The great escape

Consider this a Twitter-ish blog posting. I can't talk about beaches and golf carts ALL the time, so I'll digress.

I'm so excited that I got to work out at the Y for the first time in five weeks last night! A workout with machines for a change, not a jog around the subdivision. Has the summer been crazy? Um, yes.

It took some quick, evasive moves, but I made it to the Y with time to spare. Not only that, here's a full list of what the household accomplished last night:

1. Stopped at in-laws' to check in and see visiting relatives.
2. Left the child eating dinner with cousins for a quick run to the food store.
3. Took child home and fed her fruits and vegetables (why? see point 2).
4. Stopped at parents' to make sure plants and cats were still alive. Fought large mosquito crop (please harvest as many as you'd like) to water plants.
5. The lawn was mowed at our primary place of residence.
6. Called the mower of the lawn to pick up child from house of cats and dry plants.
7. Went to the Y.
8. Dropped off 12 magazines in the Y magazine rack to be read by new interested parties.
9. Found missing piece of attire (clean, not sweaty, thank you very much) buried in bottom of gym bag, which was fully packed for once.

Now that's a successful evening.

Read more...

A ray of moonshine

Things have been a little stressful lately, but in the past 24 hours I've been exposed to golf carts, clipboards, walkie-talkies, and a beach. Plus I spent time in the perfect non-humid, mid-70s weather I complain we never get. Therefore, I've maintained my sanity for another few days.

After dodging golf carts at the zoo, I drove as far east as one can here without getting wet. Saw beautiful views of the city at night, then watched a gorgeous moon rise over the lake just after sunset. Glad I went and skipped doing laundry. Sometimes you just have to go stare at a lake for 45 minutes to forget everything else and focus on waves, boats, and a really cool moonrise.

Read more...

The power of water

You have probably seen the video of houses being swept away in Lake Delton last weekend. The lake is no more; the forces of nature have chosen a new path to the Wisconsin River. Since we've had numerous family reunions at the Dells, just down the road from the lake, I dug up a couple pics of Lake Delton in its former glory.

And if you have fond memories of splashing into Lake Delton on a cheesy amphibious Duck ride, never fear: The hokey jokes (think Disney Jungle Cruise guides-in-training) will be told to a new group of tourists this summer. The Ducks are just limiting their splashing to the Wisconsin River, after they've served a far more useful purpose: evacuating people from flooded areas of Baraboo.

Read more...

Water lapping at my ankles

I'm sorry, but standing ankle-deep in flood waters while clearing out my in-laws' clogged culvert is not what I had in mind when I discussed my love of the water. This photo is much more along the lines of what I was thinking.

In fact, I was quite clear that water in my basement doesn't count. I should have been more specific, apparently. Water in anyone's basement (especially when I'm on clean-up duty) doesn't count.

I do want to give a shout-out to our sump-pump, who deserves a drink of something stronger than all the water he chugged this weekend. And I want to say how fortunate we were that nothing we had to clean up involved raw sewage.

Read more...

Three requirements

So how do golf carts fit into my obsessions? A golf cart is one of three necessary accessories for a dream job. But who didn't already know that.

At some point, we've all taken a career assessment or personality inventory, listing what makes us feel fulfilled and what we want to avoid. My self-analysis didn't lead to a career path; it pointed toward the three things I need to be happy. They are, in no particular order:

1. Golf cart (I need the keys too)
2. Clipboard
3. Walkie-talkie

An internship at a large speedway and volunteer stints at a smaller racetrack and a pro golf tournament all provided me with my three requirements. None of them provided self-sustaining employment opportunities, however.

How do I survive the daily grind without these three things? Excellent question. I always have a clipboard in my office, so I can walk around and feel in control while checking thing off with my pink pen (another story for another time). That gives me one of the three, 40 hours a week. And for the past 13 seasons I've had a part-time gig that provides me with a walkie-talkie and clipboard every time I work. Occasionally I'm even offered a golf cart ride. But they won't let me drive. Close, but no cigar.

Where can I find a job with all three required accessories? Since a golf cart is involved, the job probably should be located somewhere warm, and near a beach, since that'll make me a happy camper.

I'll throw out some options here, but if you have any thoughts, please leave a comment. Exhaustive search engine hunts for "golf cart," "clipboard," and "walkie-talkie" have yielded nothing workable.

1. Campground manager
2. Golf course beverage salesperson
3. Security in a gated community
4. Theme park maintenance supervisor
5. Airport concourse shuttle driver

I'll stop there for now. And trust me, this dream job hunt is no secret. My boss even plays along: She gave me a clipboard engraved with my initials for Christmas.

Read more...