What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been

Total Black: -$199.61
Total Red: $269,947.74

This is the end.  My only friends.  The end.  Of my elaborate plans.  The end.  Can’t you picture what could’ve been?  So limitless and free.  Desperately in need . . . of some . . . stranger’s hand.  In my desperate land.  It hurts to set you free.  But you’ll never follow me.  This is, after all, the end.   

Scuba Sunday

Total Black: $2,958.16
Total Red: $269,991.43

I spent all day today learning how to scuba dive.  S.C.U.B.A., for those who don’t know, is an acronym for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.  A local dive shop here in St. Croix, the Cane Bay Dive Shop, has a local rate to get PADI certified for Open Water Diver certification.  I started the day with a Discover Scuba Diving course, a sort of snapshot of scuba diving to expose you to the activity without forking over the entire amount to get full certification.  Well . . . that’s at least how they advertise it.  It was a full-on experience, scuba diving over the beautiful Caribbean coral reefs.  I liked it so much I may seek to get certified as an instructor.  That could be a great part-time job. 

Water Water Everywhere

Total Black: $4,638.28
Total Red: $270,550.77

That’s not my car.  But that’s pretty much what driving around St. Croix has been like for the past two days.  And it’s not going to let up any time soon.  The court let everyone go home thirty minutes early today.  We may not have work tomorrow if the roads are closed.  It’s kinda crazy.  And this is just heavy rain. 

Pouring Down

Total Black: $3,074.67
Total Red: $270,855.95

The past few days have brought nearly nonstop rains to the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Flash-flooding warnings.  The island of St. Croix is very mountainous so in a short stretch of land one can go from up high to down low.  And at the bottom of that high can be a large amount of water that pooled quickly.  I’m happy I have a jeep to plow through road lakes.  It’s got me thinking though about making it through a hurricane season.  Something I’ve never had to think about before. 

Freedom From or Freedom To

Total Black: $543.66
Total Red: $247,586.31

It’s Emancipation Day here in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  The day Virgin Islanders commemorate the Danish King’s decision to free the slaves of the former Danish West Indies.  A decision forced upon him by the revolt of the slaves on St. Croix back on July 3, 1848.  I had heard about a few events going on today, but I didn’t feel like driving around the island, looking for festivities.  And—frankly—I’m not sure how welcome a white guy would be to some of those festivities.  But I digress; instead I both slept in and stayed in.  And then later tuned in the local PBS channel since some of the local festivities were televised.  But it was an earlier broadcast on that channel, an episode of Life Part 2 on Fighting Ageism, that got me thinking about freedom and emancipation. 

Job Hunting

Total Black: $3,789.90
Total Red: $243,657.05

Well, I started pounding the electronic pavement today.  I noted back in By Night in a New Land that I would be considering this option.  With the possibility of a monthly car payment, it must become more than a possibility.  And, as mentioned back in Craigslist Addict, I tended to rely mostly on that website to find leads.  That site isn’t really used much down here, so I’m left to the old-fashioned methods. 

Full Steam

Total Black: $4,520,10
Total Red: $240,969.50

Ahead!  And tally ho.  Shiver me timbers too.  And all that other jazz.  It’s time to get situated and settled in at my new home.  Time to get “Born again Cruzan” as the bumper stickers here say. 

From Times Square to Time Square

Total Black: $1,828.30
Total Red: $242,253.50

So, it’s starting to settle in that I’ve gone from this. 

Island Life

Total Black: $2,893.81
Total Red: $241,487.55

Today started around 3am with a drive to the Philadelphia airport for a 7:30am flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Nearly eighteen hours later, I was in my new apartment on St. Croix.  What a day. 

By Night in a New Land

Total Black: $682.66
Total Red: $237,096.81

Thinking about my new location I’ve been wondering what I should do there by night. 

Once Around the Sun

Total Black: $682.66
Total Red: $236,874.29

Certainly feels like this day took me once around the sun.  It started at 9:30am and lasted, once again, until late, late in the morning, 4:30am, in fact.  And once again, as mentioned in Over and Over and Over Again, I’m left having to discuss one day that actually spanned two.

Greener Pastures

Total Black: $2,689.14
Total Red: $235,111.49

Although I only visited the new location for all of thirty-six hours, I think it has already started sinking into my system.  The sense of serenity and calmness I had two nights ago, sitting on the beach, starting out at the ocean.  It keeps returning to my mind.  Understandably, as the porch where I stayed at opened right out on to this amazing view:

First Impressions

Total Black: $2,758.40
Total Red: $235,111.49

I’m back in New York after a short stint visiting the place I’ll soon call home.  And I think I’m going to love it there.  I’m moving to . . . drum roll please . . .