I'm at work, making productive use of my down time. The system isn't down but we aren't all that busy and I have time to discuss my day. I'm working OT today, which, seriously, is my favorite part of the week. I like working the overtime far better than working the original 40 hours. For instance, if I'm dead tired of the place I can go home early without consequence, but I would really have to be tired to do such a thing. For example, if the beep of my phone is also used as my sleep alarm, it's time to go home.

I could have gone to play pool tonight but I would be thinking of the extra money I could be making and my fun would be stained with guilt. I reserve Tuesday for fun. On Tuesday I never feel guilty for avoiding overtime, or dodging errands I have to run, or sleeping all day. I reserve Tuesday just for me and pleasure. I also have Wednesday and Thursday off, so Wednesday is the day I run errands and maybe work OT, and Thursday is just for overtime. When I work the overtime I think about my next vacation.

I don't live for vacation, but I think about it a lot. I have three weeks of vacation to take before the end of the year and always I have two wildcard choices. A wildcard vacation is when I pack my backpack with a couple outfits, some survival stuff (Go without my favorite hair conditioner? Nuh-uh.), and some snacks and I park my car in long term parking at the airport. I walk into airport and go to an airline counter and find out which flights are available, what they cost, and take the first one that sounds reasonable. I've done this twice and each time has been really cool. I usually have enough time to call Alamo Car Rental to reserve a rental car for the week for the place where I just found out I'm going. I get where I'm going, ask which way to a cheap motel and good food, and I'm on my way. I've been to Tennesee and Alaska and each time was fun, although when I went to Alaska I ended up buying a snow jacket and gloves when I landed, but I still had fun. I go, I hang out, I ask people what I should see as a stranger to their land, and I do the tourist thing. It's random and often more expensive than if I had reserved a flight with any sort of notice, but I find I come home refreshed with good memories.

So two weeks, or maybe two long weekends will be wildcards, then I plan to go to Oregon to celebrate my 35th birthday with my best friend LeAnna and there will be a trip to Ohio this fall. I feel Ohio calling to me. When I go home just about everything is just how I remember it. If I go early enough in the fall I can hit the sweet spot when the little ice cream place that is in business all summer, that has a different flavor of the month (Apple pie ice cream, anyone?) every month, I can do a day or two at Cedar Point, as three days seems to be my limit, and I can watch Cleveland Browns football with my brother. JT loves football. Now, when I say this, I don't mean he paints himself orange and brown for the games, but he knows the stats of every player on every team, he plays Madden for Playstation with his very best friend Tom, and he really likes explain the game to me. Now, whether I know anything about football or not, I let him educate me on the game. His eyes light up, he can tell me about the college careers of all the players, how fast they ran the forty, the importance of knowing when to go offsides--all stuff I can live without knowing, but it's important to him so I enjoy learning about it. Also, it's time well spent with my brother, priceless.

JT is my youngest brother, 4 years older than me, and we are of the same generation. My oldest brother Max is 15 years older than me and we have absolutely nothing in common. When I go to visit Max he has the same light in his eyes, the same fervor, but he's talking about mutual funds and my retirement portfolio. I listen respectfully because everyone has something to say, but the setting with Max is always more formal. There are cocktails (Seriously, if someone offers you a Manhattan, run the other way!) pretentions, and there are always questions about my finances. I mean, seriously, I've never asked him about his finances--why should he care about mine?? Well, in my role as his baby sister, he feels it's his duty to make sure I'm not screwing my finances into the ground. Of course, as his baby sister, I feel it's better that there are things he doesn't know about my finances. For example, he doesn't know how much money I make, which mutual funds are actually in my portfolio, and how much money I blow on books I haven't read yet. His baby sister's ficticious portfolio and spending habits are very conservative, and that's the impression I want him to have.

Actually, since I'm talking brothers, if I were to visit my brother Chuck we would end up going to a baseball game, playing electronic trivia in a bar, and hanging out with my two oldest nephews and a good time would be had by all. If I spent time with my brother Robert (who I just saw the other day, which is a different story) we would be either drinking tons of beer, or tons of soda, depending whether he's on the wagon or not and having a barbeque of some sort. The man lives to grill stuff, who am I to judge?

So, back to vacations. Home calls to me and I go. It's about tradition, timing, and the sense of belonging I get when I go to a Cuyahoga Falls Tigers Varsity football game with JT, or hiking the Gorge, or snow sledding at the Cuyahoga Falls National Park and Reserve if I take my vacation a few weeks later.

I'm here working OT, planning the best use of my vacation time, which, in my opinion, is time well spent.