Waaay OT - Workaholic seeks advice on required day off
My organization's Fiscal Year '12-'13 ends June 30th. Over the course of the past year, I have been extremely busy and as a result, did a really poor job of using my PTO. I find myself stuck with 2 extra days I have to use (today and tomorrow) or else I'll lose them come July 1st.
The first half of today has been excruciating. I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing on a weekday when I'm not at work (and when my GF and other friends are all working). I beg you, MGoPopulous, give me some ideas so I don't jump off my balcony out of boredom.
A little background may help. I live in Phoenix. It's 112 today so my desire is to keep it indoors, especially since I golfed and got a wicked burn this weekend. I don't drink alone. It's been so long since I've been unemployed that I can't remember how to pass time on my own. So those things considered, help!!!
Edit: Thanks to all for your great suggestions! I don't have enough time to do everything suggested, but that's better than having too much time with no ideas! Even those of you who contributed snark, I appreciate that - it's part of what makes this place so wonderful!
I have always wanted to go to a movie by myself, but, never had the opportunity (or the courage to do it). This seems like the perfect excuse to sit by yourself with a large popcorn in a cool theatre.
I actually did this for the first time in my life a month ago when I had about 4 hours between the end of a conference and my flight home from San Diego. Saw Gatsby all by myself in an empty theater at noon on a Friday and it was quite enjoyable. Not into the action/superhero/WWZ genre - any more nuansced movies out there anyone can recommend?
I have a busy job and a 1.5 year old at home; when I have unexpected free time, I tend to grab a spot outside (coffee shop or beer garden - I do, in fact, drink alone) with any one of the number of books piling up on my "To read" list.
I enjoy reading, but since my job is very reading/research oriented, I find myself wanting to rest my eyes on my personal time. That said, I could be up for a good book. I like non-fiction, true crime, passions are UofM, architecture and design, history (cities and 20th century mainly). Any recommendations?
Cities you say? Hopefully this list is helpful (with Amazon links)
The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs is a 101.
Cities of Tomorrow by UM's own Peter Hall is also great.
Wrestling with Moses is a great follow-up to Death and Life.
Devil in the White City is sort of a historical-fictionish retelling that combines urban sociology, history and a crime story.
Triumph of the City by Edward Glaeser is about the contemporary rise and importance of cities.
Planet of Slums by Mike Davis is a great urban history / dark reality of world cities.
The Option of Urbanism by Chris Leinberger, also a UM guy, tells of how America has traditionally incentivized auto-oriented suburbanism.
Finally, Rise of the Creative Class and Who's Your City by Richard Florida are a nice mix of urban-trends and geek-out stats, and fall sort of in the pop-urban non-fiction.
Jacobs and Florida are two of my favorites so I've knocked those out before. Wrestling with Moses sounds amazing - gonna place an order on Amazon!
I read an excellent true crime book about the meth epidemic in the rural US called "Methland".
If you love architecture, Devil in the White City by Erik Larson is a must read. The book is a thriller about a murderer at the World Fair in Chicago. However they go quite into depth about the architecture firms behind making the world fair possible. let me know what ya think if you decide to read it.
I have an architectural background and it was an awesome read for that reason alone. Plus it's about grisly creepy murders to boot, so how can you go wrong?
Of course, there's always porn.
"Nuansced movies" do not exist in the summer. You will have to wait until Oscar nomination season about, oh, Thanksgiving or so. Until then, you're stuck with Grandson of Rocky XXIV - Die Hard in the Zombie Wars.
The Kings of Summer looks interesting.
Synopsis makes it a possibility, thanks!
Couple years ago I pulled this off in Sault Ste. Marie on a summer Saturday at noon.
It is achievable.
I do this farily often. It's relaxing for me. You can just space out if you don't like the movie, because no one will want to talk to you about it afterward.
Easy. Change one sentence in your post:
"I don't drink alone" to "I used to not drink alone"
Your troubles are over.
^This
End the thread, problem is solved.
I have drank alone in my distant past and the minor depression I felt when I started turned to full blown suicidal rages when I polished off the fifth hours later. I'd prefer not to relive that type of experience!
Jesus do NOT start doing that again! However, I think "drinking by yourself" can easily mean grabbing a couple beers; as most of the members around here would suggest, brewski does not mean a bud light/busch light. Find yourself some quality craft beers, stuff you've never had, and venture down the "drinking by yourself" road via this method. A few beers are not the same as pulling off a bottle of whiskey for hours.
Also the whole movie by yourself thing is easy as hell. A few years back I went through a phase of doing this and there's nothing to it; at times it's even better, especially after a movie's been out a week or two and you get or nearly get the place to yourself. Hell I drove into Chicago last week by myself for the day for a concert in the evening. Attended said concert solo and spent the day "solo". I'm not sure when society started maintaining social event's status quo need be met by multiple people together (yes, the fact they're social implies that in a way, but, I maintain my stance).
Also, any baseball around you? Definitely outside but catching a A/AA/AAA ball game alone could be another easy/fun thing to do.
It's like an animal who stayed at the zoo for too long. When PETA comes and opens all the cages, the animals just sit there and blink.
As for suggestions, shave every square inch of your body hair, get drunk, then pass out in your girlfriends underwear. When she gets home from work, she'll think it is HILARIOUS. Trust me. It's what us normal people who use our vacation do for fun.
No matter how hot it is, a round of golf with ice cold beer passes the time and clears the mind.
to Nevada last August and played golf on a 114 degree day. There was beer. It passed nothing and cleared nothing. It was a miserable 5 hours.
He's from Arizona, not sure where you're from, but I used to live there myself. There is such a time where it is too hot for playing a round, and that time would be while the sun is up during summettime in Arizona.
I actually play a lot of golf in the summer just because of how great the rates are at some world class courses, but 2 rounds in 3 days in this heat is more than I feel like at this moment.
I actually stopped playing when I moved to Arizona (as backwards as that sounds because the amount of incredible courses and perfect weather in the winter). I went to Grayhawk once during one summer because a good friend (and a diehard Sparty fan) was a pro there. It was absolutely beautiful and worth doing it at least once, but never again.
This is my eighth summer out here so I've acclimated. That first summer I was playing a round as a single and experienced dizzyness and chills as I putted on the 9th green, went home after 9 and didn't feel "normal" for two weeks. In Michigan (when I was a student or unemployed) I could play 5 straight days - I've learned that you can't do that out here. 2 rounds a week max during the 4 1/2 months of 100 degree temps.
So you live in AZ then, or was that directed at someone else? If thats the case, I would love to play TPC Scottsdale and Troon North. Ever played either of those?
Yep, have played both - Troon North actually has 2 18 hole tracks (Monument/Pinnacle) and they are both beautiful. TPC is okay, but it's designed for massive crowds, which means a lot of very playable open shots when you don't deserve them.
If you come down here, my top 4 in no particular order:
1) Estrella Mountain Golf Club (Nicklaus design, gorgeous scenery)
2) Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain GC (Accenture Match-Play course), about an hour from PHX
3) Troon Monument
4) The Boulders
Aside from watching any movies and tv shows that you have to catch up on, how about all of the little things that you have to do that you don't have time for because of work?
That closet you've been meaning to clean, the leaky faucet you've been meaning to fix, the email you have to write that you've been putting of, the minor but annoying issue that requiers you to be on hold for at least a half hour before finally talking to tech support, etc.
Whatever little things pile up for you, they begin to weigh on the back of your mind, causing your overall focus and energy to become clouded. Knocking them out will make you feel like a thousand bucks.
Maybe you're the kind of guy who takes care of these little things immediately as soon as they pop up... in that case, maybe there's a new skill, hobby, or project you've been looking to start but haven't had time.
If none of these and you're not leaving your home, well yeah, all I've got is movies and TV.
Lol, different Nick Sparks.
Edit: A quick wiki search of the romance novelist shows that he went to Notre Dame. You can probably give up all hope of crappy romance novel/chick flick recommendations on this board ;-)
Do any of those things mentioned by FMH and the day will fly by...If all you ever do is work or think about work, it will lead to burnout, someday work will end, you will need to have some hobbies or interests outside of that world.
Don't get me wrong - I do have hobbies and interests - it's just that most of them either A) involve the outdoors (e.g. golf) or B) are more fun in the company of others. Looking for something "different" to do today, not a lifestyle change :-)
That's the problem - I spent all weekend outside, got a good burn, and would like to stay in a climate controlled environment if possible. Sitting at home on the couch watching tv sounds awful.
It's summer in Phoenix. Nobody sits on their porch and does anything enjoyable this time of year. Your cold Le Fin Du Monde becomes bathwater in about 10 minutes.
That's what refrigerators where invented for. And besides, a good tripel shouldn't be drank ice cold. A nice cool/cellar temp to start is the best if you want to be all proper. And honestly, if you're not willing to go outside, and stuff inside sounds awful, then I don't know what to tell you. It sounds like you're being intentionally difficult. You could always get on of the wooden cups with a ball attached to a string and try and get the ball attached to the string into the wooden cup buy throwing it up and catching it in the wooden cup. Provides hours of fun.
Intent was for a good natured thread to see what others would do in this situation. I appreciate your thoughts, not trying to be difficult.
Drive 1.5 hrs in any direction and you'll be in the mountains. Crank up some music on the drive and open your windows to feel the cool mountain air once you're close to Payson, Prescott, Flagstaff, or wherever. Try the gravy/cheese fries at Flagstaff Brewing.
I lived in Tempe for 6 years and found the place absolutely unbearable in the summer...had to get into the mountains every chance I got.
Have been once, the first year I lived here. It's one of those things that you need to see once (and only once) unless you're just really into nature or an avid hiker/rafter. It's also a pretty long drive from Phoenix, a few hours past Flagstaff if I remember correctly.
What AZ does have in spades is great little towns (Prescott, Jerome, Sedona, Payson, even Flagstaff though bigger) up in higher elevations that are good day trips during the summer, as the temps drop significantly as you get out of the valley.
A little advance warning and you could have had a drinking partner, Butterfield. Given that it's a lovely 112*, might I recommend the patio misters at 5th and Wine in old town, a Bison Burger, and a good book like Smart Football's latest? Scottsdale Gun Club (indoor range) and rent a firearm?
I'm partial to Rehab Burger on 2nd myself. Had the Hatch Chili Cheeseburger during my visit there. Awesome.
Tug it?
For a real day of bliss, you need only learn three words.
Auto. Erotic. Asphyxiation.
You're welcome.
Are you suggesting he watch some Carradine karate movies on mute while blasting INXS on the surround sound?
Uhh..duh?