No internet tomorrow

I woke up with some “humpty-rumpy” (I’ve heard it several ways) and really never got back into a deep sleep. But Ed got up about 7:15 and eventually went to the gym since it has calmed down a lot. He put the “morning show” on. This is on the ship’s channel and basically tells you everything about that day’s events and more. Practical advice about stuff such as immigration, shuttles, etc. We’d heard about the dance show the staff is planning and this morning they interviewed the participants. It’s called “Dancing with the Stripes” because each of the dancers will be dancing with a staff member who has never danced before. So a bartender, ship’s nurse, excursion director are among the non-dancers who are going to be dancing the tango, salsa, etc. Frankie is the host for a lot of these side stories and he is so good at this kind of stuff. He lived in Japan for four years and he was in the film Grease with John Travolta. He’s not someone folks really take to initially, but he grows on you and folks begin to look forward to him. No one can interview people like he does.
Religious life on a ship
We signed up for the Seder which will be held tomorrow evening . The priest on board had a rough time getting to the ship (I don’t know the details) but some of the passengers were suggesting at Mass that a collection be taken up to cover some out-of-pocket expenses. I was not aware that the priest pays for the set up and such for Mass. There is traditionally a collection which goes to marine related charities. Apparently there is also a fund that supports priests on the sea doing various jobs; I guess it’s just another type of mission.
Port talk: Beijing
We are landing at a large port Xingang which was news to me. You could spend a week in that town alone. There is a bullet train that goes to Beijing in 45 min. I’m at a loss as to why we aren’t using that to get to Beijing because our ride is 3 ½ hrs each way. Nonetheless, the presentation was a good review of the sites we saw in Beijing in 2001 and some ones that are new to us. There was much history that I either missed, or didn’t recall, from our first visit.
Trivia
It was not fun this morning. If it was that way each time, I’d never play. Some folks were not on their best behavior and clearly the folks calling the questions have been pushed to finish before the bridge announcements at noon. I don’t really mind this part though it does require a team to make quicker decisions. But many of the groups will just drag things out indefinitely if left to their own devices. We had an opening and a new person joined us but I don’t think that person will return not would I encourage it.
We got one point less than the winners and it wasn’t an easy quiz. The fellow who annoys several in our group (his wife is a delight) popped in at the last minute as we had 2 empty seats. He was separated comfortably from our member who is the most annoyed with him.
Lunch
I didn’t go as I’m not sure what my weight is doing these days. I knew Ed would go as it was the fantastic Sunday buffet they often put on with buckets of sea food, salads galore, dessert, meat, and fish stations…and on and on. So I read some more in the biography of Einstein. He was such an interesting personality and did change his mind about things during his lifetime; he wasn’t hidebound in that way. But he did have a more libertine opinion about his personal life that wouldn’t pass muster very well today. But he clearly had many times in his life when he was essentially without a country.
The tea party gathering
Ed and I snuck down to listen to this. There were a lot of people there: at least 30 if not more. One fellow was holding court. There were several non-Americans, one clearly confused about the whole idea since she said something praising Obama which drew a lot of ire from the assembled. There was some discussion of whether to start a 3rd party or work within the framework of our two major parties. All except one questioner (more later) were Republicans and some discussed the need to properly educate the new voters so they’d know how to vote knowledgably. There was much generational clucking about how ignorant young folks are about economics; I wondered how many of them were as knowledgable when they were young, or more importantly, even now, about such things. Many facts were thrown around that applied to Republican Administrations as much as the current Democratic one, but this information was recounted as if it was a new, and very dangerous, phenomenon. One younger man, perhaps in his 30s (and wearing a t-shirt with a huge “AIG” on the front) asked a question and inserted references to libertarianism into his question about the tea party activists.
Ed and I were good; we just listened though Ed was concerned he couldn’t keep his mouth shut when the misinformation started. Ed left for a computer class on how to restore old photos and I stayed for a while but left when things were winding down. The “leader” of the group suggested they meet again next week and “discuss” health care reform. I can’t recall the exact terminology but clearly it is going to be a hit job on anything even remotely related to a positive attitude about anything related to any change in health care. These folks are comfortable financially and don’t have to worry about their health care and they clearly want to keep it that way and insulate themselves from any ideas or facts that might endanger their status. Many sounded very afraid frankly but this is supported by facts that serve their purpose and ignore other realities. Certainly the moral issue is never dealt with unless it means they might be required to pay more taxes (their assessment) which they believe would disadvantage them unfairly.
Celebrity at sea
I didn’t go to this but it’s a very popular feature on these long cruises where folks are agog over stars of any age. The celebrity this time appeared on Make Room for Daddy with Danny Thomas. I suspect Ed will watch it on TV later.
Book club discussion
The book is “Tuesdays with Morrie”. It was combined with the afternoon tea. Princess purchases a number of books and then they are passed out for folks to read and then come together and discuss in a book club format. The librarian gives everyone a schedule of things to note while reading the text and then this forms the jumpstart for the discussion.
Some of those who showed up had not yet read the book and a few, like myself, had read it long ago. I was pleased that non-caffeinated tea was available as it has not always been so except for green tea. They had small sandwiches, lots of pastries and other sweets, scones, clotted cream, jelly, etc. I settled on an egg salad “sandwich” (actually a little bun about the size of a silver dollar). I felt bad at the timing of my leaving for trivia because some folks had begun to share experiences related to the illnesses or deaths of family members.
Booking flights
Ed just went up to book our return flight from Oslo in the summer. The offerings are so bizarre. For example, it is cheaper to fly to London which then goes on to Paris and then to LA. If you fly directly from Paris to LA, it is much more expensive. Much of this makes no sense…
Supper
We talked about various exotic foods since snails and frog’s legs were on the menu tonite. Also some discussion of Angela Cartwright’s roles (she was the celebrity guest today) and the fact that the movie the Sound of Music will be shown later as she had a role as one of the daughters in it. Crepes Suzette were made by the head waiter as they often due. We’ve had cherries jubilee and similar desserts. We know it’s coming when we see the bottles of liquor set up next to the huge saucepans as we enter the dining room.
Cold weather…gear
The weather for the next few ports is predicted to be in the 40s or 50s and so Ed is about taking all the winter gear he brought. I’m into layering but we’ll be lugging lots of stuff so the coolness doesn’t inconvenience us. It is definitely cooler and folks are wearing sweaters and jackets to dinner.
Entertainment
It was a divided program with the main dancers and singers presenting an abbreviated program. This was followed by the comedian/magician I left the other night. So again there was a hearty exodus of folks who didn’t want to be subjected to the same ropes, rings, and such yet one more time.

There is a sign on the door of the internet cafe saying that the internet connection will not be up while we are in port tomorrow. This I'd expect from the Chinese Gov't but the Japanese?