Fathoms Below – At Sea – [09/24/2012]

look out madam mermaid be waitin’ for you in mysterious fathoms below

For now the gale outside has calmed down, sputtering itself out to a sullenly present swell that tosses the ship with comparative gentleness rather than slamming it from side to side and knocking everyone off their feet. The captain warned us this morning that this was a temporary lull and that we should expect the weather to pick up again this afternoon and continue to bombard us as we sail onward to Japan, but so far things have remained – if not pleasant – at least tolerable. Leaving us no longer worried that we may be meeting a mermaid in person…

With the busy-ness of the first few days behind us I find that the all too familiar exhaustion is starting to wash over me. This is once again going to be a contract of early nights and calm mornings. Since they’ve put me up in a passenger cabin this season I find I have even less desire to leave my room than usual, and the hours that come with being promoted to primary mean I spend a great deal more time staring at a computer screen and somehow that always makes me more tired. I’ll be glad when this opening stretch of sea days is over and we can kick out of the mundane days of grey and into the interesting portions of the trip. If only because then there will be some pretty amazing things to write about. At the moment I find myself somewhat at a loss, it’s difficult to think of things to talk about when you’re staring at grey water and whitecaps all day.

Part of me is still having a difficult time believing that I’m half-way to Tokyo…I mean really, this is not how I ever expected to be spending my days. I can’t help thinking how odd it is the things that we somehow fall into.

A long time ago my acting mentor told me that I would go far, because I worked hard, and because I worked hard at the work. I know I didn’t end up where he had hoped, and to be honest, I didn’t end up where I hoped at that point either, and in some ways I’m still not sure where I’m going (other than to Japan I suppose), but I think I understand a bit better what he meant now…

He also reminded me on a regular basis that there was no such thing as a bad day, but that it was all material for my next script…

Or, in this case…my next book.