I had a 2:00 pm flight out of Miami to return to Charlottesville so I took the opportunity to sleep in! There was no noise from the ship's engines, the bed didn't have a long crater running down the middle of it (from combining two twin beds), and I didn't have to get up to go to work. How scrumptious! I eventually got up to get dressed and checked out of the hotel since I had to be out of there by noon. I lugged my 200 pounds of bags to the lobby and waited for about 45 minutes for the shuttle van to finally arrive. I tried to find my Zen Zone and not care about the wait since I was HEADING HOME!
When I finally arrived at the Miami airport I checked in at the curbside counter for the airline rather. Some of the students had given me the great advice that if you think (or know) that your luggage is overweight, they don't normally weigh your bags at the outside counter because they usually don't have the scales out there. They were right! Thank God for students because otherwise I'm sure that I would have been paying an additional $100 for my luggage.
I quickly went through security and began my looonnngggg wait for the plane. Unfortunately, the Miami airport is pretty basic with no cool shops or restaurants to hang out in. Boring, to say the least. My flight was finally called and we boarded with no problem and were being pushed out of the gate when the captain announced that we were going to be pushed back into the gate because the dweebs disconnecting the tow bar from the plane broke a light on the plane and it had to be repaired. Grrrr! The only bright spot was that I had an entire row of seats to myself. One hour later, we were being pushed back from the gate again - this time successfully.
We landed in Philadelphia around 5:00 whereupon I immediately scouted out a bookstore so I could get a copy of the latest JD Robb book! I clutched my treasure to my chest and found a restaurant where I could wait out my four-hour layover in undisturbed comfort while I dived into my book. So with a pint of Smithwick's in one hand and a book in the other, the four hours flew by. Life is good : )
At 9:30 my flight was called and I boarded the plane for Charlottesville. I was so eager to finally get home that I didn't even mind putting aside my book. We landed around 10:30 which was way ahead of schedule so I didn't think my friend Beth would have arrived yet. She hadn't but that was a good thing since it took the baggage handlers about 20 minutes to get our luggage to us. Right as the luggage arrived, so did Beth. It was wonderful to see her! We dragged my luggage out to her SUV and she drove me home.
My house has never looked so wonderful! Never mind that it was 11:30 pm, it was dark, the lawn was all brown and dead and there were no leaves on the trees - it was beautiful! We heaved my luggage into the house and, after a quick hug with Beth, was alone in my castle. I just stood in my living room with the dumbest grin on my face ever and enjoyed the moment. I eventually moved myself into my bedroom and collapsed on my bed - still with a stupid grin on my face. I'm home!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Continuation for Arrival in Miami - 7 December
Well, I'm at home now but thought it best to continue the saga of getting off the ship so I'll pick up where I left off on Friday...
We spent the morning lolling around the library. It was not my intention to do so but I discovered around 9:00 that my card key for my door no longer worked. All of the room keys had been reset already and we needed the cabin steward to enter our rooms. So I packed up the rest of my luggage and triple-checked that I didn't leave anything behind and left the cabin for the last time. I took all of my belongings up to the library and spent the next four hours doing last minute library tasks. I was astonished by the number of library materials that the students were still returning even though they had already packed up all of their belongings too. The majority of the items had never been checked out either. Hmmmm. There have been some naughty library patrons on this ship!
Around noon, Eileen and I had enough of it and we did our last official library acts of running one last report and then deleting all of the patrons from the database. It was a sad moment that we spent absolutely no time reflecting on. We were hungry and wanted lunch instead. Unfortunately, lunch wasn't being served until 12:30 due to kitchen inspections so the line for the buffet was long! Just when I finally snagged some food, the Assistant Dean announced that the ship was cleared and the Yellow Sea deck was allowed to leave. This caused instant panic and everyone immediately fled the dining room to get their luggage and get off the ship. I assumed that I had at least 20 minutes to enjoy lunch since the faculty were to be the second off of the ship but five minutes later, the Dean announced that the faculty could leave too. Five minutes after that they Bering Sea was allowed to leave. Huh?! What's the use of staggering the departure time of 150+ people if there is only five minutes between groups.
I hurriedly grabbed by carry-on luggage and hugged a few people on my way to the exit. I soon found my way into the terminal and found total chaos. Whoever organized all of the luggage did a really bad job!!! The only way in an out from our sections was a three-foot wide path which with luggage was impossible. On top of that, there were only 6-7 porters with luggage carts to help us with our boxes and bags. It was a madhouse! It took me 1 1/2 hours to grab a porter to finally get my stuff out of the terminal. By that time, I was beyond cranky and didn't linger over any goodbyes. I just wanted to get out of there!!!!!
I made it out to the curb and found the UPS post and unloaded four boxes to send off. I have no idea how much it is going to cost me and don't really care as long as I didn't have to deal with them anymore that day. After UPS, I found a taxi and heaved my 200 pounds of duffel bags into the trunk and collapsed in the car. What a relief. I told the driver the name of the hotel by the airport and then settled back in the seat with all of the windows down, enjoying the wind whipping through my hair. I was tempted to lean out of the window and enjoy the wind like a dog but my dignity (what little I have) wouldn't allow it.
We arrived at the hotel and, after checking in, sprinted to my room and threw myself on the bed with a really loud groan. I can't imagine what my neighbors thought and really don't care. I cranked the air conditioner to high since it was 80 degrees outside, turned on the television to something inane and went catatonic for the next several hours. Such bliss.
Around 5:00, one of the students from the ship called from the lobby - and yes, I was expecting it. I had lent her some money to pay off the ship's bill when her credit cards didn't work and she had no other options. She was with her parents to pay me back and they also invited me out to dinner. I accepted since I had no other plans and we drove to a seafood restaurant about a mile away. I had a very enjoyable evening with the student and her parents. She was one of my favorites on the ship so I hope we'll stay in touch. Around 8:00 they dropped me back at the hotel and, once again, I lunged onto my bed. I was liking life a lot at that point. The rest of the evening was spent in a delicious haze of nothingness - I go back to Charlottesville tomorrow. So I'll regale you with those details tomorrow.
We spent the morning lolling around the library. It was not my intention to do so but I discovered around 9:00 that my card key for my door no longer worked. All of the room keys had been reset already and we needed the cabin steward to enter our rooms. So I packed up the rest of my luggage and triple-checked that I didn't leave anything behind and left the cabin for the last time. I took all of my belongings up to the library and spent the next four hours doing last minute library tasks. I was astonished by the number of library materials that the students were still returning even though they had already packed up all of their belongings too. The majority of the items had never been checked out either. Hmmmm. There have been some naughty library patrons on this ship!
Around noon, Eileen and I had enough of it and we did our last official library acts of running one last report and then deleting all of the patrons from the database. It was a sad moment that we spent absolutely no time reflecting on. We were hungry and wanted lunch instead. Unfortunately, lunch wasn't being served until 12:30 due to kitchen inspections so the line for the buffet was long! Just when I finally snagged some food, the Assistant Dean announced that the ship was cleared and the Yellow Sea deck was allowed to leave. This caused instant panic and everyone immediately fled the dining room to get their luggage and get off the ship. I assumed that I had at least 20 minutes to enjoy lunch since the faculty were to be the second off of the ship but five minutes later, the Dean announced that the faculty could leave too. Five minutes after that they Bering Sea was allowed to leave. Huh?! What's the use of staggering the departure time of 150+ people if there is only five minutes between groups.
I hurriedly grabbed by carry-on luggage and hugged a few people on my way to the exit. I soon found my way into the terminal and found total chaos. Whoever organized all of the luggage did a really bad job!!! The only way in an out from our sections was a three-foot wide path which with luggage was impossible. On top of that, there were only 6-7 porters with luggage carts to help us with our boxes and bags. It was a madhouse! It took me 1 1/2 hours to grab a porter to finally get my stuff out of the terminal. By that time, I was beyond cranky and didn't linger over any goodbyes. I just wanted to get out of there!!!!!
I made it out to the curb and found the UPS post and unloaded four boxes to send off. I have no idea how much it is going to cost me and don't really care as long as I didn't have to deal with them anymore that day. After UPS, I found a taxi and heaved my 200 pounds of duffel bags into the trunk and collapsed in the car. What a relief. I told the driver the name of the hotel by the airport and then settled back in the seat with all of the windows down, enjoying the wind whipping through my hair. I was tempted to lean out of the window and enjoy the wind like a dog but my dignity (what little I have) wouldn't allow it.
We arrived at the hotel and, after checking in, sprinted to my room and threw myself on the bed with a really loud groan. I can't imagine what my neighbors thought and really don't care. I cranked the air conditioner to high since it was 80 degrees outside, turned on the television to something inane and went catatonic for the next several hours. Such bliss.
Around 5:00, one of the students from the ship called from the lobby - and yes, I was expecting it. I had lent her some money to pay off the ship's bill when her credit cards didn't work and she had no other options. She was with her parents to pay me back and they also invited me out to dinner. I accepted since I had no other plans and we drove to a seafood restaurant about a mile away. I had a very enjoyable evening with the student and her parents. She was one of my favorites on the ship so I hope we'll stay in touch. Around 8:00 they dropped me back at the hotel and, once again, I lunged onto my bed. I was liking life a lot at that point. The rest of the evening was spent in a delicious haze of nothingness - I go back to Charlottesville tomorrow. So I'll regale you with those details tomorrow.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Miami!!! - 7 December
We're HOME! We pulled up to the Miami dock at 8:00 am this morning and it was a beautiful sight! There were quite a few parents waiting for their kids behind the fence at the dock and there was a complete lack of dignity from both the parents and the kids. It was wonderful to watch.
Even though I've been ready to be home, I have to admit that I'm sorry for the voyage to be over. I've meet so many great people that will be life-long friends and have seen some of the most beautiful places in the world. It's a very bittersweet moment.
I'll write more later but I just wanted to share in the joy of being back in the United States. Life is good!
Even though I've been ready to be home, I have to admit that I'm sorry for the voyage to be over. I've meet so many great people that will be life-long friends and have seen some of the most beautiful places in the world. It's a very bittersweet moment.
I'll write more later but I just wanted to share in the joy of being back in the United States. Life is good!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Last Day at Sea - 6 December
Our last day at sea has been a busy one! It started in the library when I faced a mountain of textbooks being donated and library books that were finally being returned after an entire semester. It took a while to sort through the pile and I finally escaped around 10:00 to run back to my cabin and finish packing.
Our deadline to have all of our bags and boxes packed and labeled was 1:00 pm and I needed every second of that time! I can't believe the amount of stuff that I have accumulated!!!! I have two duffel bags bulging at the seam which I'm positive will be more than the 50 lbs each that the airline allots me. I also have four boxes to ship home via UPS. I'm in shock. How did I do this? I don't have any regrets about the items I bought, but DAMN! I was thankful that my cabin steward had the difficult task of getting the luggage to the appointed place. I wasn't looking forward to doing it myself. The crew have been working hard today to get all of the luggage and boxes to the staging area. I hope they are rewarded well for all of their work because they certainly deserve it!
Around 2:00, all of our workstudy students met in the library for one last library task of shelf reading. We spent an hour going through the shelves putting books in order before we called it quits and headed up to the grill for one last chocolate milkshake together. They had made a card for Eileen and me and it had some wonderful comments written in it by them. They have been the best employees for us and Eileen and I both wrote individual letters to each of them thanking them for their hardwork. We really got lucky with this group of women and we don't want to lose touch with them. They are all on facebook so I got Eileen signed up with her own page today. We're going to learn how to be hip and communicate with them this way. My niece, Laura, is going to give me a lesson when I get home so I actually have a fighting chance in being cool...or maybe not.
After we said goodbye to each other, Eileen and I spent another in the library doing a few more projects and then called it quits for the day. I headed upstairs for happy hour with people who were bringing in bottles of wine that they needed consumed today since they didn't want to pack them. It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it.
At 8:00 was the Convocation Ceremony for all of the seniors graduating this semster. It was a nice way to bring closure to the voyage and all of the poohbahs on the ship said a few words of wisdom to the graduates and then it was party time! One last dance before we dock in Miami so the students are very happy right now. I'm going up to the lounge for one last social hour and then this puppy is going to bed! We reach Miami in 11 hours. Woooohoooo! Yahoo! Yipppee! Cowabunga!
Our deadline to have all of our bags and boxes packed and labeled was 1:00 pm and I needed every second of that time! I can't believe the amount of stuff that I have accumulated!!!! I have two duffel bags bulging at the seam which I'm positive will be more than the 50 lbs each that the airline allots me. I also have four boxes to ship home via UPS. I'm in shock. How did I do this? I don't have any regrets about the items I bought, but DAMN! I was thankful that my cabin steward had the difficult task of getting the luggage to the appointed place. I wasn't looking forward to doing it myself. The crew have been working hard today to get all of the luggage and boxes to the staging area. I hope they are rewarded well for all of their work because they certainly deserve it!
Around 2:00, all of our workstudy students met in the library for one last library task of shelf reading. We spent an hour going through the shelves putting books in order before we called it quits and headed up to the grill for one last chocolate milkshake together. They had made a card for Eileen and me and it had some wonderful comments written in it by them. They have been the best employees for us and Eileen and I both wrote individual letters to each of them thanking them for their hardwork. We really got lucky with this group of women and we don't want to lose touch with them. They are all on facebook so I got Eileen signed up with her own page today. We're going to learn how to be hip and communicate with them this way. My niece, Laura, is going to give me a lesson when I get home so I actually have a fighting chance in being cool...or maybe not.
After we said goodbye to each other, Eileen and I spent another in the library doing a few more projects and then called it quits for the day. I headed upstairs for happy hour with people who were bringing in bottles of wine that they needed consumed today since they didn't want to pack them. It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it.
At 8:00 was the Convocation Ceremony for all of the seniors graduating this semster. It was a nice way to bring closure to the voyage and all of the poohbahs on the ship said a few words of wisdom to the graduates and then it was party time! One last dance before we dock in Miami so the students are very happy right now. I'm going up to the lounge for one last social hour and then this puppy is going to bed! We reach Miami in 11 hours. Woooohoooo! Yahoo! Yipppee! Cowabunga!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Work Work Work - 2, 3, 4, 5 December
Eileen and I have been working our tookuses off in the library and we are exhausted! On the 2nd we had our confab over potato chips about the End-Of-The-Voyage report for the library that was due today. I spent the next several days honing the message and the words and finally got that sucker done yesterday. What a relief! In the meantime, we’ve also been removing books off of the reserve shelves and placing them back into the regular collection which involves a lot of computer time and shelving time. Neither are a good thing to do when the ship is rocking…which it has been! We encountered the outer perimeter of the storm that was hitting New England and the waves were horrible. This is the first time in the entire voyage that the captain has made the announcement that we are encountering rough seas. Duh! He told us it would last for another 24 hours. Not good, dear, not good. The timing of the storm was particularly bad because the students were having their first day of finals and kids were rushing out of exams to hurl. Poor things. I really felt for them. It’s bad enough to take finals but to add a rocking ship into the equation and it totally bites. I didn’t suffer too much other than a wee bit of nausea but not enough to keep me away from the French fries at lunch time : ) At dinner, we had the menu that a group of students won in the auction several weeks ago. They had the honor of picking out the menu which consisted of bbq ribs, mashed potatoes, chicken tenders and ice cream. I dove into the chicken tenders like they were filet mignon. My niece, Kelly, is a chicken-tender fiend and I understand completely why she likes them so much now. They’re the nectar of the Gods, as far as I’m concerned. The ice cream was excellent too. So despite the rocking of the ship, we all enjoyed a very tasty meal.
I invited my on-ship nieces and nephew to one last dinner at the hamburger grill the other night. It was the last time we were getting together so I treated them to a decent meal (I did it for me too!). One of my nieces didn’t attend because she’s been sick for the last several days. They were rather preoccupied with studies and finals so it was a quick dinner. I was also falling asleep in my burger since I was so exhausted and, as a result, conversation was at a minimum but I’m glad that we at least had a chance to exchange e-mail addresses. I told them I was going to stalk them on facebook like I do with my real-life nieces. They just smiled at me so I don’t think they took me seriously. Boohaha.
We had a mandatory meeting the other night for our arrival in
I’ve been using all of my free-time in the evenings (what little there is) watching episodes 1-6 of this season’s Grey Anatomy. I’m an addict of the show and my sister and brother-in-law sent me a DVD in
We have two more days until we reach
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Ambassador's Ball - 1 December
I spent the morning working on the end-of-the-voyage report for the library. It is an assessment of everything that worked and everything that didn't work in the library for this semester so it has the potential to become a very long report. Eileen and I are collaborating on it so we need to get together soon and talk about the contents of the report. I foresee a Potato Chip Happy Hour becoming a work-session very soon.
My shift in the library was quiet! It was the last day of classes before finals and it was also the day of the AMBASSADOR'S BALL!!! It's a big, fancy-schmancy affair where everyone dresses up in their best clothes and eats a wonderful meal and then attends a dance afterwards. Everyone has been looking forward to it for the entire semester. But it meant that everyone was consumed by plans for it and traffic in the library was non-existent.
I was attending the ball with Eileen, a professor from UVa and a Life Long Learner who looks like Santa Claus. What a mix! There were two seatings - 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm.
We were signed up for the 5:00 seating since we had procrastinated and didn't get the paperwork done until the last possible moment.
Only 22 people did not sign up for the ball so we felt safe in closing the library at 4:30. I rushed downstairs to my cabin and got all gussied up in my clothes and ran back upstairs to the dining hall to join the hordes waiting to be admitted. We were soon led to our table and enjoyed the sunset over the Atlantic as we drank champagne. Life is damn good! Our meal started to arrive and conversation was at a minimum at that point. The piece de resistance was the entree of filet mignon. Oh la la! It was so good and cooked to perfection. The time flew by and we all enjoyed the dinner. I made the circuit around the dining room taking pictures of students and faculty members and have a nice record of the people I've come to know.
The pictures above from left to right: Kelly Devlin-a library student employee; Mike my nephew; Brendan and Joanna-two students that I've really enjoyed getting to know.
I skipped the dancing in favor of spending the rest of the night in the faculty lounge drinking wine and enjoying the company of my colleagues. It was such a nice way to spend the evening. I think we all needed to spend some time relaxing and socializing with each other. Unfortunately, I didn't last much past 10:00 and went to bed. How depressing to know that the lure of my comfy bed is stronger than the lure of socializing. I can live with that though!
My shift in the library was quiet! It was the last day of classes before finals and it was also the day of the AMBASSADOR'S BALL!!! It's a big, fancy-schmancy affair where everyone dresses up in their best clothes and eats a wonderful meal and then attends a dance afterwards. Everyone has been looking forward to it for the entire semester. But it meant that everyone was consumed by plans for it and traffic in the library was non-existent.
I was attending the ball with Eileen, a professor from UVa and a Life Long Learner who looks like Santa Claus. What a mix! There were two seatings - 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm.
We were signed up for the 5:00 seating since we had procrastinated and didn't get the paperwork done until the last possible moment.Only 22 people did not sign up for the ball so we felt safe in closing the library at 4:30. I rushed downstairs to my cabin and got all gussied up in my clothes and ran back upstairs to the dining hall to join the hordes waiting to be admitted. We were soon led to our table and enjoyed the sunset over the Atlantic as we drank champagne. Life is damn good! Our meal started to arrive and conversation was at a minimum at that point. The piece de resistance was the entree of filet mignon. Oh la la! It was so good and cooked to perfection. The time flew by and we all enjoyed the dinner. I made the circuit around the dining room taking pictures of students and faculty members and have a nice record of the people I've come to know.
The pictures above from left to right: Kelly Devlin-a library student employee; Mike my nephew; Brendan and Joanna-two students that I've really enjoyed getting to know.
I skipped the dancing in favor of spending the rest of the night in the faculty lounge drinking wine and enjoying the company of my colleagues. It was such a nice way to spend the evening. I think we all needed to spend some time relaxing and socializing with each other. Unfortunately, I didn't last much past 10:00 and went to bed. How depressing to know that the lure of my comfy bed is stronger than the lure of socializing. I can live with that though!
Saturday, December 1, 2007
All Work - 28, 29, 30 November
Well, you know the saying about all work and no play makes a person boring? It's true! Ever since we left Spain, Eileen and I have been busy with end-of-the-voyage library projects which has left precious little time for anything interesting. This, in turns, makes for a very boring blog! We have been packing up books, shifting books, checking out books...basically, anything you can do to a book we are doing it.
The students have been in a frenzy of studying! They are so stressed out and anxious about tests and papers that it's like walking around dynamite. I've had a couple of students come up to the circulation desk almost in tears because they are so overwhelmed with all of the school work they have to do. I think they are also finally realizing that the voyage is coming to an end and this phenomenal experience will soon be over. It makes for some cranky people, that's for sure. Some of them are eager to be home again but I am fascinated by their reasons why - they miss their favorite food, their favorite TV shows and their dogs! I never hear that they are missing their families - it's always the dog that is mentioned.
Eileen and I have been seeking refuge in the faculty lounge for our Potato Chip Happy Hour and that helps a lot. We watch the sun set over the Atlantic ocean as we much on our chips and discuss the happenings of the day. It's a nice ritual that I'm going to miss sharing with her.
I tried to do some packing last night to figure out how much of my loot I'll be able to squeeze into my duffel bags and how much of it needs to be shipped home via UPS. I'm discovering that I will need an entire freight container to get everything home. I only put a small dent into my stuff and I already have three boxes to ship home. Zut Alors!
Since I have been complaining about the food since Thailand, I think it is only fair that I let you know that it has improved...sort of...somewhat....just a skosh. The cook is having theme dinners from most of the places we have visited. We had the "Oriental Dinner" last night and the sweet and sour pork was actually good. Fathom that! Everybody is really looking forward to dinner on December 1 though since that is the Ambassador's Ball. Filet Mignon, baby! My mouth is watering all ready. We are getting all duded up in our fancy clothes and sitting down to a multi-course menu and having a dance afterwards. I don't know about the dance part but I can't wait for the meal. I promise to take pictures of the people (and probably the filet mignon too).
7 more days to Miami!
The students have been in a frenzy of studying! They are so stressed out and anxious about tests and papers that it's like walking around dynamite. I've had a couple of students come up to the circulation desk almost in tears because they are so overwhelmed with all of the school work they have to do. I think they are also finally realizing that the voyage is coming to an end and this phenomenal experience will soon be over. It makes for some cranky people, that's for sure. Some of them are eager to be home again but I am fascinated by their reasons why - they miss their favorite food, their favorite TV shows and their dogs! I never hear that they are missing their families - it's always the dog that is mentioned.
Eileen and I have been seeking refuge in the faculty lounge for our Potato Chip Happy Hour and that helps a lot. We watch the sun set over the Atlantic ocean as we much on our chips and discuss the happenings of the day. It's a nice ritual that I'm going to miss sharing with her.
I tried to do some packing last night to figure out how much of my loot I'll be able to squeeze into my duffel bags and how much of it needs to be shipped home via UPS. I'm discovering that I will need an entire freight container to get everything home. I only put a small dent into my stuff and I already have three boxes to ship home. Zut Alors!
Since I have been complaining about the food since Thailand, I think it is only fair that I let you know that it has improved...sort of...somewhat....just a skosh. The cook is having theme dinners from most of the places we have visited. We had the "Oriental Dinner" last night and the sweet and sour pork was actually good. Fathom that! Everybody is really looking forward to dinner on December 1 though since that is the Ambassador's Ball. Filet Mignon, baby! My mouth is watering all ready. We are getting all duded up in our fancy clothes and sitting down to a multi-course menu and having a dance afterwards. I don't know about the dance part but I can't wait for the meal. I promise to take pictures of the people (and probably the filet mignon too).
7 more days to Miami!
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