Category: Free time

As we grow older and we take on more and more responsibilities, we give up on some of our hobbies, dreams and even hopes. But, there is one thing I cannot give up: reading. The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney is a good example on why reading is one of the best hobbies to have, no matter if your young or old (or somewhere in between).

For years, Old Gregory has been the Spook for the county, ridding the local villages of evil. Now his time is coming to an end. But who will take over for him? Twenty-nine apprentices have tried—some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive.

Only Thomas Ward is left. He’s the last hope, the last apprentice.

This is one of those stories, that gets better and better with each book that you read. It has been a long time since I finished reading a series without getting bored of it.

It is one of those few stories in which all characters are lovable. There is no clear distinction between good or evil, and each of them has the power to do good or bad. It is also one of those stories where I cannot find a character that makes the books taste sour. 

I’ve also read the The Last Apprentice series in 4 countries: Belgium, Netherlands, Romania and Greece.

It is good to be alive in an age where books are not considered a luxury! That and the fact I own a Kindle. My three bookcases are already full with books, which I have not yet read (time being one of the main reasons). I thinking I buy books faster than I can read them. This might be a problem in the future, but there are few more walls empty in the house that would look good with a bookcase. 

The best part of this, is having someone who loves the series recommend it to you, only for you share that you already read it. There’s an instant connection, and a guarantee that you found yourself another bookworm friend. 

The perfect weather for a good old sit at home and read a book is here. And yet, on these rainy October days, we are installing the new kitchen cabinets.

The house, a total mess, is uninviting and cold. 

My only thoughts are Oh well.. There will be many other rainy October days. In fact, the weather will get colder and colder. And with this excuse, I placed an online order for two pair of boots. Estimated delivery time: two days. Where: at work. So, even if I will have a bad day at work, I will have one thing that will make my day.

Hopefully, we will finish installing the new kitchen cabinets till the end of the day. That would allow me an hour or two to sort through things, throw away what is not needed, clean up and maybe get some rest in the evening. That’s what I am counting on, but my energy levels are getting lower and lower with every passing hour. 

It will all be worth it in the end. A lil bit of effort from our side now, will mean that we will be able to enjoy other rainy October days. That, and the kitchen will look better and will be more practical.

Till then, I shall have to drink more coffee and just keep doing stuff to clean up the place. We will have time to rest next weekend. No plans for then, so that means we can sleep away all day long. 

I was expecting Autumn to come, but I guess I was not prepared for it. It is bloody cold, and October is just around the corner. 

Officially, there are no more road trips, work related trips, team buildings or any other activity that might involve travelling, planned for the next few months. The hiatus of trips of any nature has started, and it will be for an undetermined period. 

It was fun. It was the the most busiest summer I ever had. Going to Belgium & Netherlands (twice), Greece (vacation), Bulgaria (team building), even hiking in Romania (to places I never heard of till now), was an amazing experience which I doubt I will have the chance to repeat any time soon. 

I don’t mind not having any more trips planned for the following months. I could use some me time at home. In fact, even if I won’t go anywhere, October will still be a full month for me. I’m fully booked at work, already planned out the entire month with different battle plans, in order to cope with the workload *fingers crossed nothing goes terribly wrong*. There is also the house that needs a good scrub. That, and the fact that I also want to indulge in some of my hobbies. My hands are itching for some stitching or knitting. I was thinking, I could knit a scarf like the ones from Harry Potter. 

Heck, I think this is the first morning in weeks where I can actually enjoy my coffee and not gulp it down and run out the door. I was even thinking, that at the end of October the daylight saving time will take effect. That means that at least one night in October I will get the chance to sleep longer. 

Plus, now that the weather is colder, Pluto and Marlanu’ tend to sleep with us. It has been a while since all four of us snuggled together in bed. It is cute beyond words.

It feels good to be in a clean house. All the effort paid off in the end, and I can finally enjoy some me time. I can totally get into the whole Saturday vibes thing. In my case, it means drinking a beer and browsing the web for a few hours.

 

After a full day of cleaning, time for a break. #saturday #beer #spitfire #Pluto #relaxingathome #dog #dogsofinstagram #labrador #lab #cutedog #saturdayvibes

A post shared by Alina Constantin (@creness) on Sep 9, 2017 at 8:35am PDT

Today, I was very productive. Heck I was productive all week, especially at work. But, I enjoy cleaning and basking in the results of my hard work. Yes, we all have our thing. This just happens to be mine.

I even got the chance to finish a good book. Long live audio books! I can honestly say, listening to audio books makes everything better. I finished reading (listening, in my case) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. The book itself is amazing, especially if you love the 80s. But, the audio book made it even better just because it was narrated by none other than Wil Wheaton.

Growing up, Wil Wheaton was one of my favorite actors when I was a kid. I also had a cute crush on him (like most girls of my generation). He was right up there with River Phoenix, Mike Vitar and Devon Sawa. The only drawback of those times, was that we didn’t have internet. Well, thinking about it now, I think it was for the best that we didn’t have internet back then.

It is one thing to enjoy the characters on the TV screen, and another to stalk people and hoard pictures of them.

Moving on, the book was awesome and I am glad I had the inspiration to start it. Sure, I could’ve finished one of the other books that I have started in the last months, but it was highly recommended to me by one of my colleagues from work. 

Overall, today was a good day.

September is here! That means that there only four months left of 2017. It seems that the older you get, the faster time will pass.

I am just happy that Autumn is slowly coming. Summer was nice when I was a kid, but as an adult, it is one of the most horrible seasons. As a kid I could go to the country side, enjoy 3 months of vacation. As an adult I have to go to work, melting along the way. 

I can’t complain right now. The days are shorter and the nights are colder. It makes sleeping so much better. Sure, it is still warm and I doubt I will bring out my jacket any time soon. But, just the thought that we are already in September makes me happy. 

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Today we’ve been to the country side and enjoyed lunch with my parents. It was actually nice to go in the garden and pick out the vegetables for the salad. I am guessing this will be my last chance for this year, since I don’t think we’ll have the time to again in September.

We took Pluto along and he got a chance to play with the puppies. We came back home with fruits and vegetables. We also took back our blankets. You could say we took them out of the storage, just to be prepared in case the weather gets colder. 

It was also nice that we got the chance to see the red train on our way back home. It has been a while since we saw it, and I’m happy it is still running.

Overall, it has been a good start for September and it will only get better. Hiking trip, team building, movie dates, meeting friends in the park. We have a few things planned for the next couple of weeks. I guess we are making happy memories.

Home sweet home

There is nothing in this world like the feeling you have when you get home after a long one week vacation. 

I know one week may not seem much, but it was very long week because of our company. I shall not go into details, since it is not good to think of such things, they are best forgotten. I will happily say that the location for our vacation was perfect: no souvenirs shops, no fancy places, no places to visit. It was just us, the beach, the sea and a few taverns scattered on the beach that offered some of the best food I had.

It was the perfect location to rest and charge our batteries.

It also made us appreciate our home more. Coming back to our pets and sleeping in our own bed, was divine. We might not have the perfect home, but it provides much comfort. 

We went back to our normal routine as soon as we stepped the threshold, and I couldn’t be more happy. 

I am also happy that summer is slowly coming to an end, and we won’t have to endure the city heat. Meaning we will be able to take longer walks with Pluto, and be more active during the day. I am happy that the days are slowly getting shorter and the nights longer. This summer was full and amazing, but it’s just too much of a good thing. 

I can’t wait for Autumn!

Good things are still to come. Until they come, I plan on making the most of my free time. I don’t care if there are no more adventures for a while. I just want to enjoy each day as it comes, and tomorrow is no exception. It might be Monday, and I will have to go back to work, but I missed my friends and I can’t wait to see them. 

I will also have new books this week. I will get the chance to cook, which I haven’t done in months. So, I can honestly say I will enjoy the small things. I think that a bad vacation makes really opens your eyes and makes you appreciate the normal standard routine. 

It is a beautiful Sunday morning to do whatever our hearts desire, be it nothing, everything, or a just a lil bit of everything. I have missed this feeling and the quietness of a Sunday morning.

For someone who slept less than 5 hours, I am feeling fresh and happy. Staying up late (till 2 AM) to finish a book, was (in my opinion) time well spent. I cannot feel tired after doing something that I love. 

I needed a weekend like this, to bring me back to reality and to recharge my batteries. I did nothing of great importance to be reported, nor did I waste time. It was just a normal Saturday, and today (most likely) will be a normal Sunday. I couldn’t be more happy about it all. 

I will do some cleaning, some going out (even if it is just to walk the dog), some reading and I will also spare some of the time for myself, a bit of tender, love and care for my body, plus some plans and notes for the future weeks (which are fully booked).

I was thinking that in September things will go back to a normal routine. But, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Things are changing, and so far all has been for the better. I am hoping that things will keep up. John is in the process of quitting his job. His last day at his current workplace will be the 4th of September. I am happy for him, and I hope he will find something less stressful. 

I already booked one Saturday (16th of September) for a hiking trip (another girls only weekend). There will also be the company team building, which will take place at the end of September (in Bulgaria). Hopefully the team building will not be on the same weekend as the hiking trip, since they have not announced the date yet.

These are just a few plans that are set (more or less), and I know that many will come. So, having a relaxing Sunday morning at home (while my three boys are sleeping or lazying around), feels like a good break.