Day 6: Pollywogs and Shellbacks

Last night around 9 PM we crossed the equator.  We went from being "Pollywogs" to "Shellbacks", in nautical terms.  This event was acknowledged today in a celebration led by the Captain.  It was pretty silly, actually.  They took members of the crew who were passing over for the first time and humiliated them in front of everyone on the stage by the pool.  First they had to kiss a fish.  Then they had various food poured on them:  spaghetti sauce, flour, raw eggs, and such.  The mess on the deck was pretty disgusting.  King Neptune and his Queen returned to the deep (i.e. jumped into the pool) at the end. Personally, I was hoping for a charm for my RCCL charm bracelet.  Nope, didn't get it.

This morning at breakfast I had a cute encounter with a little old British lady.  I was standing in front of the biscuits and gravy at the buffet when she walked up and looked at it.  Our conversation went something like this:
Her: Wha' IS that - "gravy". Is it like porrage?
Me: No, it's more like a sauce to put over biscuits.
Her: Wha's in this gravy?
Me:  It's milk, flour, and crumbles of sausage.
Her: Oh my, it's very fattening - that.  And biscuit, is that like a scone?
Me: No, it's not sweet at all.
Her:  How is it made?
Me:  Flour, buttermilk, shortening...
She wrinkled up her nose, shook her head, and muttered something about how fattening it must be as she walked away.  It's always interesting to see our world from the eyes of others.

At last, I've started writing more than this blog.  I had written myself into a corner and spent some time today figuring out what to do about it.  A few more tweaks and I can get this story back on track.

It's been another lovely day at sea.  One more sea day and then we'll finally arrive in Tahiti on Tues.  Everyone is ready for some solid land under our feet.

Tonight we want to look for the Southern Cross.  I'd like to see it for the first time...