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Carnival Elation: My first cruise

cruise09-052 I have now been to Mexico.

For our winter trip, Beau and I went on a 4 day cruise out of San Diego. Neither of us had been before, so we went with something inexpensive and short – San Diego to Catalina to Ensenada and back.

It was the perfect introduction to cruising, I think. I could tell that we were on an economy boat with economy food and economy entertainment. There are bigger better cruises for the taking in the future, yet all the while I was sound in the notion that I had most certainly never been on a cooler boat. It was a good tasting, and now I know I won’t get impossibly seasick or something.

I want to try an Alaska cruise from Seattle to avoid the crappy part of traveling and give the industry as a whole another shot. I am pretty sure cruising will turn out to be a bit too American Diet/Consumerism for my tastes.

cruise09-023 The Elation strikes me as being pretty old as far as cruise boats go, it’s like an floating version of Old Vegas. You know at one point the amenities were the cream of the crop. As much as you know and appreciate that, you are also aware that they are no longer thus. For me, that just meant that the likelihood of my cruising experience getting better as I try them was high. I think that probably had to do with the cruise cost being about $180 a person.

The service on the boat was the most impressive part of the trip. After being made to stand in the pouring rain for over a half hour, being corralled into a huge cold warehouse space and accosted by photographers before even getting on the boat, I was skeptical – but the service on the boat was exceptional. Those people work their asses off.

cruise09-019 The food was the most difficult part of the trip for me. I can taste and feel things like high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils, and am currently suffering from what I suspect will be about a week of CruisePoo(tm). As far as I can tell the entire ship was outfitted by Sysco, and that alone was enough to paint a layer of gross on nearly everything I ate.

I had a hard time with the amount of plastic bottles/cartons on the ship and suspicion of where the seafood and meat came from. But when it came time for the desserts, I frequently forgot about all that. They were fucking good.  It’s, at the very least, interesting to go on one of these cruises if you’re aware of waste, and have preference toward real, fresh food.

Honestly, the ports we hung out in weren’t all that exciting to me. I grew up in California, so the landscape wasn’t very foreign in either place, and both are very touristy so it felt.. I dunno. Hollywood. Less so in Ensenada, but Catalina was a joke. Beaus excitement carried me, though, and I enjoyed being with him in both places a lot.

cruise09-046 Even given the obviously Americanized nature of where we hung out, Ensanada was a great adventure and a lovely experience. We had the time to explore more in Ensenada and get away from the tourist places, but a bottle of rum and Disneys ‘Up’ (on a 17″ CRT or so, was suprised they didnt have flatscreens) took precidence, so we had a few beers and ate some lunch after walking the main shopping strip, haggling for trinkets and circus candy, and taking pictures of penises and horse shit signs.

The weather was pretty crazy the first night. The boat was being tossed around 20 degrees to either side, according to the level our dinner companion had on his iPhone. The winds were about 50mph, and I was only able to be comfortable while watching the water from our window. When I was able to see when we were rising and falling I was ok to lay down. Otherwise, I was mostly moaning and guhing and making weird noises, or childishly grinning and stammering around the boat.

cruise09-017 The best part of the trip for me was the window in our room. It had a shelf on it big enough for me to sleep on.  Beau used the second blanket to make a nest up there almost immediately upon getting on the boat. I spent many hours curled up there napping and reading. I really loved it. Had I not been in the habit, I doubt we would have seen the dolphins we noticed while anchored in Catalina, either. I hope to get rear facing rooms in the future as well. One of my favorite parts of the trip was laying in that window, contemplating how much real water looked like Brice 3D.

The spa and pools were both forgettable. The spa, in particular, consisted of two small hot tubs with gross stuff floating in them. They also turned my grey and black striped bikini into a brown and tan striped bikini. The pools were 5′ deep, and had a water slide, but it was a bit too cold to try it and it seemed really slow when I watched people go down it. Color me unimpressed.

We didn’t really see any of the shows, played a bit of trivia in bars and gambled some and were mostly low key. My understanding of the shows based on the people we talked with who had attended was that we didn’t miss much. Seemed accurate, since nothing that was offered really piqued interest from either of us.

I had a nice trip, and a nice stopover in San Diego after the trip to hang out with friends and tour some breweries. Unfortunately, the day we were in San Diego before flying home, Norda was struck by a car and killed. She is currently in a box in my garage awaiting cremation.

norda-bundled.jpg

Next time, I will fly home right after I get off the boat.

Nee turns 30, Monday Nov 2

I am turning 30. I am having a party. Are you confident I would not want to burn the house down upon your arrival, considering my guests collateral damage for wiping you off the planet? Then request an invitation from the facebook event to RSVP!

In addition, back by popular demand because you asked for it… wishlist for my 30th. See you guys on Nov 2.

Stuff I like..

  • Lunches
  • Massages
  • Baths
  • Tea (decaf or low caf)
  • Travel
  • Essential oils
  • Art Supplies
  • Music
  • Gift Certificates
  • Tall socks
  • Lacy things
  • Candles
  • Blank greeting cards
  • Handmade things
  • Corsets
  • Dark Chocolate

Stuff that’s crossed my mind recently…

A word about Money…

Money is a social necessity that becomes less and less of a priority as I age and develop my sense of what I find important in my life. I make very little, and generally do not have much left over after my modest monthly bills. One of my largest projects is a volunteer position as a founder of a non-profit, and often my performances are unpaid – I have chosen to do what fuels me, and have worked hard to reduce my financial footprint to where I can live how I want and not have to worry (too much) about making a lot of money or making my decisions based on that.

That said, money is a great gift for me. There are things I enjoy and/or would benefit greatly from that are difficult to acquire by means of trade or barter, and money is as versatile as my interests at the time. There is a stigma about money being a cop out gift, and in some respects I can see why. However, for me, money is great. I can use it to stroll the produce section and get my food for the day,  shoot myself into space, go see a movie with you, get some new paint colors, or pad the bank account for vita-arts.org. Neat stuff!

So if you’re stumped, strapped for time, across the country or whatever and a simple ‘happy birthday’ doesn’t float your boat, just send me a fatass check. I’ll totally dig it, and promise I will do something cool with it.

Here’s to making it this far!

Burning Beast, July 12 (Arlington)

3478_large.jpg Who: Myself, Dyno and Tamara are performing aerial

What: A an outdoor, fire-cooked feast of medieval proportions! Food comes off the fires around 6pm. Make a day of it – come early and stay late. Smoke Farm has 360 acres to wander and a river to dip in.

When: July 12, from 2 to midnightish!

Where: Smoke Farm: 12731 Smokes Road Arlington, WA 98223

Website: http://www.smokefarm.org

Burning Beast returns to Smoke Farm for its second, sure to be celebrated, culinary firestorm. The Stranger Slog called it “the worlds funnest and most delicious feast in a field cooked by Seattle’s best chefs.” Eleven star-studded cooking teams gather to prepare and master an assigned animal, vegetable and/or sea creature, whole or in parts, using fire, earth, steel and little else. The jaw-dropping list of participating chefs includes; Dylan Giordan (Serafina), Angie Roberts (Boka), Matt Dillon (Sitka and Spruce & The Corson Building), Garret Abel (DeLaurenti’s), Dustin Ronspies (Art of the Table), Gabriel Claycamp (The Swinery), Ron Jones (Jones Glassworks), Tyson Danilson (Le Pichet), Jonathan Sundstrom (Lark), Zephyr Paquette (Elliott Bay Cafe), Jennifer Alphonsine (Circa Alehouse), Seth Caswell (emmer & rye) – and more!

Entertainment included! Featuring aerial thrills provided by the amazing Zita, the incredible Dyno and Tamara the Trapeze Lady! Plus, music by ‘The Hallways’.

Atmosphere – outdoor casual. We encourage guests to THINK GREEN carpool, and bring along reusable plates, cups and cutlery (if you can). Plus – it’s a lovely place! Bring picnic blankets, swimsuits, comfy footwear, and healthy appetites. burningbeast@smokefarm.org for questions/info. See you there!

Tickets are $75, from http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/68737