December 27,2024, Friday night, 7:48pm, pacific standard time,apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Drove to Valencia to have second Christmas with the in-laws. It was low key and simple. Pizza, chips/guacamole, and a couple chocolate samples for dessert. The drive home was tough; lots of traffic around dusk made visibility difficult, but we made it safely. My daughter got a Sony PS5 from her cousin so we dropped her off at home with the dog to get working on setting it up. Now mom and I are heading to bed.

December 26, 2024, Thursday night, 7:41pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Slept on the couch last night. Though it wasn’t comfortable I still got a good nights sleep. Went to the gym and got coffee this morning. I had lunch with mom after a trip to Costco and Target. Then this afternoon I went up and spent time with my daughter before mom, my daughter and I went to dinner at The Krave in Lake Forest. time to go to bed. Tomorrow we are heading to valencia to have a holiday get together with in-laws and relatives.

December 24,25,2024, Christmas Eve,Christmas Day,Tuesday,Wednesday afternoon 3:54pm,pacific standard time,apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Last night had breakfast for dinner with my daughter and her mom. We then played two games, Qwixx and Old Maid. Afterwards we watched the movie Elf. This morning I dropped off Santa gifts in Aliso Viejo then cleaned the apartment for my mom’s visit. We all drove to Long Beach to pick her up then went to Aliso to eat and open presents. We will reconvene tonight here in Dana Point for a light dinner. Overall, it has been a good Christmas.

December 23,2024, Monday night, 8:57pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Talked with the recruiter about the pleasant hill job. It was an awkward conversation.,she walked through my resume asking why I left every position. Then said she wouldn’t present me as a candidate. weird and frustrating to be judged by criteria that has nothing to do with skill. I appreciate the possibility this job opened in my mind but feel put out by the process. I mean, she reached out to me. Not the other way around.

December 22,2024, Sunday afternoon, 4:27pm,pacific standard time,apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. I have one more severance payment coming from my previous employer. That means starting next Monday, December 30, 2024, I am no longer “earning” money. At that point I begin accumulating credit card debt and diminishing cash reserves. Put another way, this period of my life will come to an end. While I am sad it is over- mostly because I got to spend time with my daughter-I am also relieved. Not working but still getting a paycheck made me soft. It is hard to be motivated when there is no fear of failure. I am going to enjoy this week with family then start the new year off finding the next chapter in my life.

December 21,2024, Saturday night, 11:49pm, pacific standard time,apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Went to The Athenaeum in Pasadena this evening for dinner. On the way home my daughters moms car broke down. I paid $130 to get a Lyft home while they rode in the tow truck. It still was a fun evening. I also picked up stocking stuffers for Christmas and got a chair for the bedroom today.

December 20,2024, Friday evening, 5:10pm, pacific standard time,apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Had a good talk this morning with the recruiter for the Pleasant Hill non-profit COO position. I sent her an updated resume. We are going to talk more on Monday. She said they want to make a decision soon and she is presenting candidates in two weeks. I did not hear from the Costa Mesa team. Other than that I took the dog to get groomed and got a couple grocery items. My mom and niece were going to leave tomorrow but pushed back their trip to Monday. They will still be here by Christmas on Wednesday

December 19, 2024, 6pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Aliso Viejo, California, USA. Was contacted by a recruiter today for a COO position in the Bay Area. Though I am not keen on moving out of Orange County the opportunity is intriguing. I am much more excited by a step up than a step down in responsibility and pay. one thing I need to address is making my resume more professional. I looked at examples online. I am going to try a couple things and also reach out to a resume writer.

December 18, 2024, Wednesday evening, 6pm, pacific standard time, rock school parking lot, San Juan Capistrano, California, USA. My daughter has her live band audition tonight. I just dropped her off and am waiting until she finishes in an hour. Then I will take her home and circle back to Dana Point. Personally today has been good. I let go of some old mindsets about work and creativity. Now I have a new perspective on my purpose. That being said, I didn’t not hear from The Costa Mesa team today. Not that it was expected. I knew we weren’t meeting today and there was nothing to discuss. I am just tired of standing on the sidelines. And my severance is going to run out soon.

December 17,2024, Tuesday afternoon, 2:17pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Moving into this apartment two years ago I envisioned it as a touch down space. A “storage unit I slept in.” Part of that was necessity, there isn’t much storage space. Another part was traveling for work and spending time with my daughter. I didn’t need the perfect living space. I wanted something in the 92629 zip code that was half-way decent. This fit the bill. I was willing to overlook the lack of cozy comfort for location and lifestyle. Now, three months into a job transition, my needs have changed. I want more than a storage unit. With my niece and mom coming next week I want it to be homey and presentable. So far, so good. This weekend I bought things to make it more comfortable. The last thing I need is a decent chair for the bedroom. Once that is procured, the space will be inviting. On a professional note the VP for Costa Mesa reached out again. It doesn’t look like we are meeting tomorrow. I don’t expect anything until 2025 but it would be nice to have an offer in place with a start date. I keep thinking more jobs will open in 2025. Unfortunately, being patient isn’t always a luxury afforded.