My trip ends tomorrow with a long flight back to the Pacific Time Zone. At least with the time difference, I'll still have a good portion of the day when I get there.
The half-marathon went well. Going to the Y for the last two months paid off as it was the easiest half--to date--that I walked. I bested my last time by more than 5 minutes, which was nice. And for a change, I was listed as the winner (i.e., finished ahead) instead of my friend. We post identical times but usually they list her first.
Got to see a lot of friends and former coworkers. Got a lot of exercise to make up because of this, as most of the get-togethers involved a meal. Today will be a full day: had breakfast with one coworker (before dawn!), will have lunch with another, and am trying to see if coffee is possible with a third.
Had one night to myself...I decided that my hosts really needed a date night--their kids were with the sitter when we were all at the half-marathon--so I made myself scarce and stayed on the oceanfront. The time away was pleasant until it was marred by two events.
Event 1: I called my mother and was passively-aggressively raked over the coals for not calling enough. I ignored the attempt, which was not the desired result my mother wanted to hear. Of course, after hanging up I sighed in frustration. As much as it'd be nice to have a close relationship with my mother like all my friends have with theirs, it is just not going to happen. And I've accepted it for the most part, but sometimes it stings.
Event 2: I learned that a friend lost their spouse. Found dead, details not public at this time, nor am I going to ask. They had been going through some trouble and what I initially thought was ranting about the spouse not coming home turned into worry about why no one could contact them, which eventually ended the wrong way.
It made me think about my own better-half and how much I do--and should--appreciate him. Death can happen at any time. It doesn't care who, when, where, why, what, and on what horse you road in on. Surprisingly, it didn't make me think about my relationship with my mother...I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.
I stopped by the old workplace one evening to say hi. People were happy to see me...I was surprised so many recognized me and wanted to catch-up. Short-staffed, as usual. Morale worse. Staff leaving left and right. My soon-to-no-longer-be-a new grad filled me in on the nitty gritty over breakfast. Overall, conditions haven't really improved. I decided that if I do return to work there, I'll only do it PRN, unless some magical change happens to the place in the next few years. I also promised my old evening tech that I'd go work wherever she is.
I also did some introspection about my life and career. I figured out--with help--that I really have two options: I can find happiness with the decisions I make, or I can make new decisions. I decided to try being happy with the decisions I've made, or at least give it a darn good try before I attempt new decisions, since happiness may not be immediate. Nor should I expect it to me.
I didn't do very well in class this week...again, I didn't expect to. But I didn't expect to fail an assignment. It was kind of questionable, IMO, and I think my answers have really good validity. But ultimately I didn't pick the right decision which means all my work on that part of the assignment went for nought (it was all or nothing on that part), hence the failure. I could resubmit it for a slightly higher grade. Even with the failure, I'm holding at a 95, but I'll resubmit anyway. I'm not as upset as I thought I'd be about it though, which is some progress--usually anything that wasn't an A would make me sick to my stomach.
Going to do laundry, pack and relax before I head out to my lunch date with my former night tech.
