The Mexican Cruise and Aftermath

The cruise with Carolyn started with me calling her while packing, worried that I'd mistakenly chosen the wrong airport for my non-refundable airline tickets. She reminded me that the cruise ship was to leave from Long Beach, but we were flying in and out of LAX (not Long Beach) because of shuttle service options...

Friday
Got up really early and Dad took me to the Oakland airport. I checked my luggage and got thru security with an hour to kill before my flight. I had a breakfast burrito at a place called Burrito 360 (in the non-Southwest wing of the airport). It was surprisingly good. I'd paid extra for some potato and bacon, but it was actually worth it. I'd have to say it was the best airport food I've had in a while... The flight was a scary one. We were on a tiny plane. It wasn't as small as the ones that fly into Eureka (as it had jets and not propellers), but it was small and we all held our breath as it took off. Even I had to duck as I sat down, the asile was maybe a seat-width wide (there was the cutest little drink cart that was able to roll down the asile), most the men had issues sitting in the seats (compare it to the Red Sox stadium), and the overhead carry-on compartment couldn't fit the normal carry-on baggage. The plane was only 19 rows long, 4 seats wide, and had one bathroom. It was the littlest commuter plane that could. I was on Delta Airlines who was using Express Jet-something.

After meeting up with Carolyn (who flew in from SFO), we got on our shuttle bus. It was a clean, comfortable van, and I'm sure we annoyed the other two passengers as we didn't shut-up the entire time they were with us.

We were to set sail on Carnival's Paradise, and it was docked next to the Queen Mary (which is now a hotel and tourist attraction). The check-in process as easier than expected as we did most the paperwork online. The gave each of us an ID card which served as our room key, passport (they scanned it in), and the "sail and sign" card (your on-board credit card so there was no need for cash). Our room was on Deck 7 and near the butt of the ship. We had an interior cabin with a fake window, closet, full bathroom, bunk beds, desk, and tv. Our dining hall was on Deck 8, the fun stuff (lounge/bar, casino, coffee bar, sushi bar, bar, picture dislay and pick-up, and the theater with balcony) was on Deck 9, and Decks 10-12 had the pools, hot tubs, spa, gym, bars, buffet, ping-pong tables, mini golf, Camp Carnival for the kids, a track, tons of patio chairs, and the smoking area.

That night, Carolyn won a free head, neck, and shoulder massage at the raffle for the spa/gym introduction. She gave it to me as a "happy birthday" and so I could get it done while she listened to the lecture on detox (food and health stuff). Unfortunately, they didn't have any spots open, so she heard the lecture and I made an appt for the next day and hung out before dinner (late seating: 830pm). Dinner was not liked by all of us (me, Carolyn, and the only other two people at our table). The husband liked the shrimp cocktail appitizer and I liked my chocolate lava cake dessert.

Saturday
My birthday was spent doing our shore leave activities. We landed in Ensenada, Mexico and got on a shuttle bus for Rosarito (home of the Fox Studios in Mexico). Their claim to fame is Titanic. This facility was built because of that movie and has been used for other films involving ships and water. There is a snack bar that serves Starbucks and Subway and a gift shop. Other than that, there are a bunch of warehouses with items from various movies. Carolyn and I had a feeling it was more of a museum than an interactive tour, but being as we were on the tour, we didn't get to stop and look at things. We got a video and then a tour of one warehouse devoted to Titanic. After the tour, we got back on our bus and was taken to the resort in town for lunch. It was a filling lunch that I found quite tastey. It included chips and salsa, carnita or chicken taco (we couldn't tell, but it was good meat), cheese enchilada, tamale, chili relleno, rice, beans, and a margarita. We had a little time to look at the stores around the hotel, and Carolyn purchased a much-needed sweater. Our bus headed back to Ensenada and dropped us off at the shopping district. There wasn't much to buy that interested us, but I did get a toy for the girls, and an extremely yummy churro. The shuttle bus took us back to the ship and we had time to kill before dinner...

We went to an art auction as we were taken back to the ship earlier than we thought we would. All of the stuff was way out of our price-range, but it was an interesting experience. I won the raffle and got to choose from 5 pieces of art to take home. Sadly, it wasn't totally free as I had to pay for shipping (which was more than you'd think), but it was waaaay cheaper than anything sold for at auction. Afterwards, I had a lovely massage. I didn't realize how much tension I'd been carrying in my head/face from tryin to focus so hard (to counteract the ship's rocking). I then went back to the room to shower and change for dinner. It was the night of the Captain's Dinner (which requires you to dress up). Had I remembered that it was such a fancy affair, I'd have brought more than my new, dark jeans and heels, but que sera sera. We went to dinner where I completely enjoyed my food. Good appitizer, good salad, and good prime rib. I don't remember my dessert much, but that's because I just picked at it as I was full from dinner. Afterwards, we went into the theater and watched the singers and dancers do their thing. The show was about film types like horror, western, Ginger Rogers and Fred Astire. I had wanted to stay up for the "adult" comedy show, but was too tired from being up early. We both hit the hay.

Sunday
Sunday was our day "at sea". I guess the boat just slowly makes its way up the coast for the trip home. We basically hung out. I read a little while Carolyn attempted to swim with the kids. She found it too cold and the hot tubs were full. I don't blame her as the sun was nice, but the wind was chilly. Feelin' fidity, I let Carolyn read, and I wondered the ship. I saw the end of the trivia challenge and so I couldn't participate. I went back to the room to try to nap, but I couldn't sleep. I went to the theater to meet up with Carolyn for the Austin Power's Dance Class, but they had started earlier than the posted time. When I got there, the Carnival guy had people on stage learning a routine. Shortly after, Carolyn came and tried to convince me to jump in, but I didn't want to as I'd missed the beginning and the boat was rockin' too much for me. (Appearently, that day's rockin' was due to the storm from the previous week.) I tried to take a few pictures, but Carolyn was kinda in the shadows due to her late arrival. It was all very entertaining and I wished I had a new-fangled camera with video capabilities. Carolyn then left to read some more and I stayed to play bingo. I was hoping to win a free cruise, but my hopes weren't high as we'd both already won a raffle and this cruise was free. I didn't win, but it was worth the try for a 3,4,5, or 7 day cruise... Then, my second attempt at a nap was busted that day. Damn rockin. I decided to get up and go see the Debarkation lecture. Very interesting stuff, people. But, then again, it wasn't meant to be entertaining; it was supposed to be informative. And, that it was. (I gave Carolyn the low-down that night as we packed our stuff.)

I went back to the room to change for dinner as I wasn't in resort-casual attire. Carolyn and I then headed for that night's show in the theater, but stopped at the bar for a drink. I wanted that night's "happy hour special": margaritas. There was some confusion as to the size and flavor and if it was blended or not, but we got what we wanted in the end. I then treated Carolyn to a chocoalte covered strawberry at the coffee bar. I'd been eyeing them all cruise, and they were good. The strawberries were dressed in tuxedos with white and milk chocolates. :>) The theme for the show was music: rock-n-roll, country, gospel, etc. It was a good show and the ladies behind really enjoyed it. I haven't heard someone so into a performance in quite a while! We then headed for our last dinner. It was good food and we said good-bye to our waiter and his helper (the drink and bread guy). We hung out in the main lobby for mardi gras, and Carolyn managed to catch some beads from the bead-givers. The band was fun, but that is all the event was: bead tossing and music. bummer. We then noticed that the bar near us was playing live music. The guy wasn't bad. It was supposed to be a karaoke thing at the piano bar. Carolyn and I sang to quite a few songs before we had to go to bed. It turned out to be a fun day at sea.

Monday
Self Check-out was from 630-8am. This means you can just walk off the ship with all your luggage w/o any assistance from Carnival. We'd planned to do that, but were up way earlier. I just couldn't sleep, so I got into the shower. When I got out, Carolyn was up and gettin' ready. We went up to the buffet to watch the ship dock, but found that we were already in Long Beach! (I guess that is what woke us up.) We ate breakfast and watched the sun rise. It was really pretty. A Kodak moment, if you will. That LA smog really produces some wonderfully bright colors. When they announced that we could off-board the ship, we collected our stuff and headed towards Customs. It was all quick and easy.

Our shuttle bus took us back to LAX. Traffic was busy, but we were in carpool most of the time, so we got there quickly. There was one accident that stopped us, and it was a motorcycle vs car. The motorcycle clearly looked hurt. I'm guessing that'll teach him to not zip around like he was in the traffic!

Checking in was a complete hassle and totally confusing. I ditched Carolyn as I was able to check in and had to go get my bag scanned, and she had to wait until 910am to check in. After you take your "checked" luggage to security for scanning (which then it's finally taken toward the plane for you), you then have to stand in line to get yourself through security. I'm glad that we chose late flights as by the time I got through security, I had only a few minutes to catch the last of the morning flights to Oakland. The flip side to that is we had to wait until 210pm for my flight to OAK and 315 for Carolyn's flight to SFO. We looked around our terminal, looked around another terminal, ate an awful lunch, and hung out some more. When I got on my plane, Carolyn headed to her gate for her plane. When I got on the plane, I was surprised to see that it was basically empty. There were more people on my tour bus in Ensenada! So, we all, happily, spread out on the same, cramped Express Jet.

When I got to OAK, my baggage was not to be found. I was crabby and tired, and I KNEW that that was going to happen. The airport was so freakin' confusing that morning. The baggage claim was locked and I was told to go to the ticket counter for Delta. (insert quite a few grumbles as I walk over there) I tell them my problem, they asked for my sticker, and they say the bag is here waiting for me. I guess they just tossed it on that last morning flight to OAK instead of putting it on my plane. Phillip picked me up from the airport and took me home. Sadly, we weren't gonna be able to have dinner or anything as he had to go back to work. It was OK, though, as I was tired and probably not very good company. I snacked on food in the house, semi unpacked, and took a short nap. I called Carolyn to see if she got home OK, and she did - kinda. Y'all know the rest, I'm sure, by now.

Carolyn did make it to SFO. Her flight kept changing gates, and after she left me to go to her plane, the gate changed again! Poor Carolyn. She made her flight, though, and was on the bus to head home. She had to get off that one and walk a few blocks to Geary and get on that bus...

I hear her get off the bus
I hear her say, "oh, my bag's open"
I hear her say, "what the"
I hear a clunk, clunk, clunk
I hear various "are you OK?"s
I hear, "call 9-1-1!"
I hear, "blah, blah, lady, blah, car"
I hear Carolyn's phone cut out.

Needless to say, I panicked, and for a very good reason this time. It wasn't about wrong plane tickets that could cost me more money. This was about Carolyn. Either she was hurt, or someone else was hurt. I tried to call a couple of times, but there was no answer. I called Phillip, and he tried to reassure me that Carolyn was OK. It didn't work too well, but there wasn't anything I could do. I didn't even know where she was to call the police. I decided to give it a few hours before I called her parents to ask for the number at her apartment...

A couple hours later, Dave (Carolyn's dad) called me. He said that Carolyn was hit by a car while in the crosswalk and was in the hospital. He didn't know much else except that she was concious and in stable condition. Thank God! Not that Carolyn was in the hospital, but that I knew where she was and what had happend. I called Phillip to let him know, and he was relieved that she was being taken care of.

Tuesday
Still worried about Carolyn, I called her parents for more information. Rita (her mom) said that she was asleep but that she was doin' OK. Further examination at the hospital showed no broken bones, but that they were going to take her to the doctor that afternoon for a follow-up. Also, Rita said that, in the end, Carolyn was taken care of very well. At the scene there were many people who jumped at the chance to help, and most amazingly, two of those people were an emergency room tech and a crisis counselor. It felt good to hear that, and Rita said they'd give me an update after Carolyn's doctor appt. I called Phillip to give him the update and then met up with Margie at Grandma's office.

Margie and I spent the day at the dumps. Seriously. We used her SUV to haul (in two trips), the shredding I had stacked in the shed to the recycling center. It was chaotic at the dumps as they were repaving and possibly expanding the recycling area. Out of our two trips, the total recycled was 340 lbs of paper. nice. :>) We then looked around for a place to take Grandma's outdated tax books. Some are reference materials, but most of them were about tax law and court cases. Neither the San Leandro Library nor the Alameda County Law Library wanted the books. They couldn't recommend anyone that'd take them b/ they are so outdated and all of that stuff is online, on disk, or in their own dusty book collection. We ended up taking them to a recycling center on the Oakland/Berkeley border. They take the hard cover books apart and do the recycling thing. It took two trips for that as well. We felt we got a lot done and it was a step in the right direction. The business is closing this year. Grandma IS retiring.

Wednesday
After talking with Carolyn the night before, she asked that we come visit her this afternoon when Phillip got off work. No problem. I was looking forward to seeing her.

I spent the day unpacking and doing laundry. I briefly checked my email. I made some vegan muffins to take to Carolyn. I called Lisa and Dayni to let them know what was going on with Carolyn (Phillip called Jen R and Louis/Jen H). I can't remember what else I did that day. It wasn't as eventful as the last few! The new thing was that Mom was sick. I have no idea what happened, but she couldn't walk. Her bad leg (the one with the knee replacement) was giving her so much pain. It was hard to bend, hard to walk on, hard to put any pressure on. For what reason? We have no idea. So, between what I was doing, I spent the day helping her.

That evening, by the time I got to Carolyn's parents' house, Phillip was there, as was Dayni. Her parents had gotten us pizza (yum!) and we visited. Carolyn seemed to be in good spirits and didn't look at all battered as I thought she'd be. For example, her face wasn't cut up as the back of her head hit the windshield of the car, not her face... I was happy to see that she looked good, if not a little bit slower than normal.

Thursday
Mom insisted that she didn't need any of my help and told me to go down to KT's. Well, that's what I did. I packed my bag again, collected her bedding that I'd washed, and came down to San Jose last night. To avoid commute traffic, I took myself to see the new National Treasure movie. It was good, but I'm glad that I caught the matinee. When did it become $7.25 for matinee in Union City? The movie was action packed and had a lot of cool little puzzles and artifacts and trivia, but a few of the scenes too closely resembled the first movie. I didn't like that. But that is my only critique, so it's matinee worthy. Go see it. At Katie's condo, it's very quiet. There are a few random occasional bumps and creaks, from the neighbors, I'm sure, but that's it. And it's cold. I'll turn on the heater again tonight to take the chill out of me and the air.

Friday
I packed enough clothes until Sunday, so I can be away from home that long. I'll be back in San Leandro on Saturday night, though, as Phillip and I have a date. I'm looking forward to be spending some time with him.

So far, I've managed to get dressed, watch a little TV, and check my email and update the good ol' blog. By the way, congrats to Lisa and Greg (again) for the almost purchase of their first home!!! The rest of today's plans include watching another movie (KT has a lot here) and a little shopping. I wanna go to Mervyn's to exchange a Christmas gift before it gets to be too late to do so and the receipt is invalid.

As for my plans for next week, I should be here, in San Jose. Kate is gone for a while (she's in New Zealand visting people on the north island and attending MJ's wedding on the south island) and I've been asked to housesit. No problem as I've got nothing else to do, right? So, sometime this weekend I'll get more clothes, do a little grocery shopping, and hook up my computer to KT stuff so I can do homework for my online classes that'll start next week. Also, with my computer here, I'll be able to job search. Believe it or not, I'm looking forward to starting that hellish task again.