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Here I am again
Back from my Alaskan cruise! Wish I had some good news to report, but quite the opposite. I'm in a pretty lousy state of mind.
The boat - The Norwegian Sun - was beautiful. The food was great - and in almost unlimited abundance. I spent a lot of the time at the gym, which was spectacular. The equipment was great, there was a wonderful hardwood floor, and a whole row of televisions in front of massive glass windows overlooking the water. Really amazing. Sure beats Fitness World.
On account of the many trips I made to the gym, I'm in the best shape I've been in in some time. My left knee and right hand, both of which were injured, seem to be a lot better (thanks to orthopaedic insoles and acupuncture).
The scenery in Alaska was great from the boat, but the places the boat stopped were far from impressive. First was Ketchikan, a quaint Alaskan town that seems to exist for no reason other than to be a stop for cruise ships. This was the only stop that I actually bothered to leave the boat to visit. After were Juneau, Skagway and Wrangell. Although I didn't bother attending any of these towns, the descriptions from my relatives led me to believe that they got less and less interesting until they were just depressing.
Some pretty blonde girl kept eyeing me up. My family said I should go for it. They seem to be ignoring the fact that I've been seeing Sarah for over three years.
Essentially, my one week Alaskan cruise can be summed up like this:
- Eat
- Sit in the sun
- Exercise
- Watch onboard television
- Sleep
- Repeat.
I generally didn't sleep well on the cruise. I'm not really sure why. Perhaps it was the rocking of the boat.
Near the end of the cruise, I really started to get depressed at the thought of returning to work. This is a bit odd, because I really do like my job. However, sometimes trying to convince my boss of a paradigm shift seems to be a lost cause. It can be really depressing when so many mistakes keep happening and you are more or less powerless to change things.
On the last night of the cruise, I had a particularly lousy time sleeping. I only got about two hours of actual sleep before I had to depart. I then had to travel to my parents' house in Port Coquitlam, settle in, go shopping, buy a gigantic air conditioner (which is GREAT), and get to my place. By the time I got to my house, I was "pooched," as my brother would say.
When I got in I ran into James, who informed me that one of our roommates was moving out. On a good day, this news would be enough to send me into a depressive spiral. But I was already worn out and dreading Monday. On top of that, this roommate still hasn't paid August rent. She's half a month overdue. She is also only giving two weeks notice, when tenant law in British Columbia expects four. I really like this roommate, and I'm sad to have her move out.
To those looking to take a cruise to Alaska, I say this: the boat ride is fun, but the scenery could be more impressive. I think a cruise in the Mediterranean or near Hawaii would be far more fun.
But of course, none of you bothered to read my above rant. You want pictures, don't you? Here they are. Check the ALT text on the image thumbnails for descriptions.
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