Tuesday's Gone

When Lynyrd Skynrd wrote the song it was a nod to the fact that anything resembling a 'normal life' was gone now they'd signed a record contract. I was introduced to the tune when Metallica  recorded it with friends from Primus, Faith No More and Alice in Chains to name a few, on their Garage Days Revisited album. I digress. It's notable because I, like Skynrd, signed a contract and now my Tuesday's Gone. Ok, it's a fragile link but I'm committed now. Plus, having somehow segwayed my favourite movies into this blog, I have now unashamedly squeezed in my favourite bands despite the tenuous connection.

Now in an effort to claw this back, how's my Tuesday Gone? Well, it's because I'm a time traveller. Simple!?

As I write this post it's just after 9pm on the 23rd February, but when I wake up, it'll be around 7am on the 25th. Not because I'll have slept for 33 hours (oh how i wish), but because I'll have traveled across the international date line!

Since leaving the UK all I've done is go back in time. I flew to New York and then travelled west. Periodically my time zone went backwards. On board this is a treat because for every westerly shift in time zone, at 2am our clocks go back meaning an extra hour in bed. I suspect we'd all agree that's a bonus?

But......... You can't keep doing that. Eventually you need to catch up with the rest of the world. And tomorrow we will jump 24 hours to reset the time and space continuum. Having gone backwards it's now time to go Back to the Future. (See what I did there?)

For the benefit of my loved ones at home in the UK on Greenwich Mean Time, I'll shift from 10 hours behind you, to 14 hours ahead of you. 

I'll go to sleep on Monday the 23rd and awake on Wednesday the 25th. 

Tuesday's Gone!

Why the photo of beer I hear you ask? It's a fair question but for those paying attention you'll recognise the brand. Back in Papeete, Tahiti, I had the opportunity to step ashore and have a couple of cold ones. Unbeknownst to me, the ship had taken a stock of the same beers on board and tonight, to much excitement, they went on sale in the Wardroom. A new choice of beer is always welcomed on board and as a result of this new flash sale I thought it churlish not to grab myself a 6 pack. One more chance to have a beer that I very much enjoyed!

If at this point of any of you are thinking that owning six bottles of beer is going to present an issue if I don't have a bottle opener, well let me put your concerns to bed. This ship was built in different times. 23 years later and a lack of modernisation in crew cabins has come to my rescue.

Of course I have a bottle opener!!

It's firmly fixed to the bulkhead in my bathroom just beside the cigarette holder/ashtray which is sited just above the toilet roll holder. The holy trinity.

Just large enough to hold 5 cigarettes to enjoy while you're taking care of morning ablutions (thank god for progress).

As a side note, we can't and don't smoke in crew cabins anymore but this relic is a fun reminder of fairly recent days gone by!!

Maybe it can be repurposed as a soap dish?

Back to the matter in hand, time travel. Enough of this talk of enjoyable cold beers.

Before bed, I set my clocks, watches and phone 24 hours ahead. What does this mean to everyone at home in the UK? Nothing! Nada! Nowt! Zilch!

All that changes is that we are all on exactly the same time difference, however where you were going into your next day of the week ahead of me, you'll now be behind me. It really is that simple. I've literally been lurking behind you and now, in the blink of an eye, I'm exactly the same time difference ahead of you!!!. When you go to bed, you'll wake up in the morning in the day I already occupy whereas previously you were waking up in the day ahead of me. 

I'll then continue heading around the globe and I'll gradually have an extra hour in bed here and there as my timezone aligns to yours until I reach Southampton. 

In summary, all I've done is gain hours one by one, until i've lost a bunch of hours in one hit, then I continue to gain until I'm equal. This is the way to do it.

As a sign off, here's some food for thought. Imagine heading East. And then, one day, having to go go full on Ground Hog Day and have 2 Tuesdays!!! No thanks

(All the best in working all that out)