It’s hard to believe how quickly this contract is going. Probably because I don’t want it to go quickly. Despite its ups and downs, this is one of those summer ships that I would love to last for a lot longer than it will. Just kind of suspend, with the same people and the same run, for a couple more months out of time. But that’s not how things work, so I just get to take advantage of it while I have it J
Much to everyone’s surprise (because they really are earned, not expected) we had a crew party last night. Much to my own surprise I actually attended. As in I went for more than my usual half hour. Somehow though I knew that’s what was going to happen…I was sitting with the band and one of the guest entertainers at late night trying to decide if we were going to make an appearance or not, and the conversation kind of ran along the lines of
You know what’s going to happen don’t you? I’m going to go all the way downstairs, get changed, go up there ‘for just ten minutes’ and then it’ll suddenly be two in the morning…
You say that like it’s a bad thing…
Nah, just acknowledging the inevitability.
And that is, naturally, precisely as it happened. Somewhere around 12:30am found me sitting perched in a skirt and heels, with my roommate, on the bright yellow hood of a fully restored New York Taxi (yes, we have one of those on board…don’t ask, no one is sure why), drinking a corona and watching several hundred crew members attempt to dance.
Of course, my roomie was trying not to have a meltdown as the party was held in her workspace, so she was forever fighting urges to say NO don’t touch! Don’t break! DON’T CLIMB ON THE TAXI!! Though I think she felt better once she thoroughly beat me at air hockey. Not that it takes much to beat me at air hockey, especially in a very dark very noisy room!
I think honestly we needed the chance to cut loose for a bit. It’s been a challenging week for some of us – especially those in my department – we’re feeling the heat of the new ratings system and attempting to figure out what exactly we can change to do accommodate it. In my own personal lingo – there have been a lot of dragons this cruise for a lot of different people. But the roaring seems to have calmed to a dull rumble now and we’re all just chugging along and working our hardest as we always do.
As of tomorrow I’ll be on my own again. Shadow has been pulled to another ship two weeks early because of a contract change, so this morning was my last morning off this contract, after this it goes back to 8 – 12 hour days and a lot less shore time. But it’s what I’m used to. It’s not as if I haven’t done the transition several times (see previous entries towards the end of the GWV!) – but that doesn’t mean I’m necessarily looking forward to it.
For now, I leave you with this:
I’m still having a great time.