neither vermont*

It's funny how days can seem longer than they are in both good ways and bad ways, depending on the day. Some days feel several days long in that oh-my-God-it's-really-only-noon?? way, while some days feel longer in a Steve-Martin's-monologue-in-The Jerk way (if you don't know what I'm talking about, all I can say is that it's a good way, it's a classic movie, and for some reason I find that monologue just about the funniest thing I've ever heard in a movie) (thank you to my friend the Tall Bass for introducing me to that movie when we were in Ireland last summer).

Today was long in a Steve Martin way. I feel so productive and happy-tired now. It reinforces what I realized one freakishly early morning in college, when for some reason I was out and about by 7:00am and noticed that, huh, all these people are acting as if it's normal to be awake at this hour. As if staying up until 4am and waking up at noon not the most efficient way to accomplish things. How... troubling.

From then on I just couldn't enjoy sleeping through the morning anymore (though I will admit to a few very necessary exceptions, most of which, to be totally honest, probably involved the consumption of alcohol the night before). I became the freak whose alarm went off at 7:00am, throughly peeving her dorm neighbors through the paper-thin walls. And while I do love weekends now for the magic of waking up whenever my body feels it needs to, rather than setting an alarm, I generally don't sleep past 8:00, no matter how late I'm up the night before.

Today I did set an alarm, partly to remind myself of the clock falling back, and partly to make sure I'd get an early start on my many tasks. I was up and at my office to do some work-work and some personal-work by 8:30, and then down in Massachusetts for a volunteer committee breakfast at 10:30. By the time that was over, I felt like I'd already done a day's worth of work. Luckily, the real work of the day was finished and I was free to enjoy the gorgeous, crisp autumn day.

I knew I wanted to hike, and there's a great "go-to" hiking area that I love right near Brattleboro, but I have also been wanting to find the other hidden gems around here. There are so many state parks, recreation areas, preserves, etc. that I could probably hike somewhere different every day for years without driving more than an hour in any direction from my house. So I drove a random direction and followed the signs that jumped out at me, and ended up in the Erving State Forest. After an hour or so of hiking there (and I think I was the only one in the whole forest, it was so empty and peaceful) up to a great view of Mt. Monadnock (speaking of hiking goals), I left and drove down the back roads until I found a road that took me into New Hampshire.

I was undecided about whether to go home at that point, because I was tired but also felt like I hadn't quite thoroughly scratched the hiking itch. So I decided to stop thinking about it and see where the road took me, which turned out to be Pisgah State Forest, a pretty big park in southeastern New Hampshire. I've been trying this lately - when I'm thinking too much about something, which happens most of the time, I try not to think about anything at all, and my subconscious or the universe or whatever you want to think it is usually pushes me in a good direction. Pisgah was definitely a good direction. I didn't know it before, but not only are there copious hiking trails there but also a number of historical markers and descriptions on the building sites of a settlement located there in the early-to-mid 1800s. I got to exercise my body and my mind: icing on the hike.

And now I'm cozy on my friend OfHouse's couch (back in Massachusetts, no less), watching the Patriots-Colts game (for better or for worse) (Update: somehow the Patriots pulled it out; it was amazing!), coming to terms with how early it got dark outside, and appreciating a great autumn weekend. This day definitely feels like three. Hopefully tomorrow, with the adventures (sigh)that work is sure to bring, will just feel like a day. Unless good things happen, and it feels like two days.

(I could go on, but if you've seen The Jerk you already get the reference, and if you haven't you won't start to think this is funny anytime soon.)

*i.e. I hiked in two states today, neither Vermont. How cool is that (if you grew up in the Midwest, hours from the nearest state line, and still haven't gotten over the novelty of living in southeastern VT)?!