Written May 18, 2015 -> October 27th, 2008
I don’t remember the specific details of the whole day anymore, of course. I don’t even remember the proper order of events. But here are the things I know happened that last day. (And a couple I don’t remember if they happened the 26th or 27th)
- No smoking-ish: There were only one or two places on the boat people could smoke inside, I remember the casino being the big one. Smoke just pouring out of it’s open doors into the rest of the boat. I was so glad to have not had a room one level up from that! I wondered how that was even allowed given their policy.
- Mini Crazy Golf (Actually Oct 24): This was one of the ones I wasn’t going to go to. Don’t remember why. Not a good time? Too hot out on deck? Didn’t like the description? It was early in the cruise, and I wasn’t invested in the medal competitions. Whatever my reason was, Michael got me to go. He said “you like playing mini-golf”. Which is true. Except this wasn’t going to be normal mini golf. When we got there, we were told each hole (there were 3) would require us to play using a different crazy stance. We were told what they were. One was standing on one leg – which can be hard enough, but then remember we were on a moving cruise ship! I think one was eyes closed before swinging. And I don’t remember the last, it might have been backwards, somehow? Whatever they all were – I WON! Straight up, honest to goodness, I won fair and square! The first hole I got up there, stood on one leg, and just swung ’cause I didn’t really care. And the ball stopped within inches of the hole! It was an easy putt to sink. Everyone else did worse. Second hole was a similar circumstance, though I actually tried more that one. The third hole I got in 3 strokes instead of 2, but despite I think someone getting a hole in one once, I sill took first place. Poor Michael wasn’t close.
- Karaoke Call: I had been feeling down about not hearing if I made it to the Kareoke finals. I don’t really remember all the emotions, but when I thought about the Kareoke competition, I wasn’t high about it. So when I got the call in the morning, I was both relieved and elated! (I think it woke me up, and I’m never in a good mood when I’m woken up for anything I deem not necessary). I have a vague thought that I was told I made it as the female alternate or runner up or some such. I was okay with that, I just wanted to sing in the finals!
- Wii Baseball: At first, wow! I went up to take my turn, swung the wii remote “bat” and got a home run! I immediately froze in my stance. When the next pitch came I made exactly the same motion as the first time: home run again! Third time, same stance, same swing: home run again! YAY! I luckily found the perfect position and motion right away, and did it for all 10 pitches. I got 10 home runs! I was the only one! WOO I WON! OR not…. All that got me was into the playoffs. Ppppthhhhh. We didn’t even have enough game attendees for a real version of that kind of thing! Of course once I had to stand down, I wasn’t able to step back into it the next round. But I did well enough to tie for first place. Yet still did not get it – they had us do a tie breaker instead of awarding two golds. After clearly winning the first round, and tying for first the second round, I lost the tie breaker. BAH! Silver.
However, the competition was interrupted by one of the players (in the playoff round I think?) messing up his leg. He went for a real baseball swing – leg planted, other leg extended, twisting swinging for power – and the boat rocked hard at that moment. He went down hard. Not pretty, I had sympathy pains in my ankle. I know that pain, I’ve felt it *grimace*. Deep breath, whewwwww. Anyway, I don’t remember the exact details, but I do remember wanting to help but also not wanting to give bad information. The game administrator was following all the proper regulations, calling in the details, calling for transport to the infirmary, whatnot. The ship’s doctor was not on duty at that time, “calling him in” would cost the injured player money. The player could do that, or could wait until the doctor was on duty and then go see him. But, of course, if there was a real problem with the knee (or was it ankle?) – broken or who knows – then waiting could be the wrong choice. In my personal experience, it seemed to me not likely broken (that’s a whole different kind of pain), and highly likely sprained – which would only be treated by Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation, and maybe alternating ice and heat temporarily. But it could also have been strained, and I didn’t have much experience with that possibility. Over the half hour or so Michael sat by, bored, waiting. He was already out of the medal contention I believe. Most players left. A few remained to get their turns when the injury hold was over. I was giving information about possibilities, but not any committed answers. At one point I talked with Michael and he mentioned to me about how I was acting, implying that I needed to make a choice to take responsibility as a care provider for the guy’s knee or walk away. By then the cruise staff was pressing the man for what he wanted to do, and the man was clearly looking to me for advice, he would believe my on the scene triage “diagnosis”. I said I really couldn’t make a determination without being able to see his knee. He managed to force his pants leg up over it so I could see. Swollen. I don’t rightly remember if it was already turning colors. I decided to take Micheal’s advice and I chose to make a statement. I told him it looked like a bad sprain to me, but I didn’t think he needed a doctor immediately, if he could stand the pain. He thanked me, trying to smile, and his female companion (I don’t remember when she appeared) and cruise staff helped him with a wheelchair (I think?) to his room.
- Virtual golf: Took a bit to figure out where we were supposed to be. But Michael and I found it in time to play for a medal. We thought we’d done decent, until the real golfers took their turns. Whatever unit it was our swings were measured in (I can’t remember now, feet? Yards? Meters? Other?), theirs were measured in the next degree up. Say we had gotten 108 feet distance on our balls. They were getting 108 yards on their balls. We placed right near the bottom, if not outright the last two. Oh well. We left knowing we were outclassed, and rightly so.
- Dodge ball: Michael was determined to win a medal, which meant he was going to literally EVERY event (all sporting) that was awarding them. He dragged me to all but one of them throughout the cruise. I really don’t know why, he’s never been one to my knowledge to need someone else go with him in order to do something. I’ve always wondered since if he regretted prodding me into them, since I had such luck and he didn’t. Anyway, I refused to play dodge ball. The only one I held firm on. But I did go watch him to provide moral support. It was pretty much what you’d expect from dodge ball. Michael did fairly well: catching the ball occasionally to make someone else out; doing an average job of tagging other people when he threw the ball; and doing very well at dogging balls for someone so tall! Then, of course, the cheater instinct won over some other guy. The guy was very clearly hit on his shoe with a ball, but the refs didn’t see it and the guy directly denied being tagged out when I called him on it from the sideline. There were only a handful of people left in the game. Michael went out not too long after wards, the fourth person leaving behind three. He would have at least made bronze if that guy had have played fair and left, as that would have made Michael the third person leaving behind two. Instead that guy got a medal. Bah. I think I remember the last two people both being awarded Gold as neither could tag the other out within a non-boring amount of time.
Michael did manage to get a Bronze medal by the end of that last night. He talked with one of the two people in charge of the sporting events, who usually handed out medals. I don’t know what he said, but he was convincing. The man agreed to give Michael a medal, I believe it was for having attended and attempted every single event. I was glad for him getting the medal. I still remember Michael looking down at the medal as he held it in his hand and rubbed the top with his thumb. I don’t know what he was feeling.
- Rock wall climbing: Only the crazy would climb a vertical rock wall on a moving boat, right?! Well, I was finally convinced or got up the nerve, or both, to try it. Almost didn’t get the chance due to weather. But did, and it was fun! Got a couple tips from an older kid who did the expert track. I stuck to the easy track at first, and gave the medium track one try I think. I remember exchanging email addresses with a guy who had his camera (phone?) with him and took pictures of me climbing. It was just about sunset, so red/orange colors in the background made the pictures cool. Never got them though, sad.
- Karaoke Finals: We were told how it was going to go, three judges were picked from the audience, and we singers asked to stay over to the left of the stage for our turns. But it got SO smoky on that side of the large “room” that I just couldn’t. Memories are vague and to order of events here. I remember singing one of my all time favorites which I think I am very good at – I’ve practiced for years and it’s hard for me to not put myself into the song. One Moment in Time by Whitney Houston. It was definitely the best performance I’d done in Karaoke the whole cruise. I also distinctly remember one of the judges, a short haired female, giving me a standing Ovation while applauding when I finished. I was proud. Mom’s comment to me afterward was the same as she has always said: people who are not Whitney should not try to sing Whitney. This time I didn’t care, I really thought I could win for female Karaoke. I did not. I didn’t get why. However, every finalist was awarded a gold medal. That was unexpected. Of the medals I won on the cruise, this was the one I valued the most.
Then there was when we Karaoke finalists were socializing off to the side of the stage. We were talking, we were laughing, some of them were drinking (of course). Then one of the guys standing to the right of me, gray hair but not really an older man, put his arm around my waist. I was immediately on alert. I pushed my right elbow back towards him, then wordlessly fled around to the other side of the large room. I “hid” amongst the crowd for I think the rest of the night, at least until it was time for me to sing again.
I’m trying to remember if this incident was actually the night of the finals, or if it was the night I sang “Creep”, because I remember staying over there sitting with Michael and Mom, once each showed up, and wondering when they would finally call me up, but not worried that I was losing my chance at the competition. They two in charge of the competition were surprised to see me near the end of the night, “There you are!” one said when I went over to find out if they’d forgotten about me. I almost lost my turn to sing that night because they couldn’t find me, because I wasn’t over to the left of the stage like they expected. Which also makes me wonder at the memory of the smokiness. I know that happened, and that it was the night of the finals because that was the night with the most people there, but I can’t remember if the smokiness was my valid excuse for hiding on the wrong side of the room after the encounter that shut me down. Also, I have written down the order of singers in the finals, and that doesn’t match up with me being the last singer of the night.
The man apologized with true regret (and maybe some confusion) the next time I saw him. He was really sorry, and sober (as in not drunk, not as in subdued). Now that I think through it all, it makes sense the night of the incident was not the finals, and that the man apologized the night of the finals – because that’s when I would have had to have been around him again. And I tried to stay over on the left side of the stage, but the smoke got to me, and I didn’t want him to think I left again because of him, and I now have a vague memory of telling the competition runners I was moving to the other side of the room so they would know I was still there.