At 2:30 p.m. tomorrow afternoon, I’m going on vacation until next Thursday morning at 10 a.m. when I return to work. Initially, I decided to take the time off, just because I don’t like my vacation hours to build up at the end of the year when I have to “use them or lose them.”

AND THEN…

Last month, I got an appointment for my first covid vaccination shot on Saturday in a nearby town (about an hour away), then a couple of weeks ago, another appointment for my first covid vaccination shot last night, which I took because it was in my hometown. My second is scheduled for Thursday, April 1. No fooling 😉.

SO NOW…

I am celebrating that, of course, which just happened also to be on the one-year anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring the world was in a pandemic.

AND THIS…

It is almost exactly one year from when the pandemic began for me too as the last day the library where I work was open was Saturday, March 14, and we closed Sunday, March 15, for several months before reopening.

My vacation begins appropriately right around the same time, as on March 14, I’ll already be into my vacation since Saturday afternoon. It will be almost a year to the day of when I went into isolation and have been slowly remerging since, both personally and professionally.

Now that you know the why, what is my plan for those 4 days and 19 hours?

THE ITINERARY

Over the first four nights, we’re going to northern England, Italy, Spain, Greece, Ireland and Boston. First through the lens of The Trip, the British TV/film series with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, that started in 2010 and ended last year. The duo first toured the north of England in the TV series that was then made into a feature film, then went to Italy, Spain, and Greece in subsequent series that also were made into feature films.

So, we’ll be going with them and adding Ireland, but of course, with a concert with Flogging Molly and then Boston with another concert, Dropkick Murphys, on the tail end of our tour. Along the way, we’ll eat meals, drink drinks (well, I will be every day but as Kim has to work Saturday and Sunday nights, she won’t be imbibing on those days) and watch other movies too (at least semi) representative of each country:

1. Saturday, March 13, The Trip (northern England),followed by movie to be determined, fish and chips, Pimm’s.
2. Sunday, March 14, The Trip to Italy, followed by Godfather: Part 3, Coda, ziti, amaretto, sambuca.
3. Monday, March 15: The Trip to Spain, followed by a movie to be determined, paella, Sangria.
4. Tuesday, March 16: The Trip to Greece, followed by My Big Fat Greek Wedding – during day sometime, Staged Season 2, spanakopita, ouzo.
5. Wednesday, March 17: Two virtual concerts, Flogging Molly at 3 p.m. and Dropkick Murphys at 7 p.m., food to be determined, whiskey.

Oops, I almost forgot that naturally I plan on reading during my vacation, but I’m staying in one country: Italy with Inspector Montalbano and Andrea Camilleri as next up is The Wings of The Sphinx, the 11th in the series.

Sunday morning update: For my second English movie, I watched the first Paddington movie, although the second one is my favorite. I started the second one, but didn’t finish it. Maybe later today. Also I realized last night that I might be painting “this picture” as all sunshine and unicorns (with rainbows coming out of their butts?), and I wanted to add that this vacation is also a time for reflection me personally. Let’s face it, this has been one hell of a year for all of us, but I’m trying to find hope wherever I can and hopefully, can help you find some too, even if it’s just a sliver of sunshine in what can be a dark world.