Welcome to the staycation edition of the Friday Five.
I had a few vacation days I had to use before the end of the year. With a lot of projects swirling around I stayed put to Be Productive. I’ve decided I would like to be on permanent staycation. Can someone arrange this?
If I was on permanent staycation:
1. I still would not clean behind my refrigerator. But I did do some heavy-duty scrubbing while I was home. I cleaned the oven, my sock drawer, the filing cabinet and even Reggie. I’ve been on a de-cluttering kick ever since The Minimalists wrote the Shine guest post. There is something really satisfying about straightening up, even if it only lasts 24 hours. It’s the thought that counts.
2. I would spend most of my disposable income at The Strand. The Strand is an awesome bookstore, located just off Union Square. It’s a rarity these days. Once Coliseum Books closed a few years ago, The Strand became the last major indie shop in the city. I wonder how many times I can use the word awesome in one paragraph. It is four floors of books covering every genre and topic imaginable. They buy used/rare books, so you can find absolute treasures that have been squirreled away in some old lady’s basement for decades like a first edition copy of The Great Gatsby signed by Fitzgerald himself. I could spend hours wandering the shelves. After aforementioned cleaning spree, I brought a big stack of books to sell and promptly bought the equivalent in new books. You gotta give to get, I say.
3. I would become a “lady who lunches.” I picked some of my favorite spots: Le Pain Quotidien, City Bakery, Balthazar. Sometimes I had the company of a good friend and sometimes I had the company of a good book. It felt so…civilized.
4. I would not exercise any more than I already do. Oh, I had B-I-G plans. I was going to yoga every single day. I was going to run in the park every single day. I was going to dust my bike off and dig that helmet out of storage and cruise around the neighborhood. I was going to take that pilates class I’ve been meaning to try. I was going to sign up for the kickboxing/tae kwon do/jujitsu/krav maga combo class. I didn’t do any of those things. I think I stretched for five minutes on Tuesday.
5. I would become the “Norm” of my neighborhood coffee shop. After the kerfuffle surrounding my trip to Woodstock, I was left with a lot of pages to edit on my novel. Pages I thought that would have been done by now. Staycation to the rescue! I was a regular at the coffee shop. I had a “usual.” I had a reserved seat. I just wanted to go to a place where everybody knows my name. And they’re always glad I came.
Have you ever taken a staycation? What activities did you have planned?
