September 10, 2023, Sunday night (Monday morning) 12:02am, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Went and saw the Nun 2 movie with my daughter in Irvine. I thought it was pretty scary. She said it was alright. Afterward, we picked her mom up at the auto repair shop then drove to Dana Point so they could borrow the other car. Luckily, it started after sitting unused for three weeks.

September 8-9, 2023, Friday and Saturday, 4:34pm, pacific standard time, Saturday afternoon, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. My daughter stayed the night with her friends family at the Great Wolf Lodge, in Garden Grove. I dropped her off shortly after 5pm yesterday and came back to Dana Point. I haven’t been to Aliso Viejo all day. It is times like this that make me realize how much life revolves around spending time with my daughter. We are planning to go a movie tomorrow but I am more aware everyday that once she can drive on her own life will change drastically for all of us. I miss her right now. And I miss the dog as well. But after all was said and done it was nice to have a day to myself. I slept in and went to the gym this afternoon. Now I am reading a graphic novel version of my favorite book, The Stranger by Albert Camus.

September 7, 2023, Thursday night, 7:09pm, pacific standard time, hotel room in Bakersfield, California, USA. Had a group call with the Palm Desert office today. Lots of raw emotion and heartache. Much of the team is frustrated by an unclear vision from the outgoing leader. Nobody did anything wrong, he was/is trying to lead. Yet his lack of experience guiding a team shows through. Luckily, the situation isn’t irreparable. Yet it is startling to see the transformation. Three months ago that team was pulling together and conquering the world. Now they are angry, hurt and demoralized. Next week I am in San Diego Tuesday and Wednesday. I will make a trip to the desert to meet with the team on Thursday and try to hash things out. We need to get back on track and find the old fire again.

September 6, 2023, Wednesday evening, 6/35pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Bakersfield, California, USA. I realize I complain more and more. It isn’t that I don’t like the job I have. I am just overwhelmed. It is getting harder to crank up the energy everyday. I need down time or I am not going to last long. The same pressure the short-term Palm Desert Director succumbed to is now devouring me. Maybe he is smart. The lesson he learned in three months has taken me over a year. I hate to say I can’t keep going but I am not sure how to stop. Eventually my tired mind is going to cause trouble. I travel long distances on busy roads. The situation is ripe for disaster. That is uncomfortable to admit but true.

September 5, 2023, Tuesday evening, 7:49pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Bakersfield, California, USA. The drive to Bakersfield was easy today, not much traffic. I wish Fridays were just as easy. Hopefully it won’t take long to return to Orange County this week. I am already grouchy and want to go home. There were a lot of issues at work. Evidently no one wanted to come back from the extended weekend. I can’t blame them, I didn’t want to work today either. Next week there is a meeting in San Diego I was thinking about attending. If I go to that I won’t come to Bakersfield. That would be nice. I think I will plan on that.

September 4, 2023, Monday night, Labor Day, 8:06pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Woke up early and worked out at the gym. I have been doing a beneficial new exercise, up/downs aka “burpees.” I do three sets of 15 plus some resistance training. The up/downs get me sweaty and exhausted, which is good. They work my core muscles that tend to atrophy from sitting in an office chair all day. After the gym I took the dog for an walk before the day got too hot. Then I came back to Dana Point, did laundry, took my daughter to a friends and went for an afternoon walk up blue lantern. At 6pm I picked my daughter up, grabbed dinner and took her home. Now it is time to wind down and mentally get ready for work. I am so freaking glad it is a short week coming up.

September 3, 2023, Sunday night, 10:58pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Had an argument with my daughter’s mom yesterday so stayed around Dana Point most of the morning. Worked out, got the mail, then did the big walk this afternoon. Picked my daughter up and drove around a little, got her a McDonald’s happy meal in lake forest. When we got back her mom asked for help disassembling the dryer as She had dropped lip gloss in the lint trap. I told her it was more complicated than my skill set but tried anyway. Ended up cutting my finger pretty bad on a jagged piece of steel. She is going to see if neighbors can help and I am going to try and avoid getting stitches. Drove to the spectrum in Irvine tonight and met someone for a drink. It was fun. Afterwards I Came home, read a little then went to bed around 8:30pm.

September 02, 2023, Saturday night, 9:09pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Watching Wyoming versus Texas Tech. It is the 4th quarter, less than a minute to go. Wyoming is up 3. Texas tech is trying to tie it. Not a bad day. Slept in this morning. Went to workout then Took the dog for a walk. came back to Dana Point around five and have been watching the game since then. Now it is tied with 40 seconds to go. It is going to overtime. Wyoming is going to lose I am sure. Still not a bad day.

September 1, 2023, Friday night, 6:53pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Aliso Viejo, California, USA. It is the 21st anniversary of the day I consider my spiritual birth. I had moved to valencia, California on Sunday, September 1, 2002. It was 2pm, I had finished unpacking and decided to go to the apartment complex gym for a workout. At this very spot on my walk over I was hit with an indescribable sensation of shear happiness that lasted five and a half years. I still consider that far and away the best of my life.