Barely made it down here, but in retrospect I'm quite pleased with myself for postponing going to work for a few minutes to catch up on "me time". It's the fifth of July, as the time stamp and title most assuredly reiterate, and I've one bummer case of the Mondays.
I managed to sneak away from work on (the real) Monday afternoon to head up to Camp Alice Pittenger (CAP) in McCall; Lauren's home away from home for the past two weeks and the next six yet to come. She had a three-day respite between groups of cretins and I fully monopolized two of them (the days, not the cretins) with my presence. Funny what creatures of habit we all are, and after a mere 14 days at camp Lauren has reprogrammed her standard daily routine to be more conducive to leading a summer girl scout camp. During my time there we followed what I imagine is the typical daily schedule at CAP: up around seven, breakfast immediately following, craft time, nature time, lunch time, craft time, activity time, swim time, dinner. Lights out immediately at 10 p.m.; or else. Although I suspect my crafts and outdoor activities differ slightly from an eleven-year-old girl's, it did not stop me from embracing the time away from work, away from clients; away from this nerd-box laptop.
Regarding all the stimuli, CAP is freaking phenomenal. It possesses all of the elements you stereotypically expect to see at a girl scout camp: a Tinker Hut craft building, canoes and fun-yaks and sail boats and speed boats, a swim cove, mountain bikes, star-gazing telescopes, and a lodge/mess hall decorated with sickeningly adorable memoirs from years and troops now grown and gone (see: decorated tiles, quilts, Popsicle-stick mansions, and all the lanyard plastic bead jewelry your eyes can handle). There are so many animals roving around you'd think that Jim Henson lay hidden just out of sight, masterfully choreographing scores and varieties of animatronics to walk by and stand by whenever you venture outdoors. Oh hello deer, fox, bear, squirrel, fish, osprey...
But alas, I am back in Boise. McCall registered a high yesterday of 88-degrees F. Relatively speaking, 88-degrees in McCall felt blistering enough to warrant more than a few dips in the icy-cool lake. Driving down to this coffee shop, the radio DJ forcasted a Boise high of 106-degrees F. I do not believe that the F stands for Fahrenheit in both cases... I mean, 106-degrees is ridiculous. Fortunately I work in one of those well-insulated (from heat, light... and pretty much all sensory stimuli) labs within the university. Fortunately...?
Work is a bit bothersome. The aforementioned toy design company has recognized my abilities and made a few insinuations regarding potential employment; which is nice. The current job however is still draining too much time and not offering enough reward for my taste. I worry that my taste is impossible to satiate, however, so I am perpetually trying to suck it up and accept my job for what it most certainly is: reality. No one likes their job all the time, and I fear that I am spoiled by having things "this good" directly out of grad school. Sarcasm? Not sure, I'm tired.
And poof, my window of time has vanished, much like all molecules of water on a 106-degree summer day in Boise. Off to work for what will likely be a nine or ten-hour day. As mentioned, this feels like a Monday and it'll be hard to snap out of my funk. Thanks for tuning in.
-Calvino
