Today started off with a triple wake-up call at 7am. Apparently my three attempts to request a wake-up call all worked. Well, better safe than sorry. We stumbled upstairs to have an early breakfast buffet. I had scrambled eggs, potatoes, some fruit and some yogurt. My dad went for the made-to-order omelet station, which I may try in the future, although not tomorrow (because we have to leave ship by 8am). I wanted to eat so early to be able to both eat and work out in the morning. At 9 I had the class I signed up for. Body Sculpt Bootcamp, or something like that. It was a pretty intense hour. 4 exercises with 5 sets, of 16,14,10,8 and 6 repetitions. Anything would seem hard at that rate, probably, and I was glad I hadn't grabbed anything higher than a 12lb hand weight. I also was amused that the guys leading the class told the ladies with the 5lb weights to go grab 8lb weights (Well, we were supposed to have one light one and one heavier one). The rapid lifting was punctuated by running laps around the ship's track. It had rained briefly that morning on our way back from breakfast, and the track was a little slick.
It was quite turbulent yesterday; one of my classmates said that a veteran cruise-goer had said it was the most turbulent he'd ever felt on any cruise. I'm guessing this is related to the winds blowing out of the Gulf to turn the snow in the southwest to rain by the time it hits the east coast -- we have a giant TV on the outdoor deck (I really do mean giant. Projector sized. They should have perhaps considered using a projector instead, as their TV has seen better days -- there are some dead pixels). Anyway, the TV told me that the interstate from Albuquerque, NM to the Texas border had been closed due to crazy snow. Made me enjoy my 77ºF/25ºC.
This class I took got me a $30 credit towards a massage, so I'd booked one to follow the workout. I have actually had a fair share of massages in my life, and this was the best I'd ever had, hands down. Given by a 4ft tall Philippine woman named ''Rio Joy'', which was perhaps the perfect name for a cruise ship masseuse. She used bamboo dowels and applied a ton of pressure, which was awesome. The dowels were bizarre, but I appreciate that people look for things to massage with besides just their hands to save themselves from early carpal tunnel syndrome. She then tried to sell me on some bogus healthcare products supposed to melt away cellulite, the spiel for which I endured with my skeptical look, nodding politely. The claim that one needs a massage every 2-4 days earned her a higher eyebrow.
Then, lunch! I have decided that the people who do the mains are not the same as the people who do the appetizers and desserts, as both sit-down meals I've eaten so far have had good start & finish and kind of 'eh, ok' mains.
I sat outside a bit in the shade, which took some work to find. I was pretty tired, so I broke down and bought a double espresso. Sadly, both places selling such are adjacent to large swaths of people, one by the kids-camp area, which is where I was. The included picture is of where I sat and drank my espresso, ''Vienna Cafe''. For the Illinois/Midwesterners, this region of the ship reminds me a bit of ''City Museum'' in St. Louis, complete with an ''arcade cave'' and something like the circus school.
Then, a chill few more hours until Fancy Dinner. Tonight there's a dress code for dining, so no jeans and sandals for me.
Tomorrow -- shore! Land! Horses! (We're going to some ruins, a horse show and a buffet as our excursion). Pictures will probably be limited right now due to wireless cost and shrinking space on my laptop.
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