This year, I'll have spent over a month of my time at sea. My last cruise for the year is coming up soon, and I'll be on a "new" ship (for us) with RQS. Unlike all of the other ships we've been on, the Queen Mary 2 sails for a cruise line known for its formality. It'll be a new cruise experience for us, and I hope we'll enjoy it.
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As I write this, it is close to freezing outside. I'm not sure if I want to bother getting dressed and taking care of errands. The temperature will be lower than normal for the rest of the week, and I have things booked towards the weekend. This means that I'll be looking for all my cold weather clothing, and hoping that I have enough of it available when I need it.
It'll be relatively easy for me to pack for my upcoming cruise, as I will be presenting as Mario while on the cruise. It's simpler for me to dress as Mario, as the only thing that changes will be the number of layers I need to wear. But I wish I could have gone on this cruise as Marian. Even if we had sane politics in the US right now, I'd be in the Caribbean where cultural norms aren't as progressive as they are in the US.
I'm thinking of giving RQS a winter cruise for Xmas. Although we'd sail several weeks later, I'd want it to be a surprise. One catch: As much as I don't like the itinerary, it'd be the last chance I'd get to sail on an MSC ship before they abandon the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal for a new home port in Florida. Hopefully, we'll see MSC return some day, as well as seeing the terminal expand to handle two ships at the same time.
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If all goes right, the year 2026 will have us taking 3 cruises. But, as soon as we're done with our last cruise, I'll start the process of both renewing my passport and my global entry registration (Trusted Traveler ID), so that I can take my 2027 cruises without worrying if there is enough time on my passport to schedule a cruise.
Ideally, I'd be able to travel as Marian, with a passport that identifies me as Marian. But that is not likely to happen soon. RQS still wants Mario as a partner (even though she's comfortable with me presenting as Marian.) And in today's political climate, it makes sense for me to stay in stealth mode when I have to deal with any employee of the Federal Government.
Since I rant about the Orange Snowflake and his fascist regime too often, I'll stay away from politics today, save for the "in passing" references in this entry. I'm more concerned about how I'll dress when I get home from my next cruise, as we will want to take the ferry from Red Hook to either the Atlantic Avenue or Williamsburg ferry stops before summoning an Uber. I maintain my sanity by maintaining my freedom to travel - by any means necessary. Hopefully, I'll be able to complete the process of getting an EU passport (I won't say which country yet) before this time next year, as this will be my "Get Out of Jail Free" card if I need one.
2 comments:
Sounds like you’ve got a full travel year ahead of you. I get the whole ‘packing Mario vs Marian’ thing too. Sometimes the logistics win out even when your heart wants something different. The cold snap has me digging through layers as well, so I’m feeling that part pretty hard.
It's a nice thing about being retired - one can travel, if one has health, time, and money. I'm trying to do as much as possible while I'm still healthy enough to do so. Hopefully, Trump will be out of power soon, as his insanity is sending America into the toilet.
What people won't understand for a while is that the Germans took a generation to erase much of the stain caused by Hitler. It will take America less time, but we will no longer be the special nation among nations. It will just be one nation who has to work with others to get things done. We will no longer be a traditional super power, and that might be a blessing as we can finally justify cutting back on the military that built a Pax Americana. Now, it will be a "Western Peace", checking and balancing China's power.
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