Somewhere in the Ionian...

Today was a picture perfect day as "Empire State VI" fell out of site of
land. We are now somewhere in the Ionian Sea.

The rumor I've heard is that we will be in sight of Greece tomorrow, but
we will be cruising up the coast, perhaps as far as Thessaloniki before
turning back south.

I must admit, I am looking forward to seeing Greece and hopefully many of
its islands before we finally get to Andros.

Now, as most of you know, at Andros there is to be a reception to which
the First Class (Seniors) will be attending. The plan, I've heard is to
bring our parties ashore using the lifeboats (my source on this may or may
not have been joking). I may or may not be going to this since the times
may conflict with library hours, but I'll try to obtain some pictures of
this event even if I don't go.

Speaking of photos, your pleas have been heard and I've been collecting
more daily life photos and photos of cadets. I I've apparently become so
well known among certain portions of the cadet population, that
individuals are coming up and giving compliments to me from their parents
or other land-based friends for "unbiased coverage." I of course always
ask if they want their photo taken, most immediately decline, but I had a
few takers. I still need to take photos of the messdeck. I might be
sending one of my work studies to go down there and take some photos of
the students in their natural habitat.

Now, please accept my thanks for taking the time to read this scribble,
and I am glad you are enjoying it, but as always, please remember...

*The views expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect those of SUNY
Maritime College, the Stephen B. Luce Library, or the State of New York in
general. This is a personal blog meant for personal dissemination.* :)

Let us continue.

Today my "alarm clock" went off at 9am as usual. I have found out just
how interrelated things are on a ship. If you recall, gentle reader,
maybe three weeks ago the ceiling over my bed decided to baptize me.
Well, as it turns out, all of this noise (which I thought was them
stripping and painting) is apparently *my* fault! They are merely
dilligently fixing the problem in the room above my bed. So, if I could
have dealt with sleeping in a "wet rack" then the noise pollution would
never have happened. If any of my workmates on the ship happen to read
this, please accept my apologies.

I also considered the concept of exercise today, and just how much
additional exercise I get on this ship. I took a formal count of the
number of steps from the library to my cabin and have come up with a grand
total of 203 steps of which 81 are stairs. I make the total trek several
times a day not to mention numerous other times that I go up and down
steps. So I feel justified, therefore, for any additional intake of
unhealthy (but delicious) calories. I need that fries and pizza to get me
through my daily commute!

In other news the library has transformed from the hottest place in the
ship to the coolest place (and I am not complaining). It's so comfortable
in here now that I have about 20 students all doing work. Most of them
are working on their navigation problems using the sight reduction tables
(do not ask me about how the tables work -- it is navigation alchemy).

With the email back up, moods about the ship have brightened considerably,
and most of the cadets, while looking doggedly tired are generally cheery,
and I haven't seen any stress out at all. Almost all the questions I have
now are people looking for stuff to do in Greece. Since we are coming in
on a Sunday, it won't cover a weekend, so the nightlife might be a bit
stilted -- but it is good in a way since it keeps the students out of
trouble. Tours are being arranged and I have been asked to give a little
port presentation before we debark so that should be fun since I like
giving presentations. The cadets seem to be appreciative of any
information they can get.

Anyway, that is all I have for tonight. I hope all is going well at home
and hopefully you'll be hearing from me tomorrow!

Fair Winds and Following Seas,
Joe