Vacation perspective

The worst part about coming back from vacation is the sudden transition back to real life. And I'm not just talking about having to unpack, do laundry, pay bills, and go to work -- it's the shifting away from doing only those things you want to doing the things that have to get done.

My reintroduction to my real life was exceptionally distressing: I came back to a heat wave and a malfunctioning air conditioner. All day yesterday, my apartment hovered around 85 degrees. Of course, after the overnight flight, I was pretty much too tired to care, so I did my laundry, watched baseball, and tried to sleep in the sweltering heat -- which, on the most part, was insufferable. But lucky for me, I live in a place with maintenance. So they fixed it. But if I lived in a hotel, they would have moved me to another room last night.

And then there's the whole working thing. Most of the time, I like what I do for a living, but I'd rather be living off a trust fund, traveling across the world. So having to go back to actually doing stuff kind of sucks, in its own way.

I've decided though, that there are some vacation-type things that are going to stick. I'm going to try to drink wine on a semi-regular basis, instead of just at fancy dinners. I'm going to try to go to interesting places and do interesting things on the weekends, and not just run errands. But mostly, every day, I'm going to try to have a sense of wonder about the things that are around me.

Like when I was watching the Foccault Pendulum at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles:



Or taking in the desolate landscape at Pebble Beach:



Or watching the Sea Lions at Pier 39 in San Francisco:



Or noticing how the butterflies on display at the Conservatory of Flowers just wanted to get outside:



Or listening to the sound of the foghorn at the Golden Gate Bridge:



Or even riding the cable car:



These are the things we ignore or overlook or take for granted every day, but appreciate while on vacation.