Megan the Nautie Mermate
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A LADY SAILOR
After being on terra firma for 24 hours I hopped on a plane and took off. I'm off to Virginia where I'll be working as a cargo planner for a few weeks. It's good and bad.
I'm excited for the opportunity and bummed that I haven't slept in and lazed around with a slow cup of coffee.
Here I sit with a kale smoothie and comfy as hell boat shoes (with sparkly leopard print, ahem).
I kicked the last 24 hours ass. Seriously. I can't wait to fill you in!
I have a cute little garden. I love it. I brought a basil plant with me and it didn't die! Can you believe it? Along the way I also grew some garlic. I found some garlic that started to sprout and so I just shoved it in the basil's dirt - and it took off. I tried pretty hard to sproat that potato first in water and then in soil but it just rotted on me.
Do you remember way back when I first started the blog? I had some basil and a sweet potato. I loved posting about them.
This trip I again tried to potato trick (trying to sprout it in water) but it didn't take at all.
Plants onboard are always a tricky thing. It seems like you're either going to get really lucky or you'll have dead plants in days.
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I wrote this blog post eons ago. Then I had technical difficulties...and then I didn't post it. The thing is, I thought I better post it because this is super duper important! When I reference 'yesterday' it was actually weeks ago....just to help clarify things around here.... Yesterday, I cried on the blog....about how I didn't have internet friends. You heard me, I cried on the blog because I didn't have internet friends!
Immediately afterwards....and I'm talking immediately afterwards....I start up a little twitter conversation with this chick named @calliesmariner. I had literally just written: Twitter kills me. Now, here I was having a mini conversation. Wow.
This chick has a blog geared torwards Merchant Marine families - and it's cool you should totally check it out.
We start throwing some tweets back and forth (yep, you guessed it...at this moment I'm feeling totally cool...).
*Please note: Between the paragraph above and the paragraph below I tried really, really, really hard to embed some tweets. Clearly, I did not succeed. I just don't know. My excuse is that I'm not at home and there is something wrong with the computer on the ship. The thing is, if you want to read the tweets you could just follow @calliesmariner and @nautiemermate on twitter....just sayin'...*
Anyways, I noticed from her blog that she's living somewhere in New England so of course I decide that I MUST e-mail one of my Besties and tell her that I have a new friend for her. Some of my girlfriends stared a group called The Seacoast Wives - they're Husbands ship out and they themselves are pretty salty. I'm not technically in the group....cause clearly I'm not a wive but, I knew this Chick needed to be invited to the get togethers.
During this whole exchange @Calliesmariner and my Bestie are at a Maine Maritime Academy Seacoast Alumni Event - and they freakin' meet eachother!!!!!!!
I mean, during this whole exchange as in while we're tweeting. Too freakin' weird right?!
You know how the world is supposedly connected by six degrees of separation? Well, clearly the maritime industry is a measly two degrees of separation.
There you have it. Amazing, right?!
Here's to new blog friends!
This is me attempting to re-enter the blogosphere... Is it too late to post some Suez Canal photos?
Never!
When we transited the canal it was one of the prettiest days I've seen there. It wasn't too hot - there was a nice little breeze - and it was crystal clear. This is rare.
I actually got some pretty decent photos and I'm happy to be able to add them to my 'canal collection'.
My favorite photo of the day was watching this dude prepare to dive after having clearly already been diving.....in what looks to be pink accented pajama bottoms. I mean, I wouldn't ruin my good pants diving in the Suez Canal either!
Second favorite but almost my favorite was of a small fishing boat using a tarp as a sail. There is something so awesome about seeing people make do with what they have.
Now you know I didn't only take two photos!
View the rest here:
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I've got the funk. You know the one. I write about it at least once a trip. I'm tired - I'm cranky - I don't want to look at my shipmates - Blogging feels like a chore.
I'll get my shit together soon.
Hang in there Nautie Friends.
Nautie Friends, I made it through the canal. Woot Woot! I've written many times about the canal (the most comprehensive write up can be found here but you can find some decent photos here)....the highlight of this transit, minus the fact that it means we're closer to home, was for sure the fact that the mooring boat men called me Mr. Honey allll daaaay loong. Mr. Honey has made it through the canal. The weather upon departing the canal worsened quite quickly. Yesterday, we were hove to. As in....almost going backwards. I've seen some pretty shitty weather in the Med - people always act like the Med is a boating paradise - I don't think you could pay me to yacht around the Med in the winter - unless we were anchored off Nice or some other fun place. I didn't take too many photos of yesterdays weather....lazy blogger syndrome....how about some photos from last years Med storm?
I got nauseous yesterday. I know, I know, real sailors don't talk about being sea sick.....thank goodness that I have already written the Nautie Guide to Conquering Seasickness....or Mal de Mer! Whew! Thank goodness there was a time when I wasn't a lazy blogger!
Books! Ahhh! Nautie Book Club! I haven't forgotten you! I will select a book soon! Pinkie Promise!