I am still all whacked out on sleeping schedules. Last night, after Bill took me to Chinatown and taught me how to navigate the MRT, I fell asleep around 7 pm and could not be roused to go have a beer and listen to music with him at 10. He left for work at 11:15 and I woke up around 2:30 am. I watched a little TV and knitted, then fell asleep again from 4 - 7 am.
I had the whole day planned out while Bill was going to be working. I would walk up to the Great City Mall, catch the free shuttle bus to City Hall, then catch the MRT train to the last stop on the Purple Line and hook up with the Changi War Museum Tour at 10 am.
First, I woke up with majorly swollen knees, making me think that a walking tour might not be the best thing to do today. I hobbled my way up to the Mall at 8 am, hoping the walk would loosen things up a bit, and then when I arrived, was disappointed to find that the shuttles didn't start running until 10:30.
I walked across the street to the Hawker's Centre, figuring I'd have breakfast and a cup of coffee while considering my options. There were about six or seven food stalls open, and there were people eating at the open air tables, but at every stall I approached, I was vigorously waved off and told the foreign language equivalent of "No Soup For You!" It was mystifying. Did I look too Occidental? Too affluent? Do you have to know somebody to get a bowl of noodles or a deep-fried fish? I finally gave up and went back across the street to Great City, found a pastry shop that was happy to serve me, and had a pineapple & almond tartlet and a big iced coffee. That cooled me off long enough to consider what to do next.
Most of the shops in the mall were closed, but as I sipped my beverage and nibbled my tart, some started to open. I leisurely browsed through the Italian gourmet store (fresh pasta and sauces to take home, desserts, Pelligrino, and wine), and bought a couple bottles of wine. I spent about two hours wandering through Cold Storage (a supermarket) in the basement, picking up things like a corkscrew, dried fruit and nuts, beer for Bill, yogurt and bananas and grapes for me, a couple of freshly baked breads (one swirlled with chocolate for Bill, the other studded with California walnuts for me), New Zealand butter, and mango juice. My last stop was the sushi takeout (which finally opened at 11), where the man behind the counter made up some unagi maki and lobster rolls for me.
By this time, my carry bag was bursting, the sun was out in full force, and it was time to trek back to the room and unload. I took the footbridge over to the riverwalk and stopped at every bench that was in the shade to wipe my brow, fan myself with Bill's hat (that I had amazingly remembered to bring) and switch arms on my bulging shopping bag. As I crossed the final boulevard to the hotel, I was literally dripping in flop-sweat, my feet squishing in my soaked-though socks, and the rest of my clothes raining droplets on the sidewalk. I know you think I must be exaggerating, but honestly, it's the truth. I was as wet as if someone had pushed me into the river!
When I got up to the room and looked in the mirror, my face was bright RED, flushed with heat and exertion. I peeled off my soaked clothes, took a cool shower and ate my sushi lunch. Bill came home from work as I was gobbling up seaweed salad and pickled ginger. He took his shower, drank a beer, and went straight to sleep.
So now I'm wondering what to do--go do more tourist stuff on my own, or go to sleep to match Bill's schedule? It seems like nothing starts or opens early around here, so maybe it is best to do things in the cool of the evening and sleep during the heat of the day.
It's 2 pm now, so if I did fall asleep, I could just call it an afternoon nap...
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Greetings From the Future
I made it! It was a v-e-r-y long day and night, but I have emerged on the other side of the globe, two days later, happy to be here.
I was pretty groggy from the sleep-deprivation when I arrived, and even managed to get yelled at by the taxi coordinator at the airport. But I did get a cab, found my way to Bill's room, then stumbled around in the dark because I couldn't figure out how to turn the darn light switches on. Thankfully, Mom had given me a flashlight, so I took a shower and collapsed into bed around 3 am.
When I awoke at 7, I discovered that one has to insert one's key card into a slot on the wall to activate the lights. Who knew? I've already stubbed my toes on the bathroom entryway (why would you make the bathroom floor an inch higher than the rest of the room?), found the calamansi juice Bill left for me in the mini-fridge, found the "business center" computers off the lobby, the gym and the pool, and taken a walk around the neighborhood.
It is hot and sticky, like August in Tennessee, and it isn't even 9 o'clock yet. My normally smooth, straight hair has gone into a tropical frizz-fest. I had my morning coffee at a sidewalk table down the street from the hotel, soaking up the sights and sounds of city life, then walked over to a quasi-Indian stand and had a roti prata and mango juice for breakfast. The prata was like a flour tortilla cooked with scrambled egg inside, accompanied by a spicy sauce (masala, maybe?). The mango juice was fantastic. Is it time for a nap yet?
I'm still pretty pooped from the traveling but am conflicted as to what schedule I should get on--should I match Bill's awake hours (midnight to noon), or bat around the city while he sleeps during the day? We always knew there wasn't going to be too much togetherness on this trip, but I'd like to see the guy at least some of the time.
I'm feeling a bit city-intimidated, as I often do in unfamiliar places until I find my way around. My plan for the rest of the morning is to go take a swim, and then maybe go get a massage, to loosen up all those cramped muscles from the plane. Then Bill will be home from work around 12:30 and we'll decide how we're going to work this.
This is going to be a fun adventure!
I was pretty groggy from the sleep-deprivation when I arrived, and even managed to get yelled at by the taxi coordinator at the airport. But I did get a cab, found my way to Bill's room, then stumbled around in the dark because I couldn't figure out how to turn the darn light switches on. Thankfully, Mom had given me a flashlight, so I took a shower and collapsed into bed around 3 am.
When I awoke at 7, I discovered that one has to insert one's key card into a slot on the wall to activate the lights. Who knew? I've already stubbed my toes on the bathroom entryway (why would you make the bathroom floor an inch higher than the rest of the room?), found the calamansi juice Bill left for me in the mini-fridge, found the "business center" computers off the lobby, the gym and the pool, and taken a walk around the neighborhood.
It is hot and sticky, like August in Tennessee, and it isn't even 9 o'clock yet. My normally smooth, straight hair has gone into a tropical frizz-fest. I had my morning coffee at a sidewalk table down the street from the hotel, soaking up the sights and sounds of city life, then walked over to a quasi-Indian stand and had a roti prata and mango juice for breakfast. The prata was like a flour tortilla cooked with scrambled egg inside, accompanied by a spicy sauce (masala, maybe?). The mango juice was fantastic. Is it time for a nap yet?
I'm still pretty pooped from the traveling but am conflicted as to what schedule I should get on--should I match Bill's awake hours (midnight to noon), or bat around the city while he sleeps during the day? We always knew there wasn't going to be too much togetherness on this trip, but I'd like to see the guy at least some of the time.
I'm feeling a bit city-intimidated, as I often do in unfamiliar places until I find my way around. My plan for the rest of the morning is to go take a swim, and then maybe go get a massage, to loosen up all those cramped muscles from the plane. Then Bill will be home from work around 12:30 and we'll decide how we're going to work this.
This is going to be a fun adventure!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Next Stop: LA
It's been a great visit with the kidlets and their friends. Today, stuffed baggage on wheels, I will take the bus to the train station, take the train to the airport, and take the plane to Southern California.
I will spend the night with my mom, then take the shuttle to LAX in the morning. Then, after all that running around, I shall plunk my bottom in a seat and hang on for the next 11 hours to Tokyo. I get a 90-minute layover in Narita airport, then another 8 hours to Singapore. I can't even imagine at this point how crazy-tired and disoriented I will be when I land at 1 am on Friday.
But this is what it takes to be an international traveler, I suppose. I've got books, knitting, and a puzzle magazine to keep my mind occupied, and plenty of ibuprofen to keep my body from seizing up.
The next time I write, I will be literally half-way around the globe. Awesome!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
More Fab Eats
It seems as though life in Seattle with my children revolves around food. If I lived here, I have no doubt that I'd eventually weigh 300 pounds.
We started off the morning with Brother Jerry and S-I-L Kellie driving up from Olympia. Friend Doug and I picked up Friend Christy and headed into Chinatown to Jade Garden, where we six met up for dim sum (little bites). It was a crowded, noisy, crazy place, where they plunked down a pot of tea, handed out plates and chopsticks, and then wheeled carts of little bamboo steam pots around.
You point, and they plop the dishes onto the lazy-susan in the center of the table. They are trying to sell you everything, you are trying to only get things you like. Christy took charge by standing up and saying "NO!" to most of the waitress' suggestions, and countering with her own "Do you have any....?"
The waitress had giant scissors she used to cut the bites in half, so everyone could get a taste. There were fluffy dumplings stuffed with BBQ Pork, tender rice noodle-burrito things stuffed with shrimp, sesame-encrusted rolls and flaky pastries stuffed with ??? The textures ranged from crispy and crunchy to soft and slippery, the tastes all fabulous and exotic. Christy then started ordering off the menu, sending them back to the kitchen to bring perfectly cooked crisp-tender Chinese broccoli with a spicy brown sauce, and still more interesting nuggets to try. We ate and ate and ate until we could eat no more. The bill worked out to less than $10 per person with the tip.
Jerry and Kellie then took off to go visit their daughter Angela at her college, and drop off some stuff for her, while Doug, Alex, Christy and I drove downtown to the Seattle Art Museum. Christy had free passes for all of us, (Jerry and Kellie met us inside later) and we spent the next four hours immersing ourselves in the eclectic collection. There were special exhibits on Alexander Calder of mobile kinetic sculpture fame, and Michaelangelo, with some breathtaking rooms on the Sistine Chapel ceiling and Last Judgment altar-piece, complete with original study-drawings from the master himself.
We then visited Fran's Chocolate across the street from the museum. This is a chocolatier where the goodies are displayed in glass cases like jewelry. A Tiffany's of chocolate.
We all split up for awhile (I went back to Alex's house for a nap!). When Doug, Christy and Alex came home around 7:30, we then turned our attention to where to go for dinner. We ended up in Alki Beach at Duke's Chowder House, where Doug had stuffed halibut, Christy had fish & chips, Alex had blackened fish tacos and I had crab chowder, lobster chowder, and a prawn & crab salad. Wow. I got my shellfish fix, for sure.
We stayed up until midnight, laughing and talking. These kids are so, so bright, I am in awe of their free-ranging conversation and quick, clever humor.
Off to bed. I am sleeping on an air mattress I purchased last year (for just this purpose--providing me a comfortable place to snooze when visiting), in "the snake room." Alex and Doug have two roommates, Morgan and Nick, and they have 3 boa constrictors. Don't freak out--they are contained in giant, locked aquariums with heat lamps. They are in winter torpor mode; I rarely see them, unless I peer into their fake-log den, where they slumber in hibernation. Sleeping in the room with the heat lamps concerned me at first, but the air mattress is cold, so I sleep at a comfortably cool temp without night sweats. Yea!
Alex's house is cute and comfortable--although much of the conversation revolves around what to do with the rough-stucco walls in the living room, or how to renovate and update the kitchen. They have only been in the house for six months, so they are processing how to increase the value of the house without spending too much money on things that won't translate to a higher price when they sell, hopefully in about 5 years. The house actually reminds me of the house I owned in Costa Mesa when I met Bill, eleventy billion years ago. I am sleeping in what was once a garage, now converted into a game room. Three bedrooms and two baths, and very livable.
Alex is at work today. When Doug wakes up, he will take me to Juli's where I will visit and pick up my dirty laundry, then Alex and I will meet up when he gets off work at 6.
Then, we will go out for...Indian Food!
We started off the morning with Brother Jerry and S-I-L Kellie driving up from Olympia. Friend Doug and I picked up Friend Christy and headed into Chinatown to Jade Garden, where we six met up for dim sum (little bites). It was a crowded, noisy, crazy place, where they plunked down a pot of tea, handed out plates and chopsticks, and then wheeled carts of little bamboo steam pots around.
You point, and they plop the dishes onto the lazy-susan in the center of the table. They are trying to sell you everything, you are trying to only get things you like. Christy took charge by standing up and saying "NO!" to most of the waitress' suggestions, and countering with her own "Do you have any....?"
The waitress had giant scissors she used to cut the bites in half, so everyone could get a taste. There were fluffy dumplings stuffed with BBQ Pork, tender rice noodle-burrito things stuffed with shrimp, sesame-encrusted rolls and flaky pastries stuffed with ??? The textures ranged from crispy and crunchy to soft and slippery, the tastes all fabulous and exotic. Christy then started ordering off the menu, sending them back to the kitchen to bring perfectly cooked crisp-tender Chinese broccoli with a spicy brown sauce, and still more interesting nuggets to try. We ate and ate and ate until we could eat no more. The bill worked out to less than $10 per person with the tip.
Jerry and Kellie then took off to go visit their daughter Angela at her college, and drop off some stuff for her, while Doug, Alex, Christy and I drove downtown to the Seattle Art Museum. Christy had free passes for all of us, (Jerry and Kellie met us inside later) and we spent the next four hours immersing ourselves in the eclectic collection. There were special exhibits on Alexander Calder of mobile kinetic sculpture fame, and Michaelangelo, with some breathtaking rooms on the Sistine Chapel ceiling and Last Judgment altar-piece, complete with original study-drawings from the master himself.
We then visited Fran's Chocolate across the street from the museum. This is a chocolatier where the goodies are displayed in glass cases like jewelry. A Tiffany's of chocolate.
We all split up for awhile (I went back to Alex's house for a nap!). When Doug, Christy and Alex came home around 7:30, we then turned our attention to where to go for dinner. We ended up in Alki Beach at Duke's Chowder House, where Doug had stuffed halibut, Christy had fish & chips, Alex had blackened fish tacos and I had crab chowder, lobster chowder, and a prawn & crab salad. Wow. I got my shellfish fix, for sure.
We stayed up until midnight, laughing and talking. These kids are so, so bright, I am in awe of their free-ranging conversation and quick, clever humor.
Off to bed. I am sleeping on an air mattress I purchased last year (for just this purpose--providing me a comfortable place to snooze when visiting), in "the snake room." Alex and Doug have two roommates, Morgan and Nick, and they have 3 boa constrictors. Don't freak out--they are contained in giant, locked aquariums with heat lamps. They are in winter torpor mode; I rarely see them, unless I peer into their fake-log den, where they slumber in hibernation. Sleeping in the room with the heat lamps concerned me at first, but the air mattress is cold, so I sleep at a comfortably cool temp without night sweats. Yea!
Alex's house is cute and comfortable--although much of the conversation revolves around what to do with the rough-stucco walls in the living room, or how to renovate and update the kitchen. They have only been in the house for six months, so they are processing how to increase the value of the house without spending too much money on things that won't translate to a higher price when they sell, hopefully in about 5 years. The house actually reminds me of the house I owned in Costa Mesa when I met Bill, eleventy billion years ago. I am sleeping in what was once a garage, now converted into a game room. Three bedrooms and two baths, and very livable.
Alex is at work today. When Doug wakes up, he will take me to Juli's where I will visit and pick up my dirty laundry, then Alex and I will meet up when he gets off work at 6.
Then, we will go out for...Indian Food!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Further Seattle Adventures
My brother Jerry, who knows of these things, says the name for my space-time dislocation is "Jet Lag." Sheesh. Who knew? And I thought I was unique in my disorientation. Never mind.
Avatar was awesome. The sheer beauty of the film (and in 3-D IMAX, as a bonus) made me overlook the fact that Cameron stole from EVERYONE, including himself! If you've ever seen Dances With Wolves, you've got the basic plot--evil capitalists/military try to destroy a gentle, beautiful race of indigenous peoples, an ordinary soldier becomes assimilated into the tribe, falls in love and goes native, fights his own race to save his new friends, yada, yada. There were Transformer/Terminator weapon machines, fantasy forest creatures a la Star Wars, Phenomenon plant communication, even a little bit of To Hell and Back Audie Murphy battle shenanigans. All surrounded by James Horner's ponderous, derivative musical score, plagiarized from Samuel Barber (Horner is such a musical slut) and overlaid with a lot of chanting tribal drums.
But oh my goodness, the visuals were breathtaking. And it passed the storytelling test, despite the trite plot--I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.
After the movie, Alex, Christy, Juli and I bussed downtown to the edge of Capitol Hill, and embarked on a tapas meal--what Christy called Spanish dim sum. Little plates of goodies to share--dates wrapped in bacon with vinaigrette greens and picked onions; carnitas pork with flour tortillas and tomatillo sauce; tiny baked blue cheese souffles with port wine reduction; fundido cheese fondue with dippers like Granny Smith apples, garlic crostini, and spicy linguisa sausage; Puerco Asado with pico de gallo; clams, prawns and calamari with fideo noodles in a spicy tomato sauce; potato croquettes with tomato jam and sharp Cotija cheese; all topped off with a bottle of Spanish champagne. At the end of the meal, we all shared a Chocolate Diablo, a giant slab of dark chocolate mousse spiked with cayenne, sitting on a bed of burnt meringue, drizzled with caramel sauce and sprinkled with cocoa nibs and bitter almonds. Wow. It was a stunning meal, and we got a 50% discount (even on the liquor), because Christy is the night auditor at the Alexis Hotel and had a coupon.
We then took a hike to the bus stop (a welcome relief--all those little bites add up to a gargantuan meal!) and accompanied Juli to her hotel, The Monaco, so she could begin her work shift at 9. Nice place, very classy.
Then we all walked some more and took our respective buses to West Seattle. Alex got me settled in the back room (what a cute house he has--more on this later), and in the words of Samuel Pepys, "And so, to bed."
Avatar was awesome. The sheer beauty of the film (and in 3-D IMAX, as a bonus) made me overlook the fact that Cameron stole from EVERYONE, including himself! If you've ever seen Dances With Wolves, you've got the basic plot--evil capitalists/military try to destroy a gentle, beautiful race of indigenous peoples, an ordinary soldier becomes assimilated into the tribe, falls in love and goes native, fights his own race to save his new friends, yada, yada. There were Transformer/Terminator weapon machines, fantasy forest creatures a la Star Wars, Phenomenon plant communication, even a little bit of To Hell and Back Audie Murphy battle shenanigans. All surrounded by James Horner's ponderous, derivative musical score, plagiarized from Samuel Barber (Horner is such a musical slut) and overlaid with a lot of chanting tribal drums.
But oh my goodness, the visuals were breathtaking. And it passed the storytelling test, despite the trite plot--I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.
After the movie, Alex, Christy, Juli and I bussed downtown to the edge of Capitol Hill, and embarked on a tapas meal--what Christy called Spanish dim sum. Little plates of goodies to share--dates wrapped in bacon with vinaigrette greens and picked onions; carnitas pork with flour tortillas and tomatillo sauce; tiny baked blue cheese souffles with port wine reduction; fundido cheese fondue with dippers like Granny Smith apples, garlic crostini, and spicy linguisa sausage; Puerco Asado with pico de gallo; clams, prawns and calamari with fideo noodles in a spicy tomato sauce; potato croquettes with tomato jam and sharp Cotija cheese; all topped off with a bottle of Spanish champagne. At the end of the meal, we all shared a Chocolate Diablo, a giant slab of dark chocolate mousse spiked with cayenne, sitting on a bed of burnt meringue, drizzled with caramel sauce and sprinkled with cocoa nibs and bitter almonds. Wow. It was a stunning meal, and we got a 50% discount (even on the liquor), because Christy is the night auditor at the Alexis Hotel and had a coupon.
We then took a hike to the bus stop (a welcome relief--all those little bites add up to a gargantuan meal!) and accompanied Juli to her hotel, The Monaco, so she could begin her work shift at 9. Nice place, very classy.
Then we all walked some more and took our respective buses to West Seattle. Alex got me settled in the back room (what a cute house he has--more on this later), and in the words of Samuel Pepys, "And so, to bed."
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Space-Time Continuum Deposits Me in Seattle
I'm here! My mind is still trying to catch up with my body's location. Since it didn't take 6 days to drive the distance, I am having some dislocation issues. What day is it? I was in Chicago, took a five-hour flight and arrived in Seattle a mere 3 hours from when I began? And when I cross the Pacific, it's only going to get worse, except that the flight will be 19 hours long and I will arrive 2 days later. Obviously, I do not acclimate to time travel very well when it goes faster than driving speed.
But all the planning had its rewards. The travel to Kentucky and the early flight out of Louisville came off flawlessly. No knitting needles were confiscated. Baggage arrived intact in Seattle and signage to find the Light Rail Station was clear and accurate. I was able to buy a ticket to downtown for only $2.50. The electric train was fast and quiet, although I was confused by the attire of my fellow travelers--they were bundled up as if it were 20 degrees outside instead of a balmy 55. I was comfortable in my short sleeves/no jacket, albeit underdressed by local standards.
Juli and Tyra met me at the station terminus and then we hung around on 3rd Avenue at what Juli called "the most disgusting bus stop in Seattle," waiting for a Number 3 bus. Three #7s came by in a row, and many other numbers, while we watched the street people and marveled at the decidedly strange fashion statements getting on and off the buses. At last we made our connection and made it home, and the bus driver even took my rail ticket as a transfer.
I took a short nap, Juli made a delicious pizza for dinner, and we all talked and laughed until bedtime. Today, J and I will shop for ingredients and make Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon, and have a small dinner party with son Alex, niece Angela and friend Sara, Kerne's sibs Tyra & Beorn tonight.
At some point I will switch my digs over to Alex's house, and on Friday, we are all going to see Avatar at the IMAX in 3-D. Wow. I'm hoping to see my brother and his family over the weekend.
It is good to be here.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
I think I'm ready (?)
I've been to the dump. I've washed my clothes. I've packed my suitcases, one for cold weather (Seattle), and one for hot weather (Singapore). I have all my paperwork and my passport and ID. I have a book and my knitting. I have all my drugs and vitamins. I've got my camera, batteries, memory sticks, notebook, cell phone and charger. All my fluids and gels are in 3 oz. containers in a quart ziplock bag. Phone list. Money. Toothbrush. Eyeglass Rx. Umbrella. Sunscreen and insect repellent.
I ran out of time and decided to use the extra day I budgeted for this possibility. Tomorrow I will clean house while ruminating on what I possibly have forgotten. I'll drive up to Jeannie's on Monday and we'll have dinner together before sleeping fast and getting up in the dead of night to drive to Louisville for my 7 am flight on Tuesday.
Because I fly so infrequently, this has turned into a major production. I know I am overthinking this. I have been very conservative on the amount of clothes I'm taking. I don't want to be overburdened with luggage. Everything is in red and black so I can mix and match. If I really have forgotten something, I can buy what I need, right? Right.
Chapstick? Nail clippers?
I am making myself crazy. Never again will I berate Bill on his packing procrastination and his before-flight jitters.
I ran out of time and decided to use the extra day I budgeted for this possibility. Tomorrow I will clean house while ruminating on what I possibly have forgotten. I'll drive up to Jeannie's on Monday and we'll have dinner together before sleeping fast and getting up in the dead of night to drive to Louisville for my 7 am flight on Tuesday.
Because I fly so infrequently, this has turned into a major production. I know I am overthinking this. I have been very conservative on the amount of clothes I'm taking. I don't want to be overburdened with luggage. Everything is in red and black so I can mix and match. If I really have forgotten something, I can buy what I need, right? Right.
Chapstick? Nail clippers?
I am making myself crazy. Never again will I berate Bill on his packing procrastination and his before-flight jitters.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Crunch Time
Bill is in high-stress mode. Yesterday, he got an email from a shipmate that sent him into a major tizzy. Seems as though they are going to move the crew from the hotel back to the ship to save money, two weeks into the job. That would put him back on the ship right about the time I would be arriving on the 29th, leaving me with nowhere to stay. I wouldn't even be able to stay with him on the ship, as I have no security clearance.
He raged throughout the day, demanding that I try to get a refund on my ticket (bought on Friday morning), cancel the trip, and expecting me to be as upset as he was. I decided to "just say no."
I said no to cancelling the trip, no to worrying about where I would stay, no to joining in Bill's angst, and no to stressing out.
Where has all this calmness in me come from? I used to be the one who raged, stomped about and tried to wrestle inconvenience and outrage into something I could control and make right. Now, I just float. Is it the anti-depressant? Is it wisdom or faith? The experience with cancer? I'm not sure why I am suddenly a completely different person (Goodbye forever, Type-A personality), but I just can't get upset anymore about things I can't control. My continued health depends on many things, but a positive attitude and a calm, stress-free mental state can't hurt. I just don't worry about any of it anymore.
No luxury hotel? I'll find a cheap one. No per-diem money to play with? I'll use my eBay earnings. My serenity seemed only to fuel Bill's panic, and he kept ramping up the descriptions of all the dire scenarios he anticipated. I finally had to tell him to keep his blankety-blank negativity to himself, as he was making me crazy and super-annoyed. I was sure it would all work out, and by golly, I was going to have my Singapore vacation no matter what.
Sure enough, he received another email late last night, where his shipmate gave more details, and reassured him that it was okay to "bring the wife out," as Bill was scheduled for the night shift, and they wouldn't move the night workers back to the ship because there was no way they could sleep during the day when the ship was being torn apart. Bill finally relented his distress over that and went on to worry about other things he could do nothing about.
So, if Bill is on the midnight to 8am shift, we will be having lunches together instead of dinners, and I will play tourist while he is sleeping, instead of while he's working. This is easy. We'll work it out.
Now the floor is strewn with clothes and toiletries, staging for a final packing of the seabag. I have resisted packing for myself, until Bill is gone and life is a little quieter. I've been making lists and putting things away, cooking up perishables and taking out the trash. I like coming home to a clean house, and there's just no point in trying to do that until he's gone.
If I can just keep him from going ballistic for two more days, we should be fine, and I can get on with my plan of becoming an International Woman of Intrigue.
He raged throughout the day, demanding that I try to get a refund on my ticket (bought on Friday morning), cancel the trip, and expecting me to be as upset as he was. I decided to "just say no."
I said no to cancelling the trip, no to worrying about where I would stay, no to joining in Bill's angst, and no to stressing out.
Where has all this calmness in me come from? I used to be the one who raged, stomped about and tried to wrestle inconvenience and outrage into something I could control and make right. Now, I just float. Is it the anti-depressant? Is it wisdom or faith? The experience with cancer? I'm not sure why I am suddenly a completely different person (Goodbye forever, Type-A personality), but I just can't get upset anymore about things I can't control. My continued health depends on many things, but a positive attitude and a calm, stress-free mental state can't hurt. I just don't worry about any of it anymore.
No luxury hotel? I'll find a cheap one. No per-diem money to play with? I'll use my eBay earnings. My serenity seemed only to fuel Bill's panic, and he kept ramping up the descriptions of all the dire scenarios he anticipated. I finally had to tell him to keep his blankety-blank negativity to himself, as he was making me crazy and super-annoyed. I was sure it would all work out, and by golly, I was going to have my Singapore vacation no matter what.
Sure enough, he received another email late last night, where his shipmate gave more details, and reassured him that it was okay to "bring the wife out," as Bill was scheduled for the night shift, and they wouldn't move the night workers back to the ship because there was no way they could sleep during the day when the ship was being torn apart. Bill finally relented his distress over that and went on to worry about other things he could do nothing about.
So, if Bill is on the midnight to 8am shift, we will be having lunches together instead of dinners, and I will play tourist while he is sleeping, instead of while he's working. This is easy. We'll work it out.
Now the floor is strewn with clothes and toiletries, staging for a final packing of the seabag. I have resisted packing for myself, until Bill is gone and life is a little quieter. I've been making lists and putting things away, cooking up perishables and taking out the trash. I like coming home to a clean house, and there's just no point in trying to do that until he's gone.
If I can just keep him from going ballistic for two more days, we should be fine, and I can get on with my plan of becoming an International Woman of Intrigue.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Now Where Did I Put That To-Do List?
Plans are coming together, and time is speeding up. All of a sudden, it's time for Bill to get into his frantic before-leaving mode.
Over the years, I have learned to expect some grand project, usually beginning in the two or three days before his departure. There was the one year when 48 hours before getting on a plane, he tore out the entire 2nd floor banisters around the stairwell, leaving a gaping hole with a 14 foot drop in the floor, just perfect for killing sleep-walking toddlers. Then there was the 10-week bathroom renovation that was supposed to take 2 weeks. And the rebuilding of the porch steps that were completed in the dark, 6 hours before we had to leave for the airport. Sigh.
He's gotten better. This time, he's been cutting and nailing trim strips on all the joint-gaps of our 30-sided house. He calls it "finishing building our house," because this simple step was never done. It looks great. I just wonder which will take precedence--packing his seabag, or will he still be out in the freezing cold, sawing and nailing lumber right up until the point of his departure?
I counter by fattening him up. I am baking pies, as fast as my sweet-toothed husband can consume them. Two days ago, it was my Killer-Apple. Today, I was going to do cherry, but Elvin and Debbie just sent the long-awaited Lemon Chess Pie recipe we raved about a year ago when we visited them in Oklahoma in January. I think I'll try my hand at that.
I have tickets for myself for all the legs of my trip except the one to Singapore and back to LA. We are still nervous about buying that non-refundable ticket until he actually gets to Singapore and knows for sure that he will be in a hotel or apartment and the ship won't be suddenly sent somewhere else.
And I too have a million things to do before closing up the house and winging away. I just need to remember everything and find that list...
Over the years, I have learned to expect some grand project, usually beginning in the two or three days before his departure. There was the one year when 48 hours before getting on a plane, he tore out the entire 2nd floor banisters around the stairwell, leaving a gaping hole with a 14 foot drop in the floor, just perfect for killing sleep-walking toddlers. Then there was the 10-week bathroom renovation that was supposed to take 2 weeks. And the rebuilding of the porch steps that were completed in the dark, 6 hours before we had to leave for the airport. Sigh.
He's gotten better. This time, he's been cutting and nailing trim strips on all the joint-gaps of our 30-sided house. He calls it "finishing building our house," because this simple step was never done. It looks great. I just wonder which will take precedence--packing his seabag, or will he still be out in the freezing cold, sawing and nailing lumber right up until the point of his departure?
I counter by fattening him up. I am baking pies, as fast as my sweet-toothed husband can consume them. Two days ago, it was my Killer-Apple. Today, I was going to do cherry, but Elvin and Debbie just sent the long-awaited Lemon Chess Pie recipe we raved about a year ago when we visited them in Oklahoma in January. I think I'll try my hand at that.
I have tickets for myself for all the legs of my trip except the one to Singapore and back to LA. We are still nervous about buying that non-refundable ticket until he actually gets to Singapore and knows for sure that he will be in a hotel or apartment and the ship won't be suddenly sent somewhere else.
And I too have a million things to do before closing up the house and winging away. I just need to remember everything and find that list...
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Getting Ready to Go Again
No sooner do we return home with our dirty laundry, it's time to get ready to leave again. Bill is (tentatively--always tentatively) scheduled to fly to Singapore on January 11. We still don't know if the ship is actually going to dry dock, or just rumored to be headed that way.
In the meantime, I have an intense desire to see my children. Juli was in the hospital again, this time for 3 days over Christmas. I haven't heard from Alex, and I'm starting to worry about them both. So my plan is to drive to Lexington, KY to Cousin Jean's and leave my car there for the duration. She will take me to Louisville and I'll fly to Seattle on the 19th. Then to Long Beach, CA on the 26th. If the Singapore thing is a go, I will then fly from LAX to Seoul and Singapore on the 27th, arriving on the 29th.
The return to LA will probably be on Feb 10. I'm still trying to figure out my return to Louisville and then home, probably on March 2nd. That gets me back to work on March 4.
I am looking forward to spending February in the Land of 70 Degrees. There will be friends to see and old stomping grounds to explore. And time, that precious commodity, with Mom.
March will be be my Merry Medical Month. A final CT lung scan. Oncology checkup. GYN annual. Bone density scan. And then there's taxes to be done. It will be a busy homecoming. Busy will have to be my watchword this year. Bill's promotion to First Engineer requires that he "get into the rotation" of four months on and four months off with the other Firsts--which means that he won't be home until the end of July at the earliest. It will be a long 7-8 months for both of us. but then he will be home for at least the next four months.
It's very strange to be planning out most of the coming year, three days into 2010. I've given up on the concept of resolutions, so plotting out the calendar will have to suffice.
In the meantime, I have an intense desire to see my children. Juli was in the hospital again, this time for 3 days over Christmas. I haven't heard from Alex, and I'm starting to worry about them both. So my plan is to drive to Lexington, KY to Cousin Jean's and leave my car there for the duration. She will take me to Louisville and I'll fly to Seattle on the 19th. Then to Long Beach, CA on the 26th. If the Singapore thing is a go, I will then fly from LAX to Seoul and Singapore on the 27th, arriving on the 29th.
The return to LA will probably be on Feb 10. I'm still trying to figure out my return to Louisville and then home, probably on March 2nd. That gets me back to work on March 4.
I am looking forward to spending February in the Land of 70 Degrees. There will be friends to see and old stomping grounds to explore. And time, that precious commodity, with Mom.
March will be be my Merry Medical Month. A final CT lung scan. Oncology checkup. GYN annual. Bone density scan. And then there's taxes to be done. It will be a busy homecoming. Busy will have to be my watchword this year. Bill's promotion to First Engineer requires that he "get into the rotation" of four months on and four months off with the other Firsts--which means that he won't be home until the end of July at the earliest. It will be a long 7-8 months for both of us. but then he will be home for at least the next four months.
It's very strange to be planning out most of the coming year, three days into 2010. I've given up on the concept of resolutions, so plotting out the calendar will have to suffice.
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