Greetings from the Outer Banks, NC. My regrets to thenewgreen, I never make it as far in as Raleigh-Durham, my family lives in Elizabeth City, so we just fly in and out of Norfolk.

I was really wishing for some Hubski-tier reinforcements yesterday when my mom brought me a bottle of homeopathic ear drops to remedy my ear ache, which I'm almost certain is a swimming-induced earwax blockage (gross!). This culminated in a debate about what homeopathy's literal meaning is, how it differs from naturopathy, etc., crescendoing into a fairly bitter argument. Most of my family is not of a scientific mind.

Skimboarding here is brutal! The beaches are much steeper than Texas, and the shorebreak is serious business. I've spent a lot of time with sand in my mouth after taking a beating. I love it.

Tonight's cigar night, I've got some Montecristos and a handle of Maker's Mark to enjoy with my uncle, cousin, and perhaps (but I doubt it) my father. I was pleasantly surprised that my dad chose to participate in the family game of Cards Against Humanity, which has yielded such phrases as "I get by with a little help from a bitch slap".

I owe a few of you responses, don't despair, when I'm not on "vacation", I'll get back to it. Quotations because every "vacation" is spent in an exhausting whirlwind tour of any and all surrounding areas, filled with activities. I've given up pretending that I'm a chill person.

Cheers!