I can now tell time by the ship’s clock. It’s always been a bit of a mystery to me, as the chimes seem to have no rhyme or reason. Here’s the scoop:

On shipboard, time is marked by a bell, which is struck eight times at 4, 8, and 12 o’clock. Half an hour after it has struck “eight bells” it is struck once, and at every succeeding half hour the number of strokes is increased by one, till at the end of the four hours, which constitute a watch, it is struck eight times.

Granted, now I have to do math to tell the time, but a puzzle is solved for why the darn thing chimes 7 times at 3:30 in the afternoon!

Should I be embarrassed that someone found my blog by using the search phrase “How to stay in bed all day?” No, I think I shall fully embrace it. I got serious skillz when it comes to relaxing.

That’s funny stuff…

…you might wake up with the helm station looking like this:

I managed to hook the printer up wirelessly to the network yesterday, so with that comes the need to find it a permanent home (it’s wandered for a couple years, tucked on a bunk when there’s no one else here, in the trunk of my car when we have guests). I discovered that it fits perfectly above the bench on the bridge. And while we’re at it, we may as well find a home for the modem and router. So Brock dismantled the bench today and is stringing new power where it needs to be. I feel like I’m just running around after him lately, cleaning up sawdust.

Like when we installed the new TV/computer monitor (which is a completely wireless multimedia system now ~ photo slideshows, all my music, built-in DVD player, surfing the internet so we can watch the debates together) and I wanted all the cords to disappear. That does mean some drilling of new holes, but it’s starting to come together. I just spent 20 minutes fishing wires from the TV to the minute space behind the shower (after the photo was taken). Not what you would call roomy back there. Brock tried to climb in and up there first, but claustrophobia got him. I’m considerably smaller, so it became a Girl Job.

There was more sawdust yesterday when we installed a significantly larger heater/blower. The previous owners put in this massive diesel hydronic boiler system in the engine room (with which all of you long time readers are painfully familiar). And followed it up with one 8,000 BTU blower with a single fan in the main salon. There are radiators throughout the lower levels in the staterooms, but just the one blower in the primary room. We replaced it with a 2 fan, 40,000 BTU blower in the same space. Now it takes about 5 minutes to heat the room from 60 to 68. Which will pay off with increased efficiency for the whole system. I won’t mind turning the heater off when I leave anymore, because I know that I can be warm in a ridiculously short period of time when I get home now. Wow. It seems like my crisis years of no heat may be behind me now.

Putting the TV in also required moving the clock and barometer. Brock had the brilliant idea to move them to the helm station, where they look appropriately nautical.

I’m not complaining about the sawdust clean-up at all. I completely adore him for improving the boat every single day. But I’m dilly-dallying now with the blogging and need to get my butt out on deck where we’re going to put the final coat of Top Secret on the decks for the season!

15! How is that possible? I know, that’s a very trite phrase, but it is a Wow kind of age for a mom. I’m already practicing saying in my head that “my kids are grown.” (Mental preparation is such an important thing in life)

He bought his own PWC (well, half anyway ~ his dad wanted half ownership as well) with his wisely saved money. High school is going well for him ~ swing dancing with the girls, attending football games on Friday nights, practically a social butterfly. I’m very proud of this kid!