Visit to a Queen and Waiting on Line

I heard someone on our cruise ship was arrested when we docked in Long Beach. I don't know if customs agents were looking for something or someone specific but they thought it would be a dandy idea to have all 2,600 passengers screened.

It seems like every customs check is different, this was a first for us. 

Grand Princess left Ensenada, Mexico bound for Long Beach, California and late that afternoon we received a notice to bring our passports and report to a shipboard lounge at 9:45 a.m. the next morning. Long Beach has a large domed pavilion we would pass through with our group. According to the notice; no one would be allowed back on board until the ship was completely empty.

So at our assigned time Wanda and I went down to the lounge. We saw a line so long we thought they were giving away free drinks. Screw this; we went back to our cabin. 

The morning got off to a bad start. The agents were thirty minutes late and there were only six of them. Another problem was crowd control on the elevated walkway from the ship to the pavilion. Fearing a potential collapse only a hundred or so people at a time were allowed to wait on it. We finally got off the ship and passed through our inspection point around 11:45 a.m. We decided to walk over and tour the original Queen Mary.

Long Beach Pavilion, Queen Mary & Wanda

We walked around the Queen long enough (about 5 minutes) to realize they need more help with clean-up and maintenance. Remnants of last night's banquet were still on the floor of the main dining room. And by the looks of it, a good time was had by all. After less than an hour we made the ten minute walk back to the pavilion. 

People were still waiting to re board our ship. Fortunately the weather was beautiful, we had no plans for the port and we stretched out on the lawn to people watch. By one o'clock many of them were getting cranky.

Nature called so we walked over to the rest rooms, left a deposit and returned to a bench to wait it out. Wanda and I struck up a conversation with the couple sitting next to us. She was a seasoned cruiser, this was her twenty-second he was a virgin and this was his first. Of course we talked about the FUBAR situation we were in. The three of us 'old timers' assured him this was (a) not the fault of Princess and (b) not the norm. We talked customs at various ports, ships and cruise experiences which made the time pass quickly.

I was having a great time chatting and the gentleman asked me what my favorite line was, he said. "What is your favorite line?"

"Well, once we were on a Celebrity ship and the customs line was wrapped around the forth deck through the casino in front of the forward elevators.... Here Wanda interrupted me and said, "He means cruise line not line line." 

"Oh sorry, six of one, half dozen of the other," I embarrassingly said. Damn, it was a really good story too. I always enjoy watching old folks with canes and walkers act like spoiled five year old kids.

Here is an interesting fact: Smoking is bad. Each cigarette smoked takes eleven minutes off your life. I'm glad I quit twenty years ago. I don't know if I've gained 3.1 years but at least I haven't lost it. On the other hand, exercise is good. For every thirty minutes running your life expectancy is increased thirty minutes. I'm not sure that really counts....unless you run and do something else at the same time.

Wanda does not get enough credit for putting up with me. I should treat her to something special, maybe a nice dinner out or a short week-end get away.

I needed the knife sharpener the other day. I keep it in the upper cabinet left of the stove, in the left front on second shelf. I couldn't see or reach it. Since Wanda and I share the cabinet space and she has lots of baking supplies in the same area I naturally assumed she'd moved it.

"Where's the f'ing knife sharpener now?" I ask.

Wanda, "It's in the same place it always is."

Well it wasn't in "the same place it always is." I had to move a few things and reach much further back to get it and I told her so.

"Excuse me, the knife sharpener was not in the same place. I always keep it in front and to the left. I had to move a few things, stretch and stand on my tip toes to reach it." I smugly informed her.

"Oh for god's sake, Wanda replied. It was eight inches back."

Like I said, Wanda deserves a nice dinner out or a short week-end get-away, without me. Maybe she could go with Older Daughter Jennifer or even a chimpanzee wearing a suit, a yellow bow tie and a diaper. 

Does anyone need a house sitter? I think I need to give Wanda some alone time.

We got our first water bill post bathroom remodel. 

I've mentioned this before; the new low flow toilets use just over a gallon per flush. We have a high efficiency washing machine. The new dishwasher only uses 2.9 gallons a cycle and the new shower head saves water as well. 

Our water usage dropped about 25%, from 126 to 82 gallons per day. I'm racking my brains trying to figure out how we can possibly use 82 gallons and I discover the average household uses between 80-100 gallons per day per person. So Wanda and I are using about half the norm. And that's great news.

From now on, showers twice a week.

I have some wonderful topics planned for the blog next week so be sure and check it out. Learn all about sleep mistakes, how to get noticed at work and 10 ways to treat ingrown toenails.