The other
day, I was accosted in the elevator by a woman who thought I was a ship
officer. She had a complaint, although I never found out what it was. Considering
how I was dressed, I could understand her confusion a little bit. I wore a
white polo shirt and black capris which is vaguely similar to a ship officer’s
outfit. I carried my laptop in a black case which probably looks a little like
a briefcase.
I think the
other passengers in the elevator would have laughed if she hadn’t been so
obviously angry.
Instead, one
of them said to me, “You look exactly like my friend, Val.”
I think it
was an attempt to lighten the mood. I do have doppelgangers all over the world.
I must look German as those are the women I get compared to the most.
I need to buy
some casual clothes that look less like a uniform. If I get a chance, I will
look around in San Diego. I also plan to call our children, grandchildren, dog
and some friends.
I need to call the Post Office as they will only hold our
mail for one month.
Last night was
another formal dinner. I am happy that I still fit into my dressy outfit. But,
there is a problem with the belt on my pants. It has shrunk, probably due to
humidity and the sea air.
I kept my
copy of last night’s menu as a memento. Two days ago, I was amused by the
Celebration of Fruit Cocktail. There is usually a fruit appetizer on the menu.
All the dishes have fanciful names. I told Bill that when we get home, I am no
longer serving plain fruit cocktail from the can. From now, I will sprinkle it
with something and it will become a Celebration.
There are
standard dishes that are available daily which include: onion soup, Caesar
salad, salmon with mashed potatoes and veggies, grilled breast of chicken, top
sirloin steak and a baked potato with steamed veggies.
Last night, I
had the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail (plump chilled shrimp with cocktail sauce).
Bill had the
Baby Pineapple Boat (glistening morsels of pineapple and berries, with toasted
coconut shavings).
Then, I had
the Chilled Raspberry Soup (refreshing and creamy smooth, topped with almond
macaroon crumbles).
Bill skipped
the second course.
For the
entrée, Bill had the grilled chicken. I ordered the Spinach and Goat Cheese
Stuffed Quail (pineapple glazed stuffed quail, served with corn smoked risotto,
oven-roasted plum tomato and sesame tossed snow peas and carrot). They didn’t
mention the gravy which was really tasty.
One of our
companions had the Oysters Rockefeller which he didn’t like. He said could only
taste the spinach and cheese topping. Everyone else ordered the Filet Mignon
“Oscar” (A filet mignon grilled to perfection crowned with crab meat and
béarnaise sauce, served with asparagus spears, grilled tomato and Duchess Potatoes).
We usually
skip the dessert menu and leave a little early to catch the show or a movie.
Last
night we saw a new comedian/magician who was good but not as good as the last
one. The old entertainers got off in Tahiti and we got a new group. Jack
Mayberry, the comedian, was soooo good. We are still retelling his jokes.
The Star Lady
and her husband are still on board and giving great lectures. She talked about
orchids yesterday and he talked about the eruption of Krakatoa east of Java in
535 A.D. That’s not the one we usually think about. The earlier one changed our
world in ways we don’t normally recognize.
I started a
new book in the series about Precious Rabotswa and the Number One Ladies
Detective Agency.
