TGT and Lunch

TGT:

Your card arrived yesterday at Dubai.  Thanks for the news and for thinking of me.  And, yes, I was having too much fun to write but will do better!!!!

 Lunch

I do not generally eat lunch but was in front of the dining room just as it opened for lunch so I went in.  Being a social creature, I opted for sharing a table at the window. 

There were 2 places left at a table for 8 and my heart sank as I saw the behemoth following me, slowly, heading for the same table.  This idiot is the reason I do not generally go to the dining room for breakfast or lunch.

This man is well over 6 feet tall (180 cm?) but stooped due to the 350 lbs he weighs.  Massive begins to describe him; also, snobbish, ill-tempered, self-absorbed and smelly.  Since he is travelling alone, he probably does not have anyone to help him wash nor to tell him that he smells. 

His rants against __________________ (fill in the blank on almost any subject) precluded conversation to my left and the very senile but very gentle man (really gentle) apologized for repeating himself just after he had told me the same story – a loop of a story about Germany followed by an apology.  His story-telling was animated and his apology soft and sincere.  Therefore, it was not difficult to listen to him.

Dinner was a joy with lovely people who all got off on 10 January at Southampton.  Then, I was put at a table for 9, all solo travellers including 2 women who were “away from home for the first time”, one Neanderthal who told dirty jokes, a football hooligan and one man who obviously thought he was the Duke of Whatever – dinner begins at 6 pm.  He announced that he never came down before 6:30.  We could order on time but were not served until his food was ready.  So, we never finished before 8 or after, which meant that I was late for the trivia quiz and other were late for the theater.

So, I moved to a table for 4, sitting alone, and invited “guests” most nights.   I had the great pleasure of dining with Tom (the visiting astronomer) and Rita Boles, as well as crew members.

Since yesterday, (Dubai) I am at a table for 6 – let’s see how it goes.