dude, a 40 day trip?? nice.

Yup yup, I'm going on a 40 day trip..

In my dreams!

My parents, however, are considering taking a 40-day cruise/trip. They found a really good 19 day cruise in and around Europe (again, but with different ports) for just under 1,000 USD. That's one helluva a good deal. 50USD a day for accommodations, all the food that you can eat and the chance to see many different cities in Europe? How badly do I want to join them?

Sounds awesome, right? Especially for my parents, who have worked hard for 30 years (dad at work, mom at home), don't they deserve to take holidays whenever they feel like it? For however long they want? I'd say they've earned the right. My sister, on the other hand, doesn't think so. She thinks 40 days is too long.

I asked why:
E: Why is it too long?
C: Because it's too long.
E: Why?
C: Because it is.
E: That's not a reason.
C: I don't have to give you a reason.

And right then, I think my blood pressure shot up a few points. Nothing pisses me off more than not getting a straight answer from people. It just drives me insane, as I'm sure many of you know. A couple of names come to mind when I think of people who do this on a regular basis. Grrr.

But that's an entry for another day.

Back to my parents. I honestly cannot fathom a justifiable reason that 40 days is too long for a trip. My parents are in their mid 50s, relatively healthy with the help of drugs that I'm sure most middle aged people take. They are not stupid. They've taken trips by themselves many times before. They don't work. When they are at home all they do is go to the gym, go shopping for groceries, cook, watch TV, etc. So it's not like they have any responsibilities to neglect here.

See, I think this is were the key lies. While I think my parents are entitled to having no responsibilities to anyone but themselves (hello? Youngest daughter 24 years old!), someone else in this household, however, may not want to leave home for too long. Why? Because it'll mean that dinner will not be ready when she gets home... and bathrooms won't magically keep themselves clean... and groceries will not appear in the fridge on its own. I hope to hell that these aren't her reasons, because they are so unbelievably selfish.

But other than that, what could it be?? Their health? Afraid of the bird flu? I don't get it. Are they supposed to stay at home forever due to the possibilities of health risk? I'll never understand why children get upset when their parents go out or take vacations. They are grown ups; they aren't stupid; they aren't doing anything immoral; they can take care of themselves. What's the deal?

time for: wax on, wax off, as Edward likes to say whenever I get worked up.