It’s the middle of my much needed nap when the ship tilts so drastically to the side that all of my drawers slam open and my things spill everywhere. Seconds later the emergency PA system turns on with an important announcement from the Captain. A few minutes earlier someone saw what might have been a person fall overboard. Following procedure, we are turning back to do a circle around the area and we must complete a full guest and crew check to be sure everyone is accounted for. It’s chaos as all 4500 people onboard the Carnival Freedom find their way [View Full Entry]

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The Island of Capri They say the Sirens used the power of song to lure unsuspecting sailors into the bluffs of Capri, an island off the coast of Napoli. Their irresistible voices called to the hearts of all men, and ships would turn towards the rocks in pursuit of something they could neither understand nor resist. The island of Capri is a massive structure rising out of the sea with dramatic cliffs and lush ivy. Walls of granite spike into the sky, stellagtites drip from open caves and waves break against neon tidepools. The ocean glimmers in colors you’d only see [View Full Entry]

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It occurs to me as I am actually enjoying my airline food on the flight from Miami to Venice that perhaps I have gotten a bit too used to shiplife. What is probably the worst food produced on this planet, actually seems to be a bit better than what I am used to eating in the staff mess onboard. As I quickly consume soggy rice and what they claim to be “chicken”, licking my fork clean I vow to appreciate everything I can about the next contract (yes! The food!), because when it’s time to re-enter the real world at the [View Full Entry]

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Between Contracts Part 3 & 4 - Michigan, Vegas, Home Part 3 - Michigan and The Wedding I headed out to Michigan for a few days to visit my sister Emily and my friend Emily, who lived one floor below me in college for two years (we used to spend nights in - she cooked, I did the dishes - and I fostered her obsession with bad prime time tv programming, an addiction that lasted her well past college). I purposely timed my work-break to coincide with my friend Emily’s wedding, since she’s been engaged for as many years as I’ve [View Full Entry]

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6 weeks might seem like overkill for a work break - especially when my salary is suspended while I am between contracts - but somehow I managed to pack my most recent vacation full of fun and adventures, and lived every minute to the absolute fullest: Part One: Home, New York, Boston I was really excited to have an entire week at home simply lounging and recharging. I cannot begin to explain the ultimate luxury of sleeping in on a giant fluffy queen size bed (after twin sized bunk beds on the ship! Ick!), then crawling into my mom’s bed to [View Full Entry]

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You know you need a vacation when you cant even get away from work in your dreams. Last night my roommate told me I was regulating the teenagers in my sleep, I was saying out loud “Hey, I need to see your card, what’s your name? Yeah I’ll be right there.” Am I jaded if I am tired of the places people crave to visit? I guess that’s what happens after over a year of twice-weekly visits to the same places. But luckily my family came out to visit and having guests in town is always sure to get me excited [View Full Entry]

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A broken engine propulsion thingy means we get to stay in Cozumel until midnight last cruise, and we all know this means an adventure. At first the day is frustrating, with nothing coming through the way we liked - we went to three different resorts trying to find friends and hang out without an exorbitant entry fee, but no such luck. Finally at 5pm I huff back into my room in a wrecked mood. My roomie Lynne is getting all dressed up for a night out and invites me to join. We get all lovelied up and go to this incredible [View Full Entry]

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Well it’s been quite a while since my last entry so I thought I’d post a quick update with where I am these days. Currently I am working on the Carnival Inspiration out of Tampa, en route to Cozumel and Grand Cayman. It’s a small ship, which means a much closer staff, a more friendly environment, and easygoing guests. I am still enjoying what I do on a daily basis but I have recently faced a few roadblocks which have only served to remind me that I am ready to move forward, whether that means getting off ships altogether, or pushing [View Full Entry]

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Sometimes I cannot believe this is my life. I am cantering through the ocean with waves splashing up around my ankles. This crazy Mexican horse seems to be afraid of the water but I cannot help but drive it back into the crashing surf. For a few moments I am alone on the beach somewhere off the coast of Mazatlan, Mexico. I am pushing this horse as fast as it can possibly run down the endless sandy beach, with nothing in the distance but a hazy horizon. Don't ask me how I got a horse onto the beach in the middle [View Full Entry]

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When I look out over the railing I find it impossible to believe that I am floating so far from shore. The horizon is a blank slate, melting seamlessly from sky to sea into a darkness that is intangible. I feel the opposite of powerful while somehow filled with the false overconfidence of someone too drunk for judgment. I am days from everything I know and understand. I am lost and finding myself at the same time. Deep within me I am aware of the splashing of something new; I can feel the water rising up against the walls of this [View Full Entry]

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