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[theinevitable]

Work sucks and then you die.

That said, being a coffee bar idiot is better than being a cash register idiot. So in principle things can get even better.

It is boggling to me how little idea I had of how awful a job could be. That first long stretch at this job, when I felt like I was going to puke every day because of how much I hated it, man. Doing anything for 8 hours a day is not my cup of tea. And the scariest thing is, I definitely had it way better than most people, even then. Now I'm pretty much king of the world, statistically.

I am absolutely a believer in the idea that you should find happiness in the other 128 hours of the week. But I sure hope I find something I can get a tiny bit of satisfaction from eventually.

[KeithHernandez]

England is mine and it owes me a living.

[pmcd9]

Good Lord!

[wombat]

That looks terrifying for everyone involved.

[AugustWest]

TIL that hosss have lug nuts in their mouths.

[side_show]

TIG put together the stroller.  Shit's getting real. Life is awesome!

[jay-ell]

Pedro's on the left coast. He arrived a couple of hours ago. I'm single-momming it 'til Saturday and trying to stay sane. Took the kids to Target tonight to get my prescription refill, had to threaten to put them on leashes and told them that if they asked one more time for another toy I'd put back the activity books I'd told them they could get.

Back home, dinner done, they're tearing through those activity books and I'm trying to get a jump on the housework. I'm hoping not having a spouse around to distract me will allow me to get a few small projects done in the evenings, during the time I'd normally spend snuggling and conversing.

Holy balls, it's only 7:30. How can it not be bedtime yet?

[jay-ell]

I just finished the final paperwork to get me and Danger Boy off the waitlist and onto the enrollment list for a "Learn to Camp with Mom" overnighter in 2 weeks' time. I'm hopelessly excited.

At the same time, I'm kind of wondering what the hell is wrong with me. I've never been the outdoors type -- in fact, I have never once camped, ever. (We slept in a tent in the backyard once, but that hardly counts.) Most of my childhood, when most kids were out playing with sticks and eating dirt, I sat inside and read books and played video games and drew pictures and generally lived in a bubble of fantasy and escapism.

Now all of a sudden I am taking up running, and going on hikes and nature walks, and gardening, and itching to camp out. And the nonfiction I've been reading lately (for fun) is all about chemicals and elements and biological processes. It's like I just realized that there's a whole world outside my head that I never really noticed before, and it's completely fascinating.

It's not that I'm losing interest in the nerdy indoor stuff that I've always enjoyed, either. I feel like I did when I was nine and decided I was going to read the entire encyclopedia, front to back, because I wanted to know everything. (That didn't last long, by the way. I think I got to "aerospace engineering" before I gave up.) But this time, I don't want to read about things -- I want to try them and see how they feel. It's like I've escaped from a home for scared people and now I'm running wild.

I think skydiving is on the horizon. Currently, I cannot fathom why anyone would want to throw themselves out of a plane, but if this keeps up my curiosity might get the better of me.

[Carlos del Vaca]

At the same time, I'm kind of wondering what the hell is wrong with me.

You're an interesting, intelligent person who wants to continue learning new things and having different experiences?

[Arachno-capitalist]

Hey JL, that big ass yellow thing in the sky half the time? The hot one you can't stare at much?

They make this stuff called sunblock that'll help you deal with the bastard. Get you some.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be
it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering
experience

[doomglobe]

As someone who camps more weekends than not, year round, I have a lot of advice. It all sounds kind of obvious, but most people make at least one mistake covered below:

Go through your plans for each day, and pack equipment for those activities. Bring a smaller separate pack for day hikes/climbs/meanderings/whatever, if you will not be moving your campsite. Bring toilet paper and wagbags, even if you are camping at a campsite that claims to have bathrooms or facilities, you may need it during the day. Bring a headlamp per person. Bring raingear. Check for roots and rocks under your tent before you pitch it. Unless you're at a car campground with a bathroom with running water or somewhere with a moving water source, don't plan on cleaning a lot of dishes. Don't plan on cooking anything beside marshmallows on an open fire (you might be able to cook sausages in a giraffecooker or potatoes in tinfoil or something, but it won't be like a bbq grill, and you won't have an easy time boiling water without lots of practice and setup.  Your best bet for cooking outside is to bring a jetboil or gas stove and precut everything, putting it in plastic baggies so you won't need a knife. But bring a knife anyway, for other stuff. If it is a pocket knife don't cut food with it, that ends in grossness that you can never really clean. 2 nalgenes of water per adult person per day. Sunblock. If it is just for the weekend, I like to pack out dirty dishes and just clean them when I get home, because I end up doing them when I get home anyway to get the pineneedles or whatever out of them. Beer won't stay cold, and if you bring a cooler, the ice will melt the first day. Bring plenty of beer anyway - warm beer is better than no beer. Coffee sounds complicated, but if you can boil water, you can make it. Check the weather in detail before you leave. Sleeping pads are pretty nice. Citronella candles do nothing.  a single mosquito in your tent is worse than a thousand outside. Keep the mesh closed, and take the time to hunt and kill it if one gets in, because it will eat you all night long, or keep you awake buzzing in your ear, or both.  Check for ticks twice daily. Flipflops are nice for around the campsite or short hikes because you don't have to check em for critters before you put them on. They will ruin your feet if you try to hike for more than an hour in them. Keep dry socks in a ziplock or waterproof container. Dryfit clothing is amazing. I need to stop, for more information read "mountaineering, freedom of the hills".

[doomglobe]

Also, check the temps for night AND day. This weekend I led whitehoss and cathedral in my longjohns because it was 35 at night and 80 during the day and I didn't realize this until I was taking my ##### off at a belay ledge. Yes there are pictures.

[jay-ell]

All the advice is awesome but the thing we're doing is actually a "learn to camp" kind of deal. It's co-sponsored by the town, the county parks system and REI, so they provide all the gear, and there's instruction on outdoor cooking, among other things. It's a daggone bargain at $25 per person.

I am really bad about wearing sunscreen. I don't burn, so I forget to wear it. (Seriously, I have been to the beach and forgotten to put on sunscreen, and been out for eight hours and not burned.) I know that even if you don't burn it can still damage your skin, but being mostly a cave dweller means it doesn't come up that often, and not having the negative reinforcement of pain afterwards makes it just slip my mind.

Pedro burns easily, so he always remembers to put some on the kids at least. But I'm pretty terrible about it. I need to get into better habits if I'm going to be facing that yellow orb more often.

[theinevitable]

I have such horrible Irish skin that I burn if I even THINK about the sun. I should probably wear sunblock every time I leave the house.

I miss camping.

[side_show]

I love camping.  Love nature and being out of the house away from everything since I was little.  I like it best with an open fire to cook on, no electricity, no running water, deep in the woods with lots of privacy, lots of quiet.   Minimal supplies, tent only, the only luxury an air mattress.  My husband has a cute little Boler parked out at his parent's in the country that we've never used.  Maybe now that we'll have a little one that will be more practical in a summer or two, but bare bones is important to me.