A medieval peasant got more vacation than you

Unless you're a member of Congress, you get less vacation than a medieval peasant, Lynn Parramore writes in an opinion piece for <a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2013/08/29/why-a-medieval-peasant-got-more-vacation-time-than-you/" rel="nofollow">Reuters</a>:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Plowing and harvesting were backbreaking toil, but the peasant enjoyed anywhere from eight weeks to half the year off. The Church, mindful of how to keep a population from rebelling, enforced frequent mandatory holidays. Weddings, wakes and births might mean a week off quaffing ale to celebrate, and when wandering jugglers or sporting events came to town, the peasant expected time off for entertainment. There were labor-free Sundays, and when the plowing and harvesting seasons were over, the peasant got time to rest, too. In fact, economist Juliet Shor found that during periods of particularly high wages, such as 14th-century England, peasants might put in no more than 150 days a year.</blockquote>What happened?<br /><br /><ol><li>The U.S. has no national vacation policy;</li><li>High unemployment and less job security;</li><li>Corporate greed. </li></ol>You probably knew that. But did you know Congress has <a href="http://www.policymic.com/articles/38177/want-a-job-with-239-vacation-days-become-a-member-of-congress" rel="nofollow">239 days off </a>this year?<br /><br />

Vacation wages A medieval peasant got more vacation than you

Unless you're a member of Congress, you get less vacation than a medieval peasant, Lynn Parramore writes in an opinion piece for Reuters:Plowing and harvesting were backbreaking toil, but the peasant enjoyed anywhere from eight weeks to half the year…

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Virginia Beach Recap

Sadly, we are back from VA beach.  We drove back Saturday afternoon, and what should have been a 3.5 hour trip ended up taking us 6 hours!  It poured down rain the entire drive home and <i>that</i> is why it took us so long to get back to northern VA.  There was even a tornado warning as we were leaving the Virginia Beach area - scary!  I've never been in a situation where a tornado has been spotted while driving. <br /><br />It was raining so hard that we had to take a diversion to the local Target just to take a break (and seek shelter - as the NWS was warning us to do.)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXzV-lnk9ZDleeHjSXIruCKGEBx84YD8OKv6440ZzvV36vpGmtctPnfFPcXH4oMZ79aZvM8BwdExysVqUARqt4Dvwr4rXFo27AdDR5geMB1frctxKSj1sEkyjjo27sTN278d2leGws7o/s1600/Beach+Busbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXzV-lnk9ZDleeHjSXIruCKGEBx84YD8OKv6440ZzvV36vpGmtctPnfFPcXH4oMZ79aZvM8BwdExysVqUARqt4Dvwr4rXFo27AdDR5geMB1frctxKSj1sEkyjjo27sTN278d2leGws7o/s400/Beach+Busbee.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The weather, unfortunately, was not ideal on this trip.  It was in the high 70s/low 80s the entire time with a strong breeze along the ocean.  I was actually covered up with my towel most of the time it was so chilly.  The surf was so rough they issued rip current warnings.  I still managed to get some sun, however, so I'll take that as a plus :).  I love trying to maintain a tan for the summer. <br /><br />On Friday morning, after Joel came back from surf fishing, we headed out to rent some beach cruisers (bicycles) to ride along the amazing boardwalk.  I have to admit, as much as I love OC, they have nothing on VA Beach's boardwalk.  VAB's is cemented with a separate, paved path running parallel to the boardwalk that is just for biking.  This way, you can bike all day long!  OC's boardwalk is wooden, splinter ridden and only allows biking at certain hours.  We biked for 45 minutes and had a great time.  Joel relived his childhood by popping wheelies and thus, popping the chain off of his bike :). <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOU-nWpxtIAhEAQMS8fRO-HEzbS0J4-RPDQ1z6d04wX9N70mD5ues274dy1p5Ru-yJP-Bj4HyrHMepjizJ5QjwdG8Ze3BxF1yVOM-x09JAYxxz3ZAyGr7U7NkTkuIM9S_XaDmlJ2uyQpU/s1600/beach+feet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOU-nWpxtIAhEAQMS8fRO-HEzbS0J4-RPDQ1z6d04wX9N70mD5ues274dy1p5Ru-yJP-Bj4HyrHMepjizJ5QjwdG8Ze3BxF1yVOM-x09JAYxxz3ZAyGr7U7NkTkuIM9S_XaDmlJ2uyQpU/s400/beach+feet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />On Friday, we enjoyed a "homemade" lunch in our hotel room.  I had a turkey/hard salami sandwich on Sara Lee Delightfuls bread with pepperjack cheese and a swipe of pesto.  Later I snacked on Rold Gold Pretzels.  I'm very happy we packed our own lunch for the trip.  Not only did it save us money, but it saved me on Points!<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: #674ea7;">Do you have a last minute beach trip planned before summer is over?</span></strong>  <br /><br />It's hard to believe we're approaching fall.  It seems like just yesterday that we were planning our wedding to the Carribbean..... *sigh*...

Vacation Virginia Beach Virginia Beach Recap

Sadly, we are back from VA beach.  We drove back Saturday afternoon, and what should have been a 3.5 hour trip ended up taking us 6 hours!  It poured down rain the entire drive home and that is why it took us so long to get back to northern VA.  Ther…

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Virginia Beach

Apparently <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/search/label/Jamaica" target="_blank">Jamaica</a> just wasn't enough for us this year :). <br /><br />As I type this (on my new MacBook Air I might add! - more on that later), I am sitting in our lovely hotel room in Virginia Beach, VA enjoying the sights and sounds of the ocean. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinR7h9i7OPYXtXvHCvWLYRieOvAzuNWaWR6oezlt4K3pX8N3Hf_IUQsBmay9AJSql57yTsQBlDDA67pwlnm3sqrf_ode3HFDFjt8CCr4ponNBrdIkwb1O69NEBSfqromcdyM_FwLu7qek/s1600/Virginia+Beach-20120823-00161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinR7h9i7OPYXtXvHCvWLYRieOvAzuNWaWR6oezlt4K3pX8N3Hf_IUQsBmay9AJSql57yTsQBlDDA67pwlnm3sqrf_ode3HFDFjt8CCr4ponNBrdIkwb1O69NEBSfqromcdyM_FwLu7qek/s400/Virginia+Beach-20120823-00161.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />While we did have an AMAZING time in Jamaica on our Wedding Moon, we still wanted to enjoy the beach a little closer to home.  It's been our annual tradition since Joel and I met that we go to Ocean City, MD every summer.  This year, we decided to try a new place and headed a little further south in the Old Dominion.<br /><br />We arrived just about an hour ago and I'm awaiting Joel's return from the local tackle shop.  It wouldn't be a trip to the beach without some surf fishing :). <br /><br />In an effort to stay On Plan while I am here, we brought along turkey and my favorite hard salami, as well as a few other snacks.  Hopefully this will help minimize the eating out, and benefit me with a loss this week.  I'm proud of myself for doing this.... planning and bringing some decent food along. <br /><br />Here's to staying On Plan while on a mini vacay! :)<br /><br /><br />

Beach Vacation Virginia Beach

Apparently Jamaica just wasn't enough for us this year :). As I type this (on my new MacBook Air I might add! - more on that later), I am sitting in our lovely hotel room in Virginia Beach, VA enjoying the sights and sounds of the ocean. While we did…

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