2:15 pm. Since we're at sea all day today and tomorrow, I tried to do some things this morning that I ordinarily don't get to do at home. I watched an ice carving demonstration (he made a swan). I watched Eric play in a blackjack tournament (he didn't win). I watched the men's belly flop competition (but only for a minute before I had to look away).

I guess I did a lot of watching, didn't I?

I had a little more luck than usual running into people I knew. Of course, I know more people now than I did earlier, too. Still, I had breakfast alone, being a late riser among our group. I did snag Mom and Linda to have lunch with. Mom has caught a bad cold, so she doesn't feel like eating much.

And poor David lost his wallet again. Somehow this happens to him more than anyone else I know. The phone calls from the ship to cancel his credit cards cost eight dollars a minute.

There aren't many things you need cash for on the ship, which is why I've kept my own wallet in the safe in our cabin the whole time, except when we're in port. I wonder if David lost his in Puerto Vallarta yesterday. I know he had it in the taxi that brought us back to the ship, but I lost track of him after that. And apparently he lost track of it.

7:15 pm. Eric is in the shower, so I have at least an hour to write. We've just come back from a next-to-last-night wine reception, and we're getting ready for our final formal dinner of the cruise. John brought a lot of wine on board, and we didn't drink it all with dinner, so all 23 of us (except for Mom and Linda) gathered on deck 4 to use up the extra wine.

People kept filling my glass, so I have no idea how much I drank, but I do know that the conversation got livelier (and louder) as time went on. We started at 4:00 pm and finished about 7:00 pm. So you can imagine.

One good thing has come out of this (and it's definitely not how I'll feel tomorrow morning). Wait. I got interrupted and I can't remember what that one thing is. But the other thing is that some of us who didn't know each other all that well finally got to talk in a relaxed setting with no pressure (thanks in no small part to the wine, but what the hey).

12:30 am. Okay. I remember what I was going to say earlier. The best thing that came out of our wine and cheese (and sardine) party this afternoon was that all the bad feelings from yesterday got washed away. Or if not all, then all that would have got in the way of enjoying the rest of the cruise. Or if not the rest of the cruise, then the rest of tonight.

Bathed in a rosy glow, we enjoyed a sumptuous lobster dinner followed by an extravagant Vegas-style show. After that we paraded through the dining room ogling the spectacular buffet, featuring not just ice sculptures but elaborate food sculptures as well. It was amazing, and we could have eaten it, but I was full and tired, so instead of eating I went directly to bed.

Just to tie up a few loose ends (and to fill up this space): Mom was feeling a little better today, although she still has a bad cold. I did have wine with dinner, but just one glass. And David found his wallet in the back of his closet. It had fallen out of his pants when he hung them up.