No one in particular (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} noip) wrote,@ 2008-04-10 09:41:00 |
|
What I've Been Up To
1 April 2008 - Rome
Ah, nothing like a long day of travel to make one appreciate staying home. At least, a long day of air travel does that. Especially when the in-flight movie is nothing you want to see, they charge you $5 for a drink or a snack, or in the case of the international flight, the screens weren't working, so no movies at all and no map showing our progress all Indiana Jones-style. Ah, well. Hardships of the journey make the arrival seem all the sweeter, right?
Yeah, something like that.
So, after finally arriving in Roma, and collecting my luggage, I quickly made my way to the hotel... yeah, no. Due to a misunderstanding on my part, (my travel itinerary said take the shuttle, I thought Mike said someone would be there to pick me up) I ended up hanging around for a couple of hours until I spotted someone who was there to pick up 4 other guys. He was nice enough to drive me to the hotel, thankfully.
Got checked in, and immediately took a shower. Oh, sweet baby jesus, after something like 20 hours of travel, sitting and sleeping and stewing in your own sweat, a hot shower is -SO- good. A hot soak is really nice too.
There seems to be a complimentary shuttle from the hotel to the city, but the times aren't exactly ideal. Next one out is at 4pm, and the next one back is at 8pm. Think I'll get a drink at the bar before then.
On a side note, the laptop's power cord hasn't exploded or anything, so it's nice to see that it can, in fact, handle the voltage over here. Yay!
[... ok, new plan. Did not get a drink in the hotel bar, did not catch the shuttle into Roma. Didn't see anything really worth the cost down in the bar, so decided to take a nap instead. As 3:30 rolled around, decided that I'd be better off not going into Roma, given the trouble I had getting to the Hotel in the first place. Caught up on sleep instead, which may not have really been the best choice, since it's now midnight and I'm all rested up. Will try to catch a few more hours later on.
Missed a couple of calls from Mother. For some reason, they're being patched through to the phone in the bathroom, and I was too sleepy to get the lights turned on and to the phone before it stopped. I like how I got a message from the front desk slipped under my door an hour about the first one, and it was a few minutes after the second one and an hour late, considering how it said she'd try again later.]
1 April 2008 - Rome
Ah, nothing like a long day of travel to make one appreciate staying home. At least, a long day of air travel does that. Especially when the in-flight movie is nothing you want to see, they charge you $5 for a drink or a snack, or in the case of the international flight, the screens weren't working, so no movies at all and no map showing our progress all Indiana Jones-style. Ah, well. Hardships of the journey make the arrival seem all the sweeter, right?
Yeah, something like that.
So, after finally arriving in Roma, and collecting my luggage, I quickly made my way to the hotel... yeah, no. Due to a misunderstanding on my part, (my travel itinerary said take the shuttle, I thought Mike said someone would be there to pick me up) I ended up hanging around for a couple of hours until I spotted someone who was there to pick up 4 other guys. He was nice enough to drive me to the hotel, thankfully.
Got checked in, and immediately took a shower. Oh, sweet baby jesus, after something like 20 hours of travel, sitting and sleeping and stewing in your own sweat, a hot shower is -SO- good. A hot soak is really nice too.
There seems to be a complimentary shuttle from the hotel to the city, but the times aren't exactly ideal. Next one out is at 4pm, and the next one back is at 8pm. Think I'll get a drink at the bar before then.
On a side note, the laptop's power cord hasn't exploded or anything, so it's nice to see that it can, in fact, handle the voltage over here. Yay!
[... ok, new plan. Did not get a drink in the hotel bar, did not catch the shuttle into Roma. Didn't see anything really worth the cost down in the bar, so decided to take a nap instead. As 3:30 rolled around, decided that I'd be better off not going into Roma, given the trouble I had getting to the Hotel in the first place. Caught up on sleep instead, which may not have really been the best choice, since it's now midnight and I'm all rested up. Will try to catch a few more hours later on.
Missed a couple of calls from Mother. For some reason, they're being patched through to the phone in the bathroom, and I was too sleepy to get the lights turned on and to the phone before it stopped. I like how I got a message from the front desk slipped under my door an hour about the first one, and it was a few minutes after the second one and an hour late, considering how it said she'd try again later.]
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1 April 2008 - Rome
Ah, nothing like a long day of travel to make one appreciate staying home. At least, a long day of air travel does that. Especially when the in-flight movie is nothing you want to see, they charge you $5 for a drink or a snack, or in the case of the international flight, the screens weren't working, so no movies at all and no map showing our progress all Indiana Jones-style. Ah, well. Hardships of the journey make the arrival seem all the sweeter, right?
Yeah, something like that.
So, after finally arriving in Roma, and collecting my luggage, I quickly made my way to the hotel... yeah, no. Due to a misunderstanding on my part, (my travel itinerary said take the shuttle, I thought Mike said someone would be there to pick me up) I ended up hanging around for a couple of hours until I spotted someone who was there to pick up 4 other guys. He was nice enough to drive me to the hotel, thankfully.
Got checked in, and immediately took a shower. Oh, sweet baby jesus, after something like 20 hours of travel, sitting and sleeping and stewing in your own sweat, a hot shower is -SO- good. A hot soak is really nice too.
There seems to be a complimentary shuttle from the hotel to the city, but the times aren't exactly ideal. Next one out is at 4pm, and the next one back is at 8pm. Think I'll get a drink at the bar before then.
On a side note, the laptop's power cord hasn't exploded or anything, so it's nice to see that it can, in fact, handle the voltage over here. Yay!
[... ok, new plan. Did not get a drink in the hotel bar, did not catch the shuttle into Roma. Didn't see anything really worth the cost down in the bar, so decided to take a nap instead. As 3:30 rolled around, decided that I'd be better off not going into Roma, given the trouble I had getting to the Hotel in the first place. Caught up on sleep instead, which may not have really been the best choice, since it's now midnight and I'm all rested up. Will try to catch a few more hours later on.
Missed a couple of calls from Mother. For some reason, they're being patched through to the phone in the bathroom, and I was too sleepy to get the lights turned on and to the phone before it stopped. I like how I got a message from the front desk slipped under my door an hour about the first one, and it was a few minutes after the second one and an hour late, considering how it said she'd try again later.]
<finished - The Paper Grail
started - The Once & Future King>
2 April 2008 - Civitavecchia
Blast and damn, tragedy and shame! Seem to have lost my alarm, or it's been stolen. At any rate, I am without it, and have already shamed myself without it by missing the first meeting of the tech guys.
Let's go through the day before this, though, just to have things in order.
Finally got to talk with Mother, and it was nice to hear the familiar voices of home again. At their suggestion, did not trust myself to the hands of fate and providence, and called the number for the people transferring me to the ship. Good thing, because the shuttle to the ship, it turns out, was leaving around 6:30, not 9 or 10ish as Mike had suggested.
Went to bed for an hour or two, got up, could have SWORN I tossed my alarm in my bag, and waited in the lobby. Too early for breakfast. Caught the shuttle, got down to Civitavecchia, and started running into trouble. With no clear idea where I was supposed to go or what I needed to do, I got myself in a line, found my name wasn't on a list, managed to get on board, was hustled along to the HRO's office, got assigned a double instead of a single (will be asking about that tomorrow when I go to get my picture ID...), managed to grab some sandwiches and coffee from the safety and security meeting. Eventually found my luggage again, took it to the cabin, then wandered around purposelessly for a bit. Was told to check in with the guys in my department, did, was told to check in with the other Lounge Tech at 4 and come to a group meeting at 7:30. Met the tech, went back to the cabin for a nap, and found out about the missing alarm. Thought I had figured out a workable short term alarm, but had, in fact, not. Woke up around 8:30, rushed to the Vista Lounge, and was told that there was going to be a meeting in the morning, and that I might check in with the Lounge Tech. Did, was told about the meeting again. Arranged for a wake up call this time, and will look for the alarm again tomorrow.
Should mention some pleasantness, if only for balance. The drive up was nice enough. Listened to a few radio detective shows. "The Once & Future King" is quite a bit more engaging than first expected. The people all seem nice enough, and it feels good to be back aboard a ship.
[Man, I really hope I find that alarm. I've had it since college. Kind of sentimental about it.]
3 April 2008 - Civitavecchia
Sleep schedule is still a bit wonky. Woke up more or less around 2:30 and listened to old radio shows until it was time to get up and face the day.
Spent the day helping the Lounge Tech Ariel (male), cleaning and poking around at the mini-macs for the Northern Lights.
Got my picture ID, and asked about the rooming situation. They say it's temporary, but then again, so's this position. Wonder which'll come up first.
Took a stab at getting a drink or three in the Officer's Bar, but ah, tragedy, the bartender was not in. Called it quits, wandered back to the room, and got set for bed. Didn't ever get around to looking for the alarm, but am willing to put it off for now and trust that the wake up call service will actually wake me up.
I feel the need to describe the ship a bit... didn't know a cruise ship could be allowed to get so beat up and ragged. Living in the midst of all this construction is an odd experience. Don't know if I'll have any days off anytime soon. Don't know when payday is. Fun.
Ah, well, life is life. If I take nothing else from this contract, I'm getting money and experience on what goes on during dry-dock and how to travel internationally.
4 April 2008 - Civitavecchia
Up at 6:30, at it by 7:30, work work work. Nicked myself with my knife.
Managed to get to the bar while the tender was there. Some trouble with my account made me check in with the HRO folks, and in doing so, got myself moved to a single room. Upside, privacy, downside, doesn't seem to have been touched by the cleaning folks yet.
Went back to the bar, had a few more drinks. Also tore my shirt on the door. Bit annoyed by that.
Looks like work for the months to come will be along the lines of 7 days a week... bummer. Don't even have the excuse of port days to get off the ship and into town. Ach. Well. Hopefully there'll be some time off in the future. It would be a shame if I got to come to Italy and never got to see anything.
[Glee and joy! Huzzah and wee! In short, YAY! I found my alarm! Spirits: much lifted.]
5 April 2008 - C
Worked. Some heavy lifting. Looking forward to free time, whenever that may be.
6 April 2008 - C
More of the same. Work, heavy lifting. Need to talk with the HRO folks about if my room is getting any steward service, and maybe about getting advanced a day's pay. Possibly that per diem thing for back when I first got off the plane while I'm at it.
Heard on the news that Charleton Heston died. Bummer. Know he wasn't exactly young or anything, but still...
<finished - The Once & Future King>
Ah, nothing like a long day of travel to make one appreciate staying home. At least, a long day of air travel does that. Especially when the in-flight movie is nothing you want to see, they charge you $5 for a drink or a snack, or in the case of the international flight, the screens weren't working, so no movies at all and no map showing our progress all Indiana Jones-style. Ah, well. Hardships of the journey make the arrival seem all the sweeter, right?
Yeah, something like that.
So, after finally arriving in Roma, and collecting my luggage, I quickly made my way to the hotel... yeah, no. Due to a misunderstanding on my part, (my travel itinerary said take the shuttle, I thought Mike said someone would be there to pick me up) I ended up hanging around for a couple of hours until I spotted someone who was there to pick up 4 other guys. He was nice enough to drive me to the hotel, thankfully.
Got checked in, and immediately took a shower. Oh, sweet baby jesus, after something like 20 hours of travel, sitting and sleeping and stewing in your own sweat, a hot shower is -SO- good. A hot soak is really nice too.
There seems to be a complimentary shuttle from the hotel to the city, but the times aren't exactly ideal. Next one out is at 4pm, and the next one back is at 8pm. Think I'll get a drink at the bar before then.
On a side note, the laptop's power cord hasn't exploded or anything, so it's nice to see that it can, in fact, handle the voltage over here. Yay!
[... ok, new plan. Did not get a drink in the hotel bar, did not catch the shuttle into Roma. Didn't see anything really worth the cost down in the bar, so decided to take a nap instead. As 3:30 rolled around, decided that I'd be better off not going into Roma, given the trouble I had getting to the Hotel in the first place. Caught up on sleep instead, which may not have really been the best choice, since it's now midnight and I'm all rested up. Will try to catch a few more hours later on.
Missed a couple of calls from Mother. For some reason, they're being patched through to the phone in the bathroom, and I was too sleepy to get the lights turned on and to the phone before it stopped. I like how I got a message from the front desk slipped under my door an hour about the first one, and it was a few minutes after the second one and an hour late, considering how it said she'd try again later.]
<finished - The Paper Grail
started - The Once & Future King>
2 April 2008 - Civitavecchia
Blast and damn, tragedy and shame! Seem to have lost my alarm, or it's been stolen. At any rate, I am without it, and have already shamed myself without it by missing the first meeting of the tech guys.
Let's go through the day before this, though, just to have things in order.
Finally got to talk with Mother, and it was nice to hear the familiar voices of home again. At their suggestion, did not trust myself to the hands of fate and providence, and called the number for the people transferring me to the ship. Good thing, because the shuttle to the ship, it turns out, was leaving around 6:30, not 9 or 10ish as Mike had suggested.
Went to bed for an hour or two, got up, could have SWORN I tossed my alarm in my bag, and waited in the lobby. Too early for breakfast. Caught the shuttle, got down to Civitavecchia, and started running into trouble. With no clear idea where I was supposed to go or what I needed to do, I got myself in a line, found my name wasn't on a list, managed to get on board, was hustled along to the HRO's office, got assigned a double instead of a single (will be asking about that tomorrow when I go to get my picture ID...), managed to grab some sandwiches and coffee from the safety and security meeting. Eventually found my luggage again, took it to the cabin, then wandered around purposelessly for a bit. Was told to check in with the guys in my department, did, was told to check in with the other Lounge Tech at 4 and come to a group meeting at 7:30. Met the tech, went back to the cabin for a nap, and found out about the missing alarm. Thought I had figured out a workable short term alarm, but had, in fact, not. Woke up around 8:30, rushed to the Vista Lounge, and was told that there was going to be a meeting in the morning, and that I might check in with the Lounge Tech. Did, was told about the meeting again. Arranged for a wake up call this time, and will look for the alarm again tomorrow.
Should mention some pleasantness, if only for balance. The drive up was nice enough. Listened to a few radio detective shows. "The Once & Future King" is quite a bit more engaging than first expected. The people all seem nice enough, and it feels good to be back aboard a ship.
[Man, I really hope I find that alarm. I've had it since college. Kind of sentimental about it.]
3 April 2008 - Civitavecchia
Sleep schedule is still a bit wonky. Woke up more or less around 2:30 and listened to old radio shows until it was time to get up and face the day.
Spent the day helping the Lounge Tech Ariel (male), cleaning and poking around at the mini-macs for the Northern Lights.
Got my picture ID, and asked about the rooming situation. They say it's temporary, but then again, so's this position. Wonder which'll come up first.
Took a stab at getting a drink or three in the Officer's Bar, but ah, tragedy, the bartender was not in. Called it quits, wandered back to the room, and got set for bed. Didn't ever get around to looking for the alarm, but am willing to put it off for now and trust that the wake up call service will actually wake me up.
I feel the need to describe the ship a bit... didn't know a cruise ship could be allowed to get so beat up and ragged. Living in the midst of all this construction is an odd experience. Don't know if I'll have any days off anytime soon. Don't know when payday is. Fun.
Ah, well, life is life. If I take nothing else from this contract, I'm getting money and experience on what goes on during dry-dock and how to travel internationally.
4 April 2008 - Civitavecchia
Up at 6:30, at it by 7:30, work work work. Nicked myself with my knife.
Managed to get to the bar while the tender was there. Some trouble with my account made me check in with the HRO folks, and in doing so, got myself moved to a single room. Upside, privacy, downside, doesn't seem to have been touched by the cleaning folks yet.
Went back to the bar, had a few more drinks. Also tore my shirt on the door. Bit annoyed by that.
Looks like work for the months to come will be along the lines of 7 days a week... bummer. Don't even have the excuse of port days to get off the ship and into town. Ach. Well. Hopefully there'll be some time off in the future. It would be a shame if I got to come to Italy and never got to see anything.
[Glee and joy! Huzzah and wee! In short, YAY! I found my alarm! Spirits: much lifted.]
5 April 2008 - C
Worked. Some heavy lifting. Looking forward to free time, whenever that may be.
6 April 2008 - C
More of the same. Work, heavy lifting. Need to talk with the HRO folks about if my room is getting any steward service, and maybe about getting advanced a day's pay. Possibly that per diem thing for back when I first got off the plane while I'm at it.
Heard on the news that Charleton Heston died. Bummer. Know he wasn't exactly young or anything, but still...
<finished - The Once & Future King>
