Plenty of Space on This Ship’s Luggage Racks

After the good ship Ecstasy leaves the port of L.A. and reaches three miles off shore, the passengers will get the signal: They can start taking off their clothes. All of their clothes. The 2,000 or so sun worshippers will be making what is billed as the largest nude cruise ever, a 10-day jaunt down the coast of Mexico in March.

Of course, the partyers would still be well advised to pack suitcases, says Amanda Poston of Bare Necessities Tour & Travel of Austin, Texas, organizer of the event. She pointed out that Carnival Cruise Lines, owner of the Ecstasy, requires passengers to wear clothes in the dining room.

Such a deal: While I’m on the subject, a colleague passed along an ad for a Christmas tree that also seemed pretty bare (see accompanying).

Doubters welcome: Religion is, of course, one dimension of the holiday season. But Mitchell Hesse of Santa Margarita noticed a center for those who are undecided about the existence of God (see photo).

Speaking of the holidays: If the gift-giving, family-entertaining pressures are just too much for you, Emily Adelsohn passed along a product that claims to relieve anxieties (see accompanying).

Write 100 times on the blackboard...: Robin Turner of Culver City gave a failing grade to the spelling in a letter to school officials from the state Department of Education (see accompanying).

Job-appropriate names: Katie Weibezahl of Westlake Village checked out a library book about the Pony Express that was written by Cheryl Harness. Marvin Chandler of Carmel came across a surgeon named Gina Heal. Conversely, my colleague Will Rogers said his wife was very pleased with her eye surgery, which was performed by Dr. Arthur Hurt.

Food for thought: “At an outdoor restaurant in Trujillo, Spain, we found a menu listing garlic soup with an ‘embezzled egg,’ ” wrote Richard Seibel of Glendale. “It turns out that the Spanish word for ‘embezzle’ is only one letter different from the word for ‘poach.’ ”

Added Seibel, “We couldn’t find a reason for another item on the menu that was ‘attacked with ham.’ ” I think I’d rather have something attacked with ham than with garlic.

miscelLAny: There’s hope for society yet. The L.A. Daily Journal reported that the pass rate for prospective lawyers who took the Star Bar Exam in July was barely 50% -- the lowest rate in 10 years.

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LA-TIMES, ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.