Observations From The Observation Lounge

Day 3 On The Norwegian Bliss

THE BLISS’ OBSERVATION LOUNGE

Despite my frenemy Insomnia showing up uninvited, I continue to have a wonderful time cruising. The Bliss rocks my body to sleep like a baby, but my brain refuses to shut down, much less shut up.

Still, here I am, grinning like a Cheshire Cat and soaking it all in.

Today we’re docked in Puerto Vallarta. The sun is blazing, the beaches are calling, and the ship’s loudspeaker keeps reminding everyone to grab sunscreen and a sense of adventure. And me? I’ve decided to stay onboard and explore the ship.

For now, I’ve claimed a cocktail table in the Observation Lounge and turned it into my temporary office, typing away like I’m on assignment. The only thing missing is a mojito. Trust me, that will happen later…at the Sugarcane Bar.

From the outside, my trip probably looks boring to most people. And I could care less. While other passengers zip-line, tequila-taste, and make memories they may not remember, I’m busy napping, reading, and writing to my heart’s content.

When I’m not doing one of those things, I’m eating, drinking, and getting Mary (like Christmas, not Mary J. Blige) with a couple of new gay friends I met on the first night at a self-led LGBTQ mixer.

Solo cruising is the life for me. No responsibilities. No schedules unless I make them. And enough alone time to remember that I actually like being by myself…A LOT.

Yesterday, I got an early start with breakfast at The Local, one of the complimentary restaurants styled like a cozy British pub. They serve fish-and-chips and burgers most of the day and night, but before 10am, they offer a surprisingly delicious breakfast menu.

I ended up having brekkie with a woman named Miss Nancy, a seventy-something dynamo I met on the elevator. Miss Nancy had the vibe of someone who has lived, loved, and collected stories the way other people collect stamps.

She seemed to know every member of the staff, greeting them with hugs and kisses. When she ordered a plate of extra-crispy bacon for us to share, I knew she was my kind of lady. This was her twelfth cruise in the past year—half with family and friends, half solo. According to her, the secret to a happy life is “Always say yes to dessert and never marry a man who can’t make you cum.”

Like I said, Miss Nancy was a hoot. She also shared (without asking) that when her dear husband couldn’t take care of her needs, she always has her trusty vibrator on hand. Get it, gurrrl!

Breakfast with Nancy reminded me why I love traveling alone. When you’re solo, strangers become portals, little doorways into lives you wouldn’t might otherwise not know. There’s no pressure, no pretense. You get to connect and disconnect on your own terms.

Which brings me back to this moment. I’m in the Observation Lounge, a glass-wrapped sanctuary with sweeping views, plush chairs that swallow you whole, and just enough background music to make you feel like the main character in a movie where nothing and everything happens at the same time.

Around me, people are eating, drinking, reading, napping, knitting, and playing games. My kind of getaway. My kind of day. It’s delicious and delightful, filled with the kind of quiet that wakes up something inside you.

Maybe that’s the real magic of cruising. It’s not the ports or the excursions or even the buffets. It’s the odd and beautiful mix of solitude and company. The chance to be alone without being lonely. The freedom to disappear without anyone asking where you went. The surprise of finding yourself in conversations over crispy bacon, in the hush of the sea, and in the stillness you didn’t know you needed.

Tonight, my insomnia and I will probably tango again. But for now, I’m wide awake in the best possible way.

And something tells me Miss Nancy would approve. I hope our paths cross again.

Keep calm and sail away…
Clint 🌈✌️

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FYC = FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

• Good Grieving! ( Mr. Troy Ford + Michael Horvich)

• How to Sleigh Any Holiday Party (Aidan Wharton)

• ALZHEIMER’S: A Love Story (Michael Horvich)

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ON THIS DAY = DECEMBER 3

BIRTHDAYS

• 1830 = Frederic Leighton = British artist 🌈

• 1857 = Joseph Conrad = Polish-born British novelist

• 1922 = Sven Nykvist = Swedish filmmaker

• 1927 = Andy Williams = American singer

• 1930 = Jean-Luc Godard = French-Swiss filmmaker

• 1946 = Allan Bérubé = American historian, activist, author 🌈

• 1948 = Ozzy Osbourne = English singer-songwriter

• 1955 = Michael Musto = American writer and culture critic 🌈

• 1955 = Steven Culp = American actor

• 1957 = Del Shores = American writer and filmmaker 🌈

• 1960 = Daryl Hannah = American actor and producer

• 1960 = Julianne Moore = American actor and author

• 1965 = Andrew Stanton = American voice actor and filmmaker

• 1968 = Brendan Fraser = American actor and producer

• 1968 = Montell Jordan = American singer-songwriter and producer

• 1973 = Holly Marie Combs = American actor and producer

• 1979 = Daniel Bedingfield = New Zealand-English singer-songwriter 🌈

• 1979 = Tiffany Haddish = American comedian and actor

• 1979 = Sean Parker = American entrepreneur and philanthropist

• 1980 = Anna Chlumsky = American actor

• 1980 = Jenna Dewan = American actor and dancer

• 1983 = Andy Grammer = American singer-songwriter

• 1985 = Amanda Seyfried = American actor

• 1993 = Marques Brownlee = American YouTuber

EVENTS

• 1910 = Modern neon lighting is first demonstrated by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show.

• 1960 = The musical Camelot debuts at the Majestic Theatre in NYC.

• 1968 = Rev. Troy Perry, founder of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, officiates his first same-sex holy union in Los Angeles.

• 1977 = The episode of Maude entitled “The Gay Bar” airs.

• 1984 = Wham! releases “Last Christmas” as a single.

• 1994 = Sony releases the PlayStation game console in Japan.

• 2000 = Queer as Folk premieres on Showtime.

HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES

• International Day Of Persons With Disabilities

• National Package Protection Day

• National Roof Over Your Head Day

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PORTRAIT + QUOTE OF THE DAY

DEL SHORES

“I tell stories, and I do it through writing, through acting, through my stand-up, and through directing. All the hats I wear—producing as well—ultimately, I am a storyteller.”
Del Shores