A Baby!

Ahhhh! I am an aunt.

My sister makes me laugh because she looks perfect in the picture above. Baby delivery is no big deal. What a champ.

I have become that crazy aunt that shows pictures to everyone whether they are interested or not. So here you go:

How cute is my dad? I mean, look how huge his hand is compared to his very first grand-baby! I love it so much, it makes me want to cry every time I look at it. I am restraining myself though because I do not want to be labelled as the crazy aunt that moved to Madagascar to live on a ship, that Giulietta won't be able to visit unsupervised (I might already have that label). Giulietta Anne, born on October 26, weighing 7lbs 3oz. Congratulations Sara and Gerry! Also, because I am crazy I googled her initials to see if they mean anything. Well Merriam-Webster tells me that gam has the following definitions:

1. slang leg

2. a visit or friendly conversation at sea or ashore especially between whalers

3. a school of whales

I can't wait to meet her (supervision or not).

Pickle Ball

Funny thing... this morning I was looking to see how the Blue Jays did on Friday and when I checked, the game was still going on! It was around 07:30 here so it made sense. I took a picture with my Jays hat on to show my support all the way from Madagascar and then when I refreshed the browser... it was done. Tough loss but a very exciting ride for them and the city of Toronto. I have no qualms about wearing my hat, even after the loss. Also, I am pretty sure that people in Madagascar don't care/ may be unaware of what the insignia represents.

Aside from that, I learned how to play pickle ball. A very strange name, but a fun game nonetheless. Apparently it is the fastest growing sport in America. I wonder when that claim was made and how long it held that title. It is played with a wiffle ball and paddles. The net is like a tennis net and the court is the same as badminton. What a combination! My serving was terrible but it was great fun. It didn't strike me until I was getting ready for bed but I was playing that game with people from six other countries: Australia, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and the United States. We were rotating the four people on the court so everyone would get a chance to play, but I am awestruck. 8 people from 7 different countries; that is spectacular to me. Somedays I just can't imagine not being here. That is especially true when the sun shines all day, and I get to have so much fun because there are always people around to join in a game. I think the vitamin D did me some good today! I'd like to share the sun with people who don't have it.

Also, I was reading about Hurricane Patricia and am so grateful to hear that is has lost its power. It was suggested that since it was so strong it could have made landfall, crossed over to the gulf side, and picked up strength again. Thank goodness that didn't happen.

Happy Thanksgiving

On Monday many of the Canadians on board came together for our own Thanksgiving celebration. We had dessert and tested our knowledge with some trivia. For example: Which province is the largest producer of cranberries? British Columbia. What is the name for a baby turkey? Most people thought I was kidding when I told them the answer was poult. It sounds kind of made up so I don't blame them.

Today I was sitting on deck 8 in my hammock (best investment) and noticed something. Last week I had looked up and seen that the Maltese maritime flag was looking a little tattered and I thought it was a shame and a little disrepectful. Well, when I looked up this afternoon, I saw a brand new flag flapping in the wind. Add that to my list of things that just "appear" on the ship.

If you look hard enough can you see the cross sitting on top of the mast? Many people who have been on board for ages only notice it when it is pointed out to them. A nice reminder of why the ship is here, even if people don't always see it. 

Have a great weekend!

Bird's Eye View

This week has been a week of illness on the ship. According to the overhead announcement made on Friday over 10% of the crew are down with some sort of gastrointestinal issue (Ew. Where is the hand sanitizer?). Thankfully that hasn't hit me. I just got a regular old cold, and I am happy to deal with that. Apart from that, I finished my puzzle and now I am not sure what I am going to do with my spare time.

I suppose I could take part in one of the many organized activities that happen onboard. It is amazing to see the diversity of talents and interests that exist in such a small space. Last night was folk dancing, and I had a great view of the very cool formations that the group was making.

Tomorrow is Canadian thanksgiving and there will be a little celebration with the Canadians on board the ship. It is strange being away from home for celebrations like Thanksgiving. Just knowing my family will be in one place doing what they do every year, without me, was enough to make me homesick on Friday night. I think it is that and a few other things that are going on, that just happen to manifest itself as homesickness (or that is what I am blaming it on). 

Another wonderful tidbit (kind of like a timbit, oh sour cream glazed) is that today is the 35th wedding anniversary of my wonderful parents. 

Photo credit: http://jennaandtristan.com

That is a lot of years. They have been together more than they have been apart and I am proud of who they are as people, and parents. There I go being homesick again. That's it! No more sentimentality for today. 

Moments of Enlightenment

It has been a long couple of months. Yesterday night and this morning have been consumed with doing absolutely nothing productive. Nothing I was doing was contributing to making progress or getting things done. I was sitting and doing a puzzle that my mom had sent me for my birthday, all by myself.

As I was sitting there it dawned on me that someone else could look at me and think I was completely wasting my life working on this puzzle. I mean a puzzle really is an exercise in futility as you build it up only to tear it back down and put it away. It doesn't matter. I like doing puzzles because they occupy my mind, keep me calm, and because you can stop and start whenever you like. Well that last part isn't always true, especially when you have a dad like mine who thinks puzzles look messy and doesn't like them sitting around. I think that is one of the reasons I have said I would like a table solely dedicated to supporting a puzzle in progress at all times (this I how I rebel). All this to say, it got me thinking about how other people spend their free time and how critical I can be when I don't understand it. When I think it doesn't make sense or it is a waste of time (I my opinion) I get angry. That is silly. Everyone needs to decompress. Everyone needs their own time. It might be reading, watching tv or movies, exercising, browsing the Internet or a host of other activities. No matter what it is who am I to judge how someone else uses their time? This is just one of many things that have dawned on me in the last year. Perhaps I will call this the year of enlightenment.

New Dawn, New Day

There was ship holiday on Friday. That means I had the day off! I had a list of the things I wanted to get done, because that is just how it works for me. I find it to be a little unnerving that on my list I wrote "get outside". When I get busy it gets so easy not to go outside... ever. Crazy, I know, but I can go to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, go to work, and go to sleep without going near an exit.

Today I had a great day; I am always happy when I get my laundry done early in the day because then even if I don't do ANYTHING else then I feel like I accomplished something. In addition to doing laundry I got to cook! Sure, cooking doesn't seem all that exciting, but when I get to learn something new I always get excited. I got to learn how to cook a delicious meal from a Malagasy. Not many people can say that. A chicken was killed in the making of this lunch. However, I did not eat said chicken, nor did I participate in its killing. Fresh peas! I got to eat fresh peas. I think that is part of the reason why I don't cook very much here: because I don't know how/where to get the good ingredients. Even if I did know where to go I would probably pay too much or not be able to communicate at all. So I am thankful that my teacher was able to gather all the ingredients himself. Something that I was reminded of today was that people can seriously surprise you. I mean look at this presentation...

Who knew that a plumber could be so creative and artistic? Maybe plumbing fosters a sense of appreciation for the beautiful things in life since there is lots of gross stuff to encounter in that profession. Who knows? I'm just making stuff up. 

There are some seriously beautiful sunsets around here. We have such a great view from the top of the gangway:

When I was making pasta today, (a big bowl of pesto covered fusilli makes me a happy lady) I was reading the back of the pasta bag. Take a gander:

Does anything stand out to you? How does Barilla get off claiming that it is "the pasta brand Italians prefer". How can they possibly know that? I thought that they could claim they are the best selling pasta brand (based on sales numbers) and that would be okay. That is not what they are claiming. Then I thought about how they could have polled a random sample of Italians. But what do you define as an Italian? Someone who was born in Italy? First generation Italians? Second? People with one Italian parent? Someone who holds an Italian passport? This is what happens. I find something and then I give it far too much thought. That is my life. Don't do what I do; you'll go crazy.

Have a great Sunday!

A Plate of Plantains

When there is a plate full of golden, delicious, fried plantains, given to me by two different sources I know it is going to be good day.

Saturday was also a great start to the weekend with a beautiful, sunny, walk back to the ship after purchasing the second part of my flights to go home for Christmas! I get to go home and see my family, celebrate the marriage of one my dear friends, and drive! I don't like to devalue the present by filling my thoughts with the future but sometimes it is nice to have something to look forward to, especially when your current situation still doesn't feel "normal". Since the ship is full of coming and going you will often hear people talking about where they came from and where they are going next. It is often hard to hear people talk about what comes next for them and be thrilled about getting back to "normal" and get out of the craziness of the ship. It is especially hard when you are being left behind. I believe that is true of any situation; it is always hard to be the one being left than the one leaving. Anyway, I digress.Yesterday, the day ended with a birthday party full of dancing and laughter; a great way to set up a wonderful Sunday.

I hope you have had a wonderful weekend and I wish you a wonderful week.