Mombai tomorrow

Mombai tomorrow


I heard Ed moving around. It sounded like someone unwrapping candy in a theatre. Finally I gave up trying to get more sleep and he left for the gym. I watched a program on capuchin monkeys in Costa Rica for a while and then got myself ready. I went to the library and found that I couldn’t get an internet connection. I presume the ship’s position, going north, is a problem for the satellite connection. These north south trajectories on this ship block the signal from the satellite a lot. So I decided I’d try again later. I am so dependent on the internet at home but on a ship in the middle of nowhere, it becomes our life line as does the TV signals we can get.
And speaking of TV signals, we don’t get CNN again. We do, however, have MSNBC so Ed is happy and of course the ubiquitous FOX news is always present. BBC is available more regularly now as well. The ship also has many channels with sitcom reruns, reruns of the lectures on board, movies of several kinds and other miscellany. As it is at home, the thing you want to watch at that time is often not available.
And regarding the library, I forgot to tell you that the travel books are locked up and must be checked out. All the other books are on the honor system. I suppose that’s to be expected.
Sugar creations
Eventually I took the computer and went to the Casino Lounge where there was a demonstration about how they make these incredible sugar creations. Today it was two glorious swans. The chef used a hair dryer from the cab in and a squeeze bulb on a rubber tube from the medical center on board. I’m not making this stuff up. These are not to eat so why not. It takes 3 hrs to make these often so you just know it’s not something we’re going to be doing at home.!
Trivia
We won big time! The other teams were giving us hazzahs. There were six of us. The team dynamics are the fun part though. And we always lament that we don’t get a perfect score. This morning’s trivia was a tough one too. This afternoon there were only 4 of us and we thought we were pretty awful until we graded another team’s answer sheet. The winning team blew us all out of the water so it didn’t matter in the end.
Lunch
We sat with an older woman and her 90+ dapper looking father (her husband didn’t want to go on this cruise, so she took her Dad!). The on board priest also sat with us and we had a ball. He runs a food bank in Ft. Lauderdale that serves 4,200 people a month who are HIV+. Most are elderly. He has no illusions about how all of this comes about and he is very resourceful in getting funding and keeping it going.
He is a Franciscan friar who is originally from Canada and lived in the No Calif Bay Area for many years where he taught high school. He has such a wry way of describing events and his life has been filled with lots of fun. He’s had his share of sorrow as well. We finally heard the full story of his trek to join this ship and it’s too long to recount here but it would have tested the body and soul of someone a third his age. He laughed about having to fight the urge to rejoin some vocabulary he thought he had put away years ago. He will celebrate 50 yrs of priesthood later this year. He has 8 siblings still living and so many nieces and nephews that he’s lost count. A thoroughly delightful luncheon experience as the lady and her father were charming as well.
US Foreign Policy: In an age of globalization, can we adapt?
This is a very talented speaker. She is a straight talker. From what I can see, her facts are flawless. Questions are fielded without shirking and with solid perspectives. She separates actions into politically instigated versus others. Her knowledge of the cultures and motivations of the folks in the middle east is extraordinary. She has been a consultant with many new media and travelled with Peter Jennings in particular. She has met with almost every leader in the middle east.
Princess Grapevine
We sat with a fellow from San Francisco who loves “Two Buck Chuck” and a lady from Venezuela. There were a few new wines. I still don’t like reds but I’ve come to “appreciate” Martin and Rossi Asti Spumonti and of course there’s always the little souvenir glasses we get at the end. And the cheeses are always fresh and delicious so it’s never a loss.
I was going to go to the practice lab for the computer but spending this time enjoying these events with Ed, things we don’t ordinarily do, is one of the fun parts of cruising like this.
Dinner
Only the second couple were at the table tonite and I think Ed is right that the two women usually feed off of each other and not in comfortable ways. I tried to focus on asking them questions about things I knew interested them. He is an architect, so I asked questions about what he thought of the architecture in various places. And for her, what places she most enjoyed in the world. That kind of thing. It was a much more pleasant meal than I would have predicted. Fewer nervous mannerisms and gasping talking actions. Ed thinks she has a need to be “accepted”; I’m not sure what the dynamic is but it was a much calmer experience and not unpleasant in the way meals have been before.
Rikki Jay, comedian
This guy is so hyper and so funny. He reminds me of Robin Williams when he’s off his meds. He is very funny though and not just verbally. He can imitate how someone would behave and you are transfixed as if you were watching it in real time.
Here’s one of his verbal jokes I can recall (and it was Ed’s favorite)—answer at end of blog:
What’s hospice?
Today’s weather
It started off bright and sunny but quickly deteriorated to dreary, hot and muggy. It is gray and the ocean while amazing, isn’t as striking as I think of it ordinarily. I hope the little fishies are having a good time underwater.
Mumbai time
For reasons that are a blank to me, Mombai is on a half hour change instead of the usual one hour. The ship has not had us change our time as it would simply mean returning to our pre-Mombai time. So we are using ship’s time while in port. That means ignoring the clocks and paying attention to your own. Not hard but for some it’s very confusing.
Answer: About four liters.