Day 40 ~ First Rate Entertainment

 February 18, 2022

80 degrees and sunny 

NAUTICAL TERM OF THE DAY ~ First Rate

"First rate" implies excellence. From the 16th century on, until steam powered ships took over, British naval ships were rated by the number of heavy cannons (guns) they carried. A ship of 100 or more guns was a first rate line-of-battle ship. Second rates carried 90-98 guns; third rates 64-89 guns; fourth rates, 50-60 guns. Frigates carrying 48 to 20 guns were fifth and sixth rated. 

Last night our entertainment was David Meyer, master of the xylosynth. 

"The what?" I hear you ask.

It's a digital xylophone, an interesting percussion instrument with the capability to produce many different sounds when the keys are struck. He also played an astounding arrangement of "O Fortuna" from Carmina Burana on a laser light instrument while his wife danced with illuminated wings and hoops on her costume. It was an electrifying performance, both to watch and to listen to. High energy and yet he displayed great musicality as well.

Like most of our guest entertainers, Meyer shared a bit about himself. He started playing the xylophone when he was quite young, but by the time he was a teenager, he was more interested in borrowing his dad's car. His father was very supportive of his musical talent, so he offered his son this deal. He could borrow the car IF he practiced for two hours every day, went to church with the family every Sunday, and got his hair cut. So David Meyer practiced the xylophone. He faithfully went to church, but he didn't get his haircut. 

"Dad, I've done what you asked, but I haven't gotten a haircut because I noticed in the paintings at church that Jesus had long hair," he said. "So can I borrow the car?"

"Well, son, you're right. Jesus had long hair," his dad conceded. "He also walked everyplace He went!"  

Meyer cut his hair.

This morning we had another art class and learned a new painting technique. It involved quickly slapping some paint onto something called a clayboard, then using that to make a single print on art paper. Once you have your print, you work with it to make it look like what you had in mind when you slapped the initial colors down. 

In the process, I discovered a new genre: Accidental Abstraction. 

When I've tried to paint abstractly in the past, the result was always too derivative. This however looks like exactly nothing. And try as I might, I couldn't bring "something-ness" into this thankfully small piece.

I think part of why I had trouble with this way of creating is that I have "control issues." I like to be able to make what I'm working on take the shape of what I have in mind. Looking at this hot mess, I have no idea what I was thinking! 

(The DH said he was already a master of Accidental Abstraction. It's his wheelhouse.)

We met Kristy and Dave for lunch at the World Cafe. It's Pan Asian cuisine today, so I enjoyed scallops, tempura shrimp and brussels  sprouts (my favorite!) We decided to meet to attend the lecture on the geology of some of the heritage sites we'll be visiting at 2:00. Hopefully. Sometimes the title of the lecture and the information imparted are not in agreement. Even though the talk is given by a geologist (who is a real scientist, BTW) and could be about how they think things such as the striking solitary rock formation called Uluru in Australia was formed, the talk may instead be slanted toward climate change or governmental regulation of geological sites. 

Later this afternoon we'll attend a workshop designed to make me and my iphone's camera better friends. I've had a hate/hate with this device since I bought it. The thing is needy. It constantly demands I re-enter my password, which I can't remember worth shooting. I've had this phone for about five years, and haven't activated Siri yet. Even so, I suspect she's the unseen listener to all my conversations. My phone wants me to provide it more and more information about me, my finances, my health...I feel violated by its constant demands. When did a phone suddenly become so wickedly essential to daily life? 

But I digress. If I can learn to take better pictures with my phone and share them more easily, if I can reach some sort of detente with the thing, the workshop will be time well spent.  

There are lots of different types of entertainment on board the Star all day long. And the evening shows in the Star Theater have been a diverse lot. I was just saying to Kristy and Dave that the special acts brought on board have been "first rate," in my estimation... mostly because we haven't been subjected to that most dreaded of all variety acts--The Ventriloquist. 

I recognize that I'm probably in the minority here. Our friends really enjoy this type of puppetry. I don't exactly have a phobia about them like some folks do about clowns. I've just always found ventriloquists to be semi-creepy. And I've never suffered through a single one who didn't crack at least one nervous-laughter-inducing joke designed to appeal to middle school boys about where the ventriloquist's hand was inserted. Viking is such a classy cruise line, I didn't expect to be offered this type of act. 

But sure enough, tonight we will be entertained by a ventriloquist. 

Dave is still laughing at me...

More soon!