6:51pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA, Sunday night, April 9, 2023, Easter Sunday. Went to a picnic this afternoon with the same group as last year. It was fun. We are too much food and played lawn games. The temperature kept rising throughout the day. By 4pm it was hot and my skin started to turn red. When the picnic was over we headed back to Aliso Viejo to finish my daughter’s homework. At 6pm I left for Dana Point to do laundry and pack for the week. Now, I am catching up on correspondences and watching sports.

7:07pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA, Saturday night, April 8, 2023. Went for a walk this morning, grabbed coffee, worked out at the gym, then went to the store for last minute Easter shopping. At noon I picked up lunch for the girls then took my daughter to a movie. Now I am putting together an Easter basket for her and watching a movie.

7:27pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA, Friday night, April 7, 2023. Drove in from Palm Desert this afternoon. Watched a movie, ate dinner and did homework with my daughter this evening. Now I am back in Dana Point, continuing the slow process of unboxing the move. Still a long way to go but, making progress.

3:40pm, pacific standard time, office in Palm Desert, California, USA, Thursday afternoon, April 5, 2023. When it comes to work, I don’t know how to do self-care. Job security has not been a luxury afforded me for some time. Often my job status was tenuous. Therefore, I worked as hard as I could, for as long as I could before the inevitable parting of ways. Then, when I was no longer employed, I recharged my batteries in between jobs. As a result, I don’t know how to take vacations. Spending time with family, traveling, indulging in a hobby is not a skill set I possess. Now, I am eight months in to this job. I feel secure but, I am hesitant to let my guard down. I need to accept things are going well and I am allowed to make vacation plans. That way I can be happy, productive and stay with the company long term. That would be a win for everyone.

6:37pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, USA, Wednesday evening, April 5, 2023. I deduced this morning I need to take time off from work. I would even take getting sick with a cold. It isn’t that the job is bad, I just need to break up the routine. I need a mental health day. It doesn’t do any good to be cranky at work. People read my mood and it negatively affects them. Taking a day would not only be beneficial for me, but everyone else as well.

6:36pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, USA, Tuesday night, April 4, 2023. The days are getting monotonous. Five and a half months in and the Palm Desert routine has become tired. I wake up, workout, have coffee, work, grab dinner, watch television then go to bed. I don’t go out, I don’t look forward to time off and I don’t have any hobbies. I need to change things up or I am going to go crazy.

7:15pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, USA, Monday night, April 3, 2023. Slept in this morning then did the classic Dana Point walk. After that, I returned to my apartment, did two Monday morning calls, then left for Palm Desert. The sky was ominous the whole way but never rained. Ten miles out of town there u encountered dust storms. The wind is still blowing hard outside. I just finished dinner and am going to watch the college basketball championship before going to bed.

5:25pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Aliso Viejo, California, USA, Sunday evening, April 2, 2023. Went for a walk and workout this morning, grabbed breakfast for my daughter then went to the store. Now we are hanging out at the apartment, having a lazy Sunday. She is off school this coming week for spring break. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to take time off from work. We will get to hang out next weekend instead.

9:06pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA, Saturday night, April 1, 2023. Drove to Garden Grove this afternoon to see our daughter’s friend perform in a play. She did good but, the play was long. We got back to Aliso Viejo around six pm. After dinner I left Aliso Viejo and drove to Dana Point. Now I am getting ready for bed. Today is the 23rd anniversary of the day my daughter’s mom and I got married. A lot has changed in twenty three years.