The One That Got Away: A Hiatus Fish Tale

I am currently on week #2 of my work hiatus. What is a hiatus you may ask? For me at least, it is when the project that you are staffed on has some contract issues, and they tell you that while the contract is getting figured out, I am “unstaffed”. Being “unstaffed” or “on the bench” or “on the beach” is common for Consultants. In this day and time, being unstaffed for too long is probably not a good thing because you run the risk of getting fired…but it is a normal occurrence in the consulting industry and it’s built into our operating margins.  The good thing is that you still get paid. And you DON’T need to use vacation hours either while you are unstaffed – although if something work-related comes up, you are expected to be available to help out.

So what does one do when they find out they are on hiatus? For me, it involved immediately going online and booking a flight to Cali. My flight left the next day (2/28) and I was on my way to LA and OC to see my family and friends for an impromptu visit.

And boy, were the sun and beaches in LA nice. Not only did I leave the frigid weather of NYC, but I missed the entire snowstorm that we had last week. Upon landing at LGB, I was greeted to this:

On Sunday, my sister and I decided to go see one of my besties (Mary), so we headed out to West Hollywood. We picked Mary up, then headed over to Santa Monica where we had lunch at one of her fave restaurants, the Library Ale House (on Main Street) where we filled up on amazing burgers, chips, guac and sweet potato fries. After, we walked across the street to check out the beach and stroll on over to Venice.

Mary and I on Beach in SaMo

My Sister (Amy) and Mary on the Beach

Watching the drum circle in Venice was definitely cool. Basically, people drum in a circle and random people dance around. Around sunset, the drum circle grows and the dancing and music get even more crazed.

Drum Circle in Venice

Unfortunately, I forgot my shorts (I thought LA would be a bit chilly!), so I was the dud sitting on the beach in my jeans. Oh well.

Me in Jeans on the Beach

The best part of the trip though was coming home to my dad fishing in the backyard. No…we don’t have a river, a creek, an ocean or a lake in my backyard. We have a pool. My dad was prepping for his fly-fishing trip to the Sierra Nevadas the following week, so he decided to bust out the fishing hat, fishing vest, pole, rod, reel, and flys.

Dad Fly Fishing in the Pool. Yes...the Pool! (Notice the cool sandles he is wearing?)

 

Hoping to Catch the "Big One". Love the Fishing Vest!

My Dad’s Final Catch: 2 bass, 1 trout, 1 200 lb. swordfish, 3 dorados, 4 bluefin tunas, and the loss of the dignity and respect of his entire family. =)

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