Do you remember when I said that a cruise ship was the one place where there was nothing I had to do...not one damn thing?
Right...
OK, it can be asserted that all the busy-ness of my day at sea was simply a compilation of optional activities designed to enhance my enjoyment of my cruise. But, wow, do I stay busy doing the optional!
We started with breakfast, and not a walk (really, because when I was still awake at almost 1am this morning, I shut off the alarm and decided to sleep in). Still, we were up fairly early and in the dining room by 8am. Unlike every other day of our cruise to date, today there was NO RAIN and a beautiful sunrise (which we watched on our cabin TV on the front of the ship channel - the same as the webcam that is broadcast on the Internet). Things are looking up!
After a delightful breakfast served by George from Portugal, I decided to go to the first speed Sudoku session of my life, up in the Adagio Lounge. Big mistake! I am still nursing my broken ego. Now, I enjoy playing Sudoku on my iPhone, and can even complete the really difficult ones, but I've never viewed Sudoku as a competitive sport. Apparently some people do (it's like trivia in that way). I was still writing in possibilities when the first person finished. Only slightly deterred (I figured he was a Mensa member or something), I soldiered on. Not long after, the second and then third place persons finished. By that time I had completed with certainty maybe 5 numbers, and had a slew of possibilities for each square.
OK, so I wasn't going to be a star at competitive Sudoku. It became obvious that the others in the room were expected to finish, and Heidi from the cruise staff was sticking around until everyone did. One by one people checked their completed Sudoku against her answer sheet and left, until there was just her and me remaining in all of the Adagio Lounge and this whole thing had lost any resemblance to fun and had instead taken on more the atmosphere of being the last student in class to finish a test as the teacher waited (I think, but don't know for certain because this had never actually happened to me before, but aren't I so lucky that I can now say that I haven't missed out on that experience in life?).
I finally shoved the cursed incomplete Sudoku in my little macrame bag, announced, "All done, gosh wasn't THAT fun", and bid a hasty retreat from the Adagio Lounge.
Right...
OK, it can be asserted that all the busy-ness of my day at sea was simply a compilation of optional activities designed to enhance my enjoyment of my cruise. But, wow, do I stay busy doing the optional!
We started with breakfast, and not a walk (really, because when I was still awake at almost 1am this morning, I shut off the alarm and decided to sleep in). Still, we were up fairly early and in the dining room by 8am. Unlike every other day of our cruise to date, today there was NO RAIN and a beautiful sunrise (which we watched on our cabin TV on the front of the ship channel - the same as the webcam that is broadcast on the Internet). Things are looking up!
After a delightful breakfast served by George from Portugal, I decided to go to the first speed Sudoku session of my life, up in the Adagio Lounge. Big mistake! I am still nursing my broken ego. Now, I enjoy playing Sudoku on my iPhone, and can even complete the really difficult ones, but I've never viewed Sudoku as a competitive sport. Apparently some people do (it's like trivia in that way). I was still writing in possibilities when the first person finished. Only slightly deterred (I figured he was a Mensa member or something), I soldiered on. Not long after, the second and then third place persons finished. By that time I had completed with certainty maybe 5 numbers, and had a slew of possibilities for each square.
OK, so I wasn't going to be a star at competitive Sudoku. It became obvious that the others in the room were expected to finish, and Heidi from the cruise staff was sticking around until everyone did. One by one people checked their completed Sudoku against her answer sheet and left, until there was just her and me remaining in all of the Adagio Lounge and this whole thing had lost any resemblance to fun and had instead taken on more the atmosphere of being the last student in class to finish a test as the teacher waited (I think, but don't know for certain because this had never actually happened to me before, but aren't I so lucky that I can now say that I haven't missed out on that experience in life?).
I finally shoved the cursed incomplete Sudoku in my little macrame bag, announced, "All done, gosh wasn't THAT fun", and bid a hasty retreat from the Adagio Lounge.
Something tells me that Heidi wasn't fooled.
I later went to the ship's library where the same Sudoku puzzle was available for non-Sudoku athletes and picked up another copy because my original was so marked up and crossed out that I really don't know what I was left with. And then I've spent the rest of the day wondering if I've been stupid all along and just blissfully unaware of it or if it's a new development requiring medical attention. Either way, it's not a good thing, and G even commented on my subdued demeanor over lunch.
But I'm getting ahead of myself, because in the story of my day it was only 10am (all this angst by mid-morning!), and I ran back to the cabin to change for Zumba class with Ryan. It lasted a full hour today, but I came away feeling just a little better because while it was everyone else's first time doing these dances with Ryan, it was my third, which didn't exactly give me an edge but more put me on an even level with the beginners. I barely had time to shower before heading up to Skywalkers for the meet and greet of the folks who have been "talking" about this cruise online. Cruise Director Peter, Accomodations Manager David and Customer Service Manager Anthony also attended. Anthony is the person who will ultimately get any mail sent to the ship for us actually delivered to us, which you may remember we did three times last year, so we've made certain he knows who we are.
I later went to the ship's library where the same Sudoku puzzle was available for non-Sudoku athletes and picked up another copy because my original was so marked up and crossed out that I really don't know what I was left with. And then I've spent the rest of the day wondering if I've been stupid all along and just blissfully unaware of it or if it's a new development requiring medical attention. Either way, it's not a good thing, and G even commented on my subdued demeanor over lunch.
But I'm getting ahead of myself, because in the story of my day it was only 10am (all this angst by mid-morning!), and I ran back to the cabin to change for Zumba class with Ryan. It lasted a full hour today, but I came away feeling just a little better because while it was everyone else's first time doing these dances with Ryan, it was my third, which didn't exactly give me an edge but more put me on an even level with the beginners. I barely had time to shower before heading up to Skywalkers for the meet and greet of the folks who have been "talking" about this cruise online. Cruise Director Peter, Accomodations Manager David and Customer Service Manager Anthony also attended. Anthony is the person who will ultimately get any mail sent to the ship for us actually delivered to us, which you may remember we did three times last year, so we've made certain he knows who we are.
Then it was lunch in the dining room (yummy veggie burrito for me), followed by line dancing with Leesh (I'm not too modest to admit it: after nearly 60 cruises I can Electric Slide and Achy Breaky and Cupid Shuffle with ease, which, in the world of dance is not exactly something worth bragging about) and then the first of the three French classes offered by Deputy Cruise Director Frenchie (I only attended the third one last cruise). And now it's 4pm and I'm exhausted from doing a bunch of things I really didn't need to do today, and one I truly wish I hadn't.
This must change. I cannot continue to push this hard on all our sea days. I am cruising like a virgin cruiser or a person who will be on the ship for only 10 days and not at all like a veteran cruiser, and a person who will be living here for four months.
I'm doing it all wrong.
Sigh.