Starting off another weekend (a short post)

 

I didn't have much to write about today.  It's hard to believe that we only got back from our New England / Eastern Canada cruise a little over a week ago.  And yet, it feels like forever in some ways.  RQS is finally replacing her bathroom sink faucet, something her landlord should be doing.  Now, she soon will be able to use her sink without having to play around, trying to get cold water out of a faucet that doesn't work right.

- - - - - -

Lately, I often wake up early in the morning, and feel very tired by early afternoon. Today, it wasn't as bad as usual.  Yet, I didn't start my drive down to RQS's place until 3 pm, and I hit traffic jams going to RQS's place which caused me to arrive 2½ hours later.  Luckily, I found a decent parking spot within 2 blocks of her house.

Originally, when we were getting to know each other, RQS wasn't sure about me meeting her at her place as Marian.  Now, it's a matter of comfort for me.  It's nice to know that I'm able to wear the clothes I want, when I want to wear them.  RQS is a keeper.   

So, why did I drive down today?  Well, I still had a large suitcase waiting to go home, and I needed my car to take care of that mission.  Additionally, I was traveling as Marian, and I wanted to be in air conditioned comfort on my way to Queens. Even though I tried a new route that caused me to lose a little time driving down, I was glad to have made the choices I did for this trip.

When I arrived, it was not yet time for dinner.  Yet, we decided to order a pizza and stuff ourselves.  It was an early end of the day for both of us, as we passed out before 10 pm. 

Lunch and Dinner with friends (a short post)

When I woke up this morning, I had only two things on the docket: Lunch with CCS and Dinner with Vicki.  And both were scheduled for today due to the timing of the Jewish High Holy Days.

But first....

Lunch with CCS is usually after 1:30 pm, as CCS has her exercise class scheduled during "lunch hour". Today, it was scheduled for 2:30, as her exercise class was later than it usually is due to the Jewish holiday.  So, I had much more time than usual to get ready, and made it to the restaurant at the same time her was pulling into the restaurant's parking lot.

We didn't have that much to say today.  I talked a little about my travels, and she told me a little about her travels.  Both of us feel the same way about what's happening in the world these days, and both politics and world affairs came up - and we both see the signs of loudly creeping authoritarianism, understanding what they could mean if left unchecked.  Lunch ended, and we set a new date, then we were on our separate ways.  I then went to BJ's to do a little shopping, and then back to the house to rest before meeting Vicki for dinner.  

Vicki and I met in Mt. Kisco at Lefteris for dinner.  Both of us ordered the Greek Salad w. Chicken, Vicki polishing it off more quickly than I did.  Just as we were finishing our salads, another diner asked me when I thought of NYC's mayoral candidate, and we had a polite discussion with Vicki taking on more of the lead in talking.  This fellow didn't like what Mamdani stood for, and Vicki mentioned that Mamdani will be checked by the realities of NYC.  As for me, I support Mamdani for one reason only - he can't be controlled by the Orange Snowflake.  

When I got home I had a decision to make: How will I present for the weekend with RQS?  As Marian or as Mario?  It'll be nice to stay in dresses while I'm able to do so comfortably.

A prestidigitator who, putting metal into your mouth, pulls coins out of your pocket.

 

Ambrose Bierce defined the word "Dentist" as follows:

"Dentist: A prestidigitator who, putting metal into your mouth, pulls coins out of your pocket."

Now days, the dentist pulls more than coins out of one's wallet.  Yet, I see mine, on average, at least 3 times each year. And I often wince when I pay the bill, even though I know it pays to keep my teeth in better shape than the rest of me.

- - - - - -

Around noon, I started getting ready to go out.  Shaving, showering, and doing my makeup was the first order of the day, and I was done by 12:30.  And then it was time to get dressed, and kill a few minutes before going down the hill to the dentist's office. 

I usually go to the dentist presenting as Marian, and today was no exception.  The dental hygienist was running late, and it took longer than expected for me to get my teeth cleaned.  As the kid used to say in toothpaste commercials: "Look Ma, no cavities!"  And then it was time for lunch at the local pizzeria.

Once I was finished with lunch, I drove to Costco to do a little shopping.  One rule I have is: If I don't know whether I will be stopping somewhere on the way home, I don't buy anything perishable at Costco. And I followed this rule, buying an electronic scrubber and some other small items.  

As you can guess, the visit to the dentist was the most notable part of the day.  Hopefully, you do just as well as I did on your next dental visit....

It's amazing how things change in a week....

 

Today's post will be a short one with a link to a very important message.  A week ago (as I write this), Jimmy Kimmel was taken off the air due to pressure from the Trump administration.  During the past week, Hollywood took action against the Disney corporation. Additionally, American subscribers to Disney media products cancelled their subscriptions, and Disney's stock price dropped 2% while the market in general rose 1%.  Disney capitulated to public pressure, and Kimmel's show wea broadcast tonight for the first time in a week.

Why do I mention this?  Kimmel's monologue said so much, that I consider it a must view for all who haven't had the chance to see it.  Please click on the link below to hear what he had to say.

Jimmy Kimmel Monologue for September 23, 2025

A ghost package at USPS & billing screwups via my doctor

 

I occasionally have use of the skills I developed when I was a technology guru.  One of them is root cause analysis.  Today, I was able to diagnose the root cause of a problem and have it confirmed by my doctor's office.  But before that, I had to deal with a "Ghost Package" supposedly waiting for me at the local post office.

- - - - - -

When I awoke this morning, I knew that I'd have to visit the post office as Mario and show legal identification to claim a package that USPS said was waiting for me.  So, I got dressed and went to the post office at 10 am, presenting the paperwork to the lady behind the counter.  She couldn't find the package in the back, and asked me: "Did you receive it already?" I responded in the negative, and I heard her chatting with a supervisor, and then crickets for 15 minutes.  When she returned, she said it was a glitch in their computer system.  And I left with nothing to show for it.

But this got me to thinking.  Given that I often have unusual static interference when I use my cell phone to call people I know, could the regime in Washington have me on its watch list?  Could this USPS ticket have been a tool to get me out of my apartment so that they can bug my apartment?  I openly oppose the Orange Snowflake, and being TG, have honest concerns as to how far this government may go to silence opposition.  Even if I sound overly paranoid right now, I'm letting my mind explore the extremes to see if anything fits - even if I don't believe these things at the moment.

When I got home, I found an explanation of benefits from a former insurance provider.  They rightfully did not cover the lab tests my doctor requested.  In early afternoon, I receive 4 different texts from Quest Diagnostics telling me that I could pay the bill electronically, or wait for the paper bill to come. Well, I prefer receiving paper to verify that all is on the up and up.  But I knew I had to call my doctor's office while the issue was fresh in my mind (and when he was in the office).  So, around 1:30 pm, I called the doctor's receptionist and told her of the problem, and she told me that she'd update the account with Quest.  AARGH!!!!  This is what I requested be done over a month ago at my last appointment.  Hopefully, I'll be done dealing with Quest on this issue.  

I had figured that the problem with Quest was a paperwork issue coming from my doctor's office, and I was right.  But how does one communicate something simple, when one doesn't know the precise details of what goes on within a black box?  In my case, I knew that Quest defaults to insurance information provided by the doctor when each test is given.  So, the point of failure was at my doctor's office.  And once I could pinpoint the area of responsibility, the solution should be simple.  We'll see about this when I visit my doctor next month. 

My shoulder still bothers me, and I have another gripe for the doctor

 

The more I hear about the Snowflake, the more I feel that the man is completely evil. If I were religious, I might think he's the Antichrist himself.  Today (as I write this, you'll see this post a bit later), the Snowflake is blaming Autism on Tylenol.  Remember, this is the same man, a non medical professional, who said that Hydroxychloroquine, a drug to treat Malaria, would cure Covid-19.  One thing I learned about him is that if he asks you for the time, just make sure your watch is still on your wrist and your cell phone is in your pocket (or purse) before he leaves.  

- - - - - -

When I went off on my recent cruise, my left shoulder was bothering me.  I could barely stand the pain, but did my best to not let it bother me.  (I felt it was one hell of a pinched nerve.)  The pain has subsided, but has not completely gone away.  So I'll talk about this with my doctor when I see him next.  But this isn't my only problem that I have to see my doctor about.  Again, it seems as if the wrong insurance information was fed to the lab test company, and I will again need to fix things with them.  So, I will need to bitch a little with the doctor's office, as they were supposed to fix this several weeks ago.

Since I will likely have to visit the doctor's office with my insurance card, I will likely dress as Mario in the morning.  I'll be able to kill two birds with one stone, as I have a package supposedly waiting for me at the post office, and I don't remember buying anything that needed shipping while I was on the cruise.  RQS has an idea from whom this package could come from, but I doubt it.  We'll find out when I visit the post office next.

- - - - - -

Today was a low energy day.  Although I continued some work on my de-cluttering project, I didn't do that much.  Instead, I took a drive to Poughkeepsie to try on new dresses at Lane Bryant and then have dinner. Well, the dresses looked nice, but they were not worth $100/ea.  Dinner was better - a bowl of clam chowder, followed by a pastrami Reuben.  Yum!  (The waitress had one of the most pleasant voices and demeanors I've come across in wait staff lately.  If I were only a 30 y/o male....)   

And then, it was the drive home for the night. Tomorrow, it will be warmer and wetter.  So, I might as well get some Mario Mode things done in the morning, so I can enjoy transforming into Marian for a Mani-Pedi in the afternoon.

I started writing this entry and didn't know what to say at first

 

After I got home from my most recent cruise, I had to say something about the current state of domestic politics. When I saw what was going on with the Orange Snowflake, I was again reminded of a Don Imus album title: "This Honky's nuts!"  Today, I could easily say it about our president.  At the recent Charlie Kirk memorial service, his widow said to forgive her husband's killer.  However, the Snowflake has a grudge against anyone who opposed him in any way, no matter how slight an opposition.  He can't handle the concept of people not loving him.

When I think of the Snowflake and his personal flaws, I think of an old cartoon from the WW2 era: "Der Fuhrer's Face." The song, originally performed by Spike Jones and his City Slickers, is a satirical take on the Hitler's personality cult and his henchmen.  Considering that the Snowflake is following the Nazi guidebook from the 1930's, I feel that this tune could easily be reworked to make fun of the Snowflake and the people who once supported him

- - - - - -

But enough about the Snowflake.  Today, I started the process of cleaning out the mess from behind my loveseat (I've been using the area for storage), so that I can take care of the following:

1. Selling/Giving away a pachinko machine and an awkwardly shaped storage chest.
2. Storing summer clothing in storage containers, placing them behind the loveseat.
3. Moving a steel filing cabinet away from my computer desk to shift 2 bedroom chests/dressers.
4. Calling A/C repair to remove/fix/reinstall an air conditioner with a bad master control unit.

This is not a one day project.  I have to move some storage containers from the bedroom into the newly vacated space behind my loveseat. (Winter stuff comes out from the bedroom, and summer stuff will be placed first in the living room.)  My desktop computer then moves off the filing cabinet, so that I can move it to a new location.  Following that, I can shift the two chests/dressers, making room near the A/C so that the A/C repair men can do their thing.

- - -

I was still feeling slightly under the weather when I got up, so I didn't go to church as I originally planned.  Taking my time to get moving, I started taking inventory of what I needed to do to start organizing things.  And the first thing that came to mind was packing up my summer stuff.  I have way too many summer dresses, so I started culling a few to be put in donation bags. 

Next was the "fun" part - exploring the boxes/containers behind the loveseat, and tossing out unwanted stuff.  In my case, I decided to throw away a 14 y/o computer that ran Windows 7.  It wasn't worth much anymore, so I decided to trash it.  (I still have another old laptop that I have to trash.  But until then, it takes up space in my bedroom.)

The process of moving things around has only begin.  Keep your fingers crossed that I keep up the momentum....

Now that I'm back....

 

Now that I'm back, I'm concerned about many things.  First, will the assassination of Charlie Kirk trigger a gestapo like crackdown on those who oppose Trump?  I hope not.  Although I will not condone violence, I will not mourn the loss of an evil man.  As Clarence Darrow once said: “I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure,”  Kirk's was an obituary I enjoyed reading.  Why is this important?  The Orange Snowflake is awarding the presidential medal of freedom to Kirk posthumously.  The snowflake has no sense of ethics or morality.  In short, he is a clear and present danger to our nation.  His incendiary rhetoric has become normalized, and no one calls him to account.  The longer this man goes unchecked, the greater the damage he will do to our country.

When Kirk was killed, the snowflake accused transgenders of killing Kirk.  We now know this to be a falsehood.  A trans person is now safer outside the US than inside the US.  We are under attack, and we must find ways to lay low until the storm passes. But what about the rest of the nation?  It appears that the snowflake is turning ICE into the modern day version of the Nazi SS.  How can Americans defend themselves without triggering the aftereffects of a Kristallnacht?    Hopefully, we will find leaders who can show us the way.

The other day, I saw a presentation on how the business elites put Hitler in power, and helped silence the middle and lower classes in German society.  The arms makers supported Hitler, as they stood to gain a lot by the renunciation of Versailles Treaty limits on German power and German rearmament,  Union power was crushed, and targeted "Non Aryan" victims were used as slave labor by these firms.  Could this happen here?  The way things are going, Yes! 

Not everything is gloom and doom yet.  We still have the freedom to leave the country.  I, for one, have applied to be on a nation's foreign birth registry, so that I have a place to go to if the worst happens.  People inside and outside this country are making fun of the Orange Snowflake and his actions.  They see the man for what he is, a weak person inside his shell of toxic masculinity. 

With all of this being said, what do I recommend we do? 

Nonviolent protest as would be advocated by Dr. M.L.King and M Gandhi.  Gum up the works of ICE and other government agencies by getting in their way and broadcasting all human rights transgressions to the world.  One day, the snowflake's henchmen and supporters may called before the International Criminal Court in the Hague, and get the judgement they rightfully deserve.  Let's make that day come sooner than later.

 

Thoughts about my recent cruise....

 

If the Democrats had won the election last year, I would have been in Marian Mode with RQS on this cruise.  (We had booked it with this intention.)  Sadly, I had to travel as Mario, given the fascist assault on our individual liberties by the current administration in DC. This pisses me off to no end, as he is trying to take away any dignity we have in public. With that being said, we had a great cruise, save for not visiting one port due to weather conditions. 

The cabin we stayed in was relatively quiet.  Although we were under the Lido deck, just under the hallway leading to the buffet, we weren't disturbed by noise coming from the above floor.  We had one unfortunate issue with this cabin - it was way too close to the buffet, and we found ourselves walking out our door, up the steps, and into the buffet in less than 2 minutes. It was way too convenient for us to go up for an unplanned cup of coffee or a quick nibble. 😁

My current cruise goal is to visit a couple more ports in North America's northeastern areas, specifically St. John's, NL and Eastport, ME.  Many cruisers have heard of St. John's and its beauty.  But how many of us know that Eastport has one special attraction that requires people to leave the United States to visit?  If you haven't guessed, it's Campobello Island, the summer home of FDR.  We considered taking one cruise line out of Boston, just to see this place.  But we chose this 10-day cruise instead.

The next time we visit Boston on a cruise, we will likely already have "Charlie Cards" preloaded with money enough to get us around town and visit a few sites outside of excursions sold by the cruise line.  As it was, we enjoyed having a ship to ourselves, as the weather was perfect for us to sit outside and enjoy the view from the ship (or, what little of it there was in this port).

Hopefully, we will finally get to visit Charlottetown, PE on a future cruise.  High winds prevented us from making port here - the second time we had a cruise scheduled to make port here.  However, we did get to see the Giant Fiddle in Sydney, but were unable to take our shore excursion at this port.  Instead, we walked around the cruise terminal and picked up some items from local vendors.

Next year, Brooklyn will likely be mostly closed for cruising during the summer.  Supposedly, NYCEDC will be fixing up the Brooklyn Marine Terminal area (of which the cruise terminal is a part) in 2026, and cruising should restart after the summer is over.  Do I believe that?  I'm not sure.  But I know that Brooklyn is the only NYC area cruise terminal large enough to handle the Queen Mary 2 (a ship I'll be on soon).  So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for now.  One thing I know: MSC will no longer be making Brooklyn a year-round home port after Spring, 2026.

And one last thing: RQS enjoys the coziness of a smaller ship, now that she's been on one.  I'm glad of that, as I'm tried of these elephantine ships carrying 3500+ passengers and all of the large ship hassles.  Give me a ship I can get on and off quickly, without fuss, and I'll be happy.  

Canada/New England Cruise 2025 - Disembarkation Day (09/18/25)

 

As usual on the nights before disembarkation, I didn't get much sleep.  But I was lucky to be awake enough to capture this view of the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge on our way to port.  This was one of those rare days where it was warm enough to go out on the balcony in my jammies (please don't imagine how I look in them) and capture a few more shots like the one below:

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Today's disembarkation ritual went off easier than expected. But first, a little explanation on how luggage gets organized on the pier for collection....

Each cabin is given a set of tags listing an assigned disembarkation group by color and number.  Each color designates where the cruiser is going post cruise:

• Silver: To the Airport with cruise line arranged transfers.
• Silver: To the Airport with cruise line arranged pre-flight excursions, with Airport drop-off.
• Blue: Self-Arranged post-cruise travel 

Each group disembarks in numerical order, Number 1 being first, and Number 30 being last.  We were in Blue 29, with group 30, usually the last of numbers to be called. Although the announcements implied that all groups should be disembarked by 9:30, the paperwork we were given said 10:15.  If the paperwork was true, we would miss our 10:00 ferry and have to wait for 75 minutes for the next ferry up the East River.

Knowing that we had a lot of time to kill, we had a very leisurely breakfast at 7:30, making it possible for the room steward to turn the room for the next cruiser as soon as possible.   Around 9, we left the main dining area one last time and went to a seating area to wait for our group to be called.  This time we got lucky.  We were hanging out where all the handicapped passengers wait to be wheeled on shore.  So, when we heard that all Blue groups' luggage was on the pier, we walked out with others being wheeled.  (Both of us were using our canes this trip, so we technically qualified to get off the ship a little early.)  Within 5 minutes, we were off the ship looking for our luggage in a "virgin" storage area, and were out the door and at the ferry dock by 9:20.  

There is something very new going on at the Red Hook ferry terminal on cruise days.  NYC Ferry was giving away free rides to Wall Street for cruise passengers debarking today. (They plan to continue this for a while, hoping that they can drum up enough passengers to relieve automobile congestion at the cruise terminal, and make this a long term solution to traffic problems near the cruise terminal.)  We took one of these rides, then transferred to another ferry taking us to North Williamsburg.  Although we may have spent more time in getting home, we spent much less on our return trip's Uber ($44) than on our trip to the terminal ($84).  We made it to RQS's place around 11:30 am, and were able to stay relaxed until we got home.

Canada/New England Cruise 2025 - Sea Day #3 (09/17/25)

 

Our last day on the ship, and we already reached a high point with the culinary challenge and galley tour.  Princess seems to do this on every cruise, and it's a fun presentation by the culinary staff of the ship.  On one side is an actual chef who knows what he's doing and does it very well.  On the other is a staff member acting as a clown, having fun and ruining a recipe for (usually) an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert.  This presentation shouldn't be missed.  Following this presentation, cruisers are encouraged to visit the galley and ask questions of the staff.

- - - - - -

But let's put first things first....

We were unable to do laundry last night.  So, I knew that I had to wake up bright and early to get to the laundry room and not wait for a machine.  Showering and dressing before 8 am is difficult for me (it'll be much worse tomorrow, on disembarkation day), but I made it to the laundry room by 8:05 - where 2 of the 5 washers were in use.  I asked some people to watch my laundry bag as I walked down to guest services to get some tokens.  On my return, I loaded up the washer and struck up a chat with 2 people from Canada.  It was a good chat, and I stayed in the laundry room until the wash was done.  And that's when RQS came in, saying we had to get some breakfast.  I loaded the dryer, paid another token for a 60 minute run, and it was off to breakfast.

We didn't have time for a dining room breakfast, so off to the buffet we went.  And again, I struck up a conversation with another out-of-towner wanting to see a baseball game.  Again, I was an instruction manual for someone wanting to see a game in Flushing.  Once the couple left, we decamped to the laundry room to await our dried clothes. 

Once our clothes were dry, we dumped them off in our cabin, then went to the culinary challenge.  There were no seats left, so we sat in the aisle's steps to watch the show.  RQS enjoyed it (as I expected), and then we went to the galley tour.  From there it was off to the gastropub for lunch.

- - - - - - 

Lunch at the gastropub was pleasant.  I chose their mushroom dish for an appetizer, as the other 2 menu choices were not appetizing to me.  And then I had the signature burger - which was tasty, but over embellished with fried jalapeño peppers.  This was the high point of the meal, as the pudding like dessert was marred by the popcorn embellishments.

And then, we packed for our return home....

- - - - - -

At 7, we went for our last specialty dinner of the trip.  It was a good meal,  Around 9, we put out our luggage for delivery to the pier.  And then we went to see the comedian in the main theater.  He was funny, but I left just before the show ended - I was ready to pass out, and I needed sleep.

 

 

 

Canada/New England Cruise 2025 - Boston, MA (09/16/25)

 

The above was the view from our Bridge Cam this morning.  At first, it looked like it would be a cloudy day. But as time went on, the day improved.  Yet, we just weren't in the mood to get off the ship.  So we spent this last port day on the ship instead of exploring Boston as we originally planned.

- - - - - -

We woke up around 9, and were having breakfast in the buffet until 11.  And then we walked outside to get some fresh air.  There is something about being on a quiet ship on a port day that is relaxing. For example, there was no crowd around the pool today.  If one wanted a deck lounge chair, it was there for the taking.  The ship was empty, and those left on the ship had it to themselves.

There is one problem with staying on the ship on port days - all of the shops and most of the restaurants are closed while in port.  One can't take advantage of everything the ship has to offer, as this is the one time many of the ship's personnel get a break from work.  Although the spa may be open, I've never found anyone rushing to get treatments due to the inflated prices charged by this venue.

For the most part, this was a day to relax, and relax we did - until it was time to go to dinner.  Tonight was "Surf and Turf" night, the one night that the main dining room goes all out to serve cruisers.  Was the surf and turf good?  Yes, but the steak was drowning in sauce - something I don't like on most cuts of meat.  (At least, RQS had the duck breast, and she enjoyed it to the fullest.)  While at dinner, I struck up a conversation with the man at the table next to us. RQS and enjoyed talking with this man about cruising, life, and other things, and chatted for the better part of an hour after our table was cleaned by the wait staff. 

After dinner, we tried to do a load of laundry.  Unfortunately, we were too late to get a load in and done in time.  Tomorrow, we'll have to squeeze this task in, between everything else we have scheduled. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Canada/New England Cruise 2025 - Portland, ME (09/15/25)

 

Portland, Maine.  It's a nice place to walk around when the sun is not too high in the sky.  There is enough old architecture in the port district, that one can easily find interesting buildings to photograph. And yet, it's a relatively modern place to be in, most of the traditional seaside businesses having left the main road years ago.

When we arrived in Portland, US Customs and Border Control requires everyone to get off the ship, so that they can verify every passenger on the ship's manifest.  We woke up early, so that we could get off the ship at our appointed time.  And then, we hit a minor roadblock: someone typed my name wrong on the manifest.  My name was changed from Marian to Narian.  AARGH!  Once the CBP person caught this error, he fixed it and sent me (and RQS) on our way. 

However, this doesn't mean that Portland's nautical past has been forgotten.  Take a walk down any of the side streets and you'll see traces of its nautical past.  For example, the above establishment has been here for years.  Now, it's a full service tavern.   

At the end of the pier is the original Luke's seafood restaurant. From its humble seafood processing beginnings in Portland, it has morphed into a restaurant chain with branches around the world.   We killed a couple of hours before walking to Luke's as it normally opens at 11 am.  One problem: they had no electricity when we arrived.  (A circuit breaker was triggered, and they had to reset it.)  We appreciated this delay, as it gave our breakfasts more time to be digested.

When we finally got into Luke's, we ordered the fried clam bellies, and they were on our plates before RQS was finished in the washroom.  We feasted, and the lady at the next table struck up a conversation on cruising.  It was a nice thing to chat with a stranger about something we all enjoyed - especially our trips to Bermuda.

All too soon, it was time to return to the ship.  So we walked the mile back to the ship and decided to rest for a while before the evening's activities started.

- - - - - - 

Tonight was dress up night, and we again donned our finest for the photographers downstairs near the atrium. I couldn't wait to take off my blazer and tie to be comfortable while dining at the ship's steakhouse.  This would be our second visit to the place, and I tried to order different things from what I ordered on our last visit.  Well, I almost did just that, but had the same dessert.  Today's main course was a veal chop so thick that I couldn't finish it all.  RQS was wearing something similar to what I would have worn had I been able to go as Marian.  (Well, there will be opportunities to do that once the Orange Snowflake leaves office.)

After dinner, we went back to our room to relax for 30 minutes, and then on to tonight's entertainment in the ship's theater. Tonight's show was a musical revue called "On The Bayou", and it was a pleasant performance of songs with a New Orleans area theme.  (Mind you, this was a little bit of a stretch, but the best way to label these numbers.)  Most of the performers did their songs justice, and in contrast to the last night's performer did her songs better.

 

Next it was off to the lounge where we saw Carlos Oscar and his comedy routine.  (Think of Joe Pesci as if he had a Puerto Rico background.)  As much as most comedians don't get me to laugh, Carlos did. Much of his routine got into the differences of men and women, but not in a nasty way.  Instead, he exaggerated how our behaviors seem, such as women flothes shopping for themselves and then for their partners.  Would I see him again?  If this show is an example, it will be on the last night of the cruise.

 

Canada/New England Cruise 2025 - Saint John, NB (09/14/25)

 

Our last day in Canada, and I met someone from where I used to work.  Long story of our relationship made short: He is a Type-A, and I am a person who doesn't fit into a type mold. As such, we butted heads when working, but were pleasant and polite now that we are no longer at the bank.

- - - - - -

We arrived on a Sunday and had breakfast in the buffet.  That's where we sat next to a former rival coworker and shared pleasantries. It was nice to know that there were no hard feelings.  Then, we decamped to our cabin to pick up some things and go into town.

For those readers who haven't been to Saint John yet, the passenger port has room for two ships on a normal day.  There is a shopping area next to the terminal with stores housed in shipping containers.  Once out on the main street, one will find street merchants selling their wares, with stores, pubs and restaurants doing their thing on the other side of the street.  To go inland from here requires navigating up some steep streets to the top of a hill.

Since it was a Sunday, most of the shops in this district were closed.  But, as one would expect, the church was open for Sunday services.  It was the first time that I've visited this city where the port district was quiet.  It was a perfect day to photograph some of the old and unique buildings in this part of town.  Sadly, the candy store that sold us "Toxic Waste" candy was no longer in business, nor was the city's police museum.  So we walked back to the ship for a late lunch.

- - - - - -

Eventually, dinnertime came and we were seated next to a nice British couple.  Even though we were at separate tables, we were close enough to consider our tables to be shared.  I had two appetizers, a main and a dessert, and I was well sated after the meal.  (The appetizer was a poached pear with blue cheese, and the dessert was a poached pear with cinnamon.  So I don't feel that guilty about having two pear dishes.)  All too soon dinner had to end, and we went back to our cabin for a few before the nightly theater entertainment started. 

  

 

 

Canada/New England Cruise 2025 - Sea Day #2 (09/13/25)

 

Another sea day, and I wish we could be in port today.  However, we were still at sea, and it'd be another day before we would reach Saint John, NB.

- - - - - -

The day started out with us going downstairs for breakfast, where we encountered lackluster service.  Both of us ordered blueberry pancakes with sides of bacon and sausages.  When breakfast was delivered, the waiter brought the pancakes to our table first (without syrup), then served the table next to us, and finally served us the syrup, with the two servings of sausage and bacon on the same plate. If we had to pay for this service at a local diner, we'd never eat there again. Yet, I'd rather eat here, than in the buffet.

After we rested, we went to the pop-up pizza place for lunch.  This time, I decided to have a non-alcoholic beer with the meal - and I was surprised at how good Heineken Zero tastes.  (It's far from a perfect flavor for beer, but it's close enough to enjoy with a pizza.)  This time, we shared a table with 2 other couples and had a good conversation.  I held back a little on one of my opinions, as it was better to make one's key point in a non-challenging way.

When we finished lunch, it was back to the room again to rest some more.  (Both RQS and I seem to need a bit more rest than usual on this cruise.) Around 6:40, we went down stairs to eat, and had to wait a little bit before being shown to our table.  Again, we struck up a good conversation with the couple at the next table, and we wished we had more time with them.

 

Canada/New England Cruise 2025 - Charlottetown, PE (09/12/25)

 

Today was a big disappointment.  This would be the second cruise we've taken to this port, and we had to skip this port again due to weather conditions.  The last time we were supposed to be here, it was on the heels of a hurricane.  This time, strong winds coming from the wrong direction made it unsafe to make port. (It seems strange that the waters weren't choppy from where we were.  But that's another story.)  So, we had an unexpected sea day, and more time to spend money on the ship's onboard activities.

- - - - - -

We decided to go to the MDR for breakfast today, and service was sloppy.  Although the food was good, I couldn't wait to leave and get back to our cabin to relax.  About 2 hours later I woke up after napping, and then it was time for lunch.  (There often isn't that much to do on sea days, save to relax and eat.) 

Even though this was a sea day and the main dining room was open for lunch, we didn't go there.  Instead, we went to one of the casual dining restaurants staged for lunch in the premises of the evening specialty restaurants.  During the day, Princess's pizza restaurant, Alfredo's, uses Sabbatini's space for its meals - and if one wants a custom personal pizza, this is the place to go at lunch time. Both RQS and I enjoyed our pizzas and wondered whether we'd have enough room in our stomachs to eat at the Crab Shack pop up later in the evening.  Although we could have dessert there, neither of us wanted Tiramisu. (Alfredo's on other ships usually has its own space, as well as O'Malley's gastropub.)  So, it was back to our cabin to rest.

Around 4:00 RQS decided to do laundry.  We still had tokens from our last laundry run on the Ruby Princess, so we hoped that the same tokens would work - they did.  About 90 minutes later, we retrieved our laundry from the dryer, and then proceeded to Crab Shack for dinner.

On the Island Princess, Crab Shack is not a lunch time pop up.  Instead, it is a dinner time venue in a cordoned off section of the buffet.  Other than that, it is the same pop up venue in a different area of the ship than on most Princess ships.  On our last cruise, we ordered the seafood bucket for two.  This time, we both ordered the seafood pots which contained clams, mussels, shrimp and crab (claws and legs).  It was tasty as expected.  Next time, we'll try the seafood boil for comparison.  

Once done with our meal, it was back to the cabin to rest while the food digested.... 

 

Canada/New England Cruise 2025 - Sydney, NS (09/11/25)

 

 

  

My first impression of Sydney, NS is one of a bleak and dreary place as evidenced by the bridge cam picture above.  There is no way I could do this place justice today, as the drizzling rain made it impossible to explore the town and get to the nearby museums in town.  Hopefully, RQS and I will return to this place on a sunny day and have the chance to do some exploration in good weather.

The one thing of note in Sydney is the giant fiddle near the cruise port.  I joked that should resurrect Seward Johnson and commission him to erect an appropriately sized sculpture of Itzhak Perlman next to it.  But that's my strange sense of humor at work.  RQS and I went to the stores in the nearby shops and we opened up our wallets:  RQS bought 2 pairs of gloves, while I bought 2 necklaces (at CA$10 each) for when I'm in Marian mode.  We then walked over to a record store (well stocked with classic vinyl albums) and got into a chat with one of its proprietors.  He said that he was impressed with my (limited) knowledge of classic albums, and I made sure to get his card before leaving for the ship.

- - - - - -

Around 7 pm, we went to another specialty restaurant, the Crown Grille.  This restaurant is a wonderful steakhouse where (on other ships) I was never served a bad meal.  RQS ordered the strip steak and I ordered the lobster tail - both were yummy!  Our only complaint was that we had to wait 10 minutes or so to be seated, the food, the service and the ambience of the place.  It'll be nice to eat there again later in the cruise.

 

Canada/New England Cruise 2025 - Halifax, NS (09/10/25)

 

I knew that I was going to hate waking up today, as I knew that I wouldn't get enough sleep before our scheduled shore excursion.

But first....

RQS and I had to get up at 6, so that we'd be ready for our shore excursion to Lunenburg by 7:30.  With neither of us having enough sleep the night before, I knew that we'd both be exhausted by the time we got back to the ship.  I was up early enough to get some shots of Port Halifax before we docked at Pier 20.  (All my previous cruises to this port docked at pier 21.)  

The first thing we did after showering and dressing was to go to the buffet. Being up at 7 made it so easy for us to both find a vacant table and find something to eat.  Too bad we're not early birds.  Around 7:30, we made it to one of the staging stations (a ship restaurant) to await our group number to be called.  After a short walk to an awaiting bus, we were on our way to Lunenburg.

 

 

 

Our first stop along the way was to Amos Pewter in Mahone Bay.  We saw the "Soup to Nuts" presentation on how pewter is made, and participated in using the skills needed to make a pewter ornament.  It was a nice demonstration, and made us appreciate the work the artisans do at this studio.

From Mahone Bay, it was off to nearby Lunenburg.  Old town Lunenburg was a planned colonial settlement, and a Nova Scotia treasure.  All of the buildings in this district reek of history, even if they are post colonial in style.  It was here where we decided to have lunch and enjoy our day away from the ship.  
 

After lunch, we explored the old town a little, but didn't have that much time or energy to do this place justice.  Hopefully, we may be able to find the time and money to visit this part of Canada by land and explore it as my parents once did 55 years ago, when I was a child.

All too soon, we were on our way back to the ship.  After a stop at a Maple Syrup store (a stop geared to generate money for both the store and the tour company), we were on our way back to the ship.  Sadly, we had no time to find a place selling needle and thread (I wanted to secure a button to a jacket), so this task will be put off to our next port stop.  And then, it was time for both of us to take a much needed nap before dinner.

Dinnertime came, and we went to the main dining room for dinner.  We were seated at a shared table with 5 other people, and had a nice time.  However, we noticed one thing: Service was so slow for a 7 pm seating, that we could not make it to the theater in time for the nightly entertainment. 

 

 

Canada/New England Cruise 2025 - Sea Day #1 (09/09/25)

 

The above is a view fro our balcony this morning.  The seas have been relatively calm.  However, being near the bow of the ship, one feels the waves more than if one was near the stern of the ship.  Hopefully, we'll have smooth sailing for the rest of our cruise.

- - - - - -

For the most part, we relaxed today, leaving the room primarily for meals.  Having nowhere to go, and no one to see takes away many of the headaches that keep a person from truly relaxing.  Since we didn't get up early enough for a "sit down" breakfast, we went to the buffet instead.  This was a mistake.  The buffet was very crowded, and we had to share a table with another couple.  I noticed a saying from Neil Degrasse Tyson on one lady's shirt, and I opened up a chat with her.  Her friend came back, and the 4 of us were having a friendly conversation, lightly toughing on current politics.  The woman next to me was very upset at her church's pastor, as he was vehemently anti-abortion and showed the fetus at various stages of development in the womb.  This woman's job was to see that others could get the health care they needed, and understood why certain pregnancies had to be terminated, mostly for the viability of the fetus or the life of the mother.  This woman complained to her church's elders (I don't know what happened), but the pastor made another unforgiving rant the next weekend.  It's sad to see a woman's faith tested by the willful ignorance of a religious leader.

RQS and I took care of some minor errands before going back to the room to rest.  Around 6:30 pm, I got dressed, and we went to the ship's Italian specialty restaurant for dinner.  Although the food was very good, the service was slow. (I had made a joke to the lady who seated us: we have something to do tonight, so we have to be out of here by 10 pm.  She smiled, saying that was the end of her shift.)  We enjoyed our 5 course dinner, but we didn't get out until after 9 pm.

Both of knew that tomorrow would be a busy day, as we had to get up by 6, so that we could meet at 7:30 to be escorted to our tour to Lunenburg.  So, I suggested that we call it a day, and we did. 

 

Canada/New England Cruise 2025 - Embarkation Day (09/08/25)

RQS and I got up a little bit before 9 am today, and we took our time getting showered and dressed before making our way to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.  Both of us were a little forgetful in our packing.  She forgot a sweater she wanted to wear (and would need to wear) in cooler weather, and I forgot my memory stick that I planned to use on this trip in my shirt pocket left at home.

Around 11 am, our ride took us to the cruise terminal.  Traffic was slow (as expected) for a weekday, but we made it to our destination at noon. Unlike our prior experiences in Brooklyn, it took less than 15 minutes from the time we dropped off our bags with the porter to the time we made it to our cabin.  Cruising on a smaller ship has its benefits, as there were hardly any people queued for processing (compared to other cruises) due to our ship's low capacity AND the use of the Princess Medallion.

Once RQS and I were finished with the muster process, we went downstairs to have lunch in the main dining room.  Although the wait staff were polite and professional, I could tell that they wanted lunch service to end, so that they could get a much needed break before dinner service began. (We got to the restaurant 20 minutes before lunch service ended.)  It was an enjoyable lunch, with my salmon prepared the way I like it - grilled, not too dry or moist.

After lunch, both of us took a nap before unpacking our suitcases.  (I usually take out my packing cubes and take clean clothes out as I need them.) Yet, we didn't unpack the way we usually do, as both of us had our own agendas - me to take a nap, and RQS to take her photos.  And then, both of us relaxed until dinner time. 

At 7 pm, we went to the dining room for dinner, and there was a long line to the door.  Someone pointed out that the line we were standing on was for people who didn't have reservations.  So we went to the other line, and were seated at a shared table with 3 other people.  Everyone else at the table were seasoned travelers, so our conversation lasted until well after 9 pm.  Hopefully, we will see these people again on the cruise.

Finally, RQS needed to buy a sweater, so it was off to the ship's store to buy one.  She found something she liked, and wanted to buy two - but only one was available in a color and style she liked.  Then it was back to the cabin for the night.