All-You-Can Drink. Like, literally. Neal's best friend was the Pina Colada machine. The frozen mixture dispensed was virgin, and they just set a bottle of dark rum and one of light rum next to it, pour-it-yourself. Neal and I couldn't believe more people weren't passed out directly next to it, with bottles of rum hanging out of their mouths. Open bar with good stuff... Absolut, Tanquery. Champagne. This was my downfall the first night, when I had a little too much super-inclusive. They just kept GIVING me champagne. I never ran out of money. It was amazing. I went dancing with one of the trip winners, then couldn't find my room. I wasn't happy. Neither was the strange woman whose door I tried to kick down at 3 a.m. Oops. Of course, Neal told everyone, and the DJ broadcast it to all of the Keys. See, keeping an online journal is very safe for me, since there are NO SECRETS in my life anyway. Thanks, honey! After that first night, I kept it to a minimum buzz. I'm a professional.
All-You-Can-Eat. Buffets all the time. Conch, seafood, pasta, salad. Desserts, desserts, desserts. The weirdest thing was the restaurant. We went the last night. You made a reservation, and couldn't wear shorts. You sat down with a menu and ordered meals, appetizers, a bottle of wine. You were waited on by a very nice server. And then you walked out without paying. No bill, no tip. (The employees would have been fired if they'd accepted tips.) Bizarre. I think I gained 36 pounds in a week.
The Winners. We gave trips away to 4 couples. I really hit it off with several people, and Neal and I are going to one of the couple's wedding next month. Nice people. No one complained to the radio peeps once, which was a concern the DJ had. It's happened before, apparently.
The Broadcasts and Promotions. The broadcasts were really pretty easy and fun. It took me a second to get used to the echo (my whole first one was filled with stuttering), but overall, it went well. I think the sunscreen/ad agency people were happy. In fact, one of my broadcasts was videotaped to be included in a promotional video the ad agency will give to the sunscreen company. Just signing my image away, that's right. I'll bet that's a video some of you would like to get your hands on.
The Flying Trapeze. It was just really cool, and I wanted to do it. I couldn't, because the clinics were always during our broadcasts. I videotaped some people from our group flying through the air with the greatest of ease. Ha! Ease, my ass. You should see the resort employees trapeze, though. No safety lines. It wasn't Cirque Du Soleil, but it was entertaining as hell. I also wanted to learn to windsurf, but that was the only bad thing about the weather all week... it was super-windy. I was afraid I'd blow off into orbit. I'd land in Alaska and cry forever. Then I'd call my dad.
Chillin' With My Homies. Well, Neal. Lots of the winners packed their days with bike tours, shopping, downtown Nassau, horesback rides, boat rides, casinos, etc. Neal and I didn't really do anything. First, we're po'. Second, we really wanted to relax. We talked about it the last day, how maybe we should have tried to get out and do more things. But I said, "You know, if we'd run around, we'd probably be standing here wishing we'd had more down-time." So I think we spent our time wisely. Sleep till noon, change into swimsuits, lay by pool. Work late afternoon. Shower, have dinner. Do whatever in the evening... walk around, play pool, dance, visit the winners. It was fun. I felt 97% less stressed at the end of the week, and that's all I wanted. Well, that and a great tan. Done.
Besides, we'll go back.
