Two weeks of vacation around Christmas and New Year's Day (and my birthday) make up one of my favorite perks about my job. These breaks usually don't see me getting much done as far as work or home-improvement are concerned, but I usually get the chance to recharge my mental and spiritual batteries. As this break is coming to a close, I wanted to share some of the highlights:
1. I didn't put out my back. Last year, I ended vacation with the most excruciating pain that I have ever experienced. And while the snowpocalypse might still hit tonight or tomorrow, I have thus far avoided a similar experience. This, by itself, makes this year's break a hundred times better than last year's.
2. Time with friends and family. While a GNOME (Guy's Night Of Monster Evisceration) didn't occur, and I haven't seen some of the people whom I love this break, I had tremendously enjoyable times with people I did get to spend time with. Every family and friend get-together this break was better than I thought they would be (even when I had high hopes to begin with).
3. Dungeons and Dragons became enjoyable again. Since mid-summer, my enthusiasm for role-playing has been waning. It was starting to feel like too much of a bother with not enough pay-off. All it took was one great session with wonderful people to restore my love of this type of game/get-together.
4. The Last of Us - I can only play this game at night due to its horrifying, brutal, and profane content, but this game has one of the best stories that I have experienced this year. I don't know why I like the post-apocalyptic genre so much, but this game has presented the most realistic (for a vombocalypse story) and still mildly uplifting view that I have yet seen (I refuse to watch The Road). The gameplay is good. Still, my favorite parts of the game are when the characters aren't in combat, but are simply exploring the desolation of their world and getting to know and understand each other a little better.
5. New Year's Day mass - Due to a time mix-up, my mother and I attended the mass on New Year's Day at Queen's rather than St. Mary's. Between the readings and the guest preacher's sermon, I left this particular mass inspired to a degree that I hadn't anticipated. I truly wish that more people could experience the grace and contentment that this mass filled into my soul.
6. I turned 40. The Pirates of the Caribbean marathon went better than I expected (that second movie is just crap), but I was most surprised about how at peace I've felt with reaching this new marker in my life. Turning 30 made me feel the weight of all that I hadn't accomplished; turning 40 made me appreciate more all that I have.
There are certainly more elements that have combined to make this a favorite winter vacation. That the snowpocalypse might extend it is a nice bonus.
1. I didn't put out my back. Last year, I ended vacation with the most excruciating pain that I have ever experienced. And while the snowpocalypse might still hit tonight or tomorrow, I have thus far avoided a similar experience. This, by itself, makes this year's break a hundred times better than last year's.
2. Time with friends and family. While a GNOME (Guy's Night Of Monster Evisceration) didn't occur, and I haven't seen some of the people whom I love this break, I had tremendously enjoyable times with people I did get to spend time with. Every family and friend get-together this break was better than I thought they would be (even when I had high hopes to begin with).
3. Dungeons and Dragons became enjoyable again. Since mid-summer, my enthusiasm for role-playing has been waning. It was starting to feel like too much of a bother with not enough pay-off. All it took was one great session with wonderful people to restore my love of this type of game/get-together.
4. The Last of Us - I can only play this game at night due to its horrifying, brutal, and profane content, but this game has one of the best stories that I have experienced this year. I don't know why I like the post-apocalyptic genre so much, but this game has presented the most realistic (for a vombocalypse story) and still mildly uplifting view that I have yet seen (I refuse to watch The Road). The gameplay is good. Still, my favorite parts of the game are when the characters aren't in combat, but are simply exploring the desolation of their world and getting to know and understand each other a little better.
5. New Year's Day mass - Due to a time mix-up, my mother and I attended the mass on New Year's Day at Queen's rather than St. Mary's. Between the readings and the guest preacher's sermon, I left this particular mass inspired to a degree that I hadn't anticipated. I truly wish that more people could experience the grace and contentment that this mass filled into my soul.
6. I turned 40. The Pirates of the Caribbean marathon went better than I expected (that second movie is just crap), but I was most surprised about how at peace I've felt with reaching this new marker in my life. Turning 30 made me feel the weight of all that I hadn't accomplished; turning 40 made me appreciate more all that I have.
There are certainly more elements that have combined to make this a favorite winter vacation. That the snowpocalypse might extend it is a nice bonus.
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