{"id":113,"date":"2009-03-18T13:10:53","date_gmt":"2009-03-18T18:10:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/?p=113"},"modified":"2011-07-03T14:35:13","modified_gmt":"2011-07-03T19:35:13","slug":"spring-break","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/?p=113","title":{"rendered":"SPRING BREAK!!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before I get into the events of the last two weeks, there are two events I failed to report on around the time they happened, partially for reasons of propriety, partially because they weren\u2019t actually that important. <\/span>But since I keep reflecting back on them and giggling, I think they bear recounting:<\/p>\n

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First, there was a security training seminar that has stayed with me. <\/span>It could have been five seconds long, since the entire lesson was \u201cIf you see someone suspicious, call security.\u201d <\/span>(I suppose technically there were some subsets to this, but lessons like \u201cDon\u2019t try to disarm a bomb on your own\u201d could probably have gone without saying.) <\/span>Now, I know I tend to be more irreverent than your average bear, but believe me when I tell you that whether it was in spite of or because of the subject matter, it was the most bizarre and hysterical Powerpoint presentation I\u2019ve ever seen. <\/span>There was the security officer pulling a prop gun on an audience member, there were sound effects between slides alternating between explosions and bullet ricochets (and once, for no apparent reason, a toilet flushing!), and one slide featuring the world\u2019s most infamous bearded baddie spinning the world on his fingers like a Harlem Globetrotter. <\/span>It was surreal, and it wasn\u2019t until our cast got into the hallway and looked at each other that the laughter exploded and the tears started pouring down our faces. <\/span>This is the stuff of memory.<\/p>\n

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Second, I had a great overheard. <\/span>(Finally, something to say if I\u2019m ever on \u201cStop Podcasting Yourself\u201d!) <\/span>A bunch of JARs were talking about how they hate the way they look in photographs, and one of them said \u201cI make a pouty face when I\u2019m being photographed, because when I smile, it makes my nose look wide.\u201d <\/span>Now, maybe you have to know the person who said it (and know that she\u2019s ridiculously pretty and impossibly skinny), but it makes me laugh every time.<\/p>\n

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Thank you.<\/p>\n

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Now, the last two weeks started with a five-day cruise packed to the brim with spring break students. <\/span>They were loud, they were drunk, and I spent most of the first sea day hiding from them in my room.<\/p>\n

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Then Grand Cayman, our show day. <\/span>I was slightly anxious about the shows, because I knew the late one was being taped, and I\u2019ve always had this weirdness about live shows being recorded, or anything being presented in a medium it wasn\u2019t intended for. <\/span>What can I say? <\/span>I love neuroses! <\/span>They\u2019re like hobbies you don\u2019t have to work on! <\/span>(And actually, this being the third time I thought we were being taped, with one castmate requesting a second taping due to an unsatisfying performance the first time, and the man with the camera getting the wrong show time the second time, I\u2019ve more or less been cured. \u00a0<\/span>Nevertheless\u2026)<\/p>\n

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This is all background to my being determined to have a good time in Grand Cayman. <\/span>What happened instead is that I woke up at the crack of dawn only to find out after having gotten dressed and prepared that my excursion had been cancelled due to inclement weather. <\/span>So I dragged myself back to bed and tossed and turned my way through some catch-up sleep. <\/span>I puttered around for the rest of the day, and then we had our shows. <\/span>And for the early show, for whatever reason, the crowd just didn\u2019t seem to be on my side. <\/span>I actually thought I was having a pretty good show, and I don\u2019t think anyone who wasn\u2019t familiar with how the show usually goes would pick up on anything, but it just didn\u2019t seem like I had them the way I normally do. <\/span>I was feeling pretty meh.<\/p>\n

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And then for the late show, with the bigger and younger crowd, I could do no wrong. <\/span>I couldn\u2019t feel a significant difference in my performance, and maybe there wasn\u2019t one, but for whatever reason, I had them. <\/span>Comedy: such a bizarre enterprise. <\/span>And while I still am no fan of watching theatrical performance on film, I\u2019m glad that the DVD I\u2019ll have as a keepsake captured a well-received performance. <\/span>Maybe something to show my kids when I\u2019m a compromised old office worker, or my grandkids when I\u2019m a crazy, old bigot. <\/span>(Note: As far as I know, I\u2019m not a bigot at present. <\/span>But I\u2019m sure most grandparents weren\u2019t in their heyday either, and look what happens! <\/span>Hmmm\u2026alright, I may be an ageist\u2026)<\/p>\n

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So after the show, we make our way up to the Spinnaker for the White Hot Party. <\/span>And no sooner have we walked in then suddenly I\u2019m flanked by a posse of blonde coeds telling me they loved the show and that I was their favorite. <\/span>Now, throughout my time onboard, the odd passenger here and there has told me this, and it\u2019s always nice. <\/span>And as a group, we\u2019ve had guest entertainers who\u2019ve spent a lot of time on ships tell us that we\u2019re the best Second City cast they\u2019ve seen, which is even nicer. <\/span>But to have a bunch of young ladies (did I mention they were blonde?) say that, well, I\u2019d assumed I\u2019d have to learn guitar if I ever wanted that to happen! <\/span>Good thing I haven\u2019t been wasting my time practicing! <\/span>So I held court for awhile, in case it never happens again.<\/p>\n

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It was pleasant and weird. <\/span>Pleird.<\/p>\n

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The next day was Cozumel, which was spent quite lowkey. <\/span>It may have been my last snorkeling from No Name Bar, though, which would be kind of sad. <\/span>Pretty, pretty fish. <\/span>And that night, Ashley hosted a goodbye party for techie Luke and YC Milkshake, which ended up being a small, sitting-around-drinking type affair. <\/span>It will mostly be remembered (at least by me, possibly by Ashley) for my saying \u201cOh, I\u2019m so sorry I took the conversation about orangutan rape to a dark place!\u201d<\/p>\n

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There was a context. <\/span>You don\u2019t need it.<\/p>\n

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The next night, our improv shows. <\/span>Vaguely reminiscent of Vancouver, as they were younger, drunker and louder than we\u2019ve been accustomed to. <\/span>I personally really enjoyed performing for them, as, whatever other limitations they had, their energy was great. <\/span>I also discovered early on that while they weren\u2019t necessarily as worldly as you might think a college crowd would be, they enjoyed being made fun of for it. <\/span>For instance, Megan and I were doing commentary for Slo-Mo Commentary, and she said \u201cAnd there\u2019s Sam Sheepard, not to be confused with Sam Shephard, the playwright,\u201d and in the silent beat that followed, I added \u201cNot by this crowd, no,\u201d expecting to have them turn on me a little (in a good-natured way, of course), but it actually seemed to work.<\/p>\n

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I also had a very good moment doing Dream. <\/span>The interviewee was hitting on Mike the whole time he was interviewing her, and she said as part of the interview that she was there because she had a thing for Nate. <\/span>So at the point of the Dream sequence that she was out for dinner, I entered and said \u201cHi, I\u2019m Dan. <\/span>I\u2019m the one in Second City you didn\u2019t want to hit on.\u201d <\/span>And it killed. <\/span>Got an applause break, it did.<\/p>\n

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And that was just the first show.<\/p>\n

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The second show was even crazier, and the nicest endorsement is that nearly all of the crowd from the first show stuck around for the second show. <\/span>My personal highlight of the second show was actually setting up a scene. <\/span>I was getting suggestions for Stage Directions \/ Blind Line, and no sooner had I sent the three of them out of the room then the crowd started catcalling me and yelling \u201cYou\u2019re the sexiest!\u201d <\/span>Which, of course, I am, but who knew they\u2019d recognize that?!? <\/span>Then one guy yelled out \u201cYou\u2019re bald, \u201d which gave me the opportunity to pull out an intentionally inane heckler\u2019s retorts, in the proud tradition of Hank Kingsley. \u00a0<\/span>I chose to bastardize Winston Churchill with \u201cYes, but in the morning, I\u2019ll have hair, but you\u2019ll still be drunk.\u201d <\/span>Oh, how they cheered!<\/p>\n

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Another highlight was Bar Pickup with Megan. <\/span>Sadly, I don\u2019t remember much of what was said, but suffice it to say, it\u2019s a scene I love to do with Megan, and if you\u2019re going to play an innuendo game, this is the crowd you\u2019d want.<\/p>\n

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And to close out the night, my all-ladies fan club provided me with beers for the evening. <\/span>Bud Lites, mind you, but actors can\u2019t be choosers.<\/p>\n

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And that was the five-day. <\/span>Then the much-anticipated nine-day, because my brother Evan was coming for his visit. <\/span>For those who don\u2019t know him, HE\u2019S VERY CHARMING! <\/span>For those who do know him, he\u2019s alright. <\/span>And though there was a not-insignificant part of me that would have been very happy to have a room to myself for a week, I was glad to have him here.<\/p>\n

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This is the only picture I took of him, as he was doing most of the photography for his time here, old-school photography, film and everything. <\/span>So this is the only proof I have that he was here, and it pretty much sums up his first day onboard.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\nThe first night was dinner with the cast at Azura. <\/span>Some good instant bonding, and either no embarrassing information was exchanged in either direction or I\u2019ve blocked it out. <\/span>Either way, nothing to report. <\/span>And that night, he experienced Crew Bar. <\/span>I don\u2019t remember anything particularly interesting happening, beyond performing a karaoke duet with Stacey from Shore Excursions to Phil Collins\u2019 \u201cAgainst All Odds.\u201d <\/span>And drinking to the wee hours.<\/div>\n

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The sea day was mostly spent showing Evan around and trying to plan out the cruise. <\/span>Of course, Evan and I planning together can be quite an exercise in frustration, as I tend to be an overpreparer and doublechecker (by his standards), while he tends to be an underpreparer and hope-that-somehow-everything-will-work-itself-outer (by my standards). <\/span>But it being his vacation, I deferred to his stinkpottedness.<\/div>\n
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But I did manage to arrange a little something for us for Samana: I got us crew passage to Cayo Leventado, a private little beach island. <\/span>We played in the ocean and laid in the sun and began his patches of sunburn. <\/span>It was pretty impressive by the time all was said and done.<\/div>\n
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That night, we had our shows. <\/span>They went pretty well, with the little stinkpot sitting in the front row for both. <\/span>(For those who may think I\u2019m being mean or repetitive, \u201cStinkpot\u201d is one of Evan\u2019s more endearing family nicknames. <\/span>So calling him a stinkpot is more or less equivalent to saying he was acting like himself.) <\/span>I threw in a little tribute to him into one of our scenes (basically a little impression of him, and his \u201cOoooooh\u2026\u201d) It worked pretty well, so I might have to keep it.<\/div>\n
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I also threw in a little tribute to Kris Geddie, yet another JAR leaving us too soon. <\/span>In the scene where I get dragged across the stage in a drunken stupor, I normally sing \u201cBand on the Run,\u201d an homage to the show that precedes us by a night, usually drawing a laugh or two. <\/span>This time, I did my best impression of his \u201cWe Are the Champions\u201d from the same show, making sure to throw sufficient drunkenness into it (I am a pro, after all!) <\/span>At Crew Bar that night, we had a lovely conversation comparing the darkness of Les Miz and Sweeney Todd, and he spilled a beer on me.<\/div>\n
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Also at Crew Bar that night, Evan met all the YCs, and they invited us to join them in their planned trip to Brewer\u2019s Bay. <\/span>Now, it had been my intention to take him to Virgin Gorda, but several people who had been to both persuaded me that the snorkeling at Brewer\u2019s Bay was superior. <\/span>Plus I hadn\u2019t been there, it was far easier to get to, and, as previously mentioned, Evan has no interest in planning things. <\/span>So that became our plan. <\/span>Then Crew Bar closed, we ended up at a cabin party, not getting to bed until 3:30 in the morning. <\/span>It was around this time that I realized my brother\u2019s lifestyle would kill me, and indeed, as the cruise continued, I kept going to bed around 3:30 but he would routinely not show up until 5. <\/span>Stinkpot.<\/div>\n
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So Tortola morning, we had a quick breakfast, sitting with new JAR Carly, Heather and her sister, who was also visiting at the time. <\/span>In an odd bit of synergy, Heather had her parents onboard at the same time as I had my parents on, and then our younger siblings on for the same cruise as well. <\/span>Heather and I also have birthdays within a couple days of each other, which are also almost exactly nine months after our mothers\u2019 birthdays and our respective nations\u2019 independence days. <\/span>Probably best not to think too much about the last part, but still, synergy!<\/div>\n
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Moving on.<\/div>\n
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During breakfast, Carly introduced us to a game she invented, called something like Skittles War, where you mash up two Skittles against each other, and whichever one crumbles, you eat first. <\/span>I mention it only because I said \u201cIt\u2019s like a drinking game, but adorable!\u201d and it was agreed this would make an excellent slogan, so if it ever gets marketed this way, I want my royalties. <\/span>Come to think of it, I might have to invent some game just to match that slogan, because who wouldn\u2019t buy a game with that slogan?!?<\/div>\n
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Then off to Brewer\u2019s Bay. <\/span>Alas, some of the good snorkeling was obscured by the waves kicking up sand, but we saw some pretty fun stuff, including a tortoise. <\/span>(Or possibly a turtle. <\/span>I defer to Evan\u2019s call on the matter, plus he was rocking the underwater camera, so hopefully, we\u2019ll be able to check later.) <\/span>We must have had a good time, because we certainly had a long swim back in. <\/span>Then some good lazing on the beach. <\/span>I\u2019ll miss the lazing.<\/div>\n
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I think Evan went off to see the show that night, while I deferred. <\/span>(I believe it was the juggler. <\/span>It\u2019s a good show, but not one I need to see multiple times.) <\/span>While he was there, I grabbed some snacks for us in anticipation of the midnight screening of Slumdog Millionaire<\/span>. <\/span>I happened to bump into Ashley there, and as I was leaving the crew store, I said \u201cSee you at the movies!\u201d <\/span>I didn\u2019t remember what it was I was quoting, but she recognized it as a line from Summer School<\/span>, and we ended up recreating half the movie. <\/span>If there\u2019s better company than the company of nerds, I\u2019ve yet to find it.<\/div>\n
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So here are my thoughts on Slumdog Millionaire<\/span> (with minor spoilers, skip the paragraph if you want to be completely untainted.) <\/span>It was very good. <\/span>Very. <\/span>But I didn\u2019t think it was great. <\/span>Great movies I want to see over and over. <\/span>This one didn\u2019t inspire that. <\/span>Dark Knight<\/span> got screwed. <\/span>But it was good. <\/span>It also inspired my alter-ego, Dr. Insufferable McSmartypants, to emerge. <\/span>First as a writer, because I knew thirty seconds into the film what the final question would be, and I was right. <\/span>Second as a trivia nerd (memories of Pub Quiz, soaring with the Bald Egos), because I knew the right answer to the question before it was asked, and when someone in the theatre had the temerity to yell out \u201cNo\u201d when he guessed correctly, I couldn\u2019t help myself and yelled \u201cUmmm, yes!\u201d <\/span>And then I reverted to Dan and felt silly for caring. <\/span>But I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve seen the last of the doctor\u2026<\/div>\n
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The next day, Evan and I did the Antigua Adventure Trek. <\/span>It was our only official excursion, but a good one. <\/span>After a scenic drive, there\u2019s a series of ziplines, a two-hour hike (with people who clearly weren\u2019t meant for two-hour hikes, but that could be a whole other post), a donkey (not officially part of the excursion, but on the side of the road at the hike; I took a picture of Evan and it, for which I\u2019ve suggested a shared \u201cWhat an ass!\u201d thought bubble), a catamaran sail, some nice snorkeling, and then more time on the catamaran with a complimentary lunch and free drinks. <\/span>Around the time of the meal, we met Karin and Catie, both on leave from Iraq. <\/span>(I toyed with the idea of an exclamation point there, but I refrained lest it be politicized somehow\u2026) <\/span>They were very fun and nice, and obviously with a story or two to tell, and as we parted ways, I assumed we would exchange more pleasantries after our improv shows (which I always plug) and that would be that. <\/span>Historically, that is what happens with these excursion encounters. <\/span>This would turn out not to be the case here, but more on that later.<\/div>\n
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That night, we had dinner at Tango\u2019s with the cast, where Nate shared with us his vocalized breathing story (I wouldn\u2019t do it justice, but if you ever get the chance to ask him, you should) and the Americans shared with us cautionary tales of LA. <\/span>Then we ran off to see guest comedian Ross Bennett, who, in an incredible coincidence, Evan had seen in NYC opening for Judah Friedlander. <\/span>Craziness. <\/span>And once again, my night ended at Crew Bar, while Evan was off with some passenger friends he had made. (Stinkpot.)<\/div>\n
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Then Barbados, which saw us sojourn to The Boatyard (apologies to Fiona, who has rightly pointed out that there are better places to go, but this is where the crew goes). <\/span>I attempted the rope swing, but let go too early and so pretty much just went straight from the pier to the water. <\/span>But it\u2019s been done. <\/span>Various football throwing sessions and laying about ensued. <\/span>The memory highlight was time in the floating trampoline. <\/span>I started off enjoying some jumping on my own, and shortly thereafter, Lindsay (Lady Bug) joined me, and pretty soon, the trampoline was packed. At its peak, Evan, our cast (minus Megan), various JARs and assorted YCs and crew were all piled in there. <\/span><\/div>\n
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With this large cast of characters, we started an homage to and parody of Spring Break! <\/span>This was best epitomized by Ashley\u2019s inspired chant, where she would call out \u201cSpring Break!\u201d and we\u2019d respond \u201cDate Rape!\u201d\u00a0 Then came the \u201cAsshole Party\u201d, consisting of everyone jumping up and down at once yelling \u201cAsshole Party!\u201d and trying to shake off people trying to get back into the trampoline. <\/span>This evolved (well, devolved really) into a manpile wrestling match where you tried to throw other people over the side, mostly Dennis (a JAR acrobat, and thus ridiculously fit), while two Russians\/Ukrainians tried to protect him. <\/span>Barring prison or a major reawakening, that will probably live on as the gayest experience of my life, but damned if it wasn\u2019t a barrelful of fun, and hey, we were showing off for girls, so that\u2019s kind of straight, right?<\/div>\n
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Dinner that night ended up being with Dr. Kim, Annelise, Fran, and Dragos, so a pretty good cross-section of personnel for Evan to experience. <\/span>I\u2019ve gotten so used to it that it\u2019s pretty fun when you realize that you\u2019re sitting down with a group of people none of whom are from the same country and all of whom have just spent a day in a country that\u2019s foreign to them. <\/span>That doesn\u2019t happen in the real world. <\/span>Then of course late night drinking.<\/div>\n
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St. Lucia ended up being pretty dull. <\/span>We slept in and didn\u2019t end up getting off the ship (it was a tendering day). <\/span>We spent the day engaged in just hanging out, with Evan making occasional runs to the casino. <\/span>Then we had our shows. <\/span>They were somewhat anticlimactic after the mayhem of the previous cruise, but still solid shows.<\/div>\n
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Karin and Catie were there, as expected, but as the post-show chat continued, something interesting happened. <\/span>My conversation with Karin lasted longer than five minutes. <\/span>And as it continued, Evan ran some interference, Heather came over so we could play the transparent but fun game of \u201cshow the girl you\u2019re talking to she\u2019s special by not being distracted by the other pretty girl,\u201d and Mike came over to help out too, and as they were preparing to head out, came up with the brilliant stratagem of offering that if I went to spin class, they would come to the White Hot Party, which they accepted.<\/div>\n
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It\u2019s true. <\/span>It takes a village to help me flirt.<\/div>\n
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Then off to the Crew Bar. <\/span>(Sadly, we\u2019d lingered too long and missed Ross Bennett, who\u2019d come to our show and had offered to buy us drinks. <\/span>I can only hope he googles himself, sees this post, and understands.) <\/span>I could probably stop mentioning these trips to Crew Bar, as every night that Evan was onboard had a trip there, but in the interests of journalism\u2026<\/div>\n
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Then another sea day, which Evan and I spent hanging out and not doing much of anything. <\/span> <\/span>Over the cruise, we\u2019d watched the complete series of Da Ali G Show<\/span> together (booyakasha!), a few episodes of The Muppet Show<\/span> (I think it holds up pretty well), and a few Second City revues (the big revelation among people we recognized would probably have to be Scott Adsit.) <\/span>We also had some nice talks, as well as shithead musings (like how the song \u201cYou\u2019re the Best Around\u201d from Karate Kid is actually almost a putdown: \u201cWell, you\u2019re the best one here<\/em>\u2026\u201d) <\/span>Activities were fun, but I think these times were what I\u2019m most grateful for.<\/div>\n
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At 5, as per my oral contract, I showed up for spin class and was greeted with a cheer. <\/span>And in fact, apparently I\u2019d been running late, and they\u2019d held the class while Kevin (the instructor) had called my room. <\/span>Under these circumstances, I did my first spinning class. <\/span>It kind of kicked my ass, though I paced myself a little more than I had to, not knowing how long it was going to last. <\/span>I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll do it again, but I can see how people would get used to it. <\/span>I confirmed the terms of the contract with the ladies and then hauled my carcass back to my room for a shower and shluffie.<\/div>\n
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That night, Evan and the cast returned to Azura. <\/span>We were about halfway through appetizers, when we were unexpectedly joined by fitness instructor Kevin. <\/span>He provided the entertainment for the latter half of the meal with a rant that was like Arnold Schwarzenegger doing a one-man version of Glengarry Glen Ross<\/span>. <\/span>Without sharing more details than that, know that it had me whinge-laughing on the inside.<\/div>\n
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Then the White Hot Party and more engrossing talk with Karin, where, in addition to continued finding out about each other and funny ha-has, the conversation was a cultural literacy marathon, covering literature, music, television and movies (plus the term \u201ccultural literacy\u201d!) <\/span>It was one of those delightful chats where there was enough overlap to know that your tastes are aligned but enough difference for playful debate. <\/span>(For instance, she thought Season Two was the best Buffy season, while I (rightly!) believe it was Season Three.) <\/span>We also placed a $100 bet on whether \u201cOnce More With Feeling\u201d was in Season Six (my position) or Season Five (hers); I haven\u2019t technically checked yet, but I\u2019m so right (if you don\u2019t believe me, you can ask Dr. Insufferable McSmartypants). <\/span>But all good things must come to an end, so good nights were exchanged, with an agreement to meet up at the late show of Cirque Bijou the next night.<\/div>\n
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Then, you guessed it, back to Crew Bar, and more hanging out with Evan and conversing in Evanese.<\/div>\n
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The next day, we did a reading of a script Megan has been working on with her writing partner. <\/span>Two things I learned\/relearned about my brother: he\u2019s probably not meant to be a sight-reader and he\u2019s certainly not meant to play a black woman. <\/span>It was a delicate situation giving notes, because the \u201cshit sandwich\u201d method of critiquing, wherein you cushion criticism by giving praise on either side of it, might backfire if we ended up praising her partner and shitting on her. <\/span>But we were pretty hard on her, and she took it like a champ. <\/span>Or at least she didn\u2019t have that battered look I used to get after notes sessions. <\/span>I\u2019m curious to try writing something with her, we\u2019ll see if time is found before we part ways. <\/span>(Though if not, the world\u2019s a pretty small place now, what with the series of tubes and all\u2026)<\/div>\n
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After that, I did some laundry, while Evan went to the early show of Cirque, having later dinner reservations at Cagney\u2019s with Heather\u2019s sister. <\/span>(I wanted to take him, but Nate\u2019s birthday was the next day and he wanted to go there, and I didn\u2019t think my system would be able to handle two steak dinners in a row. <\/span>As it turned out, it barely handled it one day in a row.) <\/span>So I did some laundry, watched some TV, and then headed out for Cirque.<\/div>\n
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Of course, nearsighted idiot that I am, when the time came to find the girls at Cirque, I couldn\u2019t. <\/span>So I called their room, requested their company at Bar City afterwards, and hoped for the best. <\/span>And indeed, they showed. Karin opened our conversation with a well-reasoned (though wrong) argument for why that Buffy episode had to be in Season Five, and I was so tickled, I ripped it up as delicately as I could. <\/span>We talked into the relatively wee hours (we\u2019re none of us kids anymore!), with the conversation including the military\u2019s alternative to Lasik surgery (it\u2019s apparently more permanent but sounds excruciating), and then we bid our fond farewells. <\/span>I don\u2019t know if our paths will cross again, but here\u2019s hoping; we do have the appropriate contact info, plus Karin does owe me a $100. <\/span>American.<\/div>\n
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Then (duh!) the Crew Bar, where I had to say my goodbye to Kris Geddie, another one I\u2019m hoping paths will cross with again. <\/span>Definitely for him, but also because he\u2019s always either on a ship or in New York, so his paths are in fun places! <\/span>Then my last night with Evan. <\/span>Not too teary, what with me home in a few weeks, but still nice, and after he chastised me for not making more of an effort to secure his services as a wingman, we had some nice conversation as we drifted off into sleep<\/div>\n
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My time with Evan in Miami was a bit of a letdown, what with having to get him off the boat, our lack of planning, and fatigue, but it passed fairly quickly, and then he was running off to see The Watchmen<\/span>. <\/span>As mentioned previously, not too teary a goodbye, but he will be missed. <\/span>He\u2019s a good boy for a shithead.<\/div>\n
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And shortly after he departed, I bumped into Ian and Alice, which is always a nice treat. <\/span>Ian and I are both preparing to write 30 Rock specs (admittedly, I\u2019ve been preparing\/procrastinating for ages), and we entered into an agreement to have something to show each other when next we\u2019re in port together two weeks from now. <\/span>And we will go to South Beach, with as many members of our two casts as we can muster. <\/span>(It\u2019s admittedly our penultimate Miami, with the last one being an airport day, so it\u2019s very possible my cast will be otherwise engaged. <\/span>But it\u2019s something we\u2019ve been threatening, and it\u2019ll be our last chance, so fingers crossed.)<\/div>\n
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And that brings us to the end of the last cruise. <\/span>I should have another post or two in me before coming home, and then the dilemma of whether to keep up the blog as a \u201ccivilian,\u201d but in the meantime, chai days to go (the Hebrew \u201cchai,\u201d not the tea) before the live version of me reemerges, coming soon to a town near you! <\/span>(Sooner to some towns than others, but hey, I wasn\u2019t built in a day!)<\/div>\n
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L\u2019chaim!<\/div>\n
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p.s. <\/span>Joe, in his time on land, apparently told \u2018Now that\u2019s how you wave a towel.\u2019 <\/span>I have yet to hear more details of how it went over, but that\u2019s something, nu?<\/div>\n
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p.p.s. Alright, it\u2019s less than \u201cchai\u201d days now, but it was true when I wrote it, so no saying \u201cContinuity error! <\/span>Continuity error! <\/span>I reads the blog good!!\u201d <\/span>(That was for you, stinkpot. <\/span>If you\u2019ve read this far, which knowing you…)<\/div>\n
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p.p.p.s.\u00a0 Evan was born nine months after New Years’.<\/d--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before I get into the events of the last two weeks, there are two events I failed to report on around the time they happened, partially for reasons of propriety, partially because they weren\u2019t actually that important. But since I keep reflecting back on them and giggling, I think they bear recounting: First, there was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=113"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":386,"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113\/revisions\/386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scatteredflurries.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}