How are you recharging this year?

  • Off the week of the 4th. Let there be fireworks and no police!
    Happy Independence Day!

  • I get very little time off, so I have to plan it carefully. Financial burdens make it so that even when I take any time off, I can't do anything nor go anywhere. This causes a lot of stress. My extended family are gathering this week in Idaho for a family reunion. I can't be there as I don't have the time and can't afford to go. Everyone blames me. Time off tends to just bring up a lot of guilt and shame. Unfortunately for me, this is my life. This year I'll taking the two days after July 4th off. Will stay home.

    Sorry Steve. For me, this is not a good topic.

    Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.

  • Heading to my annual square dance convention.  This year, it's in Seattle.

    Drew

    J. Drew Allen
    Business Intelligence Analyst
    Philadelphia, PA

  • MattF - Friday, June 29, 2018 7:44 AM

    Going to Glacier in August - can't wait. I'll be doing some horseback trail rides. I'm from Australia and now living in the USA, so I'm making the most of seeing as much of this beautiful country while I can. I've done road trips up to the pacific north-west where the rainforests are breathtaking. Also did the Carolinas and surfed on the Outer Banks. Awesome dude!

    Hopefully I'll get to your home country at some point. On my list.

  • Rod at work - Friday, June 29, 2018 9:01 AM

    Sorry Steve. For me, this is not a good topic.

    Sorry to hear that. Hope you find a way to make things better.

  • I am envious of all of you who have taken or are taking exotic vacations.  My spouse and I were stunned to realize that it's been 4 years since we took an exotic vacation--which was to Galveston, Texas.  First time I had ever seen the ocean--at 47 years old.

    Right now, work is extremely busy and I found out earlier this year that I need to get both of my knees replaced.  So though I have plenty of sick leave in the bank, people are freaking at the thought of me being out of the office--I'll be able to remote in from home once I'm off pain meds and I feel up to it.

    The good news is that I'm able to take long weekends and spend time with family.  This year my parents are coming down from Iowa for Thanksgiving--first time they've come down here for the holiday so I'm excited about that.

    But yes, this post has reminded me once again that I'm not getting any younger and there's a world I still need to see.

  • We're doing the same holidays as last year.  Maybe boring to some, but we love it.

    We headed down to Devon, South West England for the May school half term and stayed at my in-laws holiday house.  It's a great spot in a beautiful part of the world, close to beaches and some stunning scenery.  As an added bonus, my sister-in-law and her family are only 10 minutes away and the 3 boys (my son and 2 nephews) have a blast.  An added bonus is that my eldest nephew has his birthday the week we are there so we get to celebrate with him too.  My sister-in-law's husband is a dairy farmer so being on the farm is a buzz too.  My son loves to go see the calves and the bulls.

    Our annual holiday during the summer, for the past 3 years has been Florida and we're doing the same again this year.  We'll be headed out during the school holidays.  It'll probably be our last visit to Florida for a few years and most likely settle on a beach holiday somewhere in Europe next summer.  As normal, we have our 14 day pass to the parks and we can't wait.  We'll probably do a few new things this year.

    Beyond that, I'll spend some time with my son during the summer holidays and also the October half term week.  I love to get out with him and have some father and son time.  We normally have a blast.  And just maybe this year, I'll join my wife in Barcelona for a couple days following her business trip out there.  We've been promising this to ourselves for a while now and thankfully the grandparents are keen as mustard to look after my son!

    All in all, it has been a busy year with a lot achieved and I have a ton to do for the remainder, but life is good and I have a great work life balance.

  • Steve Jones - SSC Editor - Friday, June 29, 2018 7:08 AM

    skeleton567 - Friday, June 29, 2018 6:56 AM

    Steve, and all, I wish you folks good times as you enjoy vacations here and there.  Our occupation is possibly one of the most stressful, and time away is critical to a good stable outlook.

    Thanks, and enjoy the cabin. That looks amazing. We have a place at Keystone, and likely spending the 4th there, but would love to get a cabin in the trees someday.

    Well, now I have to get my little commercial in here for you to check out.  Enough trees for you here?   This may be our last summer due to aging and needing to be near our doctors.  We did, however, this week turn down an offer.  To see the thousands of trees on the property, look as the second picture in the slide-show. 
    http://pitkincoloradorealestate.com/2016/09/18/567-grasshopper-rd-pitkin-co-quartz-creek-properties/nggallery/thumbnails

    Rick

    One of the best days of my IT career was the day I told my boss if the problem was so simple he should go fix it himself.

  • Clive Strong - Sunday, July 1, 2018 1:35 AM

    We headed down to Devon, South West England for the May school half term and stayed at my in-laws holiday house.  It's a great spot in a beautiful part of the world, close to beaches and some stunning scenery.  As an added bonus, my sister-in-law and her family are only 10 minutes away and the 3 boys (my son and 2 nephews) have a blast.  An added bonus is that my eldest nephew has his birthday the week we are there so we get to celebrate with him too.  My sister-in-law's husband is a dairy farmer so being on the farm is a buzz too.  My son loves to go see the calves and the bulls.

    If you're out along the cliffs there, keep an eye for two boys, two girls and their dog [1]. They find the most incredible things, passages in cliffs, passages under the sea, old-fashioned circuses and so on. They also have the most amazing lunches with them, which is handy if you're hungry and happen to know the stories about the old abandoned watchtower.

    [1] and it's not Scooby Doo. For those unaware: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPXhS0o_nng&index=1&list=PLiI9yHIbJi24QE-MPT0RNDCm63gpyavqU

  • Brent, while in Hawaii, look for a place that can make a good Zombie for you. They're way beyond any on the mainland 'cause they use local fruits. Typical is three types of rum and four different fruit juices. But get out of the cities to the 'real' Hawaii. I can't remember the town, but way out on the far West Island looking over the ocean. Second Zombie had me nearly under the table. Laughed with my wife so hard I was crying and in physical pain. I've never had another one so good since (Zombie, that is)..

    Rick

    One of the best days of my IT career was the day I told my boss if the problem was so simple he should go fix it himself.

  • jasona.work - Friday, June 29, 2018 6:38 AM

    I might do a little recharging in a couple weeks when I'm on a work trip down to the Dayton, Ohio area for a week.  Depending on how I'm feeling at the end of the days, I may take a couple hours and drive over to the National Museum of the USAF.  I've been there before a couple times with the wife, and it's a really cool place to go through, either if you're a history geek or a hardware geek like me.

    But, the big "get away and recharge" trip for the wife and I is going to be Labor Day weekend to Atlanta, Georgia.  Not sure how much time we'll be spending "sleeping" because there's just going to be so much to see, so much to do, and so many people to see.  We are heading to, in the words of the organization, "...the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the universe!"  We're heading down for Dragon Con!  Scientists (at least one so far from JPL!) authors, artists, geeks of every stripe, wacky events (including a young lady on stage, with a leaf blower, and volunteer gents in kilts...  You figure out what she does with the leaf blower...)

    We managed to score a room in one of the host hotels, plus the whole convention (with the exception of some special events, like a costume party in the Atlanta Aquarium) is fairly contained in a few blocks of downtown.  Of, course, we're driving down rather than flying, so we took the week before and after the weekend off so we've got time to recuperate from the drive.

    (If you can't tell, I am *REALLY* looking forward to this trip!)

    I live in Atlanta, and it's great for day trips. I've never been to DragonCon, but it's a big deal for a lot of folks, and I hear it's great. In addition to all the stuff downtown, there are also plenty of nature parks and outdoor activities both inside and within a half hour drive outside the perimeter. If you like bicycling, there are literally hundreds of miles of paved and dirt bike trails that interconnect basically all corners of the metropolitan area. There is the Chattahoochee River where you can hike nature trails, bike, canoe, and fish. Also, spend an afternoon in the town square of either Marietta or Roswell; two cities just north of the perimeter that are more laid back, with history museums, farmers markets, and nice restaurants.
    https://beltline.org/explore/maps/
    https://www.nps.gov/chat/index.htm

    "Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho

  • skeleton567 - Sunday, July 1, 2018 5:57 PM

    Brent, while in Hawaii, look for a place that can make a good Zombie for you. They're way beyond any on the mainland 'cause they use local fruits. Typical is three types of rum and four different fruit juices. But get out of the cities to the 'real' Hawaii. I can't remember the town, but way out on the far West Island looking over the ocean. Second Zombie had me nearly under the table. Laughed with my wife so hard I was crying and in physical pain. I've never had another one so good since (Zombie, that is)..

    I'm looking forward to that! I first saw that stuff on travel shows and it looks awesome. I'm not usually into fruit juices, but when rum is involved, I'm in.

  • Next week is a trip to Wildwood, NJ mostly for my youngest daughter's national dance competition.  But there will be some beach/pool time I am sure; just hope the heat and humidity drops before then.

    Three weeks from now it is off to Key West to celebrate my wife's 50th birthday and my oldest daughter's High School graduation.  Although I am not really a beach person, I am really looking forward to this trip.  The laptop is coming with me just in case, but I have zero plans to take it out if the bag.  At least two books are coming with me and those will be cracked for sure.

    Brent as far as Hawaii goes you can't go wrong,  My wife and I spent two weeks there for our honeymoon 19 years ago this November.  On Kauai we spent a couple of nights in tree house built in a monkeypod tree in a secluded valley.  Needed a four wheel drive vehicle to get down to it.  It was an awesome experience.  Been telling my wife for 19 years that we are going back; just haven't been able to afford it (daughter's dance lessons keep sucking up all that cash).  🙂

  • Clive Strong - Sunday, July 1, 2018 1:35 AM

    All in all, it has been a busy year with a lot achieved and I have a ton to do for the remainder, but life is good and I have a great work life balance.

    That's the goal.

  • skeleton567 - Sunday, July 1, 2018 6:16 AM

    Well, now I have to get my little commercial in here for you to check out.  Enough trees for you here?   This may be our last summer due to aging and needing to be near our doctors.  We did, however, this week turn down an offer.  To see the thousands of trees on the property, look as the second picture in the slide-show. 
    http://pitkincoloradorealestate.com/2016/09/18/567-grasshopper-rd-pitkin-co-quartz-creek-properties/nggallery/thumbnails

    Very cool. I'd love that someday. Right now I needed a break even property I could use. We head up tomorrow to use our place and hike at Keystone. Maybe one day we'll do a remote cabin. We did look S of Breckenridge a few years ago, but didn't see anything we wanted.

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