A new journey

The summer is over and the fall has begun. Normally the way that this works for me is that everyone goes home (including most of the fall staff) and I sit around for a week doing whatever we can find that needs doing. The reason for this is the week of vacation that we are all offered, but that I have never actually taken before. I don't have anything against it in particular, it's just that going a thousand miles home, hanging out with my parents for a few days and turning around to come back simply doesn't outweigh the idea of staying out here for the week in my mind. I love my parents dearly, but we don't actually do a whole lot together.

This year I decided to do things a little differently and took my vacation; I'm still a little unclear as to why. My computer was still in California, which made a convenient excuse for the whole endevor, but I could have had it shipped to me with far less effort and a third the expense. It gave me a great opportunity to see not only my family but my second family: the Halters in Arizona. That may have been a reason, but what I really suspect is that I just got the idea into my head and had to follow it up.

Sometimes I wonder how truckers can do their job, and sometimes I completely understand. I don't think that these are different sometimes. Driving down the highway is easy: you lose yourself in the music on the radio or whatever you happen to be thinking at the time, you give yourself short term goals to make the long term seem a little more bearable and you stare at the highway. This last part is the most important, and not because of the turns and other cars. The road almost speaks to you; it goes on forever right now, and then suddenly ends. It is your life made barren and empty and it makes you wonder what you most want to fill it with.

Hanging out with the Halters was pretty much what you'd expect if you know me and the Halters. We played video games, played with the baby, talked about the ranch, played more video games, watched some TV, and probably played more video games. Sara introduced me to the horror that is Farm Town on Facebook: it's a miniature game in which every individual element is boring, but the combination is incredibly addictive. Hanging out at home was about what you'd expect as well: I spent a lot of time talking with my mom, reorganized my room a little, ate fish and left. Well, yeah, I also picked up a burrito at Mexico Viejo, but that's just tradition.

I've been back at Philmont for one day and routine has already settled in. I got up in the morning, used my exercise ball, went to breakfast, went to work, etc. I've decided to start excersising at the little gym in the staff lounge regularly, skipping Wednesdays for yoga. Some call routine the mind killer, but I find it pretty comforting, and with work as unpredictable as it tends to be, there's no reason to complain. We went to Fish Camp today, have an unnamed backcountry tour tomorrow and a barbeque in the evening.

Life is good. Always.