Is the summer over already?

Hey everyone. I'm back from two weeks of work travel, and thought I'd stop by to share some random bitching and introspection.

It seems like I blinked, and it's already mid-August. I'll be at the Mayhem festival tomorrow, which is gonna rule, but it's also going to feel like the last hurrah for the summer. Pretty soon, I'll have to start driving 20 miles an hour through the school zones in my neighborhood again, but the temperature will still be in the high 90's. I don't know about you, but that's just cruel.

So, what did I do this summer? I took vacation on Memorial Day to see friends in Seattle, and that was a lot of fun. A friend came down from Amarillo to hang out with me at the 'Legends of Kung Fu' event, which was a good time. Otherwise, I've been buried in home repairs and work travel:

Electrical issues
Phone / fax machine issues
Pool leak repair
Pool pump repair
Lawnmower repair
Sprinkler system timer replaced (and a valve is still broken as I write this)

It seems unfair to complain about traveling for a job, but when you get four or five hours to yourself out of four or five days of work, it hardly makes it worthwhile. I was in L.A. for the E3 convention, which sounds cool, but I spent almost the entire time at my company's booth, in meetings. People asked me, 'So what was the coolest game you saw at the show?' and I've had to answer, 'I didn't really see anything other than my company's stuff'. Quite a difference from being a buyer, and seeing everything (but no, I'm not in a hurry to become a buyer again). But, I also got into an exclusive DJ Hero party, and got pictures taken with a ton of celebrities, so I guess I can't complain too much.

The same can be said for a recent trip to Mexico. Two days of non-stop meetings, but somewhere in there, I shoehorned in some time at the beach, and I went club hopping in Playa del Carmen on my last night there.

So what's my point to all of this? Enjoy what you have while you have it, and make every minute count. We're not on this earth very long, so try to find a few minutes every day to take for yourself. Even if it's just to step outside and walk around the block to clear your head, don't hesitate. No one on their death bed ever says, 'I wish I'd have done more home repair' or 'I wish I'd have worked more hours'. And if anyone ever did, they're idiots.

P.S. I'll post a few pics from the Mayhem festival this weekend.