I exited my car, standing in front of The Tile Store, some 20 miles and 45 minutes from my home. It was raining, and as I usually do, I grimaced and clutched my side at the strange vibrating on my belt. Lifting my cellphone, I punched "Yes" (which means "Talk"). "Hello." "Hello, Damien?" "Yes, hello Leonard".

That was today, Thursday. But this really started on Monday.

Monday, approximately 10 AM.

Boss (via email): Please ensure that you have no more than 75 hours [2 weeks at my cushy job] of vacation going into next year.

And I thought, hm, have I taken much vacation this year? The time for the baby was for Parental Leave or whatever, so I didn't use any vacation. Thailand was last year. And I'll be damned, I checked, and I had 120 hours. I will earn another 2+ days before the end of the year. I have to take vacation.

Boss (via signature): Approved.

And there I was, staring at 6 empty days starting Wednesday, followed by 2 more extra long weekends at the end of November. A total of 15 empty days to fill. Would I play video games? Would I drink myself into oblivion? Would I write my web page? No! I would work myself to the bone, or a little further if possible.

If. Possible.

12:20 PM, Monday.
Damien: "Hey Leon, let's go to Barnes & Noble."
Leon: "Why, you wanna get a book?"
Damien: "Yeah, I'm thinking of building a Japanese garden. I have vacation coming up."

And so it was, B. Dalton (mall version of either B&N or Borders, forget which) had a thin Ortho book on building a Japanese book. I bought it, I browsed it, and I declared myself ready to build.

Tuesday, I left work a little early and headed to a special lumber store that sells cedar decking. Got some samples and headed home to start planning my deck and yard. I broke out my SketchUp and did a rendering of my front yard, it's shabby present and glorious modern Japanese-insprired future. My design - version 2 - rocks. Literally. Wife approval. Budget: couple grand.

Tuesday night we went to The Tile Store (first time). Browsed, photographed, and plotted. No purchases. (I don't buy until everything is planned and ready to execute for real)

Wednesday morning, the plan was to start clearing the yard, pick plants, pick rocks, and start buying. Couldn't mow because of overnight rain, so I went straight to Behnke's and browsed Red Maples, Dragonhead Pines, and plenty of other currently growing things. Then, Home Depot to browse rocks.

So I headed home, showed the plans and rocks and plant photographs to my wife, and decided on a course of action. The design consisted of about 48 square feet of tile (including a table top), 4 benches and a table, and a landscape of river rocks, dark granite chips, and pebbles. A lot of rocks.

"We're burnin' daylight!" I thought as I created my list of materials. My plan was to buy things when it is dark, then work outside during the limited daylight. I headed to Behnke's to buy plants. I got one, a "Walking Stick", a crazy twisting structure just perfect for my new Jardin Moderne. Alas, I would have bought more, but, as Annie Lennox sang so well, "Here Comes The Rain Again". Side note: It's still raining. Whenever you are reading this, I bet it is STILL raining.

Next, Home Depot. A couple hundred in wood, 175 bags of rocks, and a pallet of some Pennsylvanian's Flagstone wall. $999.74. Delivered. And yes, it costs a lot more on Designer's Challenge! See you Friday morning, I thought. That was 10 pm.

Today, Thursday, the real work was to begin. Work in the yard, buy the tiles, and otherwise prepare for the Friday delivery. I awoke, but Annie was still singing, tearing me apart like a new emotion. So after rush hour I drove to The Tile Store.

"Yes, hello Leonard".
"Do you remember that house you made a contract on?" (real people dangle participles)

Of course I remember - I offered to buy a freaking house. I'm not going to forget in two weeks. But that's not what he meant.

"Well, the other contract fell through. They want yours now. Still interested?"

Whoa Nelly! OK, first things, "Yes" I'm still interested. Second, uh, what will I use for a downpayment?

See, dear reader, I had this narrow window of time when I had lots of money for a down payment. That window closed, and I paid off my car loan, debts, made an IRA contribution, etc. In other words, I allocated it all - not spent - just shifted it to pay things off and such. Can I get it back? Sort of. More shifting. Things they should teach in high school, or college, but that I've learned the hard way over years of trial and error. I know how to do it.

However, I don't need 10,000 pounds of rock (at roughly 10 cents per pound) to do it.

So, I got back in my car and left The Tile Store empty-handed, drove to Home Depot and cancelled my delivery (and got back my munayh), and headed home. Entire project cost: $50 (for the plant). Next phase: hope new home purchase goes smoothly.

But what of my vacation? What of my project? Don't cry for me, dear reader: I have a kitchen and bathroom renovation to plan!