Hello, sailor (all my lovin’)

Carnival Cruise Lines ought to be planting some big-ass Valentine’s Day smoocheroos on the 4,200 smelly suckers who thought they were taking the Love Boat to Cozumel but found themselves aboard a barely floating honey wagon being towed to Alabama.

Alas, the waters in which these buccaneers ply their trade are full of pinstriped sharks, heavy on teeth but lacking in the lip department.

Lawyers speaking with The New York Times say the ability of passengers to sue cruise-ship operators “is sharply limited,” and the location for any court action generally fixed in some shithole (Miami) favorable to piracy. “Shiver me timbers, matey, ye must file yeer complaint on Skull Island, arr.” Plus passengers are barred from collecting for emotional distress unless they are actually flogged, keelhauled or forced at cutlass point to walk the plank.

No gambling? No drinking? No showers? Sounds like a little trip to heaven.

Herself is on a little trip to Vegas, where they have all three of the aforementioned items plus “Love,” the Cirque du Soleil tribute to making money. I would insist on a functional toilet afterward, or perhaps during. But it was a girls’ outing and I wasn’t invited for some reason, so I’ll just have to make do with my memories of the Fab Four’s debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Was it really almost a half-century ago?

Christmas music that doesn’t suck (5)

Elvis has left the building, but P-p-porky Pig is still very m-m-much with us.

We had a white Christmas, which meant that instead of lollygagging around the rancheroo I had to drag ass outdoors in 15-degree temps to broom the block. Yes, “broom” — thanks to the global climate change that the Elefinks don’t believe in, we never get enough snow to shovel.

I tried shooting it, but that didn’t work. Clearly, we need more guns.

Christmas music that doesn’t suck (4)

I already slapped this one up this year, but it is about Christmas Eve (in the drunk tank), so up it goes again. Can’t tell you how delighted I was to learn that Shane MacGowan has new teefers for the holidays. I wonder if they’ve changed his “singing” voice. …

Meanwhile, Herself, Herself the Elder, Mister Boo and I drove to Fort Fun for an early (and delicious) holiday meal with my sister and her husband. A wonderful time was had by all, and — ¡que milagro! — the trip there and back was completely without incident. Normally we see a half-dozen cars upside down in the median thanks to the usual palette of human stupidities, but this time around there wasn’t even any serious stop-and-go. We even beat the snow home.

A Christmas miracle, to be sure. Here’s hoping your holiday goes likewise.