Reality Bites

Saturday - This completes a baker's dozen of cruises for us on Carnival (the 14th cruise was on Norwegian in 2002 - meh) and as always, I could have used a few more Fun Days at Sea.

Things I learned on this trip:

1. Never ever ever order any sort of Thai dish from the menu.
2. I can make my traditional toast to Bethe and Maurice with a Mai Tai as easily as with a Cosmopolitan.  Either way, I'm still going to cry.
3. I can and will feel motion sick on the 4 mile tender trip from ship to shore.  Best to leave the wristbands on.
4. Never try to make major adjustments to happy pills or neuropathy medication while on a vacation.
5. There is no longer a good reason to get off the ship in Belize or Isla Roatan.
6. My taste in music was canalized in the seventies.  Disco will never die.
7. I can wear a baseball cap now.  Baseball caps are cool.
8. Never add mussels to your seafood newburg (and as a side note to Carnival, doing so does not then transform it into bouillabaisse.)
9. I am always going to run out of Cheesy Puffs, no matter how carefully I pack.

I already have three posts with recipes in the hopper, including the magnificent coconut rice I should have given you before I left.  Better late than never, and you can think of it as a good excuse to make the coconut curry chicken again.

I am coming home to more doctor appointments and a mini-procedure this week, so expect the usual degree of kvetching and complaining. Complaint Numero Uno:  We just ran out of gas despite the gauges indicating we had enough to drive another 16 miles.  This does not bode well for the rest of the week.