aking the big risks.

So, I'm starting to settle down and get back into the life routine. It was a long weekend following the return home. I seem to really have acclimated myself to the down udner environment, and seem to be unable to get back on a normal sleep routine (if I ever had a normal one). I also forgot how freaking hot it is here.

At any rate, I'm reading "In a Sunburned Country" by Bill Bryson again. And read it pretty much down and back on the trip, while i wasn't sleeping. Its incredibly humorous and great intro to Australia. But the down side to the book is it may possibly leave you with the impression that everything there will kill you. I probably would have shyed away from my trip to the Great Barrier Reef and the surrounding area if I had read this book first. Now, after reading Mr. Bryson I feel I survived the most deadly excursion known to man. Here are just a few things that will make your vacation to the Northeastern coast a bit sporting: The box jelly fish which is know as the most venomous creature on earth and causes such excrutiain pain from its stings that people have been know to scream with agony even while passed out. Then you have seashells with the venomous residents that love to sink their fangs into you. And then you have the reef sharks, that though small still have teeth (and i was within eyesight of one of those... i swam the other way). And the cassowary bird, which is an emu-esqe creature with 2 razor sharp velociraptor claws, known to slice jugular veins (fair enough its only been like 5 people in recorded history). And then theres the tree snakes in the jungle, which hang from branches, and you'll never see them until "clamp on to a facial extremity." And the blue ringed octopus (kills you), a ray that electricutes you, and the stonefish that looks like a stone (not just a clever name) but had venomous spikes... and can peirce the bottom of a tennis shoe. Oh and theres the legendary 900 lb Grouper that has in the past bit off an arm or foot, then realized how much he doesnt like the taste of human.

And then you have the worlds 10 deadliest snakes, the worlds most poisonous spiders, and then the nasty habit of leaving people behind on reef dives.

And really, I survived all that?? Amazing huh? But in retrospect, it was worth risking my life to see and experience the natural wonder of the reef an the adjacent rain forest. And even though this trip wasn't as death defying as the last journey down under, unless you of course putting my life in the hands of some of the Whiskey Oscar Alfa flyboys, it was a nice reminder I can still take off and have a little adventure. Its been a few years since I went off on my own like this, and it was refreshing.

Yesterday was a really nice day. Had a lovely lunch with Jersey and Sean, and then the rest of the after noon with Sean. Its been a while since the two of us just hung out, and we had a good conversations about the directions our lives have taken, and some choices coming up. I think we both are urging each other to do the things we most need in life to improve the quality, and its nice to have the support. Add to that some recent events have been pushing me for a change. So, we'll see what happens.

I think thats enough typing for today. the laundry needs to be put away, Later