Vacation

I'm taking a vacation at the end of the month. I'm actually travelling to a different state for a solid week. The last time I went away somewhere for an extended period of time that wasn't my grandmother's house in Virginia, I was 17. That was eight years ago. On that trip, I spent nine fabulous days in France and Switzerland.

This time, I'm going to Tennessee. I went there about 10 years ago with my family so a few of the things we'll be doing will be familiar to me. But I'm excited to be getting out of my apartment (mental note: must find a fish-sitter) with my roommate and hitting the road. The only downside is I'm doing all the driving, but nonetheless, I am excited.

Not that I'm a fan of country music (and not that there's anything wrong with country music). My roommate's friend moved there last summer and has been pretty bored and lonely in the last year, so we're visiting her. I think we're also going to see an exhibit of Egyptian art and artifacts, the Parthenon (full-scale replica of the one in Greece, complete with Athena), the Hermitage, and other fun stuff. That's all in Nashville. We'll be in Chattanooga for one day to see Lookout Mountain, Ruby Falls, and Rock City. Then it's a long drive back home.

I think it'll be a good thing. I haven't taken any real vacation time in the two and a half years I've been at my job. I usually just took off a day here or there to go to the beach or whatever. Although, the bad thing is that it's already looking like I'll have to cram a ton of work in at the last minute or play major catch-up when I get back. It's not like this vacation hasn't been on the calendar for a while now. My boss could have planned these projects a little better. But then he wouldn't be him. Oh well. One week and two days and I'm gone and I'm not doing work at night. Nope. Not gonna do it.

-----

My brother has been at his job for two weeks now. I think he likes it. They seem to like him. My coworker's wife works there, and she passes along stories about him. Which is more than I've gotten from him directly. At least he seems to be doing well. Not that I don't still worry about him, but it's less frequently.