Locked and Loaded

Another cruise, another trip through the “amazing” Panama Canal.  Before I get started, let’s go on a little information romp to learn more about this engineering marvel shall we?  Yes. 

One of the great engineering feats of the 20th century, the Panama Canal accomplished what nature forgot to do; it connected the Atlantic to the Pacific, and reduced the 12,000 mile sailing distance between New York and San Francisco by more than 7,000 miles. In 1880, The French Canal Company began construction, but plagued by diseases, financial burdens and engineering problems, they sold the canal's rights and properties to the United States for $40 million. The US began construction in 1904 and completed it ten years later at a cost of roughly $387 million an unprecedented amount at the time. 

So every 15 days or so I throw my curtains aside and am greeted by a brick wall mere inches (literally) from my portholes.  It’s really amazing.  Watching the ship being guided through each of the three sets of locks is still impressive no matter how many times I see it.  And when I realize people have saved up for years to experience this makes me appreciate my job all the more.  Every place I get to visit is a dream destination for most of the people that fall asleep during our shows.  (Let’s face it, Do You Wanna Dance can’t really compare to a wonder of the world.) 

It costs the ship somewhere in the area of $320,000 dollars to cross the canal every trip we make.  No wonder the cost of the cruise is one of the highest of all the itineraries!  Again, this canal is like nothing else in the world, so much like a ticket to the Opening Ceremonies for the 2012 Olympics in London, they can charge whatever they like.  (My mother in law recently informed me a ticket is going for around 2000 pounds.) 

It’s just one of those moments when I think, “Oh, Panama Canal day, may as well do laundry” that I step out onto the open deck and really take in what I’m surrounded by.  One day our kids will be learning about this canal and ask me about it and I’ll be able to say I went through it over 30 times, and of those 30 times, I only lost a sock twice.

Not too shabby.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal

Memories...

I recently purchased the Neat scanner to try and organize my taxes, receipts, and my leaning tower of pisa-like stack of other papers that I can’t bring myself to part with. This thing is incredible, and I encourage everyone to get one if you are self-employed or an independent contractor. My accountant is going to be smitten with me when I submit my 2010 tax return.

While going through my over 200 receipts, I was reading each one to ensure It was placed in it’s rightful tax category, and many of the receipts brought up some amazing memories. It was like looking through a photo album of the past 8 months. Yes, some were simple memories like treasured dinners at Taco Bell, or a quick trip to Shoppers Drug Mart (I’m telling you after 6 sea days these receipts almost brought a tear to my eye) but some made me burst out laughing or had Adam & I recounting an event that was memorable.

- $24.93 at Walmart on tweezers, a Lady GaGa CD and a Crayola chalk making set.
This was the day my adorable niece experienced petting a cactus at my Mom’s house. Unfortunately my Mom didn’t have tweezers, so I drove Émilie to Wal-mart to buy some. She was so uncomfortable but was so great the entire drive there. When I got in the car, GaGa’s Bad Romance was playing on the radio, so to make her laugh I was dancing around in the car like crazy and getting her to repeat the chorus with me. After we spent a good 15 minutes getting all the needles out of her palm, I told her she could pick out one craft for being so brave. She looked up at me and asked “May we get the Gaga song?” What was I to do? Off to the entertainment department we went and we were singing it on a continuous loop, and have been ever since. (She also lucked out with the craft at Uncle Mike’s insistence.)

- $35.70 at Monoghan’s Sports Bar and Pub in Oakville, ON
This was after seeing Anything Goes at Sheridan College, the old alma mater bringing about a mini reunion of sorts between myself, Michael Hughes, Tricia Lackey (another tag Dishz), Sarah Slywchuk, Jeigh Madjus, Tom Delbello, Sarah Sheps, Ari Weinburg and Steve Thomas. (Yes, I’m name dropping.) Monoghan’s was our local local poutine hole (or watering hole) during college and it was so great to have so many of our classmates there again enjoying overpriced pub food. Funny how now that we are actually making money the prices bother us, but as a student buried in debt extra cheese and another beer wasn’t even a question.

- $12.00 at Toronto Pearson Airport
This was a wonderful pick-up receipt as opposed to a dropping off one where Adam & I picked up his parents for a lovely visit in March. They got to see our apartment in the ghetto of London, and I can still boast about being victorious in our first (and last) nomination whist tournament in that apartment.

- $32.50 at Conception Sushi London, ON
This was when I decided to introduce my Mom to sushi outside of the walls of Loblaws. It was amazing, and she was converted. I have a feeling she hasn’t been back since, but I loved sitting in the basement watching Iron Chef and helping her with her word jumble game on the computer munching on shrimp tempura rolls. Even my Dad managed to choke down a few.

I have a receipt from the London Ale House from the day my brothers and good friend Andrew helped me move the apartment into a storage space the size of a thimble in the pouring rain. We were doubled over with laughter on several occasions, and managed to fit everything in with a cubic millimeter to spare. I have one from a Kelsey’s in St. Catherine’s where my brother Mike & I stopped en route to the Elton John/Billy Joel mash-up concert in Buffalo. It was a dream come true to see that, and to see it with him was the best. Lord knows we’ve butchered enough of their songs in the basement over the years. Many Tim Horton’s memories with 2 medium coffees, usually one for me and one for my Dad, too many Shoppers Drug Mart ones with needless toiletries (thanks Mom) and never enough New York Fries receipts with a regular poutine and iced tea on them.

Who knew that preparing for the dreadful event of taxes could bring about such a great feeling of happy memories, and regretted purchases.

Seriously, who’s in the market for a Bissel apartment vacuum that can barely suck up a feather? I’ve got one going cheap, and I have the receipt if you need to return it.

Spare Some Change

I’m not going to count my chickens before they hatch, but the last 48 hours on board the ship have been a real breath of fresh air.  We recently went into a dry dock, where the ship gets put into a dock, all water is drained out and they paint, repair, re-carpet and generally revamp the ship in 10 days.  It’s amazing to see the ship out of its element and stripped of its gold plated glamour for a few days.

With this dry dock came a big change in crew as well, which can mean a major shift in morale and overall comfort.  As a crew member, regardless of company or ship, we generally do a 6-8 month contract in one stretch.  From Australia to Alaska, each crew member is separated from their family and friends.  Yes, we chose the life and job we have, but it’s still hard.  I’m the first to admit that I am not good with big change, and the first time I came onto a ship it was not only the first time I was living with a stranger, it was also the first time I had ever even seen a cruise ship, let alone lived on one.  Your schedule changes, eating habits are different, and you meet people from all over the world just by walking down a hallway.  You must learn to tolerate people who are not used to the words “excuse me” or “please”, and you must adapt to a class system that while not completely tragic, is startling when you’re used to eating or going where you want, when you want.

A 6 month contract can feel like forever when you are dealing with people you don’t always mesh with.  This is especially hard at sea, and different from any land job.  There is no escape here at sea, no secrets left locked up.  Work is your home, and vice versa.  A job on land brings the relief of neutral zones like the gym, a night out to the movies or your own home, but not the case on a ship.  Personal problems are hard to leave at the door, and it can become difficult to see the light at the end of the 6 month tunnel. 

Coming back from this dry dock started a very long 9 month journey for Adam and I.  We have decided to extend our time here on the ship to save up and keep working consistently.  To come back to a bright clean ship with fresh faces and a new exciting outlook on the job is a great way to start this long journey. 

So while the changes to the Island may not be apparent to those passengers who join us for a short time, the most important changes are those that have lifted morale and helped let a little bit of light through the tunnel that once seemed to just be a dead end.

Change, though sometimes scary, is good.   For now.