Seen and Heard: REP's Circle Mirror Transformation

Friday was a bit of a whirlwind day. I had meetings all morning, accepted a new job offer at lunch, spent the afternoon bowling with my work mates, and then met Cathy and Arjay for dinner and a night at the theater. We met at Beasley's Chicken and Honey and got caught up over chicken biscuits, pork shoulder meatloaf, and fried flounder. Few people make me laugh as much as the Hineks - so dinner was a blast.

On another note, Arjay and I will be reunited at Lulu (along with Lucas, Kevin, Jennifer, and Patrick). Cathy graciously gave her permission for Arjay and I to resume our "work husband" relationship, although Arjay admitted that he has been cheating on me with someone else. I told him that I could be up for a "work threesome...just saying." I am sure that if Arjay likes him that we will all soon be sharing laughs together around the lunch table.

After dinner, we had a quick drink at Foundation where we ran into Seth (an ex-Peoplefluent employee) and his wife. Then it was upstairs to Raleigh Ensemble Players Theatre to see Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker.

This award-winning play is part of a trilogy of plays that take place in a small New England town. The action in this piece occurs in a dance studio where a teacher, her husband, and three students participate in a six week amateur actor's workshop.The play is presented in six sections - each representing a portion of a workshop experience. Over time as the characters relax and embrace the workshop exercises, the audience begins to learn little snippets about each character. Since there is so little direct information shared, the audience is forced to piece together each character's personality in order to discover their flaws.

This work, while appearing to move along briskly from scene to scene, actually lulls the viewer into a false sense of security. The characters at the beginning of the play fit the expected stereotypes, but they do not evolve in expected directions. As such, when the dirty laundry is finally aired, there remains some small doubt as to whose laundry is on display. It is not until the surprisingly forthright final scene do you realize that the characters who appeared to be the most damaged at the beginning, actually come out of the experience with the most hopeful futures.

As usual, for REP, the casting was perfect, the acting was spot-on, and the direction was outstanding. The most striking aspect of this production was the simple, bare, elegant staging. I particularly liked the way that the wall of mirrors reflected the actor's reactions as well as those of the audience. While you were watching the actors, subconsciously you are were also watching/seeing yourself.


Last season, REP spent their entire season making me cry - sometimes with joy and sometimes with shared sorrow. So far this season, they have made me examine my prejudices and expectations. I am eager to see what they have in store for the remainder of the 2012 season.

There are three more performances scheduled for this production (March 2-4). I highly recommend it for an evening of enjoyable, entertaining, and touching theater. Click here for more information and reservations.

A Gilded Cage by any Other Name is Still a Cage...

After a coffee date, two telephone interviews, an onsite tag team interview, and a final interview with the COO, the call I had been eagerly awaiting finally came Friday afternoon. I held my breath just a bit as Melissa slowly and deliberately got through the details of the job offer. Without much thought or consideration I responded with a resounding "YES, YES, YES - I accept."

The irony of this situation was that I received the call while driving to a team building outing with one of the development teams I support. So while I was bursting to share my exciting news with someone, I did not want my manager to learn of my departure before I had a chance to break the news to her myself. Needless to say, I was quite a bit more giggly, giddy, and animated than usual during lunch.

After our outing, I pulled aside my work "wife." She had once told me that I could never leave her for another job or warmer climates and palm trees. At that time I responded to her that if I should ever have the opportunity to move to sunnier climes, that after me, she would be the second person to know about it. And while I was so thrilled and excited to share my news, I died just a little when I saw the look of disappointment on her face. Of course she immediately gave me a big hug and congratulated me. She is a good wife indeed.

Little did I know that all this week I would continue seeing that same look - just a tiny flash of disappointment - on the faces of my team mates as they each learned of my pending departure. For some time now I have known that leaving Peoplefluent would be a difficult choice. After all I like my work, I get paid well, the office is two blocks from my home, I like the people I work with, and I am not unhappy with my circumstances.

And yet I know myself and have seen this writing on the wall before. After all, no matter how well fed the bird in the gilded cage is, he is still in a cage. It is only a matter of time before the bars of that beautiful cage begin to chafe and I begin to resent the lack of career growth and available paths. So, I am flying the coup while I can still laugh and enjoy myself at work. More than anything, I want to leave with good memories of my time at Peoplefluent.

Yes, I will have to drive two miles to work. My car will appreciate the exercise. I will continue to work as a technical writer, but with a completely different voice. My work will be visible to a wider audience and I am thrilled to be working with a young, dedicated, creative team who all work to help others realize their dreams and ambitions. Check it out - I will start my new job at Lulu Press in 12 days.

Tick, tick, tick.....

Dazed, Confused, and Sorely Undersupplied: A Week in My Reality

That little cold I toted around with me the last day of our cruise reeked its revenge upon my respiratory system on Monday. I had fever, chills, wheezing, coughing fits, a runny nose, and no perishable foods in the house. The need to rest and recuperate was battling with the need to forage for healthy food - and coffee. Foraging won.

After a few cups of hot tea with honey, a long hot shower, and the last of the cold medication, I headed out into the elements for provisions. I was in luck. Although it had been cold, rainy, and snowy the day before, today was a relatively balmy 65F (18C) - winter in North Carolina is unpredictable at best, but warm is always better than cold. There was no need to bundle up. The only need was to find supplies.



Split Pea Soup

First I headed to the Home Depot for some felt pads to place under the kitchen chairs. Robbie Rumba keeps knocking the chairs around and scratching the floors (Bad Robot). Next was a trip to Target for cold medicine. Then Sam's Warehouse Club for coffee and juice. Then the grocery store for dairy and fresh produce. I was whipped when I got home, so I reheated some of the split pea soup I made before the cruise (great recipe here). I guess the re-provisioning could have waited after all.

Around 6:00 PM Monday evening, I received the call I had been waiting for the previous week on the cruise. In my delirium I happily hacked, crackled, and wheezed into the phone thinking that the HR representative was delivering the final bit of good news. Silly me, I thought that after four rounds of interviews, the decision would have been made. But no. One more interview with the COO was required. On the bright side, I figured that by Thursday, I would be fit once again and this Caribbean jungle rot thing I was carrying around with me would have run its course.

Tuesday, I did feel slightly better in the morning so I headed into work, but by the afternoon I was back to feeling feverish and generally rotten. I did not sleep very well between the night sweats and the coughing fits, so Wednesday I called in sick and called my doctor. Besides feeling really yucky - I also felt really guilty for returning from vacation and calling in sick to work. The doctor gave me some antibiotics to clear up my lungs and I felt slightly better Thursday morning. So much better that I got up at 7:00 AM, showered, had breakfast, got dressed and headed to the office. Upon reaching the elevator down the hall, I had a coughing fit that felt as if I were coughing up my toenails. So, I turned around, went back inside my condo, undressed, crawled into bed and emailed my boss that I would be staying home one more day.

The bad thing was that my final interview with the COO at my potential new employer was scheduled at lunch time. So, I took another handful of cough suppressants, slept for two hours, got up and took a very long shower, changed costume three times, and headed out the door with a cough drop in my mouth and three more in my pocket.

When I arrived at the job location, I informed everyone I met that I was sick, to keep their distance, and that there was to be no touching. So, I air hugged a friend, shook air hands with the COO, and kept my germy paws by my side for the next hour. The interview went extremely well. I asked a question and he chatted about it for 30 minutes. That evening, my references started texting me to let me know that they had been contacted.

All was good again in Glenn's world. So much so that I joined Jason for a beer (or three) at the pub to celebrate what I envision to be happy days ahead. Probably not the smartest thing I have done this week, but I was giddy and eager to share my news with a friend.

The Rear View Mirror: Ship, Taxi, Plane, MINI, Home

The Rear View - Indeed!

Usually, when the last day of vacation arrives, I have a good breakfast, put on my traveling blinders, and focus solely on the steps required to get home. There is no talking, just the need to keep moving towards the destination. Today, along with my feelings of happy things to come in the next weeks, there was also a bit of regret and bitter sweetness. As I dragged my bag down the ship's hallway one last time, I looked forward to seeing Roxy, sleeping in my own bed, getting back into a routine, and seeing my friends at home.

In the cab it struck me that I was, once again, leaving behind some of the best friends in the world. Some who have been in my life for so long now that they are more like family. There are others who were rediscovered or newly found who also contributed to making the last week a spectacular blur of warm breezes, blue seas, bling, dancing, laughing, eating, and drinking. I am often in awe of my tribe and the fun that follows them.

At the airport, I was a little regretful of my decision to skip next year's February cruise. There are two main reasons for this decision: I was not thrilled with the itinerary in that I have been to Key West and to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. The other is that while I love leaving reality behind for a week, there are other parts of the world I would like to visit.

Our Next Big Adventure: The Greek Isles

The travel agency we use to book our cruises (Concierge Travel) also does excursions such as an Amazon Riverboat Cruise, Trips to Machu Picchu, and cruises to the Galapagos Islands. These trips are definitely not as large as the RSVP cruises, and they are a bit more pricey, but I am eager for some new experiences. John, Jay, and I will be taking one of these smaller ship excursions this summer when we visit Turkey and the Greek Islands. So, while I may be jealous, envious, and petty about not having a winter 2013 vacation on the books, I have a lot to look forward to in the coming year.     

My bitterness, however, did not stop there. Upon arriving in Raleigh, the temperature was a cold, rainy 40F (5C) with a stiff breeze. That night there were also snow flurries. The only silver lining to this cloudy day was that I arrived home around 2:00 PM, had the entire day ahead of me to unpack, and Monday was a work holiday. Yay for me!

But the cough and cold were not giving up so easily....

Happy Endings

Final Tea Dance of 2012 Cruise

All good things come to an end. The last day at sea was spent doing a little shopping in the photo lounge, visiting friends on the iguana deck, evening up the tan in those last few places, spreading good cheer, working on a few blog posts while the memories were still fresh, lunching by the Lido deck pool with Frank and Andre, and wishing I had a better connection to the internet. At 75 cents a minute for painfully slow access, I attempted to stay away from the internet as much as possible during the week, but I was eagerly awaiting some news by email.

A Sea of Green

By late afternoon, we were all back together in party mode for the final tea dance of the cruise. The theme for today was a retro green party. Apparently, every Party Store on the East Coast had been raided. Luckily, with St. Patrick's day just around the corner, there were at least enough green wigs to supply our ship with the beginnings of costumes.  But I guess a hairdo is the crowning glory for every ensemble.

John, Frank, Kim (Travel Agent), Jay, Andre, Glenn

Our group was rather subdued for this party. After the success of our Castaway costumes and the Queen of Hearts wigs, we pretty much blended into the green background of our people at their finest. 

Holland America Staff Being Cheered!

 Towards the end of the tea dance, some of the Holland America staff came out to thank RSVP and all us cruisers for a great week. They held up signs saying "Thank You," "RSVP," Rainbow flags, etc. I must admit that the Holland America staff are always wonderful on these cruises. All the staff we spoke to commented on how much they all look forward to the RSVP cruises because, for them, this week was like a week off. They all have so much fun while we are on board, and I am guessing they have lots of stories to tell when they get home. But, as they were all up on stage, I got a little glisten of gratitude in my eye as the staff applauded us and we cheered them for another wonderful week at sea. It is amazing how seven days can speed by in such a blur.


After so much fun in the sun and late night dancing under the stars, my body was beginning to give out just a bit. I had been waking up with a froggy voice for several days, but that seemed to go away by lunch time. I attributed it to the air conditioning in my room. I did not, after all, feel bad, feverish, or as if I were getting sick. But, the Lauren Bacall voice was soon accompanied by a stuffy nose and a dry cough. I knew what was coming, but I hoped to make it off the boat before becoming patient zero.

For our last evening on board, we had reservations at the Tamarind Restaurant, which is one of the higher-end dining experiences on board. Since our experience last year was so memorable, we decided it would be a fitting end to our winter vacation at sea. Our reservation was at 8:30. We were seated promptly, but the service was incredibly slow. Since I am not one to complain (hahahaha), I assumed that the food was not as tasty as our last visit due to my stuffy nose, but apparently everyone else felt the same. I would say that this meal was the only disappointment I had during the week, but I may have had too many expectations, or the chefs could have been worn out after a week of feeding so many hungry bears.

After dinner, we all met up in the casino bar for a final farewell drink. I had an early departure scheduled for Sunday morning. Reality awaited me in cold rainy Raleigh, NC.

Two Daze Lost at Sea

RSVP 2012: Hearts and Flowers Tea Dance

This year was my fourth year sailing with RSVP into the Caribbean. I remember how overwhelmed I was my first, or freshman year by all the people and how "into it" everyone was. So in my senior year, I knew what to expect and how to keep myself fed, watered, lotioned, and entertained while at sea the last two days of the cruise.

To be honest, I look forward to the days when the ship is not in port. This year the weather was great. The captain was traveling at a relatively slow pace during the day so that we were not being blown off the tanning decks. The skies were sunny and I had replenished my tanning lotion supply. All was good in vacation land.

Except of course that we still had three more costume parties to attend. So after a lovely afternoon erasing our tan lines on the 12th floor (iguana) deck, we all headed down for the afternoon tea dance. If you are not familiar with our culture, tea dance is simply an afternoon dance around tea time - usually between 4-7 PM. Kind of a party snack before dinner and the party entree later in the evening.

Friday's tea dance theme was Hearts and Flowers, which we all thought rather odd considering that Valentine's Day was on Tuesday, but nevertheless we dove right in and congregated in Jay and John's cabin to prepare. We went with a relatively simple Alice in Wonderland: Queen of Hearts theme. I only wish we could have found a nice pig to keep our feet warm. Hahaha.

The Queens of Heart: Jay, Frank, Glenn, Andre, and John

Those ladies are not very lady-like

How does one pack such huge hats?

With Lucy (Gert) and Ricky Ricardo

BOGO drink special - Figures by Budweiser

Love bugs!

Perfect Costumes for Tea

Good friends, good times, great party. After a quick dinner, I had a brief nap before the next party that started at 10:30 PM.  This one had a darker theme - more leather / uniform / fetish, hence the lack of pictures.

Our travel agency liquored us up in their suite before sending us upstairs to finish the evening off by dancing under the stars. Fortunately, we crossed back into the Eastern time zone overnight and got an extra hour of much needed sleep to see us into our last day on board the Nieuw Amsterdam.

MMMM - Puerto Rican Coffee Recipe

I promised to share this with all the java junkies out there.

I received these instructions for Puerto Rican coffee from a reader and can't wait to give it a try this weekend. Now if I can only find my coffee sock.....





How to make Puerto Rican coffee
Ingredients:

1 / 2 cup water
2 tablespoons coffee
2 ounces boiled milk
1 tablespoon sugar (or to taste)

procedure:
1. Mix the coffee with water and boil 2 minutes.
2. Strain the coffee in coffee sock.
3. In a cup, combine brewed coffee with milk.
4. Add sugar to taste.

You can order authentic Puerto Rican coffee from this website: PuertoRicoCoffeeShop.com
If it is half as good as what we had at Marmalade, it will be worth the wait.

Thank You Again Internet: Radical Lesbian Girl Scouts on the Loose



Baked by radical lesbian abortionists 
in a hollow tree!

Although I promised myself not to discuss politics or express political views in this blog, I just could not help addressing this gem that appeared in my news feed today:

Indiana Lawmaker Says Girl Scouts are Destroying American Family Values




Brings to mind the following quote:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.

Martin Niemöller

I think it is a pretty easy leap to "then they came for the gays, the lesbians, single women, the teachers, the media, and now the girl scouts." Who will be left to speak out and stand up to these ideological bullies? Is this party so bereft of ideas for the future that they must be constantly searching for a scapegoat to blame for why society does not conform to their "theology?" Must be the girl scouts who are turning our women-folk into intelligent, independently minded sluts - Really? That's all you've got?

When I turned 18 and registered to vote, I proudly chose to be a member of the Republican party because, as a young closeted gay man, I believed in small government that would protect my individual rights. However, as the party changed and evolved into the "our values are better than your values party," I slowly evolved from Independent to Democrat to Proud Liberal.

My liberal ideas:

• I do not think that making contraception available in an insurance plan equates to forcing anyone to actually use it - much like having perscription drug coverage does not dictate which drugs, if any, you choose to take to prevent high blood pressure, high cholesterol, to treat your diabetes (all god given blessings). Although my more conservative friends often speak of forcing the poor to use contraception....
• Vaccinating your child against HPV will not make them more promiscuous - but, it just might save your child and their partners from contracting cancer causing viruses.
• Only telling your children "NOT TO HAVE SEX" may protect them from STDs and pregnancy, but when they choose to actually "do the deed," they will be poorly prepared to protect themselves from the consequences (see above).
• Legalized same-sex marriage / domestic partnerships means that people who choose to be together and form a financial and legally protected bond, along with all the rights it entails, are free to make that decision for themselves. Your marriage will not be threatened - unless of course you are married to a closet homosexual. I mean really, legally, I can marry your daughter, but do you want me to? Think about it.
• And to my fellow Liberals out there - almost every successful gay man I know was in the Boy Scouts - many of whom reached the level of Eagle Scout. For the most part, I didn't even know what "Gay" was when I was that age and didn't realize that I would have been unwelcome, but I am happy that I was a scout. 

I do not wish to impose my values on anyone, I only want to have the right to live my life within the constraints of the law and my conscience. Not only do I want to choose my own path through this life, but I also want my nieces and nephews to have as many options available to them as possible. For that to occur, they will need the best, most thorough knowledge available to them in order to make good decisions when they choose the path they wish to follow.

Oh - and I also want to be able to continue eating delicious girl scout cookies.

The rant is concluded. Back to the show....

The Naked Truth, Hot Stones, and Some Bling

A little bit to truth telling may be required at this point. I originally had a massage scheduled for Monday at 2:00, but after lunch on Monday, I “stumbled upon” the nude sunbathing deck and decided to take a little sun treatment. Since sitting in the sun is one of my favorite pass times, and doing it naked makes it even more enjoyable, I was delighted. Our friends Frank and Andre from Germany were already there, so I pulled up a lounge chair and joined them. Greg and Ken from Chicago soon joined us, followed by John and Jay.

John and I have been friends for 20 years now, but much like my brother and I, we are very modest in each other’s company. So once we were all grouped together, at first there was a bit of strategic draping going on, but soon all cares were blown away on the warm Caribbean breezes - actually very strong winds.

One of the things that I really like about nude sunbathing is that along with the removal of clothing, people seem to also remove their conversational inhibitions. We met several of the people around us and we were having such a great time, I completely forgot about my 2:00 appointment.  Luckily, I was able to reschedule. 

Good Morning St. Thomas

Now back to St. Thomas....

There were only early morning appointments available and I booked an 8:45 AM massage; however, at 8:00 AM the phone rang and it was the spa asking if I could come in even earlier. So I quickly cleaned up, put on my robe, and headed up to the spa for a hot stone massage.

I was delighted to see that my masseuse was a bit more substantial than the tiny Asian lady who last year struggled to get the deep pressure that I like during a massage. She was quite wonderful. Her pressure was just right and she was not afraid to pull, stretch, and twist me as I grunted in pleasure (and a little pain). 

Freshly pulled, steamed, and oiled, I joined the boys for breakfast. We then headed into St. Thomas for a day of retail therapy. We did not book any excursions for this trip; however, last night’s dinner was definitely a foodie excursion. So today’s shopping would be our other onshore excursion experience.

I have not previously been to St. Thomas, so I assumed the shopping would be the same old Little Switzerlands, Sunglass Huts, Margaritaville Cafes, Tee shirt shops, etc. Boy was I wrong. Apparently, St. Thomas is a duty free, jewelry purchasing destination. The entire shopping district is dedicated to bling – watches, gem stones, loose diamonds, gold, etc. 

After several abortive efforts to find something in my price range (i.e. one watch we looked at was $22,000 and included pieces of moon rock), we found a nice little shop called Artistic Jewelers. They had what we were looking for – all price ranges in styles that fit our lifestyles. I exceeded my budget on the first watch – the second one was much more reasonable. We actually spent so much money as a group during out visit, that they started pouring us drinks from their secret bar. Add to this bill a lovely new pair of designer Italian sunglasses and my bling budget was busted, but I sure feel fancy, and after a few rums on the rocks, I was feeling quite happy as we returned to the ship.

Afternoon in St. Thomas by the Pool

A little more tanning, an early dinner, a nap, and late night dance party by the pool under the stars finished up the day. Today, I realized that time has really flown by on this trip. We have only two more days at sea before returning to reality. How ever will we keep ourselves busy?

Days like this remind us all of why we work - good food, good friends, dancing and laughing together – and of course those things that make us more sparkly on the outside.

Wayne Brady Clicks my Button

Wayne Brady

Each year, the RSVP staff arrange for a special guest entertainer, who is not usually announced until just before the trip. Last year we had Debbie Gibson (Electric Youth) and this year it was Wayne Brady (WhoseLine is it Anyway?). 

Once we were back on board following our memorable dinner at Marmalade, we headed to the main stage for a some light entertainment. 

Since we were early, we got seats very close to the stage. When the show started, Wayne’s partner in crime came out and announced that members of the audience would be asked to participate. My heart began to sink. 

Of course in the first set of the act, I was called upon. Fortunately, I did not have to go on stage – they only needed an occupation. Who knew that “Technical Writer” would be so difficult to explain? (“When you click the Help button – you see my work.”) Do I need to even say that I was very relieved that I got to remain in my seat, but thrilled that Wayne Brady clicked my help button? 

The show was fantastic with lots of big laughs. We had a quick nightcap, dropped by the dance party on the Lido deck, and then headed back to our cabins for a relatively early evening. There is a long day of massages and shopping ahead for us in St. Thomas tomorrow.

Dance Every Day to Chase to Your Blues Away

Marmalade Restaurant, Old San Juan

Dinner Party at Marmalade

After a nosh and a nap, we returned to the city for a pre-dinner cocktail party. 

The Parrot Club (the 17th thing to do in San Juan according to Lonely Planet) closed down and converted itself to a disco in honor of our ship's arrival. The space is really quite nice, but it was incredibly loud and crowded. How do you squeeze 2500 well fed men into a small restaurant space? Promise them go-go dancers, of course. To make the experience even less bear friendly, there were only two bartenders who were working at island speed to serve all us thirsty guys. 

Once we finally received our beers, we squeezed through the crowd, went upstairs to see the patio, then headed for the door and up the street to Marmalade for cocktails before joining our friends there for dinner.

Our friends Greg and Ken, who own Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread and Wine in Chicago, made reservations for eight people, but our group grew to 11 and we were forced to split up. John, Jay, and I took a table a short distance from the larger table and settled in for a quite memorable dining experience. We selected the five course tasting menu paired with wines. The tasting menu allowed you to select a starter, the house soup, an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert.  The chef, Peter Schintler, stopped by our table to describe the evening specials, then we strategically selected our courses to provide the most variety for sharing around the table. We were not disappointed.

I started with a refreshingly citrusy Ceviche served with warm, Basil Infused Crostini (the winner of the 1^st course competition was John’s heirloom tomato salad with house made goat cheese). 

Ceviche with Basil Infused Crostini

This was followed by the house specialty – Tiny White Bean Soup topped with truffle oil and pancetta dust. John described this course to be like smoky, liquid velvet in your throat. He was right – I could have had 5 courses of the soup. 

Tiny White Bean Soup: The House Specialty

This was followed by a Pan Seared Foie Gras with Chorizo Sausage in a raspberry reduction. This was served with a wonderfully fruity red port wine (the winning course was the gnocchi with slow roasted beef). While I try to eat as cruelty-free as possible, I can never resist the draw of a well-prepared foie gras. Read hear to learn more.

Pan Seared Foie Gras with Chorizo Sausage

Jay and I had the night's special entree, Slow Roasted (36 hours at 150F while being weighted down to prevent curling and to help render the fat), Pressed Pork Belly with Roasted Peaches over Spicy Black Beans. OMG! This was fork tender, pork heaven. 

Slow Roasted, Pressed Pork Belly

The meal could have ended there, but no – there was Puerto Rican coffee, locally grown and roasted followed by an imaginative array of desserts – John had a lively milk chocolate mousse with a passion fruit reduction. Jay had chocolate and olive oil ice cream, which was oddly delicious with a very nice finish. And, I had a caramel popcorn crème brulee – possibly the best crème brulee that has ever passed these lips. 

Caramel Popcorn Creme Brulee

This was a great food experience from an imaginative young chef, who first gained recognition in Singapore, and has consistently won awards ever since. I highly recommend that if you find yourself in Old San Juan that you make reservations and plan to spend an evening enjoying a fine meal (an entire page of vegetarian options are also available). 

The only suggestion I have to make this a more wonderful experience is that the portion sizes could have been slightly smaller for the tasting menu – as we were feeling a bit stuffed, but giddily happy as we strolled back to the ship still discussing the tastes and experiences of our foodie evening.

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Glenn, Frank, Andre, Jay, and John - Fort San Juan

After a day at sea where we baked and sizzled our bodies under the Caribbean sun, we woke up in San Juan, Puerto Rico. As usual we congregated for mid-morning breakfast and then headed into the city. The weather was hot, sunny, and bright. We had a stroll through the old Spanish fort, posed for pictures, then walked along the sea wall, before heading into the shopping district. And try as we might to spend some money, there just wasn’t really anything that caught our eyes.

Looking Down from the Lookout Tower

Vogue

John and Jay

The Sea Wall Side of the Fort

Seaside Cemetery: Not a Bad Place to Spend Eternity

Around 3:30 we were all running on fumes, so we searched for a place to eat that was open, had outdoor seating with shade, and customers. After passing up about eight restaurants for various reasons, we settled on El Toro. The menu was nice; however, after sitting for 10 minutes without a server, we decided to return to the ship where the buffet is always open.

Tonight we will return to the city for a cocktail party and dinner. It could be called a foodie excursion....

Bahamas Castaways

After a long day lounging in the sun, we had to prepare for the first costume party of the week. Unfortunately, the party themes are announced only a few weeks in advance of the cruise, which means that when the email arrives, we immediately called one another to start tossing out ideas. After all, we are an imaginative bunch, but it is often a struggle to come up with something both clever and eye catching that also fits in your checked luggage.

This year’s first costume party has a Castaways theme.

When we were planning our costumes we guessed that there would be lots of characters from Gilligan’s Island and we were right. So, in order to stand out from the Skippers, Loveys, Mary Anns, and Gingers, we decided to take a more realistic approach. After all, if you put a bunch of insanely creative people on an island, with nothing to do but each other’s hair, what would they really come up with?

Why, animal print loin cloths, braids, and accessories made from shell of course. We must have guessed correctly because we were a hit. The “paparazzi” swarmed us. There was a solid wall of cameras everywhere we went. As Jay said this morning, “Sometimes it is fun being the center of attention.” As usual, he is right. 

Castaway Island: Jay, John, Frank, Andre, and Glenn

I can only offer the following word of advice to the more modest people out there, loin cloths are not designed to be worn on windy days. Enough said.

Greetings from the Bahamas - Wish You Were Here!

Today's Office View: Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

Like every first day of cruising, the excitement of being on board and catching up with friends you haven’t seen since last year can lead to a bit of over indulging.

After enjoying a few “Welcome Aboard” cocktails and unpacking the 39 shirts I packed, we attended the “Hello, My Name Is” cocktail party from 5-7. John designed our t-shirts so that the entire front of the shirt looked like a giant name tag, with our names emblazoned across our chests. Unfortunately, a wintery blast of cool weather followed us out of port and onto rather choppy seas. So we headed down to the dining room for an early dinner.

Making Introductions Easier and Easier

Since we were “early-birds,” we selected a table with an ocean view, settling in for our first fine-dining experience of this trip. If you have never cruised before, there are several dining options on board the ship. We are signed up for the “open” dining option, which means that we can simply show up and be seated whenever we like. There is also the formal seating area, several restaurants, and our favorite, the buffet that basically serves everything on the dining room menu, but without the need for fancy dress and table service.

Dinner was four courses of delicious – even though the service was painfully slow. I started out with Beef Carpacchio, followed by a Sun Dried Tomato Gazpacho, a Veal Chop with Cheese Polenta, and a Sugarless Lemon Torte. While that sounds like a lot of food, the portions are all moderately sized so that you can enjoy more tasty dishes. The food was surprisingly delightful; however, the service was very slow and we got a bit restless. At 8:30 we saw Jimmy James do his singing / vocal impressions act (10 thumbs down) and then we staked out a place at the casino bar for the remainder of the evening and proceeded to meet and greet our fellow travelers. As a result of all this fun, I am feeling just a tiny bit delicate this morning.

Overnight we arrived in the Bahamas and out the window is Half Moon Key. The seas are much calmer today, but the morning is just a bit overcast. It seems that winter pursues us into the tropics, but we will ultimately outrace it as we head on to Puerto Rico this afternoon. My first cup of coffee has done little to alleviate my multiple-bourbon-on-the-rocks-hangover, which isn’t too bad considering last night’s level of indulgence, but I do feel a little dry. A big plate of Eggs Benedict, some bacon, and a few glasses of juice should get me into shipshape and ready to face the remainder of day. After all, how much energy do I really need to lounge by the pool until 2:00 - at which time I have a massage scheduled?

The next six days will be much the same – eat, drink, tan, sleep, and repeat. I better get busy.

MINI, Plane, Taxi, Ship to the Caribbean

Like all great adventures, it is the mad rush of preparation before departing on a long awaited trip that stokes my anticipation and excitement. I was so busy yesterday that I had to turn down an invitation from Cathy and Arjay to join them for a bon voyage cocktail. However, those bags will not pack themselves – much like my beard will not dye itself.

I have been counting down the days to this trip since Christmas. This is the fourth year that my friends and I have cruised into the Caribbean to escape the tail-end of winter. And, even though this year’s temperatures have been among the mildest I can remember, it is the bleakness of gray skies, chilling winds, and naked trees that weigh heavy on my mood.

The past week was filled with appointments, workouts, last minute beauty applications, and the usual doubling up at work in preparation for being away for a week. However, I feel healthy, toned, groomed, whitened, confident, and giddily excited. Sadly, the weather in Florida today, much as it was last year, is a bit chilly. But, by the time we reach the Bahamas in the morning, all will be balmy sunshine with gentle breezes smelling of tanning lotion. 

And yet, with all of the preparations I made in the weeks leading up to this day, there was still a mad dash to the airport this morning. Due to expert packing , my checked bag was 2 pounds (1 Kg) below the weight limit; however, the combined weight of my luggage is nearly 80 pounds of clothing, costumes, and toiletries (large bag 48 pounds, small bag 28 pounds, plus backpack and laptop.) This is after I packed and re-packed those bags knowing that half of everything I packed would return home unworn. So a big thank you to Southwest Airlines for allowing both your first and second bags to travel for free.

In a few hours, I will be onboard the ship having lunch with my best buddies in the world. For the next week, all cares will be lost in a haze of raucous laughter, delicious food, themed costume parties, sunshine, dancing, cocktails, and friendship. From where I am sitting, life couldn’t get much better.