The Longest Weekend

Some days, I'm at work because I like what I do. Other days, I'm there to earn a living. And on other days, I'm there because I have nothing better to do and would go stir crazy staying at home with my folks. Still, everybody needs time to recharge and reset, and Thanksgiving weekend has always been my longest break. By just taking two vacation days in addition to the existing four-day weekend, the Wednesday prior and the Monday after, I can get six consecutive days away from my daily routine. In the past, this has been both a blessing and a curse. There have been years in which I lay around playing video games and sleeping, which is nice the first day or so but then I start to feel like my brain is turning to pudding. Fortunately, I maintain a running to-do list ranging from the fun to the necessary, and these long weekends are good opportunities to get caught up.

• Music: I ordered the long-awaited Chinese Democracy, and should have it in the next couple of days. I'm looking forward to it based on the first track that's been released, although a friend who got an early copy described it as “horrible” because it was mostly ballads. Now, I definitely like November Rain and other GnR ballads, but they were usually paced out between shorter, heavier songs. We'll see how I feel about several songs like that in a row. I've also started listening to the most recent AC/DC album, and like what I'm hearing so far.

Just when I thought it was safe to put my horn away until March, I got the call that we'll be playing a holiday parade on Saturday night. It's less than a mile, but it's going to be freezing. We haven't done the job in a few years, and were “lucky” enough to get it back. My dad actually declined a month ago when that band invited us, so I'm glad he won't be enduring those harsh conditions, especially with his shoulder woes.

• Socializing: I'm not sure what's going on for Thanksgiving itself, yet. Usually, one of my Uncles comes over and my mom cooks, but he's been so forgetful lately, losing track of days and sleeping through them, that my mom is concerned with him driving. We might just make food and bring it over there. Or just have dinner with immediate family and have another dinner on Sunday when my other Uncle would be free to drive his brother. I've also heard of at least 3 happy hours over the weeks with various groups of friends, and hope to make it out to at least two of them.

• Movies: Transporter 3 opens this weekend. I still have several hours of commentary and special features to get through on my Incredible Hulk DVD. I expect to get through at least 3 films from Netflix if not more. And maybe I'll finally have time to get through all the B-movie screener DVDs B13 has loaned me throughout the year; I've fallen behind and have something like 26 stacked up. I'll see if I can't make a long-overdue dent in those.

• Books: The last novel I read was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, so it's been well over a year that I've read anything that wasn't on a computer screen. I doubt I'll get in any reading this weekend, but I really should get to the next one on my list, A Feast For Crows. It's the fourth book in a series I haven't read in a long time, and if I put it off much longer I'm going to start forgetting what happened in the first three books.

• Missed Television: 2008 was the year I tackled all 10 seasons Stargate SG-1 as well as its direct to DVD film sequels, and I got all caught up on Stargate Atlantis, up to the most recent episodes of its fifth and final season. I finally saw the final two episodes filmed for Drive, though that led to an even larger cliffhanger and made me even more mad that it was canceled. I've watched 36 out of 53 episodes of Arrested Development, 3 out of 33 episodes of Eureka, and 6 out of 12 episodes of True Blood. I also have an unopened boxed set of From the Earth to the Moon that my cousin gave me as a present last Christmas. I'm terrible, but someday I will catch up with the rest of the world.

• Photography & Blogging: Weather permitting, you can bet my camera and I will find at least one day to get some shots in this weekend. And after 1,500+ days of uninterrupted posting, I’m not about to stop.

• Errands: Speaking of Christmas, I really should start shopping, though certainly not on Friday. Maybe Monday will be better, when everyone else is back at work. I think the leaves and the lawn are chores that I won't have to worry about for a while, though with my luck I'll end up shoveling snow. There's some paperwork to fill out as I renew my benefits for next year, and probably some other minor things like laundry. It's nice that all of these things come after my entertainment items, but I am who I am.

* * * * *

Yes, it promises to be a long but fun weekend, after which I expect to have a sense of accomplishment, relaxation, and the desire to go back to work!