I'm back from the south Pacific and officially experiencing jet lag. 12:27 and I'm not tired at all... so instead of being productive - packing my stuff for tomorrow, catching up on my correspondence, etc, I'm eating macadamia nuts and watching "The Daily Show."

So for me, the trip was pretty great. I saw lots of cool stuff and did lots of cool things. And, perhaps the most important thing was that I got away from here, forgot all about work, and learned some new stuff about my stuff and the world around me. I think that's what I like the most about traveling - you learn about yourself, the people you're with, and whether or not you're cut out for deep sea fishing.

Should I feel bad about the fact that I vomited off the side of the boat before we even left the harbor? Maybe. But I think the whole experience (deep sea fishing yes, but the trip in general) made me realize that I'm generally an easy-going, positive person. Case in point: despite the sickness, I was still pleasant to be around. As Lyle, our semi-hot deck hand remarked, "You're always smiling. You hurl over the side of the boat and right after, you're smiling again."

Yep, it's true. I was. But that's because instead of wallowing in my misery, I was thinking of just how good it feels right after you get sick. Honestly, it's the best you've ever felt in your entire life and if that's not something to smile about, I don't know what is.