Vacation - The Beginning

Today was my last day at work as my vacation begins.  So, in an attempt to totally decompress, I am going to go completely off the grid, as far as work is concerned.  For the next two weeks I am not going to discuss work here on my blog.  For now, let me just say, it is a clean getaway.

Tony and Ty finished off the last of cleaning Tony's apartment today and then they met me for dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings.  Dinner was a variety of appetizers, which we followed by a walk through Westgate while Tony looked at a new suitcase, which I've currently got sitting here in my living room.  Since he had the last of his personal effects in his car, there wasn't room for it without effecting his sight-lines.

I am going to split my vacation between three places - a few days here at home, the weekend in Anaheim for Wondercon, then 11 days in South Dakota visiting the ranch.  I am looking forward to all aspects of the trip.  A bit of bad news, my nephew has been transferred to the hospital up in Rapid City and though he is still keeping the cone of silence down, he did give permission for his doctor to notify the folks at the ranch.  I will be keeping him close in my prayers - while at the same time I respect the dignity of his journey.

I have the new Blackberry Z10, which I've been playing with for the last two days, so that is going to be part of my learning curve for the period of time when I am on vacation.  I am contemplating taking only the smart phone on vacation as my only electronic device - I don't know if I will be able to successfully do it, because I do what to have my laptop with me on vacation, since that gives me the opportunity to do many things.  I will make that decision when the time comes.  I think I could travel light on the smart phone, but at the same time - I do have all these cool other toys that I love to play with!

The plan tonight is a couple of episodes of Whitney, then curling up with "The Lies of Locke Lamorra", which is very amusing so far.

The Colors of the Day

It was an interesting day.  I slept well last night.  If I dreamed I do not recall what those dreams were. I woke about 5:30 AM and lingered in bed for a while, just listening to the birds and watching the dawn unfold into the day.  I got out of bed, took a nice hot shower, texted T.R., and then a sister and a brother. I sorted laundry for the day and did some incidental household cleaning.

From there, I drove over to the Hickory Pit to meet Bob, Ty, and Tony.  Breakfast was biscuits and gravy with a bowl of oatmeal and conversation. After breakfast I headed over the laundry and got my clothes in, then wandered around the neighborhood, admiring the sights.  There are plenty of blooming flowers and contributed to the colors of the day.  The three pictures in this entry are from that walk.

After laundry finished up, I circled back home for a short while, long enough to put my clothes away and put some incidental purchases away.  I had a nice long conversation with my step-dad. I circled back out, going to the gym, then stopping at the office supply store for printer cartridges, and then at the kitchen store seeking an egg poaching pan.  I had not been able to find one, so I think I am going to go up on Amazon tonight to see if I can find one there.

When I got home from that cycle of errand running, I took an hour nap, and then headed back out to meet Tony for dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, which was a very tasty choice.  After we ate, we walked over the Target so Tony could pick up some odds and ends.  It was a total zoo inside, which is one of the reasons I tend to avoid shopping on weekends.

Now, I am home, in a melancholy mood, watching "Five Fingers", with Ryan Phillipe and Lawrence Fishburn.  It was recommended by D.J. at the Hickory Pit and so far has been an excellent book.  So, the weekend is sliding to a close, I am lazy and easy and missing T.R., half engulfed in my melancholy mood, contemplating writing.

Off the IPO Boot

It was a brisk day here in California.  I started with a meeting at 6:00 AM and then had constant meetings through the day until I went to the podiatrist at 2:00 PM, then as soon as I got out of the appointment, I dialed in to another teleconference.

The high point of the day was the doctor telling me the foot looks good and discharging me, with a follow up in a couple of months.  I am officially off the IPO boot, which is great - now, I just have to remember how to walk without it!

After the last teleconference I stopped and met Tony at Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner and when we were getting ready to leave and I was getting out of the booth, I was very careful stepping out - at if I was getting onto the IPO boot. It is probably going to take me a couple of days to figure out how to walk again, but I am sure looking forward to it!

I think at some point in the coming weekend I am going to visit a museum just for the sheer pleasure of wandering. Maybe catch the light rail downtown and then walk over to the San Jose Museum of Art and spend some time looking at the exhibits, and then lunch.  Let's face it, I am truly looking forward to getting out and simply walking around.

Meanwhile, it is a beautiful evening here, the far horizon is tinted in shades of red and rose and I am preparing to slip into bed early and spend the night reading. I have another heavy meeting day tomorrow, with the first meeting at 7:00 AM, so I am planning on an early rise. 

Elsewhere, T.R. is still on her off the grid vacation and I am missing her (while envying her being off the grid, I plan a similar thing for my next vacation).  Wherever she is, I hope her night is gentle and graceful.