40 Ways To Vacation Like You Were Dyin'

Today I start vacation. Starbucks' fiscal year ends on Sunday, and I have 24 hours of vacation (ie, three days) to use, so my manager was nice enough just to give me the rest of the week off... now, normally, at 845am in the morning, I would still be sleeping until about 10am, and do so every day until Sunday, but this week, I wanted to get some stuff done.

You know how there are a dozen or two little things just around that you need to get to, you just haven't made time to do it yet? Simple things that might take you an hour or less to complete, and would be totally satisfying upon completion, but you just haven't taken time to jump on the task? Well, thats this week for me.

So, I've made a list of several things I want to accomplish: Skydiving, rocky mountian climbing, ride 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu-Manchu, love deeper, spoke sweeter, give forgiveness that I've been denying... okay, just kidding.

Here's really what I want to do, not necessarily in this order:

Just got a sweet deal on an 18 month subscription to Sports Illustrated, complete with a Cincinnati Bengals long sleeve t-shirt. Of course, $40 out of the budget means I gotta put $40 back into the budget. Good thing I have $40 change in my spare change bucket, so (1) Roll $40 bucks in change and deposit it before Stephanie yells at me.

For the two or three people who don't know, I'm a big comic book collector, and I keep track of them on a spread sheet I created a few years ago... you may think it's dorky, and it may be, but it helps me to remember what I'm missing. Right now, I have a stack of comics that need to be filed away, so (2) inventory and file comics.

Couple of tv shows to watch, so watch (3) last season's finale of Lost on dvd, (4) the pilot episode of Jericho on my iPod and (5) the pilot episode of Heroes on video.

For my middle school drama team, (6) retype skits and send to Kathy Compton for printing.

I've been reading four books at once, "Body Piercing Saved My Life" by Andrew Beaujon, "100 People Who are Screwing Up America (and Al Franken is #37)" by Bernard Goldberg, "One for the Money" by Stephanie Evanovich and "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown. Hopefully, I can half this stack by (7) finishing at least two books this weekend.

I'm long overdue to finish this, and this may be one of the first two or three things I do, (8) to finish and mail out thank you cards for people who donated to the NYC mission trip.

(9) Attend a college football game
(10) Get tickets for said college football game
(11) Call Mom

When I was at NBC, we had this health initiative for walking, and everyone who participated got a pedometer. (That word makes it sound like you are measuring pedophiles... "Yep, my pedometer is picking up 4 in this area"). Anyway, I have one, and the only reason I've never used it is because I have to set it to my walking stride--so (12) set pedometer, so I can get an idea of how much I walk during the day.

Speaking of walking, I do need some exercise... five days, I can handle three miles, right? (13) Walk 3 miles.

The services at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) have been great these past few weeks, studying the life of David. I've found myself actually reading ahead of the sermon notes, and I told myself I'd read through the books, so what a better time to do so? (14 & 15) Read I and II Samuel all the way through.

As a doting husband, figure out some way to (16) out-serve Stephanie this weekend... though I think that opportunity has already presented itself.

Within (16), I have been meaning to already do a few things... she is a Creative Memories consultant (scrapbooking) and though I don't go for putting pictures in a book with designs and cut out letters (not to demean it in any way, its a cool thing) they do have new slide albums, like your traditional books that you just slide pictures into--but better. Safer for the picture, the design is better, and there is room for notes about the picture. Of course, I need to (17) sort through the box of pictures I have, (18) figure out which 160 pictures will go in my new slide album and (19) start the album.

I was in a Barnes & Noble the other day, when someone asked me if I was from India. No joke. We chatted for just a second, and I moved on. Looking back, it was so random, who knows if that was just that--random--or a divine appointment that I blew off. So, hopefully, I have another shot at it. (20) Have a conversation with a total stranger

We love sending out birthday and anniversary cards, and recently, we have more names to add to our list, so (21) update b'day/ann. calendar.

I used to keep a great weekly prayer calendar, with all our friends and family on it, with each day having a different list of people to pray for. Needless to say, Steph and I haven't really looked at that lately, so (22) update prayer calendar.

Sometimes you just want to veg and do nothing, right? (23) Spend at least 2 consecutive hours doing nothing but sitting on my rear and flipping channels.

My friend list on my MySpace Page is getting large. Lots of people I've added that I haven't talked to since I added them, including one friend who emailed me a good letter that I haven't responded to.

(24) Email Blair and respond.
(25-29) Email five people that I haven't talked to in a really, really long time just to say hey and find out how they are doing.

Finishing a task I started on Monday, (30) fold clothes and get them out of the living room.

Back in February, I started posting the Deuce Weeklys, each time five years to the day of when they were orginally released. Since I got back from New York City, I haven't been very good at it--I'm a month behind. So (31) Update The Deuce Weekly Archive.

(32) I really need to update this page, while I'm at it. I think I'll call it "Clouds in My Coffee"... thats cool name. I don't want to be one of those middle school girls who change email address and myspace pages fifteen times over, but "The Adventures of Dave" was okay, and "Dave's Sojourn" just doens't ring with me like I hoped it would. Plus, I need to update some links.

Going back to (21), I need to (33) pick up an anniversary card for Michael & Melissa Clark and while I'm at it, (34) get a birthday card for my buddy Ryan. Plus, I need to (35) call Hallmark and find out why we haven't been getting their quarterly coupon thingies for being Gold Crown Members.

Months overdue, I should finally (36) get the graduation gifts we promised for Kourtney, Kandice and Jaci.

Got a note in the mail yesterday, found out one of my drama kids has Type I diabetes, and there is an event at the end of the month to raise money for a cure... this would be a perfect Make Your Mark idea (its a fund-raising program from Starbucks), so (37) get ball rolling for MYM for Elisabeth's event.

Due today, my audio book copy of Ann Coulter's "Slander", to the Hoover Public Library. This one whuld be easy... (38) drop off due books and pay overdue fees for a dvd I had out last week.

Speaking of reading, I'm waaaay behind in my Sports Guy columns. (39) Catch up on TSG's stuff.

...

Just sat here for about ten minutes watching Sports Center to see if they had any info on Terrell Owen's alledged suicide attempt (none yet), and just thinking of how to end this list on a nice, even number (who ends a list on the number 39?). I just saw a commercial for the dvd of Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift... what if I watch that? No, I like my 138 IQ.

I think I'll just keep you updated on my progress. (40) Keep a running tally of how much I've done (and didn't do).

Think I can get it all in? It's 10am... I need to shave and shower, and let's begin...