Vacation, All I Ever Wanted! Vacation, Got To Get Away!

I rarely make frivilous posts. Shoot, I rarely even make a straight rant post. Almost every post I've made has tied in with the main themes (work, chat rooms, writing, relationships) of this blog.

This post will be the exception to the rule, as this is both a frivolous and a mid-major rant at the same time.

For those who have only recently stumbled onto this blog (and I thank you for stopping by), I am going on vacation next week. The reason I'm making such a big deal out of it, is that this is my first real, non-working-just-for-me-and-the-wife-with-no-kids-around-or-other-responsibilities, vacation in exactly 6 long years. I won't bore you with the details as to why, since I've covered them elsewhere.

Did you ever notice that when you're trying to plan a vacation and implement said vacation plan, while at the same time trying to tidy things up at work before you go, it's an exercise in futility?

I've been getting slowly frazzled and frying my brain cells while trying to gather up the necessary dollars (cash is not a good thing to have excess amounts of), get the car in working order (always a good thing), plan things to do (say what?), plan a route (really?), get coverage at work (coverage? what's that?), getting all my work done (yeah, right), listening to toddlers nitpick and nag me to death over the most inconsequential things (like what else is new? Rodney Dangerfield said it best), and trying to maintain a positive attitude.

All at the same time.

I've spent this past week, burning the candle at all three ends. Nothing but stress, stress, stress, and more stress is what I consider the norm in planning a vacation/taking a vacation.

"But Georgie, what possible stress can you be under in planning and going on a vacation?"

Try this on for size: last time I went on vacation in 2002, my main worry was trying to find gas cheaper than $1.50 a gallon. Now my main worry is that I'll max out my gas cards, knowing that gas is now hovering between $3.60 and $4 a gallon.

If that doesn't fit, try this: this will cost me about $1700 in funny money (meals, gas, lodgings, snacks). I've never spent that much cash in 8 months, let alone one solid week. Shoot, this trip has already cost me about $75, and I haven't even walked out the door to my car.

Here's a nifty addition to the previous points: now I'm taking four different meds, one of which is insulin. Will have to spend gobs of money on ice in order to keep it from spoiling.

I keep asking myself, is all of this aggravation really worth it? The health problems I currently have do weigh heavily on my mind these days. As a matter of record, this road trip will be in all likelihood, my very last hurrah. This body of mine is breaking down a little more with each passing day. My dear friends who know me best, have direct knowledge of what ails me, and I would like to say to all of them this one thing: it's getting worse, and it ain't from what I told you previously.

To answer the question, yes it is worth it. I'm going on a real vacation, I'm going relax and recharge my batteries, I'm going to visit a good Cyber friend of mine, and most of all, I'm going to have fun.

After all, isn't that what you're suppose to do on a vacation?