7: Awesomest Things About Vacationing

I took my first true vacation in about a year and a half last week. I mean, real as in going away from home, have to get a pet sitter, don't do any work vacation. 'Twas grand.

1. Actually taking vacation. Yes, yes, the best thing about vacation is... that it's vacation. That's a bit of circular reference, I know. But, it's so nice to do it and just get away and relax. Spending time with family is nice, and even more so when you can get away, not just hang out at home over the holidays. So, making the effort to go on vacation rocks.

2. Not thinking about work. Yeah, again, sort of in the definition, but with remote access and email and whatnot, it's easy to fall into the, I'll-just-check-in habit. I didn't. All week. I decided that I'll deal with whatever needs dealing with on Monday morning. When I'm at work.

3. Sharing the love of snow tubing. Now, for the more this-vacation-specific stuff. I got together with college friends, which was delightful, not surprisingly. And, I suggested snow tubing, since it's something we could all do together (rather than skiing). And, it's glorified sledding, but you don't have to walk back up the hill, you get to ride. It's _awesome_. And everyone else seemed to think so, too (I don't think anyone else had been before). It's always nice to do something you enjoy with friends.

4. Not having easy access to TV. I looooooove television. It's a bit of an addiction. But, up in the mountains, we only got NBC and CBS and sort of ABC and not really FOX. And, when it was daytime TV, that's all there was. And when it was evening news time, that's all there was. I'm so used to my DVR and cable that it was...weird at first. But liberating, because it was either, watch one of the two-ish available shows, watch a movie, or find something else to do.

5. Reading. Yeah, I do that at home, too. But it's nice to have a reading-dedicated afternoon.

6. Eating out. Especially at Piggy's Restaurant. I adore going out for breakfast. I dunno if it's because I always just have cereal and it's a nice treat to have cooked breakfast foods. Or, if it's that I don't go out to eat all that often, and it's just a special treat. There's something about it, though. And Piggy's Restaurant rocks. Possibly my favorite restaurant. So efficient. A mid-sized, one-room, jammed-in (but not too close) tables, constant coffee refills, awesome mini blueberry muffins place. And, the food is delicious.

7. Scenery. It snowed most of the weekend and the lake was frozen over. The snow clung to the trees and the lake was a sea of white. Sunsets from the side of a mountain are breathtaking. Riding up a ski lift is oddly serene. Bringing wood in from the wood pile is somehow very satisfying. I live in a picturesque area, and I appreciate that, but a change of beautiful scenery is always appreciated.

2: Advertisement/Marketing

I vacuumed my entryway, by my door, yesterday. Now, everytime I see it (which has been, maybe, three times that I've taken notice of it) it looks super clean. I just vacuumed the carpet, didn't do anything special. Sometimes, though, things just stand out, I guess.

1. OSFM. No, no, it's not anything inappropriate. I was at Kmart, looking for gloves. Y'know, the cheap knit ones that are just enough to be a glove and protect a little bit from the cold, but not too much glove. And I found the display and was trying to find the right gloves (not the mitten/half gloved fingered ones). Found 'em. Trying to figure out if they were the right size, since some genius decided to stick the tag all the way through the wrists. All I could find was the label, price, bar code and OSFM. Yes, but do they fit? I thought to myself. Then I realized: One Size Fits Most.

2. Huyndai. Have you seen the new commercial? The whole, if you lose your job or income in the next year, they'll take your car back? That's not a new program, folks. That's called repossessing--they do it all the time.

5: Things That I Did In 2008

The obligatory New Year's post, of course. I'll try to keep it non-traditional, though (things that will not be included: graduation from grad school, getting a job, etc.). As always, the list is in no particular order. And, of course, this doesn't come close to covering all of the ground of things that happened during the year, but it's a lovely little random sampling of events I'll remember from the year.

1. I went snowtubing for the first time. I've been sledding more times than I could count, but I'd never gone to a mountain and paid someone to let me sled down it. I've now done that several times. It's totally awesome and I highly recommend it. Yeah, you're paying to go sledding, but you're guaranteed snow AND you don't have to climb back up the hill--you get towed up. Awesome.

2. I watched the Phillies win the World Series. (So did a lot of other people.) I don't want to oversell this, but: it was the fulfilment of a lifelong dream. I'm still amazed by it. Every time I listen to the Harry Kalas call of the final out (and yes, I've listened to it a lot), I get all teary. In the words of Chase Utley: World Fucking Champions.

3. I drove to Canada for a long weekend. I really wanted to get my passport stamped, but didn't, because the new rules weren't in effect. Still, it was an awesome 12 hour drive. Canadians are awesome. Frozen Niagara Falls is beautiful.

4. I got drunk in front of most of my family. It was at a cousin's wedding--you're supposed to do that, right? I didn't do anything too embarrassing (of this I've been assured by multiple sources), but still... it was an interesting experience. How am I supposed to say no to top-shelf G&Ts?

5. I watched the Phillies win at Shea stadium. I might add: while sitting 8 rows from the field on the third base line. Sweet, sweet tickets for a pretty exciting game. I tried not to be too annoying (although I was wearing my Phillies paraphernalia), but we were locked in a pennant race at the time, so... it was pretty sweet.