Set a Course for Adventure...

When I was 20 and traveling Europe during my junior year abroad I took ferries across the English channel a few times, across the North Sea once, and to Arran and the Orkneys. On every journey – every one of them – I found myself enjoying a range from mildly to vehemently seasick. It’s been 17 years since I’ve been “at sea” due primarily to my predictable seasickness, and a small part to my belief that fish hate us and plot our doom.

So imagine my surprise when bravely stepping onto the decks of the Norwegian Dawn, floating serenely 12 miles off the Long Island coast 20 hours into a 72 hour cruise, and I’m not pre-post-or mid barf. On the contrary, I’m doing better than some - there are many on the ship feeling really badly, while me, not so much. The ship’s moving around a bit, but we’re pretty lucky in that the seas are calm and so is my stomach. The weather today is pretty crappy though – heavy fog which is pretty spooky. We’re totally isolated out here – I know we’re in the middle of the ocean cognitively, but experientially it’s a bit like a sensory deprivation chamber – just the boat, the ocean immediately under us, and a silent, roiling Scooby Doo quality fog surrounding us.

The conference is going well; a couple of good workshops this morning, and I’ve met a few vendors who seem to offer services we’re looking for. Not much of a cruise in the traditional sense; the whole boat is conference people, and so the services aren’t standard cruise stuff – meals are scheduled, the pools are closed (we’re supposed to be in meetings, not at the pool) and there are no kids running around, but all in all, I’m having a good time.

Interestingly enough, I bumped into some people I know. In fact, those of you who remember a certain Asian woman I went on a semi-date with a few weeks back will be as surprised as I was to find her on the ship with me. I was taking the air on the promenade, and there she was representing her business, while I was representing mine. Now, knowing the kind of year Dan has been having, you will of course assume that she immediately fell into my arms and got all Love Boat-y on me.

Alas, life doesn’t imitate art as often as we might like, and in truth, I’m actually seeing someone else at the moment whom I’m missing and who would I’m sure not want me hooking up with pretty Asians on the high seas. So it was a quick hello, and we’ll see each other tonight for the hypnotist show (hmm… that gives me an idea…) and otherwise, this cruise will continue to have no practical impact on my love life other than it’s keeping me from seeing the current object of my affections.

And no, I can’t tell you much more about her. Just because. :)