March 20, 2024, Wednesday night, 7:04pm, pacific standard time, hotel room in Bakersfield, California,USA. I had my monthly operating review this morning. Afterwards, I drove to Visalia to visit that branch. After finishing meetings this afternoon I drove back to Bakersfield and grabbed subway for dinner. Now I am watching college basketball. I filled out my brackets this morning. Hopefully they look good! I also had my executive coaching session today. I am starting to see the benefit. The first couple times I was guarded and not interested in opening up. But the last two weeks have been stressful. It was nice to have someone listen to my experience and offer support. I am glad I have the opportunity to work with her.

March 19, 2024, Tuesday night, 6:20pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Bakersfield, California, USA. Finished dinner and now I am watching the First Four games of the NCAA tournament. Which reminds me, I need to fill out my basketball brackets before Thursday morning. I got up early today and finished my financial review slides for work. I skipped working out to make sure I had them just right. That reduced my anxiety significantly. Tomorrow I will take a couple calls at the hotel then go visit the Visalia branch tomorrow.

March 18, 2024, Monday night, 7:30pm, pacific standard time, hotel room in Bakersfield,California,USA. Drove to Bakersfield today. Had to stop a couple of times to conduct and attend meetings. Got to the hotel around 4, answered some emails then got a burger from Red Robin. Watched some television, now getting ready to turn in.

March 16-17, 2024, Sunday evening, 6:32pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Last night I drove to Anaheim and met some new friends. We went to a punk bar called The Doll Hut then drove to the Rio Vista Inn for karaoke. This morning I went for a walk, followed by a trip to the gym and then came home to do laundry and drink coffee. In the afternoon I took my daughter to In and Out burgers, walked the dog, and went to Target with my daughter and her mom. Afterwards we stopped by a drink shop called Pengo to try something new. Now I am home watching the NCAA basketball tournament selection show and finishing dinner. Today was about as good as life ever will get. Yet, I am not sure I can fully appreciate how fun it was until I look back on it sometime in the future.

March 15, 2024, Friday night, 9:32pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Went to a potluck at my daughters school for lunch. It was good seeing her interact with friends. I didn’t know many of the other parents so I talked mostly with her mom and a small group at a nearby table. For dinner we went to Olive Garden and had pasta. This evening I met someone at the harbor and had a couple drinks. All in all it wasn’t a bad day.

March 14, 2024, Thursday evening, 5:24pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. I asked for PTO today. I am going to leave Saturday, March 30, and drive to Wyoming to see my mom. Hopefully my daughter will go with me. We might even take the dog. It will be good to get away from work and have a nice road trip. We aren’t staying long but we will be there to celebrate Easter. My mom is excited to have visitors. Things are a little better at work today. I was able to calm myself down regarding the frustration and disappointment of yesterday. I have to remember my boss is new. He is trying to please his boss and learn his role. He doesn’t have time for attaboys and worrying about my feelings. I am sure it will be fine.

March 13, 2024, Wednesday evening, 5:26, pacific standard time, hotel in San Bernardino, California,USA. Had a rough couple days at work. I am trying to hire a new manager for two branches but the four candidates I have presented all have been rejected. I am disheartened. The process makes me feel like a child asking for a puppy and being told no. My new boss is not communicative nor supportive. This is exactly the scenario I feared when all the change was happening at the beginning of the year. I vowed I would weather the storm but it is going to be trying.

March 12, 2024, Tuesday morning, 7:49am, pacific standard time, hotel room in Victorville,California,USA. It was a year ago today I completely moved out of my apartment in Chandler, Arizona. Hard to believe it has been that long. I look at pictures from that day and see how sad I was. As much as I appreciated coming back to Dana Point the physical difference between the Chandler apartment and the Dana point space is striking. The Chandler apartment was inviting and cozy. A safe place to shut the door and tune out the world. It was my fortress of solitude. A place to recharge. The Dana Point apartment is cold and uninviting. It does not feel welcoming nor empowering. I appreciate having a place in the area I call home. The price is right and the location is excellent. But the apartment itself sucks and I miss the Chandler one more every day.

March 11, 2024, Monday night, 7:51pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Victorville, California, USA. I am aware my energy has turned rather sour. I have spent so much time gritting through stressful work I forgot what it feels like to be happy. This week I want to focus on reclaiming positive energy and sharing that with those I meet.

March 10, 2024, Sunday evening, 7:31pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Still felt a little under the weather this morning so I slept in. With the start of daylight savings I was running behind. By the time I got up and ready I was picking up my daughter. This afternoon we grabbed lunch and ran a couple errands. After that I napped and walked the dog before coming back to Dana Point. Now I am unwinding before calling it a night.