hello family! 

I am having a great time -- the music is wonderful, which is why i came of course!  My roommate is not as much fun as Hubby, so I am looking forward to January!!!!! :)  She says she is not HM, but she is as High Maintenance as anyone can possibly be.  That is just in general before she starts drinking.  Then so far every night she gets drunk and gets really mad about something and tries to get someone fired.  I am keeping a guarded distance and trying not to become the one she is mad at!  Most of the time we get along fine.  My main annoyance against her for my personal taste is the way she handles music that is not her favorite.  All of us like different types of music better or worse than other types.  If something is playing that is NOT her favorite, she talks and complains all the way through it -- irritating those of us who want to listen to it.  At least when Hubby or I hear something that is not our favorite, we just sit quietly and wait to see if it ends or changes soon or if maybe we can even get to like it a little if we give it a good listen and a chance.  Or, failing all of those choices, we just get up and go somewhere else (quietly).  However, in spite of all of this she is very funny and interesting and good at making friends, and finding out all about them (kind of like our neighbor J*** "The Interviewer" D******.  So she IS handy!  I am being my usual social jazz fan on the ship.  So between the two of us, we are becoming a bit notorious, and we often hear "here comes trouble" as we arrive or walk around.  Last nights' music was the best heard so far, even at the pre-cruise concert that Hubby got to come to.  The main headliners last night were Brian Culbertson and Eric Darius.  The location for the late night jam session this year is NOT as conducive to dancing as it was on the other ship, plus Linda is a bit limited, so I guess i will have to content myself to dancing (sort of) at my seat during the concerts, as far as dancing goes.  I signed up for a 'hot stone' (stones on chinese pressure points for relaxation) massage tomorrow while we are in port in -- i don't care to get off the boat.  Plus i heard something about a Gamma storm -- i am going to look that up after i send this email.  Hubby, the emails from ALPend???? are from our League City friend, BP, so they are ok to open.  Well, expensive to tell all from the cruise internet line, so that's it for now.  I love you all and honestly do wish you were here.  Oh, our room is great, similar to last year, and the staff on carnival really are very nice.  Our waiter is an idiot, but our 2nd waiter is helpful and a sweetheart.  We like our cabin steward (even HM Linda likes him).  Poor Jeff and Marie that we are now table mates with are laughing with me as we watch Linda traipse about berating and/or accosting people.  

 OO