Absence makes the heart grow fonder

I've been AWOL for quite a while, I realize. And I'm going to be AWOL for an even longer while, since I'm hopping on a plane with one of my friends for the Dominican Republic tomorrow at 7 am. For the first time in my life, I will be staying at an all-inclusive resort, with unlimited booze, mediocre food, and (hopefully) a beautiful beach. For a whole week.

Long-time readers of my blog will realize how shocking this is. My previous vacations have included road-tripping around Bosnia and Transylvania, and hopping from Turkey to Bulgaria to Serbia in 9 days. I've never hung around on a beach for a week doing nothing before. The closest thing was a vacation when I was 13 with my folks in Bali. I managed to contract dysentery, so the second half of the vacation found me limited to the resort -I couldn't be away from a bathroom for longer than 30 minutes.

This should be a great trip. I really need a vacation where I have no deadlines, no pressures and nowhere to go. I remember my frustration with my ex-fiance's desire to have exactly such vacations when he was in law school. Trust me, I recognize the irony.

So I will likely be away from my blog for quite a while - at least until I get back next Thursday. Fear not, gentle readers, you will be on my mind always...as long as I imagine you as fruity cocktails with little umbrellas in them.