Some Down Time

This past week was a bit different for me since I'm in the mist of a three-day "staycation."  At my job I've been there now over a year (I can hear the Bronx cheers, it's ok). Which means I've now have accrued a full year's worth of Paid Time Off (PTO).  So since they limit the amount of PTO an employee can carry year over year, I've decided to take a couple days off this week.  I've done a few things:

Wednesday:

- Morning: Went to boxing workout at 6 am (I've been doing this over the past two plus months, 5 days a week). Went back home, had breakfast and then went to the Upper Landing Park in St Paul to go on a free tour along the riverfront.

The Landmark Center provides free tours of different parts of Saint Paul every Wednesdays between June and September.  I went on the Great River Tour, which goes along the Upper Landing Park riverfront walk talking about the history of the area.  I've learned a few things:

• Saint Paul is named after a log cabin church in 1840
• The east side riverfront was called "Little Italy" at the turn of the 20th century.  It flooded out often and eventually it faded.  However, one of the remnant's of that time that still going strong is the popular Cossetta's restaurant
• Along the Upper Landing park walkway are mounds marking the highest floods in St Paul, both around 50 feet above flood stage.  In short, a whole lot of water.
• West Saint Paul, which is the suburb south of St Paul, is called West Saint Paul because it lies on the "west bank" of the predominately north south Mississippi River.

Afternoon: After the tour, I headed back to the "west side" of the river to attend an analytics conference at the Carlson School at the University of MN.  Yes, I'm an analytics nerd and I'm interested in this stuff.  However, I also met many of my former bosses and colleagues when I worked at Best Buy.  I'm on good terms with all of them and I guess I should keep in better touch with them since they said they think quite highly of me still, a surprise to me.  All in all, a full day of activity, capped off with church.

Thursday: 

Morning: Another 6 am boxing workout followed up by a trip to the dentist.  The dentist experience was efficient, numbing and expensive.  But I needed to get some work done in my mouth.  Knowing that I have two parents who had full sets of dentures, I don't feel to confident in my odontological future.

Afternoon:  After the Novocaine wore off, I took the Green Line and the A Line (i.e. public transport) to the State Fair.

I decided that this needed to be an efficient visit to the Fair, so I decide to go there by myself.  I hit up my regular spots such as the Corn Roast, Swine Barn, the U of M Athletic barn, the Grandstand displays and most importantly the Miracle of Birth Center.  At the Miracle of Birth Center, I basically witnessed a good analogy to how government works:

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Evening:  I took public transport back to my condo building and went to an annual gathering of residents of the building.  I've never attended such an event.  But I was able to spend some time with my fellow neighbors and residents.  It was another full day.

Friday:

In the morning I drove out to Camp Chetek, a Christian camp in Chetek, WI., for an annual weekend retreat for my church.

It was a good day of conversation/teaching/fellowship.  I find this past year since the last time I was Camp Chetek has been a transitional one for me in terms of my attitude in relationships with those around me and with the Almighty.  The day I spent there just illuminated those transitions to me.  It was a pretty sobering experience but something I have come to realize as another chapter in my growth (I pray) in my relationship with Him.

So it was full three days "off" for me.  I never took a "staycation" before, but after this experience I guess I should consider doing that more often.