1/5/26 

We made it to Los Angles without any drama.  It was so nice to have a 2 hour flight to the boat, no jet lag here.   

We arrived at our hotel about 4:00 pm and I had arranged with my grandkids to meet up at a local sports bar to watch Sunday Night Football at 5:15.  Kim was happy to enjoy the quiet evening without me in the hotel.  

My grandson gave me a ride from the hotel to the sports bar where I was met by my son and 3 more grandchildren.  

It was your typical sports bar, noisy, crowded, and huge TVs everywhere. The only odd thing was there was no wait staff.  You were to scan a “QR” code to place your order.  So, as the old guy, I tasked my grandson with placing the order.  By the time each of us had given him our orders, we were well into the first quarter of the game.   I gave him my credit card and it was declined.   All I could think about was Kim’s suggestion that I call the bank and let them know we were going to be traveling.  You would think after 23 years of such grounded suggestions I would finally learn.  But, in my defense I say, “hey, I’m me”,  I’ll never learn. 

So, I give him another card, same thing.  Now I’m getting a bit angery, not to mention thirsty and hungry.  My son took the hint and grabbed a worker that had just delivered food to the table next door, obvousily they knew the drill.  After explaining that we had been trying for over a half an hour to order, he said that there was a way he could take our order for us.  Finally at the end of first quarter, the food arrives, we are about half way though our dinner when I realize we didn’t have any drinks.  Once again, Curt, to the rescue and our somehow lost drink order shows up.  

Okay, so I’m not “in touch “ with new ways of the world.   The food was great and so was the game.  I was happy for the family time.  They didn’t hesitate to add an automatic 22% tip to the bill, by the way, for what?

My son took me back to the hotel, Kim asked me to bring her a Dr Pepper. We stopped at a 76 gas convience store, they only had Mr Pibb. We went to Walgren’s, they were out. Oh well, forget it, right. Well, we saw a Ralph’s (Safeway), and tried a third time. They only had two 20 ounce bottles in the store. We snagged them both, life should not be so diffecult.

Back at the hotel, I too was enjoying the quiet time, however I was looking around and asking myself why this room goes for over $600 per night, I’d never pay that. What? Wait, i think you did.   My answer is two nights in this room was part of the whole “World Cruise “ package.  Still I can’t see what makes this so much better than the Hyatt Gardens we stayed at last night at the Portland airport for $116.  I guess I just don’t have that classeiness in me, thank the lord.

Yes, it’s time for season 3 of Pool Chronicles, you just can’t make this shit up.  

Our assigned seats on the plane from Portland to LA were row 2 A and B. But when we boarded, there was already a couple sitting there.  A quick investigation found that they were supposed to be in 2 C and D.  We told them that we would just sit in 2 C and D, no worries.  

We got off the plane in Los Angeles and headed to baggage claim where we met by a representative from Seaborn, she explained that we were waiting for one other couple and then they would take us to our the hotel.  Don’t get ahead of me here.  Okay, you’re right,  We were waiting on another World Cruise couple from, who knows where. What are the odds of that couple that stole our seats on the plane from Portland were also going on our world cruise? Yep, it was them!  In 2024 there were a total of 84 passengers on the World Cruise, I except that will be true again this year, plus or minus.  So, to even have 4 of those come from Portland Oregon is a one in a million chance, but to have them sit in our seats?  Wait, I just shot my chance of ever winning a billion dollars on the power ball lottery. I just got my one in a trillion events unfold infront of my eyes.. What could the odds of either of those events ever happening.  

More tomorrow after the “Gala”.