Back to the grind, from the Labor day getaway. Vacations are so so nice. I noticed how refreshed I felt, being back at work after a 4 day weekend. Incidentally, I just read a blurb on Ars Technica regarding the productivity of US workers. The ensuing discussion thread was rather interesting as well. Compared to European culture, Americans get a piddling amount of vacation time. From what I read, many European countries, by law require employees to have 25 days of vacation per year! OK anyway, the grass is always greener. I'm really thankful for my job - it's a fantastic fit for the things that I'm interested in, and good at. And the vacation time I do have, and the 40 hour work weeks really aren't bad at all. So I'll shut my mouth now. Heck, I'm not in a third-world country pick-pocketing tourists for the local gangs or whatnot, just to survive. Or living in a one-room house with 10 other people, working 10 hour days 7 days a week to make $200 a year. Actually, in the kingdom perspective, do those things even matter? Everyone has a time & a place in this intricate tapestry of life, and to strive 50-60 years to simply improve quality of life ... and then die, seems so meaningless. Or to pass on an inheritance of wealth or quality of life to the next generation, for what?