Do you like this story?
What a dog mom did on her summer vacation
By Christie Keith
July 13, 2010
I’m back… did you miss me?
A lot of people asked me on Monday, “So, where did you go on your vacation?” I tell them it was a “staycation,” where you don’t work and you stay home. After all, I live in San Francisco, one of the top vacation spots in the world. I don’t like hot weather so the endless fog made me perfectly happy — as did being free to toss Rawley in the car whenever I felt like it and take him to the park, the beach or to hang out in a cafe.
Kyrie, on the other hand, preferred my other pastime, reading. She’s 11 now, and is happier hanging out on the sofa or lying on a dog bed on the deck while I bury my nose in a book or, more usually these days, my Kindle.
I read 17 books in two weeks. Are you impressed? I know Miss Kyrie is! She blinked when I asked her, and that’s the universal Borzoi sign of total agreement.
Other than that, I watched all 22 episodes of “Glee,” which I now fannishly adore, and a couple episodes of “The Tudors,” which I hated just as much as my various friends said I would. Yes, it was two weeks of grueling action, I tell ya.
I did change a few things around in my house, however. And one of them is that I set up my office downstairs, in what used to be my mom’s apartment but is now freshly painted and re-arranged. It looks out on the garden, and it’s big and full of light, but more to the point, it’s completely separate from my house. My hope is that I’ll learn something about “balance,” to try and let my head stop working after, say, dinner time. To not have work seep out into every spare (and some not-so-spare) corner of my life.
We’ll see how I do at that. “Moderation” is not my best thing.
Photo: Rawley at Park Chow, our favorite dog-friendly cafe. Taken on my iPhone.
Share & Enjoy
|
Facebook
|
Twitter
|
Google Buzz
|
Digg
|
|
Technorati
|
StumbleUpon
|
Delicious
|
Email
|
Home
Glad you are back & hope the staycation rejuvenated you ! Enjoy the new office, I hope it helps keep some balance for you timewise.
Comment by Leslie K — July 13, 2010 @ 5:18 am
What two books do you recommend?
I’m looking for a good read!
Comment by ericka — July 13, 2010 @ 6:11 am
Yes, we missed you, but I love your productive reading/Gleeing/relaxing. Now to work on that life/work balance thing - here’s hoping changing the office makes a positive difference.
Comment by Phyllis DeGioia — July 13, 2010 @ 6:18 am
Sounds perfect, Christie! I hate leaving my dogs, so I prefer to stay home. I need your tips on staying away from work when you’re “staycationing” at home, though. I can’t seem to do it!
Comment by Chris Shaughness — July 13, 2010 @ 6:21 am
This is the only time I’ve been able to do it, and I think here the key was that I took two weeks. The challenge will be doing this on a weekend or a single “mental health day” during the week, or a week-long vacation in the future.
I also plan on having Dr. Becker “mentor” me in how to do this when he gets back from his 5 weeks in Europe, LOL. I just hope I don’t have to get a slot on a couple of TV shows first.
Comment by Christie Keith — July 13, 2010 @ 8:57 am
You know how you felt before? The “OMG I’m going to blow” feeling?
I feel that way now. We get Dr. B home for a couple of weeks and deal with all the urgencies and emergencies and I’m taking a “staycation” myself.
I may even read a few books myself. :)
I suspect the various enterprises can do without me, since (and I wouldn’t have believed it) they survived without you.
Could it be we ARE capable of signing off for a couple weeks? I think we all should try it this year.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 13, 2010 @ 11:49 am
staycation - what a nice new word I’ll be using - glad you’re back.
Comment by mary frances — July 13, 2010 @ 11:51 am