Wednesday, October 17, 2007  De Rerum Natura - On the Nature of
Things  Another day; another cabana -- this one facing the deep
blue sea. I've been watching an outrigger, manned by a group of
inept oarsmen, as it tracks in random patterns along the shore.
DH is down there somewhere with flippers and a snorkel, but I'm
too far from the crest of the hill to see the beach. In addition
to my laptop, I have a cup of tea, a copy of the Wall Street
Journal, and "The Whole World Over" by Julia Glass. In the last
15 minutes, someone has brought me a drinks menu, a lunch menu,
and a spa menu -- a Pacific Mango foot massage is sounding
pretty enticing just now. The sun is behind me, and I can feel
my back turning lobster in spite of the 50 SPF I put on when I
came out this morning, so I am all set to ponder one of the
great questions of life: how in the hell did I get to be this
old without a proper appreciation of the joys of a holiday in
paradise?   It's not as if I've never been to a beach or to a
nice hotel -- au co