To catch the beginning of this series click here: https://www.publish0x.com/crypto-musings-consumer-impacts/my-staycation-day-1-xdgrmkz

So, like all good things, my Staycation has reached its end. Yes, tomorrow is the 4th of July, technically a holiday, but most of the day I will either be working on catching up with email or preparing mentally for going back to the regular workweek, so it doesn't really count for me. Instead, I'll get a few hours of the holiday, but mentally I'm already clocked back in.

I used to joke the only way I could actually really relax on a vacation was if I left the country and went somewhere that was totally unreachable by the usual office pressure. Then I found myself still having to answer an occasional phone call all the way out in Germany of all places. Basically, the digital world has made it almost impossible to unplug. I've actually found that only going to less developed countries that simply don't have the infrastructure in place to handle mobile and fast, secure Internet is the only place to really go on vacation and get unplugged. Alternatively, when I'm working as a volunteer on an archaeology dig I get the same benefit. So, it looks like Central America, islands in Asia, and obscure places in the wilderness are on my bucket list next for getting away from it all. 

Do you think this might be remote enough from digital signals?

Photograph source: Gabriele Delhey, Wikipedia, 2003.

This year's Staycation wasn't all bad, though. My mindset this summer was to get some projects around the house done, which I basically managed to accomplish. They had been piling up for months and it was a good time as any to put some investment back into my place of living for a change. However, if I had had a chance to zip off to Greece, I can tell you there wouldn't have been any competition. I'd have been on that plane in a heartbeat, even with the kids screaming bloody murder all the way there and back.

Friday:

• Woke up at 11:30am and had the standard breakfast of two burritos and a diet soda. Breakfast of champions!
• Ran through the timesheets for my staff at work since they were due, but I could handle it all remotely.
• Hauled all my house purging off to the dump, only to realize everyone else in town had the same idea. I've never seen the place as busy as it was today, taking me an hour to get through the entry gate, pay my fee, and actually unload my truck (which in itself only took 5 minutes out of the whole ordeal). I'm always freaked out by the place too; the workers buzz around fast in giant dozers to compact the trash. If one of those units hits a vehicle, lights out.
• Tootled over to Costco next and got some groceries, met up with a few friends there, and got myself a Chicken Bake on the way out. MMMmmmmm!!
• Spent another hour at the local Safeway because for whatever reason people seemed to think the world was ending, and the whole town showed up to get food at the same time. Seriously, what the hell?
• Earned a $1 or $2 in new crypto from faucets.
• Bought a few dollars of LTC while sitting in my truck in a parking lot, on discount with current prices and already making a profit for me by the end of the day.
• Had a bakery Cibatta bun with Swiss and Salami for dinner and a cold Modelo for a finisher.
• Stayed up until 2:30am working on client articles and earned about $100.

Saturday:

• Woke up early at 9:15am but then I closed my eyes, blinked and it was 10:30am. Whoops.
• Dealt with teenage drama for an hour before getting to my breakfast, which was not a great way to start the day. Urrgg.
• Checked the email and saw my late-night work was worth the trouble for working into the wee hours. My clients paid immediately for their articles. Cool. More cash to buy crypto with.
• Picked up a few dollars of FORTH at a very nice, discounted price.
• Earned another $1 of BCH of a faucet.
• Started to replace the front door lock assembly on my house, only to find out I bought the wrong side of the door kit. Over to Home Depot, lost my $100 from writing buying the right lock system, and finished the job an hour later.
• Ate a giant pretzel with mustard for lunch.
• Wrote the last entry of this blog series.
• Spent the evening at a friend's BBQ, avoiding the cooking myself for a change.
• Drank inordinate amounts of cold beer to pass out tonight happy.

Not my office but a similar energy drain environment. Not looking forward to going back. Urrg.

Photograph source: Дарко Максимовић,Wikipedia, 2012.

Cheers!