I’m with ya, Beziat
I can’t express how wonderful this sounds:
I’ve still got that dream of a train trip to the Pacific Northwest rich in my head…. Just my iPod, some books, my camera, and lots of time to think. Not much more on the agenda than that. A window seat is all I’d require.
Light blogging
Obviously, blogging will be a bit light this week, because we’re on vacation (insert obligatory note about having a house-sitter). I knew our beach house would have wifi (although it took us a good hour to get it working after we got here), but I didn’t realize how little time I’d be on the computer. Basically, I’ve turned it on to read my daily comics and to use pandora, and that’s about it.
But we’re having a blast - an absolute blast. This is what vacation’s all about.
We’ve got a house-sitter
As Katie noted at the top of this post, when we go on vacation next week, we’re using a house-sitter. There’s no way we could find to have all three dogs taken care of plus two cats a rat and a fish. Plus, with the economy tanking, our neighborhood has seen an increase in crimes lately.
When I was in high school, I spent more than a few nights sleeping on a random couch or guest bed. House-sitting is a truly interesting experience. Maybe it’s just for a few days, but it could be for weeks. You make a new home at someone else’s home. You get their mail from their mailbox. You pet their cats and try to convince their dogs that you’re a friend (I sat for a mini schnauzer once who never did believe this. She’d cower and soil herself whenever she saw me, and it frustrated me to no end that I couldn’t convince her that I was a friend). You go through their refrigerator and use their internet. You use a key and enter through the front door every day as if it’s your home and not someone else’s.
But this is the first time in my life that I’ve had someone house-sit for me. Yes, we’ve had the occasional friends come by to water the dogs, but no one’s ever done the full house-sitting thing for us. It’s kind of weird being on the other side of the equation. I wonder how I’ll feel while I’m at the beach, knowing that someone else is staying at my house. Mostly, I’ll feel relaxed, knowing the house and pets are being looked after. But will I feel a bit violated, too?
Will I return to a house that has to become “mine” again?
Goin’ beachin’
Soon, very soon, we will be at the beach. Katie and I didn’t get a summer vacation last year (thanks a lot, C), so we’re both extra excited about our vacation this year.
I’ve already got a stack of books ready to be packed, and I’ve ordered some new swimming trunks. We’re making a list, and soon we’ll be assembling the beach gear.
But it’s odd. I don’t actually like the ocean; I have no desire to get in the water. I hate heat, and I have zero desire for soaking in the sun. Sand does nothing for me, either.
I’m not sure what I love about the beach so much. Maybe it’s just because I grew up loving to go to the beach every year. And maybe it’s because the beach means vacation and escape from the stresses of home and work and alarm clocks. Or maybe it’s just the simple beauty of the water and the sound of the waves.
Or maybe it’s all of the above. All I know is I’m ready to leave now.
Obviously, she woke up
Obviously, from looking at my last post, the Bug awoke within seconds of hitting publish.
Sometimes, it’s hard to get her to stay asleep. Yesterday was an awesome day, and I had fun hanging out with her (hanging out with E wasn’t as “fun,” because he was too sick to do anything other than watch tv), but I never got the two to three hour stretch of nap time I was expecting.
First she was wakened by H cleaning the hall bookshelves; then it was H talking on the phone. Obviously, neither time was his fault. Then she fell asleep in the stroller but awoke on returning to the house.
But we did eventually get some good time together outside. I put some music on and gave her a few toys. I must’ve sat on the porch for an hour, just watching her be happy. She played with one toy, then the next, then wanted to play the stand and sit game, and then it was back to her toys.
It’s a rough life.
Planning beach reading
I don’t really enjoy the beach for the water, the sand, or the sun. I love going to the beach because it’s relaxing, pressure free, and I can read a lot.
In years past, I’ve brought a lot of light reading - Jane Austen, Henry Fielding, George Eliot, etc. But this year I’ve got a few more responsibilities than I’ve had in the past (we didn’t make it to the beach last year). And I don’t really have much of a reading queue anyway.
So one of my goals for the next week or so is get a few good beach reading books ordered. But I have no clue how to start. Is there a pandora for literature?
