Getting Back on the Ball

For some people, traveling to Europe can really screw up their internal clock. Normally, I'd say I was the same, but I will admit that my recent trip to Paris did nothing of the sort. I was entirely jet lag free the whole time and returned to my home time zone with ease. (Amazing, I know. But it's true.)

No, what has been weirdly difficult is getting back on the ball. I can't seem to get blog posts done on time (aside from today's, finally!), I haven't managed to get my manuscript off to the editor when I'm practically jumping out of my skin I'm so excited to have her look at it and getting back on track at work has been an arduous undertaking. Sure, some of that was due to the usual work of laundry and such after a vacation, and true, my water heater did crap out on me as soon as we got home and leaked all over our basement, leaving me without water and an additional large expense when I really didn't need it. But I never post late on my blog! It's a point of pride for me. And not getting my manuscript off to the editor immediately? Say it ain't so! I should be wading around my basement in rubber boots, unshowered as I reread my final draft before stuffing it in an envelope and putting it in the mail.

The only explanation I can come up with, is that I'm still in vacation mode. You know what I mean. That head space where you sleep in, take life slow and stop for a three hour coffee/lunch whenever the mood pleases you. God, I love that head space! And it wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have a day job. But I've got to get back to it! So, even though I can't stand to let go of my Parisian attitude, I've got to buck up and get back to work. Because what I really want, (even more than a three hour lunch) is to see my book in print. And posting this on time is my first step.

Paris

On Sunday night my husband and I returned from our trip to Paris. It was an amazing vacation. Obviously we didn't see it all (I think that's impossible in Paris), but we saw a lot. We wandered through side streets, hit the tourist hot spots, tried out what little French I'd managed to master before we left, and had a wonderful time in each others company. It was the best anniversary a couple could ask for.

There's just something about Paris. Its every avenue drips with history, every building, alley and doorway is something special. I did a lot of research before we left, which helped a lot when it came to understanding the etiquette of going into shops, ordering at restaurants and so forth. I've heard a lot of people say the French are rude or snobby but in my experience this couldn't have been further from the truth. Everyone I interacted with had impeccable manners. The French conduct themselves in a way that is just all together more classy. From the way they dress (no booty shorts or too tight tops or jeans, skank is not an embraced fashion choice there) to the way they talk in restaurants. In a tiny crowded bistro you never had to shout to be heard by your dinner companion. No one tried to talk over anyone else, there was a polite consideration for your fellow diners that you just don't see in North America. The difference was so pronounced that while we waited to board one of several flights home in Canada, I leaned over to my husband and whispered, "I miss the French." I'm a very proud Canadian so that tells you something.

Of course, the real star of Paris (after the history) is the food. Oh. My. God. The food. Everything was so fresh, with so much consideration put into the dishes, while at the same time being so startlingly simple. Being there for just that short time has taught me a lot about eating, about really enjoying my food and not settling for prepackaged garbage. Why have Doritos when you can have Pain au Chocolat? After such an extraordinary trip for my tastebuds I'm looking forward to simplifying, but also going for a slightly higher quality. And if I can find a bakery with good Pain au Chocolat, then I'll really be set.

Of course, our vacation curse struck again when we got home. (Every time we go on vacation, we come home and are struck by some kind of financial grenade). This time our water heater went kaput and leaked water all over our basement floor. So, that's getting replaced by the end of the week and we've been busy cleaning up and getting rid of the dank in our basement. (Which is also why this post is late). It's a financial expense we really don't need after a pricier vacation, but I'm not going to let it get me down. These things happen and this vacation was worth it!

Memories Flamenco in Cayo Coco

On Sunday, I got back from a vacation to Cayo Coco, Cuba. My husband and I had a lovely time, spending almost the entirety of the week lying on lounge chairs in front of the ocean. We picked the perfect week to go too, while we were basking in summer temperatures, it was -40 degrees Celcius at home. The reason we took the trip (aside from the obvious: who wouldn't like a beach vacation in the middle of winter?), was to give the budget vacation a try. We have a lot of family and friends who like to mock our addiction to luxury. We're rather spoiled, especially when it comes to taking vacations, which means we don't get to go very often. So, when we saw a rather good deal for a week's vacation at the Memories Flamenco All Inclusive Resort in Cayo Coco, Cuba, we couldn't think of a better way to dip our toes in a more budget friendly vacation. Who knows? Maybe we'd like it just as much and therefore could fit in a lot more vacations.

Over the course of the week, we discussed our impressions of the resort and compared it to our other beach vacations. These are the conclusions we arrived at.

The High Points

• The resort was pretty and the landscaping was lush with flowers and palm trees. 
• Our room was bright, clean and spacious. 
• The staff were friendly and helpful.
• The beach was beautiful, with sparkling turquoise water. Although I should note, it was rather rocky. You had to walk gingerly over a couple of yards of rock before reached the softer sand in the water. But altogether pretty good.
• It seemed to be a really good fit for families. It was pretty, affordable and had a big pool for splashing about.

The Low Points

• The food was truly awful. I'd been warned that it would be bad, but nothing prepared me for how bad. I kept hearing from people who had food poisoning, so I tried to stay clear of anything that seemed iffy, but despite my caution, my husband and I both had bouts of it. If you plan to go, bring food. Lots of it.
• The hours for the restaurants were terrible. I'm used to an all inclusive with food available 24/7. Not so at this one. The buffet was only open from 7:30AM-10:00AM, 1:00PM-3:00PM and 6:30PM-10:00PM. There was a 24 hour snack bar, but it was definitely not open 24 hours. It seemed to operate along the same hours as the buffet. The other A La Carte restaurants required a reservation and were only open in the evening. If you missed the window of opportunity, you were going hungry until the next one.
• The resort was needlessly complicated. Although we got the hang of it by the end, it was irritating dealing with the complicated process of getting your towel, finding your room and figuring out where to go for what.
• The hotel website boasted that their resort had an adult's only pool. It did not. It had a pool where adult supervision was required for children. That is not the same thing. 
• Cuba appears to be a big draw for smokers. They were everywhere and they were allowed to smoke everywhere. By the time we were sitting in the lobby waiting for the shuttle back to the airport I was on my last nerve. It was only my pina coloda that saved random strangers from threats of being burned with their own cigarettes.

The Conclusion

The resort was pleasant enough, and it was nice to sit on the beach for a week, but we agreed we wouldn't be going back. We like our luxy vacations too much to give them up for something mediocre. Don't get me wrong. We're still happy we went. It was a fun experiment and we figured out just what we need in a vacation. I won't deny I sorely needed to see a beach this winter. But next time, I want a cushier cabana and a massage to boot.

Work and Writing

Today, I'm back at work. I can't say as I'm really happy about it, every day of my time off was pure bliss, nor can I say I'm really unhappy about it either. I like my job, and a return to it is also a return to structure. Which probably doesn't sound that great, but it is.

While I was on vacation, I was very relaxed about my schedule. As long as the dog and the rabbits were fed on time, I didn't really care about anything else. I cleaned when I felt like it, read when I felt like it, took naps when I was tired. I stayed up as long as I liked and slept in every morning. It felt great, but I wasn't especially productive, particularly where it concerned my writing. Work puts me back on a regular schedule. I have to be up at a certain time, to bed on a certain time. I know how much free time I have each evening and how much of it I can dedicate to writing.

It's the beginning of a new year and I have goals I want to get a head start on. Work gives me self discipline I just don't have when I'm on vacation. So, it is with hopeful optimism that I return to work and my writing goals.

The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service

One of the things I love most about being on vacation is the extra down time it gives me to catch up on my reading. For example, when I went to the Bahamas, I read eight books in ten days. Pure bliss. I didn't do quite so well this time (probably due to the enormous amount of shopping), but I did manage to get in enough down time to read three books and a collection of short stories. The first one I read was THE LUCKY DOG MATCHMAKING SERVICE by Beth Kendrick. And it was positively lovely.

I'm a dog person, but I don't usually pick up books that center around dogs. Why? Because there seems to be some sort of unwritten rule demanding that all dog stories must have a sad ending. And I just can't do it. When I was little, I started reading WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS and never finished it. I could tell what was going to happen so I just put it down and walked away. Not so with this one. It was lighthearted and fun, with a quirky and sympathetic main character. I found myself unable to put it down and devoured it in a single afternoon.

It was the perfect holiday read. I recommend it for anyone that enjoys a good book, likes dogs or just wants to read something with a happy ending.

What about you? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Things I Learned On Vacation

All last week I was in Palm Springs, on a vacation with my sisters and my mother. My older sister is pregnant with her first child (my mom's first grandchild!) and my twin sister is getting married in two months, so this was kind of our last hurrah. We spent most of the time shopping (is there anything better than outlet malls?) with a decadent spa day thrown in for good measure. We had a lovely time, and I thought I'd share a few of the lessons I learned along the way with you all.

1. It's Cruel to Take a Pregnant Woman Shopping.

I should preface this by saying that my older sister was a total trooper. She kept up with us and never complained once, despite the heat (42 degrees Celcius!), the long hours and the cement floors. But I think you see where I'm going with this. It was ridiculously hot and she was walking around with a furnace on her stomach. We shopped all day (and I honestly could have gone longer), so she was on her feet, in the heat, for way too long. Despite how well she hung in there, I don't think I'll subject her to it again any time soon.

2. Never Separate a Bride From Her Fiance.

Again, I'd like to preface this by saying that my twin was a fantastic travel companion and really kept the sighing and mooning over her fiance to a minimum. But it wasn't the same as when we used to travel. She was constantly distracted, and I'll be honest, I seemed to irritate her to no end. I may as well have been an itchy sweater she was forced to wear for a week. It shocked me, as we're very close and we've always made excellent travel companions before. But what can you do? She's in love and about to be married. There's no substitute for a fiance when you're head over heels in love and, in fact, anything else is just insulting.

3. Do Not Attempt to Write Your Blog Posts Ahead of Time.

When I'm on vacation, I'm on vacation. I don't bring a cell phone, I don't bring a computer. I'm on vacation from my life. So, I didn't want to have to worry about my blog while I was away. I wrote out my blog posts ahead of time, typed them up and showed my husband how to post them for me while I was away. The problem? Blogger sucks. Instead of showing the date of your post as the date it was published, it sticks to the first time you typed it. So, even though my husband posted them in the right order, they showed up in the order I'd typed them. Very irritating. And they all showed the dates I'd worked on them, instead of the date they were published. I was busted!

4. Don't Put Too Much Pressure On Your Vacation.

A few days before we left, I was talking to my older sister and couldn't help but ask if she was as excited as I was. She responded with a hesitant, "yes, but I hope we can all get along for that long." I was flabbergasted. The thought never even occurred to me! These were my sisters, my mother! How could we not get along? We got along famously. But her comment hung with me, and ended up creating a self fulfilling prophesy. Although we didn't fight, there was an undercurrent of tension through the whole trip that didn't let up until we were in the airport and on our way home. Suddenly, we were getting along the way we were supposed to the whole trip. If we hadn't been so worried about getting along the whole time, I think we would have had even more fun than we already did.

In the end, we did have a great time, and I have a whole lot of cute new clothes to show for it. But I think it's important to look back on our experiences and see what we can learn from the experience. These are the lessons I took away. What have your vacations taught you?