Vacation Station Identification

I'm having one of those awesome fantasy housewife vacations, yo (why I just said yo, I cannot say).

You know that one where I get to sit around in my pajamas all day, snacking on Dove dark chocolate, and playing on the computer and then the non-husband comes home after working all day, cooks supper and does the dishes? Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. I'm fairly certain Acr0nym doesn't realize I'm here...yet...

Mostly because I'm staying extra specially quiet (no small feat) while attempting to pretend I'm not actually here. If Acr0nym notices I'm here, he may tell me to leave.

Besides, there's no tiara in this fantasy and you can't really hate me if I don't have a tiara, right?

Heh. Now he's getting ready to start laundry! Can this get any more awesome?! OK, well it'd probably be particularly awesome if he was doing my laundry but since I don't let anyone handle my underthings, it would be hard for him to do my laundry so I'll just relish the fact that he's doing his own laundry as I sit here...quietly.

[later]

He noticed me. It was likely all the hummus I ate for lunch. You know how that goes:

Beans, beans
The magical fruit.
The more you eat,
The more you toot.

Mental note: Next time you stay at someone's house as a guest, Jane - particularly one who will wait on you - refrain from the offer of the bean dip. It's a trap. A little like a bell around a cat's neck.

Anyway!

How I've thus far spent my Birthday Vacation:

I arrived at Acr0nym's safe and sound Sunday afternoon at which point we shopped for my vacation snax and wine and all manner of thrift store goodies because we could. Before you yell at me, yes, I know I have spelled snax incorrectly. However, you should also understand, sometimes words need to be misspelled for emphasis. Don't argue. Save your breath. I'm not listening. La-la-la-la I can't hear you!

Anyway!

The rest of Sunday and all day Monday was spent catching up with all my blogging friends. I laughed. I grimaced. I guffawed. And sometimes I cried...for the deaths of loved ones, for the death of a beloved cat, for the death of relationships. Emotions were all over the map and I was simply along for whatever ride came next chronologically. It was a trip well-worth taking but, I must confess, I'm glad the roller-coaster cars have come to a complete stop and the safety bars raised because by the time I went to bed (or the couch as it were) last night, I was exhausted.

Of note, this falling into slumber was precluded by Whirley Pop popcorn and two blissfully intense episodes of Game of Thrones. I've read the book, I just hadn't seen all the episodes yet.

Today was spent working in earnest on the new podcast.

Photo and mics provided by Acr0nym. Mosaic skull provided by Jive Turkey

We have a name! And a domain! And a logo in progress! And topics for the first half dozen episodes! We have original theme music and enthusiastic guests and snax! We have snax, by gum! We've tested audio and re-tested audio and tested audio some more (thank you, Jive Turkey, for braving the microphone for said tests) and then tested compression.

We have the first recording with guests scheduled for this coming Saturday. One guest informed me she's already picked out her outfit and "hawt" shoes for said recording. I said, "Honey, you know no one is going to see your shoes, right?"

Her response was the best ever! She said, "You know how you're supposed to put a smile in your voice when you're being recorded? Hawt shoes put a smile in my voice. So does talking about food while naked."

Thankfully, we won't be talking about food for the inaugural episode...uh...I don't think. For the record, naked food talk isn't a bad thing in my book. I just want to keep my audio engineer, Acr0nym, focused on the task at hand and I'm not sure he can stay focused if we're talking about food. Especially if Alton Brown gets mentioned.

Tomorrow is even more work on the podcast. I need to do some work deciding on format and more work on the initial scripting - not for the panel discussion but for the introduction and credits. We've also concluded I ought to do an episode zero to introduce the podcast and what kind of content I intend to include rather than try to do all that in episode one so I need to come up with something for that.

And then! Tomorrow night, we'll be heading down to a local pub where Devo Was Right spins each Wednesday night. This isn't something I can normally do during my work week since a 5 a.m. rise time is not conducive to staying out past 9 p.m. Thus, I'm taking full advantage of my ability to stay up late and go gallivanting about town to see my friends do what it is THEY love for once.

w00t!

Additional events scheduled: my weekly coffee klatch date with Spux, a comedy club adventure, a night out with geekery friends, the podcast recording and subsequent dance club fun (maybe...we'll see if I'm up to it), and a birthday gathering for Devo Was Right.

Somewhere in there, I hope, there will be cake. Just for me. Because mmmmm...cake.

Vacation. I'm On It.

My 40th birthday is Friday, the 20th. Less than a week away.

That's a pretty big deal in my opinion. I'm trying to embrace it, to be proud of it but my little pep talks haven't really worked. So, a few months ago when I began to contemplate the end of my 30's, I thought if I could do something over-the-top fantabulous perhaps I'd get past the knowledge that I'm aging and the fact that I'm not doing it quite as gracefully as I'd like.

Unfortunately, Common Sense - that rat bastard - stepped in and ungraciously reminded me that, since I'm chest-deep in debt reduction, money's tight. I didn't feel like I could take a big trip - although a 40th birthday road trip plan is still in preliminary talks between me and Acr0nym for later in the spring - and certainly not to Europe. I didn't have $5,000 on hand to spend on a blowout party. I didn't have extra cash to purchase something especially nice for myself...like a camera or a new laptop (this one is over 6 years old...keep your fingers crossed it doesn't bleed out on me anytime soon).

What I did have though was a little vacation time coming to me.

So...I'm on vacation. For a week - 9 days.

I'm not going anywhere in particular. There won't be beaches or bikinis or foreign accents. There won't be stamps on my passport or any worries about currency exchange rates. Instead, there will be hours upon hours spent in my most comfy pajamas. There will be naps. There will be a crap ton of boxed wine. I might even have a shot of Bailey's or Kahlua in my coffee each morning. There will be writing, writing, and more writing.

Friday night, I slept for 11 hours straight and only got out of bed when my back decided it'd had enough of my craptacular (and yet, free!) mattress. The rest of the day was spent grocery shopping, doing laundry, and parking myself in front of the television for 5 hours watching the Super-Duper Extra-Special Edition of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. No really. 5 hours. It was a good day.

Now, I'm getting ready to head up to Acr0nym's house in a minute for a few days and nights. He won't be home for most of it. I'm not going up there to spend time with him per se anyway. I'm going up there to rid myself of distractions...like dishes, laundry, our back room requiring some much needed sorting and organizing attention. I'm going up there to avoid the distraction of Vinny's litter box and Lex's inquiries into "what's for supper?".

I'm going up there to write, to rest, to work on the podcast and the blog re-design - yes, I'm re-designing and moving the blog off Blogger and onto a self-hosted site using a different blogging software. I've taken time off my paying job so that I can spend quality time on the other job I love.

I've taken time off my paying job to rest and re-charge.

I've taken time off my paying job to turn 40.

Vacation. I'm on it. For 7 1/2 more days.

I'm Very Glamorous and Exciting

I am on vacation.

I've been on vacation since Tuesday afternoon 3 p.m.

Here are the highlights of my vacation thus far:

Tuesday - I napped. For 2 glorious hours.

Wednesday 1 p.m. - I went over to Spux's and we drank coffee and then went shopping for "supplies".
Wednesday 4 p.m. - I turned off my phone and banned myself from the internet and wrote for 6 solid hours.
Wednesday 5 p.m. - Snow began to fall.

Today 9:30 a.m. - I tried to brave a foot of snow to go get my hair cut. Subsequently, I posted this on Google+: "Knee deep at my house. Knee deep in snow, that is (and likely a little BS too but that's normal). Just tried, like a fool, to drive somewhere. Got all that glorious snow cleaned off my car, interior toasty warm, and then couldn't get out of my foresaken Cap Hill parking spot since the plow came through and blocked me in. Sweet. Hot cocoa, I'm at your mercy."

Smart cars aren't very smart in the snow...no, it's not mine

Today 1:30 p.m. - Nap. 3 hours.

Today 5:30 p.m. - Played Interrogation with Vinny: Private Eye

Vinny: Private Dick

Today now-ish - I concocted the following semi-grownupish beverage: 

• 2 scoops double mocha instant cappuccino mix
• 1 scoop french vanilla instant cappuccino mix
• 1 scoop hot chocolate
• 1 shot Van Gogh's Double Espresso Vodka
• 20 oz. Sonata Roast Coda Coffee

Stir and Enjoy.

I'll either be up until 4 a.m. or passed out by 7 p.m.

I'll keep you updated.

Yay vacation!