day off

today was our first real "day off" on this cruise, since every other day has had at least a few meetings or business meals to handle. my co-worker actually had to leave the cruise this morning to attend to some other business back in NYC, so I was on my own for most of the day -- which was actually a welcome respite, since we've had to share a room and spend nearly every waking hour together. I had stayed out late the night before partying with the crew in the local bar (we docked in Nassau, Bahamas overnight last night) and managed to sleep in a bit this morning, which was delicious (if there was a World Championship for Sleeping, I think I could be a serious contender). after we parted ways at the Nassau pier, I hopped in a taxi and headed over to the beach. two hours disappeared as I dozed on a cushiony lounge chair in the soft white sand, listening to the rhythmic lapping of the aquamarine water and distant sounds of kids playing.

at this point I was RAVENOUSLY hungry ("lay off me I'M STARVING" -- for all you SNL fans out there) and decided to scope out some delicious seafood (which is exciting enough for a foodie like me but even more exciting given the fact that my client is vegetarian and I would have felt bad suggesting a seafood place had she still been there). I talked to a couple of the locals (more support for my theory that being relatively young, female, bikini-clad and alone tends to improve the service you get, regardless of what country you're in) and heard about an area called the "fish fry" where they have a handful of restaurants with all the freshest seafood.

I ended up at a place called the "seafood haven" with a booth all to myself on their upstairs back deck. their motto was "it's so fresh that to get any fresher you'd have to go deep down and spear it yourself" (or something along those lines) and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I started with an ice-cold Bahamian beer and a cup of fresh conch chowder. the entree itself was a huge platter of fresh grilled grouper with onions and bell peppers, a pile of rice and beans and a few plaintains. seriously? freaking delicious. the grouper was so fresh it was practically still swimming on my plate, and they gave me several wedges of lime to squeeze onto everything (as well as some hot sauce). I was in seafood heaven and would have eaten every single morsel had it been humanly possible (it wasn't -- trust me). the whole area was just charming -- lots of shacks selling fresh conch, seafood, drinks, the whole deal... all with a cool breeze blowing through and the warm sun shining down (it was about 80 degrees today -- warm but not too hot).

I took a long walk along the shore back to the downtown Nassau area and poked around the shops for a bit (best part was this market where practically everything was knock-off Gucci/LV bags -- felt like I was in georgetown or NYC) before getting back on the ship. now it's catch up on email time and go to the gym time before probably doing some work tonight.

oh, and one more edict for the future of the American people before I forget -- white people? please? STOP GETTING YOUR HAIR BRAIDED. DO NOT LET YOUR DAUGHTERS GO THROUGH WITH THIS TRAVESTY. you look RIDICULOUS. and by ridiculous I mean STUPID AND UGLY.

thank you, that is all. oh, one more thing -- thank God scary Rumsfeld is out (although did Bush really HAVE to make his nepotism so blatantly obvious by picking another TX buddy?). and thank God Bush's people are starting to lose control in the Congress -- seems like some of our fellow Americans have actually started to pay attention to what's going on in the world around them and finally decided to do something about it.

... said the girl who's on a cruise ship all week and therefore did not vote. d'oh.