davidd's A DOLL A DAY 2024

[davidd]

Whoa! Transatlantic voyage?!?!    Yay you!  And Spain, AND Morocco?
I love how the Pinkys are dressed for each occasion.
No "white sails shaking" though, by the look of that.
Wow, just a week across!  What were you on? [OK nvm, I saw on Flickr]  How was the weather?  Didja get sick??  Really pleased for you that you got to add that to your list of adventures 
And oh boy, I can sure relate to the girls' comments on the last pic.

Yes, trans-Atlantic from Barcelona to Miami, with stops at three ports in Spain, one in Morocco, and Bermuda.

The Pinky crew are dressed similarly to how they appeared during their first cruise, in Hawaii, way back in 2007.

No "white sails shaking," definitely a motorized vessel, the Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) Norwegian Pearl.

Yes, the passage was fast. Most of the time the ship was making 18 to 20 knots.

Weather was good. Daytime temps mid-60s / 18 C, with water temp about the same. Mostly moderate seas, 5 to 8 foot swells. One day was rough, with swells up to 12 feet and 30 knot winds. Even the giant cruise liner with stabilizers was rocking and pitching a bit. Some of the ex-perienced crew members admitted to feeling queasy that day. I somehow managed to avoid turning green. Wind and surface chop the final day as well.

Some of my questions about the "middle of the ocean" were answered. Is it dark at night? Yes. Are the stars clear and bright? No. As the air cools, fog lifts, so nights were mostly hazy. Very few stars visible. To my surprise, there was a four day stretch where no other ships were visible, no land, no sea birds -- nothing. Not even jet trails across the sky. I spotted a pod of whales briefly on the second or third day out. Other than that, it was just water.

Back in the day, I used to feel excited returning home after traveling. After all, I was returning home to a place that was a once-in-a-lifetime dream destination for many people. How did I screw that up or why did I give that up? As I begin my tenth year in Utah I grow increasingly despondent about what I left behind. Yes, I still live in a "visitor destination" popular with travelers from all around the world, but... it ain't the same. And it's cold.

I managed to leave "the real world" behind for two weeks. I wasn't going online, I wasn't watching TV news, and after a few days I didn't really miss it. Now I'm back and aware of the world again and what the hell? While I was away the American government tried to shove through an "Australian style" Internet ID and tracking law, and right now they're trying to vote through an "omnibus bill" that includes eanded "emergency powers" for the government, including the ability to mandate masks and vaccines and the authority to require vaccine passports, along with additional funding for the "gain of function" labs that created COVID in the first place. And they're planning to vote themselves a 40% raise - $70k per year. Their raise is nearly twice the median individual income in the country. So in a matter of a few days I've gone from being in the middle of the ocean with nary a care to just wanting to end it all. What is the effing point of even trying anymore when the fascist thugs do more every day to increase their stranglehold on power and authority?

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18 December - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Captain Action 1/6-scale Action Figure

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Round 2 Toys Captain Action uniform on TBLeague M33 body with unbranded aftermarket head sculpt.