36 Hours by Word

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It went something like this:

  1. Breakfast and coffee with friends at Becky's Diner on Commercial St.

  2. Rush home and write Power of Attorney.

  3. Go to UPS - mail package - be on the lookout Mom - and have POA notarized.

  4. Target.  Hair ties, nail scrubby, bath scrubby, pads, stickers for xmas cards.

  5. Whole Foods - love the seagulls in the parking lot.  Lotion, bottles and oil (I'll explain later).

  6. Lunch at Whole Foods.

  7. Hannafords.  Trying to buy 15 cans of Skoal Winter Green Long Cut for a shipmate.  No Luck.

  8. Joes Smoke Shop.  Five cans.

  9. 7-11.  10 cans.  Success.

  10. Home to pack - messy bed, exploding luggage, etc.

  11. CVS.  I forgot toothpaste and Ibuprofen at Target.

  12. Dinner - Pizza and Chunky Monkey from the Quality Shop (I was going to pick the new flavor Schweddy Balls but decided that was a little depressing...lots of Schweddy Balls on the ship).

  13. Xmas Card writing...sharpies, stamps, and stickers.

  14. Watching last few episodes of True Blood before sending in last Netflix and enjoying my new rubber stamp!

  15. Writing final to do lists that live on the bedside table.  Gotta remember to clean the fridge at 0400.

  16. Final luggage shot.  (Mom, you likey?)

  17. Lunch and photo editing session at TGI Fridays in Atlanta, GA.

 

Nautie Friends, sorry the photos aren't in chronological order!  I just couldn't muster up the energy!  Also, for the record this is my new spinner luggage and OMG, I don't know how I've lived without spinners!  We'll see how they perform on a wooden pier.  Another disclaimer, this is hands down the lightest I've ever packed in my shipping career....thank goodness my boots were left on the ship....there wasn't an inch of room to spare!  

All Day Long

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I'm going to take photos with my phone ALL DAY LONG.  I realized this morning that you guys have no idea how I get ready to go back to sea - and how absolutely ridiculous my last 24 hours can be.  My goal is to create a photo montage in the airport - I've got some long layovers in my future! Loose ends take on a whole new meaning when you're at sea.  Let me just phone the bank...oh wait, I won't be in port for 2 more days.  Let me just get that in the mail....hmm, I wonder if the ships agent will buy me postage.  Let me just pick up some shampoo.....gosh darnit, the ships slop chest only has head and shoulders!  You get the idea....all I can say is:  I have a really good Mom and THANK GOODNESS my ship has Satellite Broadband!

Virginia Seashore

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I really wanted to share these photos from Virginia and I figured I better get them out now while I have a speedy connection!

This was definitely my favorite day in lovely VA.  Some friends (old and new!) and I went for hike along the seashore.

What do I want to remember most?

Spanish moss dripping from the trees, osprey nests, luxury homes with personal helicopters, pelican tracks in the sand, rope swings and crazy rope swingers, cedar trees and sunshine, marshy grass galore, streams jumped...and splashed when jumps fell short, sandy toes, random chit chat, guppies and spandex covered bums in the air.

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Remember the NextGen Gallery?  You can view the photos as a slideshow allowing them to revolve on their own or, you can click on one photo to enlarge it and then click through until you've seen what you wish, reclick and it will return to its smaller size!  Enjoy!

Holiday Cheer

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I try not to get to cheerful around the holidays when I know I'll be on the ship for Christmas. I keep the music, the decorations, the gift buying and the overall giddiness to an absolute minimum. This weekend I broke my unwritten rule. I let a little Christmas in.

My lovely Father sent some holiday inspired roses! Too sweet!  I think this may have been a defining moment in my Holiday Cheer!

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Then I found myself at a Holiday Party in all it's glory. Rum and egg nog, kids running through the kitchen pulling down their tights, dogs sprawled on rugs, old friends and great food. I was just starting to think things were winding down when Santa and Mrs. Claus showed up! Strangely exciting!

 

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Yesterday, I spent the day snuggling a cute baby and finding the perfect Christmas tree.

Let's just hope I have an off button so I don't cry myself to sleep on the ship! (just kidding, I'm an old hand at this)

The Holidays are in full swing - enjoy them!!!!

Hosiery History

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A few days ago I posted Hosiery Hatred.  I got some of the best comments ever! I got to thinking about the history of hosiery - especially since Historiauntie asked, 'were they invented by a man?'.  Why yes, yes they were.

My first stop on my hosiery history hunting was of course Wikipedia.  Read up!  What really shocked me when I read this were the health risks and concerns.  As if I needed ammunition to go bare legged!

After getting over the fact that pantyhose were patented by men and may lead to a urinary tract infection I realized that the blame can be placed squarely on the shoulders of Twiggy.  Had she not donned a mini skirt in the 1960s she never would have needed a replacement for her stalkings which weren't long enough!

After my fact hunt I felt a little better - they are on the decline on in the United States!  Wikipedia says, "From 1995 a steady decline began, leveling off in 2006 with American sales less than half of what they had once been. This decline has been attributed to bare legs in fashion, changes in workplace dress code, and the increased popularity of trousers."

After thinking about this for a bit I wondered how these bare legged women made it back and forth to work in the winter with bare legs.  I might consider ditching the hose in the summer however; a walk from the house to the car (or house to train) in the winter would be distinctly uncomfortable if bare legged.

I also have to admit...call me old fashioned but, the hosiery does add a bit of polish to an outfit.

If Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Michelle Obama can learn to love them then so can I!

A few links:

I got a total kick out of this slideshow of pantyhose advertisements.

Should invest in this?  I found this over at amazon - The History of Panty Hose in America.  It looks funny!