January 31, 2023 – At Sea - Partly Cloudy - 85F

 Bit of a bumpy night as seen by our porthole cam.

Still getting up too many times a night.  Have cut out caffeine and that's not it. Need to work something out.

The Windows Café opened a little earlier this morning and I was there around 7:00 AM.  Even though it was breezy on the Sunset Veranda, I ate out there (the wind kept blowing the pages of my magazine).  I had another very good but familiar breakfast of waffles, etc. The sour cream retrieval team has got the process worked out.  I stayed out there a bit drinking coffee before bringing Ellen her breakfast – mushroom, spinach, and cheese omelet (she said it should have been cooked a little longer), lox, cream cheese, fruit. And hot tea.

Roy changed the time of my talk from 2 PM to Noon.  I got there a little earlier to hear a little bit of David’s talk but he is so popular that there were no seats in the back.  I waited until people started leaving to set up for “Forensic Detectives: The Search for Jack the Ripper”.

I had a very good turnout today – more than yesterday and surprising since it was the lunch hour (and there was a special BBQ hosted by the Officers at the Patio on Deck 9).  I would estimate that 85 percent of the seats were occupied.  The audience was very engaged – almost hyper engaged.  The talk ran exactly 51 minutes and just a few people stayed to make comments and ask questions.

 

We opted for a simple lunch in the Windows Café – I made two small tuna sandwiches and added some fries from the BBQ.  A small Cesar Salad and a glass of Sam Adams completed the lunch.  The tuna salad was very good. 

The ship was quite rocky through the afternoon (the seasick bags were hanging on the bannisters).  After lunch, we went up the Living Room and then to the room.  I was able to finish “The Monkey’s Raincoat”.  Fortunately, it turned out to be the first in the Elvis Cole series (published in 1987 – no cell phone – phone booths).  So, there are many more novels to read.  I am planning to start the latest Reacher novel tomorrow.

Tonight is “A Taste of Mexico” in Windows.  With low expectations, we went up there and got a nice table on the Veranda.  I had a freshly made Veggie Fajita complete with veggie refried beans, mild salsa, and sour cream.  It was very good.  Sugar coated nacho chips and churros (with chocolate sauce) along with a good cup of coffee finished off a surprisingly good meal.  It was very nice on the veranda.

We spent a few minutes in The Den listening to Jaffar Curry before heading to the room. Our room is low and Midships so the bounce is minimized.  We are probably in for the evening (passing on the show with Jakub, the violinist).