Vacation

That Was Vacation

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I last week (and yesterday) off from work for a little much-needed break. I had no real travel plans like I normally do for vacation. Instead, Amy and I saw some movies, visited New Hope, went to the pool several times, went to a Mets game (they lost), bought Amy a new television, spent time with her family, toured a vineyard and winery, and shopped for food.

My apartment complex has a pool. When I moved in — three years ago? — I received two passes but never used them until now. I should have been visiting the pool a long time ago. It’s very relaxing and feels perfect on a hot day. Unfortunately, the pool is surrounded by pine trees, so needles seem to make their way into the water.

It could be worse; I distinctly remember being on a school trip while in high school or middle school, and on the way back from our destination, we stopped at a public pool where classmates discovered used tampons swimming in the water.

Compared to that, my community pool is paradise. Now, it’s back to work.

Back From California

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If anyone is still reading this, here’s an update. I am back from California, and it was a great vacation with Amy and my family. I came back to find various presents from my adopted cat and a full mailbox. (Those are not related incidents.)

I know a number of people have been waiting for this: I finally uploaded photos from my birthday.

Now I have about five statistics assignments for my class due tomorrow, the final day of the course. My school work slipped a little during vacation, and I know I’m not going to be happy with my grade. Also, I hate statistics. Math’s great, but statistics sucks.

Catching up with all my email is going to take days.

The Two Mohonk Trips and Once More to California

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Here is something odd about my two trips to Mohonk — once in 2001 and again in 2004. In one I wore a shirt that advertised a company that makes electric guitars, and in the other I wore a shirt that advertised a company that makes cymbals. I expect Yamaha will be my next sponsor.

Anyhow, later this week Amy and I will be visiting my family in California. After flying in, we’ll be driving to Lake Tahoe. It won’t be the typical California warm weather vacation. We might go skiing, in fact. We’ll be staying with my family in a nice resort and then head back down to southern California after a few days. I’ll be taking Amy to Disneyland, which was her only requirement, but we’ll also go to San Diego and/or Hollywood. We’ll probably also see a show at the theater where my brother works.

I like getting away, but I seem to go to California often. I promised someone I’d make it to Australia but that keeps getting more and more expensive. I’ve got a number of places in Europe on my hit list, too, not to mention some other cities in the United States I’ve never seen. I want to visit these places before I get too old… and age seems to progress more and more quickly as I get older.

Florida

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On Friday, I’ll be flying to Florida to celebrate my grandmother’s 90th birthday. Over the same weekend, I’ll be turning 30 and my brother will be turning 25. It should be a good occasion to get in touch with relatives I haven’t seen or even talked to in a long time. I believe the last time I saw my Florida grandmother was during college. It would have been nice if a traveling companion could join me this time, but alas, she must teach.

My brother and I will be staying with my uncle, aunt, and cousins while down there.

When I come back and see people again, I’ll be old.

Potter and Plans

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My brother and I caught the latest Harry Potter movie last night. It wasn’t too bad. There seem to be several movies I’d like to see over the next few months. I think it’s going to be a busy holiday season. Hopefully the plans that are still squishy will solidify a bit. I’m flying back to the “home area” on Friday and going into New York City on Saturday for Laura‘s birthday. I’ll finally make it home to Rupert on Sunday — then it’s back to work.

At some point, I’m supposed to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular with Amy. That will be a first.

Paint on My Hands

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There’s nothing like getting away for vacation and finding myself working. It’s not so bad. So far I’ve fixed up parts of a training website for my mom’s company so that it will also work as a standalone app from a CD-ROM and I’ve begun painting a room. At least it’s fun. I’ve also introduced my mother and B. to Arrested Development (the show) and they seem to think it’s great. I think we all tend to have a similar sense of humor.

Thanksgiving Time

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I’m preparing for my traditional trip to California for Thanksgiving. Last year I found myself a bit depressed (not in the clinical sense) while out there. When I visit my family, I often find myself with time to reflect about my life and how it’s not progressing the way I had always hoped it would.