5:39am, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, Tuesday morning, March 22, 2022. The company is holding a three day sales training at a hotel by the airport in Phoenix this week. It starts this morning at 9:30am. They had a couple of extra spots available and offered them to directors. When I agreed to go I mistakenly thought it was just for one day. When I realized the truth I began to feel stress. Being out of the office three days would put me even further behind. But now that the time has arrived, I am grateful. Since the training starts later, my morning is not rushed. I am going to read a little longer, have an extra cup of coffee and listen to some music. It feels so good to know I don’t have to go to the office. My already late tasks may back up more but, a change in perspective is very much appreciated.
Tag: Happy
If this is the end
8:43pm, apartment, Chandler, Arizona, Friday night, March 18, 2022. My betta fish looks sick. I am not sure what is wrong but there seems to be an infection around her gills. I cleaned her tank earlier this evening, then went to the pet store and got a product purported to promote healing. Hopefully it works and she will be alright. I am emotionally attached to that fish. My daughter picked her out over Easter weekend last year. Since then, that fish has been my loyal housemate; eagerly greeting me when I get home from work, hoping for a couple of pinches of food before I settle in for dinner and swimming to the front of her tank every morning before I leave. She is such a part of my daily routine, I would be sad to lose her if this is the end.
See how the year plays out
7:40pm, apartment, Chandler, Arizona, Wednesday evening, March 9, 2022. After much thought and inner debate, I renewed my Arizona lease this afternoon. The choice was based on a number of factors; cost savings, lack of desire to move or change jobs, and perceived economic instability from current events.along those lines, my daughters mom told me the emergency plan is for the family to rendezvous at my apartment. That alone was enough to sway me but then she mentioned in California if you let your lease expire they can raise your rent to market rate, where if you renew there is a cap on the amount they are able to increase. I don’t know if that is true in Arizona, but in the end I made the decision to stay. Of course nothing is set in stone, so we will see how the year plays out.
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.
Whales of appreciation
&:02pm, also, Chandler, Arizona, Friday night, March 4, 2022. Today was employee appreciation day. We ordered pizza and ice cream for the staff. Only five people attended, but everyone appreciated the gesture. Even though they didn’t come, at least they knew something was offered. Often that is enough to make people feel valued. I am going to Southern California tomorrow to attend Whale Fest on Dana Point with my daughter and her friend.
Proud parent
6:48pm, apartment, Chandler, Arizona, Thursday night, March 3, 2022. Today was the second day of parent/teacher conferences at my daughters school. It is always interesting at these things to hear about a version of your child different than you expect. All the instructors mentioned her confidence, leadership and focus. Attributes, frankly, I feared she lacked. I brought that up on one of the calls and asked the teacher to explain why I didn’t easily see those traits in her. The teacher replied home is often the place where kids get to relax, so we, as parents, don’t always see a true version of their public persona. She assured me our daughter displays all those traits and more. What’s more, she is a thoughtful wonderful person who is well on her way to becoming an amazing woman. That made me happy to hear. I can honestly say I am very proud parent tonight.
Sipping a beverage on a Sunday
5:30pm, apartment, Chandler, Arizona, Sunday evening, February 27, 2022. Made it back to Arizona after a weekend in California. Did the usual morning walk followed by coffee. After my daughter woke up we watched more anime before I left at 10:30am. Traffic wasn’t too bad so I got in at a decent hour. Now I am listening to John Prine and sipping a beverage.
Friday news
5:35pm, apartment, Chandler, Arizona, Friday evening, February 25, 2022. No update from Orange County on the Wednesday job interview. Absolutely none. I expected something, either good or bad. This morning on our stand-up call I announced the news about the long time employee being let go yesterday. I did not get verbal feedback, but the silence afterwards said a lot. Today was busy. Good busy. It feels like my team is coming together. Census is trending in the right direction and we got a new referral this afternoon. Tomorrow I will go to Southern California to spend time with my daughter. I need to shop a little first, then we can settle in for a night of pizza and movies. I am going to eat dinner, stream some shows then go to bed.
Friday night
6:15pm, apartment in Dana Point, California, Friday evening, February 18, 2022. On the couch with my daughter and the dog. We ordered dinner for delivery and are watching her favorite show waiting for it to arrive while her mom is at work. Last night when I arrived everyone was gone except the dog. My daughter ended up staying the night at a friends. It was strange to be in the house without her, even stranger to be here alone all morning.
Desperate by my own design
7:04pm, apartment, Chandler, Arizona, Tuesday evening, February 15, 2022. The thought of formally submitting 60 day notice to vacate the Arizona apartment crossed my mind this morning. However, I decided to hold off; if I put myself in a position where I needed to move by May I would become desperate by my own design. Right now I am under no pressure to accept any job offer unless the pay is substantially higher. The job here in Arizona is stable(ish?), the apartment is cheaper than anything in Orange County and the company is far better than the one out there. If they can’t raise my pay there is no reason to take their job. I want to be close to my daughter but I am not desperate and I refuse to arbitrarily make myself so.
mikemeyer949 