department is switching some berthing assignments, the news is coming from seattle, not on the ship, and that he wanted to give me a heads up.  the change will occur on hong kong day, which is convenient since bob will be moving in that day – now we can move in together!  i found out i’ll be getting a cabin usually used for guest entertainers or clergy way up on the sports deck (top floor) by the crow’s nest.  i went up to look at the room, and it has a huge window, and is actually a couple of square feet smaller than my current room, but is quite nice.  it has a double bed, a little more shelf space than my current room also… the only thing i am worried about is the light in the room – i may have to make a blackout cardboard contraption for the window; i hate daylight in my bedroom, even at home… also the heat on a sunny day might be a factor, so i will definitely get a fan when i am in manila… i will miss my cave, but i am considering this move an upgrade, however, so i’ll have to thank my boss back home… no more gangway noise early in the morning!  no more loud “meeeep meeeep meeeep!!!” when they open or close the watertight door next to my cabin!  and, it will be quite a bit swoopier up there; the higher you go, the more you feel the ocean, so i will have a nice ride the second half!  cool!!!

there was a crew party tonight – i think it’s nice that they have them, so everyone can have a good time, cut loose, have some free beer, snacks, dance, etc., but every time i have gone to one, i feel like it really is for the younger folks here, so i usually say hello, goodbye and split after a short lap or two to say hi to my pals.  if i were 20 years younger and trying to hook up, i’m sure the crew party would seem like a lot of fun… i certainly feel i am at a different station in life, tho… my idea of a party now is fun people, but not too many, like 12-20 would be absolutely enough, and maybe doing a pot luck or hors d’ouevres with some nice cocktails… the new year’s party we went to with my son’s friends folks was a perfect example of a great party – the kids did their own thing peripherally, yet close by, the adults (not more than 10) had cocktails (we all live walking distance from each other), great party food, and played ipod name that tune and had a fabulous, somewhat silly and fun time… i haven’t laughed so hard at a get together in a long time… bob had to drag me away… or the ladies cosmo and cookie party we had before christmas last year… fun, fun, fun!  i never feel that way about crew parties… they seem like they are definitely for the 20 to young 30-something set because that’s most of our staff… that’s ok – i will have a party when bob gets here!  i already got a bottle of new zealand bubbly from the day i did the wine tour, and we will celebrate with just ourselves!

i am happy that they have upgraded our tv news on the ship… it used to be that we only got cnn… then for awhile we only got fox… that’s like, ‘do you want crappy news or would you rather have crappy news?’  they now have cnn, fox, cnn international (a bit better) and now bbc world news, which i find to have more actual news without as much editorial garbage… they do have editorial shows, but those are separated from the actual news a bit better, and the celebrity crap is contained to a minimum compared to american news… just the facts, ma’am… and what a weird and wacky world it seems right now… or maybe i am just paying more attention now, because i know it’s always been weird and wacky (cause people are crazy and selfish with occasional good and even great ones scattered throughout), but wow!  these are definitely interesting times, and it will be especially interesting to see where in the world we get to go right now…  i’ll keep you posted!  ciao for now, di