Appetizer
Say there’s a book written about your life. Who would you want to narrate the audio version?
Hilary Swank - I think she is an amazing actress and I’m sure she’d make my boring life sound exciting.
Soup
Take the letters from your favorite kind of nut and write a sentence. (Example: Perhaps every avenue needs understanding today.)
I totally hate nuts so don’t have a favourite!
Salad
If you could go back in time and spend one week in another decade, which decade would you choose?
Oh, lordy! I guess it would have to be sometime in the 19th C so I could wear one of those crinoline type frocks. Not sure about the corsets though!
Main Course
Name a song that brings back memories for you.
Hayley Westenra’s Never Say Goodbye was played at Grandma’s memorial service. Grandma loved her pure voice.
Dessert
Do you prefer to wash your hands in cold water or warm water?
Warm water
What can you say about Castle Howard? It is one of the most stunning places I’ve ever visited and you know I love castles so I’m not saying that lightly! Without a doubt, Castle Howard is one of the brightest jewels in England and is a movie star into the bargain. The castle is more like a sprawling palace set in landscaped gardens and parklands, not far from the city of York itself. I’m in awe of this place, so I’m not sure how much humour you’ll get out of this cruise port, dear cruisers!
It’s a long time since I’ve seen a film that actually made me feel something, most of the time I end up doing something else while the film plays away in the background. I remember seeing trailers for this movie, thinking it looked really interesting and I wasn’t disappointed.
The film tells the true story of Erin Gruwell, a teacher who inspired a group of kids to see beyond their lives and to reach out for something more. The kids in her class were involved in gang culture in one way or another and all they knew was a life of violence. They hated anything or anyone not part of their group. Erin managed to break down the barriers of hatred by teaching them about the Holocaust and the ultimate gang of Europe - the Nazis. As the movie progresses, the barriers begin to drop as the kids learn to trust each other and they eventually become a family.
Inspired by The Diary of Anne Frank, the kids began to write their own diaries which were published in 1999. Erin fought to stay their teacher until graduation and then even followed them to college. They formed the Freedom Writers Foundation to repeat the process in other schools.
The film was just so inspiring, I often found myself in tears as the kids began to see beyond skin colour, accepting people for who they are, rather than what they are. The school system treated these kids so badly, refusing to even give them books because they felt they were too stupid to understand them or would waste them. Erin got two part time jobs to buy books for her kids and to take them out on day trips so they could see that there really was a world outside of the gangs.
This is what education should be about and it makes me sad that so many kids fall through the cracks in the system and never really find the beauty in knowledge.
I’ve decided to join the Friday Feast meme. I couldn’t see any rules on the site so hope I’m doing this right, if not, feel free to throw food at me!
Appetizer
Describe your laundry routine. Do you have a certain day when you do it all, or do you just wash whatever you need for the next day?
Laundry? What’s that? I have a maid for such menial tasks, she’s called MUM.
Soup
In your opinion, what age will you be when you’ll consider yourself to truly be old?
I have no intention of ever growing up so will never be old. I will cover all mirrors because they lie anyway.
Salad
What is one of your goals? Is it short-term, long-term, or both?
Short-term: buy a MacBook Pro
Main Course
Name something unbelievable you’ve seen or read lately.
It would have to be the BBC article about how certain parts of the male anatomy are a delicacy in certain parts of the world. Ewwww!
Dessert
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how happy are you today?
Um, about five. I’m happy it is the weekend but it’s been a rough week and I’m exhausted.
It’s hard to believe it’s been thirty years, isn’t it? I’ve read the stories about the vigil at Graceland and I have to admit to having a few emotional moments. Nothing else has the power to get to me in such a way. It’s easy for people to laugh at how Elvis looked those last few years but they tend to forget that this man changed the face of music forever and that’s how he should be remembered. He was cruelly used and abused by an evil man who saw him merely as a meal ticket and saw nothing wrong in working him to death. He was on those painkillers for a reason, folks. I get really angry when I think about how he was made to do those movies when he was clearly so unhappy and how his dream of acting was never realised because he wasn’t given the chance to be anything other than Elvis.
I got a surprise when I visited Capt Lifecruiser today - she promoted me to The A Team Cruisers!
I’m very honoured to have been chosen and will carry out my duties to the best of my humble abilities. Now I need to find photos of places I’ve visited to keep up with everyone else because I’m sure I’m less travelled than my fellow team members.
I’ll be making my official debut at the Monaco ball tonight so need to pick a suitable frock for the occasion.
I realise this probably won’t mean much to you non-cruisers but I’m sure you’ve visited enough to get a general idea of the craziness involved, otherwise feel free to skip these posts or come join in the mayhem.
Cruise Port: Monaco
Cruise Line: Life Cruiser Cyber Cruise