Late Night Posting

Well, I suppose I shouldn't have had two cups of coffee at 9:00 pm, but here it is a few minutes after midnight and I'm wide awake.  That's ok, I'll probably be watching the Chilean mine rescue for the next several hours, and it's not like I have anywhere I have to be in the morning, either.  I was much too young to remember Apollo XIII, but this has to be right up with it on the scale of human drama.

But once I turn off the tv and get some sleep, I'm gonna spend my hump day doing a few chores--it'll wear me out, I'm sure--and since I move at about half speed, it'll take a good chunk of my day once I get out of bed, anyways. 

Since I didn't get to go walking on Tuesday, I'm going to remedy that and hopefully go twice, maybe doing a shorter walk early on, and then a full-on mile-long hike before it gets dark. I'm also gonna try and do some laundry, but since I can't lift very much, I'll probably get enough exercise just walking back and forth from my bedroom to the washing machine.  Ah, the joys of being an invalid...

I'm also going to be patiently waiting for the UPS man to arrive, as there is a shipment of cruise goodies on it's way.  Some generous folks provided a little scratch in the tip jar a few days ago (again, thanks everyone!) with explicit instructions to "Use this for your cruise!", so I spent a bit of it on items I'm going to be needing for the trip.  I think in this shipment, I've got a couple of books that I'll take with me for those lazy sea days where I sit in a chaise lounge out on the balcony sipping an umbrella drink and watching the ocean roll by.  I've just got to be patient enough to leave them alone for the next two weeks and not read them before I go.  I've also got some oversize neon-colored luggage tags (and some TSA-approved luggage locks) coming so that I can pick out my suitcases from the sea of black luggage at the airport and cruise terminal.  Rounding out the shipment is a hanging toiletries/travel accessory kit bag so I don't have to bring my nasty old toothpaste-stained vinyl Walmart special.

Other than that stuff, I'm pretty much set as far as cruise prep goes.  This past weekend, I rounded up all my clothes I'm gonna need from the closet at Cyndi's house and the storage shed up at Mamasan's (when I got out of the hospital, I had a bare minimum of clothes with me here at Amy's).  I was thinking about renting a tux again, but that's an expense that I really can't afford--and I probably shouldn't be spending money on that, anyways.  So I found my blue blazer that I haven't worn in years, and gathered a few dress shirts, slacks, and ties, too.  Not to mention decent shoes and swim trunks.  Oh, I'll have to take some stuff to the cleaners and the alteration shop this weekend, but then my wardrobe be set.  After that, a quick trip to the drugstore for some travel-size toiletries, and I'll be ready to hit the high seas.  (And we're still working on Halloween costumes, but I'll discuss that in more detail later on).

We leave on a Tuesday, but the weekend before we go, we're going to get together and have our traditional pre-cruise party here at Amy's house, and participate in another tradition that I'm hesitant to share with the masses.  But what the hell, I don't care--Before we leave on our 'annual' cruises, we always go and have a 'spa day' together.  Yes, I go with my sisters and get a manicure and a pedicure done.  Don't hate--believe me, the ladies notice, and if I'm gonna be out in public with nothing but bare feet or flip flops for eight days, well, I can't have nasty feet.  And working all those years in a casino, I remember how many times I got compliments on my hands whenever I got a manicure.  So even if it ain't the most masculine thing in the world, I don't care.  At least I'm not getting a massage from a dude.

I'm also going to have to pack a small travel bag for the next couple of days.  On Thursday, after I head back down to Vanderbilt for another stickin', I'm gonna head up to Mamasan's place up north for two nights.  No particular reason other than a change of scenery.  I've been shuffling back and forth between my bed and the big easy chair in Amy and Scotties den for the last three weeks, most of that time all alone and unsupervised, so I'm gonna go spend some time up there.  It'll be more fun to play some cards or some board games during the day, and we also plan on going for a drive and exploring the woods and such, so I should have some good pictures to share, too.

In addition to my chores and cruise anticipation, I may also do some writing.  Since I got this new look on the blog, it's motivated me to put up fresh material.  So who knows what kind of silliness may spout from my medication-addled brain--you should pay close attention for the next few days because I may just surprise you.

Mikey