The Giggles

Did you really think I'd stay away until February?  ;)

Have you ever had a piece of knowledge embedded into your memory bank that, when happened upon, makes you smile? It makes you elated, giddy, the shivery kind of happy that tickles your whole body. Of course you have. And that is how I feel right now. Like I have an awesome secret tucked away in the corner of my mind that is just aching to get out, stretch it's legs and make itself known to the world! Except in this case, it's not a secret at all. It's my happy thought. During the chaos of these recent days at work I can take it out and think about it and mellow the work stress away. I'll share it with you. Are you ready?

*Whispered*
ROME
Or, in a single word: Vacatioooooonnnnnnnn........ (It's better if you say it slowly. Obviously)
And yes, I am going to the Middle East too (yay!), but Rome is my personal epiphany.

That's it. All it takes to make me grin from ear to ear like a slap happy little nitwit. That place makes me giggle like a schoolgirl with delight. I wish I knew all of the reasons why. But then again, if I knew all of the reasons why, it probably wouldn't be quite so magical for me. Or maybe it would.

I've always felt a pull, a draw to Rome. Something inviting me there, beckoning me to behold. Ever since I opened that history book in Mr. LaRue's sixth grade class to the section on Rome and saw, in brilliant color, photos of marble busts, gold jewelry, the Colosseum and ancient textured walls. It was entrancing and I was enthralled with it. I even dressed a Barbie up like a Roman woman and had my Dad help me create a Roman chariot for my barbie horse to pull for a history assignment.

Okay, so this is NOT my Roman Barbie and Chariot. I googled Roman barbie and came back with this Roman Holiday (yes, like the movie!) Barbie. Pretty cool huh? My parents have a picture of my barbie creation somewhere... but it's in a closet... in the frozen north... in a box with a gazillion other photos... and it's not digital! Le Sigh. (Or since we are going for Italy: a sospirare.)

When finally I was able to visit Rome for the first time earlier this year, it did not disappoint! (as you might have guessed from my enthusiasm for the place) Instead, it renewed and reinvigorated my love for it. Have you ever had a magical day? Or three? A small part of your time on this earth where everything worked in your favor? The stars were aligned (if you believe in that sort of thing) and Lady Luck was your best friend? That happened to me in Rome. And like any respectable addict would, I want to go back for more! I'm hooked! Three days of being stopped in the streets by Italian men and asked for my phone number, given a bottle of wine, eating amazing pasta and Gelato, getting reamed out by a middle-aged Italian woman for running across the street in front of an ambulance (Yes, I add that to my list of good fortune because, hey, it happened in Italy. It was exciting. And ridiculous. And feeling the wrath of an Italian woman is just so quintessentially Italian!)

I've heard of many people feeling the same way about Paris.

"America is my country but Paris is my hometown" (Gertrude Stein)

Ditto for me. Except replace Paris with Rome (obviously).

I do like Paris quite a bit too, in case you were curious.

Just for now, I have a secret. I'll keep it in my pocket close to my heart and take it out to look at it when there's no one around.

What's your happy secret? Don't worry, I won't tell.

My Birthday, Bob Reily & FEMA Trailers

I've decided.

I received the A-OK on using my friend's beach house near Pensacola for my birthday, so that's where I'm headed. I am SO excited! Woo! Hawaii is nice, but truth be told, I prefer Florida. Is that weird? I don't care.

I booked my rental car and need to book my flight. But prices went up since I looked last, so I think I'll wait until mid-January to book. Prices go down then because people stop traveling after the holiday rush.

I can't wait for this. I've been before. Several times. For a brief period of time I lived in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Truly. For about three months. I took a job down there that wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Ocean Springs is about 2 hours west of my destination. When I decided to move to Mississippi, I called up my old College roommate Bri (AKA, My ninja) and told her I was headed South. She was living in New Orleans with her Husband Chris (who was going to school at UNO). We were both ridiculously excited and I planned to stop at her place and visit on my way to Mississippi (I drove!)

It was nearly one year after Hurricane Katrina. Bri and Chris had lived in Student Housing in the heart of the city during the Hurricane. Luckily, they'd been in their car when the warning came through and decided that although Hurricane Warnings were routine and annoying, they'd heed it and headed to Chris' parent's place near Shreveport. They had the clothes on their back and whatever was in the trunk of their car (not much!). After the hurricane, Chris and his older brother ventured down into the flooded city, "borrowed" a boat and went to their flooded dorm house to get their birth certificates and other personal items. Chris' brother stood on the back of the boat with a loaded shot gun while Chris steered the boat. It was not a good time to be in New Orleans.

Crazy, eh?

So that brought me to staying with Bri and Chris in their gotten-with-much-difficulty-because-they-were-white-students FEMA trailer. What an adventure. What an exercise in government waste, corruption and horrific management. Wow. The trailer park was chalk-full of brand new, empty trailers. They sat, chugging electricity, completely unused. Amazing. The ones that were in use often had a brand-new Escalade or some other ostentatious luxury car parked outside. You see, the families that lived in the trailers also receive(d) a monthly stipend. Families that were rebuilding homes down in the disaster zone would park their FEMA trailers on their land while "rebuilding" so they'd get their stipend. I say rebuilding with quote marks because by the time I got there, many of the houses were completely rebuilt (many were NOT) minus one wall that was covered in plastic. So long as the house remained unfinished, the stipend checks kept coming. And what about those lovely government officials who were appointed to inspect the homes in-progress? They gladly accepted bribes and checked on their survey sheet "unfinished."

Yah.

I grew up in a city in Northern California that is notorious for gang violence and also for generally being a "rough" city. Vallejo. Maybe you've heard of it?  I've traveled the world and narowly missed riots in Caracas, shootings in Panama and gang violence in Poland. I've never in all of my life felt as uncomfortable as I did spending one night in New Orleans. Martial law had the run of sections of the city. Tanks rolled through the streets and soldiers marched around with very large guns. Mind you, this was a YEAR after the hurricane. One whole year.

So while I was chatting with Bri in the FEMA trailer, she mentioned that she and Chris were actually moving the following weekend. Chris was finished with UNO) and while he was waiting for his Dental school acceptance they would be living in Bri's Mom's beach house near Pensacola. What a life! I was so excited that they'd still be near enough to me to visit. It turns out that Bri and Chris and that beach house (so really, Bri's Mom was a lifesaver too!) gave me a place to go and clear my head, get away from my crumbling career and the utter directionless-ness of my life at the time. I went there on the weekends. We ate and played in the sand and played with their little chihuahua Lilly. We took their boat out on the sound and watched the Dolphins jump and held Lilly out over the water to see if an Alligator or big fish would snap her up. It was such a fun time amidst the chaos of my life! And when I eventually quit my awful job, I spent a week in that house (Bri and Chris were in Indiana for the week), working on my resume and demo reel, applying for jobs and every day I'd go and walk on the beach for hours. I'd watch the pink and green sunsets and see large white cranes, starfish, soft-shelled crabs and jellyfish and enjoy the solace of that place.
...

And how does Bob Reily fit into this story, you ask? Well, driving from Mississippi to Pensacola takes you right through Alabama. And on that two-hour drive, just before the 'Sippi/'Bama border, I'd call up my Mama. And as I crossed the border, I'd read the sign (in a verrrry exaggerated, mock-southern accent) "Alah-Bayumuh da Beeeauteeful, Gub-eh-naw Bahb Riiilee" (sound it out). And Mom and I would laugh and chat for most of the remaining hour of the drive. That's where Governor Bob Reily comes into play.

...
So now, I'm headed back. My life has turned around 180 degrees. I'm not directionless. I have a lovely career (for which I am so very grateful!) and enjoy my life immensely. I have been very blessed.

White sandy beaches, amazing sunsets, sea kayaking and warm weather here I come. And I've decided to go to Hemmingway's in Pensacola for my birthday dinner. Yum! Good food, great ambiance and an amazing Key Lime dessert.

Hemmingway's Island Grill

See you in June, lovely Florida!

Jetlag and Mango Smoothies

I wasn't going to post until I got home... but I had such an amazing day I wanted to get some of it down before I forgot it...

Its official! I'm in Barbados. I arrived yesterday afternoon at 2:30. Was checked in my hotel room by 3:30. If only flying into anywhere else internationally was so efficient!

By the time I got to my hotel I hadn't slept in three days. Two days= insomnia at home. The third= overnight flight complete with screaming babies. I've always gotten insane insomnia before exciting things; Before every ship contract, before life-changing events (moving, etc.) Christmas. Seriously. Every Christmas of my entire life (okay, we won't count up to the age of 4) I haven't been able to sleep Christmas Eve, because, lets face it, Santa's coming to town that night and the next morning is going to be pretty danged exciting! Anyhoo, this trip warranted two nights of insomnia prior to the trip (and we won't even talk about the two weeks before the trip in which I only got 1 solid night's sleep - probably due to 1) excitement for the trip & 2) extreme stress from work.)

When I walked into my amazing suite of rooms (larger than my house!) with its beautiful view of the Caribbean/Atlantic ocean and tradewinds blowing ever-so-gently through the coral-stone room, I could have thought: "Wow!, it was all worth it" or "I never want to leave here" or "I have to find a job on this Island!" but what I actually thought was "... ... ... ... ... (deep breath) ahhhhhhh... ... ..."

About ten seconds later I was rocked back to real-time by my porter, Brian, asking "Will that be all, miss?" I fumbled for his tip, ushered him out the door and then toured the rest of the suite: Balcony with wrought iron lounger, table and chairs located beneath a massive flowering tree swaying in the scented air, check!




















Kitchenette complete with fridge, range & blender (Blender! I don't even have one at home!) Check.
Large living room with TV and DVD player that probably get about as cared-for as a Christmas fruitcake here)
Check.
1 bedroom with King-sized, four poster bed made of antique Barbadian mahogany.
Check.













1-massive granite and marble-covered bathroom with a rainfall shower and separate clawfoot tub.
Check.














Me in heaven.
Check, Check.














Slept well, very, very well last night. Woke up this morning around 7 and was out the door by 7:30. Gone are the days, it seems, when I was able to sleep until noon. At home, its probably a good thing - so I can get to work at a reasonable hour. But, here it is not necessarily a good thing. I wandered the property a bit more (did some exploring last night and even went for an evening swim at my favorite beach) and reached the restaurant for Breakfast a smidge before 8. They seated me and I had to wait as they weren't ready to start serving yet! Can you imagine?? A hotel not prepared to serve breakfast before 8am. Welcome to the Caribbean, mate! (said with arms flung out, Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean-style)

I had one thing to do today: Go to the store at noon. I plan to utilize my kitchen while I'm here, so I wanted to pick up some groceries. The grocery-store shuttle doesn't leave the hotel until noon. (Said shuttle is actually a caribbean-style mini-van, which looks smaller than an American mini van [because it is] and is capable of seating about twice as many people (14). Not that there are seatbelts for all of those people... but Island style is all about cramming everyone in!)

I hate having one thing to do smack dab in the middle of the day! Its like having one massive zit on prom night. While waiting for the noon shuttle, I sat around, not really being able to enjoy anything else. For instance - I wanted to go to the beach, but I didn't want to get all "Beachy" and have to leave the beach just around the time I was getting comfy... which actually means I'll end up missing the shuttle because I won't leave the beach. So I ended up sitting in my lovely living room in the chaise louge, pulled over to the window, propped my feet up on the balcony bar and started reading the book I've been hanging on to for this trip since March, when I booked it. "Eat, Pray, Love" (Which is fan-bloody-tastic!) I really enjoyed the book, the relaxing breeze and comfy furniture... Noon finally rolled around and I went to the store, got the supplies and was back by 1pm.

I loaded up my beach-stuff and proceeded to hike down Crane beach, past all of the tourists (I, of course, can't be classified with them, lol. Lets face it, no one ever thinks of him or herself as a tourist! Besides, this is my fifth time in Barbados... In Hawaii, you're considered a local on your third time... Five's got to count for something!) over the rock outcropping to the second part of Crane beach, past the more adventuresome tourists, into the ocean and around a small rock-bluff to the hidden and deserted (except for one other small group of people who cheated and drove to that beach on the mainland above) "Beachy Head" beach. Perfect! Waves, boogie-boarding, swimming, sun-tanning, reading the great book (Eat, Pray, Love).














("Beachy Head" beach)

Three hours later, I feel the need to leave "soon" (island time) so I won't burn up on my first day of vacation and ruin the rest, but just as I'm contemplating standing up (contemplating really, really hard and doing surprisingly little about it), the amazingly cute duo of gorgeous, tan Brits (I know, that entire description defies all normalcy for Brits - they even had nice teeth!) from the group down the beach came up and said Hello and asked to borrow my boogie board for a while. How could I say no? I stopped contemplating getting up and flashed them a smile "of course!" They offered me a beverage, which I took them up on (water!) and I got to enjoy another lovely hour pretending to read my book, all the while enjoying the eye-candy in the water in front of me. (pictured not very well in photo above, far left) Heath and Devon. Mmm, mmm, mmmm... Surprisingly I'm not that burnt! (I credit it to that new spray-on sunblock! Its freaking miraculous!) (End commercial)

5 pm rolls around and I head back to the hotel. Rather exhaustedly, I have to admit. Went to the kitchen to see what to cook for dinner but decided instead to sit down for a while... saw the room-service menu... grilled mahi-mahi with mango salsa, coconut rice and veggies... looks like I'm going to have to start cooking tomorrow. And hide that blasted menu after dinner tonight. Yum.

Tonight I wandered the property and took twilight pictures of the place.













Crane Beach at dusk

Various spots around the hotel

This place inspires me. I love it. I love everything about it. I've wanted to stay in this hotel since I first saw the place three years ago on a day-trip from my Ship, the Golden Princess. ...sigh...

Its 9pm. I'm now sitting in the same chaise-lounge in front of my living-room balcony, sipping a mango smoothie (I made it with my blender!) I'm Listening to the frogs chirp, the wind rustle and the waves crash on the cliffs below. The stars twinkle brightly over head, in the special way they only do here in the Caribbean. Its as if they have secrets they want you to find out. And they look so velvety soft and close that you feel you could scoop them right out of the thick-perfumed air and put them in your pocket.

Relaxation, contentment. Perfect day.

Cheers.