Scarlet Lady / Live / Solo - Oct 6 - 10 2021...

[sid_9169]

 

Most of the month of April was a blur… Other than excessive eating and drinking, I had begun sleeping an average of 11-12 hours a night, just to pass the time. I was even more depressed than ever about my life as a whole. Coming to the realization, that after 50 years on this Earth, I was nothing but a “non-essential worker”, while the 16 year old kid behind the checkout counter at Publix was “critical infrastructure”... It’s as if my entire life had been kicked square in the nuts…

 

On Friday, May 15th I received an alert on my Outlook that it was time to check in for my flight to Miami… I guess they had no way of knowing that I’d cancelled the flight. Here in Georgia, we were in the process of opening back up, though most of the restaurants were still doing to go orders only. My favorite Brazillian restaurant, Chama Gaucha, had opened up for dine-in service earlier in the week, so I made a reservation for Sunday, the very day that my original cruise was to set sail. It felt strange dining in a “real restaurant” again, but it gave me hope that we were heading towards a return to “normal” again, even if the “new normal” didn’t resemble the World I’d known beforehand… It did feel good to eat something that I didn’t have to cook at home, as I was growing bored with my weekly rotation of meals. I stuffed myself to the gills with cuts of ribeye, filet, lamb chops, and any number of cuts of beef, chicken, and pork… Their amazing salad bar, which is normally filled with all kinds of goodness, was sadly no more. At least the sides and cheese rolls provided were all great, and plenty. I was sitting there thinking to myself that I should be somewhere out in the sunny Caribbean, but this was as good as it was going to get for the time being… Little did I know, more bad news was lurking right around the corner. 

 

On Wednesday May 20th, I found out through various social media outlets that Virgin Voyages was yet again cancelling sailings even further out, this time until mid October. The news hit me like a brick, as this was the very week that my initial sailing was supposed to happen. It’s safe to say that I was beginning to lose confidence in Virgin Voyages as a company altogether… I already had a Carnival cruise booked for the end of November, so I would need to look at sailings further out into 2021. This entire ordeal had been surreal, and it was beginning to look like sailing the Scarlet Lady just wasn’t in the cards for me. I’d already spent untold hours on the phone with them, and many more just on hold. Now, I was quite literally back to square zero. 

 

Sure enough, on May 21st, I received the official email from Virgin, cancelling yet again. And, again, I had the choice of keeping the 200% of what I had originally paid for the initial sailing, or receive a full refund of all the money I had originally paid, plus 25% as a “future voyage credit”... At this point, I was ready to just take my money and run, but I also saw it as my destiny to sail upon this ship. Everything that I’d been through already had only steeled my resolve to step foot on board the Scarlet Lady, and sail her to the sunny Caribbean… 

 

This time around, I decided that the October starting date still might be delayed again, so I opted to look further out into 2021, and hope for an eventual return to life as we used to know it. I found another back to back sailing at the beginning of June 2021. The first leg being a 4 night, visiting Key West and Bimini, followed by a 5 night, porting at Cozumel and Bimini… When I got home from work that day, I placed a call to Virgin, and the waiting game began. I had planned on giving it about an hour, then giving up for the night. When I reached the 1 hour point, I said to myself, “I am getting through, Hell or high water”, and settled in with a couple of adult beverages. At a little bit past the 2 hour mark, I finally got through, and began yet again, the process of cancelling and rebooking…

 

When all was said and done, I had an entire nother year to wait… (***Yes, in Georgia “nother” is a word…) I dove headfirst into my research again on my port plans, and just prayed that it was really going to happen this time around… It had been several years since my last visit to Key West, and I really wanted to make the most of it. Cozumel on the other hand, is my all time favorite destination, but there were still plenty of new things to see and do. Normally, passengers have to be back on board in the late afternoon, but the Scarlet Lady was slated to remain until midnight… This was my first chance to finally experience my most beloved port “after dark”...

 

[sid_9169]

One week to go!!!...

 

 

[sid_9169]

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[sid_9169]

Along with my hand drawn maps, I also dug out my handy dandy, tried and true hand drawn packing list. This assures that everything I need for the journey there and back again ends up in my bag. I have a couple of new additions to my list since my last cruise prior to the pandemic. Vaccine card. Check. Reading glasses, since my eyesight has gone drastically downhill since then. In fact, make it two sets of reading glasses in case I lose one. I also found it handy to bring a small note pad for things that I may need to remember not to forget... Lastly, my public transportation cards for both Atlanta and Miami...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sid_9169]

 

By the last week of May 2020, the news cycle that had been dominated by the pandemic for the past few months, turned ugly in a way that we hoped we would never see, especially during these already difficult times… The death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer, had sparked protests that quickly spread throughout the Nation. My own city, which is the cradle of the Civil Rights movement, wasn't spared. On Friday May 30th, the streets of Atlanta erupted in chaos. By the next morning, the violence and destruction made its way up into my neighborhood, with vandalism and looting… Something I’d never even dreamed would happen, was now right at my doorstep. On the one hand, I know there was anger, but on the other, their methods of “change” were doing little to help their cause… On top of all that, the would be 53rd birthday of my lifelong best friend was approaching… I normally would be on a cruise in honor of her passing way too young, but now I was stuck here at home, in the middle of a Global health crisis, and now violence in the streets of my hometown… I wanted to do something special for this solemn day, so against my better judgement, I made a reservation at the swankiest steakhouse in town. Let’s just say that someone like me, who makes only thirty something grand per year, shouldn't even be thinking of going somewhere like that. But, with the way the World was spiraling out of control, I felt that I couldn't afford not to… 

 

Amidst all of the chaos going on around America, on Saturday May 30th 2020, at 3:22 pm, there was a glimmer of hope for our fractured country. Elon Musk’s Space X Falcon 9 launched a crew of astronauts to the International Space Station, thus returning human space flight to the USA… As I watched it live, I must admit there was a tear in my eye, and I also prayed that it would be successful…

 

Monday’s workday was just as monotonous as most, but at least I had a magnificent meal to look forward to. I tried to eat a light lunch, so I didn’t ruin my appetite for the gastronomical experience. After work, I showered and changed into my Sunday best, which for a “t-shirt and blue jeans” guy like me, included a nice button down shirt, and yes, blue jeans… (But, at least not the ones with holes in them.) I also broke out my one nice pair of shoes, that I’ve only ever worn about five times or so, over the decade or so that I’ve owned them. To top it all off, I also donned a very special Versace billfold that my friend in Heaven gave me back in 2003. I never, ever take it out of the house, for fear that something might happen to it… For this occasion, I decided that it had to be done, if only to honor “her”... 

 

When I was ready, I summoned an Uber, but ended up getting switched around a couple of times before I was successful. Finally, I was on my way, for what I hoped would be the meal of a lifetime. I ended up being seated at the best table in the house, even though I wasn’t one of their frequent, “high falutin” guests… My waiter arrived, and welcomed me back by name, even though I had only ever been here once in my life, as a guest of others. I’m not used to being addressed so formally every time they visit my table. I had already perused the menu online, and I knew exactly what I planned on getting into. Soon, I would find out that I’d bitten off more than I could chew. For starters, the lump crab appetizer, and of course, a margarita, since I couldn’t be in Mexico right now, sipping one on the beach. Next, the foie gras app, which was an entirely new experience for me… I’m a pretty adventurous eater, so I figured “what’s the worst that could happen”?... It did turn out to be pretty good, but with a mushy texture. It was served on toasted brie, which added to the richness of the dish… 

 

The main event was about to happen, and I ordered another margarita in preparation for the dining equivalent of “going all the way”... The 22oz dry aged bone in ribeye, along with their famous hash browns, corn pudding, and bacon collard greens… I dove in, and attempted to put the biggest dent in it that I was able… Somewhere in the middle of it all, I ordered another drink, not realizing how strong they really were… By the time I had finished, I was drunk, and nearly miserable from the gluttony. When the bill arrived, I knew that I had overdone it bigtime, and was  just ready to go home. They boxed up the leftovers, and at least I had a nice lunch to look forward to the next day for the two hundred something dollars this was about to cost me. As I was standing out front waiting on the Uber, I was swaying from the drinks, and weighed down heavily from grossly overdoing it. 

 

By the time I got home, it was clear that Bone’s Steakhouse was my Kriptonite, and I was fading fast. My goal was to honor the life of my dear lost friend, and if she was looking down upon me from Heaven, I’m sure that she was thinking that I gave it my all… At least I didn’t have to go to work the next day, with Tuesday being my regular off day, due to our rotating schedule… I vaguely remember watching TV for awhile, before fading into the night with a full belly, and a pretty good buzz…

 

 

 

 

Edited September 29, 2021 by sid_9169

[sid_9169]

Some pictures from my dinner at Bone's...

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[ceilidh1]

Loving this, as always! It's like a really great book that you just can't put down....

[sid_9169]

More Bone's...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sid_9169]

Sorry for the duplicate picture... I don't feel like editing it...

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[sid_9169]

For my birthday lunch, we're going to order from Grand China, a local decent Chinese place... I've also still got a nice meals worth of leftovers from Chop's which will be my dinner tonight...

[sid_9169]

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[sid_9169]

[purpleally]

I’m LOVING this!  Thank you!

[sid_9169]

[BohJang]

Hey Sid - I'm all caught up and enjoying your review. By the way, your meat last night was spectacular!

[sid_9169]

 

The remainder of June, and then July 2020 went by like a blur, as we were back to work full time now… The World continued to descend into chaos, with riots and destruction continuing well beyond the point of normal “protesting”... The corona virus had pretty much taken a back seat in the daily news cycle, which I had nicknamed “panic porn”... We did end up having our own little “panic” at my workplace, when a couple of the employees came down with the virus. Again, we ended up closing down briefly, but at least we were still getting paid. 

 

Everyone in the company was tested on multiple occasions, and I secretly hoped that I would test positive, if only to just go ahead and get it over with… It was also about this time that my landlord decided to put my condo on the market, meaning I would have to find a new place to live soon. And, with this news, I slipped even deeper into depression. I had spent six solid months in 2019 looking for a suitable place, close to work, that I could afford. Now, my entire life was about to be reset to “square zero” once again… The neighborhood where I was currently living was the only place in the World that seemed like “home” to me, and it would be a stretch to find another place nearby that would be within my budget.

 

On top of all of this, my Carnival Mardi Gras cruise for November 2020 had been cancelled, due to further delays at the shipyard. This was the last remaining thing I had to look forward to this calendar year, and now it was also gone. I had pretty much come to the conclusion that there would be no cruises happening for the rest of 2020. I really needed some kind of vacation, but with the spiking corona virus numbers, I couldn’t even take a trip to Florida, and expect to have a good time. My entire outlook on life became ever more bleak by the day. 

 

I began going through pictures of past cruises, just to try and recapture some of those memories. The year, so far, had gone from “bad” to “worse”, and now, even worse yet. Add on top of that, the circus-like election, and it was clear that 2020 was, at the very least going to go down in history as “the strangest year ever”... What I really wanted to do, was just curl up in the fetal position, and hibernate until it was all over, but that just wasn’t an option. With the prospect of higher housing costs, I needed to try and get my spending, as well as drinking problem, under control. I could knock out two birds with one stone by quitting, but it was really the only thing I had to look forward to. I opted to try and go Sunday through Thursday sober, and then drink on the weekends. This would probably be better for my health, as well as my budget. Take away drinking, and what would I even do after work? I began packing my belongings, as I would have to be out of my apartment soon, no matter what. If I could find a decent place to move to, that I could afford, at least I would have one positive thing to come out of this crazy year. I began searching online every day after work, in hopes of finding “the one”...

[sid_9169]

Birthday lunch. Thai spicy chicken and fried rice...

 

 

 

[sid_9169]

Uh oh... I think that this information came a little bit late...