15 days of cruising, with an obligatory stop in Mexico to comply with requirements of the Jones Act. As of December 2019, this was the cruise on top of my list, and I was about to book it when I started getting employment calls from the US Census Bureau.
- - - - - -
Given that it's not easy for an overskilled/underskilled 62 y/o person to find work, do I really want to drain my savings any more than I have to in semi-retirement? If I had my cruise scheduled for this month (either December 4th or 19th), I'd likely have no problems with starting late. But with the census ramping up for its 1 busy year out or 10, taking a vacation early in the year doesn't make sense if one wants to stay long enough to prove that one is serious about taking steps down in rank to go back to work.
The Hawaii cruise is one that I could easily take presenting as Marian. All but one stop is at an American port, and I wouldn't need to get off the ship in Mexico. This cruise is generally offered when the ship is not making Alaska runs from late spring to early autumn. And this cruise will again be offered at the end of the year, when any census related employment would likely be ending.
I'm likely to take long weekend trips while employed, so that I can get that "vacation feeling" again. Washington, DC is a place I could always go to without problems. If I end up going there, I'll have the chance to see Meg and her wife again. That's always a pleasure!
- - - - - -
Vacations are very important to me, as they allow me a break from the mundane, a change of pace that helps to refresh me. I admit that each time I go out in the world as Marian, that it becomes a refreshing time to me. But then, isn't this the case for most of us transgender folk?
