Hello, blog readers – welcome back! This week has been a medly of tech troubles, caffeine cravings, and unexpected adventures here on our little island paradise. Let’s jump right in, shall we?
Monday started off a bit sluggish. You know those days where you wake up too early, drift back to sleep, and then feel tired all day? Yeah, that was my Monday. My social battery was running low, so I kept things low-key with a lunchtime chat with Samantha and a quiet evening at home. Dave was surprised I didn’t want to go out, but I just wasn’t feeling it. He ended up joining me at home, and we had nice catch-up calls with Dave’s mom and our friend, Chuck. A chill night, perfect for recharging.
Ah, Tuesday. The day the coffee maker decided to stage a coup. It flipped its filter, sending coffee grounds EVERYWHERE. I’m talking a full-on coffee ground invasion. So, I had to basically deep-clean the entire machine. And that was just the beginning!
Work decided to throw some tech curveballs my way with email glitches and a quarantined file. At this point, I threw my hands up and summoned the tech cavalry. Tammy, our office tech guru, offered some initial assistance, but the situation quickly escalated to our external support guy. I spent a significant portion of the afternoon online with him, desperately trying to ensure no digital gremlins had taken up residence in my laptop. The scan alone took an hour and a half, effectively obliterating my productivity for the day. So, Tuesday was a bust, filled with digital drama and the lingering scent of coffee grounds.
Wednesday was April Fool’s Day, and boy, did the universe have a prank ready for me! I got an email saying I needed to change all my passwords due to the computer scan results. Totally reasonable, but still…ARGH! It was also my first day as an independent contractor and my first day without an insurance license. Talk about a day of transitions! But hey, I did manage to get some work done, and I enjoyed my weekly girls’ night with Anise & Jennifer.
On my way to meet them, I popped into Everytings for a new notebook to use as a scorebook, inspired by my recent purchase of Uno cards. I decided living in a new country called for a new book. Anyway, I just wanted to be prepared in case we had down time during my dad’s upcoming visit. I was dragging this week, so while Dave kindly let me linger at Swinging Doors, I opted to head home around 8:40pm.
Thursday started off slow, but it ended with a bang! Work was fine in the morning, but by the afternoon, a headache kicked in, so I logged off early. Dave dropped off the groceries and headed to Swinging Doors for some conversation and an 8-ounce Heineken. (Side note: 8-ounce Heinekens are the standard size here, but you can’t even find koozies for them!). While Dave was out, I saw the most vivid rainbow from the patio! And then, the Celebrity Beyond cruise ship sailed past the rainbow, between Saba & St. Eustatius. Talk about a picture-perfect moment!
The culinary gods, however, had other plans. I made hot dogs and beans for dinner, and the hot dogs were a DISASTER. They stuck to the pan and tasted…off. I even double-checked the expiration date, but the damage was done. The beans would have been great, but I wasn’t about to pick around the offending hot dogs. Dave agreed – they were not good.
Good Friday started with another coffee-related catastrophe: my coffee maker gave up the ghost. This left me with only one option: instant coffee. Yuck! The internet also decided to join the rebellion, making everything at work take longer than it should have.
Despite the challenges, 5 pm eventually arrived, signaling the start of the weekend. We opted for a relaxing evening at home, proving that sometimes the best adventures are the ones that don’t involve leaving the couch.
Saturday started with a trip to The Bottom to visit the pharmacy. We left early to hit up Island Flavor for frozen coffees beforehand (they were delicious!), and then grabbed several items from the pharmacy, including a couple of goodies for my dad’s visit next weekend! I had hoped to investigate the possibility of them handling my USA prescription as a cash pickup, but the line was insane! We stopped in Windwardside on our way home, first at Big Rock Market, then upstairs at Big Rock 2 to look for a replacement coffee maker.
You may recall that my coffee maker bit the dust, and I was anxious to fix the problem. Anyway, Big Rock 2 only had the same model that had died after a month, and for $47 I wasn’t anxious to purchase it a second time. Off to Do It Best, or not in this case, because they were completely out of coffee makers with the exception of one lone keurig, useless on an island that doesn’t really sell pods.
I spent the afternoon relaxing on the patio and preparing the house for the visit I had scheduled with our neighbors that night. I had a last minute realization there were no actual wine glasses to serve the wine I’d purchased in. Not that I need anything fancy, but wine from a juice glass is not how I prefer to host. Dave to the rescue! He ran back to Big Rock 2 and scored us a package of sparkling wine glasses.
We spent a pleasant evening with Anne & Andy, chatting and watching a Peter Gabriel concert in the background. Everyone enjoyed everything, and it was a very nice evening.
Sunday started with Dave taking Albus on their usual weekend hike to Juliana’s. But things got a little hairy when a dangerous dog tried to break out of its fencing to get to Albus. Cue Hermes, the canine hero, who came running up the hill to protect Albus! Albus & Dave made a safe exit, and later we headed to Tropics Cafe for their Easter brunch buffet. Dave dropped me off, and Hermes spotted me from across the restaurant and came over, wagging his tail. I gave him some well-deserved pets and thanked him for being such a good boy.
Dave arrived just after, and we were quickly seated about five feet from the buffet. Convenient! Everything was tasty, and I even made my own cocktail at the beverage station from some cranberry juice and some asti. Yum! We chatted with the couple at the table next to us, who had just moved to Saba in November. We all headed out at once and then Dave & I went home so he could tackle our United States taxes. I, on the other hand, opted to take a nap. I know, this Sunday nap thing is becoming a habit…lol
Around 5ish we headed into Widwardside to see if Swinging Doors was open, and happily it was. We chatted with several island peeps that we know, and had a good time, but decided not to stay out very long. Once home, we settled in for the night. I opted to watch a movie in the bedroom for a bit before bed, mainly for comfort reasons. You know how the wrong pair of shoes can make everything hurt and be uncomfortable? Well, every piece of furniture in our rental cottage is like an ill-fitting pair of shoes. No matter where I sit, I’m quickly uncomfortable, leading to back aches and hip pain. It’s unfortunate, but I’m very obviously not going to buy new furniture for a rental property, so I’m dealing with the situation until we move.
So, there you have it – another week in the life on Saba! From coffee catastrophes to heroic hounds and everything in between, it’s never a dull moment here. Stay tuned for more island adventures!