Nagasaki tomorrow

Cold and nasty weather



I awoke around 7 and waited for Ed to wake up. The “humpy-rumpy” began in the early morning some time and there wasn’t much sleeping after that. The sky is foggy and the sea is very choppy. There is rain all over the patio doors.
Ed went out to go to the gym but it is closed and the outside walks are cordoned off because of the rough seas and weather. The Captain said the winds are 40 mph. So Ed said he’d walk the hallways.
Our Japanese immigration forms arrived for completion along with a customs declaration form. We complete these forms for many ports and turn them into the purser’s desk in advance of the port. Sometimes they are with our passports and we present them when we have to make a personal appearance (sounds like a TV show). Last time I was wowed by Japanese immigration so we’ll see what bells and whistles they’ve added this time.
Library
I did my usual routine: check email, paste blog, upload last of photos, pick up daily quizzes.
Port Talk: Busan
Clearly there’s a lot to see and do here. It looks very modern and busy. There was a funny part where the North Korean flag was shown and a photo of Kim Jong-il with the admonition that if you see either of these, you’ve gone too far. At lunch I overhead part of a conversation that we might not be able to go to Pusan because of an explosion in the shipyard there but I have no idea how much, if any of this is accurate.
Trivia
Not too bad. Interesting questions as always. We did have one funny experience: the question was: who funded the excavations of King Tut’s tomb? We came up with several names, none of which were correct. However, it you had garbled many of them, it would have clearly sounded very much like the true answer. In the afternoon, we did OK but we weren’t a threat to anyone; there were only 4 of us. 4 or 5 teams tied and the tie breaker question related to a “Dancing with the Stars” performance they will be doing on the cruise later. Two groups got it right and she gave all of those two group members tickets.
Lunch
Discussion of how folks handle excavations in America and Australia when fires or imminent. One lady brought up the issue of the laundry room and how there was a very intimidating woman there when she went down. Many folks seem to think it’s OK to put their laundry in and then leave it. Then when it finishes, they may or may not be there and that sets into play a series of confusing experiences that almost inevitably result in bad feelings. One fellow thought the ship ought to provide a steward who would work for tips. His job would be to move the laundry, fold it when finished and such. I think he’s got his heads in the clouds. Folks are not going to pay for that: they’d expect the ship to provide it. Oh well…
Weather
They’ve had to cancel several of the activities because of the bad weather related to the typhoon in the area. Someone likened it to travelling in the North Atlantic and it certainly looks like all the videos I’ve seen of their storms! Ballroom dance class and the art auction are out. The boutique is selling cold weather gear in anticipation of colder weather and I bought (with Ed’s encouragement) a jogging suit that used to sell for $38 per piece and which sold for $20 for jacket and pants. I don’t like the color especially but it will work well for warmth and just knock around.
While in the Pacific Lounge on deck 10 this morning, the ship’s bow dipped far into the water and the spray, which was magnificent, went way above our windows. There was also the wind blowing the spray back alongside the ship where it looked like a wall of sleet. This happened several times eliciting ooohhs and ahhhss. It really is quite exciting. It is gray, dark, overcast, rainy, and windy. AT dinner, Norma told a vignette about a lady who does not like for the water to come up on the windows. A lady sitting next to her said that was easy to take care of: “Just shut the drapes over your window!”
Ed’s Mom
Ed received an email from Mike that his Mom is not doing very well. It does not look hopeful and this of course, sets many emotions astir despite many contingency plans around such a possibility. We are glad to be kept informed no matter the tenor of the news. She is much loved and has always been a fun part of this family and her sweetness in her later years is a special recollection as we think of her with love.
Photoshop Beyond Basics
I didn’t realize that there is a class between this one and the initial class I took in Adobe Elements but I soldiered on. It will require a lot of practice to do these things easily but at least I have some idea of how to do it all—at least what was covered in class today.
Frank Sinatra
There is a passenger on here who Ed says has a great voice and he has his own show today singing Frank Sinatra songs. I can live without that so Ed went along and I finished up the organizing of the external and internal hard drives on the computer so I can have sufficient space to use Windows Movie Maker; editing videos takes enormous amounts of space on the hard drive.
Catching up: Buddhism 101
I turned on the TV to hear the lecture I missed while I was in computer class. I was only able to hear about 20 minutes of the 45 minute talk before leaving for dinner. When I came back after dinner I tried again with modest luck as it cut off before it was finished.
Dinner
We talked a lot about the American political system vs. Australian or New Zealand government. They are particularly stunned by the hoopla when our President travels around in a car with a motorcade and shutting down all the streets. This does not happen with their leaders. They also remarked that they couldn’t imagine an Aussie reaching into his pocket to donate to a candidate. I didn’t get to the part of asking how their campaigns are funded. We also lamented the show with yet one more magician even if he purports to be a comedian. Folks are getting weary of the same tricks and the same remarks designed to elicit applause. But other than two of us (and I’m not talking about Ed here), everyone stayed to the end. Most folks at our table spend their time up on the top deck sunbathing, or reading. I’m not sure if they go to any lectures or any of the games offered everywhere around the ship.
Tonite’s entertainment
This was a comedian. I finally left when I knew I could sneak out comfortably but others left earlier who weren’t so concerned about hurting the poor guy’s feelings. There are a few folks that guffaw at anything but truly this fellow was bombing. Ed did stay and so I’ll pick up the best from him.