Monday – Cardiovascular Exercise and Spelling Mistakes
Being on ship is a physical experience at the best of times, what with the rocking of the ship, and the gyroscopic work needed to remain upright, and the constant climbing of stairs to get from one deck to another (unless you use the lifts, which can occasionally become inoperative in rough weather – particularly the smaller, aft one). This morning, I headed on upstairs towards Deck 8, from my cabin on Deck 4, with the intention of checking emails, uploading some online student stuff, and making a couple of payments via online banking. I dashed energetically up the stairs (cos I’ve told myself that it’s good for me, and have actively avoided using the lifts throughout the cruise), only to realise, on arriving at the Captain’s Club (where the wi-fi signal is at its strongest), that I’d forgotten to bring up the little car reader issued by the bank, that I need to make a payment. So I dashed all the way back downstairs to my cabin (Deck 4, remember), to retrieve it. It wasn’t until I arrived, yet again, on Deck 8 that I realised the card reader was useless without my bank card, which is kept in the safe in my cabin. Cursing as I went, I returned to the cabin, took out my card from the safe and proceeded to dash upstairs – though not quite so quickly this time – back to the Captain’s Club. Each time I’d dashed up or down the staircase, I’d passed the same steward who was diligently cleaning the handrails. He thought it was hilarious.
It got better, however. I arrived at the Captain’s Club, found myself a seat, took out my laptop, and realised that I hadn’t got my reading glasses with me. Once again, I made the trip downstairs, passed the handrail-cleaning steward, to my cabin, retrieved my glasses and ascended the stairs yet again, past the steward who, I’m sure, had decided this tiime that I was thoroughly bonkers, back to the Captain’s Club, where quiz-time had started. Because it had started raining outside, I couldn’t find a seat… and ended up sitting in the Reception area…
Sadly, despite the build-up of anticipation, I have to report that the Karaoke Night was disappointing. Not only was there very little turnout for it; because we lost another hour last night, and I knew that I’d have to be up early in the morning, I only made it through half the singers before I nearly nodded off altogether. It was more or less the same bunch of seasoned Karaoke-ers singing the same songs as the last time, but there was no manic ‘Nellie the Elephant’ this time around, or rapturous audience applause.
Andy Leech, the comedian, came up to me yesterday and asked me if I was doing anything for Valentines Day; I thanked him for his offer, but told him that I’m already answered for. What he meant of course, was; would I be getting the group to paint Valentine’s Day Cards on Saturday. What a good idea… except, I have no flower session prepared (Note to self… prepare a flower-painting session for next year…).
Andy is performing his second show tonight. In the Daily Programme, however, it says ‘Any Leech’. Collecting spelling mistakes from the Programme has become something of a pastime. Last Night, it told us that Charles the Pianist would be in Concrete (instead of Concert). Spelling mistakes are harmless, of course, and most people accept it with good humour; not so one passenger, however, who actually took the time to go to Reception and complain about the spelling mistakes – probably the same person who complained about there not being any excursions on Iles Du Salut, or the person who actually complained about the amount of rain we had while were in the Amazon (you couldn’t make it up…).
Tomorrow, we are due to arrive in the Azores…
