Frolic in the Tropics (March 31; from MySpace)

I sent in my check for my indulgent vacation today! Nine days on a tropical cruise, away from it all in the warm weather of the Caribbean (or en route), no work or volunteer hassles, no parental nagging, no stress, no cares, just hangin' out with my college pal and lots of F-U-N times. Ahhh. :-) I'm so excited to get away and see different scenery that I can hardly contain myself. I will definitley bring my camera and try to catch some interesting views ... in between dancing in the clubs and lounging on the Lido deck. ;-)

My only regret, if there can be one, is that the location isn't more exotic. Since having traveled to Rome and South Africa within the last year and a half, the Bahamas (which I've visited before) and Cozumel (new county to add to my tally -- Mexico!) sound a bit touristy. OK, so Rome is pretty touristy, but it's also very *not* touristy -- it's too cool to cater too much to tourism, I think. heh.

Anyway, I am more excited about being pampered on the boat ... except the overwhelming temptation of rich food is not exciting. Neither is being disconnected from my regular life for that long. That tears at me a bit. I like my life and the people in it, and although I'll love the relaxation and the change of scenery, it will be tough to be away from my dog, my bed, my friends and family! There is Internet access, and I will look into getting my cell phone configured for international use. However, I bet that Royal Caribbean has found a way to charge lots of money for using it as well as its internet cafe! (Damn the Man!)

But what am I complaining for -- it's gonna be grrreat! I should start a countdown! Exactly six weeks until I board the boat -- wow, I hadn't realized that until now. Yes!! Ah, life is good.