[Dick turns the video feed on to show him sitting on the beach. He's wearing a long sleeved baseball shirt with the sleeves rolled up past his elbows - he doesn't wear actual short sleeves often because of the ridiculous amount of scars he's acquired over the years - and jeans. What's he been doing almost all day? Shucking coconuts. There's a sharp stick shoved pretty securely in the sand, and he's been stabbing the outer husk against it repeatedly, rotating it until it's all off, which leaves behind the fruit you'd see in the grocery store back home.

It's very therapeutic.

But he's stopped for the moment to make a post, so the stick is just there, along with a pretty impressive pile of ready to be cracked open coconuts.]

This could very easily be paranoia built up from months of living in a place where things have a tendency to fall apart almost every other week, but is anyone else just waiting for a polar bear to come smashing through the jungle? Or like, a smoke monster that sounds like a didgeridoo? Anyone got cursed numbers following them around ever since they won the lottery? Anyone? Anyone? ... Bueller?

I'm not sure I'm all that jazzed about swimming either. I mean, this pretty clearly isn't Amity Island, but if I'm remembering my terrible movie sequels correctly, the sharks don't really care where the directors wanted to film. Howie, you haven't had any random urges to tell everyone the beaches should be closed, have you?

Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not complaining or anything that nothing like that's happened yet, but I guess I've just kind of come to expect a catch. So, where's the catch? Or is the Admiral just feeling randomly charitable? And if so, why now? It's not like this month's been any better or worse then any other week.

Kind of a bummer when you can't even enjoy a vacation because you're worried it's not a vacation, right?

Oh, and if anyone needs some coconuts - [And here he jabs his thumb towards the pile.] I'm pretty sure I got you covered.

[ooc: If you're so inclined, spam away, fellow beach goers! Dick's going to be doing some wandering around anyway, so if you want him to be somewhere, I can come up with a reason for him being there. The Jaws reference with Howie is specifically from a conversation Arthur and Dick had a few days ago.]

So, don't get me wrong, I appreciate that there hasn't been much mass murder and mayhem since we got back from port. Aside from all this politics stuff that I'm not getting into - by personal choice, I trust the rest of you who are actually more involved with the situation to be able to sort it out - I think it's pretty safe to say things have been pretty quiet, all things considered.

And that's fine. Seriously, I'm definitely not complaining about the apparent lack of horrible crisis situations with dozens of people dying or anything like that. Heck, I've even been kind of enjoying having some time to take it easy, I guess.

But it's the excessive down time I really can't figure out what to do with. I mean, sure, it's nice to have some time to relax and hang out in CES or watch movies or whatever, but I'm used to always having something to do with myself. And I don't just mean helping out an inmate or something, like a tangible case or something to work on. People to interview, places to stake out, paper work to file... I was basically living from one difficult case or catastrophe to the next, and without that everything's felt kind of... weird, these last couple days. I guess somewhere between being a cop and coming here I forgot how to just be used to having some free time to kill.

Anyone got any suggestions on how to cope until the next catastrophe?

[Private to Steph]

Sorry I skipped out on lessons without warning you about it. You up for some more practice later tonight?

[Private to Hayley]

This doesn't change anything.

[ooc: So this is an audio because Dick broke his nose. And it's sort of a funny/embarrassing story, the bruises are still really colorful/noticeable, and therefore no video for you, Barge. Infirmary folk would know it happened twoish days ago in CES while sparring with Costigan, who broke/fractured one of his ribs. IT WAS AN ACCIDENT. :| ]