May 10, 2007

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. :)

May 09, 2007

Catching up

Some nice responses to my recent brain dump on the blog and via email.

To clarify re: my comment on an armed and trained population, let me give you where I’m coming from: I’ve spent some time considering the ramifications of the relatively consequence-free society we’ve built. By that I refer to the primary go-to method of ensuring we coexist peacefully is the criminal justice system, and the secondary is the civil courts. It hasn’t always been that way; for most of our existence, behavior was modified in an immediate and often final way for the most serious infractions. Now, we can barely even address the most ancient of offenses against us without involving lawyers. For example, a man sleeps with another man’s wife; the cuckolded husband has no legal recourse in most states, and in fact is disincentivized from taking corrective action due to the legal and financial consequences of HIS actions. Meanwhile there is no negative consequence for the man who snuck in there and engaged in a socially destructive act.

In olden days there were many behaviors that were regulated by fear of direct, immediate reprisal, yet there are no such consequences today. Following the murders in Virginia my thoughts ran towards the benefit of an armed populace to redress the victimization of those who play by the rules by those who are breaking them - those who are being good preyed upon by those who are doing evil. A populace packing weaponry certainly has its drawbacks, but on the plus side would be the deterrence of some extreme antisocial behavior, or at least abbreviating it in the quickest, most direct way possible.

But back to Dan... the rest of my vacation was excellent. I had an amazing time in Palm Desert and then in San Francisco, and came back to NY refreshed and energized. This month at work is a heavy crunch time, and for the next few weeks I’ll be running ragged, though I expect things to lighten up a bit in June. I’m totally not getting enough sleep, but things are getting done and all is well.

Thanks to all who wished me a happy birthday. I'm wicked old now...

A few days off before I head on my cruise for work. I've got some prescription strength seasickness medicine handy, and my tux for those late nights in the casino. More when I get back...

May 08, 2007

MIA

For a bit longer...

It's been challenging for me, because there are several things going on in my life these days which are a large part of what I've been up to, but which I can't, or won't write about here... Sorry for being reclusive, but there are things for the public forum, and there are things not for the public forum.

I'm doing great, having a great time. All is very well - a terrific couple of days in San Fran, after a wonderful couple of days in Palm Desert with my cousins. A really good 2 weeks at work, and tomorrow I'm off to an HR conference for a few days. When I get back I'll try and do a wrap-up.

In the meantime...