Anyway.
Because I operate on a reward system these days, the last week in July I went on a cruise to the western Caribbean, stopping at Key West and Cozumel. This was a ton of fun. I got to be warm, lie around on the deck, get sunburned, eat lots of ice cream...
and that was just the first day (okay I didn't eat that much ice cream the first day; I was still trying to exercise restraint at that point). I had room service delivered breakfast that first morning, which worked out well since we got into Key West first thing in the morning (not surprising since its just not that far from miami to key west). It was the first time I ever had room service, and on a cruise you don't have to pay extra; yay! I was supposed to go snorkeling, but it was stormy and on our way out to where we were going to snorkel the sea got too rough, so we had to head back. Kind of a bum deal but I got to explore Key West instead, which was a lot cooler than I thought it would be. The first hour or so I was walking around it was pouring rain, but was still warm, so it was fun. I ended up going on a trolly tour where they take you around to all the sights, including the original Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville and the bar that Ernest Hemingway liked to hang out at... I stopped and saw the lighthouse, which was cool, though the museum in the old lighthouse keepers house was less impressive, but they did have a big 1st order Fresnel lens (it was huge!) (I got someone to take my picture with it but it was with the underwater camera and I haven't gotten the film developed yet) and also a 4th order lens, which is what I've seen here in Wisconsin, and a few little fifth order lenses. Fun times. I also went to see a brightly painted buoy claiming to be the southernmost point in the continental US, which is a controversial designation both because Key West is in fact an island, and also because its not actually the southernmost point; the real southernmost point is visible a few hundred yards away on a navy base. I also had some delicious key lime pie ice cream.
The next day we were at Cozumel (which is also an island; I did not know this prior to going there). There I got to drive a Jeep (the second foreign country I've driven in) out to an eco park where we snorkeled, climbed a lighthouse, saw a Mayan ruin, and looked at alligators.
Cozumel is a self-admitted tourist trap, but at least they're nice about it. I had my first experience with bargaining, which I can't really tell how well it went; they lowered the price some but I still probably got ripped off. It was fun though. The snorkeling was fun, though not comparable to Tahiti, which may have set the bar higher than I realized. The lighthouse that I went to had a different lens, still a Fresnel lens, but shaped like a clam shell, where all the others I've seen have been barrel shaped. I don't know exactly what the difference is, but I bet I can ask someone next time I go to a lighthouse.
The next day was just spent at sea, which left plenty of time for more lying around on deck, passing through the never-ending-pool-party (which reminded me of the oft-mentioned Nurse Robert's Above Ground Pool Party for those of you who are Scrubs fans). The other days had lots of relaxation time too, of course, but that last day I really had a chance to work on my sunburn. It was so nice to just relax.
My room steward left me towel animals, which are apparently a carnival cruise trademark, and also offered to hide me so I could stay on board :)
Once back, it took about four days for my inner ear to adapt to being on land again; in the interim I felt like I was still rocking and almost fell every time I bent over, which was fun.
The day after I got back my ER rotation started,(which is where I was when most of everyone else was at the baby blessing) and so far its going well. I've seen some cool things, and most of the residents and attendings I've worked with have been really great, and the nurses are nicer to 4th years than they are to JMSs.
On a different note, during the beginning of July I started having problems with the nausea and vomiting again, which was not fun, so I decided, somewhat influenced by Jenifer's experiences, to give gluten free a try. It has actually helped alot, as in, no current nausea/vomiting issues, which is such a relief, and I lost four pounds (before I went on the cruise... we won't talk about during the cruise) and now that I'm back and not having all that free food sitting around, I'm feeling pretty good and thinking I'm going to keep eating gluten free. Fortunately not only do both the health food store and my regular grocery store across the street from the health food store have a decent selection of gluten free food, but also there are enough options that its doable even during busy rotations. I can get frozen waffles to eat for breakfast, bread to make peanut butter and jelly, ginger snaps, and other good stuff to pack. I just made some brownies from a mix from bob's red mill, and while the dough was oddly cohesive, the finished product tastes pretty good.
On another different note, its finally hot and humid here. Yay for sweating like a pig!!!!! (you know I mean it) Maybe I'll get hot enough to be ready for the winter. It could happen, right?
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1 comment:
I'm glad you had fun. And I'm glad the gluten is helping.
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