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7.11.2009

And Then He Cruised

The Vision of the Seas

Ok, a little blasphemous as usual, but whaddaya expect? Got off the cruise in Stockholm last Monday and I gotta say it was exactly what I expected. Awfully nice to wake up in a different country every morning and not have to pack my bags. Pretty nice to almost always have food and hot tubs available. Rather nice to finally take a cruise so now I can have a slightly more enlightened take on the whole thing. Of course there were a few cons. (Seriously, I met some ex-cons at the pool.) I don't like feeling herded around and I don't like being waited upon (though that second one is obviously something I created myself) But all in all I had a good time. Really it was only the cost of the drinks that killed me. Though some might argue that the actual drinks themselves were the ones doing that.

P1090210

As you can tell I've put some pictures up on Flickr. I'll be the first to admit they're nothing special. The lighting was sub-par in both Tallinn and St. Petersburg due to overcast weather and all kinds of other excuses. As usual what's really missing is an adequate number of pictures with people in them. But just as I'm sitting here alone at eight-thirty on a Saturday night in the Netherlands it just so happens that when traveling alone I don't do a very good job of making friends. Ah well, so it goes.

Swanky

I'm in Eemshaven now. About two and half hour drive Northeast from Amsterdam (and isn't THAT a shame). Doing a bit of work on a new ship that Celebrity is bringing out in a few weeks. The Equinox. She's a beautiful ship but I don't know her specs offhand. Things might change but I think I'll be here for another week and then spend a week in Southampton, UK for some final loading with this ship. Then two weeks in Miami before a wedding near Seattle and then straight to Finland for two and a half months on the Oasis of the Seas. I MIGHT have a few things to write about that job. . . if I'm not tearing my hair out. (Of course, if you know me then you know that's why I keep in short. Don't get me wrong, the shortness isn't stopping it from Falling out, but it certainly is harder to tear out on a tough job. I just don't have the patience for tweezing hairs off the top of my head when there's chaos going on around me.)

Excuse Me

May the rapture find your pet well taken care of.
http://eternal-earthbound-pets.com/Home_Page.html
Oh yeah, and I didn't actually meet ex-cons at the pool. . . they were just heavy equipment operators.

7.01.2009

Two Days Gone

Welp, two days in Stockholm flew right by. Could have been all the walking, all the beer or the accumulation of all the naps. (I do love a good nap.) Gorgeous city and the people seem friendly. Not that I've met too many, been keeping to myself for the most part. But with eighty degree weather and all this sunlight it's easy to catch a few smiles on the street. . . and a lot of smiles at the outdoors seating at the bars.

I board the cruise tomorrow and guess I'm looking forward to it. I know, I know, I'm going to love it. Probably just wish I had invited someone with who could actually come along. Oh well, we'll see how she goes. No matter what it should at least be restful (though I'm not sure how I can forget about my work in the cruise industry while I'm on board a cruise ship). Life is SO rough.

Got a few pictures around Stockholm but nothing too stunning so maybe I'll post a few on flickr later. I'm sure to have a ton of pictures to upload once I join the Equinox in Eemshaven and have good access again. Yeah. Excitement, adventure, a Jedi craves not these things. . . well, I'm neither a Jedi or an adventure junky. . . I wonder how much a massage costs on the ship. . .