I Don't Do Pink Things Except....

I don't do pink things. I detest things where if you had breast cancer you are supposed to cover yourself in pink, including a few boas, etc. I don't participate in them at all.

However, I have some breast cancer friends who started out with me on the Komen message boards back in 2007. When they screwed up the message boards, we all left and moved to Facebook where we have remained friends. A bunch of them in the Midwest started what they called BreastFest at a park in northern Indiana, near where some of them live.

Overtime, this has expanded to be an all day event at a local hotel. Last year I went on a road trip with a friend to go meet them all. They all wore pink because they ordered the t-shirt for last year. I didn't. I wore a green t-shirt. I didn't buy a t-shirt because I didn't want one. I wish I had. I was going to order one this year. But we didn't get to go.

My compatriot who did the driving and provided the car, is having the floors redone in her house so it didn't work for her. She didn't want to reschedule because it took long enough to talk her husband into the change in the first place. And I ended up having my knee surgery.

But I am going to miss them. Today they are meeting and will drink wine and eat 'healthy' food all day. Then it will be nap time before a big dinner. And they will play games - where I haven't laughed as hard as I did since. And generally have fun.

I would wear pink for this group. Its a wonderful group of women. I will definitely go next year. Its too far for me to drive myself so I need my compatriot. Its a pain in the ass to fly to because its 3 hours from any airport and I don't fly well anyway. And I would need to commit to being healthy enough to travel if I paid for plane tickets - this is why we drove last year because if we weren't healthy we could bail and not lose money. We stayed at my brother's house on the way out and the way back so other than gas money, we had no real expenses.

Anyway, I will miss the ladies this year and will wear pink for them next year when I am there.

Once Again I Wasn't The Patient

And it was nice. I went to visit my brother for the weekend. And didn't really see him. He had a kidney stone (and a lot nastier word to describe it) that caused him intense pain.

I did get to go to Lowes with him to get parts of his upstairs sink. I also ran and emptied his dishwasher twice. Drove his children all over the place and visited him in the hospital. I fed his cat several times. I walked his girlfriend's dog a bunch of times - including in a snowstorm. I let the dog hog the bed one night and then I let the cat snuggle the next nights. I had dinner with his ex-wife and two of the children one night. I also drove 7 hours to see him and then 7 hours home.

However it was fun. I am glad I went. But because I didn't see him much, I will go back out and visit him later this spring.

Honestly it was nice that I wasn't the patient for once. I feel like I am always at doctors or hospitals. (Today I have my 15th doctor appointment of 2017.)  But it was a long drive.  I find it very different for me not to be the patient - the one the doctor wants to talk to. They couldn't care less about me and I like that part. There are no questions about my numerable ailments, pain levels, or anything. I can be part of the furniture. I think I need less time with medical people.

The Idiots At the TSA in LAX

Did you hear the story about the woman who was basically groped and abused by the TSA at LAX? Sure it made a tiny story on CNN and now they just show the video with the title "Breast Cancer Patient Livid After TSA Screening'. Then I went and read the full story on the woman's blog. 

The TSA has issued a small apology but apparently they don't get it. Even their supervisor in the video is pretty darn useless.

Seriously Deborah, the woman in the video, told the TSA agents she had breast cancer and they still didn't get it. Really? She is undergoing cancer treatment and you treat her like a piece of crap.

Finally Back Home

I have spent most of the past two weeks travelling. First it was a needed break with my husband. Then it was a road trip to meet some people who were very important to me but I had never met. I am also now getting over a cold. My husband shared his cold with me last week and I have had it since. To be fair he has been sick for a week as well.

While it may not have been the best idea to over do things for several days in the row, emotionally I needed it.

Anyway, now I am back home and relaxing instead of getting up to go somewhere. I am way behind on rest and sleep. My fatigue level is too high. Basically I need to nap for the next few days to catch up.

However do I regret all my travelling? Certainly not. It was a welcome break from reality. Everyone needs to break up their regular life and do something different. Especially people who are not healthy and feel stuck in a rut because of their health limitations.

Now I do feel refreshed and ready to get back to my regular life (and finally put away my suitcase). And get back to doctor appointments.

I am ready to catch up on so many things - my blog, my doctor appointments, and more.

On The Road Again

This weekend I am on the road again. It is a real road trip. I drove with a friend (well she drove all so far) about 840 miles to the middle of Indiana from Massachusetts. We spent a night at my brother's and two nights in a hotel and then we will go back to my brother's and home. A road trip without the Thelma and Louise business.

Why am I on a road trip like this when I am among the least health people in the country? Because:

1. I wanted to
2. Its a great change to do something completely different
3. I am meeting some people I have known online since 2007 but have never met in person. 

Reason number 3 is the most important to me. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I went online for support and to find out information about my latest health debacle. I met all these wonderful women who were also coping with their own breast cancer demons. They were amazingly helpful and supportive and got me through some tough times.

But I never met them in person and now here I am. I will get to meet some of the people who were very important to me and understood what I was going through like no one else could. 

Saving My Strength

I am saving my strength for a test of my endurance later this week. I am driving to visit my brother. 384 miles or 5 hours 36 minutes away per Google Maps. All by myself.

This is my annual trip to visit his place, this year in his new place. I go out and annoy my brother and have fun with his kids for a few days. Then I drive home. All by myself.

In recent years, I have noticed my ability to drive long distances is less than in the past. Also when I get there, I am really tired. Driving is the one thing I can do that day. And I have to drive home on Monday and get back in time for a 4 pm doctor appointment.

Anyway, will I be exhausted all weekend I think. My brother suggested going for a hike. I don't think so.

But I really want to have fun with my nieces and nephews. There are four of them. Two have birthdays in the fall and two have birthdays in the spring. I have given up finding birthday presents for them so I take them shopping and they get to pick out what they want. It also gives me a chance to spend time with them individually. We go on my annual spring trip for the spring birthday kids and then at Thanksgiving for the fall birthday kids.

The other reason I go is to annoy my brother in person. Actually I like spending time with him and as we get older it gets harder and harder to find them time.

Is it possible to save my strength for this? I am not sure. I just know I will be very tired when I get there. And even more tired when I get home. I am not sure my husband will appreciate my resulting crankiness.

MAINT REQ'D

Yesterday I went to a mini college reunion about 1 1/2 hours away. My husband was supposed to come with me but woke up not feeling well so I went by myself. I do not usually travel much these days by myself because of my health issues and the need for naps and all that.

I drove our 1.5 year old Corolla and took the scenic route because there was a 10 mile back up on the interstate. I ended up driving home, leaving around 830pm. It took about 1/2 an hour to get back to the highway. Once I get on the highway, the road was finally empty and it should have been a quick hour home. I hit the left lane as usual and was able to go a consistent 70 or so, also as usual.

Then this shows up on the dashboard:

I did not have a good feeling. I instantly tried to call my normally-helpful-former-mechanic-turned-mechanical-engineer brother who had the nerve not to answer his phone. Where was he ignoring my calls when I needed him? Then I tried to call, and woke up, my husband for advice. I pulled off at the next exit and there was a Dunkin Donuts right there that was still open. I pulled into their parking lot as I spoke with my husband. He was telling me to check the oil, look at the temperature, and otherwise open the hood and look at the stuff there like I knew what was going on. (I knew it would be dirty and full of strange things.)

My question was why would a nicely running car which was relatively new all of a sudden have a little warning light? Especially 60 miles from home, by myself, at night? My first thought was not to open the hood but instead to open the owners manual. There I find the answer to my stress - basically it was due for service. As it didn't say MAINT REQ'D SOON I was off the hook.

My husband was happy to go back to sleep. I was happy to get back on the road. But I really could have skipped that little episode. I have enough stress in my life without car issues too. Thanks.

Excuse me while I take a nap

So I am traveling, in fact on the way home. I got to see relatives I never see. But I don't travel well because I need to nap. I arrived Thursday evening and went to bed early. Then Friday I took two naps. Saturday morning I slept until after 10. Then I needed to lie down before going to dinner and then going to bed early. Sunday I also took a nap.

I interspersed my naps between fun things but still I was horizontal often.  I also found that I get very tired while driving.

I may have to curtail my driving adventures in the future, which is no fun. But today I did drive through the Elk and Buffalo prairie at land between the lakes on the TN/KY border. If you are in the area, its worth the stop. And I didn't have to get out of the car to watch a whole herd of about 40 buffalo.

That was pretty neat but now I need a nap as I sit here waiting for my flight. Maybe I am turning into an old fart. (No don't answer that, because if you are my age, you might be an one too.)

I'm travelling

I'm traveling. But my husband is home with the cats. This means I got up way too early yesterday, 4am to be precise, for my early non-stop flight (because of my lymphedema) so I could drive 200 miles after visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame. Then I drove over 200 miles across three states to get to visit my aunt and cousins.

I am tired. I don't travel well. The airport check in was surprised at how small my checked bag was. I can't deal with a big piece of luggage anyway. And I figure the world is full of laundry machines when I travel by myself.

I did get a good nights sleep and will be okay. We wanted to do gardening today but since its raining, that will have to wait.

What a long strange trip...

So I was out of town for a long weekend which is why I didn't blog. Other than being really tired from driving about 750 miles in the last four days - half today and half on Friday - and being exposed to my brother's evil cold, I am fine.

I spent 20 minutes on hold on my drive out on Friday with the hospital trying to cancel an unnecessary doctor appointment so my frustration level with the medical world is fine as well.

I did get to spend some quality time with my nieces and nephews which was a lot of fun. We also had an early celebration for my brother's birthday. And it snowed both days. How lovely. The grip of winter is all around us.

I am exhausted which means I will go to bed early and get lots of rest so I can return to the world tomorrow. And I might even write a real blog post as well.

Unless I get my brother's evil cold, in which case I will send him a lump of coal for his birthday, and end up staying in bed for a few days.

Planning and travels

As my health deteriorates and we age, our planning for travel has changed. In the past, we would look for many adventures to do on our travels. The more remote the better because we could always tramp off in the woods for hours at the time.

I am trying to plan vacations for this year for us. Our first trip will take us to an island in Florida for our anniversary. This was chose because it is on the ocean and I can always find a lounge chair to spend hours gazing at the blue sea if I am not  up to much more. My husband can go bike riding while I work on my tan. Also it is walking distance to the beach so I can always head back for a nap on a comfy bed if necessary (if it doesn't involve loose sand).

Our next trip is a family vacation. We will have a bedroom which requires as few stairs as my octogenarian parents. And I can always admire the view from the top floor living room with a wrap around deck if I am not up to going off on excursions with the rest of the family.

Then we are planning a trip for just the two of us in September. Our requirements are not many:

• wifi
• queen or king size bed
• waterfront with lounge chairs to view it from

We haven't figured out what state or country we are going to, never mind what else we are going to do. But we need the creature comforts. So that I can take it easy and get all my rest in. Actually so I can recover after adventures and not waste a whole day of vacation sitting around because I did too much the day before.

My goal is not to compromise on having fun but just learn to live with less fun than previously.

Immune systems and all that.

I guess I have a crappy immune system.... Or that's what they tell me. Nothing to do with cancer but that pesky chemo crap probably did something to my immune system during treatment. Now I have RA and the methotrexate definitely has messed up my immune system. Someone else's sniffles can make me sick for weeks.

But I usually just ignore my immune system and do what I feel like. Call me a rule breaker if you want.

When I was in chemo, they (the proverbial 'them') said I should avoid crowds and not to go to the mall, movie theaters etc. I didn't go to the mall or movie theaters. But I did work for the local community ed program in the office of a local high school. I am sure there are barely any germs in a high school. Just a few thousand teenagers. I wasn't concerned. I worked with a paranoid germaphobe and let her be concerned for me.

This week I took my immune system compromised body through two airports (twice - there and back again (as Bilbo would say)) and sat in meeting rooms with other immune systems. I was probably exposed to about 10,000 other people, give or take 5,000. And I even rode the subway to minimize exposure.

Now that I am home, I feel tired and my back hurts (that's nothing new there).

I might have a sore throat but I am sure that is just be allergies. I'll may get to the the gym later. In the meantime I am doing many loads of laundry.

I dont travel well any more

I used to travel at the drop of a hat. Skiing for the weekend? No problem. Run off for a weekend hiking in the mountains? Bring it on. Drop everything and head for the beach? Sure. A day in the city followed by dinner out? Let's go!!

Now, can we go off for a day of fun? Only if I get enough sleep first. A weekend away? Let me count out my pills to make sure I am prepared. Is there plenty to do if I need to lie down for a bit (so my husband isn't too bored). Are there wimpy activities if I need to change plans?

I am traveling, by myself, with my newest purchase, a four wheeled suitcase which is much easier on my back. I will be home tonight... I may implode first because I forgot my pills last night. Damn. Triple damn. That's only my anti inflammatories, folic acid, antacid, second lyrica pill, antidepressant, vitamins, and I can't remember what else that my body needs to function.

You say, why can't you take them this morning? Some are twice daily. Some make me fall asleep so I purposely take them at night. And I can't take anything else until its been an hour since I took my thyroid meds. So I am better to suck it up through my morning meetings and take an Ativan later for my flight home.

I can't believe I forgot them as I skipped a group outing to get some sleep. I went down to the hotel bar and had a glass of wine while they made my sandwich which I ate in my room so I could rest.

Finally I am contemplating some sort of revenge for the drunk neighbors who, came in at 1130 and were banging around next door for an hour or so. I need something loud to drop. Hmmm.... my inner evil twin comes out when I don't get enough sleep.

But I should be on my way home this afternoon to my husband, cat, and own bed, with my day by day pillbox on the bedside table. I can't wait.

On the hunt for healthy food

I traveled home yesterday from the wilds of Wisconsin back to Boston. It was a long day as travel is not the best activity for me. My back hurt to sum it up. We had a two hour drive back to the airport (O'Hare), had to return a rental car and didn't really know where we were going. The weather forecast was also for potential severe thunderstorms....

Our plan (pushed later than originally reserved) left at 645 pm. We wanted to get there two hours prior to allow for car rental return chaos, plus two hours for driving, plus extra time to pad for weekend return traffic. We got to the damn airport at 3pm. No traffic, no car rental return hassles. We had plenty of time.

I was with a friend from college. We took turns sitting with luggage and looking for healthy food options to eat either before or on the plane. Finally she found a build your own salad place. I found a Mediterranean place which had a salad with grilled chicken, a few slivered almonds, and some Gorgonzola on a large bed of lettuce. It looked perfect until I looked at the nutritional information - it was listed as having some where around 640 calories and 55 grams of fat. My jaw dropped. I showed it to another woman who was also looking at food choices. She was equally appalled. Then we decided it must be because of the huge (3.25 oz) container of salad dressing.

We checked another item - a sandwich of turkey, brie cheese and red peppers I think - and it had 630 calories and 70 grams of fat.... I'm not even sure that's possible because there are 9 calories in every gram of fat or something like that. I think. I'm not completley sure.

But either the labels were wrong some how. Or the food was just not good for you.

I ate my salad without dressing and it was just fine. But I really hate travel food. Today I am going to the grocery store and I think we will have some salmon for dinner with a salad and maybe some Israeli couscous on the side. That will be much better.

Taking a mental break

I am traveling this weekend. I went to my college reunion (partly to prove to former classmates that I am not dead yet - but they are concerned about my health and some believe they should protect me safety cones and a rope around me so nothing happens).  Its nice to see them again. We are staying in the dorms and eating in the dining hall just like way back when.

Its also a mental break from the stresses at home. I need a few days away where my health can be ignored while we reminisce.

We had a discussion last night on reasons for happiness. Money isn't important, but more feeling content, enjoying what you do and being able to get a sense of satisfaction from giving back in some way. It was interesting. Money doesn't buy happiness once you can pay for a roof over your head and put food on the table.... just some food for thought this morning.

Having fun!!!

I am sorry for not blogging for a few days but I am visiting the town of Saint Peter, MN for a friend's wedding this afternoon.

I flew out from Boston on an uneventful flight (and they didn't lose my luggage) on Thursday. Since then we have been eating and drinking, as well as getting our nails done and other girly stuff. This morning is the big hair adventure where I will hang out and chat - my hair is pretty short these days so it does not need much. Then back here for the wedding itself.

But the big news is that yesterday I met another breast cancer blogger who I only knew online. We were cyber friends but now we met in real life, a rare occurrence in the blogosphere when people come from the four corners of the earth. So yesterday I had a drink with Teresa of the blog Spellbound by our own imperfect lives where she writes about her own breath cancer misadventures.

It is absolutely wonderful to meet other bloggers in real life. Every so often I get this opportunity and I try to grab it.

But it's time to get moving to get on with today's misadventures!! Congratulations A and J (you know who you are!) Best wishes for many years of happiness together.

A Crazy Day

This morning I am up early and need to get out the door in the next ten minutes (but of course I stop to blog first). I am volunteering at the annual New England Direct Marketing Association's conference where I take care of the vendors and  help get them organized. Everyone else there hates dealing with the vendors because they ask so many questions but I have fun with it. But it will be a long day. Within an hour, I will be trying not to move tables around or climb under them to local  plugs.

My question is how many more years I can keep doing this. For people with a bad back and arthritis it is not the most user friendly day. I have been doing this for several years now as my health has gone downhill. So I am not sure how many more years I will be able to help them.

I then have to finish packing to go to a friend's wedding (you know who you are Judie and Anders). My husband has this crazy idea that I will be done packing in time to go out for a leisurely dinner. That's just nuts. I still haven't gotten my medications organized for four days a way...

I have decided that traveling by myself I will suck it up and pay Delta their extra $25 to check a bag, and really hope they don't lose it. So if I am going to check a bag, I can bring a big bag to fit everything in. I have no idea what dress I'll be wearing so I am bring four dresses (three with tags still on so I have the return option) to choose from once I get there. This means several pairs of shoes depending on the dress. You get it. All this equals the giant suitcase. This just another example of me trying to be a normal person... (You know what happens next - crabbiness.)

But I digress. It will be a crazy day today. I have no idea how much time I will have to pack this afternoon and how much my back will hurt but I have to get going. I am due there in fifteen minutes. I'll bring coffee.

I'm tired

We have been on vacation - an old friend (not old in the sense of aged, but in the sense I have known her more than 30 years). Now that we have vacationed, I am tired.

We haven't stayed up late drinking. In fact last night was the only night we have had anything alcoholic to drink. We really haven't stayed up late either. But we have had some (mis)adventures.

Day one: My friend left her purse and bag in a store. When she went back to get her purse, the cashier was chasing her out the store again about the bag she left behind.

Day two: We went into downtown Burlington VT and did some shopping. When we stopped for lunch I realized I lost the parking garage ticket. I had to plead my space shot story to the guy working in the garage. Then when we got back to the hotel, I realized I lost my hotel room key card as well.

Day three: After getting a new key card at the hotel, we went to Middlebury for the day. We did get several sets of directions and didn't ever find the last store we wanted. But I don't think we left anything behind....

Day four: We went to the Shelburne Museum and had a wonderful time (I highly recommend it if you are anywhere near Burlington VT). As we left the museum, I said 'we had a good day, we didn't lose anything'. My friend told me later she considered saying 'the day isn't over yet'.

My husband called me when we were back at the hotel after the museum was closed and we had the following conversation:

Him: What did you do today?
Me: We went ot the Shelburne Museum.
Did you buy anything there?
No, we decided not to.
What did you see there?
Some great exhibits on quilting, weaving, circus trains and more.
Can you tell me why your debit card is there?
No it isn't. I have it here.
Write down this phone number - its the number of the local TD bank.You left you card in the gift shop.
No I didn't I have it here. Wait, that's the other debit card. Damn.

Then my friend got on the home with my husband so they could talk about me. Apparently I looked tired and she thought we should have left half an hour before we did.  I'm sneaky, I was actually exhausted about two hours after we arrived and we spent six hours there.... I slept really well last night.

I decided I wanted to turn the tv on so we could catch up on the news. I couldn't find the remote ANYWHERE. I went so far as to check the bags I had packed to make sure I hadn't put it in any by mistake. My friend then felt sorry for me and started to help. It was in the little stand right next to me on the bed side table the whole time.

Last evening I said to my friend 'we haven't gotten lost yet' and she reminded me that we aren't home yet. Crap.

I did not fall off the planet.

I know I disappeared with no notice. I'm sorry. I usually blog daily but we went on vacation and there was minimal internet. We were in Iceland which was wonderful. But I didn't bring my laptop or phone because my laptop is heavy and my phone would have been very expensive. I did bring my new color nook (which is an awesome new toy) but I had problems updating and I forgot the power cord. (If you want an awesome new toy go get a color nook from B&N for $250 and you can get online - to an extent - and read books.

But I digress. We had a great time. I had a significant birthday which means it ends in a 0. I definitely recommend Iceland for a relaxing vacation.

However my health and travel are not a good combination. My carry on luggage consists of a pharmacy of prescription pills and pain patches. It doesn't leave room for much else. Then there is my back which does not like standing in line or sitting in cramped plane or bus or taxi (with no suspension) seats. When you travel there is lots of these activities which means my back hurt.

Also there is my lovely lymphedema arm which is usually just annoying. Air travel is very bad for lymphedema. I met a woman recently who had no lymphedema problems for years and then she went on vacation and her arm blew up. 19 years later she still has to wear a sleeve daily and tape her arm every night. My arm is usually under control but I was careful to wear my sleeve on the plane there. I also made a point not to carry much with that arm (but my other arm still has remnants of tennis elbow so I really couldn't carry much at all). I even got a shoulder pack as a purse so my husband could carry my purse and not feel like a dork.

The first day we were there we went on a half day city tour which was a great idea. Until I got off the bus and was looking at my camera and didn't see the curb and fell flat on my face (in front of people that I'll never see again so I am only minorly mortified). I did scrape my palm a tiny bit but it caused my shoulder that I injured this summer to become extremely painful again. I used lots of ice on this trip.

On our third day of three trip I completely overdid things. We went into Reykjavik and went shopping and looking at the sites. We decided to walk back to our hotel because it was nice out and we could see more. But I was exhausted and had to lie down for a few hours with ice to recover.

For the rest of the trip, I was very careful about carrying things and wore my sleeve and gauntlet (to compress my hand) on the flight home. One of the big activities in Iceland is hot tubs and thermal pools. However lymphedema should not be exposed to a lot of hot water. I wore a sleeve while in the water, avoided the really hot ones, and kept my arm out of the hot water as much as I could. Today I am home with minor back and shoulder pain. I am going to go to the gym to help remove all the fatty foods that we ate from my body.

If I had been healthier we might have tried glacier walking and hiking but that was not to be. So travel and post cancer bodies can be compatible but with limitations. I have always wanted to go to Iceland and I am glad to say that I did. I did nt let my health prevent me from going. But now I am back and life will resume.

No doctor appointments this week but two next week and one back treatment and another doctor the week after. Just something to look forward to.

Traveling

Everyone says 'go on vacation, you'll rest and relax'? But what if you need a week's recovery after the travel? You need a two week vacation - the first week recovering from traveling and the second week enjoying vacation and then by the time you get home you need a third week to recover from the trip home?

I now travel like a little old lady. I have a bag with wheels that has barely anything in it that my husband lugs around for me as a carry on. Everything else gets put in normal luggage and checked - and I cross my fingers it gets there when I do.

The contents of my carry on luggage include a sweater (because I get cold), a book to read (so I don't get bored and cranky), and all my medications... Which is two daily pill boxes, two extra prescription bottles for 'in case' and some lidoderm patches for 'really bad in case'.

I like traveling. I have traveled my fair share over the years. I've even done the obligatory cross country road trip staying in cheezy hotels (and trying to watch a lunar eclipse as we drove through downtown Cleveland). I have gone too many places on business trips which don't really count as travel because they could be anywhere in the world and you are just stuck going between an office, a hotel, and another restaurant between getting lost in a rental car. I can even drive on the other side of the road and navigate rotaries/roundabouts in both directions.

Now my travel plans are along the lines of:

- It has to be some place we can get to without exhausting me.
- It has to be some place that if we get there and I feel like crap, we didn't go to the other side of the world to watch CNN International Edition in a hotel room and feel like we wasted a lot of time and money.
- It has to be some place that is interesting but does not require too much exertion - I have cancelled any plans of hiking the Appalachian trail or getting to Base Camp IV on Mount Everest.

Otherwise, I like to go places. I am looking forward to the thermal springs in Iceland later this year. I want to try new foods - I went to Japan once and everyone wanted to go out for Chinese or Italian. They were disappointed I wanted to only eat Japanese food. But I will draw the line at the Icelandic dish of rotting shark meet or something. I mean I do have standards!

But traveling with a bad back/knee/hip etc has shown me that there are benefits to golf carts in airports (besides running down uncontrolled children). I have a friend who is truly handicapped who recently flew to the West Coast. She said because she is handicapped, she got a really good seat on the plane, free food, and priority boarding as well as rides in golf carts. There is something to be said about that.

I need a vacation where I can sit on the beach and watch the waves roll in - even if I don't feel very good, I'll still be enjoying myself.