Things go on. My sister's husband died suddenly last week as my wife and I left for a cruise. The benefits of the spinal tap are gone, and my walking has become so unsteady I don't go many places. Speech is slurring, but the spinal tap provided significant relief, usually indicating a favorable outcome from a shunt in the brain.
The cruise was interesting. The production show singers were hired for their dancing ability. Two of the female soloists seemed to be Johnny Cash imitators; the lead male soloist figured that pitch wasn't all that important in rock music. One of the security officers told me I could not go ashore at St Thomas because I would never return in time before the ship sailed. It seems my watch wasn't set to ship's time. He was serious. The ship is registered in Panama, and I told him there is nothing in Panamanian law that permits authorities to detain someone because of an incorrect watch setting. There is nothing in the binding cruise line contract of carriage that requires me to reset my watch or be detained. And, since St Thomas is US territory, I'll return to my cabin, call the local police and tell them I'm being held against my will by an overly officious ship's officer on the basis that my watch isn't set to the time he thinks it should show. I promised to visit him in jail on my next cruise.
