RNSANE

Being a forensic nurse for 21 years, I must confess I like all those type

books...and the detective things...Jeffrey Deaver, Patricia Cornwell,

James Patterson, Ridley Pearson - even my colleague, Eileen Dreyer. I

like others, though - Lisa See, Nicholas Sparks, different things at different times. Carl Hiassen, for a touch of humor. I can't ever be in

the car without a book on tape. I rarely read at home because I'm on the

computer or writing poetry....latest one -

I'm not familiar with this "Kindle" - will have to check it out. I'm still doing books on tape and CD...many is the night, my sons come home from work or an evening out and bang on the car window at 1AM. I've fallen asleep listening to "just one more chapter." Of course, I then have to rewind everything. I keep resolving to get out of the car as soon as I get home!

At The Holidays 2008

This year is very different,

Great change is in the air,

For many, there’s a sense of hope,

Mine is coupled with despair.

So many face the loss of jobs,

And the very homes they live in,

It’s official we’re in a “recession,”

What a very brilliant concession!

The banks are being bailed out,

There’s always help for them.

But for the common folks like us,

Chance of rescue is really slim!

I’m holding out for Obama,

I know that this time next year,

Our world will be a better place,

And folks will feel more cheer.

In the meantime, I’ll try my best,

To feel Christmas in my heart,

Regardless of external happenings,

That’s where it has to start.

My future looks pretty gloomy,

And I’ve cried so much of late,

But I have to stand back and accept,

I didn’t create this fate.

Even more this Yuletide, than ever,

I must cherish what I always do,

My very own sources of solace,

My treasures in people like you.

I hope your holiday is filled,

With love and countless blessings,

The joy of loved ones close at hand,

Feasts of turkey, ham and dressings.

And if hard times assail you,

I pray your faith is strong,

And that the New Year brings relief,

And rights all that has gone wrong.

Yup, that's where we were, in Sitka, in May this year. Rain rain rain. Couldn't get to the raptor center, it was raining too hard to walk there. Kept walking on to the totem pole place, it was interesting. Spent more time waiting for the tender then we did in town! It rained like that in almost all our ports, except for BC. It was sunny and hot there!

 

Nice pic, BTW!

The Radiance of the Seas will be here in San Francisco on Wednesday. My friend who is the maitre d' is coming out for lunch with me, along with several of the head waiters. He said they had a terrible Alaska season, weather-wise, with very little sun all season and they are hoping for a nice day in San Francisco. It's been lovely here lately - I sure hope it stays nice so I can take them to lunch in Sausalito. Then I'll get to go back on board in the afternoon and stay for second seating dinner. I've promised they won't have to send security looking for me when they sail at 11PM.

Wow Carmen I am so jealous. You must have gotten an early start on cruising. I didn't take my first cruise till I was 54 and am addicted but so far the finances don't allow for more than one a year. I don't think I will live long enough to catch up with your total now much less later. I bet you have some great stories to tell. So tell us some more wild and crazy stories. The scissors-that is strange. I wonder why they didn't open my suitcase, I had tons of power cords and stuff in my suitcase last time.

Actually, I've done 80 cruises, most in the last 20 years....however, the ones on Royal Caribbean - I will do my 70th on the Legend in the Mediterranean October 5th - have all been in the last 13-1/2-years. I've been a single mom, without any child support - thankfully, I am a nurse, and I've raised three sons to adulthood, all attended college. My job as a forensic nurse involves call and I've taken every shift I can get...partly to support my travel addiction...and also because travel is one way I deal with the violence in my work doing adult and child sexual abuse cases.

This is kind of both a pre-cruise & embarkation ritual...

 

Every cruise I start a new perfume. Smell evokes memory in a way that no other sense can, so if you start a new perfume for a big occasion, every time you smell it it will put you right back in that moment.

 

I actually started this with my JR & Sr proms, then continued with cruises & other special events, not doing it more than once a year though.

 

To this day when I smell "Cool Waters" I think of my first cruise on NCL Dawn.

That's kind of a nice thing, Lisa....I know I do associate smells with certain things...when I have something difficult to face, I always put on my favorite perfume of all time, Joy, and nothing seems as bad as it did.

Are you saying that you can't take scissors on a cruise ship?

I always take an 8 inch pair, and have never had any problems. A person can do more damage with a broken wine bottle!

john

It was so funny - as I said, I had a second pair in my purse - AND my super duper Swiss army knife in my other bag which they didn't remove. That is the one and only time in seventy cruises that this has happened. I don't know what possessed them.

I always put up my Cruise Critic door sign with a few additions on it - and my Cruise Crazies door sign. In addition, I post a poem written ten years ago, called "Travel Thoughts" which reflects how I feel about travel. If there is a passenger talent show, I usually read it on the ship. People often knock on my door and ask if I have an extra copy of it. The poem has been published in a travel newspaper and also on an online international women's travel website.

I love some of the door decorations I've seen and would love to do more with mine.

Being a forensic nurse, I like all those cops and mystery things. I just finished Jeffrey Deaver's "The 12th Card," and I've listened to all James Patterson's Women's Murder Club Series....I also liked Lisa See's "Snow Flower and theSecret Fan and Peony in Love." I read all of Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell....but I also like other writers such as Maeve Binchey

and Nicholas Sparks.

I absolutely MUST have a CD playing anytime I am in the car and I

prefer the unabridged version.

On a recent Monarch of the Seas cruise, I was called down to security

to retrieve a suitcase from which they had removed a pair of kindergarden

children's scissors, with which I always travel and had never had a problem with before. They told me I could pick them up at the end of the cruise. I laughed and told my 21-year-old son that it wasn't a problem as I had another identical pair in my purse in my cabin. As we started to leave, he nudged me and said, "Hey, Mom, let's stick around....I want to see who those handcuffs belong to."

It's always great fun to watch. I haven't actually participated myself in ten years, since a Sun Viking cruise from BangKok to Singapore. We came in first place that time and it was hysterical. The gifts were much better back then...a set of two Royal Caribbean champagne flutes. It's definitely

an x-rated game and the little ones should NOT be present...an adult scavenger hunt, worth staying up a bit late for!!

When I get on the ship, I head for Guest Services and take the gift ( usually packages of "mango gummies" I order wholesale from Malaysia ).

I started bringing them about 50 cruises ago and they've become a

tradition. The crew love them. I package smaller bags, with little

bags of four each, and dollars bills, with labels that say, "Thanks for all

your hard work" as additional tips for bar and dining room staff. Crew

always come looking for me, saying, "I knew Miss Carmen was on

board when I saw someone with our special candy."

Had this email from Dean Tinney regarding massages:

From Dean Tinney, Massage & Facial Care, Ensenada

July 5, 2008

Carmen...we sure appreciate the publicity but can you help us correct a couple of things.

Dolores was never the manager... she was the receptionist and is no longer with us. All correspondence should be addressed to me at spatherapy@hotmail.com

Gracias.

I've already written to - and gotten a reply back, from Dean to book massages for our group of four forensic nurses July 24th when we're in Ensenada. Dean wanted to know how I heard about their place so I passed the word along.

Thanks so much, gang!

Carmen: We'll be boarding when you're leaving. Hope you have a wonderful cruise. See you in October. Letty

What a shame, Letty, that we won't be on board at the same time!!!

Thanks for the info....I'm sailing the 21st with my three nursecolleagues...we call ourselves the "Queens" - an Ensenada massage sounds like just the thing. Twice the time for the same amount of money as on the ship...I could sure go for that.

Merci, mahalo, gracias, donka, and all that jazz.

Carmen

I rarely get off the ship in Ensenada though I've been there on the Viking Serenade in the old days and now the Monarch - about 18 times in all. I have eaten once at an excellent Italian and French restaurant, taken on special occasions by Dean Hay who used to play the piano on board the MN...but I'm a bit old for the Carlos and Charlie's crowd so I relax on the ship, chatting with my favorite bartenders. I would love to do a massage, however...where do folks go?

Carmen

I printed out the sign and scanned it so I can make changes, add my "real" name, etc. Worked great.