The day started with a call from my doctor...

 

I can't say that I was asleep when my doctor called this morning.  But I can say that the call disturbed me before I got out of bed.  And this set the overtone for the rest of the day.

- - - - - -

My doctor wanted to review the results of a blood test he gave me a week ago.  Seems like one of the levels was way too high, and he wanted me to avoid alcohol until I see him again next month.  The reality is that I eat too much fatty food, and that the rich food I was eating on the cruise combined with the 2-3 drinks per day I was drinking on the cruise (I rarely drink alcohol otherwise) could have been a factor.  I guess that this has to be a wake-up call to get my act together when it involves what I'm eating.

Now that my morning was shot, I took care of some little things around the house, then went out for lunch and then make a run to the supermarket.  At the supermarket, I made sure to pick up some salad, as well as some fruit.  Maybe I can start changing my diet before my next cruise?  I hope so.  And then, I was home for the night, as I had a co-op meeting scheduled for 5:15 pm.

I started the co-op meeting, and it took a while for the board members to join in.  We conducted our business, and yet, it still seemed as if the president and I were the only two doing the work.  I'll be glad when we get some issues resolved, as both of us want to go on and do things other than spending our time keeping the co-op running. When the co-op meeting was over, I started 2 loads of laundry, and then called my brother.  His boss made an offer to him that he couldn't refuse - a promise to pay attention to my brother's need for a better work/life balance.

Finally, I chatted with RQS.  We got price quotes for 2 different cruises.  She wanted one cruise, and I wanted the other.  Both are good choices.  But RQS is more sensitive to the price of the cruise than I am.  So, I think I will bend to her preferences, and choose the shorter, less expensive cruise.  More on this later.

Now, we're thinking of taking one of two cruises next year.

 

The above two cruises interest me for completely different reasons.  The first is a 12-day mostly British Isles cruise.  The second is a 14-day cruise which visits English, Scottish, and Icelandic ports.  Both cruises have a stop in a European Mainland port before returning to Southampton.  Given the choice, I'd rather take the cruise that stops in Iceland before they get tired of cruisers visiting its ports.

If we were to take the 12-day cruise which visits English, Scottish and Irish ports, I'd be able to allocate more time to visit my niece before the cruise.  As much as I'd like to see more of London, I'm not in the mood to take the tube during the Summer.  Instead, I'd rather be able to stay above ground in air conditioned comfort as much as possible.

I figure that each of these cruises will be expensive bucket list trips.  Excursions (especially in Iceland) will be very expensive.  I have to look at how much we will need to spend, then keep RQS's budget in mind - she now has the cruising bug in her.  She can't afford to cruise as much as I can, and we try to go 50/50 on trip spending.

Unfortunately, I doubt that I'll be able to take either of these two cruises as Marian, given the unchecked power given to America's Customs and Border Control administration.  The Orange Snowflake has no love for us transgenders, and I don't want to be hassled by people who hate us.  (Luckily, I can still travel in stealth mode.) Hopefully, at some future date, I will be able to travel as Marian again.  Until then, it'll be stealth mode for me. 

How many of you have been to any of these port cities?  Did you like them?  Which cruise would you take?  Please let me know....