July 23, 2004

           Hello from Ocean Reef. Here's a charming photo of poolside. This was the day I actually went snorkeling, the most exercise I dared in six months. Buoyancy made it far easier than I thought. The tour is arranged by the club, so we saw the best fish schooling areas. The guide went further to show us the more rare species of coral. I found the reefs to be six or somewhat more feet deeper in the water (at low tide) than the tropical reefs of the Philippines. I had difficulty staying under long enough to view much. But the good news is I can say I was the only man on a private boat with around 60 young, skinny women. Don't get that every day. Or year.

           This was my first real outing since late 2003, I was still quite weak and could not yet walk that steadily. I was back at work, but my job performance was also stumbling. I would nod off, wake up, and find dozens of mistakes of the type I never make, that is, roughly the same mistakes the average person makes. I looked again and again, yep, when I'm half-dead, my brain begins to work just like other people in their primes. Am I making this up? Or did I slowly work my way out of this horrid existence after a few years? This was also the stretch where my hair turned completely white. Bleach white, no trace of color. No pictures.

           Later, we left early to drive home in the daylight. The club exit is on Card Sound, which is famous for "traditional" Keys lifestyles, so just drive through it. Of course, JZ wanted to stop on the way to pick up groceries. Guess Ocean Reef didn't have enough food to fill him up, maybe? Here is his condo kitchen, note the 60's decor. This isn't JZ's doing, but a very common design [flaw] in Florida. What I remember most from those days was the cranky air conditioning vent above his head.

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