Cruise Post #2: Meet the Cast

Me (An ambivalent cruiser in regards to Carnival): I was offered the trip while I was waiting for my second semester law school grades to be released. Josh's parents said that they wanted to take me on the trip as a birthday present and said that I should relax before going back to law school (a.k.a. the house of pain). Of course, we all know that I decided to make my summer break from law school permanent. I figured I was being overly negative about Carnival and try to make the best of the vacation. After all, Josh's mom said that Josh and I didn't have to stick with the family the whole time as long as we dine together every evening. I thought that sounded good, and in the end, who's going to say "no" to a free cruise?

Josh (My boyfriend): He needed the vacation more than I did, considering his high-pressure summer job (a real legal job, unlike me, practically high off the fumes of my newfound job elation) and upcoming school year.

Josh's Mom: A stereotypical Jewish mother - 'nuff said.

Josh's Dad: I like to think of him as Mr. Common Sense. If it were feasible, I think he'd commute from central NJ to Manhattan on his bicycle every day to save gas, save parking fees, save bus tickets, and exercise all at once.

Josh's Little Brother: His whole world revolves around the next meal on the table (preferably shrimp and pasta).

Mr. Nocheese (Josh's uncle): He thinks he's a cruise expert because he took a Carnival cruise ten years ago (probably on the ship we just came back from) and a Princess Cruise in more recent years. Don't try to give him your opinion or established facts that you've heard about, unless you like being talked down to like you're five years old. He does not think that leaving law school for publishing is a good decision. He hates cheese.

Mrs. Nocheese (Josh's aunt): A very Russian, stereotypical Jewish mother. She defers to her husband for all matters and relieves her need to nag on the two Nocheese offspring. The cuisine she prepares at home involves lots of salt and no cheese.

Mama's Boy Nocheese (Josh's cousin, "MB" for short): He's a college student at GNYS (Generic New York School) studying investment banking or something financially generic. He enjoys speaking out of the right side of his mouth at all times and pouncing on you if you say anything he thinks is wrong (even though he's wrong about what he thinks is right). MB acts sophisticated, but his urbanity isn't even skin deep. He hates blogs (good thing he won't be reading mine!) and cheese.

Computer Cousin Nocheese (Josh's other cousin, "CC" for short): The oldest sibling of the Nocheese family, CC is entering his last year of college. After Josh, he was my preferred companion on the cruise. I was surprised to find such a normal person in such a shallow family. I guess there has to be a rebel in every family. However, just like the rest of his family, he hates cheese.