Cruising

We are one week back from our Caribbean cruise on the, Navigator of the Seas, part of the Royal Caribbean fleet. The ship was leaving from Galveston Texas. We flew in to Houston and decided to to visit the Johnson Space Center before heading to Galveston. The Johnson Space Center is known around the world as the home of NASA Mission Control, International Space Station Mission Control and astronaut training. We took several tours and got an overview of the first historic manned rockets of the early space programs.

We spent the weekend in Galveston which is a charming seaside city on the gulf of Mexico still getting back on its feet after a devastating hurricane in 2008. There are some areas which have not yet been re-built.  We stayed in the Seawall area and took a long walk along the beach to the old town area called the Strand. Galveston was a port where immigrants landed in the late 1800's well has quite a colorful history as a bustling port and home to thriving casinos. Our favorite way to see a place and get a feel for it is by walking. We even found a historic synagogue building which is no longer in use.

Our first night in Galveston we were entertained by a booming thunderstorm and lashing rains which we watched from our hotel room facing the sea. Jeff almost jumped off the bed with the crash of the thunder. We are  not accustomed to that kind of show put on by mother nature. On Sunday, the day we left for the cruise, the weather had turned beautiful and warm with crystal clear blue skies.

The ship had been refurbished several years ago and was elegant with a stunning atrium dominated by a magnificent glass structure. The promenade deck featured stores with typical wares; liquor, jewelry, merchandise with the ship logo.   Years ago these shops were much more appealing to me and there wasn't one tzothzke I wanted to take home. There was even a pub and wine bar as well as several specialty restaurants.

The ship, which carried over three thousand passengers, ran like a well-oiled machine. Every time before we entered the dining room we spritzed our hands with Purell from a disinfectant stand or one of the ship's attendants would give us a squirt. They were concerned about viruses spreading which has happened on some ships.

Because we have taken a number of cruises over the years, we could see changes which I would guess are done for cost-cutting purposes.Our room steward, a woman for the first time, was in charge of thirteen rooms without an assistant. She was always rushing, and we could see she was a very hard worker. Our waiter also was hassled and some of the meal service was quite slow. Tipping which used to be a production on the last night of the cruise,handing out envelopes to the water and steward, is now automatically applied to our standing credit card account.

The food was very good and abundant, more than anyone should eat. However there were no midnight buffets (already on the last few cruises this was the case) not that we needed them...!  There was no outside pizza or grill or sushi bar as on previous cruises. There was a constant push to buy alcoholic beverages and many people buy drink packages which we don't do.

The excursions off the ship  can be quite pricey and one has to read between the lines to figure out if the excursion is really what we want to do. In Riotan Honduras, we spent a low key day at a lovely beach. In Belize we went  with a group on a boat to go snorkeling over a coral reef which was fun. The snorkeling equipment is much easier to use than I remember and the swaying coral reefs and fish were amazing.

After the snorkeling, our excursion included several hours at another beautiful beach with soothing, temperate water. We spent several hours in the water just floating around.

In Cozumel, our third stop,  I went to a hotel with a group to learn how to make margaritas, several types of salsa and to learn salsa  It was an enjoyable experience and I now make a great salsa... though I'm still perfecting my margaritas. Jeff stayed on the ship and had a lazy, relaxing day.


The evening entertainment on the ship was good and included singers, dancers, comedians. Every night there were shows as well as other musical entertainment and several "themed" events and of course a casino.  There is plenty to do or you can opt to do nothing much at all...! This ship even had a climbing wall and ice skating rink. You can be sure Jeff and I were not participating in either of these activities but you could find us enjoying the hot tub and the salt water solarium pool.


One thing we observed over and over is how friendly and polite Texans are from the bellman at the  Houston hotel,  to waitresses in Galveston, to guests in the ship's elevator, to people I chatted with in the hot tub.  What is it about Texas? Are people taught good manners as part of their Texas culture and upbringing? We met a lovely couple at our dining table from a small town in Texas and enjoyed our time with them very much. I was surprised to discover the wife played mahjong on Tuesdays just like me!

 I brought four different caps and my wig  but never wore it once. My "new look" is a fringe of very short silver hair which I have been told looks very chic...(oy!) If you would have said to me before I started cancer treatment that I would "rock" a very short natural hairstyle, not colored or highlighted,  I would say , impossible, no way. Yet, here I am enjoying my liberated hairdo. We'll see how it looks as it grows in but for now, my wigs are officially "retired."

The best part of the cruise was sitting on our balcony contemplating the vastness of the ocean and reveling in our time together and my return to good health.

Five Shades of Gray

I have created a new blog, Movin' On, to chronicle my post-cancer life. There was a very interesting three part series on PBS two weeks ago which was based on the book, The Emperor of Maladies, a history of cancer and treatment. I had read the book several years ago in my book club, BC, before cancer.I wasn't sure if I could even watch the program but I did see two episodes. 

It was fascinating to follow the first pioneers of cancer treatment and how they came to discoveries which have evolved to  standard medical practices. There have been huge strides made in treating childhood leukemia as well as many other cancers.  It seems like every day in the news there are promising clinical trials. Sixty Minutes had a segment on the use of the polio virus to activate the body's own immune system for treating certain cancers.

These days hearing and reading about cancer has become much more personal and this post treatment time is still delicate for me as I regain my strength and confidence in my return to good health. I try to follow recommendations in diet and exercise I have learned through UCSF classes and literature. Sometimes I laugh at the food I try to incorporate into my daily diet. I eat cruciferous vegetables because the nutritionist says they are important  e.g.(broccoli, cauliflower, arugula.) I drink a cup of green tea for anti oxidants. I try to have some ground flax seed every day though I forget why, and I'm supposed to exercise 150 minutes a week both aerobic and weight bearing. You are probably thinking OY VEY...all these things. My theory is if I do some of them some of the time...it is better than not doing them ever and if they can keep me healthy then why not?  Oh and don't worry, I haven't given up my favorite treat (ice cream)  that doesn't appear on the list of cruciferous veggies.

The good news is I feel terrific. I had so much energy that I cooked Passover dinner for seventeen and loved doing it; two kinds of charoset, gefillte fish,  matzoh ball soup, real chopped liver and vegetarian chopped liver, brisket, two kugels, homemade apple rhubarb sauce and several desserts including meringues with a lemon curd filling and rich chocolate brownies. Jeff couldn't believe that I did most of the cooking though with some help from my sister. I felt incredibly grateful to be able to gather the family and this was a Seder we will never forget.

Now for the trivial. My hair is growing in and is several intriguing shades of light and dark silver. At this point it has a mind of its own with strange waves and places where it is sticking up. My nephew calls me Annie Lennox. Who would believe that I would even contemplate leaving this silver concoction untouched and not coloring it. The amazing part is that it looks very contemporary at least for now. A hip young sales associate, Anthony helping me pick out some make up at the Macy's counter in San Francisco says I should keep it natural and rock it. If one day my silver hair will make me feel older than I want to feel, I might hit the "bottle" again but for now it is part of the "new" me.

One of the women on the PBS special, a cancer survivor, expressed a sentiment simply but eloquently with which I totally agree. Once you have been through cancer you are never the same. That is OK with me. I don't have to be the same person, but I can try to be a better one.

And I will close with the exciting news that we are heading on a cruise to the Western Caribbean  in a few days stopping in Belize, Riotan, Honduras and Cozumel. We fly to Houston than pick up the ship in Galveston. Having never been to Houston or Galveston we will go to the Space Center and spend the weekend in Galveston checking out the beach and the historical areas. We are most looking forward to relaxing and re-charging.