Iconic elements

Evening

 Even what seem like insurmountable problems become just petty inconveniences when you’re experiencing something as iconic as this ship.

Yep.. even when Evan calls to say he “thought “ he saw a rodent scurrying in the kitchen, taking refuge under the dishwasher, you don’t give a rat’s ass about anything other than how much fun you’re having.

I remember as a teen, an elusive rodent took up residence in our house. 

He’d be seen for a second and then he’d be MIA for what seemed like  months.

Until that time I picked up a dust ball from the linoleum tiles on my bedroom floor and I didn’t have my glasses on.

Dust balls don’t cling to bedspreads when they’re flung from the petrified hands of a myopic teenager.

I recovered, but not as fast as I hoped to.

The ship is divided into eight different neighborhoods, and ours is located in Central Park. There are shops and trees and park benches and even a dog that loves to pose for photos. Her name is Rover, which is unusual for a girl, but it’s better than Karen. Rover would be happy to pose for a photo op in Central Park, even with a bona fide mugger.

Almost seven thousand people on this ship and the maitre D tonight greets us by name before we checked in. He recognized us from lunch, when Jim wore his Graceland shirt and I wore that  “Karen Calm Down” T-shirt we wear at Woodloch reunions.

But it’s not like he’s a savant with facial recognition skills.

His name happens to be Elvis.

His wife’s  is name happens to be Karen.

We just saw a spectacular show in the ice skating rink called Starburst: Elemental Beauty.

I thought Jim booked some nerdy science lecture about the periodic table but it wasn’t that at all.

Imagine if  Cirque de Soleil had a baby with Bill  Nye the Science Guy and that baby wore skates and was graceful as a swan.

Beautiful costumes and lithe skaters lighting up the rink like a Christmas tree. 

They chose appropriate music, like Sia’s “Titanium” when they covered that particular element.

The creativity and professionalism that went into making this show is like nothing I’ve seen before, and it’s only Day Three.

This trip has exceeded my very high expectations.

Who would have ever thought that science class could be so wildly entertaining?