Suck Up and Be Nice

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Nautie Friends, it's been a doozy of a few days.   This is a story about:  A hard port stay, an iPhone in the water, and the Suez Canal.

We departed a port that shall not be named...I know, that makes you feel like I'm keeping secrets...and I am....sorta.

What I will say about said port stay is that it was a lot of work.  The crew did the majority of the rigging and they also did the majority of the 'difficult' lifts.  This meant that after three days we were tired.

Every night, they made us shift to a different berth at midnight.  Do you know what you don't want to do at midnight?  Shift to a new berth.

During one of the shifts I dropped my iPhone in the water.  I'm sure this seems like no big deal.  Except, I'm addicted to my iPhone.  I am now without a means of taking pictures on a whim while on deck and I am also without an alarm clock.  This is a big deal.  I also don't want to talk about how I had just activated my very pricey international data package.

Once the hard port stay drew to an end and after I cried about my phone (I didn't really cry but I could of if I had had the time) it was a ten hour transit to the Suez Canal.

Throughout the last week I've had an Ani DiFranco song lyric stuck in my head.  It has gotten me through the days.  It helped me modulate my tone of voice on the radio when I'm really cranky but know the other person doesn't deserve crankiness.  It helped me remember that everyone is tired.  It helped me remember that it might suck but it will suck more if people stop being nice.

'Maybe you don't like your job, maybe you didn't get enough sleep, well nobody likes their job, nobody got enough sleep.  Maybe you just had the worst day of your life, but you know, there's no escape, there's no excuse, so just suck up and be nice.'

I was so nice in the Suez Canal it isn't even funny.

Thank Goodness at some point I decided to sit down and write all about how crazy the Suez Canal is.  Thank Goodness I've also written about how it sucks going from a port really close to the Canal straight into the canal.  (Also, just fyi the previous link is missing some photos...I don't know where they went...my bad...)  Because seriously, the last thing I feel like doing when I get out of the ditch is write about it.  

I wanted to pretend like the last few days didn't even happen and just provide you with some old posts to read!  But then I decided to suck it up and be nice....so I provided you with some old posts to read and some new photos!

A Suez Canal View

A mini gallery for your viewing pleasure:

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A Tiny Valentine

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I LOVE VALENTINES DAY. In Intermediate School I used to make my Mom send me balloons and flowers to the school office.  Then I'd get a note in class that I got a delivery.  I'd go pick them up and then I'd tell people that I didn't know who they were from.  Dork.

If I'm off the ship I always get a Valentines outfit.  Something cute, pink and, heart inspired.  I also have many, many pairs of heart shaped earrings.  Win.

Today I wore a pink jacket that is stained and has tattered sleeves but it's L.L.Bean so you know....I'll wear it foreva.  I also wore sparkly red dansko clogs with my work pants.  If that isn't a shipboard Valentines outfit I really don't know what is.

Valentines is also my Besties birthday.  Shout Out!!!  Hau'oli La Hanau...love ya like a sista...Hilo girls represent!  (Okay fine...that was a little over the top but stop it....you loved it....)

My Third Mate gave me a Dove heart shaped dark chocolate today.  It was awesome.  My wrapper said:  Watch the sun come up.  Unfortunately sunrise was cloudy.  So Sunset will have to do.

 

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Pros and Cons

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[gallery columns="4" ids="4283,4284,4285,4286,4287,4288,4289,4290,4291,4292,4293,4294,4295,4296,4297,4298,4299,4300,4301,4302"] Here are 20 photos of the last 7 days.

Fine.  I'm lazy.  Posting lots of photos means maybe I don't have to write.

I've been cranky.

I've been a little stressball.

I've been a little overwhelmed.

Cranky.  Who?  Moi?

All the crank aside - the Mediterranean treated us to some lovely sunrises and sunsets.

Pros and Cons.

30x30 :: One HUNDRED Dollars.

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two fifties. I had this terribly romantic notion of dropping a hundred dollar bill into a street musicians hat.  I imagined myself in Paris or NYC leisurely strolling through a Metro or Subway station on my way to something chic.  I could hear a violinist or pianist or an ultra rad dude playing percussion on 5 gallon buckets and garbage can lids.

I thought I hit pay dirt when I was on my Road Trip.  I was sitting at Cafe du Monde sipping a Cafe au Lait and nibbling on a beignet when I heard some brass.  Hardcore brass.  Across the street was a group of young men - there were trumpets, trombones and even a french horn.  There was one very large bass drum for a little beat.  They were singing every now and then but mostly they were just jamming.

I was sitting there working up my courage to walk across the street and throw a hundred dollar bill in their pail when I noticed two ladies walking towards them down the sidewalk.

The ladies were chatting away and sort of looked like they were on their way to work.

All of a sudden the young men had completed surrounded them.  They were behind them making crude gestures.  They were cat calling.

I was totally grossed out.

They didn't get my  hundred bucks.

My next plan was that I was going to drop it into a Salvation Army red can - you know the Christmas time one where the person rings the bell all season long.

I imagined that I'd be doing my Uncle Rocket some mad honor.  He liked to put a little somethin' somethin' in the red can.

As neurotic as this sounds I just couldn't find a bell ringer I liked.

I'd walk into the store with my hundred dollar bill burning a hole in my pocket an then I'd think....they are not ringing the bell loudly enough.

Then, I was sitting in church.  At home in Hilo on my mini vacay.  I was feeling comfortable.  I was feeling like life is good.

So I dropped two fifties in the offering plate.