Catching Up Too Quickly

Posted byrandy@letters-to-rachel.memorialPosted inAdrift in the World, Along the Way, Updates From the Abandoned PlanetTags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dearest Rachel –

So this is our last full day at sea before we get hit by a series of port days; I’ll be running fast and furious between the ports and the computer to document our visits, leaving me with precious little time for random musing and various small but necessary tasks. So it’s time I put these few things together and send them off by the end of the day. If nothing else, this will give me something to do while I wait for our laundry to process.

Speaking of which: yes, after nearly a week aboard ship, I finally found the launderette. In my defense, while each of the main residential decks has one (deck seven does not, but as it only has a handful of suites, it hardly counts, apparently), it’s on the opposite wing, with the even-numbered staterooms as opposed to the odd numbers among with we currently live.

You can see the directions, more or less, on the screen by the elevator banks on either side of the ship’s atrium. there is one more thing of note on this particular image that I’ll get to in a moment.

Anyway, this morning, I had planned to go in there with our worn clothing, as this would be our last chance to do so before the rush of our fellow passengers to do likewise. To that end, I had asked Daniel to set aside his laundry for me to collect and take with me. When I woke up, I rummaged through the pile that I thought was his, only to find a single pair of underwear to put in with the whites. I want to believe that this can’t be it, but I wasn’t about to wake him up in order to inquire about any further specifics, so I left him to wander off. Fortunately, there was only one other person in the laundry at the time, so I wasn’t about to have to deal with the rush, but I can’t imagine that level of peace and calm is going to last forever.

At the same time, I’ve noticed that my phone has actually adjusted to the local time, after a fashion. In fact, it’s jumped an hour ahead of what the ship’s time is reporting, which may explain why I’m up so early, checking out the launderette and all (that, and the fact that leaving the blackout curtain half open was a roaring success, not that I ever doubted it would be). My assumption is that the ship has switched its internet server over to one in Alaska from the one they had based in the Tokyo area. however, at the moment the shift is still running on Aleutian time, rather than Alaskan time per se. So basically, I’ve finally managed to catch up, but too quickly.

While wandering about, trying to figure out what to do while I wait for Daniel to achieve consciousness, I considered dropping by the World Café for a mocha. However, they don’t seem to have any chocolate packets out, and in any event, since I’m already up and about, the idea of having myself a coffee seems a little bit silly at this point.
Back at the room after picking up a coffee and a pastry from the bar on the lowest deck (right by our embarkation station – and yes, I couldn’t resist getting myself some caffeine and breakfast), I decided to hang out on the veranda for the first time since getting onboard; up until now I’ve either been too busy between the two Japan stops, or it’s been too cold, because… Arctic Sea. and indeed right now it’s still not quite 50°F out, but compared to the last four or five days, that’s practically balmy. That, and the fact that it’s bright and sunny out, and you can even see the sun and the moon simultaneously from our veranda. There’s not much else to see, but what you can see is pretty impressive.
What wasn’t so impressive was the fact that, by the time I managed to rouse Daniel sufficiently to ascertain where his clothes were, others had already made their way to the launderette and staked their claims on machines. I would have to be waiting around for a good fifteen minutes before any of these were freed up for my use. Oh well, it was a sea day; I’d nothing but time, after all.

At some point in the near future, I’m going to have to determine what there is (or might be) to do in Kodiak tomorrow – or any of our upcoming destinations thereafter, for that matter. I’ve no idea about what’s in any of these towns; our big focus was on the two Japanese cities, to be honest. The fact that we’re stopping in Alaska was something of an afterthought; but pretty soon, I’m going to have to start thinking about it for a change.

For now, though, I’m cooling my heels next to the washing machines and dryers, catching up on the tasks back at home that need doing as quickly as I can. To that end, I’d ask you to keep an eye on me, honey, and wish me well, as I’m going to need it.

Published by randy@letters-to-rachel.memorial

I am Rachel's husband. Was. I'm still trying to deal with it. I probably always will be.

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