7:43pm, mountain standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, USA, Friday night, March 10, 2023. On the drive to Arizona I received a call from my supervisor and her boss. They wanted to thank me for my effort the past seven months and inform me I would be receiving a discretionary bonus next week. I was effusive in my acceptance. Not only is the money appreciated but, the recognition feels good. It has been a while since I felt valued at a job. Too many times I worked in no win situations for uninspiring people. Now, I have found a place where I can excel. The last seven months have not been easy but, they have been rewarding. That is all I wanted when I was laid off last May; to find an employer that paid fair value, have a job that matched my skill set and be given an opportunity to succeed. I have that now and look forward to enjoying it for years to come.

6:29pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, USA, Thursday night, March 9, 2023. Financials came out today. They look better than last month but, still not good. I knew the numbers wouldn’t be great yet, seeing the actual report hurt. I am not used to working this hard for no discernible gain. On the bright side; we are trending in the right direction and following a projected timeline to profitability. I just wish we didn’t have to suffer the next couple months and could simply skip ahead to the making money part.

6:35pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, USA, Wednesday night, March 8, 2023. Another busy day, mostly because of meetings. Lots of back and forth about patient care and best practices. Now I feel exhausted. And a little under the weather. Luckily, tomorrow looks less hectic. That gives me a chance to rest and catch up on neglected reports.

5:30pm, pacific standard time, sandwich shop in Palm Desert, California, USA, Tuesday night, March 7, 2023. I ordered a sandwich online for pick-up but, they didn’t have an ingredient prepared and needed it to complete my order. So, I am killing time writing this post. It was a busy day at work. Lots of new patients coming on service. Consequently, everyone is stressed. The branch is in growth mode after months spent working to get the right team in place. I have to remind myself; it is just as hard to ride upward momentum as it is creating it. We can’t stop now, we have to continue what we started. 5:41pm, one of the reps at work just called. She was in a car accident and her car is totaled. It was a brand new company car she just got on Friday. Luckily, she is alright and her husband is with her but, she sounded pretty shaken over the phone.

10:00am, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA, Monday morning, March 6, 2023. Yesterday, I went for a walk along the spillway/lagoon that runs by the Dana Point apartment. I also met my neighbor and his dog. The walk is an easy, flat stroll and the neighbor seems nice. I am sure all will go well with the move next week. Now, it is a matter of getting settled into my new life. Funny, the whole time I was in Arizona I obsessed about returning to Orange County. Now that I have achieved my goal I wonder what I will look forward to next?

7:22pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Aliso Viejo, California,USA, Saturday night, March 4, 2023. Went for a walk with the dog at 5am this morning. Apparently, she didn’t want to sleep in as much as I did. Getting up early isn’t a problem for me because I usually go to bed early. But, because of the movie starting late last night, we didn’t get home until almost 11pm. As a result, I have been dragging all day. I did run a couple errands, worked out and took my daughter to baseball. But, since we got back at 1pm, I have mostly lounged and watched movies. I am not complaining, the rest is welcome. With the weather being overcast and cold it was a good day to do nothing.

10:34pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Aliso Viejo, California, USA, Friday night, March 3, 2023. Went to work for a couple of hours this morning, drove to Orange County, unpacked the car in Dana Point, came to Aliso Viejo to pick up my daughter, drove to Irvine to watch a movie and do some shopping. Now we are back in Aliso Viejo and getting ready for bed. All in all, a pretty good day.

6:56, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, Thursday evening, March 2, 2023. The director candidate interviewed well this morning. It wasn’t a slam dunk but, she was engaging, knowledgeable and passionate about the industry. However, she lives far away and talked about commuting for a while, which isn’t feasible. That might be a deal breaker. She has one more interview before a decision is made. My feelings are torn. On one hand, I want her to be hired so I can move on to another assignment. Four months in one place is long enough. On the other hand, the branch is doing really well right now. I worry the wrong hire would set back all the progress made. Either way, there will be something gained and something lost. Isn’t that always the case when a choice is finally made?

6:22pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, USA, Wednesday night, March 1, 2023. Today was a rare “slow” day. Lots of pointless tasks and paper shuffling. Which is odd. Usually work is filled with endless meetings and crisis. Which, while stressful, at least makes time pass quickly. With it being slow, hours dragged on interminably. That, coupled with cold rain and overcast skies, made Wednesday a slog. I did finalize the movers for March 11. That will be my last day in Arizona. Now, my energy is shifting toward the future and building my home in Dana Point.