A “Nantucket sleigh ride” was a 19th Century whaling term referring to the ride that sailors would be taken on just after a whale was harpooned. The injured whale, attempting to swim away, would drag the small whaling boat at high speed (up to 35 mph, which in the 1800’s was really flying) for miles and miles.
More recently the term has become slang for a period of time in which things have seemingly switched into a higher gear as events, deadlines, and daily milestones seem to flying past at an accelerated rate. (It’s also the name of a 1971 album by Mountain that I remember fondly, but I digress.)
The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a Nantucket sleigh ride for me, and I’m referring to this as “Episode 1 of N” because I’m thinking (and hoping) that it may be first of many to come.
Part of it is the fact that the Younger Daughter is here for about ten days, her first visit home from Asia in two years. Part of it is that activities at the CAF have been busy. Not bad, just busy. Part of it is a series of household plumbing issues and some car issues that have been (almost) all conquered, even though at least one of the high-adrenaline problems was solved when I stopped being a freakin’ idiot. (I hate freakin’ idiots — I really, REALLY hate it when I’m the freakin’ idiot!) Part of it is a couple of employment opportunities that have finally started to potentially be real and exciting, really good employment opportunities.
We’ll see. I understand that getting my hopes up about job interviews can lead to a crash when they don’t pan out (been there, done there, got the T-shirts) but I still get excited when something exceptionally good pops up. Getting through the process, I just got to keep “The Astronaut’s Prayer” in mind.
With some patience (I’ve gone through several 50-gallon drums of it), faith (I’m trying, I’m really, really trying), and maybe just a touch of luck (I’ll take whatever I can get) we may get to exchange this “long national nightmare” or something much more exciting and enjoyable, if not necessarily less stressful and exhausting.
Yes, I’m being a bit vague. Those of you who know me personally know what I’m talking about. The rest of you, I promise that I’ll keep you updated.
We Love The Stars Too Fondly 