THEY'RE GONE! 20 minutes 'til eleven, and they finally get out of here! Now I can camp out on the couch in a quiet house... AHHHH!

holy cow!  they're STILL HERE!!!  GO PARTY FOR GOD'S SAKE!!  

Halloween 2008

Okay....  so the crew house is hoppin' tonight as everyone (mostly the guys) gets dressed in their costumes...  so far, we have two knights, a Spartan, Superman/Clark Kent, Saturday Night Fever, William Warren, a redneck sheriff, Risky Business, a witch, and a pirate...  What am I going to be?  A COUCH POTATO!  I'm not leaving the house tonight since I'm so strapped for cash...  I did have a couple costume ideas though...  a Greek goddess, a bathing beauty...  a shacker (a girl who goes home with a guy at the end of the night)...

It has been fun coming up with ideas for the guys...  the girls of course already had their costumes.  The boys went shopping for their costumes around 7:30 this evening, and those caught with nothing after Dollar Tree closed we stuck with whatever we had in the house which was *surprisingly* a lot!  Simon provided Charlie with a suit so he could be Superman; Kelly made John's toga so he could be Leonidas; John lent Kelly a white dress shirt so she could be Tom Cruise in Risky Business...  tonight truly was a team effort.

Everyone seems to be leaving -- FINALLY!! -- so I can carry on with my "costume" of the evening... a pathetic couch potato.  I've got some ice cream in the freezer, raid the boys' beer stash (they'll never realize it's gone), watch Ghost Hunters Live -- a Halloween tradition since last year.  Sounds depressing, I know, but it's not too bad.  I don't have the money to blow on cab rides, cover charges, overpriced alcohol, and a 2 am Denny's run.  

I had to call my mom to ask for money today.  I've never done that before.  I've always been the one to send HER money.  It was hard to say the words, and I braced myself for a lecture, but I was surprised that she didn't seem to bat an eye.  I promised her that I'd pay her back as soon as I had a job, and she assured me that it was no big deal.  Still...  I hate asking for help.

Daywork -- WHOOPEE!!!

So, I've finished Day 2 of day work, and I must say... this girl PREFERS living the life of leisure, but enjoys having money to spend... on rent and shampoo...  I'm sure my roommates are thankful that I'm not using their shampoo, too.

We're preparing for the boat show that starts on Thursday...  today things got rather stressed as fixtures continued to be left unfixed, the "to do" list continued to grow, and more things seemed to break.  We leave tomorrow morning for our spot at the boat show, and I imagine it's going to be even MORE stressed as we work until the wee hours of the morning making everything PERFECT...  

At the moment, I'm chilling with Melissa for a RARE evening in front of the television.  It's FREEZING outside... well, 52 degrees.  Weather.com projects that the high tomorrow will be 70 but back in the 80s by Monday...  Whew!  I was worried I might not be able to wear flip-flops.  

In other news, I'm recovering from the strep quite nicely.  I have another three days of meds before I'm DONE, but I don't feel sick at all.  THANK GOD! 

Still on the job hunt...  turns out Sacajawea hired another stew who had been working on the boat for a while.  No problem.  The chief stew said she'd be glad to be a reference for me saying I'm a hard worker and I'm trustworthy to complete tasks well.  I hope everything works out for me...

Until another day...

Starting to feel better...

I don't think I've ever felt THIS much better after taking medicine, but in only a few days, I'm feeling TONS better...  of course, my head still aches a bit and my sore throat comes and goes...

More later.

Learning and living...

My purse looks like I raided a pharmacy, and in a way I did.  Currently, I have sinus meds, cough drops, throat spray, ibuprofen, two kinds of acetaminophen, penicillin, and rolaids.  Yes, folks, you guessed it.  I'm one sick puppy...  Went to the clinic yesterday and for the first time in my 20-something years, I have acquired STREP THROAT!  

It all started on Monday when I woke up with throat and ear pain.  Went to the clinic and the nurse said it was probably sinus-related, to get some meds that would dry out the fluids, and I'd be okay.  Monday night, I started feeling better, went to Chris's house.  Fell asleep over there, and woke up Tuesday morning with body aches and chills so bad that I wanted to die.  I had on sweat pants, long-sleeve shirt, two comforters, and a blanket and I still had chills.  Chris said he could feel the heat off my back through my shirt and without even touching me.  Needless to say, I didn't move from his couch that day, and he stayed home with me that morning...  picked up some juice and medicine for me.  Eventually, my fever broke, but my throat still hurt like hell.

Woke up Wednesday morning and decided that I needed to do something about this, so I went back to the clinic.  The five-minute strep test came back a glaring positive (I was glad that I wouldn't have to wait for some antibiotics!).  So, I've been hanging out in bed all day and all night... bored to tears and itching to do something.  My body is bursting with energy, but my head feels like a 50-pound medicine ball.  I need to walk up to CVS to get myself a new toothbrush... forgot to pick one up yesterday when I was there.  

So, what have I learned from all of this?  First of all, don't get sick.  But in the case of the inevitable, always have someone who will help you when you DO get sick... fortunately, I had Chris.  I'm sure I could have found others who would have helped me, but I always hate to ask.  Third, know where you can go to get help... meaning, I had access to the minute clinic at CVS... didn't need insurance, and it saved me a LOT of money I would have spent on a doctor visit.  I'm sure there are other things I've learned from this experience, but I haven't realized them yet...  I'm just glad I'm on meds.  And I'm thankful that my mom knows so much about stuff like tylenol and advil and how much to take and when...  

In other news, the job leads continue to come at me.  Not complaining, but they all seem SO great!  It's hard to decide which one to pursue.  So far, nothing concrete has really panned out, but I think the job on Sacajawea is pretty promising.  I was supposed to start working on the boat on Monday, and then I came down with THIS, but the chief stew has been wonderful and understanding.  

At any rate, I'm starting to feel like my old self again, except for a throat that feels gravelly and looks like raw ground beef... and a head that pound any time I move too quickly.  I should feel MUCH better tomorrow, and by Monday, I'll be on Sacajawea scoring myself a J-O-B!

Exhausted but Happy

I don't really know how to start this off, but I figured I hadn't written in a few days, so I was due.  This weekend was another great one spent with Chris.  He's still fighting his cold, and I think I'm starting to get it myself... I'm getting a scratchy throat and a cough here and there.  Of course, it could be related to all the smoking I've been around since I've gotten down here...  Yuck.

Anyway, I spent the entire day at the beach yesterday.  Chris and I went to John Lloyd State Park (the same beach we went to last week) with Mark, Boysie, Carrie, and Jane (our friend from New Zealand).  Mark, Chris, and Jane went diving for lobsters while Boysie, Carrie, and I hit the bar and beach...  they dove for around two hours!  And, for their efforts, they brought back one lobster, some great stories, and a bit more knowledge on how best to catch the little buggers.  

This morning, Chris and I had the lobster in an omelet -- YUM!  

I've been doing a little more writing lately...  some poetry and narratives... just some private things that I don't intend to show many if anyone...  I'm glad that the creative juices are flowing again...  Chris and I were talking about it last night, and I thought of a few things I could write about -- silly things like drinking with the guys, time spent with Chris...  

OH!  Friday night, I met up with the boys (Chris, Tim, and Boysie) at The Well.  The boys had been there for a few hours, so they were buzzing pretty well, and Tim pulled me aside and told me that if I didn't try out for American Idol, he'd never talk to me again.  Funny man.  He even offered to pay for voice lessons to improve my vocals!  But he said I didn't need to waste my "talent"...  whatever that may be.  Honestly, I play guitar and sing because I love it...  I love the songs I sing, and that in turn gives me the passion and drive to sing well.  I wonder sometimes if I could sing even if I wasn't "feeling" it... 

Anyway, I'm at Chris's house hiding out in his room...  the guys are watching the Indie car race, the sky is grey and cloudy, and I'm chillin with Blossom Dearie and Lena Horne...  I think I might pick up my guitar and crank out some tunes out by the pool.  Trouble is, I don't have my music with me and I can never remember the chords!  Some rocker I'll be if I have to have a music stand on stage with me!!  Tehehe...  

Fort Lauderdale is PARTY TOWN!

Went to the Triton party last night...  It was more like the Triton crowd!  Not only was the saloon jam-packed, but the city block in front of and around the bar swarmed with yachties.  UNREAL!  Despite the masses, I did find some friends -- Molly and Georgia, Danielle, Melissa, Jane, Linda (one of my agents), and a couple guys from my STCW class.  Ended up giving my free drink away to Shelton...  I just can't seem to hold my liquor these days.  BUT, the food was good.  Black beans, plantains, chicken wings...  YE-HAW!  

After about an hour of "networking" (more like standing around trying to look cool while talking to people I already know and see every day), I took a cab back home.  What doesn't make sense to me is how ironic this function was.  The *purpose* of this party was to mix and mingle with others on boats...  to score jobs, right?  Well, what REALLY happened was people getting pissed out of their minds, girls showing up like they were trying to score a roll in the hay... but, maybe that's their idea of a job?  I don't know if I would want to hire someone who showed up to a networking party dressed like a call girl... yes, they want to have fun and show off their bodies, but I would also expect them to bring some respect and propriety to the boat they work on.  

What do you think? 

Giddy-Yap!

I had an interview this morning...  went pretty well.  The chief stew found my resume at Smallwood's and called me yesterday while I was at Chris's house.  Turns out the captain was born in the same hospital I was born in, still lives in Georgia (when he's not on the boat), has friends at my alma mater, knows Sid Brown (my dad's old boss!), and has a nephew in the same school district where I used to teach...  WEIRD!  Or should I say, SMALL WORLD?!  

Anyway, the boat is 132' and is a pretty serious charter machine...  they are booked solid until February, and are hoping to get about ten more charters booked through until May.  The hard work doesn't scare me... and the money I'll be saving is GREAT!  (No, MOM!  Just because I'm not spending the money doesn't mean YOU can!!!!  But I will help you out with those tires on my car anyway...)

I've also been emailing a lady who responded to an ad I placed in the Triton.  She said she may have a lead for me...  turns out she's a travel writer, and she wants to meet me at the Triton networking party tonight.  The theme is "Cowboys and Indians" and a saloon in Ft. Lauderdale is hosting it...  I'll be looking more like a hillbilly than a cowgirl because I'm too cheap to invest in a pair of boots (they're SO not packable!), but maybe the plaid shirt I'm stealing from Chris and my braids and bandana will be convincing enough.  If not, I can always show a little cleavage.  Tehehe... Just KIDDING, DADDY!!

I'm off to Burger King with Trina and Carrie... no, I've already had my salad, so I'm just going for the exercise...  More to come.

there is hope in the universe...

Started off the morning with a bike ride half-way to "marina mile" to do some dock walking with Carrie before I realized that I wouldn't be able to get into the shipyards.  Besides that my tootie was wailing in pain, my bike had no breaks, and the tire was going flat...  So, I turned around.  

On the way back to my crew house, I stopped into the Crew Unlimited office to see about a couple jobs I was interested in.  Got some more information, but nothing super exciting.  Once Carrie came home -- she was following up on a job lead at one of the shipyards -- she said that she stopped by Roscioli to see the Aquasition crew.  Chris was still sick.  She threw together some AWESOME soup -- onions, garlic, thyme, sage, lemon, chicken stock, veggie bullion, and rice noodles -- and we took it over to the sick boy.  I was a little jealous that I couldn't cook like that.  One day, maybe.  

Anyway, we piled in on Chris whether he wanted us to or not.  I think he was happy for the company.  I pestered him to drink lots of fluids, he complied to a certain extent.  We watched Zohan (silly movie...  not one I'd see again) and all crashed for a little while.  By 4:30 the crew tumbled in.  Carrie and I lingered for a while longer, but nothing was happening, so we said our farewells.  

While I was over there, I did get a call about a job on a 130' yacht going to the Caribbean.  The atmosphere sounds great, and I'm looking forward to the interview tomorrow.  If the interview goes well, I'll be asked to work with them getting the boat ready for the boat show and then perhaps to stay on for the charter season!  YES!!

Now, I'm sitting in the crew house while the guys grill outside, listening to a little Van Morrison, and just hanging with the peeps...  I have an interview tomorrow, DESPERATELY need to do some laundry, and I can't seem to get full... I raided Chris's fridge eating some of Carrie's soup, chips and salsa, a ham sandwich...  then I got home and ate a couple pieces of chocolate, four slices of cheese...  and I'm still hungry.  I need something starchy...  like a doughnut or something.  BUT, if I eat that all the exercise I've been getting biking and walking everywhere will be for NOTHING...  oh, but a hot glazed doughnut would be SO scrumptious right now.

Okay... going to Dunkin' Drug-Laced Doughnuts up the street... I'll take a dozen to Chris... maybe that will make him feel better... I'll stop by the gas station and pick up some orange juice.. and maybe I'll bring my guitar to serenade him with my healing voice.