Two out of four can be a problem
I don't remember what it's like to have fun or see friends or do anything other than work, work, work. :( I actually started crying in my office on Friday night when I was still there at 8 pm and I was starving and my back was hurting and I was paralyzed with the indecision of whether to pack all my papers up with me so I could work from home or just come back in on Saturday. I finally decided to just go back on Saturday. It sucked but I got a lot done. And then I was able to work from home all day today so at least I didn't have to commute -- yay?
I think I'd go postal if I didn't have my VACATION COMING UP IN SIX DAYS. HELL YES. I WILL PUT UP WITH THIS CRAP FOR SIX MORE DAYS AND THEN FLEEEEEEEEEEEE.
We're roadtripping to Vermont and Maine and I CANNOT WAIT. We're going to be camping for most of the trip, so on Friday when I finally got home from work we decided to make sure we knew how to put the tent together. This will be our first time camping on the East Coast -- we've done a lot of hiking in the woods, but no sleeping so far. My boyfriend's parents had mailed us a tent they weren't using anymore, so we put it together in the living room... only to discover it was missing two of the four poles. Crap. After much consultation over the weekend with his parents (couldn't find the missing poles), my parents (love, love, love to provide advice on backpacking equipment), and the professionals at REI (buy replacement poles for half the price of a new tent? Rent one to test it out?), we decided to buy a tent that we'll be able to use on this car camping trip but also on future backpacking trips. They didn't have the one we wanted in stock, but it should arrive by Friday in time for us to pick it up and depart Saturday morning... (fingers crossed on the delivery schedule!)
(Side note: the Seattle store did have the tent we wanted and because of the weirdness with how long the ordering/shipping stuff takes and our imminent trip, we actually considered sending my parents to the Seattle store to physically pick up the tent and FedEx it to us. I will admit my boyfriend and I took a certain snobby pleasure in knowing that we could count on the Seattle REI (where the company started) to save the day.)
I am so glad we tested out the tent on Friday. :P
Also, since we'll be doing a lot of driving on this trip, I've been planning what we'll listen to. Does anyone have music or podcast recommendations? I tend to stockpile podcasts for long drives, and a week-long road trip certainly qualifies.
But I also thought I'd share my own podcast recommendations, in case anyone else is looking for some entertainment.
Podcasts
(I think most of these can be found by searching iTunes. I don't quite understand how links to iTunes work so I'm just listing the names.)
1. KEXP Song of the Day - KEXP is a radio station that started in Seattle and has since expanded into some kind of partnership in NYC because of its awesomeness. KEXP is public (so, no commercials, funded by donations) and features a lot of alternative and indie music on its song of the day podcasts. I miss the Seattle music scene SO MUCH, but the KEXP podcasts help alleviate that loss. I also listen via streaming to the live broadcasts. I don't always like the song of the day artist, but no big loss -- I just delete the ones I can't listen to all the way through a first time. I've definitely discovered a lot of groups I like because of KEXP, though.
2. The Moth - Short (usually 15-ish minutes) recordings of notes-free storytelling by people before a live audience. Sometimes they're people you've heard of, sometimes they're "open mike" joe schmoes. But most of the time the stories are interesting, and frequently they're funny. I think "The Moth" as an organization hosts these periodic events where people tell their stories, and for the podcasts they pick some of the best ones. I like this podcast because it's short and can fit in when I'm walking home and am close by...
3. This American Life - A staple of the NPR world, and more of a time commitment at an hour. Each week they choose a theme, and explore that theme through usually 3 or 4 radio pieces where the producers/reporters interview people and let them tell their stories. I tend to save these up for when I'm walking to/from work or going on a long drive. My boyfriend and I are avid fans. My dad doesn't like the show because he thinks it's too depressing, but I think it's a good mix of humor, poignancy, randomness, and yes, sometimes angst.
4. Stuff You Should Know - Another favorite road trip podcast in the Cee household. Hosts Josh and Chuck have great chemistry and the perfect mix of nerdiness and guys-you'd-want-to-have-a-beer-with (and OK, for some of us, those two categories aren't mutually exclusive). This podcast is usually 20-30 minutes. They'll pick some kind of topic and discuss it in a fun, conversational manner. Things like "How Muppets Work," "Can quicksand kill you?, "Does gum really stay in your stomach for 7 years?," "Why do people blush?" Etc.
I think I'd go postal if I didn't have my VACATION COMING UP IN SIX DAYS. HELL YES. I WILL PUT UP WITH THIS CRAP FOR SIX MORE DAYS AND THEN FLEEEEEEEEEEEE.
We're roadtripping to Vermont and Maine and I CANNOT WAIT. We're going to be camping for most of the trip, so on Friday when I finally got home from work we decided to make sure we knew how to put the tent together. This will be our first time camping on the East Coast -- we've done a lot of hiking in the woods, but no sleeping so far. My boyfriend's parents had mailed us a tent they weren't using anymore, so we put it together in the living room... only to discover it was missing two of the four poles. Crap. After much consultation over the weekend with his parents (couldn't find the missing poles), my parents (love, love, love to provide advice on backpacking equipment), and the professionals at REI (buy replacement poles for half the price of a new tent? Rent one to test it out?), we decided to buy a tent that we'll be able to use on this car camping trip but also on future backpacking trips. They didn't have the one we wanted in stock, but it should arrive by Friday in time for us to pick it up and depart Saturday morning... (fingers crossed on the delivery schedule!)
(Side note: the Seattle store did have the tent we wanted and because of the weirdness with how long the ordering/shipping stuff takes and our imminent trip, we actually considered sending my parents to the Seattle store to physically pick up the tent and FedEx it to us. I will admit my boyfriend and I took a certain snobby pleasure in knowing that we could count on the Seattle REI (where the company started) to save the day.)
I am so glad we tested out the tent on Friday. :P
Also, since we'll be doing a lot of driving on this trip, I've been planning what we'll listen to. Does anyone have music or podcast recommendations? I tend to stockpile podcasts for long drives, and a week-long road trip certainly qualifies.
But I also thought I'd share my own podcast recommendations, in case anyone else is looking for some entertainment.
Podcasts
(I think most of these can be found by searching iTunes. I don't quite understand how links to iTunes work so I'm just listing the names.)
1. KEXP Song of the Day - KEXP is a radio station that started in Seattle and has since expanded into some kind of partnership in NYC because of its awesomeness. KEXP is public (so, no commercials, funded by donations) and features a lot of alternative and indie music on its song of the day podcasts. I miss the Seattle music scene SO MUCH, but the KEXP podcasts help alleviate that loss. I also listen via streaming to the live broadcasts. I don't always like the song of the day artist, but no big loss -- I just delete the ones I can't listen to all the way through a first time. I've definitely discovered a lot of groups I like because of KEXP, though.
2. The Moth - Short (usually 15-ish minutes) recordings of notes-free storytelling by people before a live audience. Sometimes they're people you've heard of, sometimes they're "open mike" joe schmoes. But most of the time the stories are interesting, and frequently they're funny. I think "The Moth" as an organization hosts these periodic events where people tell their stories, and for the podcasts they pick some of the best ones. I like this podcast because it's short and can fit in when I'm walking home and am close by...
3. This American Life - A staple of the NPR world, and more of a time commitment at an hour. Each week they choose a theme, and explore that theme through usually 3 or 4 radio pieces where the producers/reporters interview people and let them tell their stories. I tend to save these up for when I'm walking to/from work or going on a long drive. My boyfriend and I are avid fans. My dad doesn't like the show because he thinks it's too depressing, but I think it's a good mix of humor, poignancy, randomness, and yes, sometimes angst.
4. Stuff You Should Know - Another favorite road trip podcast in the Cee household. Hosts Josh and Chuck have great chemistry and the perfect mix of nerdiness and guys-you'd-want-to-have-a-beer-with (and OK, for some of us, those two categories aren't mutually exclusive). This podcast is usually 20-30 minutes. They'll pick some kind of topic and discuss it in a fun, conversational manner. Things like "How Muppets Work," "Can quicksand kill you?, "Does gum really stay in your stomach for 7 years?," "Why do people blush?" Etc.