MLK jr. Day (it's starting to become a day for store sales)

 

Years ago, the United States made Martin Luther King Jr. day a national holiday.  There was a lot of resistance to this, given the racial history of this country.  Yet, the holiday has endured, and most people accept it as part of our yearly calendar.  Sadly, we have a president who would eliminate this holiday if he could, and return this country to the 1950's. Or worse, to Germany in the 1930's.

- - - - - -

RQS and I had two things on the docket for the day: (1) Getting her watch band resized, and (2) Going to Costco to get a second arm rest tray on which she could place her glasses and phone.  While at the jewelry store, I asked to get my watch band fixed, and found out that my watch was as good as dead.  (It didn't help that I hadn't used my automatic/self winding watch in ages.

It was nice to be out as Marian again.  And going to Costco required me to present as Marian, as my ID card has my feminine image.  So, once we left the jewelry store, it was off to the Zwilling factory outlet to shop for knives - where RQS bought some to add to her kitchen supply.  And finally, we were off to Costco.

It took a while for us to get to Yonkers, as I ended up taking the side roads to get there.  The parking lot was busy, and it took a while to find a good spot.  Well, we ended up walking all around the store, found the items we wanted, and left the store 45 minutes later.

On the way home, we chatted with TCL a bit, and came home to relax.  Before we retired for the evening, we watched the film, Operation Mincemeat - a serious take on the real life mission.

- - - - - -

Tomorrow, RQS goes home, and I go back to seeing friends for lunch and dinner.  At least, I should be able to do my nails again and keep the polish on for the better part of a week.

 

 

PS: After a few minutes of shaking the watch to recharge the internal battery, the watch started to keep time again, and I knew that all I needed was a fixed watch band. 

Florida/Bahamas Cruise 2025 - Sea Day #4 (01/11/26)

 

The day started off with us going to our last, non-rushed breakfast at the ship's main dining room.  Nothing special for me, as I ordered the usual: OJ, Eggs Benedict, a Fruit Cup, and Coffee.  (I'd order Scrambled Eggs off the ship, but I've been burnt before with powdered eggs - and I hate them, no matter where they are served.) 

On the way back from breakfast, we saw that the ship's atrium was packed with people enjoying a dumb entertainment - Twenty Questions, where someone from the ship is trying to figure out what is on screen in back of her.  I'm not knocking this, as much as the two of us have experienced better onboard activities on other lines, such as Princess and Cunard.  So, we headed back to the cabin to relax and watch the vidiot box (TV).

Yesterday, I sent out most of my dirty laundry to get cleaned.  Although it should be delivered by 6 pm, I was looking for it well before then, so that I could get a head start on packing - as RQS did before me.  While she was doing that, I kept working on my travel blog, editing pictures and moving them to my laptop for posting with the current entry.   

- - - - - -

We returned from our last lunch on the ship, and guess what?  Laundry had been delivered, and my trousers and shirts had been hung up in the closet.  I haven't yet seen any charges to my account, so I wonder - did the second bag cost me anything?  Well, several hours later, just before going to dinner, I checked again - and there was no charge!  Maybe I got lucky. 

On our way to dinner, we stopped by the Inch of Gold stand and had a nice char with a lady called KD (from Jamaica). We talked of our cruises, and how she gets to spend port days.  I noted that she must love it when the ship makes port in Bermuda, and then she noted how a stop in Quebec City is just as good for her.  And then, we went to the main dining room - and were surprised by a decent meal!  (Remember, when we ate here last, we were upset by everything.)  Although the meal was not as good as that in the specialty restaurants, we enjoyed it much more - and were glad to have eaten there.

Finally, it was time to go back to the room and finish potting out our bags for pickup tomorrow at the pier. This was the greatest reminder that we'll be back in the real world tomorrow morning. 

Bermuda Cruise 2024 #2 - Port Day # 1 (10/29/24)

 

The day started out with having breakfast in the buffet with our new friend.  RQS mentioned that she is a relative newbie to cruising and travel, by the way she approaches things.  But I'll get into that later.

There was a part of me that was afraid to go onshore as Marian today.  Even though I asked the right questions of the right people, I am always concerned when I visit a new place as Marian.  So, when the ship pulled into port around 1:30 pm, I knew that I was going to confront my fear head on.  

While eating lunch, the ship made port and it took a while for Bermuda customs to give the ship clearance to discharge passengers.  Around 3:00 pm, we were off the ship and on our way to the Clocktower Mall to do some shopping.  And that's where I dropped $50 on a necklace and a bracelet that I could wear later on. However, the stores closed relatively early (in relation to the ship's arrival), and we ended up walking back to the ship around 5:30 pm.  

It was very windy, and my hair was all mussed up.  But I continued my walk to the pier knowing that I'd have to pull my passport out and possibly risk a confrontation.  Thankfully, my worries were all in vain.  Bermuda is now a port I can safely visit as Marian without worry.

 

Shortly after we got back on the ship, we decided to have dinner in one of the main dining rooms.  But first, we changed one of our French Restaurant reservations to the Italian restaurant onboard the ship.  Although it is one of the line's specialty restaurants, we are not impressed by Italian eateries, as they are a dime a dozen in the NYC area. 

I decided to have the Onion soup and the NY Strip steak.  Sadly, I was not impressed by the soup, as there wasn't enough cheese on top to balance out the flavor of the onions. However, the steak was as good as I remembered - not good enough for a place like Gallagher's in NYC, but good enough to enjoy on a cruise ship.  As we were about to finish our meal, we saw our friend again, and decided to meet up with her after she finished her dinner.

When we finally caught up with each other, we got a drink from the bar (a big mistake) and went to the buffet area where we could talk without shouting over the din of others yammering away.  Around 10 pm, we parted and agreed to meet tomorrow for another breakfast.

Be careful when performing aftercare on a new ear piercing

 

Be careful when performing aftercare on a newly pierced ear.  If the stud is lose, it can easily be lost - and I did just that.

But first....

This would be my first weekend away from my home (Read: I would be at RQS's place) and would need to perform my 2x-3x daily aftercare routine in a new setting.. I didn't think too much of this, as the stud was loosely applied to its backing, so that I'd have room to clean the area around the piercing and move the stud a little bit to help with healing.

At my place, I'd usually sit at my computer desk and perform the aftercare ritual there. However, at RQS's place, I'd be standing by her sink to perform the ritual. And this is where and when the stud popped out.  All of a sudden, the stud was propelled forward by the backing and fell into the sink.  Damn!  If I had blocked the drain, I'd have never lost the stud.  Now, I'd need a new stud to keep the hole open.

The next morning, RQS and I went to a local jewelry shop, and I had new studs put in.  OUCH!  The woman was not delicate with what she was doing, and my ears would feel irritated for a few days.  The backing to the studs were on tight, and I knew aftercare would be harder to perform for the next month or so.

I can't wait until I can wear normal earrings for the first time.  Yes, I'll need to keep the studs in until then.  But I can't wait to show my friends at game night that I can now wear the earrings that they gave me one Christmas.

So...

Be careful when getting your ears pierced.  You will need to perform aftercare, and it'd be a shame to go what I went through if you aren't careful when doing it....