6:17pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, USA, Wednesday evening, December 21, 2022. We are still in Palm Desert for a couple more days. I have been going to the office and working. Mom mostly hangs out in the room and goes down to the lobby for breakfast. Though reportedly, she went for a short walk today. My daughter’s mom texted this morning; she was diagnosed with pneumonia last night, which explains the shortness of breath. She is feeling a little better but, needs to take it easy the next couple of days. My daughter feels better as well. She has a cough and tires easily but otherwise is doing alright. Of course, it was reported she plays online until 4am with friends in Australia so, it probably isn’t illness sapping her energy. I look forward to Christmas. We are going to drive up to Valencia on Saturday and spend time with family before officially celebrating the holiday in Orange County.
Month: December 2022
Night one: sharing a room with mom
7:22am, pacific standard time, hotel lobby in Palm Desert, California, USA, Tuesday morning, December 20, 2022. My mom and I made it through the first night sharing a hotel room with only a king bed. The couch pulled out for a surprisingly comfortable hide-a-bed and the desk has rollers for an impromptu partisan. This morning I woke up early to exercise then stayed in the lobby drinking coffee and watching sports. At 7am I went back up to shower, get dressed and reassemble the couch. Mom is still asleep and I am downstairs for another cup of coffee before heading to the office. It isn’t perfect but, we are making the best of the situation.
Monday before Christmas
6:34pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, USA, Monday night, December 19, 2022. The family is still a little under the weather today. I stopped by this morning to walk the dog and drop off tea before driving to Palm Desert. My daughter and her friend were asleep but, her mom was in the living room watching television. She was thankful I was able to help before departing for the week. I got out of Orange County at noon and arrived at 2:30pm. My mom is with me this trip. I thought I booked a suite with a separate bedroom but there isn’t much privacy. We are going to share the room to save money but we might have to rebook. I am getting too old to sleep on the pullout couch in a hotel room and neither of us are keen on sharing a sleeping space.
Sunday in Orange County, California
6:39pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Lake Forest, California, USA, Sunday evening, December 18, 2022. I spent the whole day waiting for inspiration to write this post. Nothing overly amazing happened but, it was a nice day nonetheless. Went to breakfast with my mom, took a walk in Dana Point and ran to some stores. Later, we drove around for a while before taking dinner to the family in Aliso Viejo. Now we are back at the hotel and calling it a night. We will leave for Palm Desert tomorrow morning and stay there until next weekend.
Lake Forest, California, Saturday afternoon
4:10pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Lake Forest, California, USA, Saturday afternoon, December 17, 2022. Woke up last night in Salt Lake City to a very hot hotel room. Turns out the thermostat in the room was malfunctioning. That meant no matter what the setting said (64 with the air conditioning on) the heater kept running full blast. After two hours of sweltering frustration and nearly at my wits end, I finally realized I could unplug the unit and shut it off completely. But, by then I could not relax and go back to sleep. So I got out of bed, showered, and headed to the lobby to wait for the 5:30am shuttle. After a nice, short flight my mom and I arrived in Orange County just before 9am. We were both a little tired and ready to relax but because everyone is sick we could not go to the apartment. Instead, we reserved hotel rooms in Lake Forest. However, the rooms were not ready until the afternoon so we filled the time with shopping, lunch and running errands. Now we are comfortably settled in and ready for a quiet evening of much needed rest.
Friday night in Salt Lake City, Utah
5:09pm, mountain standard time, hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, Friday evening, December 16, 2022. Hanging out at the hotel in Salt Lake City, watching Happy Gilmore. I flew in this afternoon and connected with my mom around 3pm. Now, we are going to grab dinner but, with no car and it being very cold, we will order in or eat at the hotel. Tomorrow we fly back to Orange County first thing in the morning. The good news is I feel better than I did yesterday. Perhaps it was wearing a mask that had sat in my trunk for a year that made me feel stuffy.
Leave in the morning
5:35pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, USA, Thursday night, December 15, 2022. The plan was to return to Aliso Viejo tonight and leave for Salt Lake City in the morning. However, with everyone being sick, I decided to stay an extra night in Palm Desert and drive to Orange County early. So far I have not gotten sick but, I do feel a slight headache right now. Hopefully, it is from a change in weather and not because I have Covid.
They have Covid
6:09pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, USA, Wednesday night, December 14, 2022. Turns out my daughter and her mom have Covid. No wonder they were feeling under the weather this week. My daughter seems to be fairing well but, her mom is more symptomatic. I am feeling alright so far, which is good. Friday I fly to Salt Lake City to meet my mom and fly back with her to Orange County. I called her this evening to let her know the situation. She just got a Covid booster shot so, she isn’t overly concerned. We are moving forward with the original plan and will celebrate the holidays together.
Between 2pm and 4pm
1:58pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Aliso Viejo, California, USA, Tuesday afternoon, December 13, 2022. I get anxious at work, especially when the afternoon rolls around. After lunch I start to daydream about taking time off and not having to be accountable. However, when I am not at the office, or at work for that matter, I still get anxious in the afternoon. I guess some moment during the day has to be the low point. For me, it is the hours between 2pm and 4pm. Once I am past that time that the day is good.
Monday in Aliso Viejo
8:26pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Aliso Viejo, California, USA, Monday night, December, 12, 2022. My daughter and her mom are both sick. I originally stayed the extra day because her mom had a court case to attend and needed me to take our daughter to school. Instead, I spent the day with my daughter while she stayed home. The extra day away from the office was nice but, it is hard to fully engage through email. I will head out early and get to Palm Desert around noon tomorrow. There are only a couple days before I fly to Salt Lake City to pick up my mom for the holidays.
mikemeyer949 