Rock the Boat

Boys with shirts tucked in, going out for dinner.

Smith is on deck, making a whipping around a grommet that's going to hold the new preventer onto the boom. If this sounds like gibberish to you, you aren't alone. It's a little embarrassing though, in my case. 

The crew says not to worry about their feelings, that I can write about them. But I hesitate before I test this statement.

In one of Malcolm Gladwell's books he talks about how many happy people it takes to make a sad group happy versus how many sad people it takes to make a group of happy people sad. I can't remember the exact ratio, but I do remember that it takes far fewer sad people to being down the happy ones. In recent practice, in fact, I can say that it only takes one person to bring down the moods of six.

Remains of the manicotti.

Last night Smith was in a sour mood, and it rocked the delicate symbiosis onboard. The dinner table was quiet. Conversation was stilted. Not even pizza night could raise their spirits.

The Real Grand Arrival
Captain Flash arrived after dinner. I was hoping her presence would put things on an even keel, but there is still today a bit of drama going on between the King and Captain Flash and Captain Bill. As Allen said when I went to work at Somewhere, and we talked about the pros and cons of employing the man I was seeing then, "There is always drama. There will always be drama. What matters is how people handle it."

Look around at your co-workers. Now imagine living with seven of them. And you can't choose - so just go "Ennie-Meanie-Minie-Mo." Yep, those seven. It's your best interests to like them. If you don't initially, you better find a way, or you are not going to be very happy. And you hope to hell you trust them - because while you are in the middle of the ocean, at any given time, two or three of them are the only reason you can sleep at night.

Dining out.

Friday's Menu
Breakfast
Sour cream coffee cake (http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/sour-cream-coffee-cake-iii/Detail.aspx); cheese eggs and bacon; and leftover pizza
Lunch
Manicotti Americana; open-face pulled pork sandwiches with celery and onions; and leftover salads: Fetasmic Couscous and German Potato Salad
Dinner
The King took us out on the town. It was a little awkward. Hard to hear. We were all a little uncertain bout whether or not we could drink and about how much to order. Like pets let out of our cages. We watched him for cues. The food was good! (http://www.circa1922.com/)

Manicotti Americana
I followed the recipe from the back of the manicotti package - but substituted the mozzarella cheese with half cheddar and half pepper jack. For veggies I used frozen peas and corn.