The Mother of All Updates (Installment #1: Jamaica Redux)

Oh my! Where do I begin????

Since I last updated, I have been to Jamaica and back, enjoyed Turkey Day with friends, opened and closed the Naked Show, conducted finals, and have interviewed for a job in the Cowboy State.

In fact, I am STILL IN the Cowboy State. And I am wondering if I'll get OUT of the Cowboy State. It is snowing . . . albeit lightly . . . but after my adventure getting here, I'm not sure of anything.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Let's talk about Jamaica, Mon.

The trip there was about as smooth as trips out of the country can be. I met up with my friends and their friends in Atlanta and we were off. We arrived a little early, even, in Jamaica. But that's when the trouble began.

So there are six of us, right? And we booked the trip in FEBRUARY. Upon arriving at the Jamaican airport, we headed to the lounge area to arrange our transportation to our resort as we had been instructed to do. We get up to the clerk and she tells us we have no reservations. WHAT???!!!

So, for the next three hours or more, we are on the phone to our travel agent in the States, the resort manager, and the booking agency trying to solve the problem. Yeah, 'cuz that's a fun way to spend your first day in Jamaica. By the time we got the problem "resolved" (and by that I mean unsatisfactorily), the sun was setting, we were hungry (and a couple were drunk), and off to a lesser resort. Bummer.

It was a long drive to the other resort and along the way, we made a potty stop for the drunk ones. Come to find out, one of my friends' friends made a "purchase" while there from the bus driver to enjoy later in weekend. Nervy broad.

We finally arrived at the resort at the one time of the day when there is practically no food being served so we inhaled a plate of french fries, got settled in our rooms, and waited for the full dinner. While wandering about the place killing time, I noticed two young men playing pool. Very attractive, European-looking, and my appetite for dinner disappeared. :) I made eye contact with one . . . but felt a little shy because I was out of my element with these friends.

In the end, this shyness would be my achilles heel . . . and the one single gal of the trip would be lonely the entire time. SIGH. What was I thinking???? Still, we hung out with them the entire weekend.

So, the trip wasn't all bad. Because of the resort's mistake, we ended up getting our money back and a bunch of free amenities we wouldn't have had otherwise (massages, etc). I got to sail one great day, climbed Dunn's Falls, and enjoyed a booze cruise and lots of food and sunshine. But I admit, I felt like I was in high school again with my friends. I'm just not myself around them. Not even close. I'm suddenly 16 again and fade into the background. Not a place I like to be, as most of you know.

On the return trip, we once again spent too many hours in the Jamaican airport. To be honest, I was ready to go home when we did and grateful for the money back.