August 5, 2023, Saturday night, 9:16pm, mountain standard time, mom’s house, Evanston, Wyoming, USA. Got up at 3am, did a performance evaluation for work, took a shower and went for a short walk with the dog. Flew out of Long Beach to Salt Lake City. Mom picked us up. Met my niece at Costco, then went to the Old Spaghetti Factory for lunch. Bought some rubber ducks at Cabin Fever like always, then went to the Dancing Cranes store in Salt Lake. After that we drove to Wyoming and enjoyed a quiet evening at home. Tomorrow is a full day with the baseball game and meeting family for dinner afterwards.

August 4, 2023, Friday night, 9:10pm, apartment in Aliso Viejo, California, USA. I am sleeping at the apartment in Aliso Viejo tonight. We have to wake up at 4am tomorrow to catch a 7:10am flight out of Long Beach and I didn’t want to have to travel from Dana Point to pick up the girls. I am tired but they are excited. That have been in the bathroom all night putting on nails and doing beauty routines. Their enthusiasm is fun to see. It reminds me of family trips long ago. Just like them, I seldom slept the night before vacation in anticipation of adventures I envisioned having. I am glad the girls are enjoying themselves and have a similar experience, that is what this time is all about.

August 2-3, 2023, Wednesday, Thursday, written Thursday morning 8:19am, pacific standard time, hotel in Summerlin, Nevada, USA. Slept in a little yesterday but was able to exercise. Work was a little busy yesterday morning. I helped a patient a high flow oxygen system. After that, I returned a cell phone at Walmart On Tuesday I was conducting a virtual interview when my phone overheated. I couldn’t turn it off or make it work. So I went to Walmart to get a new one. The guy sold it to me but said my old phone should work when it cools down. The trick was he could turn it off without using the power button. He was right, it cooled down and started working again. Meetings yesterday went well at the Red Rock resort. Then we did a culinary walk about on Fremont street. I went to bed around 10pm. They were offering corporate headshots this morning so I went down at 7am and got them taken care of. I had time to kill so I came back to the room. Now going back to the meetings before heading home this afternoon.

August 1, 2023, Tuesday afternoon, 4:20pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Henderson, Nevada, USA. When I left the hotel in Chandler this morning I noticed a nickel lying on the ground. Not one to ignore good fortune I picked it up and placed it in the cup holder of my rental car. 8 hours and 300 miles later I pulled into the hotel in Henderson, Nevada. When I stepped out of the car, next to my foot was another nickel. I am not sure if it is a rare coincidence or a mysterious portent but it did bring a smile to my face. I am open to the power of the nickel. Who knows what the universe is trying to tell me?

July 31, 2023, Monday afternoon, 12:31pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Chandler, Arizona, USA. I am in Arizona. And I am mopey nostalgic. The mood would be different if I came later in the week. Thursday, Friday and Saturday have much more better energy. By contrast, Mondays are small and vulnerable. Also, today is the anniversary of the last time family came to visit Arizona. Remembering how much fun that was makes now even harder. I keep pinging back and forth from enjoying the moment to feeling heartbroken I no longer live here. I guess I will just ride the emotions and see where they go.

July 30, 2023, Sunday morning, 11:29am, pacific standard time, car wash in Laguna Hills, California, USA. If all goes well I will be in Arizona tonight for the first time since the move. Right now I am at the car wash getting the old work car cleaned so I can drop it off in Palm Desert. From there I will get a rental car and proceed to Phoenix. It is going to be a long day and I won’t get in until late but I am resisting getting anxious. I am letting the day happen and not worrying about time. I want to enjoy the moment.

July 29, 2023, Saturday night, 8:52pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Drove to San Diego with the family to pick up my new work car. It is a lot nicer than the one I currently have. Lots more bells and whistles. Later, we all went to the new Haunted Mansion movie in Aliso Viejo. This evening my daughter and I drove around trying to find an open car wash but everything was closed. We settled for dinner at In and Out. All in all it was a fun day but, I am behind on my preparations for tomorrow’s trip and next week’s meetings. Things are going to be hectic for the next couple weeks, and beyond actually. The Monday I go back to work I have a dentist appointment and that Friday is the first day of school. Life is moving quickly which I don’t mind. Keeping busy, makes time go faster and that is usually a good thing.

July 28, 2023, Friday night, 8:17pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Got into Aliso Viejo from Bakersfield around 3:30pm. Did some work, grabbed dinner and was heading to Dana Point when my daughter said she wanted to drive around and listen to music. So we drove to the post office to pick up the keys for the new company car. Tomorrow my daughter, her mom and I are road tripping to San Diego to get the vehicle. I am going to leave the old one in Palm Desert for a new employee then take a rental car to Arizona and Las Vegas. It is all a little exhausting but it will be worth it when I have a new, upgraded car.

July 27, 2023, Thursday evening, 6:11pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Bakersfield, California, USA. Quiet in the office today. The person that maintains records and answers phones was off. Very few people stopped in and the phones didn’t ring much so I quiet time to myself. It felt good to enjoy a stress free day. Tomorrow, I head back to Orange County and don’t return to Bakersfield for two weeks. I am starting to get excited about my vacation. I can’t to to decompress and have fun.

July 26, 2023, Wednesday night, 7:44pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Bakersfield, California, USA. Talked with my mom this evening about our upcoming trip to Wyoming. I am looking forward to spending time with her. We will also get to see uncles cousins and nieces. Which is a rarity. This week has been taxing. I completed a root cause analysis to correct issues I inherited. I am almost finished with performance evaluations. This job has worn me out but I think that is the point. I want to be challenged as much as possible. However, I am eventually going burn out. Then what?