Just 8-days away from Bon Voyage and seven weeks distant from open heart surgery. I’m done with doctor visits for a while – they’ll have a hard time finding me on the ship. The daily 2-mile walks continue, as I experiment with books on tape for companionship. My first is Preston & Child’s “Dead Mountain,” a freebee with my library card. I used to listen to books in the car when I was traveling alone, usually on business. Back in my running days, not so long ago, I listened exclusively to music and some talk radio. It all helps to fill that lonely hour on the streets. 

I’m headed to the ballpark this afternoon, probably my last Spring Training game. The Pirates are in town. Next Saturday, we fly out of Tampa to Buenos 
Aires with a stop in Atlanta. We’ll have a couple of days to explore the city before the ship goes to Rio. It’s the start of an adventure that will take us to four continents in four weeks. Every day will be something new to write about, but I may not post until we get back. 

A change in routine is crucial. I’m spending too much time on the keyboard and my lower back is suffering. When I walk it irritates a nerve near my spine and makes the experience somewhat painful, certainly uncomfortable. Stretching helps but then I get comfortable in my office chair, only getting up for food and short dog walks. I need to get in the habit of an afternoon or evening walk to prevent this stiffening. I should be on my feet more often on the boat and there will be several excursions along the way. The toughest stretch will be five long days crossing the Atlantic. We’ve been through this before, in fact seven days at sea, from Alaska to Hawaii. 

The soreness in my chest continues. I can’t even lift a propane tank. However, the scars are healing nicely. Some upper body exercise would be welcome, but I will need at least another month before hitting the weight room. I’ll start my cardio-rehab once we get back home in mid-April. I will totally miss the solar eclipse, but apparently will see the Buenos Aires St. Patrick’s Day Parade, one of the largest in the world. It starts at noon on Avenida de Mayo and is organized by the Irish-Argentine Association. “El Dia de San Patricio” caters to the 500,000 Irish people that live in Argentina. Spanish with an Irish lill will be a unique twist on the language that I already won’t understand. Plaza de Mayo is not too far from the Atlantic. Recife will then be the crossing point across the shortest Atlantic span of travel to Africa after a stop in Rio. Europe will be the fourth continent stop on this journey.