Cafe Hitch-hike

2024-01-02

It's a wrap

The guest room / office is the cleanest it's been in ages. My bro Deebo, his girlfriend, and her 8-year old son came over for a bit after Christmas and to make the modest commute to a bowl game that was scheduled down here. They were over for 3 days, and I was unexpectedly joyous for his visit. I didn't realize how much I missed having some family over.

I took a shorter holiday than usual, I usually try to take as close to 3 weeks as I can but I had some work obligations. Once I got off, it seemed like I had 2 days of activity that alternated with 2 days of rest. I didn't plan it that way, I had very few plans and even my brother's visit was largely unplanned. The Keys (Marathon, to be exact, and also unplanned) was absolutely wonderful, it was better than I expected. It wasn't abandoned, but it wasn't crowded, either.

I discovered the week before Christmas is a mini- off season and things would double in price between Christmas and New Year's, so I'm glad I did it. I was able to get a room with a view of the gulf, and I didn't get to sit and stare at the water as much as I would had liked; I go to that particular place for its views and there's a sensation of all that water surrounding me that I find so reviving.

Christmas was quiet with some neighbors coming by for egg nog and sweets, and after a while we settled down to watch Christmas movies and It's a Wonderful Life. I remember that Mom said my friend Jens Copperas looked like Jimmy Stewart, she was right, except his hair is wavy, and I smiled at the memory. Then, after a little break, I was invited to spend time with some ladies from work and we agreed to get together again this month. They are a little older than me, but hey, I'm always open to getting to know the wisdom and experience of those who walked certain paths before I take them.

The getaways was exactly what the doctor ordered. Ugh, I didn't realized what a drain the job and school have been, but I'd rather do it than not. It makes me make amazingly great use of my time, and I guess that's one thing that made me feel better although I ended the year feeling a combination of physical and emotional fatigue. It was weird cos it co-existed with the nice holidays. I still feel gratitude for it.

Then, I had great news on New Year's Day about a project I've been working on with a collaborator from another place. I was laying in bed when I checked my email, and I jumped out and whooped a few times when I read that the work was well-received. We've worked on it so hard and I kinda felt like the slave driver with it, but wow, it had good reviews and actually builds on some things I did before. If I ever aspire to apply for a higher rank, it definitely adds to it in many ways. Hell, as I talked about it with a friend yesterday, it occurred to me that I can perhaps shift gears with my projects and make something out of my course of study with future ones. It almost fanned the fatigue I had felt, and I felt energized by the possibility.

I just hope things settle down this year in the damn building. I guess the new grand pubah had a few months to figure things out, and then spent 2023 trying to whip things in shape and frightening my colleagues, and I just so happened to jump in the seat while things are bumpy. I sure hope those bumps or turbulence smooth out. I don't think I felt the fatigue completely cos I'm anxious, it really was bumpy.

downwind | upstream