I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet

[billroper]

Inner ear held hostage: Day 5.

Thanks for the various pieces of advice. Unfortunately, I haven't had a lot of luck, although I suppose the fact that I have yet to actually toss my cookies is a form of luck in and of itself.

The sea has been somewhat calmer, which is good. (We're in a force 7 gale wind again today, but it's a tailwind which means that the boat isn't rocking so much, which makes my stomach very happy.)

I've been swapping e-mail with my travel agent. So far, we've determined that getting out of Honolulu on Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving really isn't going to happen at any reasonable price. This shouldn't have been a surprise. Rita has suggested that my best alternative is to ride the ship around the islands -- during which time I'll be able to get out onto dry land and we'll be spending time docked and at anchor -- and then bail out and catch a flight on Tuesday. This makes sense, except...

I apparently need a note from the doctor that says that it's medically unwise for me to complete the cruise, or I'm going to get dinged for $200 by the Federal government, because they're not supposed to let me off otherwise. I spoke to the doctor yesterday. Coincidentally, he's also from Chicago and also spent much of the first 1.5 days of the trip in a fetal position. He said he'd check with the ship's office. I haven't heard back yet.

(I'm already paying for the airfare home. I can do without the $200 fine, thank you very much.)

In my current state, the forbidden activity is looking at the ocean. (Or as I said to Jerry over lunch, "Looking at you doesn't make me sick to my stomach.") This probably shouldn't be a great surprise. I can't play video games like Doom because my inner ear screams at me when the picture that my eyes see doesn't match what it has in mind. This probably means the Vomit Comet is right out too.

Of course, I admit that I'd be more strongly motivated for a weightless ride than for mindless shoot-em-up action. But it does make that whole orbital thing look iffy. (Assuming that I had the money for a ticket and someone was prepared to sell me one, which are pretty strong assumptions.)

So I'm sealed up in my cabin now, writing this message on Jeff's laptop. In a few minutes, I'll head upstairs to an inner room within range of the wireless access point and upload it.

But tomorrow, we'll be in Hawaii. And I'll be on dry land. And off for a walking tour of Kileaua.

And those are all good things.

Comments

[braider.livejournal.com]

Huh. The only time I've felt seasick was when I was on the inside of a large cruise ship and couldn't see the ocean - my mind and body had a disagreement over whether I was moving. If I looked at the ocean, I could *see* that I was moving, and felt fine.

[kevinnickerson.livejournal.com]

That matches my understanding. Looking out over the water helps most people.

[catalana.livejournal.com]

I've never been on a cruise, but it deeply distresses me that I can't play video games with 3D motion (like the Thief series) because I get extremely nauseous. So I feel for you!

[figmo.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the warning re: cruises and seasickness.

Re: the Vomit Comet, it was recently decomissioned, so you're in luck that way. :-)