The waves in the pool offer a real work out these past two mornings. I am amazed at the effort it takes to cross this minuscule sea. It feels good. I feel healthy and trim. One of these days I'm going to weigh myself.

I'm not the only one who looks forward to and relishes Sea Days. I wouldn't have believed how busy one gets and how involved in daily activities. The shore excursions cut into the time! I am also surprised at the depth of friendship one can develop in this unreal shipboard time. It's not summer camp time; that's too short. It's more like boarding school: daily and inexorable and seemingly endless, for good or ill. Mostly for good.

I still get flyers from my favourite grocery stores and recipes from the New York Times but I can't pay any attention because I am not shopping or cooking for myself. I do plan, however. Along with our nightly newsletter, we receive a sheet of menus for lunch and dinner the next day. I study it all day, in spare moments, and figure out what I'll eat, taking into account my plans for the day, with a nod to Weight Watchers and calorie counts. I hope I don't make it sound like work. I enjoy it.

Perhaps, if anyone is interested, I can give some examples of my daily intake and of the delights offered.

More anon.

I tried for over 24 hours to get back online to finish my déja vu meditation. We are told that it takes a message a long time to be delivered because it has to travel the equivalent of 4 times around the world. According to Google, I'm getting and sending messages via New Zealand - a long way away now. We were in American Samoa yesterday (it rained) and we now have two Sea Days to reach Raiatea (sp?), I think.

I must check in with you this morning, however, because we are going to another "Premium" wine-tasting this afternoon. We went to an add-on yesterday, no, two days ago: 15 countries and 3 bottles each with a bonus supplied by one of the guests: 3 or 4 bottles (red, white and dessert) from Witches Falls, Brisbane. Our sommeliers hadn't tasted some of the wine so they joined in. It was quite a party. Oh, my. I'm not sure whether I'm learning a lot or becoming a wino. Fun, though.

I may be slipping back into a routine. It is finally warm enough to swim again every morning. I finished my research/reading for my new project and I have to begin to create characters and decide on the major, turning-point events of 3 or 4 acts. That will happen next week when we begin to cross the Pacific. I suppose you know that if all the landmass in the world were dumped into the Pacific, there would still be ocean left over. What else can I tell you?

Just Trivial Pursuit nuggets, not much use except for other TP games. I go back and forth between being brilliant and abysmally stupid.

As usual.