2007-11-02 09:58![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
digitaldiscipline
digitaldisciplineTake a large number of like-minded friends.
Put in general proximity for several days.
Add alcohol and music to taste.
Enjoy.
Despite FAA fuckery most heinous on our northbound leg Friday (our flight got off the ground 45 minutes after it was supposed to have landed, and we spent two hours in-flight circling over DC and Philadelphia, waiting on weather-delayed traffic to get the fuck outta the way so we could be on approach to Newark) we arrived alive, albeit seriously late, and went straight to bed.
Saturday, the womenfolk (K, T, and B) wanted to do a spot of shopping in the Village/LES, and I.... didn't. They headed out, and I relaxed at the hotel with a book, a nap, the pool, the gym, and like that. Upon their return, they got prettied up, and then we fought with the NY/NJ transit system for an hour or so to get into the city for some dinner and Contempt.
I didn't have much nice to say about the NYC mass transit system when I lived there, and I have even less to say in that vein about it now. I am a *car* person; let's leave it at that.
Despite not finding the sushi joint recommended to us by K's brother, we instead ended up at Esashi, on Avenue A between 2nd and 3rd - if you're in that neck of the woods, run, do not walk to this place. A tasty green-tea-infused liqueur, some good sake, and the finest Toro (fatty tuna belly) I've ever had the pleasure to eat. I seldom play the epicure, but their stuff, especially the Toro, was superb.
Contempt (at some joint called "Remote") was packed with friendly freaks, so despite our late arrival (read: we're sober, y'all ain't), it quickly became a hug-fest with folks we hadn't seen in more than a year. No real room to move, but plenty of places to sit and talk (sort of - club conversation is a study in nuanced verbal shorthand in many ways). K's brother made an appearance, too, and several hours were spent before disembarking back to the wilds of Newark, with the requisite boiled food of questionable provenance stop along the way.
Sunday, we were among the first folks to arrive at the cruise terminal, settled into a nice clot, gave![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
the_tangent419 shit for working, and were shortly on the boat, where we, quite by happy accident, discovered the aquarium bar and got friendly with the wait staff and some of the other cruisers, in what has become a recurring theme. Sure, we're on vacation and are out to have a good time, but I play goodwill ambassador if someone looks curious; let's face it - if we didn't want a certain amount of attention, we wouldn't look this weird. ;-D
I think we took over one side of the Karaoke lounge after dinner (again, this seems to be part of our SOP at this point) and trundled off, in varying stages of the later evening, to the upper-deck hot tubs to make Goth Soup - I counted max occupancy around 30 that evening, including The Annoying Australian Guy, who was not with the GC bunch, and thankfully, not much in evidence the rest of the week.
Monday, after a thoroughly entertaining dodgeball match (with Trid and Ian) against other guests and the ship's crew of cheating miscreants was more of the same - feasting and frolicking with freaks and friends - with a pit stop at the cigar lounge for some of us (to the apparent angst of one couple, who complained - I spoke with that bar's hostess later in the week, and she was more or less neutrally on our side - "They paid their money to be here and have a good time, too") and drunken karaoke to follow. I understand there's video. I phear it. Srsly.
Tuesday we woke up in Bermuda, and everyone's talk of the narrow, twisty roads (all unalike) are absolutely true, as are the accounts of the gruff but lovable waitress at the Swizzle Inn and the fact that the water is, no shit, that bright fucking turquoise (and, at least where our ferry crossed, surprisingly turbid - I was hoping to have more than a 36" visibility looking over the side into the water). We also had our first club event - The Chamber is the midsize goth club everybody wishes was in their town. Good lights, lots of great seating, decent amount of bar space, spacious & well-appointed DJ booth (to my untrained eye), and really lovely decor - gothic arches, cracked glass, chrome, suits of armor in display cases, you name it Danced my butt off when I wasn't socializing or DJ'ing... or being the bouncer. It was a lot of chasing down of "Private Event" signs from the staff (who were uniformly great) and politely but firmly herding out people who ignored them. Most folks went quietly, but a couple got huffy. Yeah, well... I'm Chevy Chase, and you're not. Some folks came back after we wrapped up and the ship's 80's-riffic music came back on.
Best question I got was, "Do you work here?" I must give off the competence vibe or something, since I got asked flight info by limo drivers, gate info by other travelers, and all manner of directional inquiries (and, while shopping the week before, the location of another department in K-Mart).
Yes, I herd cats. Moo.
Wednesday was much like Saturday, except the place I didn't go shopping with the ladies was Bermuda, and we all enjoyed a quiet afternoon in the kid-free upper deck area, asleep with a book before the formal dinner. Our waiter, Bruno, had been warned ahead of time to bring his camera, so he was ready for us in our finery. We had a great wait staff at our table - they seemed to enjoy being able to cut loose with us the way they normally can't with some guests (ask CarrieMonster about the napkin person she helped bring to life, so to speak). We also took over some of the tables in the gaming lounge with several different games of wit, frivolity, and merriment.
Thursday we had our second Chamber session, and I think I've finally caught up with the parts of my ass that I danced off that afternoon. I know there's blackmail material on Youtube of the Yellow-Footed Gothic Bunny Hop all ready. After dinner, we had a happy hour courtesy of Jeannie Ruby & her film crew, though it took place in the beginning of our passage through some seriously rough weather, which put several folks down early. I managed to get outside with a handful of folks to shout myself hoarse at the elements, which was exceedingly invigorating, and spent most of the evening quietly chatting with folks hither, thither, and yon.
After returning to port, K & I made our way to her brother's place, where we spent the next two days quite enjoyably, despite some persistent rain, and my party-compromised immune system saying OH HAI, COME PLAY to some of K's neice's germs. A lot of good conversation and family time was a nice way to segue back to the earth after the boat.
However, after being on the cruise with a hundred-plus PIBs, it was rather disappointing to be kicking around and not be able to a couple black-clad folks in almost any group, and know they were friends of mine.
C14 can't come soon enough, so we can do it all over again.
Put in general proximity for several days.
Add alcohol and music to taste.
Enjoy.
Despite FAA fuckery most heinous on our northbound leg Friday (our flight got off the ground 45 minutes after it was supposed to have landed, and we spent two hours in-flight circling over DC and Philadelphia, waiting on weather-delayed traffic to get the fuck outta the way so we could be on approach to Newark) we arrived alive, albeit seriously late, and went straight to bed.
Saturday, the womenfolk (K, T, and B) wanted to do a spot of shopping in the Village/LES, and I.... didn't. They headed out, and I relaxed at the hotel with a book, a nap, the pool, the gym, and like that. Upon their return, they got prettied up, and then we fought with the NY/NJ transit system for an hour or so to get into the city for some dinner and Contempt.
I didn't have much nice to say about the NYC mass transit system when I lived there, and I have even less to say in that vein about it now. I am a *car* person; let's leave it at that.
Despite not finding the sushi joint recommended to us by K's brother, we instead ended up at Esashi, on Avenue A between 2nd and 3rd - if you're in that neck of the woods, run, do not walk to this place. A tasty green-tea-infused liqueur, some good sake, and the finest Toro (fatty tuna belly) I've ever had the pleasure to eat. I seldom play the epicure, but their stuff, especially the Toro, was superb.
Contempt (at some joint called "Remote") was packed with friendly freaks, so despite our late arrival (read: we're sober, y'all ain't), it quickly became a hug-fest with folks we hadn't seen in more than a year. No real room to move, but plenty of places to sit and talk (sort of - club conversation is a study in nuanced verbal shorthand in many ways). K's brother made an appearance, too, and several hours were spent before disembarking back to the wilds of Newark, with the requisite boiled food of questionable provenance stop along the way.
Sunday, we were among the first folks to arrive at the cruise terminal, settled into a nice clot, gave
the_tangent419 shit for working, and were shortly on the boat, where we, quite by happy accident, discovered the aquarium bar and got friendly with the wait staff and some of the other cruisers, in what has become a recurring theme. Sure, we're on vacation and are out to have a good time, but I play goodwill ambassador if someone looks curious; let's face it - if we didn't want a certain amount of attention, we wouldn't look this weird. ;-DI think we took over one side of the Karaoke lounge after dinner (again, this seems to be part of our SOP at this point) and trundled off, in varying stages of the later evening, to the upper-deck hot tubs to make Goth Soup - I counted max occupancy around 30 that evening, including The Annoying Australian Guy, who was not with the GC bunch, and thankfully, not much in evidence the rest of the week.
Monday, after a thoroughly entertaining dodgeball match (with Trid and Ian) against other guests and the ship's crew of cheating miscreants was more of the same - feasting and frolicking with freaks and friends - with a pit stop at the cigar lounge for some of us (to the apparent angst of one couple, who complained - I spoke with that bar's hostess later in the week, and she was more or less neutrally on our side - "They paid their money to be here and have a good time, too") and drunken karaoke to follow. I understand there's video. I phear it. Srsly.
Tuesday we woke up in Bermuda, and everyone's talk of the narrow, twisty roads (all unalike) are absolutely true, as are the accounts of the gruff but lovable waitress at the Swizzle Inn and the fact that the water is, no shit, that bright fucking turquoise (and, at least where our ferry crossed, surprisingly turbid - I was hoping to have more than a 36" visibility looking over the side into the water). We also had our first club event - The Chamber is the midsize goth club everybody wishes was in their town. Good lights, lots of great seating, decent amount of bar space, spacious & well-appointed DJ booth (to my untrained eye), and really lovely decor - gothic arches, cracked glass, chrome, suits of armor in display cases, you name it Danced my butt off when I wasn't socializing or DJ'ing... or being the bouncer. It was a lot of chasing down of "Private Event" signs from the staff (who were uniformly great) and politely but firmly herding out people who ignored them. Most folks went quietly, but a couple got huffy. Yeah, well... I'm Chevy Chase, and you're not. Some folks came back after we wrapped up and the ship's 80's-riffic music came back on.
Best question I got was, "Do you work here?" I must give off the competence vibe or something, since I got asked flight info by limo drivers, gate info by other travelers, and all manner of directional inquiries (and, while shopping the week before, the location of another department in K-Mart).
Yes, I herd cats. Moo.
Wednesday was much like Saturday, except the place I didn't go shopping with the ladies was Bermuda, and we all enjoyed a quiet afternoon in the kid-free upper deck area, asleep with a book before the formal dinner. Our waiter, Bruno, had been warned ahead of time to bring his camera, so he was ready for us in our finery. We had a great wait staff at our table - they seemed to enjoy being able to cut loose with us the way they normally can't with some guests (ask CarrieMonster about the napkin person she helped bring to life, so to speak). We also took over some of the tables in the gaming lounge with several different games of wit, frivolity, and merriment.
Thursday we had our second Chamber session, and I think I've finally caught up with the parts of my ass that I danced off that afternoon. I know there's blackmail material on Youtube of the Yellow-Footed Gothic Bunny Hop all ready. After dinner, we had a happy hour courtesy of Jeannie Ruby & her film crew, though it took place in the beginning of our passage through some seriously rough weather, which put several folks down early. I managed to get outside with a handful of folks to shout myself hoarse at the elements, which was exceedingly invigorating, and spent most of the evening quietly chatting with folks hither, thither, and yon.
After returning to port, K & I made our way to her brother's place, where we spent the next two days quite enjoyably, despite some persistent rain, and my party-compromised immune system saying OH HAI, COME PLAY to some of K's neice's germs. A lot of good conversation and family time was a nice way to segue back to the earth after the boat.
However, after being on the cruise with a hundred-plus PIBs, it was rather disappointing to be kicking around and not be able to a couple black-clad folks in almost any group, and know they were friends of mine.
C14 can't come soon enough, so we can do it all over again.
