Clots, No; Penguins, Yes

So I don't have a blood clot in my lungs. I went back to SCCA this afternoon, engaged in way too much back and forth regarding the performance of my chest port, had an IV stuck in my arm, and got scanned. A little while later the results came back negative. So that's good. 

But even better is penguins...

No, not those penguins. These penguins...

In between infusions and CT scans, calling Walgreen's and the SCCA to try to get my drugs on order (still not complete, so the earliest I can get them is Tuesday -- ugh!), and answering some work emails, I was able to follow up on some inquiries I made regarding a cruise to Antarctica. One of the places I called told me that the cruise line had just yesterday published a new deal on a cruise in November. As I single traveler, I could get a room of my own -- with a window! -- at the usual double occupancy rate, without either the usual single surcharge or having to share with a stranger, at the typical cost for such a cruise but including a night's stay in Buenos Aires, airfare from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia (where the boats leave from) and back again, a night in Ushuaia, plus all the meals and whatnot that you would normally expect. Heck of a deal, and for this season no less. 

So Dave and I are going to Antarctica, and I am weirdly excited about the chance to see a part of the world where humans don't belong. 

Speaking of which, if you're a John Oliver fan you're no doubt aware of the fact that Antarctica cruises are starting to receive some blow back. If you're not a fan, here's the deal:

But as I started looking into this trip earlier this year, I found that nearly every trip I could find went to just one small part of the continent. Specifically, this part:

So, to my mind, while the complaints about their behavior are undoubtedly legitimate*, the argument that tourists are "ruining Antarctica" would be a bit like arguing that tourists were ruining North America if North America were a vast, empty, ice-covered plain with 40,000 people a year taking cruises to Miami Beach. Miami Beach would no doubt be affected, but the entire continent? That seems a stretch.

Besides, it's all going to melt and wash away with global warming anyway, so we may as well enjoy it -- well, the very end of the tiny little peninsula that sticks up toward Argentina, anyway -- while we can. 

And if the Nature Conservancy wants to revoke my membership, so be it. But I'll try not to step on any moss. 

* I've been a tourist and I've seen tourists. It's not pretty.