This whole “avoid fattening foods and desserts” deal is getting to be much more difficult than I’d imagined. I know I said that I’d avoid dessert except during dinner but…peach mousse with chocolate sprinkles and a sprig of pineapple! How am I supposed to say no to that! I reiterate – if I weren’t trying to maintain a certain modicum of self-control with the whole P90X thing, I’d fucking grab one of every piece of dessert they’re serving me, and I’d wolf it all down and have no regrets whatsoever.
So anyway, today was our last at-sea day before Bermuda, and I admit to a little bit of apprehension. A part of me is dreading that we’re going to end up with another repeat of the Morocco incident (which I will not repeat here – you can find a concise report about Morocco in my first Travelogue from September, 2008. Yes, I’m advertising myself. Go read!), but we’ve had SO much contact and correspondence with the bus companies and the Governor’s House in Bermuda that someone would have to be holding an idiot ball the size of a beach ball in order for something to go seriously wrong. Plus, I’ll be making some phone calls in the morning to make sure that everything is kosher. Still, I can’t quite help feeling like some kind of Sword of Damocles is hanging over my head.
I woke up too early this morning, but there were events to oversee and things to be done. There was a Q&A with the actors this morning, which was decently attended and passed without any seriously retarded questions from anyone. For some reason, when we have Q&A sessions with the actors I keep worrying that one of the actors won’t get enough questions and it’ll seem like people aren’t interested enough in them. A part of me is going, “What do you care? It’s not your job to take care of the actors’ egos,” but a larger part is going, “The actors are still a part of the Theatre at Sea group, and it’s my job as general manager to make sure that everyone is happy, insofar as that’s possible.” Yeah, I know…I’m such a bloody pushover. INFP / Counselor / Caretaker indeed.
You know, looking back, I actually have very little to say about today. It passed virtually without incident, and everything seemed pretty routine. I’m still pretty annoyed that there’s no way for me to get a protein shake while I’m aboard, but I was pleased to find out that there seems to be a health store in Bermuda, so perhaps I can pick up a bucket of protein powder while I’m there and feel like I’m maintaining at least a modicum of effort in maintaining my exercise diet and schedule. Back and legs was hard…unusually hard, and not just because I stayed up too late last night doing karaoke and drinking too much. The ship’s rocking back and forth had a great deal to do with it, I think. I’m not precisely prone to sea-sickness, but I do get somewhat nauseated and develop a fairly irritating headache when the ship starts lurching like a wino at 3am. My numbers aren’t really going up, but I feel like I can see a difference, which is kind of odd and contrary to what I’m used to. I kind of feel like I’m approaching the best shape of my life, but dammit, that pooch in the lower abs just REFUSES TO GO AWAY! Rob is undoubtedly annoyed at me for being annoyed at that, but hey, we’re all allowed our little petty peeves, no?
Lunch was fine, but I ended up going right back to work after lunch. The general malaise meant I could only concentrate for about half an hour before I had to take a nap, and when I woke up it was almost time for the party upstairs, but in that time I actually managed to get a fair amount of memos written and records updated. On a semi-random note, I got a bunch of calls from people asking me where the party was, where we’re meeting tomorrow for Bermuda, and where the show is this evening, and part of me just wants to scream, “Do you people even READ the notices I send out? Why the fuck am I spending hours of my time writing them, hand-folding each one, and addressing them to everyone – adding personal notes if necessary – if you’re just going to bloody ignore entire PARAGRAPHS?!” I’m forced to remind myself that some of my passengers, like Philip, are advancing in years and don’t remember things as well as they used to, but my irritation, like most emotions, is irrational and doesn’t listen well to reason.
The party actually went fairly decently as well. A number of people turned up, and although I think I overheard a few people complaining that it ought to be more lively, I chose to ignore the comments and focus on the wonderful conversations I had with the rest of my passengers. One of them in particular took a particular interest in my life and my interests, and I do find it wonderful when I can form a connection with any of the passengers. Some of these ladies and gentlemen are more spry and lively than people half or even a third of their age. It’s really amazing to watch sometimes.
I ended up just making a cameo in the dining room to make sure that things weren’t on fire or exploding among the Theatre at Sea guests, but took food in my room because I just didn’t have time to spend two and a half hours eating dinner. I mean, come on – I usually grab something and finish it in fifteen minutes. Extending that by 10 times is practically begging my sense of efficiency and impatience to start tearing ragged strips out of me from the inside. I finished P90X, finding legs and back WAY harder than usual, and managed to shower and get to the show just a little after it started. Our cast did a wonderful job, as usual, and I managed to somehow bite through a martini glass halfway through the show.
Don’t ask.
We held sort of a green room reception with the passengers and our actors up in the Galileo Lounge after the show, and I had a serious moment of contentment as I looked around and realized that everyone around me was relaxed, enjoying themselves, and needed absolutely nothing from me. I danced a few times with Betsy and a couple of my passengers, and that was quite delightful – I kind of regretted having to bow out, but interestingly enough I ran into Matthew (the actor who did Wild Party last year) in the library. We chatted very amiably for a while and made plans to hang out in Funchal, once we get there, which should be a lot of fun. Madeira looks amazing, from the brochures that I’ve seen of it.
Anyway, I know this particular update was a mite more dull than usual, but I’m actually feeling remarkably tired after a fairly unremarkable day and I need to get up early tomorrow to make some phone calls. I’ll come back with a full report on Bermuda tomorrow, assuming I’m not eaten by my passengers if we get stuck outside the Governor’s house.
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