I can't get this done. I just can't do it.
The scheduling of all my work and my travelling and family vacation and this upcoming half marathon has been so bad and I am so exhausted already.
I haven't posted since I left for vaca. OK, so the vaca was pretty good, all told. A very mixed bag, but with more good memories than bad and an overall improved opinion about Disney than I will admit to outside this blog. We spent the first four days/night on the Disney Wonder, a ship built for Disney. It and it's sister ship are Disney's entire fleet, but they've got a good cruise line structure holding together their little enterprise. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised at every turn. I'd done a Disney cruise years ago (twenty?) and that was when Disney cruises were basically a package Carnival offered. (Carnival is to be avoided at all costs.) But this time around, with their own ships, own personnel, own infrastructure, own schedules, and even their own ISLAND, Disney did a great job. For you parents that may read this insignificant blog, be assured that not only will your precious little snowflakes be taken care of (all day long if you want them to), but so will you. There are kids-only areas, teens-only areas, family areas, and adults-only areas. The cruise is CLEAN: only one smoking area (in the adult area of course), no casino, and the constant of swarms of kids keeps people's language clean, too. But the drinks are good - stiff even - the beds are comfortable enough (even the convertible I slept in), and the boats are well laid out. The staff is good at what they do and seem happy to be doing it. The dining isn't Holland America Line quality or served at the coat-and-tie level every night, but it's close. Plenty of it, too. The shows on board are good, too, and if you decline to go ashore or come back early, you might even meet some of the actors catching some sun on deck, too. They'll deny it, of course, but people of that age and physical fitness without wedding bands...don't hang out on cruise ships unless they're employed there.
Anyway: cruise line good. Ports of call: good also. We stopped at Nassau and my family went to Atlantis water park/resort for a day of fun. The place is HUGE. The lazy river alone is about a half hour worth of round-trip, including three sections of rapids. This was the only place I encountered drink prices that were higher than Manhattan prices. It's also the only place I really fucked up: after taking my six-year-old nephew on the lazy river (his 3rd time) and enduring a cold rain during it, he was freezing and shivering. Having no dry towels nearby, I picked him up to try to keep him warmer with my body and make better time toward where the towel stands are. Unfortunately, the rain had made the stone walkways very slippery, which I didn't find out until I was headed down a flight of steps. I was being careful, taking the steps one at a time, because there was no handrail, but hitting the third step was like hitting black ice - and we both went down pretty hard. Fortunately, my nephew came out with only a scraped knee and shin - I got pretty banged up trying to keep him from hitting the ground. Nothing broken, though.
We also had a stop for a day at Disney's private island, which my brother and I had a great time on. Even there, one can find adult-only beaches and get smashed on Long Island ice teas. The Disney people really planned all this quite well.
Once back on dry land, we did the Disney World thing and that was OK. Theme parks aren't my favorite pasttime, but I'm up for it now and then. This became the difficult second half of the trip, as my tolerance for strange food was getting worn out and I just wanted to be home. While most of the family stayed in a cabin, I stayed with my parents in their motorhome during this half of the vaca, all in the Fort Wilderness Campground, which is not to be confused with the Fort Wilderness Lodge. I found the setting to be peaceful and enjoyable, my nephew had a great time, and I had a chance to relax and spend time with my parents, which was hard to do on the cruise ship. In fact, given that I had a day-and-half long attack of the gout, Dad and I spent quite a bit of time together.
While at the campground, I got in one run about three miles long and found it easy and pleasant with - shocker - no walk breaks. I paused half-way through only to relieve myself in one of the many Comfort Stations, which are also all clean and well-planned. I didn't have my footpod or heartrate monitor, but my watch read it out as a 36-minute run, not counting the potty break, and if I was doing roughly 11-minute miles, it was a decent workout.
I did not, however, get hardly any work done, nor did I today. I got home last night not long before midnight and had several emails to get out before I went to bed. I slept a good eight hours, but woke up exhausted and am still exhausted. I've felt wasted and ill all day, including the common CF problem of having the greasies, no doubt a result of the bratwurst I had at the German Pavilion in Epcot Center yesterday. I tried working, but was falling asleep at the keyboard. I'm going to bed in a few minutes and see if I can catch up on sleep and feel better tomorrow.
I have a lot to do. Three light plots due as fast as I can produce them, as well as client meetings and rehearsals. I need to remain strong through this week, get the last of my training runs done, get my work done, and push through it. I have the St Louis Half this weekend and that will be a quick trip. The rest of April is similarly rushed. I hope I don't have another day like today until at least May.
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