The day has started bright and sunny and the temperature is rising and with it the humidity. Looking at the pictures of Washington DC which is in physical, meteorological gridlock instead of the usual political gridlock is quite a contrast but it is 3-4,000 miles away so it is ‘sufficient unto the day’ that I will have to deal with the US winter weather. As I am a ‘winter person’ who does not do well in the heat above about 23 deg C or 75 deg F. the return to the cold holds no terrors in fact I am looking forward to it.
I must say that the write up in the ship’s daily newsletter called ‘Currents’ regarding both Santos and Sao Paulo make me wonder what on earth possessed the cruise line to call there. Santos is described as “ ………a city which has seen better days and, as a destination for travelers, is of limited interest”. That really gets you going doesn’t it? Of Sao Paulo “It can be an intimidating place….but if you like big cities it is worth a visit.” It goes on to say “The residents constantly complain of street violence, traffic problems and pollution….….Reports of crime in the city have increased and it is now said to be less safe than Rio”. Well, sounds like a really exciting place to be mugged. The organized tour spends almost all its time on the bus according to the description of it, because the traffic is too heavy!!!!! Bearing in mind that, in docile little old BA, one of the passengers from ‘Insignia’ on an organized bus tour had his wristwatch removed (cut with a box cutter) from his wrist by a thief as he was getting off the tour bus, one can only begin to imagine what they may have in store for us in Santos/Sao Paulo. What ere they thinking?
Breakfast was out in the open (but shade), on the after end of the Terrace Cafe and as it is Sunday, some of us had a Bloody Mary or a Mimosa. We also opened one of the jars of ‘Deedle Dee’ jam which I bought in the Falklands. The jam is made from a berry of the same name which looks a bit like a red-currant. Its taset is not unpleasant. The temperature is 28 deg C or 82 deg F and I think we are in for a warm day.
The usual menu of ‘entertaining treats’ is on offer today including the ‘Superbowl of Trivia’ which promises to be the culminating episode of the long-running trivia quizzes which have taken place throughout the cruise. The anticipation for this event is almost palpable. It seems that the appetite for trivia is totally elastic, does this say something about modern life? Perhaps ‘triviality is the new reality’, who knows? Certainly, the only news channels available on the vessel, CNN and Fox avoid hard news like the plague and the programs seem to be driven far more by the presenter than by the content, the latter of which is kept deliberately ‘light’. I have yet to hear anyone ask a difficult question of anyone else, a combative question, perhaps but not an intelligently phrased question to which the answer needs to be more than one sentence. If the news is trivia, then it is only to be expected that its consumers will be interested in trivia too. At the moment, the uncrowned queen of Trivialand, Sarah Palin, rules the airwaves. She can see Trivia from her house. End of sermon.
Tonight should be a good night to take over control of the ship and steer it away from Santos as, I assume, many people will be watching the Stupidbowl, sorry, SuperBowl. I wouldn’t ask for a ransom for the ship, just the avoidance of Santos!! I am hoping to attend a course on ‘Swahili for Dummies’ during this evening football-watching period as I am sure such knowledge will serve me well during the World Cup in South Africa. Phrases common to the British soccer stadium such as the chant “Here we go, here we go, here we go”, helpful advice for the players, for example “Nutmeg ‘im Kevin” or pertinent observations about the visual acuity of the match officials in the form of “Oi! ref, where is your dog and white stick?” or even a waveringly lyrical version of the ballad “You’ll never walk alone”, all expressed in the native vernacular will do much to endear me to the locals, I am sure. Also, expressing my sentiments in a lesser known language will avoid the hostility I might incur from those around me when England play USA on June 17th. when my loyalties will be tested to the full. Now that the captain of England has been discovered ‘in flagrante’ with the significant other of one of his teammates, the internal dynamics of the England team should be as interesting as the maneuvers on the field of play. This could be the first case of a red card for adultery. If the England players had been more strategic thinkers, they would have committed adultery with a significant other of a member of one of the opposition teams, not one of their own. There is still time…………..
The half-time interval at the SuperBowl is to be performed by the last mortal remains of the ‘Who’. The Geritol-fuelled duo will arise from their walking frames and try to pretend that they are 50 years younger than they are. Sure they were great once but perhaps it is time to hang up the guitars and the dirty T-shirts It is probably salutary to think that the players in the game which they will punctuate are possibly old enough to be their grandchildren. How many of the live and TV audience watching will even know who they are?
More from today, later.
Ah. I see you HAVE been made aware of the JT case. That's the trouble with reading these blogs from the top downwards. I guess The Who come pretty cheap these days, after Pete's run-in with the law a few years back, and Roger Daltrey is unlikely to have a wardrobe malfunction to upset the kiddies, unless he has to go for a wee in mid-set. Thanks for the updates. It sounds like you've had a good time of it. We'll be taking off for hot, moist parts and the Chinese New Year in Singapore almost at exactly the moment when you touch down in the land hit by "the greatest snowstorm since the last greatest snowstorm". Apropos of which, we've got about twice as much of the stuff as we had when you were over, and it's got beyond a joke. That bloody Copenhagen meeting was more efficient than a goose's stomach.
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