Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places

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Charleston, South Carolina. I don't really know what to make of it at the moment, but the shipping yard we're residing in is not very exciting. I actually had the day off today, so I did manage to venture off the ship long enough and catch a ride to WalMart. But not just any WalMart. It was a supermart Wal Mart. I've never seen such a one stop shop for the masses in my humble, sheltered existence in Los Angeles. It was bigger than CostCo.

So today I feel a bit refreshed because I didn't have to work. You're lucky I didn't have a chance to update yesterday because the constant work and lack of recreation was starting to take it's toll.

The ship has become a giant construction zone, and I've been working everyday in the main lounge, which is the largest theatre space on the ship. We took down the entire lighting plot and are putting in a new one. But in taking down the old plot, there was a lot of repair and cleaning that had to be done. That was a truly disgusting process, but now I'm incredibly familiar with how to disassemble a source four leko barrel down to the lenses quickly for cleaning and I also know how to take apart a Cyberlight and troubleshoot it for repairs. Most importantly, I know how to put all of it back together too. I also learned how to configure Input/Output nodes for an Ethernet Network that they're adding to the theatre. That was a cool thing to learn. And soon, I'll be learning the new console.

I might have lost the majority of you in that last paragraph.

So anyway, the work has been grueling but educational, and in my free time there hasn't been much to do besides drink--which is getting incredibly old incredibly fast. But now that I'm a bit more familiar with getting off the ship to go into town, I'll probably be doing that more.

Oh, and I finally got a roommate the other day. I was annoyed at first, but then I realized how little I spend time in the cabin. It's really only an inconvenience if I wake up first, but considering I don't really have to look presentable to go get grungy and dirty in the theatre, I don't take too much time getting ready. I pretty much just throw on clothes and leave and I take my showers in the evening to wash away the dirt of the day.

The food isn't great at the moment, because the only people their feeding are contractors and crew, so they aren't so concerned about the quality. Every meal involves a choice of a chicken, beef, or fish dish--one of which will always be stewed. And then there's some sort of steamed veggie option, a pasta dish and an attempt at a salad bar. And then you get a choice between lemonade, apple juice or water for a beverage. Oh, and there's also a dessert option. Everything is all you can eat, but it's never so delicious that a second helping is desired. One plate is pretty filling anyway.

But thanks to SuperWal Mart, I got to stock up on Dr. Pepper today. I think I'm still going to drink it sparingly though. Having water with every meal was probably better for me. I also learned a trick from the crew where you buy these large bottles of water from the crew bar at night, so you have water to drink the next day. It's very helpful. I've never been so hydrated. And I realized today that Dr. Pepper never tastes better than after not having it for a while.

Oh and I don't know if I mentioned how incredibly cheap the drinks are around here for the crew. Most beers are $1.25 and mixed drinks are $1.75. Those giant bottles of water, which are about 1.5 liters are $1. Sodas are $.60 and chips and candy are like $.50. It's just too easy to drink heavily here because everyone buys rounds like it's pocket change--which it is.

I guess it's a good thing that the drinks are so cheap because that's all there is to do here on the ship. It's a great social activity, but it's not exactly good for anyone. Neither is the heavy smoking that everyone does on board. These guys stop for a smoke break every half hour.

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Comments

[tracy]

Hi Jennifer, post some pics if you get a chance. I'd love to see the 'luxurious' accomodations you have there. Do you have access to the pools and the gym? Free workouts, that's the way to burn off all those drink calories!