back home

Got back about 7 tonight. We had a good time exploring parts of the Caribbean, but a week was long enough and I'm glad to be home. As the saying goes, there's no place like home - and nothing like familiar surroundings to ease the mind and return the digestive system to rights. I'll share some details and pics this week.

Arrr, Matey

We are gearing up for our 6 am (bleah!) flight to Miami tomorrow. Here's our itinerary:

Saturday - sail out of Fort Lauderdale at 5 pm
Sunday - at sea
Monday - Ocho Rios, Jamaica, where we'll probably see Dunn's Falls & some dolphins
Tuesday - Grand Cayman, Reef & Wreck snorkeling
Wednesday - Cozumel, and a ferry to the mainland where we'll tour the Tulum Mayan ruins
Thursday - at sea
Friday - Princess Cays, Bahamas
Saturday - back at Fort Lauderdale & fly home

This is all assuming Nate doesn't come down with the stomach flu that Zach, Adrienne and I had earlier this week. Yeah, great timing. So, keep your fingers crossed for us and I'll bore you with the details when we return. I gotta go pack!

Of Martyrs and Cupids

Happy Valentine's Day! In reading up on some of the history, it's odd how the commemoration of certain Christian martyrs ended up being a lovey-dubby holiday.

more than you wanted to know about this

Speaking of Feb. 14, I'm reminded of Some Like It Hot, a good movie about a couple guys who end up cross-dressing in hiding after witnessing the 1929 St. Valentine's Day massacre in Chicago. I suppose it's thought of as a Marilyn Monroe flick (or her image is used to sell it, anyway), but I enjoyed Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis's performances more.

And, you may have noticed that I've been utilizing information like this more lately.

dreams dashed

Here's the cartoon I made & emailed after I broke myself. Well, Nate helped with formatting the text into the thinking bubble and such (he gets his tutu in a knot if I don't give proper credit - and now I'll be in hot water for outing the tutu). Had to run it top-to-bottom so it'd fit.

In other, more pleasant news - we're counting down the days to our 1st Caribbean cruise. We skip town a week from tomorrow, on the 21st. The grandparents are taking turns baby-sitting. No kids' homework or dirty diapers for a week! Yeah!

Feb. 12 - another anniversary

It's been 3 years since I permanently messed up my left ankle in a sledding accident. I found an x-ray that looks similar to mine, and this cool diagram of bimalleolar left ankle fracture with internal fixation, complete with skin staples.

link to enlargeable diagram

getting older

I had a birthday recently. Just when I had gotten used to the idea and the sound of "30," I turned 31. It's less bizarro and surreal than last year, but still a bit jarring. Remedy: presents and cake. Plus, it should still be several years before that funky old person smell sets in.