Critical Cruiser

It's been a long week.
It really does feel like significantly longer than the 8 days we were gone, it even feels longer than the two weeks I spent in Sudan.

Don't read into this too much, it's not that I didn't have a good time... But, I am not sure I was in need of a vacation. Let me explain.

Most people go on a cruise to escape their lives, jobs, school... whatever. To be honest, I spent almost an entire week before the cruise doing virtually whatever I wanted without much obligation in DC. I had finished school and I was enjoying life. So take me from a positive and enjoyable situation and stick me on a boat, in a room with my brother (who I get a long well with... at a distance), and give me little to do but watch lame variety shows and lay on the beach, and you might understand why I prefer my normal life.

Not many people can say that, that they prefer their normal life to most vacation options. I consider myself extremely blessed that I enjoy my day to day so immensely. (BUT, let me clarify... other vacation options would change the landscape of this conversation. The Caribbean doesn't appear to be my cup of tea, I mean... I had more fun in Sudan. What's wrong with that picture?)

Most people who go on a cruise dread it's ending. Well, I had another week of doing nothing, Christmas, and seeing my NC friends to look forward to... so needless to say, I was excited for the the next step. Not to mention, my entire journey climaxes with my return to DC, which is equally appealing.

The entire experience was amplified by a personal discovery: I have gotten used to living by myself and doing what I want to do... not something that translates particularly well to suddenly reverting back to family life. "Yes, I would like to hold my own passport."

Regardless of it all, I worked hard to enjoy myself, and that included watching a LOT of movies and playing a LOT of cards. Seriously, if I wasn't doing one of those, I was eating or sleeping. Therefore, I managed to make it a pretty relaxing vacation. In fact, I am going to have to work to get back some productivity habits. Oh, and the scenery wasn't half bad...

Honestly, cruises are all about indulgence. Whether it's eating excessively, tanning constantly, drinking 24 hours a day... a cruise encourages a complete abandonment of moderation. Even I fell prey to the 4 course meal and 24-hour buffet... I am going to have to wean my appetite back to normal. Talk about being slapped with the reality of consumerism and the entitlement mentality.

On the way home Wall-E was playing on the plane. Although 'over the top'... after being on a cruise, I had to chuckle at the red flag the minds at Pixar were trying to raise. I think people would be shocked at how close we can get... just go on cruise.