I'm off to my little island this morning for three weeks of R&R&R&R (rest, relaxation, reading and rejuvenation). Today'll be a day of excruciating tedium, but in 30 hours I'll be having a fresh papaya for breakfast, picked straight from the tree. Expected early-morning temperature there will be in the low-70's (~23C), highs around 90 and no rain (or snow!) in the forecast. As I write this it's 19 degrees (-7C) outside and 37 degrees (3C) here
in the studio.
We really didn't think we'd be able to go this year given our financial circumstances, but incredibly my wife hit a jackpot on a penny slot machine that paid almost exactly the amount we needed for airfare.
Normally, I'd complain that I
never have that kind of luck, but this year I found out that I can be lucky, too. People I've never met offered to buy me some plugins! And it didn't stop there. I was also offered a free audio interface, and a tc Powercore! Many others simply PM'd me to say thanks for contributing to the forum and helping them out in the past. My wife's jackpot pales in comparison to mine.
If all that wasn't enough to raise my spirits, all I have to do is think back to where I was a year ago. I wasn't in this financial jam (yet) but I was in unrelenting pain, barely able to walk and popping narcotics like they were M&Ms. Today I can walk again, I'm free of pain, 30 pounds lighter and physically stronger than I've been in 20 years. My hair has not come back, but other parts of me I'd long written off are functioning once again.
So here I sit with the essentials packed into my carry-on: passport, laptop, MP3 player, books, sunglasses, sunscreen and headphones. I'll send you all a virtual postcard!
Cheers and thanks to all,
Dave