The Bistro- Off topic and fun posts!

[mskatiemae]

13 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Today's sunrise is from my 2017 5-ship combination.  On March 8, MS Zaandam visited Pisco, Peru:

 

 

Roy

Aaaahh...the Pacific at its most pacific.

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2014 3-ship Crystal/HAL combination (Symphony-Serenity-Amsterdam) combination Bali-Singapore-Cape Town-Ft. Lauderdale.  On April 9 MS Amsterdam was at sea from St. Helena to Ascension Island:

 

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2018 Crystal 2-ship World Cruise.  On April 10 the Crystal Symphony was at sea from Iquique  to Pisco:

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2014 3-ship Crystal/HAL combination (Symphony-Serenity-Amsterdam) combination Bali-Singapore-Cape Town-Ft. Lauderdale.  On April 11 MS Amsterdam crossed the Equator after passing Ascension Island:

 

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is instead a sunset from my 2018 Crystal 2-ship World Cruise.  On April 12 the Crystal Symphony stayed overnight in Callau/Lima, Peru:

 

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Today is the first sunrise from another trip.  I boarded the Celebrity Solstice for a Transatlantic April 15, 2012 but was in Fort Lauderdale on April 13:

 

 

Roy

 

[KenzSailing]

Oh my.   The big, fat, really thick asparagus are coming into stores here.

 

Yes, yes, I know we're all aflutter about cruising resuming(yea!) and shots(double yea!)

 

But big, fat, really thick asparagus...

[rafinmd]

Early this month I posted a couple of photos from an Eastbound Queen Elizabeth transatlantic with a notation that I was going on to an Eastbound Crystal Symphony transpacific with an intermediate stop in Angkor Wat.  I never saw the sun come up in Angkor Wat and April 14 was Symphony's first sea day out of Kobe.

 

 

Roy

 

[BWIVince]

12 hours ago, KenzSailing said:

Oh my.   The big, fat, really thick asparagus are coming into stores here.

 

Yes, yes, I know we're all aflutter about cruising resuming(yea!) and shots(double yea!)

 

But big, fat, really thick asparagus...

 

I feel like the timing might be a little auspicious...  Wouldn't the sturdier stalks pair better with the crunchy cicada bodies?  Or am I cooking my cicadas too al dente?  

 

Vince

[KenzSailing]

2 hours ago, BWIVince said:

 

I feel like the timing might be a little auspicious...  Wouldn't the sturdier stalks pair better with the crunchy cicada bodies?  Or am I cooking my cicadas too al dente?  

 

Vince

Protip from the Chez: just smother it all in Hollandaise and you'll be fine.

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2014 Crystal Symphony/Serenity and Amsterdam combination.  On April 15 MS Amsterdam was supposed to be in Banjul, Gambia but was instead in Mindelo, Cape Verde due to the Ebola outbreak:

 

 

Roy

[KenzSailing]

 

Me: I have to admit, I prefer Kosher dill spears to Polish dill spears.

 

My mother, from the great beyond: I don't even know you any more.

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2017 string of cruises. On April 16 MS Zaandam was at sea from Puerto Caldera to Puerto Chiapas

 

 

Roy

[BWIVince]

15 hours ago, KenzSailing said:

 

Me: I have to admit, I prefer Kosher dill spears to Polish dill spears.

 

My mother, from the great beyond: I don't even know you any more.

 

OMG, I had a similar moment this week...  My mother and I used to debate about cottage cheese, which I've NEVER been a fan of, and she had with/for breakfast several days a week.  Wednesday I bought cottage cheese for the first time in my life.  I could literally feel my late mother smack me up side the head as I put it in the cart -- TWICE.

 

Vince

[BEAV]

1 hour ago, BWIVince said:

 

OMG, I had a similar moment this week...  My mother and I used to debate about cottage cheese, which I've NEVER been a fan of, and she had with/for breakfast several days a week.  Wednesday I bought cottage cheese for the first time in my life.  I could literally feel my late mother smack me up side the head as I put it in the cart -- TWICE.

 

TWICE:

 

Good for you. In times of doubt, just put both small and large curds in the cart. It’s been a rough enough year without having the added stress of having to make a choice between curd size. 🤔

 

 

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is taken over water but is about as far from the ocean as one can get.  It is from my 2003 circumnavigation of the world featuring the Trans Siberian Railroad but cut short by SARS.  On April 13 I woke up on the shores of Lake Baikal. 

 

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

My last sunrise from my 2018 Crystal 2-ship World Cruise was taken during an overnight in port (Lima).  This one is as well, this time in Guayaquil:

 

 

Roy

[KenzSailing]

Maybe things are slowly returning to normal: I've gone from "we're not cruising this year because there's no cruises" to "we're not cruising this year because there's no budget." (an oldie and a goodie) 

[BWIVince]

11 minutes ago, KenzSailing said:

Maybe things are slowly returning to normal: I've gone from "we're not cruising this year because there's no cruises" to "we're not cruising this year because there's no budget." (an oldie and a goodie) 

 

Ditto...  Though that hasn't stopped me from eyeing a Symphony sailing in December.  😇 We'll see this week how the numbers work out -- the lack of budget didn't stop me the last couple of times either...  Yet another sign of normal!

 

Vince

[KenzSailing]

1 hour ago, BWIVince said:

 

Ditto...  Though that hasn't stopped me from eyeing a Symphony sailing in December.  😇 We'll see this week how the numbers work out -- the lack of budget didn't stop me the last couple of times either...  Yet another sign of normal!

 

Vince

 

We have a deposit down on a Serenity cruise departing August 2022.  In fact, I can tell you, without looking it up, that one year and four months from today, we departed Puerto Vallarta.  Also, we spent dinner tonight discussing where on the ship we'll be dining.  Yeah, we do that.

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2012 Celebrity Solstice transatlantic.  April 19 was a sea day on the way to our first port, Tenerife:

 

 

Roy

[PaulMCO]

The other question of my near term cruise planning decision (beside budget).   It used to be what ports would I like to see.  Now it is what ports might be open and which would likely be closed.  So hopefully we can see Antarctica (Argentina needs to open) and Japan circumnavigation (on country bet a year from now). EU moved to end of 2022 and Australia to 2023.

[rafinmd]

On 2/13/2021 at 1:40 PM, rafinmd said:

 

Thank you.  I have been having unexpected shortness of breath for about a week.  I saw my primary doctor Monday and he called for a number of tests.  Wednesday was an echocardiogram which I thought I would finish pretty quickly and even had my final piece of breakfast in my coat pocket.  They found a defective mitral valve and called an ambulance for me to University of Maryland Hospital in downtown Baltimore.  I was there until Friday evening and they ran a slew of tests before discharging me about 5:30PM.  No treatment yet but I see their cardiologist Thursday.  I shouldn't go straight to surgery from there but should at least have a date.

 

I went out to Panera for takeout this morning and it was fine when I left but started raining while I was there.  In any case I a hunkered down for the rest of the day.

 

Roy

I just got a call from University of Maryland.  While the standard mitral clip surgery is not ideal due to calcification of the valve they have reviewed the details  and decided the mitral clip would have a high probability of helping me.  The operation is less invasive than would have been involved with the test procedures but rather technical.  They would be working from a catheter inserted in my groin and they estimate about 3 hours in surgery.  Under ideal conditions I might be able to go home the next day but more likely a bit longer.

 

The procedure is tentatively scheduled for 7AM May 14 (A Friday).  We discussed my walking which I was a bit concerned might be over stressing me but he encouraged me to be as aggressive with it as I can.  This morning I walked a trail which I had never expected to be able to walk again and while I walked very slowly I was able to complete it without ever needing to completely stop and catch my breath.  I know there will be blood work and a Covid test before the procedure and likely some other things but so far this is just getting started.

 

Roy

[BEAV]

23 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

I just got a call from University of Maryland.  While the standard mitral clip surgery is not ideal due to calcification of the valve they have reviewed the details  and decided the mitral clip would have a high probability of helping me.  The operation is less invasive than would have been involved with the test procedures but rather technical.  They would be working from a catheter inserted in my groin and they estimate about 3 hours in surgery.  Under ideal conditions I might be able to go home the next day but more likely a bit longer.

 

The procedure is tentatively scheduled for 7AM May 14 (A Friday).  We discussed my walking which I was a bit concerned might be over stressing me but he encouraged me to be as aggressive with it as I can.  This morning I walked a trail which I had never expected to be able to walk again and while I walked very slowly I was able to complete it without ever needing to completely stop and catch my breath.  I know there will be blood work and a Covid test before the procedure and likely some other things but so far this is just getting started.

 

Roy

 

Thanks for the update, Roy, as I’ve been curious how your situation has been progressing. And take the win on today’s walk as a positive step forward. 

[KenzSailing]

Well, tonight's dinner was leftover roast beef.  Whip up some mashed potatoes, make a little brown gravy, a veg, and there you are.  Then I came to me: we also had leftover french (AKA "freedom") fries in the fridge.  Sub those out for mashed and pour the gravy over them.  Smashing!  I'm thinking about putting this on the menu at the Chez, calling it "south of the border poutine."  A sure fire hit, n'est ce pas?

 

Also, apologies in advance for not having any cheese curds on hand.