May 20, 2024, Monday evening, 7:06pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point,California,USA. Drove to Palm Desert for a meeting this afternoon then turned around and came home. My boss is in the area. Tomorrow we meet in San Diego, then Vista. I could have stayed down there but it would have been the same distance and I didn’t feel like packing a bag of it wasn’t necessary. I will drive down in the morning then come back to Orange County later. Wednesday I am staying in Temecula to visit with a friend I haven’t seen for a while.

May 19, 2024, Sunday afternoon, 3:31, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Today is the 21st anniversary starting my role as a hospice chaplain in Ogden. Utah. That was my favorite job ever and by far the happiest time of my life. I went on indeed.com today and saw that very job posted. Upon further inspection it is for acute care, not hospice. They are looking for someone with board certification. That is tough to get. Like getting another masters degree. I would not be qualified for that job. I wouldn’t want to work acute care anyway. I like being a hospice chaplain and having the autonomy to set my own schedule. Still, seeing a job posted in Ogden on the day of my anniversary did give me a start.

May 16, 17, Thursday, Friday, written Saturday morning 1:48am, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. I am getting forgetful about these blog posts. Especially if nothing significant happens during the day. Thursday I got groceries in San Bernardino then headed home for one-on-one appointments and monthly operating review. I picked my daughter up from school and took her to the orthodontist in San Juan then got her In and Out before taking her home. Yesterday, I took her to school then had a terrible meeting regarding an internal audit in Bakersfield. That soured the rest of the day. My daughter had a rough day at school so I picked her up early and took her home. Today I was supposed to meet a friend for a morning walk but that fell through. I have been a little under the weather all week. Not sick but congested.

May 15, 2024, Wednesday evening, 5:33pm, pacific standard time, hotel room in San Bernardino, California,USA. In my hotel room, waiting for Panera delivery of tuna sandwich and soup. Today was another office day. Two meetings in the morning, three in the afternoon. I don’t mind at this point. These days are filler. I might as well work, there is nothing else to do. Tomorrow I have some one on one meetings with my dirties and then our area operating review.

May 14, 2024, Tuesday night, 8:44pm, pacific standard time, hotel room in Victorville, California, USA. A standard work day. I was feeling tired so slept in and skipped the gym. Went into the office shortly after 9am. caught up on emails in the morning then had three meetings in a row from noon until 3pm. Left the office just before four and came back to the hotel. Ate leftovers from lunch for dinner.

May 13, 2024, Monday evening, 5:45pm, pacific standard time, hotel room in Victorville,California, USA. Today was a busy day and yet I got nothing done. I woke up at my usual time and went to the gym. Then I had a call at 8:30 and a dentist appointment at 9am. The appointment ran long and made me late for a 10am meeting that was important. I missed my 10:30am meeting because the 10 am ran long as well. Then I took my daughter to get breakfast since she was home from school. At 12pm there was a meeting and a one pm interview followed by a two hour drive to Victorville. I checked into the hotel then went grocery shopping. Now I am watching hockey and waiting for my dinner to be delivered. I will have to work extra hard to catch up tomorrow.

May 12, 2024, Sunday afternoon, 3:10pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Drove to the Huntington Beach pier this morning to meet a friend. Then came back and shared Mother’s Day gifts with my daughter and her mom. Got them both lunch then came home to take a nap. Now I am going to pick up dinner and take it to them before getting ready for the work week. Today is the two year anniversary of being laid off from my job in Phoenix. I almost forgot today was the day. So much has happened since then. But ironically, it is still one of my favorite Arizona memories.

May 9,10,11,2024, Thursday, Friday, Saturday morning, 8:45, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Thursday was my daughters school formal dance. She looked amazing in a long, red dress. I went with her mom and a family friend to drop her off and pick her up. Seeing her transform into a young adult has been a great experience. I am proud of her and who she is becoming. Yesterday was a work day. I attended virtual meetings then went to bed at 8:15pm. I was so tired from the New Jersey trip and staying g up late for the dance. Today I am going to run errands and relax. I am planning on getting together with a friend in La Habra tonight but we haven’t worked out where and when.

May 8, 2024, Wednesday evening, 4:37pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California,USA. Last night we went to the Miku expo in Newark. After it was over we said goodbye to my daughters friend and headed back to the hotel. Our flight this morning left at six am eastern. Which meant getting up at 12:30am pacific to pack and get through security. I dropped my daughter off in aliso viejo this afternoon and got to my house in Dana point around 1:45pm. I had work calls, which made me punchy, but otherwise I am taking it easy doing laundry and unwinding. This trip loomed over everything for a long time. I am glad it is over. I am Even happier my daughter and I had such a great time.

May 7, 2024, Tuesday morning, 11:13am, eastern standard time, hotel lobby in Newark, New Jersey, USA. Today is the day of the Miku Expo concert. This is what we came to New Jersey for. I have to admit, this trip induced anxiety for months. I was worried about cost, logistics and missed work. But it has been a blessing to spend time with my daughter and to be away from familiar sights. I feel refreshed. I will be a little sad to leave tomorrow but I am thankful for the memories we are making.