AN EVENTFUL YEAR

As I sat down at my computer to share thoughts of 2018, I couldn't think of a simple adjective that would adequately describe this past year. To say this year was a roller coaster ride of really high "ups" & really low "downs" would be a total understatement. As I searched for a title adjective I considered "exceptional", "unforeseen", "extraordinary", "unpredictable" to name a few & finally settled on "eventful".

"Eventful" seemed to convey that some damn big things occurred both good & bad. One thing I know for sure is that I will remember this past year for everything that happened which affected & changed my life in so many ways. Here are the highlights (& lowlights) of my 2018 "ups" & "downs":

The 2018 roller coaster started up the first big hill with a huge trip that literally took us around the world. We learned of a 14 day cruise that sounded intriguing. Great deal after great deal fell into place & we had a 21 day trip booked to Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Oman & Dubai with an extension to Delhi, Agra & The Taj Mahal in April. A definite "up"!

My hip had been giving me grief since October 2017. I was diagnosed with bursitis & a hip flexor muscle strain before being sent to physical therapy & a specialist. Exactly two days after making final payment on our "trip of a lifetime", I was told I needed a total hip replacement! Shit! Lou agreed to push me around as many places as possible in his dad's small transport wheelchair which we took on our trip. I postponed the surgery knowing I wouldn't do any more damage. A discouraging "down"!

Three days into our trip on our Thailand excursion I was able to check my phone messages since both Lou & I had elderly fathers at home. Never in a million years did I expect to find out that my son was in surgery as I read the message. He had an accident while on vacation necessitating hip reduction surgery. That was one of the most helpless & traumatic events of my life knowing my son was in surgery half way around the world. His girlfriend & his dad were with him, thank God. And someone gave him their phone to call me from recovery which had me in tears on the tender but I was so thankful to hear his voice. A big "down" followed by a relieved "up"!

He was doing great & we detoured to see him on our way home from SFO. We did a 9 day trip to Texas in May that we had planned before the India one. I just limped around & did what I could do. We spent lots of fun pool time with Charley during the summer. I had scheduled my surgery for the week after Charley left. I wasn't missing any time with my granddaughter to recuperate. All "ups"!

On July 17, I had the first major surgery of my 68 year life. It all went well but I have since learned that it takes 4-6 months to heal physically & a full year to feel "normal" again. I'm getting there but it is difficult not to get impatient. Kind of a frightening "down" but ultimately an "up"!

The lowest point of my roller coaster year occurred 11 days after my surgery. My 89 year old father had a massive heart attack at home. The paramedics got his heart beating & put him on a ventilator to keep him alive until we got to the hospital. I was able to hold his hand & talk to him but with no response. After about 15 minutes we removed the breathing tube & 10 minutes later he passed. An unbelievable "down"!

Although my dad was "just an auto worker" his whole life, he managed to leave a substantial amount of money to my sister & me. She bought a pickup truck & I bought a 2018 red Honda Civic. We both paid cash for our cars (with plenty left over!) for the first time in our lives thanks to our dad. It was bittersweet not to be able to tell him & show him our new cars which he would have loved. Both "up" & "down"!

I used some of my inheritance to treat Darrin, Charley & Lou to a Disneyland trip over Thanksgiving vacation. That was a wonderful experience that I will cherish forever. Since Lou has treated me to travel for the last few years, I splurged on a fancy cruise to Cuba for him & me just a few weeks ago. Another wonderful "up"!

My son, my sister, my partner & my granddaughter have been my rocks through this crazy year. I have several friends who have been there for me for years & years & years. Their support & love were crucial to me. I couldn't have made it through without the countless, & I do mean countless, hours of phone conversations. Plus I reconnected with an "old friend" who I met as a teenager & she has become a great "new friend" in my life. All amazing "ups"!

This eventful year has involved some of our most amazing travel destinations, incredible time with my son & granddaughter, scary health issues for my son & me - & the death of my father who I had been caring for over the past 13 years. I'm really hoping that 2019 will be just a little less eventful - at least the "downs".

Have a safe & Happy New Year!

HAVANA, OOH GA-GA

Hopefully some of you are familiar with the pop song "Havana" by Camila Cabello. If not check it out on You Tube. It is one of the few catchy, fun, newer songs that you can actually sing along with. Darrin told me that when he told Charley I was in Havana, she knew the song & started singing it. BUT Charley & Darrin changed the lyrics.

From:  Havana, ooh na-na
Half of my heart is in Havana, ooh-na-na

To:  Havana, ooh ga-ga

Gaga is in Havana, ooh ga-ga

I love it!          

Some snippets & thoughts regarding Cuba:                                         

We had a wonderful lecturer on our ship. I don't think I have ever said "wonderful" & "lecturer" in the same sentence in my lifetime. Normally, the person who stands at the podium reciting tedious facts while clicking through slides bores me to tears or puts me to sleep in nothing flat.

But, Sandy Cares, had a wonderful delivery style. She paced the stage, using comedy, honesty & genuine excitement to tell us that in Cuba we need to take our own toilet paper & there are no toilet seats in the country. She was absolutely correct! Or she told us how cruisers always want to cut across rather than follow the right angle of the blue line in Cienfuegos to direct you to immigration. She reiterated, "Follow the blue line or they will round you up & we'll never hear from you again." People were immediately herded back to the blue line when they tried to cut the corner.

Her passion for & knowledge of this part of the world came through loud & clear. I actually retained some of what she shared remembering quite a few things. She used an inverted pyramid photo to explain how doctors, lawyers or teachers made about 30 CUCs (pronounced "kooks") per month. But tour guides could make that or more in one day in tips. The exchange rate is 1 USD=1 CUC but the Cubans add a 13% exchange fee. With the pyramid balancing on its point, it could topple at any moment. Who wants to be a doctor or lawyer at that salary when you can pick up a microphone, talk to tourists & make way more money?

The classic old cars that are an iconic symbol of Cuba were born out of necessity. I never realized that in 1959 when Fidel Castro over threw Fulgencio Batista as dictator, the United States stopped sending cars to Cuba. The embargo imposed by the U.S. stopped all exports of anything to Cuba. Since then they have made do with small Russian cars. The old cars seem beautifully restored but in reality they now have Russian engines in them & many are painted with house paint. They look great from a distance & earn a good living for those who use them to sell tours of the cities - far more than a doctor makes in a month.

I've never understood the draw of smoking a cigar that costs 10 to 20 dollars or CUCs but they are sold everywhere in Cuba. Most people were buying some of each at the obligatory cigar & rum stop on each tour. I bought Darrin a half liter of Havana Club rum, supposedly one of their best, for five U.S. dollars. Lou did the cigar buying for one of our friends. It is big business now that tourism is opening back up. The Cuban people want us there & want our tourist dollars.

U.S. citizens are only allowed to do "people to people" exchanges through an authorized tour company or cruise line excursions. President Obama relaxed the regulations on U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba allowing for easier access. But Trump is doing his best to put more restrictions on traveling within Cuba. We overheard a cruise line employee explaining to a cruiser, "It is the U.S. government who says you can't go out on your own in Havana. But the Cubans aren't going to stop you & we aren't going to stop you." That effectively told us to go for it & wander around to our hearts delight.

In all of our travels around the world, including third world countries, we have discovered that people are people. Everyone just wants to take care of their families & live their lives. Cubans were no different. They were friendly, helpful & much less pushy about selling their wares or offering their services than many countries.

NEVER AGAIN!

By most accounts I am considered a fairly adventurous person. I have jumped out of an airplane 18 times, hiked up a few mountains & enjoyed the great outdoors (as long as I can sleep inside at night). I have traveled the world visiting 50 states, 66 countries & 6 continents.  I love roller coasters & wild rides. Years ago, we rode the tallest roller coaster in the world at the time at Cedar Point amusement park in Ohio. Lou & I drove 130 MPH in his Mitsubishi Eclipse out on Highway 50 in Nevada..

Speed is a fun thing as long as I am strapped into something solid & secure. A metal car around me with air bags & a tight seat belt - crank it up! Or if I'm held firmly in place, I'm happy to go fast & inverted on a roller coaster. My chance of dying seems minimal to me in these situations.

Disclaimer: If you are easily offended by colorful language you may want to stop here. This is probably my most profanity-laced post so far.

I was reminded last Sunday of the time I was scared shitless way back in the past. I was in my early twenties & a friend at the drop zone had ridden his motorcycle out to skydive. Having never been on a motorcycle, I cautiously accepted his offer to take me to the airport (about 4 miles) on the back of his bike.

With a full helmet & coveralls protecting all my extremities, I hopped on the back & was never so fucking scared in my life! He was going about 60 MPH on the deserted two lane road. All I could see was me, rolling & skidding along the asphalt as it streaked by inches away. I was sure I would die if I fell off or at least be hurt really, really badly. Remember I was only maybe 21 or 22, young & stupid. But I was also smart enough to realize I did NOT want to end up dead or maimed. When I survived those five fucking minutes of sheer terror, I stepped off the motorcycle on shaky legs with a stressed mind, & have never been on one since - NEVER.

Now, fast forward about 46 or 47 years to Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas a few days ago. Lou had been on a jet ski once 27 years ago in Cancun. His recollection was that they gave you a briefing & sent you out in a fairly small roped off area. There was a Wave Runner excursion on this final day of our cruise. Lou signed up & I agreed to ride along with him. What the hell, I like a little speed. How bad can it be?

This tour had a several minute video of instruction that also described every way possible to kill yourself on these "personal watercraft" machines. Because Lou had done this before we were placed in the "fast group". One guide led us after explaining the hand signals & imploring us to stay 100 yards apart while another guide brought up the rear. I discovered the only thing I had to hold onto was Lou & all he had to hang onto were the handlebars. As the group increased speed, I thought, "What the fuck am I doing?"

At speeds of 50-60 MPH & doing "S" turns across the water, I was instantly back on that fucking motorcycle speeding along inches from the water. Maybe hitting water at 60 MPH isn't quite as bad as hitting asphalt BUT remember all I had on was a bathing suit & a life jacket - & I am now 68 years old. Not to mention that I was berating myself royally for doing this after hip replacement surgery five months prior. Honestly, I was afraid I'd have a fucking heart attack.

I have a 7 year old granddaughter with whom I want to spend a lot more time. If this damned thing crashes that probably ain't gonna happen.

It was terrifying bouncing along at those speeds, absolutely terrifying. I understand why kids cry when they are scared. Lou was doing a good job of driving the thing & I trust him to be careful BUT anything could happen completely out of his control. I tried shutting my eyes or watching ahead of me but all I could see was my broken, lifeless body in the Atlantic Ocean. The engine drowned out my screams of, "This is scaring the shit out of me!", "I can't do this anymore!" & "I have to go back!". When we finally stopped for a brief rest & I discovered there was still half of the 45 minutes remaining, I told the guide, "I'm done. Take me back."

One of the guides pulled along side & I transferred to his Wave Runner. He drove like a bat out of hell but it was in a straight line & I was back on the dock in about two minutes - shaking & stressed & swearing like a longshoreman. And the damn bar was closed - where is a beer or a pina colada when you need one?

Lou told me the other guide told him now that I was gone he could keep up. Normally, I would be pissed off at that comment, but I couldn't care less once I was back on land. You all go as fast as you fucking want to go. I have reached an age where I just don't need that shit anymore. And I am perfectly fine with that!

I was reminded of a friend who said that a "Bucket List" is things you want to do before you die & a "Fuck It List" is things you have no desire to do before you die. 

NEVER AGAIN!