Well, I'm sitting here in my formal clothes typing this little ditty. Have a cocktail party to attend, due to us becoming Gold Card members onboard. We had gone down to see about our internet perks that come along with said status upgrade. Tobias said we were just silver, because "Silver comes before gold." Sandy, "Is that how that works?" But he looked up our accounts, gold cards granted. Moving on up the social ladder.

New found foods: Onion rings, room service fajitas and room service dessert. Harking back to my summer of the great onion ring search, I have stumbled upon a second place winner here on Queen Victoria. It was unable to beat the DQ rings. Room service is a hidden little gem, too. There is a dessert called a frozen chocolate bombe. It has become a standard in cabin 4110.

The other night at dinner Betty asked me about "You, Americans, like all that..." pointing to all our salads. I don't know if it was a generational thing, because our other Aussies ate salads. I agreed with her that we Americans all liked salads, when actually we the majority of us really enjoy fast food. Granted that I am usually just a meat and potatoes kind of girl, I'll eat a salad if you put it in front of me. They seem to taste better when someone else makes them anyway.

Its official, we packed too much. Probably could have made it with half of what we brought. The ride into London and the airport with all our acquired junk will be a trip.

The library onboard has been good to me. I've reread the first four years of the Harry Potter series. The books are all the British versions though, got to read the philosopher's stone. Kind of weird without the illustrations and the font used for the chapter titles. It's the small things that you don't notice until they're gone. Also, they don't use periods when writing people's titles, as in Mr Weasley. Being around all these British people and their crazy food has expanded my reading experience, too. As in breakfast of kippers (fish) and Yorkshire pudding (which isn't a pudding at all). Being muggle (non-magic folk) isn't the issue, it was being American. I have also added a bit of British lingo (ie: rubbish, loads and others) into my vernacular, with all the reading of HP and the British guests.

Saw dolphins today along the ship. We were reading in the comfy, cushioned deck chairs below our window. They all just popped up, usually just their fins, but one jumped all the way out of the water. We were going along the Longbok (spelling) channel between the islands of Indonesia on our way north. So we also got to see land today. Last day in the southern hemisphere tomorrow. Another pollywog day, but we get to be spectators this time.

Drinks and dinner are calling, until next time...

crj