Techpriest Baunach on Nostr: # Return from Vacation I've been on vacation for roughly the last three weeks, and ...

# Return from Vacation

I've been on vacation for roughly the last three weeks, and it's given me much to write about.

It was wonderful to slow down, no alarm clock, no schedule, surrounded by friends and/or family.

The major focus each day was food and recreation, a far cry from my normal daily grind.

Deep conversations, stretching long into the night.

Pipes and cigars. Bourbon, gin and tonic, and some really good chocolate.

And singing!

We tried to sing all of American Pie, and realized we didn't quite know it well enough. But Wagon Wheel and Country Roads went off without a hitch. I even sang my attempt to turn Numb into Gregorian Chant (it's not perfect yet, but it's getting there).

I rarely checked social media, because I didn't want it. I didn't check the news either, because I had people to talk to, and that's always better.

We watched a few movies, but less than we did last year.

A few times we cried, over innocence lost, friends who faded away, and the cruelties of this life.

We knew the depths of sadness, and the heights of joy.

I received a lot of compliments on my homemade overalls at the restaurants and other places we visited, typically followed up by the question: "where did you get them?" And then the response to their handcrafted origin was some variation of: "you should start a company and sell them."

A reminder of how deeply consumerism runs in this culture.

And that's really the thing I want to bring back from vacation: the best things in life are friends, making things, and singing.

I want more of all that, and whatever that costs, it's worth the price.

### And just because I'm curious, what are some songs y'all sing with your friends?