Sunday, May 15, 2011

Stuff from a Three-Day Weekend

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist


My mind is too spun out from a calm, yet busy, weekend to focus on trying to give some witty or bitchy interpretation to a current news story.  This evening I am concentrating solely on being me - and squeezing the last few moments relaxation out my these few days away from work before it all begins in earnest again tomorrow morning.

This has been my bi-monthly three-day weekend.  It could have been a little better if I had not been leashed to the on-call phone, something that happens about once every two months.  But though the cell phone keeps me close to home and out of the movie theatres, this weekend it did not ring.  (The last time I carried the nasty little demon it rang incessantly!)

Friday was great.  I begin my Fridays off with an early morning visit to the massage therapist.  This was my third trip, and the results were the best ever.   My shoulder is now completely pain free.  After my hour on the massage table, I went and picked up a friend for lunch.  Late Friday afternoon I drove over to Torii Beach and picked up sea glass until the sun was ready to set somewhere over around China.

Saturday I made it over to Camp Foster and bought groceries.  Up until this week I had thought that I would be moving shortly, and had consequently let my larder get thin.  After that I did some laundry and then headed into Naha with friends for a night on the streets.  The evening was nice and we had a very good time.

Today I finished off the laundry, made a roast in the crockpot, and watched a movie entitled "The Holiday" staring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslett, and Jude Law.  I didn't intend to get wrapped up in a movie, but it proved easy to do.

I mentioned that I have been contemplating a move - a three-year commitment to a beautiful location in Europe.  The job was offered, I accepted and, at the last possible moment I backed out - probably losing a very good friend in the process.  I'm not sure why I passed on that adventure, but I suspect that it is because I have grown comfortable here on Okinawa and have developed a wonderful support group of good friends.  By turning the job down, I will be able to get home in July and see my children and grandchildren.  (I arrived on-island July 22nd last year and have not been home in the intervening time.)  Also, I am awfully damned tired of moving.

So here I sit, out on a rock in the middle of the Pacific, doing laundry and mundane house chores, looking for sea glass, and running the streets with my buddies.  Life could be a lot worse than this!

My weekend in pictures is at www.okinawanodyssey.blogspot.com.

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