Have you ever had a nagging desire that just won't go away, try as you might to ignore it?
I've had the good fortune to do a fair amount of traveling in my life. I just did a quick calculation and found that I've visited 25 of the 50 states, plus DC, and I've been to Canada, Mexico and seven European countries. I love to travel, and hope to do a lot more.
But when I think back on the trips I've taken, I notice that most of them were for business or educational purposes, or to visit family members. (Oh, and also this!) I've gotten to go to Europe three times to play or compose music, which was wonderful, particularly because part of the expenses were underwritten in exchange for my musical activities.
Rarely have I just said, "You know what? I'd really like to go to X place," and bought a ticket and gone there, just for fun. I know that people do this all the time -- I've watched them with envy. But it doesn't usually occur to me that I could do the same thing. I suppose it's a vestige of my Lutheran upbringing. (When McDoc thinks I'm being particularly rigid or uptight about something, he calls me "Miss Missouri Synod," which cracks me up -- it's funny because it's true!) Living the dream as a shiftless Bohemian artiste, with the budget to go with it, is a factor as well.
I remember when I was a feckless 20-something living in New York City. My two roommates would go away for various weekend jaunts, and I was usually stuck at home in Brooklyn, because a) I had a church job and b) I was an incorrigible tightwad. I was stoic the day they took off for this mythical paradise called Cape Cod, but inside I was teh sad!
Not long after McDoc and I moved to Boston, though, I started to feel a deep desire to get away for a few days. I love Boston, love cities in general, and I'll always be a city girl at heart. But everyone needs some peace and quiet now and again. Way back in the fall, I started dreaming of a little snow-flocked cabin in the mountains.
But the holidays came and went with the attendant busy-ness, and McDoc and I were singing in choirs and doing this and that, and the cabin thing didn't happen. Then this spring, McDoc used the his vacation time for very worthy causes: one week to attend a medical conference for the sub-specialty he plans to pursue, and one week for his medical mission to Haiti. I started my church job in February, so my schedule was less free and easy than it had been before.
Lately, though, the little voice in my head that has been saying, "Get awaaay, you want to get awaaaaay!" has grown more frequent and insistent. We've been planning to go to Montreal in August, when McDoc can next take vacay. But I can't wait that long!
Enter Memorial Day Weekend! Seems like a no-brainer, I know, but I've grown accustomed to not assuming that McDoc will have a Monday holiday off -- he worked most of them back when he was doing emergency medicine. But this time he's actually free! There's the slight problem of me working on Sundays... but I was determined this time, so I found someone to substitute for me.
McDoc and I actually get to go away for 3 days and 2 nights!! It's our first proper vacay ever in almost three years of marriage!! (Our honeymoon was a drive from San Diego to Detroit, in a car crammed with stuff, including one rather unhappy pootie. The scenery was nice, but it was not exactly the stuff of mad romance!)
We're going renting a little apartment near the beach, and we're going to do... as little as possible! I'm so excited!!
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From trashablanca:
Crashing Vor had a sweet diary last night, and luckydog had a great little Treme story.
ben masel gave an impromptu history lesson.
From phonegery:
AmandaM's question conjures a notorious journalist of yore, and Andhakari has an answer straight our of Misheard Lyrics.
rkelley25 nicely sums up BP's attempt to minimize the bad press.
From RiaD:
Hookah responds in kind to this diary, and Inland’s takes it one step further.
Keirdubois on regional cuisine.
Boran2 states the obvious, and nightsweat shows that when you turn it upside down, you get the same thing!
kds9515 on taking things one step at a time.
Unduna kicks off a thread full of calcium-rich comedy.
From yours truly, virgomusic:
DawnG has the obvious reply to JeffLieber, and MufsMom does, too.
If you bring up jello and racy body parts, you can expect a storm of snark, but I liked bobinson's version the best.
LaFeminista has an idea for a new political party!
brillig deserves a nice vacation after all her hard work producing Top Mojo!
Top 30 Comments excluding tip jars, first comments and stuff:
1) If You've Met One Teabagger by JekyllnHyde — 189
2) I chose to read this diary precisely because I am by Blogvirgin — 181
3) FWIW, this is being circulated by RLMiller — 169
4) This interview showed he's a typical politician by John Campanelli — 163
5) Shit! Fuck! Now what?! by JeffLieber — 149
6) wait.... by DawnG — 144
7) Independent News turns down BP ad by MD patriot — 139
8) Um... Rand? by JeffLieber — 136
9) Well hell, if there's embedded reporters, by WisePiper — 132
10) I hope he will roast in Jail by LaurenMonica — 121
11) If there's any justice... by CyberDem — 115
12) I am flat out by o the umanity — 113
13) One Other Thing by JekyllnHyde — 109
14) Jim DeMint got SUBSIDIZED rent at C Street by MinistryOfTruth — 108
15) i felt for rachel...it was like banging her head by oblios arrow — 96
16) Rand Paul does not understand by Jennifer Clare — 94
17) I, for one, welcome our new synthetic overlords. by member of the msm — 89
18) Yes - and I'd like to stay on top of the by Eileen B — 85
19) Here's the CBS video by slinkerwink — 84
20) It was painful to watch. by stature — 83
21) Design and build for it ... by A Siegel — 81
22) EPA gave BP 24 hours to change its by RLMiller — 81
23) It's been mentioned in open threads and such by ontheleftcoast — 79
24) How you can be unemployed for two years is by LakePipes — 77
25) Crashing Vor by cotterperson — 75
26) I've read that they do have a zone that's set up by slinkerwink — 74
27) Wow. What a fucking wacked out country. by nailbender — 72
28) That is what makes this so pathetic by MinistryOfTruth — 71
29) "embedded" needs to be changed to by Andhakari — 71
30) and BP is paying for full page ads in Maryland by MD patriot — 71
Top 30 Comments with no exclusions, aka the Tip Jar & Pooties list :-):
1) Tip Jar by Mother Mags — 529
2) Tip Jar by snowman3 — 486
3) ...if you have a center part or... by JeffLieber — 438
4) Tips for environmental lawyers by FishOutofWater — 406
5) Tip Jar by Jerome a Paris — 384
6) Tip Jar by RogerShuler — 372
7) Tip Jar by CowKingDeluxe — 372
8) Tips for Peace and Love by MinistryOfTruth — 356
9) Tip Jar by FishOutofWater — 341
10) Tips for the fishermen. by rb137 — 260
11) Tip Jar by Vic Rawl for US Senate — 253
12) Tip Jar by Bill Halter for US Senate — 236
13) Tip Jar by aaraujo — 229
14) Tip Jar by Drdemocrat — 219
15) If You've Met One Teabagger by JekyllnHyde — 189
16) I chose to read this diary precisely because I am by Blogvirgin — 181
17) Tips/Flames by Rimjob — 180
18) FWIW, this is being circulated by RLMiller — 169
19) Tip Jar by innereye — 166
20) This interview showed he's a typical politician by John Campanelli — 163
21) I want President Obama to appoint Joe Biden by Mogolori — 157
22) Shit! Fuck! Now what?! by JeffLieber — 149
23) Tip Jar by newjeffct — 144
24) wait.... by DawnG — 144
25) Independent News turns down BP ad by MD patriot — 139
26) Um... Rand? by JeffLieber — 136
27) Well hell, if there's embedded reporters, by WisePiper — 132
28) Tip Jar by nyceve — 131
29) I hope he will roast in Jail by LaurenMonica — 121
30) If there's any justice... by CyberDem — 115