One would think that a day at sea is time to do nothing but curl up in a chair with a good read and stare out the windows at a passive (Pacific) sea.

The day starts early with us, 7:00 AM, give or take, contemplating all that we have done and how many amazing treats lie ahead. We start at the Bistro Cafe for a cappuccino and head up to the upper deck for breakfast. This morning I had Miso Soup, a first for me in the morning. It was quite delicious, adding all the sides to it such as sticky rice, chives, shaved mushrooms, tofu, sesame oil and a splash of soy. Meredith went more traditional: scrambled eggs and bacon…. my miso was immediately pushed to the side… only kidding….

We attended two spectacular lectures as part of the enrichment program. The first (by Ian MacLachlan) who is an expert in Latin American politics and culture. as well as its geological makeup. This was a continuation from a previous lecture about the political aspects of handing back the Panama Canal to the Panamanians. The 2nd lecture (by Jim Brochu) was about his personal friendship with Lucille Ball. Jim’s lectures are stories of his life as an actor, writer and personal friend to some amazing stars.

Then off to Trivia (our team name, the Know-Nothings) ,and we once again proved just that.

For lunch, the Know-Nothing’s sulked our way to the back deck and quickly forgot about our loss when you can look out at the Pacific and dine on anything and everything delicious.

Then back for the 3rd enrichment program and a lecture by Scott Bornstein on, Mastering Your Memory Power. Scott’s father had founded the company and together they have taught over 2 million people on how to improve one’s memory— and his techniques are mind bending. By the end of the lecture, everyone could remember 15 objects he chose, at random, and recall any and all of them in any order… for life… the technique is a simple association. This has solved a question I have had since college. I had a professor who taught physics and the first day of class he handed out a blank card to each student and told everyone to write their name on it. He collected the cards, studied the student’s face for a brief second, lectured for 45 minutes, then handed each card back to the correct student. I now know that he must have looked at me, said to himself, ‘No hope for this one… Nada……’

After that, meredith and I went our separate ways: she to play bridge and me back to the Bistro for an afternoon coffee and to write by the window, listening to some awesome music on my headphones.

We then met up again at 4:30 for a tour of the main kitchen, which is incomprehensible to describe but now obvious why these have been some of the best meals of our life.

Then for a little of PT, we walked the deck for 20 minutes to enjoy the enjoy salt air. By the way, the windiest part of a ship appears to be the starboard bow. I have noticed this on our last cruise as I did this one.

Tonight we will attend a show, then off to a black tie event as a guest of the Captain in one of the specialty restaurants, Prego, for dinner.

Then a nightcap in the upper bow of the ship with a quartet playing as we recap what a wonderful day is was.