slidergirl

On the buffet there was a very small section labeled vegetarian or vegan (short term memory). I ate things from there frequently, mostly the faro or quinoa salads. Then I would get an entree salad made at the salad station. I can’t answer for breakfast as I’m an egg or yogurt or muesli person. This was the Eurodam at the end of April.

In everyday situations, no, I haven’t had anyone ask where I am from. Now, last month I did have a couple of clerks ask where I am from, but that was Alaska where “everyone “ is a tourist. On my end, as part of my job training for the hotel business, we were told to ask where people are coming from in order to keep the conversation going and possibly glean some personal tidbits to help customize a stay.

Not new for Medicare. I’ve had that test one a year since I joined. I’m always afraid I’m going to blow the word test, especially lately with my long Covid brain fog.

My Long Covid hair loss is recovering. 1.5 years ago I started using Olaplex shampoo and conditioner. My stylist has been watching and has noticed lots of “hairlets “ growing out. I have far less hair coming out when I shampoo. Stylist doesn’t want me using the rest of the Olaplex products because she says they can be harsh. My hair is also growing faster now. I can put my hair in my pigtails now - haven’t been able to do that in 2 years. My ponytail isn’t squirrel-like (full & fluffy) as it was, but it’s getting there.

I don’t fly them. This was from my Kenya safari awhile ago.

One person at a time I don’t mind. But when one person is ordering different special specialty coffees for their party of four. And the 10 people ahead of me doing the same, it is too much. I went there twice, for the generic cafe latte. After that, I just grabbed a cup of regular coffee at the buffet.

My Coho “catch” this year. Reminded me of an old Lyle Lovett shirt I have somewhere.

The pastries at the Explorations cafe were mini - maybe 3 bites at most. At least that’s how they were on the first Eurodam sailing to Alaska this year. And the line to order coffee was out the door through the hallway each time I went. People were ordering multiple coffees and asking for specials like they were at Starbucks (“ latte with extra shot, oatmilk, whip on top with caramel drizzle” like things).

I picked up the shorts. The ones I bought last summer from Chico’s are too big already. I don’t like the Brooklyn fabric but the price was right in case I need a pair of “dress” shorts. I tried on the denim shorts I got last summer and they are big, too. But I can put a belt on with them. Calling my BFF at 8pm her time. Fun.

I’m getting ready for a phone call tonight with one of my BFFs. She is going to Italy sometime this summer with her families ( 2 daughters and their DHs and kiddos). Her first problem is finding a place to stay in Florence. The families are staying between the St. Regis and the Westin - both are way out of her price range. I gave her the place I stayed at last summer (the Market Urban Hotel), which is in her price range and I know it’s a good place. The families don’t like it because it’s “too far” from the St. Regis and they don’t want her walking alone, especially at night. I told her it was perfectly safe at night, that I even walked home after 11pm from a restaurant on the other side of the Ponte Vecchio and never felt unsafe. So, I’m going to investigate trying to find a 3* or better place closer and under $300/night. Nothing yet. Everything so far is either even farther away, has no vacancy (she said) or too expensive. I’m ready to tell her that, if they want her to stay close to them, they need to pay for her room!!! She’s not a solo traveler, so I’m having to walk her through some of her (and her families’) hesitations. I don’t even want to get into the “have you bought advance tickets for the museums, etc” with her - I know how scattered brained they all are!!! Forecast is for rain off and on all weekend, so nothing special on the agenda.

The blood draw problem is sad to hear. When you have the tech draw the blood, make sure you remember which spot used and, if necessary, ask to have the smallest gauge needle used. I had blood drawn last Wednesday - I always insist on the draw come from my right arm as people seem to have problems getting a good hit on my left. The urine test for drugs is pretty fast now - it’s the other stuff that takes time. Have to do round two of cutting the freakin’ shoots. I forgot how fast and leafy they get. A week since they started sprouting and it’s already a full wall of shoots - I can’t even see the fence behind them now!!

I had picked up some Audible books but I didn’t do them on my cruise - I was too much into my music. I started doing one the other day. “Spare” by Prince Harry. He is his own narrator for the book. He is a good speaker and puts in genuine emotions, laughs, sorrow. I still have more to go in the book - I just got to William’s wedding. It’s been interesting listening so far. Still some smoke in the air. My lungs are not liking it. Need a little weather change to chase the rest of it away. It is shorts and Tshirt temperature so that’s nice (mid-upper 60s). OOTD: a pair of shorts and a Tshirt. Nothing fancy,

I’m seriously considering having an arborist come and cut down the 2 in my back area. The birds really love them and my Squirrel uses them for his jungle gym. It is hard to be outside right now. The weather is nice and sunny but we have bad air quality due to the smoke from the Alberta wildfires making its way into the state. Messes with the sinuses and lungs. Anyone looking for some travel or outdoor needs, REI is having a big sale now.

I have multiple pairs of Jambu shoes and sandals. Sometimes it is all I travel with.

If you drop by TJ’s, see if the store has the Spicy Mango Lemonade. It just showed up in my store. In the refrigerated section. Darn good as a margarita mixer! As a reward for a good A1C, I treated myself to the Horchata ice cream. Sooooo good. Cinnamon and rice ice cream. One of my fave gelato in Italy was the gelato di riso - like frozen rice pudding. This is similar with a good dose of cinnamon. I have to go out back and start cutting down the mulberry tree shoots. They were just leaf-less stems before I did Alaska and now they’re all full of leaves. I hate them!

The haircut looks great! If it gets as hot as it was last summer, it will be so comfy and easy to keep. Yes, the concert was fabulous again. A different mix of some of the classics and some old favorites. The audience was very enthusiastic. At one point, it was so loud for a second encore that I thought it was even louder than the crowd here back in the NBA Finals with Michael Jordan vs Karl Malone. Fashion in the audience was wide ranging. The two best: the guy in a hoodie sweatshirt and basketball shorts and a guy in a light blue tux (I think he thought he was going to formal night on HAL). Women ran the gamut from jeans to sequined dresses. I was middle of the road, but I had a few men and women tell me they liked my fedora. I had the last row on the floor so I didn’t have to take it off. The A1C came back today- 6.5. That was nice to see. I even got a note from my regular NP (the one who kept threatening insulin) and she said good job. Now I have to try to keep things on this course. oh, I stopped by TJ’s today on the way home. Cynthia - those mee krob snacks are addicting! They started as a snack but ended up as my lunch 😸. I couldn’t put them down!

Warming up here in Utah as well. I’m sitting down in Salt Lake City today. Temp got up to 79. Yesterday I had the skunk stripe colored in my hair. We added a little bit of copper for the highlights this time as Summer is coming. Down in SLC to visit my endocrinology NP today. She was very happy with my last few month’s glucose numbers. We talked about the one “hiccup” in the number - I told her it was on my cruise the night they had apple cobbler out for dessert and I couldn’t resist! True! She now wants me to keep an eye out in case numbers start being consistently low - she will take me off one of the drugs. Weird thing - you know how Ozempic is hard to find because all the non-diabetic people are using it to lose some weight. Well, my NP said they didn’t have any of the rapid A1C tests because they can’t get any. Not related to weight loss, but weird that they are in short supply. So, I had to get some blood drawn so they could the the test the old-fashioned way. Not a biggie to me. Then, when I got weighed, more surprise. I lost more weight. I haven’t been this “less” since 1988. Yes, I remember because that was when I had to quit my big workout group to move to Utah. I don’t want to lose more - I can’t afford any more new clothes!!! Lastly, I’m staying down in SLC because I have the Andrea Bocelli concert tonight! There are a lot of wild animals crossing the Interstate lately at night, so I’m staying down so I don’t have to drive up the canyon at night. AND I can have a nice glass or two of wine!! OOTD: Free People cammo pants, REI hoodie Tshirt, Merrill low tops for daytime. Tonight, my River & Sky short dress, tan booties, my tan fedora, and 2 of the necklaces that my owner gave to me. Oh, and my jean jacket if it’s cool after the concert since I have to walk back to the hotel.

Hey, people were playing corn hole and pickle ball on the Eurodam on the Apr 29 Alaska cruise! Now, I think it was drunk corn hole - plenty of beer around the playing field.

http://On the Eurodam Apr 29 cruise, I maybe saw literally a handful of people dressed in their Sunday best, let alone in jackets or tuxes. It was more like Country Club Casual.

I got a 150 anniversary tile, did you get that one also?

When a couple left a window spot inTamarind, the girls moved me there so I could watch the sunset. After they screwed up the start of the dinner they were trying everything to make it up, I guess. It was after the last seating so no chance of someone coming in.

Hmmm. I was on the Apr 29th Eurodam AK cruise. I got a chocolate every night, my steward made sure I always had 2 bottles of Aqua Panna and even got 2 towel animals. Sounds like a little inconsistency in service. I wonder if it was cabin type/location-dependent?

I was on the Eurodam on the Apr 29 cruise. One side bank of elevators was down for awhile because the elevator doors on the 3rd floor (I believe it’s was 3) turned in nice waterfalls. Staff was hustling around with those 5-gallon buckets trying to catch what they could. I found it kind of funny - I hear these anecdotes of leaks and such on the ships and I got to see my own!

I wouldn’t say that is true. On a small luxury ship, you read the amenities and you see and know that the entertainment isn’t good to be like on the big ships. When HAL advertises a Music Walk, BB Kings, dance shows, you expect that they won’t stop early into the night, but to go on for awhile as they used to. When I did my canal barge cruise last summer, I didn’t expect any Entertainment other than hanging out with the other passengers and drinking. But, I paid more for that cruise than any cruise I’ve done. On the Eurodam the other week on the first Alaska cruise, my steward kept me in bottles of Aqua Panna - I didn’t ask. Another passenger on that same cruise mentioned they had no bottles in their cabin and the steward said they wouldn’t get any because the ship was short on it and they were keeping track of which cabins got it. I didn’t mention this before but it did really bother me. I had my reservation in Tamarind for dinner one night. I sat at that table in the middle for a good 20 minutes while the servers were working for everyone around me. A person in a suit came by and asked if I had ordered a drink and I said I haven’t ordered anything because no one has come to me. 5 more minutes and a server showed up and then all the girls started checking on me very, very frequently. That never should have happened, and didn’t happen on other cruises, I don’t know if it was because I was solo, I was a solo woman or what. It certainly wasn’t because the servers were busy, That was a serious lapse in service. Up in the Crows Nest, the line for a hot beverage was out the door and to the elevators. No way it should take 30 minutes to order and get a cafe latte. HAL felt like any other mass market cruise line that I’ve been on, definitely not premium. If something was really good about a price or destinations, maybe I’d go back. But I sure won’t wed myself to HAL.

Go up the little outdoor “Biergarten” setting of Deckhand Dave”s fish tacos, Devil’s Club Brewery and a creperie. Good tacos and a nice selection of local brews.