Bon Voyage & Back Again

Bon Voyage (and not just to mom)

Sorry I haven’t blogged in a week. Friday was all about getting my mom to the airport and catching up on all the work that had piled up while she was visiting.

When she left, I was exhausted. Right after I got back from the airport, I had a meeting. All throughout the meeting, I noticed that I felt extremely emotional - like I wanted to cry. And I kept rubbing my face. (In grad school, I learned that I do this when I’m really stressed out. My friends and I would be working on structural engineering problem sets late in the night. “Hey Juniper,” they said, “when you get tired and frustrated you bury your face in your hands!”) Anyway, as soon as the meeting was over, I tucked myself onto my couch and treated myself to a few episodes of “Sell this House.” I started to forget my mom had ever visited.

But I digress. On Friday night, we also had to pack. Because we went on vacation! We dropped the cat off at the kennel and drove down to LA - then stayed the night in a nice hotel room at a Sheraton near LAX. We got room service, watched the Mets lose game three of the playoffs and slept for about 10 hours. On Sunday, we boarded the “Vision of the Seas” and headed south for a week-long cruise around Mexico and the Baja peninsula. So I can’t complain.

But I can make some observations:

1. Shouldn’t the kids I saw onboard be in school?

2. The security screener who called all the passengers “my sister,” “honey,” “my son,” or “my brother” will live to be 100. Anyone who brings a smile to so many people’s faces must get extra karma points.

3. Where do all these people get pants that big? I have enough trouble finding a size 14…

4. Our first table assignment... FOUR Mormons. We changed tables the next day. Come on guys... not even caffeine?

5. To the newlyweds in the top hat and veil with attached mouse ears… really?

6. Oh right. All the alcohol in the world is ON THIS SHIP. I almost forgot. More about that later. Don't worry though... no slip-ups.

7. My husband and I have been together for 10 ½ years. The fact that we have been together that long and can still be so delighted to be in each other’s company… I dunno how to explain it. Some kind of psychosis maybe?

8. I now understand the whole Steve Irwin tragedy. I snorkeled with a school of Manta Rays. Small ones. And I kept my distance. But yikes.

9. Mexico is very hot and I... I am very pale. Although not so much on my left shoulder anymore.

10. Cruise ship = petrie dish. Now I have a cold. Thanks Thomas. (our waiter who felt it necessary to rearrange everyone's silverware. Every. Single. Course.)



Darn boat's so big, it doesn't even fit in one frame. More pictures to come over the next week.