Intermission of employment

Alright, so I have been ignoring the blog for a while, because I have been trying to take a vacation from my life. It's been a very full few months and I am one of those people who can go for a long time...but when I get knackered, I need serious down time.

My attempt at serious down time was a 3 day jaunt to Puerto Rico, which was delightful in every way, except for the 3 day bit. Coming home on a packed plane full of grumpy people who clearly felt that their vacationing time was also sub par, I started thinking about the idea of a vacation itself...

I am fortunate enough at this stage in my life to be able to take a trip here and there. But, I am finding that the longer I live in the US, the shorter my vacations get. To be fair, I don't remember having long vacations when I lived in Canada, but at the time I didn't have the means to take any vacations other than just 'I am not at work, yeay!' vacations....But I also don't ever remember being in such a need of a vacation as I do now.

Could it be, that living on the east coast of a very metropolitan area, has over time made me into a short attention spanned, low tempered, needing constant external input basket case? What would happen if I suddenly found myself without the means to escape the rat race....or worse yet, if I was dropped into a desert without restaurants, movie theaters or shopping. Would I implode and become the next best thing to the Hadron Collider? I'm sure it would be quite spectacular!

I work in an international company with colleagues of many cultural backgrounds. We have often discussed our dreams and wishes for vacations, as well as our expectations for what a 'vacation' truly is. One thing is for sure, that no matter how much vacational funding people do or do not have, and no matter what culture people may come from, there is always a group who delight in the 'I am not at work, yeay!' vacation. These are the ones who find it most relaxing to simply sleep in, stay in their pj's all day and not really leave the house all that much. Then there are those who don't consider it a vacation until they sleep in a bed that is not their own, located somewhere which is not their home (i.e. Puerto Rico). As you may have guessed I am the latter, although, there is something to be said about staying in bed until noon just because you can.

One thing that is also universally clear, is that the more time you have off, the better you feel and that a vacation isn't really a vacation until it is at least 5 days planned as a 'time off' (feel free to comment on this if you are of another opinion). This excludes days off in between work shifts or random acts of God such as 6 feet of snow overnight, broken limbs, etc....

However, the most interesting thing to note is that some cultures do not think a vacation is a vacation, unless it is at least 2 weeks off. This being the Scandinavian cultures, who find it customary to take 2 to 5 week vacations and will look at you as though you've sprouted a second head when you tell them that you just had a vacation in Puerto Rico for 3 days. (We are not pointing fingers Mr.L). This is interesting to me, simply because I just cannot wrap my head around the concept of taking that much time off. This has never happened to me before and I certainly can't imagine that I would be productive upon my return to work after such a time, assuming that I could bring myself to come back at all. As it is, I can hardly remember all the passwords after 3 days of piña coladas, never mind three weeks! My brain would be absolute mush and I would have to re-learn everything I need to know all over again. Not the type of a learning curve I am looking for in my career.

Could it be that our approach to vacation is related to our approach to working? In 'Mer'ca, if you work 8 hours a day, you are a slacker who has no passion for your job and is grossly underachieving. In places like Sweden for example, if you work more than 8 hours a day, you are incompetent and can't manage the tasks assigned to you. Hmmm, perhaps those people find it slightly more satisfying to have productive work lives balanced with quality 'I am not at work, yeay!' time. Perhaps, if one were to measure the 'Happiness Index' of all the countries in the world, one might find some interesting insight into who is feelin' chill and who is feelin' a little stressed.  Of course matters of economy and various governmental influences may also have an impact here, but to me it seems that those countries who value the time and environment outside of work are much happier indeed...(and here I make sweeping generalizations).

All I am really saying is that a 3 day trip to Puerto Rico only served to show me how high my un-relaxation has been over the last few months, but was no where long enough to start washing any of it away. Oh well...at this point I'm just counting down the hours to Good Friday, which I took off to make myself feel like I am having a little, mini 'I am not at work, yeay!' vacation.

Containers for the things contained

Don't you just hate it when time comes to move or you're just doing some spring cleaning and after a rewarding day freeing yourself of clutter you come to a face off:

you vs. the box (you packed 10 years ago and have been moving ever since!)

It seems that most people have one or a few of those in their attic or basement or wherever...but why?

I have thought about this at length, because just this weekend Mr. J and I were doing a little clean up with a resolution that we really don't need two of everything. (Mostly I just finally am giving in and deciding that he's allowed to stay for a long time...maybe even forever...dare we say it out loud and not jinx it!).

We in fact had a few of those boxes in the attic, and spurred by the free shredding happening at the local IKEA, we decided to tackle this with such fervor that not even a lunch break was allowed. It was very interesting indeed to pull the boxes one by one, and rediscover the years of our youth gone by...

I found it interesting the we looked through the papers and miscellaneous items with curiosity, but also a little nervousness...maybe a little dread. After not looking into them in so long, we completely forgot what was there. The anticipation of finding something that reminded us of sad times, or something that we've worked so hard all these years to forget, completely overshadowed all the pleasant surprizes...all the little pieces of paper that reminded us of the fun, the carelessness of our young lives, when carefree living made us just dump these things into a box and go...

So why is that things that we cared to pack up one day, had become this dead weight that we have carried from place to place for so long instead? Why are these boxes in particular the ones that we did not unpack? What is this fear that humans have? It is interesting to me when people mention how they deal with these mystery boxes (or for some maybe just folders or envelopes)...they let them be until some arbitrary amount of time passes and they throw them out. I have in the past simply thrown a box away...never checking what was in it.

Perhaps these little time capsules are our coping mechanisms. They are the devices we use to stow away our troubles, our memories that we wish to forget until we feel strong enough to let them go. Maybe they represent emotional bonds to places or people that we simply couldn't let go until we take them to the curb.

Or maybe, they are simply a symptom of our poor ability to manage clutter. Could it be that simple?

Well, this is a conundrum that I am sure could cost thousands of dollars in quality shrink time, but the fact remains that the boxes are gone. Our work is done. We feel lighter...We are moving on...

'Tis the season

Alright, so it seems that (at least for this week) winter is over. I hope it is, because the daffodils are 6 inches high and it would be a shame to see them being crushed by another foot of snow! It also seems that the birds are in a jolly good mood, as their morning song is so much more melodic these last few days.

This is the part of Pennsylvania that I really love the most. When the world begins to wake from it's wintery slumber, and suddenly the sun shines a little brighter and little bits of green start to shoot out of the ground.

One thing can be said for sure, you really get all four seasons here and each one of them is marvelous in the very best way it can. So, you may ask: what should I expect from the seasons in Philadelphia? Well, let's start with the natural begining:

SPRING
 
The days are getting warmer, but nights are still very cold.
The Philadelphia spring is wonderful, because this is when you realize how much nature there really is around you. There are fantastic parks all around suddenly bursting into fresh greenery. If you are here, this is the time to start exploring. Philadelphia has an extensive park system which connects the city to many outlying townships, and biking, running or walking these trails is a wonderful experience. This path system is part of Fairmount Park, which is considered one of the countries largest urban parks. It's really a treat to have this much nature in your back yard! This and all the other little parks throughout the area are perfect for catching the first glimpses of nature coming back to life.
It's also the best time to head into the city for first glimpses of the new spring fashions that all the fashionistas pull out of their closets. There are places to go and be seen and definitely something for everyone if you are more of a city kid. To find out what is going on in the city check out the Center City Philadelphia website.
Or simply go running up the stairs like Rocky, and visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Their spring line up is phenomenal, starting with a Picasso show....and so much more. And yes, those really are the stairs that Rocky run up. His statue is just to the right of the stairs.

SUMMER

The days are hot and humid and so are the nights. If you are planning to live in Philly, plan to have an air conditioner, because without it you will be hot...H-O-T...hot...and sticky. Most people are not prepared for the level of humidity during the Philly summers. It makes for spectacular evening thunderstorms. Inevitably, if you are not afraid of thunder, you will find yourself with a glass of wine, all lights turned off and watching the show. These storms are incredible!
Summer is not a graceful season, especially in the city because the nights really are just as hot as the days so everyone ends up looking a little wilted. But, the food scene in Philadelphia is so fantastic that these summer nights are well worth suffering through. You can find anything you like here...it rivals New York! But be prepared to book a table in advance. Philladelphians enjoy going out! If you're a little worried about making the best entrance on the Philly scene, check out Open Table, where you can read about the hippest places to go and collect points redeemable for restaurant certificates.
This is also the best season to explore the areas surrounding Philly. Go to Atlantic City for a little casino action, Cape May for a lovely beech experience. If the beech is not your thing go for the Poconos. There is so much to do in the summer, that you will not be bored...just hot and sweaty.

AUTUMN

Now that I think about it, this may be my favourite season in Pennsylvania. The whole entire world turns into oranges, reds and yellows! You have never seen such amazing changing of the leaves. This is the time to go exploring the interior of Pennsylvania. The drive is guaranteed to be spectacular! If you're up for a weekend driving adventure, this is a great time to visit Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright's famous architecture. Or take the Northeast Extension past Allentown to the Delaware Water Gap. Or stay close to home and visit many other places which host fall festivals. My favourites are Skippack Village and Chestnut Hill.

WINTER

This is one of those tricky seasons in Philly, because sometimes it snows and sometimes it rains ice...as in you will be chiseling your car door open. So, remember all the fantastic places you visited and enjoyed in the summer? Now you should head back there to enjoy Holiday festivities and general merriment.
If you have Christmas shopping on the brain, then as I mentioned in the previous posts, this is not only the best country to be in for that, but also remember that Philly boasts one of the best Shopping Malls in King Of Prussia, great outlet mall in Limerick, and many others. Then when you feel like you need to work off the amazing food you've been enjoying in the city, head back to the Poconos for some fab skiing.

The best thing about the seasons in Philly is that there is something for everyone, and so life can be a great adventure enjoyed by all.

For now, I am just happy that the birds are singing once again, and that a walk in Fort Washington Park is not an Arctic expedition. Soon, the bicycle will get dusted off and my winter laziness will be biting me in the ass.....again! Hurray for spring!