I slept well but could afford only a few hours because I was up early to go spear-fishing. A nice Aussie lady joined us to snorkel with Vincent as Roger and I did our thing. She was staying solo at Home Sweet Home and said it was nice.

In the ocean, I chased a couple of over-sized squid forever trying for a big score, but those guys are faster than they look. There are a lot interesting things under the sea, and that’s the REAL reason I travel to Jamaica so often; I just love it.

Everything we spear gets eaten. Usually, Roger takes the haul with him because he has a family with kids, but oh the lobsters, sometimes I can’t resist.

On the way back, I stopped in for a quick road-side jerk snack with Smokey Joe, who has been there a long time and even has laminated business cards. I got a quarter chicken, said “no” to the bread (still on a health kick that began last January and has seen me lose like 60 pounds), and after a minor hassle about the conversion rate, I sat at a little table and enjoyed my hot meal that was as tasty as any entrée you could find at any five-star restaurant in Los Angeles.

Charlie Tattoo is set to arrive today, and I’m looking forward to it. A little more than a year ago, we hung out together for nearly two weeks at Seastar Inn – he was in room 7, and I was in room 6 – and we formed a fast friendship. The West Virginian is a generous man on a permanent vacation, and he’s always the life of the party. And though Charlie often travels solo, this time he is with his fiancée and another couple. I figure I’ll be the fifth wheel – though technically all male tourists can snap their fingers like Fonzie and have a beautiful local on their arm – but it will be OK.