We pulled into port in Tampa just before 6:00 AM, as we were awakened by the noise associated with docking. Our wake-up call was set for 6:00 anyway, so we just got up.
We had a full breakfast before getting in line for debarkation, which went amazingly smoothly. We were off the ship within five minutes of the line starting to move.
We caught a cab (at a $22 flat rate) to the airport, and had another somewhat aggressive driver. I guess they have to get back and forth quickly to capitalize on the tips.
As we neared the airport, I asked our driver if anything significant had happened in the world in the last five days, to which he answered, “No, the price of gas just keeps going up and up and up.” He then asked us if we’d heard of the Brazil Oil Find, which I hadn’t, and he said he’d heard with that, eventually, gas would return to $2.00 a gallon and a barrel price in the $70s or $80s range. I’ll believe it when I see it.
We had a direct flight from Tampa to Raleigh-Durham on Southwest (a $55 flight!), and tried to get on an earlier one, for the one we were on at 11:30, we had allowed a couple of hours to get off the ship and get to the airport, but it had taken less than 30 minutes all told.
The only other flight was at 7:30, which we had missed, so we couldn’t get out any earlier. The saving grace was that they had recently begun offering free wi-fi at the airport, and not having had Internet access for five days, Joe and I both loved that. I had 202 e-mails in my personal e-mail account. I didn’t even check my work one.
I also used the time to upload two of my five days of blog entries from the cruise.
Our flight back was uneventful. The flight wasn’t at all full, and the middle and aisle seats next to me were empty. Joe started off sitting next to me, but seeing the flight wasn’t full, he moved into the window seat behind me.
I intended to read some of The Shipping News on the way back, but kept nodding off, so finally gave in and just slept.
Robert was a dear and picked us up at RDU, dropping us off at my house, where Joe had parked. Joe headed home, and Robert back to Durham, and I headed to my own bed for a nice two-hour nap. Homo sweet home.
I so didn’t feel like it, but I made myself go to the gym before it closed. I worked out from 5:45 until 6:45, with a closing time of 7:00. Just in time.
Today’s statistics:
|
Cardio (Elliptical) |
60 |
1158 |
Back home, I had a Weight Watcher Smart Ones Chicken & Cheese Quesadilla, and worked on last Wednesday’s blog entry, which I posted before showering and heading out to meet Joe at Flex for Madonnarama Night. I guess she has some new CD coming out.
It was kind of dead in there for a Saturday night—I would imagine because the kind of crowd that Flex attracts is not really your Madonna type of crowd. It did pick up a little later in the evening.
Joe and I spent most of the evening talking with Randy (from Hillsborough) and his partner Charlie, whom we had never met. Randy always talks about him, so it was nice to finally have a face to go with the reference.