Catch Up

Whew.

I'm starting this not because I think anyone will be interested in reading it but because it may be necessary to my well being. A process of getting things out so to speak. Even though I am used to spending the majority of my time alone at home in Oakland, CA, traveling alone is another story. And after day 5 of traveling alone, I think it may have caught up to me. And I don't even have a language barrier to deal with.

I've done this once before, somewhere between 1998 and 2000. I had always wanted to go to Tahiti/French Polynesia, and somehow I managed to find a really cheap deal for Moorea, Tahiti. It ended up being the best thing I've ever done for myself. And the language barrier was kind of nice.

But i digress.... Now it's 2008, I'm 40 years old, and getting ready to file for divorce, hopefully as soon as possible when I get back, though it may take some time to figure out all the paperwork. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad thing. And we both agree on it. The hard part was being married to the wrong person for 4 years. Someone who, once we were married, I could not even get to go on a vacation with me. Let alone much else.

The decision to go during Christmas was a little tricky, because of the obvious, well, LONER Christmas. But ultimately, I've been so burned out from the last 4 years, my workplace closes down between Christmas and New Year's, and honestly, my family is so low-key about Christmas it practically doesn't exist. Presents and hoopla disappeared my sophomore year in high school when my mother sat me down and said "we're not doing presents any more." And though it was a little weird at the time, I agree that the commercialism is not necessary, and that what is important is spending time with your loved ones. My family has not given presents since then, and we usually get together for a huge meal and end up playing Yahtzee, Trivial Pursuit, or some other game. Last year I went to Mendocino with my parents, sister, brother-in-law and 2 friends of my sister, and it was a game of Pictionary that turned oddly dirty. Hilarious, but so wrong.

Anyway, welcome to Belize. Here is my attempt at something coherent.