4:10pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Lake Forest, California, USA, Saturday afternoon, December 17, 2022. Woke up last night in Salt Lake City to a very hot hotel room. Turns out the thermostat in the room was malfunctioning. That meant no matter what the setting said (64 with the air conditioning on) the heater kept running full blast. After two hours of sweltering frustration and nearly at my wits end, I finally realized I could unplug the unit and shut it off completely. But, by then I could not relax and go back to sleep. So I got out of bed, showered, and headed to the lobby to wait for the 5:30am shuttle. After a nice, short flight my mom and I arrived in Orange County just before 9am. We were both a little tired and ready to relax but because everyone is sick we could not go to the apartment. Instead, we reserved hotel rooms in Lake Forest. However, the rooms were not ready until the afternoon so we filled the time with shopping, lunch and running errands. Now we are comfortably settled in and ready for a quiet evening of much needed rest.
Author: mikemeyer949
Friday night in Salt Lake City, Utah
5:09pm, mountain standard time, hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, Friday evening, December 16, 2022. Hanging out at the hotel in Salt Lake City, watching Happy Gilmore. I flew in this afternoon and connected with my mom around 3pm. Now, we are going to grab dinner but, with no car and it being very cold, we will order in or eat at the hotel. Tomorrow we fly back to Orange County first thing in the morning. The good news is I feel better than I did yesterday. Perhaps it was wearing a mask that had sat in my trunk for a year that made me feel stuffy.
Leave in the morning
5:35pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, USA, Thursday night, December 15, 2022. The plan was to return to Aliso Viejo tonight and leave for Salt Lake City in the morning. However, with everyone being sick, I decided to stay an extra night in Palm Desert and drive to Orange County early. So far I have not gotten sick but, I do feel a slight headache right now. Hopefully, it is from a change in weather and not because I have Covid.
They have Covid
6:09pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, USA, Wednesday night, December 14, 2022. Turns out my daughter and her mom have Covid. No wonder they were feeling under the weather this week. My daughter seems to be fairing well but, her mom is more symptomatic. I am feeling alright so far, which is good. Friday I fly to Salt Lake City to meet my mom and fly back with her to Orange County. I called her this evening to let her know the situation. She just got a Covid booster shot so, she isn’t overly concerned. We are moving forward with the original plan and will celebrate the holidays together.
Between 2pm and 4pm
1:58pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Aliso Viejo, California, USA, Tuesday afternoon, December 13, 2022. I get anxious at work, especially when the afternoon rolls around. After lunch I start to daydream about taking time off and not having to be accountable. However, when I am not at the office, or at work for that matter, I still get anxious in the afternoon. I guess some moment during the day has to be the low point. For me, it is the hours between 2pm and 4pm. Once I am past that time that the day is good.
Monday in Aliso Viejo
8:26pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Aliso Viejo, California, USA, Monday night, December, 12, 2022. My daughter and her mom are both sick. I originally stayed the extra day because her mom had a court case to attend and needed me to take our daughter to school. Instead, I spent the day with my daughter while she stayed home. The extra day away from the office was nice but, it is hard to fully engage through email. I will head out early and get to Palm Desert around noon tomorrow. There are only a couple days before I fly to Salt Lake City to pick up my mom for the holidays.
I cooked today
5:57pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Aliso Viejo, California, USA, Sunday evening, December 11, 2022. A rare occurrence happened this morning; I cooked. Normally, I avoid anything other than frozen dinners and take-out but, my daughters mom had some meal prep packages in the fridge and I was bored. So I made lentil soup, butternut-sage lasagna and a pear/walnut salad. Afterwards, I took a shower and drove to Laguna Niguel for a haircut. This evening it is just me and my daughter in the apartment. Her mom left for Los Angeles. She has an early morning court hearing regarding a work issue. Tomorrow, I plan to take my daughter to school and work remotely but, I suspect she has plans to stay home as well. She spent a lot of time with friends this weekend and is feeling rundown.
Saturday in Southern California
6:27pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Aliso Viejo, California, USA, Saturday night, December 10, 2022. Hanging with the family, watching anime together. We don’t always spend time as an entire group, watching one program. It is nice. The day has been good; went for the full walk in Dana Point this morning, drank coffee, did laundry and grocery shopping. All in all, today has been a good early December day in Southern California.
In Aliso Viejo for the weekend
2:29pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Aliso Viejo, California, USA , Friday afternoon, December 9, 2022. Just got in to Aliso Viejo from Palm Desert. Took the dog for a short walk and unpacked. Now I am resting. My daughter wants to attend a school dance and it is going to be a late night.
An extra day at home coming up
6:11pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, USA, Thursday night, December 8, 2022. The last day of meetings galore. Finally. This week felt incredibly long and I need a break from work. My daughter’s mom needs to go to Los Angeles on Monday so I am going to stay in Orange County until Tuesday morning. Normally I would feel bad about missing a day in the office but, the timing feels really fortuitous. I am just going to appreciate the circumstance and enjoy an extra day at home.
