The Day the Earth Got It's Act Together

By now everybody knows that astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has stated that, yes, there are aliens in space and, no, we don't want them visiting us.

Fortunately, I've seen enough Si-Fi movies to make up my own mind on this subject. My favorite is The Day the Earth Stood Still.

Not the lame 2008 version with that whiny Keanu Reeves but the original 1951 version with Michael Rennie and Patricia Neal.

I'm thinking we could maybe benefit from (another) visit. Because, while this movie agrees with Dr. Hawking that the rest of the universe has just about had it with us, Space Alien/Prophet Michael Rennie drops in to give give us one more chance to shape up.

"You must live peacefully."

In other words, we'd better learn to love each other and take care of our planet or we're in trouble whether we get (another) visit or not.

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Memories

This is the brand new luxurious W Hotel in Barcelona. Dave took the photo above from our ship's verandah.

It reminds me of two things:

First, when we were married last December in Atlanta we stayed in the W. A very cool, edgy hotel. We were all giddy and they fell all over us trying to make our time there as perfect as possible.

So this edgy building looming up over the Mediterranean in the beautiful city of Barcelona was quite exciting to see.

On the other hand. It looks remarkably like the Majestic Building in Altamonte Springs that I can never escape. Not even in Spain.

AAGGGGGHHH!

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Adjusting to Land

Since arriving home on Thursday from our three week cruise our sleep patterns are still wacky but getting better.

Since arriving home my bath towel hasn't once jumped up on a hangar and become a monkey.

Since arriving home my hair is back to normal. It looked great on the cruise. I attribute this to the ship's shampoo and conditioner - and being 5,000 miles from Florida.

Since arriving home Dave and I have decided to rethink local public transportation in foreign cities. We got really lost in Lisbon..

Since arriving home we've been busy every waking minute - but it's good to be here.

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Volcano

On the last few days of our fabulous cruise our Disney-like refusal to deal with real world problems was challenged by the volcanic ash heading south from Iceland.

Of course the entertainers were going crazy. They couldn't get to their next gigs.

On our first formal night on the ship we were seated, along with others, with a very old tuxedo wearing Canadian with a very young, blond woman on his arm. It turned out to be his 18 year old granddaughter. He told us he was treating her to the cruise but she had "caregiver" written all over her. We saw them often. She was always bubbly. The only time she wasn't with him was when she played basketball.

Then the cruise was over and we checked into a hotel in Rome. That evening we were in Barberini Circle and saw the grandfather and the girl - along with some other cruise passengers.

They looked stressed. The cruise line had made their flight reservations so were therefore responsible for getting them home. But there was no getting home at that time. They were stuck in Rome and waiting for the shuttle to take them someplace to spend the night. They had no idea where.

After a fantastic two days in Rome we went to the airport to catch our flight home. (No problem for us, we were in southern Europe coming to South Florida - but the airport was a chaotic zoo.)

After finally boarding our flight, who do we see coming down the aisle but the granddaughter - alone. Her mom back in Canada had made new complicated and expensive reservations for her so that she could get back to start college.

Poor grandpa got left behind.

Hope he's home by now. But there are hundreds of sad travel stories connected with the Iceland Volcano.

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Does This Look Like Art to You?

I enjoyed the afternoon art auctions on the cruise. Is cruise art a good buy? That's a highly controversial question. Guess it's who you ask.

Sports memorabilia was a big category at the auctions. Mostly photos. Creatively framed. Pricey.

Who buys this stuff? Dave said the big color photo of a guy by the name of Derek Jeter would sell. It did.

But this whimsically framed picture of The Rat Pack playing pool?

Come on! I liken it to "Dogs Playing Poker." It may be fun but is it art?

Is it a sport?

Yes, it sold for several hundred dollars.

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Travel Snapshots

How would you like to be spending your 8th day on a ship in the Atlantic? Well, here we are.


Non stop fun, food, alcohol and gambling.


We haven't done much of the above but we're having a great time.


Observations:

Old European men still wear speedos at the pool without the slightest bit of self consciousness. Also earrings, some dangling. I met a Canadian wearing a big necklace who had his thumbnails painted with the Canadian flag symbol. When I asked him where he was from he held up his thumbs.

The Protestant clergy person is United Methodist. Score!


Dave loves the lectures. This afternoon there's one on the B-2 Stealth Bomber. He'd like me to attend one about our stops in Europe but I'm trying my best not to learn anything.

Evey day I meet fascinating people. Like the very tall couple last night from Holland. Said their country was so small that they had to grow vertically. You wouldn't think we'd have much in common. But wait, they have a vacation home in Davenport, Florida.

I've read five books. Actual paper books. But Kindles abound.

Every evening we play cribbage in one bar then either dance in another or listen to the Hungarian violinists in another.

Then we go to the theater for the real entertainment. Some of the best from all over the world. Last night a group of four tenors called Teatro. Four super good looking young men who are accomplished stars in their on right.

Yesterday I saw two of them at the pool. One with his feet dangling in the water. The Indonesian waitress had to ask him to remove his flip flops. She was scared but he smiled at her. People were all over them. One guy talked with them at length. Later the man sat down beside me. I asked if he was an entertainer. He said no, he owned some radio stations in Texas. I asked if he knows Shannon Burke. He does.

Yes, every day I weigh myself. But the gym is on the 11th deck so the little pointer on the scale is all wiggly so I can pick pretty much whichever weight I want.

Tomorrow morning we will wake up in Lisbon, Portugal. Lots of excursions offered but Dave and I will take the train to the center of the city - and walk.


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Money Matters

Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can - to all the people you can for as long as you can. - John Wesley

I save my change each day and put it in my piggy bank. The other evening I got out my pig and emptied it on to a cookie sheet. Dave asked what I was doing. I told him I was wrapping my coins and taking them to the bank.

"Why," he asked.

"Because I'll use the dollars for spending money on our trip.?"

He laughed. "You don't have more than $11.00."

"We'll see," says I.

The next day I came home from the bank with $53.50. Not much mad money for a 3 week trip to Europe but I won't need much more. We've paid for our trip and neither of us is interested in buying stuff.

I've always been about saving, sharing and pre paying. My kids are somewhat the same way.

My good friend told me last week that she and her husband had given up eating out on Thursday nights for many weeks so they could afford to give several hundred dollars to a cause they care about.

It makes the giving so much sweeter when we sacrifice for it.

I didn't do that but it's been a privilege to give in some extra ways during Lent. The very last check I wrote was to buy an Easter Lily for our church service to honor my Oldies. (If you see it listed in the bulletin on Easter, show it to them - because they will be missing me.)

So, I like to spend what I have on what I need and really want, save some and give some. So does Dave.

And if we don't have it we don't spend it.


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