Carinval Glory - NYC to New England... A Memoir

[binajack]

[quote name='ShakyBeef']Thank you for your concern. But don't worry, we were among the lucky ones. The wind blew hard and it poured for about 24 hours (about 12 inches of rain, total). But we didn't get hit nearly as bad as what they were calling for. We only lost our power for a couple hours. We lost a few small tree limbs, and the yard is covered in leaves and twigs, but that is about it. As I said, we were lucky. Others got hit so much worse than we did.
[/quote]

So glad to hear you and yours made it through the storm fairly well. I'm fortunate to live in a part of the country to never be affected by a hurricane, however we do have our share of tornadoes and blizzards. I'd gladly take a blizzard over a hurricane any day, you don't get much flooding with them :)

We will wait patiently for your next installment :D Edited September 1, 2011 by binajack

[rnvattes]

[quote name='ShakyBeef']Thank you for your concern. But don't worry, we were among the lucky ones. The wind blew hard and it poured for about 24 hours (about 12 inches of rain, total). But we didn't get hit nearly as bad as what they were calling for. We only lost our power for a couple hours. We lost a few small tree limbs, and the yard is covered in leaves and twigs, but that is about it. As I said, we were lucky. Others got hit so much worse than we did.

We're sorry that no new installments on this thing have been made recently. We worked on it last night, but he needs to do a little bit more before the next post is ready. For all of you still interested and hanging in there, we thank you and apologize, once again for the delay.[/QUOTE]

What? No Girl From Ipanema?? :eek:

Will wait patiently.... :D

[Delta Hotel]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]We keep wandering around Decks 3 and 4, with no real destination… we’re just walking around to waste time. Well, we succeed. When we finally come back to the Amber Palace for the towel folding demonstration, we’re late! We come in through the right-side entrance and there’s a housekeeping cart (the ones that look like giant laundry baskets on wheels with vinyl liners) half-filled with white towels. Upon entering the Amber Palace, we see that there are about 20 to 30 people up on the stage, sitting, kneeling, squatting, lying, and sitting Indian-style with their towels in front of them. The seats in the auditorium are also sprinkled with people trying to fold their towel animals on the bench seats next to them. And then there are the people that sat down with their legs spread wide in the middle of the walkways with their towels between their knees.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Up on the stage are the host and several assistants helping people with their towels. We grab a couple of towels for the girls, and walk about half-way down the aisle, hang a right into an empty bench, and sit down. It isn’t immediately clear what they are making during this towel-folding teaching session, but I figure that I’ll be able to look around at some of the nearby animals and guess what the animal is supposed to be. Yeah, fat chance…[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]I look at the people sitting in front of us – the man has his towel in a wadded up heap on the seat next to him, staring at it and occasionally poking it with his hand. His wife is frantically looking back and forth between the stage instructions, and her towel thing. She has it in a basic geometric shape, but other than being white, it doesn’t resemble the one on the stage at all.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]I stretch my neck a little and look down at one of the walkway-sitter’s animal. It doesn’t look like the first two, but it [I]does [/I]resemble some kind of animal. It clearly has legs. Maybe they aren’t legs. Maybe they are horns, I don’t know. I guess I lied. It does not clearly have legs. But the important part is that this third towel animal doesn’t look like the one they are showing on the stage, either. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]The host is standing on stage with a microphone, giving the steps verbally, while a young blonde woman in a red and blue jogging suit acts out the folding steps on a little table. I’m not close enough to make out what she is making, but from a quick glance over the stage – no one up there knows what it is either… and if they do, they have all decided to make something else for the sake of diversification. I glance over and the girls have begun folding their towels quietly, but since we missed the first few steps, I don’t think they were trying to catch up. It seems as though they were just trying to fold the towels into one of their favorite origami shapes. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Side story. Daughter #1 is really interested in origami. She got an “origami for beginners” book a while back, and she learned one or two of them, then eventually learned all of them. She’s got most of that book memorized now, and she’s always looking for more advanced origami to try. Her interest in origami has rubbed off on Daughter #2, and they both now make origami (all colors, shapes, and sizes) as little gifts for people. Daughter #1 and #2 both sit in the cabin sometimes and make origami hats, boats, and animals to leave as gifts for waiters and crew members.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Back to the towel folding. We hang around for a few more minutes, but the novelty wears off quickly since we missed the beginning, no one around us seems to be having luck, and who wants to be the guy to stand up and yell, “HEY! Could you start over? We got here late!” We get up and leave the theater, being careful not to step on towels, or accidentally trip on the many legs sprawled across the four-foot-wide strip of red carpet.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]It’s almost noon now, so we head up to find Mom and Dad at the Military Veterans’ Meet & Greet in the Cinn-a-Bar, then see if we can find [I]something [/I]to eat on this barren, forsaken vessel of starvation. We head to Deck 5, pass through the casino, pass by the sushi bar, and get to the Cinn-a-bar. We get there just a minute or two before it’s letting out, so we stand and wait in the lobby area. Mom and Dad come out of the Meet & Greet. Dad’s got a big grin on his face from talking to the other vets, and Mom has her normal just-barely-tolerating-everyone-else-while-waiting-to-do-something-she-wants face and general disposition. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]The family has found that it doesn’t matter if you let Mom pick the activity or the destination, because even though you let her pick, she won’t be happy with it. There’s [I]always [/I]something to complain about. She might say, “I want to take a swamp boat ride and see alligators” and then complain, “the big fan is so noisy, and it’s too hot.” Or perhaps she’ll say something like, “I want to go on a cruise” and then complain, “There’s always so much water outside… and why does this boat keep moving so much?”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Outside of the Cinn-a-bar, Mom and Dad see us in the lobby area. We approach each other and naturally (but awkwardly) we stop right in the walkway where we come together… and stand there… in the walkway. We’re all standing in the middle of traffic (if there were any), beginning to talk about the Meet & Greet. I’m not really listening as I start backing up out of the walkway, trying to passively hint to everyone else to get out of the way. I’m not really the, “Hey, why don’t you get out of the way of other people walking” kind of guy. I’m much more likely to wait for eye contact with you, then suddenly dart my eyes over your shoulder as if someone were coming up behind you – which would then (with most people) cause you to stop talking and quickly side-step while looking over your shoulder because you assumed that I was looking at a person… but I wasn’t. I just wanted you to take a step to the side to get out of the way. See how sneaky and passive that was? [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]If the person I do this to happens to be one of those, “What the heck were you just looking at? You just made me move to the side for no reason, and that really bothers me!” kind of people… I would then have the opportunity to say whatever I felt like in justification of my sudden eye-dart. I’ve never actually been confronted about this type of minor manipulation, but if I ever am, I’m sure I’ll be ready to run or play dead… which ever seems most appropriate in the given environment.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Dad tells a few quick stories about the vets that he met just a few minutes earlier and gives some quick “stats” on the meeting such as, “There were about 20 people in there. A few active duty guys, mostly retired guys, and mostly Army. There were a few Vietnam vets, a couple Korean War vets, a WWII vet, and a few young guys from Desert Storm and later.”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]As Dad is giving us the quick-and-dirty version of the Meet & Greet, we all begin walking toward the nearby elevator lobby so we can head up to Lido Deck for something to eat. As we enter the elevator lobby, one of the other vets (which Dad had just met) walks up behind him and stops. Dad notices him and switches gears. “Oh, hey! I want you guys to meet [Vet’s name here]. He was [blah blah blah don’t remember]”. So he introduces us to this other vet. My “blah blah blah” just now makes me seem like an eye-rolling teenager standing there with my arms crossed and slouching. I’m not. I’m sure that I found the story very interesting at the time – but I have a terrible memory for details.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Dad and the other guy talk for a few minutes, and I notice that Daughter #1 has wandered (not far) over to the stairwell. This happens to be the same elevator lobby and stairwell with the glass window that looks into the teen dance club… you remember the glass window, right? That one. Well, Daughter #1 has walked over there to see what’s going on in the “big kid fish bowl”. There’s a girl lying on the floor near the window with paper and markers. The kids on the other side of the glass are doing some kind of arts & crafts activity. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[IMG]http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb479/Delta_Hotel/Glory%20Day%205/Nd3_1902.jpg[/IMG]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]After Dad and the other guy finish their little conversation, we’re left standing in the elevator lobby. A few seconds pass and Dad makes an observation which sounds a lot like something I would notice, but he beat me to it. The elevators “bing” when it arrives at your level. This isn’t news to anyone… but the fact that there are different “bings” is something worth noting. So, when you’re standing in a lobby and either you or someone else have pressed the “UP” or “DOWN” arrow to request an elevator, do you ever find yourself turning back and forth to see the elevators in front and behind you? When one arrives, do you notice yourself scanning quickly to see if it’s going up or down?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Well – I have good news for you. The “bings” that announce the arrival of an elevator have a pattern! Dad noted out loud that when an elevator arrives and is “going up”, it only bings once. When an elevator arrives and is “going down”, it bings twice, but it’s more of a “bing… bong” tone. I think of this “bing… bong” as the equivalent of “Going… down”. It’s really too bad that we only noticed this on the last day. I spent so much more mental energy during the cruise just turning my head and scanning for the up and down arrows that light up to indicate direction. If you close your eyes, you can listen for the “bing” or the “bing… bong”, and know which way it’s going – and the direction of the sound also tells you which elevator it is – it’s like someone thought about this when they built the ship or something… crazy geniuses… and I’m an idiot for not noticing it earlier. Well, I didn’t actually notice it at all. Dad did, and I just confirmed it over the course of the next several elevator rides. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]TO LIDO DECK![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Collectively, we all agree that we’d like to have lunch in the Fish ‘N Chips part of the buffet. We make our way into the buffet area, then hook around the corner a little and climb the stairs to the upper level. Mom and Dad go to find a table, and the four of us walk up to the counter and get in line. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[IMG]http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb479/Delta_Hotel/Glory%20Day%205/Nd3_1905.jpg[/IMG]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]While Wifey and Daughter #1 are standing in line, Daughter #2 asks if she can go look over the rail. I look down at her little round squishy face which is outlined by her Little Red Riding Hood cloak and have an overwhelming desire to pick her up and either hug her until I crush every bone in her body, or unhinge my jaw and attempt to pop her into my mouth and eat her up. Instead of doing either of these things, I approve her little request and walk with her over to the rail – which is only a few feet away, then take a few pictures of her. It seems like a good compromise.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[IMG]http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb479/Delta_Hotel/Glory%20Day%205/Nd3_1908.jpg[/IMG]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]We get the girls some fish filets and I get some more of the bouillabaisse… it’s really good, but you often have to wait for it because they make it fresh, and in relatively small batches. Since the Fish ‘N Chips bar isn’t crowded at all, it’s not a long wait. Totally worth it.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Once we get our food, we head over to where Mom and Dad are (around the corner near the drink station) and stuff our faces. Well, not really. I’m eating soup, so it’s tough to “stuff your face” with soup – and it’s hot. While trying to maintain an acceptable level of decorum for present company, I try to eat my soup as quickly as I can. I’m really hungry. I put a little bit of thought into how quickly I’m eating. I’d like to taste my food, but that’s not a requirement. I just want to stop being hungry – but I don’t want to eat so fast or sloppily that I draw attention to myself. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Without looking for it, people seem to notice in their peripheral vision when someone’s hand is moving too rapidly from their plate/bowl to their face. I’m sure they’re not looking for it, but even with dozens of people around, they’ll notice if your hand goes up and down to your face too fast… like some kind of primitive and instinctual need to be subconsciously aware of how fast people are eating around you… because when they finish their food, they may be coming for yours. Watch out for those fast eaters, they probably have a wicked right-hook, too. They may even steal your wallet. I mean, think of the dolphins![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]It’s just after 1PM now, and Dad’s looking at his watch. “Super Trivia Round 2” starts at 1:30 in the Ivory Club on Deck 4… and he wants to make sure that he gets there early to get a good seat. We finish up our food and clean up a little as we gather our things. Even though we didn’t bring anything with us, and the girls didn’t play with anything, I now always check on, around, and under the table for things that we might leave behind. If there’s a napkin or paper on the table, I lift it to look underneath. If we’re sitting in a booth or on a bench seat – I check the cracks for things the girls may have dropped. Just another one of those things that I never did before becoming a parent – but now I do. I’m aware of it, but it’s now reached a reflex-like level where I start to look around the table and then stop and tell myself, “Stop, you dork, the kids aren’t here. But these nice men in suits that you just had lunch with [I]are [/I]here… and watching you.” [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]I’m not full yet, but I’ve had enough to stop the Hunger Monster from coming out. It’s hard to fill up on little metal bowls of bouillabaisse when you have to wait for them to make a new pot each time you finish a bowl. I’ve considered asking for the whole pot – but I’m sure Wifey would disapprove… and the “whole pot” isn’t really that big anyway.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]We head down to the Ivory Club on Deck 4 by way of the aft-most elevators, which let you out right next to the Ivory Club. On the way through the buffet, Daughter #1 looks up and says to Wifey, “That was our table.”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Wifey leans over a little and loudly whispers, “Yep!” Putting her finger up to her lips, “shhhhhh”.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Wifey and Daughter #1 begin to giggle at each other as we walk through the buffet. I don’t know what they were giggling at, and I know that we’ve never sat at the particular table they were just referring to, so I say nothing and hope that something in the context of their conversation will give it away, or they’ll just tell me. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Wifey smiles at Daughter #1 and darts her eyes towards me, then back to Daughter #1. “Should we tell him?”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Daughter #1 smiles, looks at me, then back at Wifey, “Yeah, I think we should”.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]“Tell me what?”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Wifey and the 9-year-old begin to tell me (while walking) that they sat at that particular table last night… after I fell asleep. Apparently, I fell asleep, but the three girls were still very awake and watching “Tangled”. Around 11PM or shortly after, while I lie in bed snoring at moderate volume, Wifey asked the girls if they wanted to go get pizza for a midnight snack. Daughter #1 jumped at the opportunity, but Daughter #2 was so enthralled by watching “Tangled” for the 56th time that she didn’t want to leave.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Daughter #1 and Wifey got dressed, and quietly snuck out of the room, leaving Daughter #2 on the bottom “bunk” staring at the television while under my “adult supervision”. I’m guessing that you don’t know this about me – but while I’m sleeping, you’d be better off having the towel-animal elephant with the slightly off-set head watch the kids. If you [I]did[/I] know that about me – well, that’s just creepy, so don’t tell me how you know.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Wifey and Daughter continue to tell me the story of their almost-midnight pizza adventure, where they pretended that they were “secret spy ninja agents”. Their top secret mission was to make their way to the pizza counter and acquire their midnight pizza without ANYONE on the ship knowing about it. They hid around corners, whispered messages to each other, and peeked around corners to see if anyone was coming. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Obviously, this didn’t work for several reasons. The single largest reason being – you have to get the pizza from the pizza guy. Yes, it could have been a pizza “gal”, but I chose to call him a pizza guy. There, I’m showing my gender-bias when it comes to pizza. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]The second problem with their top secret mission would be the fact that it wasn’t a secret. Daughter #2 had been given explicit instructions to tell me exactly what they were doing, and where they were going if I woke up and asked. She was also left with clear instructions to stay on the bottom bunk, don’t move, don’t answer the door, to wake me up if there was an emergency, and don’t move. Wifey also made her go to the bathroom before leaving. I suppose that if I had woken up and [I]didn’t [/I]ask, Daughter #2 wouldn’t have told me anything. It’s also possible that I would have woken up, gone to the bathroom and not even have noticed that two of the four people in the cabin weren’t there.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]As it turns out, they were seen by many people… but they were mostly people who didn’t care that they were getting pizza, so it’s almost as good as no one knowing about it. Wifey and Daughter tell me that there were about 7-10 teenagers scattered in a few small groups near the pizza counter. Daughter #2 looks at me and then begins to tell me about the several teenagers that she saw ordering platefuls of pizza slices, then taking one bite of each, then discarding the remaining 95% of each slice. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]The girls decide to go inside to eat to avoid the windy aft deck, and to get away from the annoying teenagers. They sit near the deli counter, and couldn’t resist getting a sandwich to go along with their pizza. Wifey got the tuna melt with American cheese (the only cheese they had) and Daughter #1 got the turkey on country roll.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]After eating their almost-midnight snack, they wandered by the Amber Palace and heard the tail end of the “Just Rock”. They stood behind the back rail and watched the last couple of songs before coming back home. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Back to now…[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]From the aft Lido Deck elevators, we “bing… bong” down to Deck 4. Remember : “bing…bong” is “going… down”. We get to the Ivory Club, and the place is empty… we’re a little early. Dad finds a table as close to the host as possible while still having a good view. The host stands in the middle of the room, and the chairs in the Ivory Club are arranged in a three-quarters-of-a-circle manner. Imagine a clock (analog, not digital). The host is the center of the clock. The entrance to the Ivory Club is at 6 o’clock. The bar extends from 11 to 1 o’clock, and the seats are all scattered from 2-5 o’clock and 7-10 o’clock. Dad sat us at 4 o’clock. If you’re thinking, “I didn’t need to know all of that. Just get on with the story… I don’t care where you sat!” then tough cookies. You’ve already read it, so I win. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]After a few minutes of waiting, the host comes in and sets up in the middle of the room. The host of today’s trivia game is a young British woman. I’m guessing that she’s British because of her accent. I suppose that she could be from New Jersey. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Skip forward 30 minutes – we don’t win, and Dad’s not happy. He doesn’t throw a fit, pout, or anything – but he’s clearly not happy about losing. This was his last chance to win a ship-on-a-stick from this ship.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]To console ourselves about the recent loss, and so that I can get something else to eat, we head back to the buffet and our table on Lido aft. I know, I’m like a stomach on wheels… except without wheels.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]We all “bing” up to Deck 9, I excuse myself to squeaky up before eating again, and then head back to our table by the Adult Pool. Did you just chuckle about “Adult Pool”? I did. Just sayin’.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]It’s pretty empty back here, so we find a double-table to sit at. Once we’ve set all of our stuff down, Dad offers to stay at the table while everyone else gets food. The rest of us split into groups to go get food. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Mom offers to take one of the girls to go get food, and Wifey and I take the other girl. As we walk around the hot tub, Wifey notices that there’s a little boy (about 6 or 7) in the pool jumping around and playing by himself. As we walk by, one of the crew members comes over and asks the boy to get out of the pool, and tells him that it’s the “Adults Only” pool. The boy immediately gets out, and still dripping wet, walks quickly toward the glass doors that lead into the buffet area. “Dripping wet” isn’t really accurate. Water from the pool is streaming off of him, and he’s leaving a solid line of water behind him as he walks. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]He heads to the glass doors on the right side of the pool deck (as you’re facing forward), and we see him approach the glass doors. The same crew member quickly steps in front of him and puts his hand out in a “Stop where you are” motion. We don’t hear what he says, but by the body language, I imagine the crew member saying something like, [insert accent of your choice] “I’m sorry, but you can’t go into the buffet like that. Please dry off with a towel before entering the buffet area.”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Wifey and I agree that kids shouldn’t be in the “Adults Only” pool or hot tub, and it seems to be a good idea that people that are soaking wet don’t go into the buffet area and create slippery puddles for unsuspecting guests to slip and fall in. However, we’re not used to seeing crew members actually taking a stand like this – both the “get out of the pool” and the “you have to dry off first” moments. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]On other ships, we have seen (and also read about) the crew members standing by and watching toddlers play in the hot tubs and main swimming pool while wearing swim-diapers. Carnival has a rule about not wearing swim-diapers in the pool. Rather than stopping the children or telling parents, the crew will say nothing, and then as soon as the toddler has left the pool area, they’ll close the pool for everyone, put a net over it, drain the pool, and then send in a few guys to sanitize and scrub the pool… which takes hours and hours. It just seems that the crew is more likely to allow someone to do whatever they want… and then just mumble to themselves as they clean up after them. Anyway, so we don’t know what happens after the boy gets asked to dry off – we’re in the buffet by now.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]We get some quick food and a couple of drinks, then return to the table with Mom and Dad and the girls. We have a mostly boring and uneventful second lunch and then find ourselves sitting around staring at each other. Someone, I think it was Mom, suggests playing cards. Wifey just happens to have a deck of NCL playing cards in the cabin. Since she’s not eating Second Lunch, she offers to go back to the cabin and get the playing cards. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]<Hey Man, it be time fo’ a Super-Fly Flashback, Jack! >[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black][Disco music starts][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]We got the NCL playing cards (among other crappy token gifts inside of an NCL tote bag) as a “you guys really sucked bad, but thanks for playing” prize when we were on the NCL Pearl in Alaska in 2008 for our honeymoon… we got married in 2001, but never mind that. While on our honeymoon cruise, Wifey REALLY wanted to participate in one of the game shows. You know, one of those cruise ship game shows where the only real purpose is to make you (the contestant) look as silly as possible while everyone else laughs at you? Yeah, one of those. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]This game show was called “The Perfect Couple”, and took place in the Spinnaker Lounge on the Pearl. When they announced the name of the game, and began asking for volunteers – Wifey got really excited and thought that it was NCL’s version of the Newly-Wed game that Carnival does – the one where they have the newly married couple, the longest married couple, and the couple in the middle… right, you know the one… hooker or missionary, yeah, that one.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]I rolled my eyes, and thought, “It’s our honeymoon cruise. I don’t know any of these people, and most likely won’t ever see any of them again. Sure, why not… how bad could it be?” I told Wifey that she could volunteer us… so she did, and we were selected. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]This was [B]not[/B] the same game as Carnival. This game was filled with couples doing timed events, all of which were designed to be very suggestive of a certain adult activity. There were activities such as popping balloons between our bodies in about 6 different positions. The host would click the stopwatch, hand me a pre-inflated balloon, and I would hold it in front of my chest, then Wifey would have to run at me and pop the balloon with her chest. When we popped that one, he’d hand me another balloon and I’d sit on a chair, put the balloon on my lap, and Wifey would then have to pop it by sitting on it. Then I’d lay down on my back, they’d hand me another balloon, and I’d set it “above my thighs” and Wifey had to pop it by sitting on down on it. There were more positions, but you get the picture. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]One of the more memorable events during the game show had me standing on two chairs – one foot on each chair with my legs slightly spread. The object of this “event” was to have Wifey pass a lime (which happened to be yellow) up one of my pant legs, and then down the other side… with no help from me. This particular event was interesting and memorable because the pants I happened to be wearing that day were a pair of tailored wool pants with a separate liner from the knee up. When Wifey tried to pass the lime up one leg, she got it to the crotch area, and it got stuck in the liner at the top. This little detail caused such a problem that Wifey was embarrassed, and ended up having to ask the host, “Can I unzip his pants?”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]She got the lime down the other pant leg eventually after unzipping my pants, sticking her hand in and maneuvering the lime from one side to the other. After it came out my other pant leg and hit the floor – the host literally jumped up in the air with excitement and then told us that we had just set the record for the longest time ever for this event. We didn’t win the game, but we got an orange tote bag with crap in it, and a deck of playing cards.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]<End Super-Fly Flashback, yo… >[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[ksj620]

OMG Too funny. I am laughing out loud at work trying not to get myself into trouble. Thanks for starting my weekend off happy.

Karen

[crusing_guy]

DH & SB......Thanks for the new posting on your memoir....I have to wonder if it is strange that I was beginning to get worried about if we would ever get another chapter in the story of your cruise.....I found myself checking at least three times a day to see if there had been anything added..........I really enjoy your writing style and I am not looking forward to this cruise ending......Thanks for sharing.......

[Delta Hotel]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Wifey comes back to the table with the playing cards from the cabin. The girls are playing quietly at the end of our table with their toys and drawing pads. We rearrange the kids’ toys and the adults decide to play euchre. The four of us usually default to playing euchre when we’re together because it’s a simple and fast game. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]For those of you that don’t know the game, it is believed to have been invented around the 1860’s when Mom was a little girl, and was popularized in the United States by the Pennsylvania Dutch. It’s a four-player game, consisting of two teams of two players. The teammates sit across from each other. The goal is to take tricks in order to win points. In an overly-simplified way, euchre is a lot like spades or hearts… but with less cards, less tricks, and the trump suit changes from hand to hand, unlike Spades or Hearts. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]We default to our normal teams – Wifey and I on one team, and Mom and Dad on the other. This sounds like a “DUH” kind of setup, but we’ve tried to play with other team variations before… no one really seemed to like those games. Dad’s a good card player, and he’s had many years of practice on the rest of us. Although Mom has been playing this game for a long, long time, she doesn’t seem to have a consistent pattern to how she plays or bids. Dad is often getting upset with her for leading the “wrong” suit or card, or throwing trump when they were winning the trick anyway… that sort of thing. I happen to play on the extremes – I either make a bid for tricks with almost nothing in my hand (based mostly on [I]a good feeling[/I]) or I’ll go for many hands “passing” everything up waiting on a really good hand. With me, you can be sure that if I “call” something – it’s either based on absolutely nothing, or I’m definitely going to “make it”. Wifey’s playing style isn’t really notable in any way – because it’s probably the most normal and reasonable of the four of us. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]We continue to play cards for a while to pass the time. It’s not just passing time – we all really enjoy playing cards together. For years, before Wifey and I got married, we lived in the same house as her parents while we both went to college and worked. I was abruptly kicked out of my uncle’s house when I turned 18, so I had nowhere to live. Wifey’s parents took me in and allowed me to sleep on their couch until I could make more permanent arrangements. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]You may be thinking, “Kicked out of the house at 18? What did you do?” Well, the answer is – nothing. I turned 18 – that’s it. A little history lesson about my family…[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]In my family (the big family, not my current immediate family), there’s a clear rule about “leaving the nest”. The rule is simple. As a child grows up, you tell them that they’re going to move out of your house when they turn 18. No exceptions. When they’re a teenager, you remind them of this more and more frequently so they can’t say that they forgot about that. If the child believes you and doesn’t think you’ll back down on this rule (which my family never did), the child should begin feeling a sense of mortality and thinking of planning for self preservation. This kind of thinking is completely foreign to most teenagers these days. Most of them seem to feel that their parents and society will bail them out of just about anything, death is only for old people, and having fun is all they need to worry about.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]If you’re a teenager, and you [I]really [/I]believe that you’re going to be on your own at the age of 18, you start making preparations. You’ll begin to realize that doing well in school is actually important. You’ll realize that once you’re out on your own, you can’t be a selfish jerk anymore, and you can’t eat [I]everything[/I] in the fridge because that food costs money… which you don’t have a lot of. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Now that I’ve given you a little taste of “The Rule”, there’s another detail that changes my story. I was living with my mother when I was 16, but was kicked out of my uncles house at 18. When I was 16, I used to spend a lot of time in Washington D.C. with my uncle in the hair salons where he worked. On an autumn weekend, I asked my uncle to bleach my hair blonde. Not all of it – just two thick streaks, one above each eye. At the time, I had thick, chin-length, straight, black hair. My uncle thought it would be fun, so he sat me down in his chair between clients, sectioned off two strips of hair – one on either side of my forehead, and folded them up in foil with hair bleach inside. I sat off to the side talking to people and reading magazines for a few hours. My uncle would check back every once in a while to see how it was going. By the end of the first day (several hours of bleaching) my new racing stripes were a light orange.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]On Sunday, I went back to the salon and he continued to bleach my hair until it was a golden blonde. I was so excited to have blonde streaks in my hair. It never once occurred to me that I should ask my mother’s permission to bleach my own hair. You see where this is going? I know you do, because you’re obviously an avid reader to have made it this far. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black][Begin slow yet suspenseful music][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]On Sunday evening, my uncle takes me home so that I can prepare for school on Monday. That’s when my mother sees my hair, and becomes very upset. Since this is a family friendly memoir, I’ve decided to describe my mother’s reaction as “very upset”, rather than what it really was… which was quite a bit more than “very upset”. Well, if you had bet me five dollars on my mother not kicking me out of the house at the age of 16 for bleaching my hair – I’d be five dollars richer! She didn’t kick me out for bleaching my hair – she kicked me out for getting into a fist fight with my step-father [I]because [/I]I bleached my hair. I deserved it – I was a real little sh*thead when I was 16.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]So, that’s how I ended up living at my uncle’s house at the age of 16. Now, instead of driving my little car five minutes to college and 30 minutes to work, I had to drive 30 minutes to college and 60 minutes to work! Back to the point – I lived with my uncle for about 2 years until my 18th birthday. When I turned 18 – my uncle came to me and said, “It’s time for you to move out, you’re 18 now… you know the family rule.”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]I was speechless. I had been kicked out once already, and I was now working, going to college, paying rent and utilities at his house, and doing chores around the house. I thought I had gotten a head-start on this whole thing! It never occurred to me that I could be kicked out at 16, and then again at 18. Well, I was. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black][Fade out slow yet suspenseful music][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]I wasn’t prepared for it, so I had nothing lined up. Wifey (girlfriend at the time) asked her parents if I could sleep on their couch until I could figure something out. Luckily, they agreed and I moved in a few days later. I left my stuff at my uncle’s house, and only took my clothes and things I needed for school. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]And that’s how I ended up living at Wifey’s parents’ house… for a few years. It turns out that “more permanent arrangements” meant marrying their lovely daughter, moving 2.5 hours away, and beginning our own family. As crazy as this whole story sounds – I wouldn’t wish for a single bit of it to change.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Like my Grandmother used to say, “[B]Dóng cửa miệng của bạn hoặc tôi giết bạn[/B]!”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Eardrum. The eardrum is the part of body which separates the outer ear and the middle ear.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Back to Lido Deck. We play cards for a while, and someone notices the time. The Fun Times shows that there’s a Thriller Dance Class in the Amber Palace on Deck 3. Wifey’s able to get both girls interested in doing this. Neither of the girls have ever seen the Thriller video, and they barely know who Michael Jackson is… but they like dancing, and they’re used to taking dancing instructions.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Mom and Dad have no interest in the dance class, but want to see the girls dance, so we all pack up and then “bing… bong” down to Deck 4. The Fun Times says that the Thriller Dance Class is on Deck 3, but from the rear of the ship, you can’t get to the front of the ship on Deck 3; the galley blocks your access on Deck 3. So, we take Deck 4 to the front of the ship by walking through the Golden Restaurant. It’s the middle of the day, so the restaurant is empty. As we get off on Deck 4, the girls see the doors for the Ivory Club where we had our trivia game just a few hours before. Inside the Ivory Club now are a bunch of teenagers standing around a microphone and monitor singing karaoke. Both girls stand at the glass doors and watch the big kids singing.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[COLOR=black][IMG]http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb479/Delta_Hotel/Glory%20Day%205/Nd3_1922.jpg[/IMG][/COLOR]

[Delta Hotel]

As a not-so-fun side note - as of this last post, my memoir is 88,563 words long! I'm sure that's completely meaningless to anyone reading this!

DH

[Sea&SkiCruiser]

I love the picture of the girls standing at the door. Please continue.....

[Pistol Packin Mama]

[quote name='Delta Hotel']As a not-so-fun side note - as of this last post, my memoir is 88,563 words long! I'm sure that's completely meaningless to anyone reading this!

DH[/quote]

[B]And we have enjoyed every one of the 88,563 words.:)[/B]

[ShakyBeef]

[quote name='Pistol Packin Mama'][B]And we have enjoyed every one of the 88,563 words.:)[/B][/quote]


Even the Vietnamese ones?:p

[Sea&SkiCruiser]

Definitely the Vietnamese ones. I spent 13 months in Saigon once upon a time. Edited September 3, 2011 by Sea&SkiCruiser

[ShakyBeef]

[quote name='Sea&SkiCruiser']Definitely the Vietnamese ones. I spent 13 months in Saigon once upon a time.[/quote]

Was that a tour of duty, by any chance?

[Sea&SkiCruiser]

[quote name='ShakyBeef']Was that a tour of duty, by any chance?[/quote]

Not military, USG civilian. Early 70s.

[bragstarr]

Hey Delta and Shaky, I'm out of here tomorrow on Glory! :D I really need it after Irene and six days of no power. Have totally enjoyed this review and thanks for the hints. Bing Bong! Maybe there'll be more here when I return!

[Pistol Packin Mama]

[quote name='bragstarr']Hey Delta and Shaky, I'm out of here tomorrow on Glory! :D I really need it after Irene and six days of no power. Have totally enjoyed this review and thanks for the hints. Bing Bong! Maybe there'll be more here when I return![/quote]

[B]Enjoy your trip, will follow on the 17th. Would you post whether you see an places to check your email in the towns? I really don't want to take the computer. Maybe you know Delta & Shaky, but I'm sure you brought your own.[/B]

[B]So sorry about Irene causing you so much trouble, it was a mess.[/B]

[ShakyBeef]

[quote name='Pistol Packin Mama'][B]Enjoy your trip, will follow on the 17th. Would you post whether you see an places to check your email in the towns? I really don't want to take the computer. Maybe you know Delta & Shaky, but I'm sure you brought your own.[/B]

[B]So sorry about Irene causing you so much trouble, it was a mess.[/B][/quote]

Yes, DH brought several of his computers, so we just sat at the port in Saint John and used their free wireless.

But there several internet cafes in Halifax and Saint John that offer use of their computers, so you don't have to have your own.

Here's one in Halifax that seems like it would suit:

[URL]http://www.ceilidhconnection.ca/about.html[/URL]

There are several others, too.

As for Saint John, this CC article mentions a few (including the library, for free:)). Just scroll down to the Staying In Touch section of the article:

[URL]http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=125[/URL] Edited September 5, 2011 by ShakyBeef
spelling

[ShakyBeef]

[quote name='bragstarr']Hey Delta and Shaky, I'm out of here tomorrow on Glory! :D I really need it after Irene and six days of no power. Have totally enjoyed this review and thanks for the hints. Bing Bong! Maybe there'll be more here when I return![/quote]

Darn - it seems I'm late in saying it, but BON VOYAGE, anyway! Six days - ugh. I hope it's a great one.:)

[ShakyBeef]

[quote name='Sea&SkiCruiser']Not military, USG civilian. Early 70s.[/quote]

Cool. Thanks!:) Did you learn the language? After 15 years, I'm still trying to get beyond ordering off a menu and basic greetings.:o

[Pistol Packin Mama]

[quote name='ShakyBeef']Yes, DH brought several of his computers, so we just sat at the port in Saint John and used their free wireless.

But there several internet cafes in Halifax and Saint John that offer use of their computers, so you don't have to have your own.

Here's one in Halifax that seems like it would suit:

[URL]http://www.ceilidhconnection.ca/about.html[/URL]

There are several others, too.

As for Saint John, this CC article mentions a few (including the library, for free:)). Just scroll down to the Staying In Touch section of the article:

[URL]http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=125[/URL][/quote]

Thanks much.

[Sea&SkiCruiser]

[quote name='ShakyBeef']Cool. Thanks!:) Did you learn the language? After 15 years, I'm still trying to get beyond ordering off a menu and basic greetings.:o[/quote]

I picked up a few phrases, which escape me now. There wasn't a big need to learn the language. Even though I lived on the economy, first a hotel and then an apartment, most people I came in contact with spoke English. Even menus were generally printed in both languages, if not three (French).

[ShakyBeef]

[quote name='Sea&SkiCruiser']I picked up a few phrases, which escape me now. There wasn't a big need to learn the language. Even though I lived on the economy, first a hotel and then an apartment, most people I came in contact with spoke English. Even menus were generally printed in both languages, if not three (French).[/quote]

Cool.:)

Incidentally, I can't help but mention what I just made for dinner tonight - shaky beef (bo luc lac)!:p:rolleyes:

[loltastic]

Wow what a great memoir so far! I wasn't expecting to read this for the past four days with every free moment I've had but I was sucked in.

[usafchick1980]

[quote name='ShakyBeef']Even the Vietnamese ones?:p[/quote]

HAHA..I was going to comment and say..except for the Vietnamese ones. LOL..You beat me to it.

[bragstarr]

In public library in St. John as we speak, really easy walk from ship and they generously give you an hour on public computer. This cruise is great and ship is lovely! We have told everyone in elevators about bing and bing-bong and everyone is very appreciative to know that!

[ShakyBeef]

[quote name='bragstarr']In public library in St. John as we speak, really easy walk from ship and they generously give you an hour on public computer. This cruise is great and ship is lovely! We have told everyone in elevators about bing and bing-bong and everyone is very appreciative to know that![/quote]

Hi, Robin! How cool is that, that you're checking in with us on this cruise.:D Thanks for telling us about the library. An hour is generous, but what would you have done if Delta Hotel had gotten another installment posted? You'd need your whole hour just to read it.:rolleyes:

I'm glad you're enjoying the cruise. When you get back on the ship, bing up to the lido deck and have a DOD for me, please.:p