November, 15, 2023, Wednesday night, 8:39pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Came back to Orange County today on account of financial calls and a dentist appointment tomorrow. It rained most of the day. I traveled home from Palm Desert via Victorville. This afternoon there was a video call with my bosses new boss. It seemed to go alright not you never can tell. Always stressful when leadership changes.

November 13, 2023, Monday night, 6:22pm, pacific standard time, hotel (courtyard) in Palm Desert, California,USA. Went for a walk and workout in Dana Point this morning. Then went to Aliso Viejo to say goodbye to my daughter and her mom and to pick up turkey to put in the freezer until thanksgiving. I had calls scheduled all afternoon but they got canceled so I was left with little to do. This is the second time in two weeks I have had a chance to be bored. I am not complaining. After a year of high stress, a little boredom is good. I will go to the Palm Desert office tomorrow. If the survey situation is under control I visit the Victorville branch on Wednesday.

November 12, 2023, Sunday night, 9:20pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Today was my mom’s 81st birthday. Called and wished her well in the morning and at night. Didn’t get to spend the day with her but we will make it up when she is here next month. I Spent the day in Aliso Viejo, took my daughter to Girl Scouts then headed to Oceanside to meet up with someone. Turns out she was not available so it was a wasted trip. Came home, drank black cherry white claws and watched football. Now I am ready for sleep.

November 11, 2023, Saturday night, 11:48pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Went and saw the new Captain Marvel movie in Irvine with my daughter. Afterwards, we grabbed Subway for dinner then I drove to Irvine to watch the USC vs Oregon football game with someone I met a couple months ago. We had a good time talking. She went to USC as a grad student so there was a personal tie to the game. Unfortunately USC lost. It still was nice to get out and be with someone socially. I need to make more of an effort to step out of my comfort zone.

November 10, 2023, Friday night, 7:22pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Got up early and did my usual workout routine in Palm Desert. Picked up groceries with the company credit card on the way out of town then headed back to Orange County. When I arrived I jumped started my personal car with a portable battery and drove around a little. I need to start it more often to keep it from dying. And I need to get it registered in California. It has expired Arizona plates they need to be charged out. I am actually still paying Arizona car and renters insurance. Traveling every week doesn’t leave time to take care of little things like that.

November 9, 2023, Thursday night, 6:22pm, pacific standard time, hotel room in Palm Desert, California,USA. Got up early enough to do my full 1 hour treadmill walk. Then went into the office to work on survey prep. I didn’t get a lot done but I do feel better about the plan. It was actually a boring day. All the higher ups are in Atlanta for budget presentations so email was quiet. I left the office twice and finally for good around 4pm. Hung out for a little bit by the mall then grabbed dinner. I have felt run down all day, think I will turn in earlier than usual tonight.

November 8, 2023, Wednesday evening, 7:10pm, pacific standard time, hotel room in Palm Desert, California,USA. Drove to Victorville and back to Palm Desert today. Nice to visit another branch and meet new people. I will go again next week but won’t stay in Palm Desert. The drive was rather long. On another note; my apartment in Chandler is available for rent again. The people that moved in after me must have signed a six month lease. Seeing it made so nostalgic I cried. I wish I could go back, if only for a moment.

November 8, 2023, Wednesday morning, 5:45, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, USA. This is one of those mornings where the universe is in perfect balance. Everything feels exactly where it should be. I just finished working out and ate a protein bar. Now I am enjoying a cup of coffee, watching the weather and reading the Las Vegas Sun about football games this weekend. it all fells warm and wonderful. I love and I am loved. I have security, reward and challenge in equal measure. These moments are fleeting. It is important to document them when they occur.

November 7, 2023, Tuesday night, 6:51pm, pacific standard time, hotel room in Palm Desert, California,USA. I had a restless nights sleep. The Palm Desert branch is making me anxious. There are so many matters unresolved it is overwhelming . Luckily once I got started things fell into place. I was able to create three important binders for the upcoming survey. Now I need to focus on employee files and contracts. That is going to be daunting. I can’t possibly do it all myself. I need to delegate. Something I haven’t been particularly good at in the past. I will be glad when this situation feels a little more under control and survey is complete.

November 6, 2023, Monday night, 7:02pm, pacific standard time, hotel room in Palm Desert, California, USA. For most of the day I felt empty. No desire or unmet need arose to occupy my mind. Which is very odd. Usually a longing to escape, a lost memory or a hoped for future invades my thoughts. Today was bereft of such things. I didn’t care to escape any more than I cared about attending work. Which made today oddly depressing. I guess overall it was fine, I tend to overly fixate on that which I have lost. However, I have to admit, when all is said and done, it feels better to feel sadness, perhaps even hopelessness , than it is to feel nothing at all.