Staycation

When life is hard and full of stress, there's nothing better than one or two days added on to the weekend to calm things down for a bit. However, long weekends are still pretty short, so even though it's technically a vacation, there isn't much time to go anywhere. This is when the staycation (rhymes with vacation) comes in to play. If the name isn't indicator enough, a staycation is a vacation where you stay in town. Hence the name staycation. Can I make it any more clear?  And, just like there are two kinds of people (cat people, and dog people), there are two kinds of staycations, In order to stay consistent with the latest research we'll call them Type I and Type II staycationers. The two types of staycations are outlined below.


The Type 1 staycationer is the kind who, even though there are technically no obligations placed on them for the day, still fills their day with productive activities. They are actually busy on a day fillled with nothing. This is teh typical schedule of events for a Type 1.

1. 8:00- Wake up, take a shower, eat breakfast (omelettes, french toast, crepes, waffles, biscuits and gravy, or some other food which requires effort and real ingredients)
2. 8:05- Do make up, hair, nails, etc.
3. 8:30- Look at the to do list and put the tasks into order.
4. 8:45- Start on said list which includes, but is not limited to...
   Run errands, exercise, read a book, get ahead on homework, do a craft project, clean the house, get a manicure, cook a legitimate meal, take a power nap (ten minutes at the most, heaven forbid they waste too much time), go shopping, plan next week's outfits, organize the shoes in the closet by size, color, and style, alphabetize the movie collection, draw a picture, and write thank you letters for the most recent gift giving event.
5. 6:00- Some long weekends are only long weekends for some. For example, one person gets a Fall break, and none of their friends do. If the individual is in this situation their friends will get home around this time and then the staycationer will either initiate the night's adventure or go  along willingly with any ideas their companions suggest.
6. 12:00- Crash into bed with the last ounce of energy they possess and think to themselves "Best. Day. Ever."

The Type II staycation is the kind where the day begins when the individual opens their eyes at noon (the true professional can push this time as far as 2:00). Occasionally one has good intentions to turn this day into a Type I kind of day, but  in general those plans, however well meaning, don't end up happening. The Type II staycation day goes a little like this.

1. 12:00- Wake up
2. 12:45- Roll out of bed.
3. 12:50- Leave the bedroom (real clothes are optional at this point, pajamas are completely acceptable)
4. 1:00- Eat a "breakfast" of sugar cereal, scrambled eggs, instant breakfast shakes, toast, or something requiring similar "skill".
5. 1:30- The staycationer will decide they're still hungry and will repeat step 4.
6. 2:00- Watch television or Hulu
7. 5:00 (a)- Shower, get dressed, and clean up your area so whoever's coming home soon won't see what they've been doing all day (or rather, not done all because they've been sitting in the same spot for three hours). This step is necessary because some people are closet Type II staycationers and they don't want people to know of their lazy day habits.
8. 5:00 (b)- The other option at this point is to continue sitting on the couch, content and at peace with how the day has been spent.
9. 6:00- A roommate, sibling, friend, or mother takes pity on the individual and makes them a real meal.
10. 7:00 (a)- A friend will call with plans for the evening. The staycationer will grudgingly agree to take off the stretchy pants and old, oversized girl's camp hoodie and come along for the night's festivities.
11. 7:00 (b)- If the person in question is not so lucky to have people who feel the need to get them out of the house, or if they turned down any plans that were offered, they'll repeat step 6.
12. 12:00- Sleep will be attempted, but it will be difficult considering no energy has been expended throughout the day.
13. As they finally drift off to sleep two hours later, their last conscious thought is "Best. Day. Ever".

So whether you're Type I or Type II, or possibly a little bit of both, I hope you enjoy your staycations whenever you're lucky enough to have one.

Singles Awareness Day (S.A.D.)

It came to my knowledge this week that the popular synonym of Valentines Day, singles awareness day, spells SAD. First, it made me wonder if the person who coined that phrase knew that the acronym would spell that particular word (they probably did). Then it made me wonder, who decided that Valentines Day is such a terrible holiday? Sure, maybe not everyone has a significant other of the opposite gender to share the day with but that doesn't mean it has to be the worst day ever.

Here are the things that are great about Valentines Day no matter what your Facebook relationship status is.
1. Candy. Duh. Especially because on February 15th all of it will be at least 50% off.
2. Even if you don't have a boy/girlfriend it's fun to have a day specifically devoted to saying "I love you".
3. No one gets judged for acting like a child. No one frowns upon you for buying Batman, Care Bear, or holographic Disney princess valentines.
4. Cheesy love songs are completely acceptable for one day in the year.
5. If you're lucky enough to have a younger brother, sister, niece, nephew, son, daughter, etc. there is nothing funner than experiencing Valentines Day with them. It's fun to make valentines with them, help decorate their valentine box and tease them about who they have a crush on in their class.
6. Not all Valentines Days are like this, but at least this year the weather was perfect. What more could you ask for in February? Even if you hate the holiday you have to love today.