British Isles Cruise 2026 - Le Havre (09/06/26)

Today, I had no plans to get off the ship.  Visiting Paris on a curated shore excursion might expose me to leg pain that I couldn't manage.  And I had to save myself for the flight home tomorrow.  Instead, it was another day on the ship, where I could eat and drink (usually diet cokes) as I please, and be able to go back to my cabin to rest.

RQS has been a doll about this, taking care of little things when my legs didn't want to cooperate with me.  I'm grateful to have her around.  But I digress....

Although I started packing last night for the return home, I still have much to do.  Somehow, even with only a teddy bear for my neighbor's child as a souvenir, I have to fit ALL the stuff I brought with me into the luggage I have with me.  And that may be an effort with compression bags and the like. 

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RQS was interested in getting off the ship and exploring the town for 30 minutes or so.  After seeing the price of the shuttle bus that would take her to town ($20), she considered it not worth the price.  (Even if my legs and back were feeling up to it, I likely would not have bothered with this port stop for reasons of my own.)   About the only thing I might have made the effort to visit here were the D-Day beaches at Normandy, and to pay my respects at the American cemetery there. 

British Isles Cruise 2026 - Sea Day #3 (09/05/26)

 

Another sea day, and it's time to do some laundry before we leave the ship.  Tomorrow, the ship may empty when it makes port at Le Havre, but we won't be taking any excursions from that port.  It's a long trip to either Paris or Normandy, and I'm not in the mood to suffer another bus ride to see any part of France right now.  Bur, if I had to make a choice, it would be the D-Day beaches at Normandy, where America last did something worthy of our ideals. But then, I am a little disgusted at the current VPOTUS who claimed that POTUS (also known as the Orange Monster in this blog) has won the war with Iran, while claiming we're not in an undeclared war.  (I'm glad I qualify for a second citizenship in a land which is both free and respectful of human rights.)

For the most part my back and my legs have been behaving.  I shudder to think what will happen if they give out before I return home.  But I'm not going to think much about that for now.  Instead, I'm going to think back on this trip, and be thankful that I was able to enjoy it as much as I did.

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RQS sent me a Facebook post about a lady who made an authorized deviation from her cruise itinerary, and got burnt because of it.  Yet, she may have an amazing adventure to talk about when she returns to the ship....

One lady made arrangements with the cruise line to depart the ship in Greenock and board again in Edinburgh. This would give her an extra few days in Scotland to be with her friends.  One problem: We couldn't make port in Edinburgh due to high winds.   So, she was stranded, even though everyone did everything according to the rules.  So now, she had to find a way to make it from Edinburgh to London, London to Paris, and Paris to Le Havre before the ship leaves for Southampton.  I hope she makes it.

This is why I'm extra careful about shore excursions.  They can and will go wrong.  Somehow, a person must be able to get back to the ship as planned. 

 

PS: I met this woman as she was at guest services while in Le Havre.  She ended up flying to Paris and then took the train to Le Havre to get back on the ship.  Hopefully, she'll post more of her story online soon. 

 

  

British Isles Cruise 2026 - Edinburgh (Cancelled) / Sea Day #2 (09/04/26)

 

Due to high winds, our port stop for Edinburgh / South Queensferry was cancelled.  In its place was another sea day.  Given how many ports this cruise has stopped at already, this cruise was still well worth the money spent.  Sadly, our next port stop is in Le Havre, France, a port where I have no intentions of getting off the ship.

Both RQS and I have been getting over colds.  I caught mine about a day or two before her, and I'm hoping that we've recovered enough to be comfortable on our flight home.  Over the next three days, we'll try to take advantage of venues on the ship that I would have missed due to shore excursions keeping us off the ship if we were in port.  One thing I know: We will be doing another load of laundry soon.

For the most part, we stayed inside our cabin, except when it was time to eat.  RQS wasn't feeling well, and I was restoring work I was doing on my cruise blog.  And on a sea day, rest is always the order of the day.

British Isles Cruise 2026 - Kirkwall / Orkney Islands (09/03/26)

 

 

This would be the last port day in an English speaking country, though I didn't know it at the time.  We had scheduled an excursion to see the Ring of Brodan and Skara Brae, and that wouldn't leave until 11:15. So that meant we would have room service deliver breakfast to the room, and we could enjoy it at leisure.

At 9:15, our breakfast came, and we feasted.  (It's nice to have room service for breakfast!)  Then, we were off on our shore excursion.  I didn't know much about the Orkneys, especially about its ancient settlements.  It was good to hear the tour guide talk about the Ring of Brodar and Skara Brae on the way to these sites.

 

The Orkney islands are beautiful, and the road to these heritage sites was alone worth going on the shore excursion.  Our first stop was at the Stones of Stenness.these stones are a henge similar to that at Stonehenge.  And next was the Ring of Brodar.  This ring was older than Stonehenge, and likely served a similar function.  It's hard to believe that these stones were moved to these sites without the use of modern technology. Finally came Skara Brae - a settlement site that is 5,000 years old.  This was the most the most interesting site on the tour, but not the most photogenic one.

Finally, it was back to the ship, and we were among the last to board the ship. 

 

 

British Isles Cruise 2026 - Sea Day #1 (09/02/26)

 

It was not the best of days outside, and we had nowhere to go except for lunch and dinner.  So, we took advantage of the option to have Room Service breakfast to start our day.  And we found that the quality of the food delivered to us was slightly better than would be found in the buffet, as the hot food we had was a little warmer and fresher. 

After breakfast, we had to rebook our Edinburgh excursion.  Our original shore excursion was cancelled, and we had to find (and book) one that would both fit our interests and our budget.  Luckily, we found one, and were able to book this excursion without any complications. 

We had nothing left to do until lunch.  And this would be a hearty one, as we had reservations at the Crab Shack pop-up.  This restaurant is not part of our fare, so it is the one time we're paying extra for our meal.  And it is generally worth it on all Princess Cruises' ships.

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 Around 1 pm, we sauntered down to Crab Shack, where we had a filling lunch.  Unlike the last time we ate at Crab Shack, I was unimpressed with the Clam Chowder.  But the Signature Seafood Pot made up for it, even though they had to substitute Snow Crab Legs for Dungeness Crab.  By the time 2 pm came, we were filled to the gills, and not in the mood to contemplate dinner at 7 pm.

At 7 pm, we went to the ship's casual dining restaurant to have some pizza.  It was good, and we didn't have to suffer the slow service we had in the ship's main dining room.  Additionally, it was a much shorter walk for me as well - less wear and tear on the legs.

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While editing my cruise blog, I lost the entire contents of an entry which I've been writing for the better part of 10 days.  AARGH!  Now, I have to take the time to reconstruct it from notes I made in this blog.  Wish me luck! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 British Isles Cruise 2026 - Sea Day #1 (09/02/26)

British Isles Cruise 2026 - Glasgow / Greenock (09/01/26)

 

The day started off with my usual problems with my back and with my legs.  I wasn't totally crippled.  But I was glad that I didn't have to walk far, as today's shore excursion would take us on a 1 hour cruise on Loch Lomond

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RQS and I went for a late breakfast, picking up items from the ship's coffee and light pastry shop.  It was not much, but it was what we needed to get moving.  After we got back to the room, my GI-Tract began to tell me that it wasn't in love with me anymore.  I didn't pay it much mind until Lunch time, and then it demanded my attention.

30 minutes later, we were off to our shore excursion, and I was glad to have taken care of business when I could do so.  But this would not be the end of it.  Walking to the tour bus was an effort, especially since the weather was gloomy and that the rain would be coming down at any minute.  30 minutes into the trip to Loch Lomond, the bus stopped to give people a chance for a bio-break and to do some shopping.  As for me, I stayed on the bus and tried to rest.

Eventually, we got to Loch Lomond for the 1 hour cruise.  It rained a bit, but not enough to ruin the excursion.  On our return to the ship, the tour guide asked us: "At what time does the ship leave port?" And I answered: "15 minutes after the bus drops us off."  I wasn't joking.  The bus was running late due to traffic, and we were among the last people to return to the ship.  As I expected, the ship did leave port shortly after we returned to the ship.

Once back in our room, our cabin attendant had a complaint to make.  We made his life harder for him when my GI Tract caused me trouble.  Although there was nothing I could have done differently, I won't have to worry about this happening again.  And - I know he'll be getting an extra special tip for going above and beyond when cleaning up the room. 

  

British Isles Cruise 2026 - Belfast (08/31/26)

 

Today's port stop was in Belfast, where we had a shore excursion taking us to the Giant's Causeway.  The trip was scheduled to start at 11 am, arrive at the National Historic Site, and return us to the ship by 5 pm.  

But first....

I haven't getting a full night's sleep since we started out to take this cruise, and last night was no exception.  After I woke up at 4 am for a bio-break, I couldn't get back to sleep.  Around 8:30, we had gotten dressed, and went up to the buffet.  While there, we encountered a crowded buffet area, with staff telling us that the downstairs dining area was open for breakfast.  After the last time there, we didn't want to deal with slow service when we had a shore excursion to go on.

Around 11, we left the ship and found the bus that would take us on our excursion.  The tour guide kept our minds occupied for the 2 hours it took to reach the Giant's Causeway.  We reached our destination shortly before 1, and proceeded to the welcome center, and then to the bus that would take us to the lower  part of the causeway trail path.  Both of us were very glad that we brought cool weather gear, as it was quite chilly outside.

We walked around a little bit (my legs were feeling better than the usual normal), and decided to take the shuttle bus back to the welcome center.  It was a 20 minute wait with no place to sit and wait.  (Actually, I did find a seat, while RQS held our places on line.)  Strangely enough, we were not the last people back to the bus.

On the way back to the ship, the tour guide told us more about the history of Northern Ireland and its separation from the Irish Republic. And then, when in Belfast, he told us about Belfast's RMS Titanic heritage before reaching the ship.  (We could have done without this part of the tour, as we had no opportunity to get a bite to eat.)

We were in our cabin by 6, and then having dinner by 7.  It was a good day, but a little bit too long.... 

  

British Isles Cruise 2026 - Liverpool (08/30/26)

This was the image that was on the Bridge Cam when I got up this morning.  RQS and I decided to sleep late, and not bother with the shore excursion we booked for Liverpool, as we were not sure if our legs could handle a 2 1/2 mile walk.

Around 10 am, we went to the buffet for breakfast.  I saw a message from the tour guide asking us if we were coming, and I said to go ahead without us - we were feeling sick.  In reality, we could never have kept up the pace in walking to the Mathew Street area where all the Beatles related stuff was going on.

Once done with breakfast, we decided to go outside and head for the Beatles museum.  (Later on, RQS said it wasn't worth the effort.  But that's another story.)  Both of us worked up a sweat going there, as my legs didn't want to carry me the mile I needed to walk from the ship to the museum.

We arrived at Mathew Street a little before noon, and it was mobbed.  (Did I happen to say that it was "Fab Four" weekend in Liverpool?)  We walked down the street, passing the current site of the Cavern Club and the original site of the club, and finally to the museum.  For £40 for the 2 of us, it felt a little pricey.  But it had one of the largest collections of Beatle memorabilia that one will find in a single building.  So it would be a Must Visit place for hard core Beatle fans.

Once done with the museum, it was another long walk back to the ship.  Both of us were exhausted by the time we reached the cruise terminal, and I needed a shower.  We were lucky that there was a courtesy shuttle that would take us from the terminal to the ship's gangway.  This saved us a lot of walking.

When we got back to our cabin, RQS said "It's Laundry Time" and threw a big load into the washer while I took a much needed shower.  And then it was time to rest for a while.

After our clothes came out of the dryer, RQS had to deal with a cancelled shore excursion.  She went to the shore excursions desk and got a bus tour that would be much easier for me.  By the time she returned, the tour didn't appear as having been registered to us.  So, down she went again, and returned with two tickets.  This time, they charged our onboard accounts for the tickets.  Yay!  Now, we know we're going to do something each of the remaining port days, save for Le Havre, France.

 

British Isles Cruise 2026 - Dublin / Dun Laoghaire (08/29/26)

 

This was a day we knew we had to get up before dawn. We had a shore excursion that left for Malahide Castle at 7:45 am, and that we'd be away from the ship for an entire day.

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As usual, I didn't get enough good sleep last night, and was awake since 4:30 am. Luckily, I found that laying/sleeping on a pillow sitting under the weak part of my spine made it possible to walk without intense pain the next day. So, when I got up, I found I could get around and get showered, dressed, and out the door with more than adequate time to have breakfast before the assembly for our shore excursion.

We were off the ship by 7:45 and on the tender boat to Dun Laoghaire. This was an easy process, as we met at the assembly point in the ship's theater, then took the boat to the tender boat dock. From there, it was a little bit of walking until we reached our coach.

Our tour guide regaled us with vaudeville one-liners combined with tidbits about Irish history to keep us occupied during the trip to Malahide Castle. When we didn't know was that there would be a bit of walking involved, with no place to sit and rest. If I had been able to change to a different excursion, I would have done so. But I was already in for a penny and in for a pound, so I ended up walking up and down several flights of stairs while at the castle.

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After an hour and a half, we got on the coach and went to have a traditional Irish lunch at the Abbey Tavern. We were entertained by traditional Irish music and Irish dancers. The show was interesting at first, but got monotonous after a while. We couldn't wait for the bus to come and take us back to the ship. With a brief pit stop in Phoenix Park for a bio-break, we were off to the tender boat dock and back to the ship.

 
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After a short break to rest, it was off to dinner. When we were done, we went to the photo studio area to pick up a compact cell phone battery pack. There was a minor delay in RQS getting her battery pack, as the salesman had to go to the ship's internal warehouse to replenish the supply in the public store.

British Isles Cruise 2026 - Cork / Cobh (08/28/26)

 

Like yesterday, we had no pre-purchased shore excursions.  However, we wanted to step off the ship and put our feet on Irish soil for the first time.  Instead of getting up at the break of dawn, we decided to sleep "late" (to 8:30 am), and have breakfast at the ship's buffet.  This is when we would make our plans for the day.

Again, I didn't sleep that well.  But I did find that I could put a small pillow under my back, and that would ease the pain I'd feel when getting up in the morning.  (It didn't eliminate the pain, it just made things easier to bear.)  We got up around 8:30 am, and were in the buffet by 10:00 am.  We figured that we'd get off the ship sometime after 11:00 am, and see "The Titanic Experience", one of the historical venues that had some meaning to me.  (Neither of us wanted to walk far today.) 

We ended up at the Cobh Heritage Center, less than 100 yards away from the ship, and spent an hour exploring the exhibition of Cobh's maritime history (Criminal Transports and Voluntary Migration to North America and Australia, as well as being a stopping point for Transatlantic Crossings).  My legs started to give out after this, so it was back to the ship for the day.

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This would be a night where we'd dress up for dinner.  (Don't look for any photographs of me in Mario Mode in this blog)  Dinner was OK, but we were both glad to get back to the cabin and get comfortable after dinner. 

 

British Isles Cruise 2026 - Falmouth / Cornwall (08/27/26)

 

Yesterday, I felt comfortable walking around much of the day.  By the time I started my morning ritual today, I could barely walk to the bathroom without the support of my cane.  And taking a shower, well, don't get me started about the pain I endured to do that.

But first....

I've been noticing that the pain in my lower body tends to ease off the later in the day it gets.  Laying down on the bed may set my spine off kilter, and cause the problems I've been having as of late.  So, when I got up, I needed to lean on things to move anywhere.  Getting dressed has been difficult for me lately, as I don't have the leg flexibility to put on a pair of trousers the way I'm accustomed to doing.  

Walking to the back of the ship for a served breakfast was a little painful.  When I sat down at the table, I accidentally pulled the table cloth and pulled my plate and flatware off the table.  And this was the least of issues.  Even though we got to the restaurant 30 minutes before closing, they should have been ready to serve us throughout the meal.  Instead, it felt like they forgot about us until I used my "New York Voice" that always commands attention (by surprise).  Then, a few minutes later, our main breakfast course arrived.

Once done with breakfast, it was off to the stern of the ship for a few pictures, and then to our cabin to rest again.  On the way back, we found the laundromat we'd be using several times during the cruise.  And this made our morning complete.

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After a long nap, we found ourselves strangely not hungry.  Although we missed the chance to explore this port, we both were grateful not to have attempted to walk far when our legs (for different reasons) were bothering us.  Yet, we made it upstairs to the buffet for a small snack before going to the steakhouse for dinner.

One thing I can say about the ship's specialty restaurants is that the food is both plentiful and good.  And tonight's steakhouse dinner was no exception.  We both ordered rib-eye steaks and were unable to finish them!  (The appetizers were just as good and just as plentiful.) 

When we were done with dinner, we went to see a comedian perform.  Although most of the audience was laughing, I found his act to be dull and predictable.  There was no magic that would make me go out of my way to see him again.  Yet, it was a serviceable 1/2 hour of entertainment. 

 

 

 

 

British Isles Cruise 2026 - Embarkation Day (08/26/26)

 

We got up at an ungodly hour for us (6 am) and prepared for the bus ride to the Southampton terminal to board the Majestic Princess (pictured above).  We knew to leave our "checked" luggage at the door, as the next time we'd see our bags would be on the ship, outside our cabin door.

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Neither of us had much sleep the night before, and started to get ready to leave the hotel around 5:45 am. For a change, I showered first, and started to repack my carry-on with too much stuff.  It was bursting at the seams!  After a quick breakfast, we made one last pass in our room, placed our checked bags outside our door, and went downstairs to await the bus that would take us to the cruise port.

Once on the bus, it took 2 1/2 hours to reach Southampton and the Cruise Terminal.  Unlike most cruise terminals, this one had me remove all metal from my person (including my belt), take my computer out for separate screening, and surrender my cane while I passed through the scanner.  TSA screening at JFK airport was much less of a hassle.  At least, we skipped much of the line due to our needs to use canes for walking and for support.

After boarding the ship, we made it to our cabin while the cabin attendant was finishing up his work.  He noted that we would need to surrender our passports, so that Irish authorities could stamp them.  In the almost 30 years I've had a passport, I've never had a stamp - this would be my first.  (And it could be my last, given the second passport that I hope will be coming soon.) 

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Both of us were tired, so we took a nap around 3:00 pm. At 5:45 pm, the cabin attendant appeared, and took our passports for processing.   A couple of hours later, we were off to the specialty seafood restaurant for the first of our dinners.  The dishes were all expertly prepared, but the service was slightly too leisurely for my taste.

Shortly after dinner, we were back in our cabin for the evening.  Our cabin attendant visited us 3 times in succession: (1) to tape down the extension cord that I had to use to keep my CPAP unit by my side of the bed, (2) to deliver a pair of bathrobes we could use on the cruise, and (3) to deliver a pair of shore excursion tickets not originally left in the room when we arrived.

It was a busy day, and I'm glad I can finally get some sleep. 

 

British Isles Cruise 2026 - London Day #2 (08/25/26)

I couldn't get much sleep the night we arrived, as my body was still trying to live on New York time.  Although I had a couple of naps after arriving, I was up early for New York, but late for London.  And that's the time zone I'd be in for the next two weeks....

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We went downstairs to have breakfast around 8 am, and the restaurant was crowded with people - many of whom were going on our cruise.  Luckily, a breakfast was included with the hotel stay, and we had a filling meal that should last us until snack time.  Once done there, we went to the Princess Cruises representative, and got ourselves front seats on the bus that would take us to the cruise terminal.  This would make things much easier for us when arriving at the terminal, as we'd not have to walk far in the bus before getting our bags and walking into the terminal.

And then, we took a nap for a little bit....

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Instead of going to the Jack the Ripper Museum (a .3 mi. walk), we decided to stay in our room and rest a bit.  Sadly, we didn't think of buying tickets at the door, but the rest was worth more than the experience of going to the museum.

Around 7:00, we started getting to meet my niece for dinner.  We told her to find a place within my walking tolerance, and she made reservations for 8:00.  We met my niece and her hubby at 8, then walked about 1/3 mi. to get to a nearby Chinese restaurant.  Conversation flowed like water, and I had more beer in one night than I usually have in a couple of months.  (Please, don't tell my doctor about this.)  We closed down the restaurant around 10:30, and walked back to the hotel, tripping on a curb along the way.  I was glad that I had the help of my niece's hubby to get up and back to the hotel.

Sadly, at 11:00, we had to break up - my niece and hubby to their home, and us to our hotel room.  It was an extended day, and one I was glad to stay off my feet when I could do so.  I dreaded the next morning a little bit, as I expected to be walking quite a bit again.  

But as Scarlett O'Hara once said: Tomorrow is another day. 

 

 

 

British Isles Cruise 2026 - London Day #1 (08/24/26)

 

This is going to be a short entry, as there's not much to say other than we ate and slept, allowing our bodies to catch up and get in sync with a reset circadian sleep cycle.

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Continuing from the entry I posted yesterday, We arrived at the hotel at 3 pm.  Everything was paid for in advance, and no one asked for our credit cards.  But I always worry - what will happen if I use a credit card and it gets rejected while overseas?

Around 8 pm, we took the lift to the ground floor and walk to the hotel's restaurant.  The food was good, although it was pricey by New York standards.  Instead of my usual Diet Cokes, I ordered a beer, as it was cheaper to slowly sip my beer than to guzzle Diet Cokes served in 6 oz. bottles. Fish and Chips was the order of my day, and I even tried the Mushy Peas served with the meal.  As much as I might try, I doubt that I'll ever like this side dish.

Once done it was back to the room, and a night where we could fall to sleep with the BBC on the telly.  

 

 

 

British Isles Cruise 2026 - Flying to London (08/23/26)

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The flight to London, I hope, would be the most troublesome thing to happen on this trip.  Not only were we exhausted by the time we got to the hotel, but we were both at the end of tolerance for the little things that can plague a traveler on a trip to Europe.

 

But first...

 

Our flight was scheduled to leave New York at 11:55 pm.  I chose this late departure knowing that the London hotel would be hesitant to release rooms to new check-ins until 3 pm local time.  (See: Norwegian Fjord Cruise Vacation - 06/13/24 (Flying into London before the cruise) to reference our prior experience at the Leonardo Royal Tower Hotel.  And I'm glad we did so, given the minor headaches (for young, able bodied people) we'd have to endure.

 

We left for the airport at 7:00 pm, and arrived shortly before 8:00 pm.  I figured that being 3 hours early for being loaded onto the plane would be prudent, and boy was I right!  RQS had forgotten where she put her cell phone/wallet, and had only her passport to identify her to authorities before the flight.  So, I told her that I could handle all of the credit charges and balance things out later on.  She was happy with me, but not with the situation.

 

Next, we had to go through TSA security, and that was our second speed bump.  I sailed through the Pre-Check process easily, while RQS ended up going through the "Untrusted Traveler" lanes. And that's when her cell phone/wallet was discovered - it was in her trouser pocket all the time, and she didn't even notice it.  

 

Now that we both felt some relief, we walked over to the gates serving Virgin Atlantic (a Delta Airlines code share partner), and took a seat.  After an hour, we got text messages: Our plane went from departing from gate A3 to departing from gate B30 - a 20 minute walk for young people, but not for 2 people whose average age was over 70.  Luckily I found a Delta airlines cart that would bring us to our gate. And that's where we sat for the next 45 minutes.  But then we received another text - our departure gate had changed back to A3.  So we had to ask a nearby Delta airlines gate agent for help - and just in the nick of time, as the cart stops running at 11:00 pm.

 

Returning to gate A3, we could now rest - if we could find an empty seat. We asked the gate agent if we could get on the plane early (they could see we both used canes) and it wasn't a problem.  So, when the plane was ready to be boarded, we were among the first 10 people to get in our seats.

 

 

 

The flight wasn't much to talk about, save that the seat wasn't that comfortable to sit on, but I did have adequate leg room.  By the time we arrived in London, my knees were telling me that they didn't want to be friends, but that eased off a bit when I started walking.  And I was grateful for that, as we had a lot of walking ahead of us.

 

I don't know how many of my readers have flown into Heathrow airport, but it is a long way from where the plane discharges passengers to where passport control and baggage claim is.  Luckily, unlike many American airports, they have long moving sidewalks along this path - a blessing for the two of us.  And then we hit our next speed bump - passport control.

 

We were selected to lanes where we slide our passports into a scanner, have our faces photographed and compared with the passport.  If all goes right, "Welcome to the UK!"  In both of our cases, we had trouble with the scanning process.  I was able to go through after several tries, where RQS needed help for this process.  And from there, we went to baggage claim, and out of the controlled area to meet the person who'd be driving us to our hotel,

 

It would have been a nice thing if I could remember the name of the driver who took us to the hotel, but other things were on my mind.  For the next 60-90 minutes, we had a nice chat, followed by hotel check-in.  After 30 hours of being awake, I finally was able to connect my CPAP machine and get several hours of needed nap time.    

My upcoming cruise - will I survive it? (a short post)

 

 

This is a port intensive cruise which will either strengthen my legs or ruin them.  Either way, I'll be away from home, and I'm not looking forward to it.

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Normally, I am a little apprehensive about overseas travel, and I'm more so regarding this trip.  I had to struggle to get my bags to RQS's place, and still not be sure if I packed everything for the trip.  My doctor has advised me NOT to drink alcohol, and I may have a single glass of wine with dinner, and stick with "Near Beers" for the rest of the time.  

When we get to London, our plans are to rest on the day we arrive, and on the next day, visit the Jack The Ripper museum a short walk away, then see my niece for dinner.  It's not exactly what we want to do.  But with my legs, playing it safe may be the wisest thing we can do. 

Once on the ship, I'll try to stay as active as possible, knowing that inactivity may make things worse on my legs.  And then, I'll have to deal with the headaches of previously planned and paid for shore excursions.  At least, I know we'll have good food for the better part of two weeks, as we have unlimited meals in the ship's specialty restaurants.

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I'll write more once I'm underway.  Hopefully, you'll enjoy my upcoming posts. 

 

Getting things ready to go to RQS's place. (a short post)

 

I'm getting ready to leave for my upcoming cruise.  My bags are packed, and I've been taking care of last minute errands today.  For example, my cable box died last night, and I might as well go down to the cable company's offices to get a replacement box.  So many things to do, and so little time left to do them.

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Well, it was hard to get moving this morning, as I must have slept in a way that put pressure on the wrong spot on my spine.  Yet, I got myself moving and by 12:30, I was out the door and off to the cable company store to exchange my cable box.  This took less time than expected, so I took time out to go to the "Mexican Phone Company" (read: Taco Bell) for lunch.  After a short stop at the bank to pick up some cash (I decided not to change the status of my account relationship until I return), and then I was free to leave for RQS's place.

Once at home, I connected the new cable box, and decided to relax for a while.  I had no wish to travel through Manhattan during rush hour, so I made plans to leave Croton around 5, and arrive at RQS's place around 7:30 or so.  This would give RQS time to make dinner, and for me to cool off after getting to RQS's place.

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Normally, I'd have more to write about the day.  But my laptop was already at RQS's place, and I wanted to use my desktop machine at home instead of my Chromebook.  So, this entry would need to be shorter than I'd normally write before going on a trip. 

 

And now, for something different (or it should be)

 

A shortened version of a post I made in a different blog....

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The war with Iran has been going on for several months now, and what do we have gotten for it?  As I write this, we got 18 service members coming home in body bags, a depleted munitions stock, an aircraft carrier coming to port due to an under-supplied, emotionally exhausted crew, and hundreds of billions of dollars deeper in dept.  We did not get regime change in Iran.  We did not eliminate the potential nuclear threat Iran poses.  And we did not vanquish our "enemy".  Instead, we have shown that the US is a paper tiger, and that Iran has the power to shut off 20% of the world's oil supply.

If you ask our president, he'll say we're winning the war, and that the Strait of Hormuz is open for shipping.  Yet, he'll act like a little child when someone asks him a question which holds him to account for his mistakes.  His ego is so fragile, that by not admitting any of his failings, he is unable to learn from his mistakes.  As a result, he keeps doubling down on his lies, and no one trusts him anymore.  Yet, people are afraid of him due to his ability to rally members of his cult to attack his enemies.

America is now $40,000,000,000 in debt.  For the first time in history, we are now paying more in debt service than we pay for defense.  This can not last for long.  This president would cut social spending in order to preserve our war machine.  But what good would that do?  We can't even defeat an enemy like Iran.  Our military is not nimble.  We still act as if we need to fight the wars of the 20th century, instead of those we need to fight now.  Instead of retreating into 1940's military technology, as our president would do with our aircraft carriers, we should be at the forefront of 2020's military technology, as Ukraine has exhibited with its use of drone technology.

Unmanned vehicles (air, land, and sea) are the future of warfare, as they can enable militaries to fight wars while keeping their service members well behind the scenes in relative safety.  For those near the front lines of battle, they can provide the tools for defense that older, more expensive military tools and weapons can not provide.  Unmanned vehicles are cheaper and more effective than older military technology.  They have allowed Ukraine, a nation without a navy, to defeat the Russian navy and make it an almost useless asset.

Given the cost of proven drone technology vs. the cost of our overpriced military technology, I see a potential to kill several birds with one stone.  First, we can no longer afford to enforce a "Pax Americana" as we did for the second half of the 20th century.  So, let's wind it down to areas we can defend, and have other nations form healthy regional alliances for defense.  Second, let's take she savings from winding down the "Pax Americana" and do three things with it: (a) develop drone technology with Ukraine and build up stockpiles which both countries can use, (b) plug up holes in our social safety net (especially in healthcare, and (c) pay down our national debt.

The British empire fell because it couldn't afford to maintain it.  America is well on the same path to a similar national failure that could cripple us for generations.  And yet, our president's incompetency has given us an opportunity if we are wise enough to seize it.  Things are so FUBAR (F'd up beyond all recognition) that radical change may just be possible.  Licensing Ukrainian drone technology might help our military become more nimble and cost effective.  It may help America rebuild its industrial logistics, so that we can again build civilian products in the US, as we did with the aircraft and space industries.  We can learn from the past, and choose to take a different path than those who preceded us.

The big question is:  Will we learn the lessons of the past and make good choices.  I'm hoping that America will follow the lead of a wise woman (Mae West) who said: "Whenever given the choice between two evils, I'll choose the one I haven't chosen before."  It's time for something new, and even a bad choice of something new is better than the continued choices of something old we have been making as of late. 

Lunch with a friend as Marian

 

I'm moving with the help of pain killers these days, and can't wait until I return from my trip to let the doctors get at me.  Today could be the last day I can spend as Marian for the next few weeks, and I made the decision to make the most of it.

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Getting up this morning was a little bit of an effort.  But I was able to get moving with the help of pain killers and my cane.  So, showering would be a pain, as it could hurt to stand while in the shower.  Knowing this, I did the minimum needed to present as Marian, and found a dress that needed a second wearing before going in the hamper.

Before I started my morning routine, I contacted the foreign birth registry to discuss the status of my paperwork.  I has asked one of my female friends what she did to change her name after getting married, and she said that her marriage certificate was all she needed to deal with America's social security administration, and with New York State's motor vehicle department.  So, I came prepared with knowledge that most women did not have to file for court ordered name changes - the government issued marriage certificate was enough.  When I finally chatted with an agent, I was told that the official records from New York City (with stamp) were good enough for me to send off.  So, now it's off to Maria again (after my vacation) and restart the process of getting my second citizenship. 

Although CCS knows that I am non-op transgender and has met me as Mario, I made the effort to present as best as possible in Marian mode.  I was lucky not to be in much pain to walk to my car, walk to my seat in the restaurant, and reverse the process in returning home.  Both of us needed to talk a bit, and we competed a little to get what we needed to say said.  And yet, we did so without trouble, wishing that we could afford more time to chat. 

When I got home, it was a little difficult for me to climb the stairs.  But, I should be able to do some laundry tomorrow.... 

 

Taking care of business ...slowly

 

I'll be glad when I get back from my trip, as I can move forward with taking care of my legs.  Today, the thigh and calf muscles were "sort of" behaving, but my knees bothered me when I stood up.  Pain killers will help a little, but I bet that there will be more things wrong with me that the doctor has to diagnose.

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I didn't really start moving today until noon.  This time, my knees were bothering me.  So, I added some pain killers to my morning regimen of pills.  But, I couldn't go out until after 2, as I had someone from a financial firm I had to talk to.

In mid afternoon, a lady from the financial firm called, and we proceeded to start signing me up as a client.  Seems like the registration process stops when no beneficiary Social Security number is entered.  Although I got the information from RQS (she's going to be my beneficiary), their system wouldn't allow me to continue - there's a bug in the environment.  So, I'll have to make a phone call tomorrow.

Next, it was off to the drug store to get some pain killers.  While there, I got new passport photos for the foreign birth registry AND a digital copy of the photo for use when renewing my US passport.  Although the injectors (whatever you call the needles) were ready for me to pick up, the GLP-1 drug wasn't ready.  I had to give the drug store my Medicare ID again.  AARGH!   Let's hope everything is taken care of before I leave on my trip.

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With the possible exception of tomorrow, this will be the longest stretch of time I'll be spending as Mario for a long while.  I can't wait to get back home from my trip, so that I can schedule more doctor appointments, and in-between, spend some time as Marian again.