Tag: Dana Point

Day six of vacation

8:53am, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA, Wednesday morning, April 20, 2022, day six of vacation. We got back home from the theme park last night just before ten pm and went to bed shortly thereafter. The trip was exhausting but, overall, extremely fun. I had a generalized plan to sleep in this morning but, our dog was eager wake up and explore; probably because we missed our walk yesterday. I did make the decision to cut the walk short because my legs were still sore. Nonetheless, this morning has been productive. It isn’t 9am yet and I have had two cups of coffee, loaded the dishwasher and started three loads of laundry.

Laundry room, apartment complex, Dana Point, California, USA

A Nice Easter Sunday

7:03am, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA, Monday morning, April 18, 2022, 4th day of vacation. Yesterday was a nice Easter Sunday. We went to the movies in the afternoon then met friends at a local park for a picnic. The movie was silly but, overall enjoyable. However, a part of me didn’t want to go on the picnic. There was no specific reason why I didn’t want to go just, sometimes, undefined anxiety makes it difficult for me to get to social events. Ironically, once I am there I relax and have a good time. The food was delicious at the picnic, we saw old friends and made new ones. After dinner an impromptu game of volleyball formed. We laughed and played until it got too dark to see.

Impromptu game of volleyball in the park, Laguna Niguel, California, USA, Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022

Recap: first three days of vacation

2:09 am, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA, Saturday morning, April 16, 2022, first day of vacation. A triage call from work woke me up at 1am. A patient was having an issue and our nurse was not picking up. I called the caregiver and the situation is managed. I tried multiple times to get a hold of the nurse as well. Thankfully, we have a new clinical manager to address things like this. The drive on Friday went well. No major issues or traffic.Getting out early in the day helped immensely. Saturday, April 17, 2022, Dana Point, California, USA, second day of vacation. Took care of some work issues in the morning, went and grabbed burgers in the afternoon with my daughter then, in the evening all three of us got caramel apples and went clothes shopping. 7:58am, in the apartment, Dana Point, California, USA, Easter Sunday morning, April 17, 2022, third day of vacation. The dog and I went for a walk, got coffee, then bought Easter lilies and cards for the girls.

April 17, 2022, Easter morning, Dana Point, California, USA

Divorce?

6:23am, apartment in Dana Point, California, Sunday morning, April 3, 2022. The mood this weekend was awkward. Shortly after arriving in Orange County, my daughters mom made it clear she was in a bad mood and would be staying at a hotel. She didn’t say why but, it being our anniversary weekend surely was a contributing factor. I struggle with how to be supportive. On one hand, we are still married and, in many ways, still committed to each other. But it is obvious the best years of our relationship are in the past. We have drifted apart and frankly I don’t have the desire or energy to engage with her. I am no longer sure what we are accomplishing by being together. Maybe we need to make a complete break and divorce.

What happened Saturday

5:30am, Sunday morning, March 27, 2022. Left Arizona at 5am Saturday morning and headed west. First stop, Blythe, California. After a quick bathroom break I was back on the road making good time. Just outside Palm Desert my daughters mom called. She is having issues with her car and needs to buy something new. She also needed toilet paper so I picked some up on the way into town. I made it to Dana Point at 11:30am. An hour later my daughter and I went to the post office to mail a package and pick up the mail. Then we got lunch and hit the mall, but we didn’t buy anything. Once we got home we started playing a video game and did that the rest of the night.

Learning a hard lesson

7:04am, apartment in Dana Point, California, Sunday morning, March 20, 2022. The first talk of job cuts happened Friday afternoon. I called my supervisor regarding another matter but she brought up the hard truth instead. I understand. Things are not going well and there isn’t a quick fix on the horizon. The situation is beyond frustrating for everyone involved. I personally feel incapacitated, like watching a slow motion disaster unfold; I can see the horror happening, but am helpless to stop it. In the past, I focused on what that meant to me; loss of direct income, family instability, bruising of personal pride. But today is different. Today I feel I let down those that depend on the businesses success to care for their families and sustain households. It is a crushing weight to bear and I feel every ounce of it. I am learning a hard lesson; there is no nobility in failure. Merely trying is not enough. I need to get better, improve my skills, or I am of no value to anyone else.

Breaking news: Saturday recap

7:31am, Dana point, California, Sunday morning, March 6, 2022. The weather was cold and windy yesterday so the festivities in Dana Point were slightly muted. We got to the harbor around 1pm. There was no parking, so I dropped the girls off and circled back up the hill before walking down to meet them. By the time I got there they had walked to the other end of the harbor. I was a little put out but was thankful I (and they) got some much needed exercise. We ate a late lunch before going to the mall. We dropped my daughters friend off at 5:30pm and headed back to the apartment. As we walked up I realized I didn’t have a key and the door was locked. So we went back out to find my daughter’s mom, get the key and head home to take care of the dog. After that, we watched some television, read a little, then got ready for bed.

Walking down to the harbor in Dana Point
Baby Beach, Dana Point, California Harbor
51st Festival of Whales, Dana Point, California
Dana Point, California, Harbor

Drive all night

9:51pm, parking lot of apartment in Dana Point, Thursday night, February 17, 2022. Left work after four to drive to California. Hit traffic leaving Phoenix and some construction in riverside but the trip was worth it to spend an extra night in Orange County. Tomorrow is technically a work day but I won’t get involved unless it is something urgent. I need to go to bed, it is way past my bed time.