Before I begin the rest of the story, I want to thank brillig for graciously formatting my last diary. Thanks, brillig!
Anywho, when we last left my vacation we were heading into the final day of the cruise and the final day of progressive trivia. Follow me below the fold for the rest of trip and some pics.
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The final day of the cruise was a relaxing one for the most part. I did some more work in between a couple of rounds of trivia that didn't go as well as I had hoped after the previous day. I had teamed up with a family from North Carolina for one quiz while mom and sis played bingo. (Sis ended up winning a little more than $100 there.) Anyway, soon it was time for the final game of progressive trivia. I reluctantly brought the trophy back for whomever might win. There were only four teams, including us, playing for the trophy. I had expected a team of 6 that had been playing most of the trivia games as I had would be far in the lead as they had won or come within a point of winning most of the time. The host announced that there was a .5 point margin separating the top two teams which meant we were one of them though I didn't know who was in first. Personally I was surprised since I thought everyone would have gotten Mars in the M&M question, so the other team either missed it completely or knew the other M stood for Murrie. If the latter was true, I figured we were likely toast.
The questions for the final round, which regrettably I don't remember except for one about the strongest bone in the body^, were very difficult. We ended up with a score of 14 out 20, and I was sure we had lost. The four teams handed in their papers, and the host totaled the scores. Wouldn't you know it, we had won. Part me was disgusted winning with such an awful score even with the difficulty of the questions. Still it was an honor to win. We got to keep the trophy and received a prize package. We didn't need much of the stuff, so we told the host to share with the other three teams. After the crowd dispersed, we ran into one of the members of the team that I thought was going to win it all, and he said they only got 11 out of 20 in the final. I knew those questions were difficult.
The night festivities for me included taking a Second City improv show and this ridiculous game called the Quest which is mainly an excuse for drunk people to engage in raunchy acts in front of a crowd. The Second City show was one of the worst I had seen ever, but I wasn't sure whether it was the performers or the awful suggestions being made by the audience. While people do shout out sexual things often in these shows, usually they are mixed in with normal ideas that can actually be worked into a skit. As a person who has done improv in the past, the suggestions as a whole really were bad. The Quest, which always ends with at least 10 guys in their underwear wearing women's accessories, had an interesting twist I hadn't seen before. The hosts allowed teams to bribe them with specific drinks for extra points. I was debating whether this was a ploy to make more money for the ship or an excuse to be able to drink while working.
Finally it was time for bed to prepare for our arrival in Boston the next morning. We had originally planned to get off separately. After going through some of the materials we had brought to prepare for an event we were hosting at the end of August, we noticed that a couple of companies we were going to order from were in the Boston area. Prior to getting on the ship, my mother had arranged to pick up orders the morning we got back. My mother was going to head over to meet the first person where he lived in the South End area while my sister and I waited on the ship until our luggage time was called. We got off at the appropriate time: however, two pieces of luggage were not with the rest of the luggage. After my sister spent 15 minutes berating the port workers, (I was pretty embarrassed by her behavior, but to be fair she was asked if she looked under the other bags for a bag that was 2' tall.) we called my mother, who had only gotten about 1/10 of a mile away from the port. As she was coming back, my sister found the remaining pieces which were clear on the opposite side of the port.
From there we headed to the South End to pick up our first supplies after which we headed to Lynn to pick up some fruit soda syrups and candies for the event. It was then on to the hotel to check in and rest up before dinner. Some friends of ours who were taking us out to dinner at Del Frisco's at Liberty Wharf. Traffic was a nightmare due to the Longfellow Bridge being closed. A trip I thought would take 30 min ended up taking 1 & 1/4 hrs. Dinner was excellent and one of my friends got hit on by a manager who was up from NY checking out the restaurant in Boston. Weird.
The final full day of trip started out with a movie and a stop at a flea market in the movie theatre parking lot. I personally wanted to take in some Boston sites but was outvoted. We were doing a ghosts and gravestones tour in Boston that night, so we did have some time after the movie and before dinner to visit one site so off we went to the Old North Church. I hadn't been there yet, so I was excited.
After stopping at the Old North Church, it was off to Newbury St and the Creperie for dinner. While walking down Newbury St, we spotted a woman dressed as a marionette statue on a street corner who would move if you gave her a dollar. She was amazingly talented standing completely still in-between donations. The Creperie was surprisingly inexpensive for the area. My savory crepe of prosciutto and asparagus topped with a poached egg and my dessert Crepe Suzette were both excellent.
Then it was on to the ghost tour. It was my sister choice, but I am not entirely sure why. She scares easily and the guides, who were dressed like dead people, would walk around the trolley car creepily which freaked my sister out. She was ready to freak out at any moment during the whole tour. We went to both Copp's Hill and the Granary with a quick stop outside Boston Common. We heard a bunch of interesting stories especially the one about the fact that one copy of James Allen's memoir was bound in his own skin and sent to the man that turned him to the cops. The book can be found in the Boston Athenaeum.
The next day it was time to head on home, but we did have one more stop. As we were leaving the restaurant on the MA/CT border, my sister noticed they were selling supermarket paper bags filled with books for $10 each. We picked a bag filled with mystery and thriller books. I guess there are about 30 books in the bag. My sister had demanded that both her and myself would have to read every book front to back no matter how awful they are. We also went to the antique where we purchased a couple of things including a MAD Super special from the 1960's.
Finally we arrived back home to have a vacation from our vacation. Below you'll find pictures from the trip.
^BTW the answer is jawbone. My sister, who studied anatomy in college, said it was the femur. TTTT, I am still not sure, but the answer sheet is always the final arbiter.
All shots were taken by my sister or me.
A towel animal made by our room steward:
Mini-golf course at the Dockyard:
Two shots of a lizard we saw while having afternoon tea:
Two random shots from around the Dockyard:
The hotel we went to with my sister's college friend:
On the way back to the Dockyard from the hotel:
An old English burial ground on Bermuda:
A parish church and Bermudian cemetary:
The smallest drawbridge in the world both closed and open:
Fish waiting to be fed by the tours:
The Lighthouse at the highest point on Bermuda:
Turtles at the aquarium:
Inside St. Peter's Church including one with our tour guide:
Pink sand beach at Warwick Long Bay:
Ghost tour guide telling the story of America’s first lighthouse keeper, George Worthylake and his family's death at his grave site:
Inside the Old North Church:
A foot warmer used in the Old North Church:
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TOP COMMENTS, September 18, 2013: Thanks to tonight's Top Comments contributors! Let us hear from YOU when you find that proficient comment.
First up from our fearless leader, brillig:
In Christian Dem in NC's Tuesday diary Lecturer at Christianist college offers excuses for rape and domestic violence but submitted after last night's TC was published, this response by Black Max to the suggestion we ignore Patrick Henry College Government Professor Stephen Baskerville's commentary is spot-on.
Submitted by
Railfan:
RichM coins a new phrase in this response to elwior's quandry over how to classify Chuck Todd's occupation, which isn't journalism, in Joan McCarter's diary noting that Mr. Todd doesn't feel it's his job to actually do journalism.
From your humble diarist:
One of many great comments also from Joan McCarter's diary: Chuck Todd: Pointing out Republican lies isn't his job (see above for link) is this one from Rosencrantz
I love this comment from hannah re: trying to come up a new name for the banksters. Help her out if you can.
This brilliant idea for diary titles re: John Boehner in a comment from midnight lurker in Laura Clawson's diary: Obama: 'The only thing' holding up immigration reform 'is John Boehner calling it to the floor'
TOP MOJO, September 17, 2013 (excluding Tip Jars and first comments):
1) Glad you are safe and sound. by angelajean — 117
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3) Again, to ignore them is to empower them. by Black Max — 96
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