Sunday, July 6, 2008

How to Relax

OK. This is NOT an instructional post. I am actually looking for advice. After 9 months of running- that is, since the new job kicked in, I have taken the next ten days off. Without a plan.
I needed the time. Truth is- I have never taken time off without a place to go, in my life. Summer camp was my idea of a vacation- and though I have taken a day or a weekend to relax and catch up- on chores, or sleep- never a ten day span like this. I am headed out at the end of the week for a few days with VLH (keep looking bud- no hints here) there is nothing else slotted in.

I planned it that way.

So, Thursday night I came home and promptly lit Shabbat candles thinking it was Friday. I guess I was still in fast forward as I did not realize til Saturday what I had done. I gotta lower the caffeine intake.


Day one of unscripted vacation.


I wake up at 7:57 am.

I spend the morning picking raspberries in the yard

Do not read "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" before heading to the garden- I was (as usual) jacked up on 3 extra large iced coffees and spent the supposed to be idyllic time preoccupied with the idea that a garden snake will slither up my leg.

I make a linzer torte and due to a lack of experience with this particular item wind up making a gallon of raspberry goosh to fill an 8" shell. Jam anyone?

Day 2

I wake up at 7:28- relaxed? You betcha.

I buy a bunch of do-it yourself materials and a couple of new plants and try macrame-ing two new hanging plant hangers. The cats think this is cool and groovy and two hours later I find myself irretrievably tangled in jute and hysterical felines and have to cut myself loose with a cuticle scissor.

Cats do not like cheese. They only think they do-

Day 3

I wake up at 10:04. This is accomplished by watching DVDs until 3 am.

Fix a shelf in my bedroom armoire and wind up with three extra screws. Any remarks regarding loose screws will be considered a threat and I have LOADS of free time to plan my retaliation.

The day stretches in front of me... Heaven help us all.... it may be my imagination but I think the cats are avoiding me.

Day 4

Wake at 8:18 and decide to go with it- breakfast on the porch coffee and learn that between 9 and 10:30 am the breeze is fresh and you can hear cicadas singing in the yard.

Take a walk with my little buddy- see Wall*E for the second time and its still damned good. Better when the bud says Wall-e's job is building castles out of garbage. Not a bad interpretation- incredible in fact. Problem is- they show a preview of the chihuahua movie from hell which results in non-stop iterations of "Ay, Chihuahua" from the little guy on the train. People move away from us on the PATH train. The litany was ceased by the assiduous application of rainbow ices from the glorious Torico's ice cream parlor and a promise of fresh corn on the cob if he never ever utters that Mexican dog song... for the next 3 hours- what he does at home is his mom's concern.

We barbecue shrimp and hot dogs and as it grows dark we catch fireflies in a jar and let them go. We do not explain why some fireflies are connected together- well, we do sort of- we tell him they are carpooling.

This time-off stuff doesn't stink so much.

Day 5

Wake at ...hmmm didn't look at the time. Progress I think. I get a text message that an afternoon at the pool is scheduled- several hours later remind myself that not applying sunscreen because I want some color will result in a case of not THAT color. Also, that unless I want a bosom that resembles an alligator handbag, a little Coppertone is essential. And it is a really summery smell. I also am happily reminded that after pool and sun and some barbecued crabs a little recreational carpooling is very OK indeed. Ask any firefly.