Boo hiss

Let's just say I am not happy to be back. So not happy, in fact, that I am quite unwell and seeing a doctor in about an hour. I think he will diagnose me with Dehydration and Too Much Sun, but I know better- I am actually suffering from DoesNotWantToGoBackToWorkItis.

Seattle is trying to cheer me up by offering 90 degree weather this weekend, but where are my white sandy beaches, hmmm?

But seriously, I feel sick. I started getting these weird chest pains the morning before we left, which I attributed to Stress. I do not travel well, Internet, and the THOUGHT of getting on an airplane starts up the blah headachey motion sickness. I thought sleeping in and going into work late would help, but I felt worse when I woke up. So... the doctor, he will take one look at me and roll his eyes. "What a wimp," he will think to himself, and write a prescription for WATER.

The workers building the new townhouses next door are listening to what sounds suspiciously like Mexican polka music.

So Hawaii was awesome. I highly recommend it. My mother is a tad disappointed that we had such a good time, because now we will plan all our vacations around tropical beaches and mai tais, none of which can be found in her neck of the woods. But no, that will not be the case, as we needed to take out a home equity loan on our third day. Even when we left Waikiki, even when we hung around in HILO, food cost a bazillion dollars. And don't go searching for gold dust in your twelve dollar cocktail- it's not there.

Part of what made Oahu and the Big Island so fun for me was the familiarity. Not the beaches and the luxury and the cocktails, but just being on volcanic islands and driving their perimeters and seeing water everywhere you go. I spent my formative years on volcanic islands in the middle of nowhere, and I'd kind of forgotten what it was like. The second island I lived on, in particular, was 12 by 18 miles, it had a few "beaches" but mostly cliffs and giant volcanic rocks you had to hike over without falling into tidepools. That said, the locals weren't terribly wealthy, the fancy houses with the views were summer homes, the American military dominated the economy and livestock was everywhere- just like Oahu.

Yesterday when we were sitting the airport waiting for our flight, we talked about what we would nominate as our Favorite Hawaii Thing. Shockingly, we both put snorkeling at the top of the list (possibly because we did not die, and our sunburns were feeling a bit better at that point) and after that we listed our one night stay at the Fairmont Orchid because there is nothing like having your own private beach and pretending you are actually very wealthy and important. My friend The Local took care of all the arrangements for our Big Island trip, but she somehow neglected to tell us that our hotel was actually going to be a RESORT with a dozen different restaurants, movie-perfect scenery, an enormous and beautiful pool, massage tents overlooking the ocean and super swank bathrooms. And you know, I can totally get used to that kind of lifestyle.

Now I am home where I have to clean my own bathroom and make my own dinners. Lame!

I'm off to indulge my hypochondria at the doctor's office. Back later. And if you are feeling blue and your work ethic is sinking and you find yourself in dire need of vacation, take this as an open invitation for a bit of drowning our sorrows with mai tais at my house tonight.

Comments

[susanna]

oh maggie, i'm sorry you're sick:( but WELCOME back!:) hawaii sounds amazing.

[orangepaas]

oh, ranchero music. If you don't like it, please don't ever move to Texas :) Feel better!