Strongly Worded

California Dreamin'

So I am planning a vacation to California. I hope that I can get on the flights I've painstakingly identified, and that the I'll achieve the delicate balance between the schedules of my friend in LA and my friend in Sacramento. Until I have my e-ticket in my hot little hand, I will not be resting easy. And even then, I will not be resting too easy, because my luck thus far with vacations? Not so stellar.

Where to begin? Well, there was the ill-fated trip to the Dominican Republic, in which I joined my boyfriend and a huge group of his fellow Spanish Veterinarians on Spring Break. The five days of fun and sun at the all-inclusive resort were pretty much ruined when we broke up on Day 3.

There was the "off season" trip to the Balearic Islands, in which I and one of my study-abroad friends essentially shivered for a long weekend, while stranded at a resort, miles from anything other than groups of German retirees and the beach with its freezing cold wind and water. Oh, and we were bored, since every single tourist attraction shut down for the season. And we had nothing to wear, other than our sarongs and sandals.

In 2001, I went to my friend's wedding in Spain. The wedding was on 9/12. I didn't know how and when I'd get back to the U.S. Mine was one of the first flights to land at Logan airport after the terrorist attacks, but I was prepared for some camping in transit, or a trip home via Newfoundland.

I think I've already reported on my ill-fated trip to Jamaica, which was so bad that my friend N. and I tried to defect a day early. Then there was the Violent Food Poisoning Incident of Istanbul. And then there was my last trip to California, which coincided with the tragic death of a friend-of-a-friend.

Of course, I have traveled a lot in my life, so probably statistically, I've had the same proportion of bad vacations as the average person. But I'm still a wary and pessimistic chick, so I'll only be really, confidently excited about my vacation once it's over, and I've landed happily back in Boston.

Posted by Dori at 9:51 AM