I woke up early this morning - I threw on a 'house dress' and a hoodie - and I walked over to the mess deck to fill up my coffee mug. While on my short walk I realized that I was missing waking up to spectacular sunrises - then I thought maybe you guys missed sunrises too!

There is always some point in my vacation when I think to myself - I could go back to sea today and it would be okay. When I have this thought it always really bothers me because the day I got off the ship I was thinking, 'if I don't quit shipping out soon I won't have a soul because the industry will have sucked it dry'. When I'm thinking these thoughts I know that it is overly dramatic - I also realize that I only had to do 90 days on and 90 days off....but instead I did 120 on 70 off 120 on 60 off and 135 on....meaning I'm 'over' shipping.

My 'little book of happiness' contains the poem Sea Fever by John Masefield. It is a very well recognized poem and I'm sure you all know it....it starts out 'I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and sky'. The poem is one of my favorites - I really love the second and third verses:

'I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied; and all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying, and the flung spray and the blown spume, and the seagulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again to the vagrant gypsy life. To the gulls way and the whales way where the winds like whetted knife; and all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow rover, and a quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long tricks over.'

John Masefield seemed to think he had a Sea Fever. When I'm at sea and I want to go home it's called being homesick - if I'm at home wanting to go to sea does that mean I'm seasick?