#just random trivia while I try to get out of a creative block

[k-martins]

So, I found these perfumes inspired by JJK characters and it's very very funny to me that Megumi has "fruity" notes in its composition (Megumi Fushiguro I know what you are), plus woody and leather go well with it.

Another thing is that I've read Yuji being described with citrus scents in several fanfics and seeing this confirmed by this brand makes me very excited. Citrus fruits suit it, I think.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #243

honestly too lazy to think up random song lyrics here, so just have the survey.

What is the one thing you remember most about January of last year? Nothing. You look at the clock and it’s 11:11, do you wish? I never do, no. How do you think you will look 3 years from now? I pray the fuck to god I'm finally at a weight I want. And of course more tattoos and piercings. And colored hair. What would be number one on your bucket list? Meet, thank, and hug Mark profusely while ugly crying. How old do you think you’ll be when you make your will? I don't know. You get a text message. who do you hope it is? Sara. Are there any songs that you hear that just make you wanna dance? Not really, no. Do you get any of your songs from Limewire? lol how old is this... but no. I did when it was "the thing," though. You and your best friend get in a fight. Why do you think that is? I don't know. Probably said something that came across wrong over a text. What is your biggest annoyance at the time? Financial shit. You see the person you fell hardest for. What do you do? Apologize to him if he's even okay with me speaking a word to him and then letting him on his way because I don't want to make him think I'm still stuck on him. I'd wanna know how things are in his life, but I don't want him to get the wrong impression. It'd be better for both of us. Have/are you depressed? I mean I'm diagnosed with depression, but it's well-managed. At the moment I'm not *depressed*, no. Did you grow up in the United States? Yeah. Never left it, even. Do you call anybody "baby"? Besides my cat and snake, no. Who is the one person you can completely be yourself around? Sara. Are your pop-ups blocked on your computer? Yeah. Do you wear earrings on a normal basis? No. How old were you when you realized that life goes on? I don't know... This is such a vague question. But I guess probably when a childhood cat disappeared or died sometime in elementary school. Are your parent’s night owls or morning birds? Well, I don't live with Dad, but Mom is a night owl more than a morning bird for sure. She can be so grouchy in the morning. Do you like to sing? Eh. Who is your favorite author? *shrugs* I don't read enough. How many pillows are on your bed? Two. What’s your favorite thing about the holidays? Seeing my niece and nephew so excited. What is your favorite type of cake? Red velvet, baby. How many rings do you wear on a day-to-day basis? One. Have you ever been in a mental hospital as a patient? Multiple times. Probably WOULDN'T have been multiple if the psych hospitals here were worth a damn. Went to the same one like five-six times and one other and both sucked. It was a partial hospitalization program, WHICH ISN'T AS "SERIOUS" AS AN ACTUAL FUCKING PSYCH HOSPITALIZATION, that saved my ass. What’s your favorite brand of flavored water? None. Have you ever had an ulcer? No. Do you take birth control pills? Not anymore, no. I was only on them for serious period pain, but as of recently my psychiatrist wanted to test out how I do mood-wise without them, especially as it was a regular occurrence for me to be borderline or actually suicidal the day before my cycle started, and the whole week leading up to it was sketchy. So far, I've been fine - I think even better. I was on it for years, and I mean your body changes, so. Do you like soy sauce? Noooooo no no no. Do you have a good doctor? My psychiatrist is literally the reason I'm alive. That's no exaggeration. I would've killed myself by now if it wasn't for him setting my medicine right. I know I would've. My therapist is great, and my primary physician is fine. What’s your favorite store to browse around? Morph Market, ahaha. I love looking at all the reptile morphs, especially the ball pythons. Do you ever meditate on Scripture? No. Do you like poetry? Yes. Do you have expensive tastes? Nah. What is your favorite color? Pink, particularly lighter hues. Have you ever made a scrapbook? Yeah, for a little while when I was younger. What is a question you get asked too much? If my lip piercing hurt. It doesn't bother me, I'm just asked it most. Worst grade you’ve ever gotten? Zeros on things I didn't do/missed. Who are your 3 closest friends? Sara, Girt, and uh... Chelsea, I think. Maybe Lisa. What is something you have always wanted to do? Travel somewhere cool/really memorable. What are you listening to? A playthrough of The Last Guardian. God, I wanna play it so badly. Do you like the smell of cinnamon? It's one of my favorites, omg. Are you in a relationship? No. Do you like the band Hollywood Undead? Yeah. Do you like Taco Bell? Only the quesadillas, THE CINNABON DELIGHT THINGS, and fiesta potatoes. Who was the first person you spoke to today? My mom. Who was the last? I was just texting the woman who adopted Kaiju; she's catching me up on how she's doing, and apparently great! We're trying to plan a day for me to come see her. :> Have you told anyone you loved them today? Yeah. What song is stuck in your head right now? You mentioned HU, now "Bullet" is looping in my head lol. Does it snow where you live? Sometimes, but rarely a lot. What are you currently sitting/laying on? My bed. Have you ever dated a friend of one of your siblings? No. How old is your oldest living grandparent? 80-something. Do you wear contacts? No, I wear glasses, but I wish I could do contacts again considering I desperately want an undereye microdermal but it'd look stupid with glasses, so. Contacts just annoy me. Where are the last three places you went? Taco Bell, my doctor's appointment, and the gas station. Do you ever go hunting/fishing? I would never in my life hunt, and I don't even want to fish anymore. Both are cruel (hunting more than "cruel"...) imo. I'd only ever fish again if Dad asked me to go with him, because since I was a kid, that's always been our "thing," our bonding experience. I wouldn't be able to say no. Do you know anyone who is a nurse? A lot, actually. Would you prefer to own a lapdog or a bigger dog? Sigh. Didn't think I'd want a dog after Teddy, but as of very recently, I've found myself missing the companionship of one. I don't know if I'll end up with another, though, but if I do, I'd want a medium-sized one, like Teddy was. Are you more of a cat person? Yes. What is your worst subject? Math. Do you know anyone who plays guitar? Yeah. Do you play guitar? Not anymore. Have you had to have stitches at all in the last year? No. Have you ever stayed up all night and then gone to work in the morning? No. That sounds like hell. How many relationships have you been in so far this year? It's a week into January lmao. No. Do you prefer to be single or with someone? With someone. Though now that I am single, I kinda think that's for the better right now...? Eh idk. Do you have any tattoos? Yeah. Are you planning on getting any? Oh, plenty. My Mark tribute is getting tidied up by a great artist on the 4th next month and I CANNOT contain my excitement. Did you lose your virginity before you were sixteen? No. Have you ever dated someone who had a child? No, and I never would. What are the middle names of everyone in your family? Wow yeah, lemme share that on the Internet. Where did you go the last time you took a vacation? The beach. Would you ever consider adoption? I don't want kids so like, Who is someone you aspire to be like? Man, there's a lot of people who inspire me in different ways. I think the world knows I look up to the wisdom, determination, dedication, creativity, compassion, etc. etc. etc. of Mark, I adore the heart and empathy of Shane Dawson, Steve Irwin is my absolute idol in terms of passion for animals, and Jeffree Star's work ethic is like, unbelievable. There are plenty others, but those really stand out. How do you feel about your life right now? oof What is your favorite game show to watch? Family Feud with Steve Harvey. He is so fuckin funny. How good are you in trivia games? What’s your best category? Idk. I'm probably best with animal knowledge though, judging from games I've played along with. Would you much rather test your knowledge or share opinions? I guess it depends on the subject and with whom. How do you feel about word games? Fun. Who is your absolute favorite film director? TIM BURTON. THERE IS NO COMPETITION W/ HIM. When’s the last time had to cover a coworker’s shift? Never. Have you ever had a really unreliable coworker? I've never worked long enough to know. Have you ever had to have a ring resized? No. What is a question you would never ever ask somebody? "I would never ask someone what they weigh." <<< This. I'm not a doctor, so I don't see any situation where that'd be an appropriate question to ask anyone. What sounds like a rude word but really isn’t? I'm sure there's something, but idk rn. Have you ever made a blanket? If so, how did you make one? No. How many godparents do you have? Do they care about you? Zero, I think. What is something that should not exist? Rape. Is there a word you have an emotional connection to? It sounds weird I'm sure, but "petrichor" (the smell of the earth after it rains) makes me feel... weird. Nostalgic, anxious, melancholy. Shortly before becoming a couple, Jason and I were just outside at school while it was raining, and we wondered what that smell was called. When we went back to the computer lab (where we were after exams were done), we looked it up and found out "petrichor" was the term. I remember those days too clearly for them to have happened eight years ago. How about a sound? Any emotional connection to a sound? Ummm not that I can think of. Is there something coming up that you are dreading? Not really, no. Do you ever read graphic novels? No. What is the most ridiculous product you have ever seen? Oh idk. Are there any spiders in your home right now? I mean realistically, probably? None that I know of. What was the last thing that made you laugh hysterically? I can't remember exactly what it was, but something on YouTube. I think on Game Grumps. Are there any candy stores where you live? Not that I'm aware of. Do you own any fingerless gloves? Yeah, I still have them in my drawer, actually. I wore them every day in high school. Tell me about the last animal you touched. My cat Roman. :') Have you ever witnessed a birth? Only cats. Can you see your reflection from where you are sitting? No. Wait, yes I can, though only slightly. My snake's cage is just across the room, so I can see against the glass a bit. Quick! Sniff the air. What can you smell? Cat. .-. Have you ever been in a restroom that actually had a restroom attendant? No? What was the last photo you took of? A deer! There were like, seven or eight in the field just across the road a few evenings ago. My lens didn't go out as close as I'd want, but I took some as practice anyway. I only got a few shots though; I came out to the front porch, and after about a minute, they gradually went back into the woods. What do you look for in a mate? Physically and personality-wise. Am I the only one who hates when human couples are referred to as "mates"???? Idk man it shouldn't because we're just animals, but it's weird. ANYWAY, I don't have like, a concrete vision of a partner, but I do have some set-in-stone personality/moral alignments that are musts, such as just being a generally good person, empathetic, you must love animals or shoo, be in touch with their emotions, understanding, soft stuff like that. I also have a strong preference for having a good sense of humor, I lean more romantically towards outgoing people, you gotta be laid-back and approachable... that kind of stuff. Physically, I really, really don't care, but I think we all have preferences; ex., while it really doesn't matter to me ultimately, I tend to find longer hair on guys more attractive than short. Your thoughts on bacon? Ugh, I wish I didn't love it. I wanna be a vegetarian again so badly. What are your thoughts on little kids with cell phones? If they're of an age where they may be separated from their parents semi-regularly and without the constant presence of a guardian, I'm actually for them having *simple* cellphones. Emergencies exist, and even I, someone who doesn't even want kids, would be scared knowing my child is without an easy, quick method of contact with me. Now, remember I did say "simple" cellphones; I don't believe a little kid should grow up unhealthily attached to technology (like me lmao), so especially in developmental years, I wouldn't want my kid to be glued to their phone playing games or roaming the Internet too freely. What was the last lie you told? I'm not sure. Is there anyone in particular you always try to tune out? Ugh, yes. For political bullshit that I cannot stand hearing. Do you work out? No. What was the last thing you ate with a spoon?  Uhhhh probably oatmeal. What is a food that you always are in the mood to eat? Ice cream lmao. Ever held a newborn animal? Yeah. Is there anything you’re in denial about? What? Maybe, idk. Have you ever been to a Chinatown? No. Do you prefer chunky or creamy peanut butter? CREAMY. Don't come near me with chunky pb. Do you stop to pick up heads-up pennies? No. Do you make a wish when you blow out your birthday candles? Yeah, even though I don't believe it does anything. It's just for the novelty of it. Do your pets have collars? Describe them: Bentley just has a blue, average collar. Roman doesn't because he absolutely hates them. What is the last thing you searched for online? Surveys. Do you use any scented lotions? What do they smell like? No. Do you have any friends that speak any languages you don’t understand? I mean yeah, Spanish is common in America.

[the-bookworm-chronicles]

Games I Recommend

One night: Ultimate Werewolf

This is a simple and fast party game, good for a large group of people who need a quick learning curve. Players have different roles that occur at "night" (while everyone else's eyes are closed) before the group tries to guess who the werewolf is. Similar to mafia if you've ever played that. Also, the game you purchase mainly includes player cards and tokens, easy to make out of paper. A main part of the game is the announcer on the app, which is free actually

Apples to apples

Another party game, but more subjective. Every round has an adjective card and players submit what they think it describes, to be judged by the leader that round. It gets very funny. Cards Against Humanity is the adult themed version of this

Telestrations

This may be more of an activity than a game, because technically, there's no winner, but it's a lot of fun. Like a game of telephone, the message is passed from person to person, except in drawing and guessing form. At the end you go around to each person and see if anyone's final guess corresponded with the original drawing

Scattergories

This is also easy to learn, fast, and fun for large groups. Basically, you're given a list of categories and a random letter, and you have to try and name items in each category starting with that letter before time runs out

Boggle

This is a vocabulary based game, but way faster than Scrabble, and you can play with as many people as can see the board. There's a grid of letter dice which you shake up to randomize, and then you have to search as many connected words as you can within the limited time

Bananagrams

Also a word game, it uses Scrabble tiles but is much more fast-paced. Players try to be the first to make a contiguous crossword, while hoping to avoid the difficult rare letters

Settlers of Catan

This is a more long-form game for up to 4 players. You try to win points by doing different activities that require different resources on the board, which you have to mine or trade for. As you move beyond the beginner stage, the game board and set up will be different every time you play

If you like Catan you might like Carcassonne, which involves trying to build and control, roads, fields and forts while also blocking your opponents from taking your fields

Ticket to Ride

Another long-form strategy game, this one based on accumulating train lines to get to specific destinations, while also blocking your opponents from getting the lines they need

Codenames

This is a communication game where you have to think of related code words that will allow your teammates to guess certain words on the board, but also you have to prevent them from helping the opposite team by guessing their words. Since the board is made of cards you put down, it changes each time

Pandemic

This is a cooperative game in which a disease breaks out in some parts of the world, and the players have to work together to contain it.

Although it's incredibly long and has a lot of rules, I also love Harry Potter: Battle of Hogwarts, the cooperative deck-building games

Encore

This is a fun game based on ability to recall songs, but it's not like a singing competition or anything. I really like it because your can be creative and move ahead just by knowing 8 words of a song, which is about the maximum number of words I know

Jackbox Trivia Murder Party

This is my MOST FAVORITE Jackbox game! I could play it over and over (and I do!) Technically not a board game, but more of a fun party game that everyone can play with their phones using a shared screen. It combines trivia with strategy and murder!

[deladane]

Day 11: Sunday, March 11 ~ Sea Day #3

Day 11: Sunday, March 11 ~ Sea Day #3

Today was a much-needed sea day sandwiched between 2 sets of 4 port days in a row.  Even though we did not set an alarm this morning, we still woke up at 8:15am.  At least we got over 8 hours of sleep!  We took our time getting ready, then went to the Oceanview Buffet for breakfast.  It was nice to add some variety after eating basically the same thing for breakfast for the last 5 days (how ironic considering I eat the exact same thing for breakfast every morning at home! Haha)

We spent 2 hours relaxing on our balcony, watching the waves go by, with me writing in my trip journal while DH read a book. Since our cabin is on the starboard side of the ship, we were facing north for today’s journey west.  We had shade all day on our balcony, which was great! There was nothing else to see but water because there aren’t any islands in this part of the Caribbean Sea, but maybe people on the port side balconies could see Venezuela?

At noon, DH wanted to get some coffee from Café al Bacio, so I joined him for a walk downstairs.  While there, I noticed they were playing archery in the Grand Foyer.  It was really a neat set up- they had an inflatable target area and 4 cone-shaped nozzles blowing air straight up so there was a ball hovering mid-air.  The contestants had to knock the ball down, either by hitting the ball directly with their arrow, or by hitting the cone so the air stream was blocked and the ball would fall.  It was fun to watch, and the players were actually pretty good at it!

Eddy was hosting a game of music trivia name that tune at the pool, so we went upstairs to give it a go.  Today’s theme was “Names” so every song title had a name in it and we had to guess both the song title and the artist.  They played 15 songs for a total of 30 points.  We only got an 18 out of 30, so we didn’t stand a chance because the winner scored a perfect 30!  I did think it was fun that they picked songs from the 50’s through the 90’s to appeal to a wider audience, but that also means we are less likely to win because we don’t know most of the older songs.

It had been several hours since our last feeding, so we went upstairs to get something to eat for lunch from the buffet.  The theme of the day was Mediterranean food, and they had a specialty station with made to order schwarma.  I wasn’t in the mood for that, so I opted for a random assortment of carbs (as usual!).  The dumplings from the Asian station were delicious!

For dessert, I went over to the Slush Bar and ordered the Mint Cookie drink.  This is by far my favorite drink from this bar, but it is very filling so I only let myself have it one time on this cruise.  It’s totally worth it though!

Watching the wake on a lazy sea day

We spent some more time relaxing on the balcony until 2:45pm when we made our way up to the Sky Lounge for another round of music trivia with the CLA staff.  Today’s theme was songs from movies, and we had to guess the title of the movie, not the actual song name.  They had 20 songs for this game, and some of them were much harder than others!  We teamed up with a pair of ladies which did help because we knew the answers to different movies from them, but we still only scored 14 out of 20.  I think the winners scored a 17 or 18, so again, we didn’t win, but that’s okay because we made some new friends and we had fun trying!  

Next, we went down to the World Class Bar for the mixology class.  DH had a great experience with this class on the Equinox, so he wanted to do it again as long as the bartender was teaching about different drinks.  The class was taught by one of the World Class Bar bartenders named Marius, and we ended up having a private lesson because we were the only people that showed up!

The class was very different from 2 years ago because instead of DH going behind the bar to actually make the drinks, Marius just talked about the process of how to make each drink, and why they use certain shakers or strainers or whatever other supplies.  Last time, we learned about 3 categories of cocktails (a Collins, a Swizzle, and a mojito), whereas this time, Marius taught us how to make 4 specific drinks from the World Class Bar menu.  Last time, the class cost $35, but it was only $25 this time (plus a mandatory 18% gratuity).  We learned a few new pointers and it did give us an appreciation for the art behind making cocktails, but we weren’t sure how useful it was since it’s not like we will ever make these specific cocktails at home.  The drinks he taught us were the Kentucky Calling, Celebrity No. Ten, Ketel One Strawberry Fields, and Zacapa Above the Clouds.  For the last one, Marius pulled out the fancy smoker machine, which is always fun to watch.

The class was about an hour long, and then we went back to the cabin to get ready for our second Elegant Chic night.

Random side thought that I am going to talk about now because this was when I took this photo… Sometimes it can be a bit disorienting when you get off the mid-ship elevators on your deck to go back to your cabin.  If you didn’t pay attention when you got on the elevator, then you may not know if you are on the port or starboard side of the ship, and then you don’t know if you need to turn left or right out of the elevator and where you need to go to get back to your cabin.  Today I had an epiphany!  There are different pieces of art hanging on the walls opposite the elevators, and it is different on every deck as well as on the port vs. starboard side.  If you take note of which piece of art is on your side of the ship on your deck, then you will know that you are on the correct side if you see that piece of art when stepping off the elevator (and if you do not see that piece of art, then you are on the opposite side of the ship!). This slice of a tree trunk was the art on deck 10, starboard side:

If we stepped off the elevator on deck 10 and saw this, we knew we were on our side of the ship.  On top of that, if we saw this tree trunk, we knew we had to turn towards the left to walk in the direction of our cabin.  If we got off the elevator and did not see the tree trunk, that meant we were on the port side and needed to turn towards the right and cut through the library to get back to our cabin.  It sounds silly, but it really made a huge difference in feeling like we were “home” and knowing our way around the ship!  Thank you Celebrity for posting so many different pieces of art to make this solution possible!

It became a game for us to seek out spots around the ship that gave a nice background for a photo when we were all dressed up for the evening.  Elegant Chic nights are even harder than casual nights because there are more ship photographers to contend with, but we got creative tonight and took some photos in the library.

When we arrived at the hostess stand for dinner, Cervine greeted us by name and knew our cabin number and preferred table number without us even speaking a word!  I think this is one of the (many) benefits of a 14 night cruise.  We spend such a long time on the ship that the staff really gets a chance to know us, whereas on a 7 night cruise, the cruise is over before you get a chance to form a routine and know the staff.  Dinner was delicious as always, especially since we were seated with our favorite waiters, Pinto and Jose!

Dinner menu

Wild Mushroom Vol-Au-Vent

Traditional Steak Tartare

Classic Chateaubriand

Moroccan Spiced Ahi Tuna Steak

Dessert Menu

Dessert Drinks Menu

Tonight, we decided to try some dessert wines, and we both liked them so much that we asked the sommelier to bring us the bottles so we could take a photo in hopes of buying a bottle to drink at home!

Frosty Ice “Bombe”

Tonight’s show in the main theater was called Amade. There was no real plot to this show, but the best way to describe it is a combination of Lady Gaga and Mozart. The costumes were incredible, and we really enjoyed the dance numbers to modern music.  Personally, the highlight for me is always when the aerialists perform because they are extremely talented, especially considering they perform on a moving cruise ship!

I apologize that these photos are so blurry. We always preferred to sit at the back of the theater so we could make a quick escape as soon as the show ended, but that meant I had to zoom in a lot to take my photos and they always came out blurry.

After a full third sea day, we went to bed early tonight, excited to finally arrive at the ABC islands tomorrow!

Step Tracker Daily Total:  6,003 steps; 2.38 miles; 7 flights of stairs