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For those who visit this page regularly, I've been out of the office the past two weeks. I hesitate to use the phrase `on vacation' when I'm off, since time spent away from the office rarely resembles a vacation. For me, it tends to be more of a heavy duty workout session, both from a physical and mental point of view. Having said that, I'm not complaining, rather making a statement of fact. What's not to enjoy about working oneself into a sweat-soaked, dehydrated state, answering to the unrealistic commands and expectations of a task master boss? That boss being `me'. Being a bit long in the tooth, and having spent a number of decades here at The Independent & Free Press, I have accumulated several weeks' vacation-- many more weeks than The Sidekick gets. So my solitary vacation time is usually spent doing odd jobs, or catching up on seasonal duties around the farm. Being a masochistic idiot, I set goals to accomplish while out of the office. And equally foolish, those goals might be construed as ambitious or a tad unreasonable for one person to accomplish. I often rate these tasks as `Tylenol Jobs', usually preceded by a number-- a One Tylenol Job, Two Tylenol Job, and so on. I find I cross a certain threshold when I hit the Three Tylenol Job level-- that's when getting out of my chair to go to bed becomes an exercise in pain management and refraining from profanity. For the past two weeks, The Sidekick has set out for her air-conditioned office job, bidding goodbye to me-- cool, rested and wearing clean work clothes-- only to return home some nine hours later to be greeted by a totally whacked troll who drags himself into the house, clothes caked with grease, sweat and/or sawdust, in search of that elusive bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol. Week One I declared I'd finish a job that had been hanging around since late-June. At the end of one of the barns there are two doors. These doors are set in the stone foundation of that barn. In the early summer, I Those `three Tylenol jobs' Ted Brown had the stonework pointed, then installed a new door frame inside the stone openings. Since then, those doors have been calling out to me like some enticing sirens. Consequently, I was adamant that Week One would be set aside to build and install those new doors. Building them was child's play. I did it inside the barn on saw horses, at waist level in the shade and cool of the barn stable-- a veritable piece of cake. Moving them outside and installing them on the barn door track turned out to be the real challenge. I finally had to admit defeat and call in the reserves-- my brother-in-law. That job was followed by a three Tylenol night. Week Two was equally ambitious. Silly me. I decided to take off 30 acres of second crop hay-- by myself. That Week Two goal was one that was dependent upon Mother Nature being benevolent in the weather department-- and the people at the Weather Network having a semblance of credibility. Neither complied. I think there should be a rule-- the folks at the Weather Network should NOT be allowed to change their minds-- it's not fair. I battled the weather off and on all week, and managed to eke out the good days to bale up 900-plus bales of second crop haynot a huge amount, but certainly respectable for a one-person operation. So here I am, back after two weeks of physical labour and countless handfuls of Tylenol-- catching up on office tasks, like filing images and editing photos, or the fun of writing this column. But I'm pleased to be back. After all, how else would I be able to get myself rested up again? 7 Independent & Free Press, Thursday, September 8, 2011 Open Saturdays 9am - 4 pm REGISTRATION NOW OPEN for the FALL YOUTH THEATRE PRODUCTION!! · workshops · classes · camps · youth & adult theatre productions Rehearsing at the Heritage Acton Town Hall Starting September 19th For more information please visit www.tobedeterminedtheatre.ca or call: 416-801-0025 or email: alent@tobedeterminedtheatre.ca Globe Productions Youth Company Musical Theatre for Youth for ages 8 to 13 Fall Workshop Series (8 weeks) $160.00 Saturday afternoons, starting Sept. 17th from 1:00 to 4 pm All workshops will be held at Globe's new home, the Armoury (inside the Georgetown Fall Fairgrounds at the corner of Park Ave and Charles Street). Led by seasoned Globe professionals, the focus will be on education and preparation for musical theatre shows. Topics will include: comedy and improvisation, music theatre dance skills, vocal technique, dramatic skills, costumes and props, how to audition, and performing a showcase for their families. The series includes a field trip to the Milton Centre for the Arts on Nov. 12th to see Globe's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". Participants will meet the cast after the show and a have a discussion with the directors about the production. THANK YOU Barb, thank you for all your hard work keeping our parents organized! Bain, thank you for all that you have taught us on the field as well as off the field! From The Mustang Girls (under 14) Globe's Youth Company is presenting the musical "Annie" from May 11 to 13, 2012. Sign up at Armoury on Sept. 15 from 7 to 8:30 or Sept. 17 from 12:00 to 1:00 For more information, call Maureen at 905-877-4323 www.globeproductions.ca