Sunday, August 7, noon, in the North Atlantic

It is a chilly, overcast day. It’s probably about 65 degrees, and I am sitting on our balcony enjoying the last visage of cool weather before we get back to port in NYC and head home to the hottest place in the US. I want to stay at sea, but I would settle for moving to a cooler climate, or at least one where the temperatures do not get above 95 during the summer and hover in the upper 80s for most of that time. 113 is just ridiculous.

Today, the sea is very calm and tranquility rules. More than 1,000 miles from the place that drives me crazy, I am thankful to be at sea.

The birds are following the shup today, and although we have seen no porpoises or whales on our journey, I have enjoyed this trip immensely. The clientelle on this cruise are much more upscale, Jersey and all, than the last few we’ve been with, and the ship is in good condition. The crew has been helpful, and although I know that many are stuck at sea for months at a time, I am envious of their ability to travel the coast back and forth and to and fro different ports. Ah, to see the ocean, smell the saltwater, and feel the cool breezes for months on end is very nice. I would trade my lot at present, since I am fairly unhappy with my present line of work.

I have not thought about my job very much at all since we left LIT, but today I have a bit. I just really dread the thought of going back there, although I know that it pays the bills and allows me to do things like this. I just really want out of healthcare because of the regulatory crud and high cost of everything, since I can tell you where a ton of that high patient cost comes from. It’s dysfunctionality, much like the federal government. A little less conversation, a little more action please, as Elvis would say.

But, for today, I am lost in thought about how the sea birds get this far out. Do they fly back at night or just float on the ocean? Do the hole up on the ship somewhere, hitching a ride back to land? Does the cruise line have policies about birds? How do they keep them out of the food areas?

Hoping to see a porpoise or two today, I am simply existing on the open sea.