At the Airport Again, Bound for Tokyo

With all the travel I've done lately, it seems surreal that I'm about to get on a plane again for another (very long) flight, this time to Narita. It should be the most exciting trip of all this year, and in many ways it is - I keep having to pinch myself to believe it, and I'm so very grateful for this opportunity ,afforded to me by our Japanese clients and the owners of my company who have supported that relationship for the last ten years. But on the other hand, I haven't yet had the time and space to write about my big Wales adventure, or the amazing weekend I had in Colorado with my family (both adopted and biological). And whether I'll have time to do that kind of reflection and review while going to, or in, Japan is questionable. But hope springs eternal. And in the meantime, I'm taking mental and actual notes and lots and lots of pictures. October and November may be quite the months for retrospective travelogue writing.

Diplomacy dictates silence

Besides, no one wants to read a blog that's just a rant about first world problems every other day. But suffice it to say that while my personal life is going well, and most aspects of my professional life are highly satisfying, there are moments (sometimes several) some days (fewer than half) when I just frankly don't know how I got myself into this position. Golly. Going to bed grateful that tomorrow is Friday. Happy Friday Eve, and happy birthday Mark, and happy day after your birthday little Miss A. who is now 9.

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to the Rose Ceremony at S's school, a big tour of guests at work, and the dinner with friends in the evening. Tonight I'm looking forward to sleep.

Sept. 4th Live

I was asked to try the new masseuse at our Chiropractor's office at a special price. Am so glad I did. I cannot remember or even imagine being more blissed out by a massage. Wow. I wish I could say the total relaxation and sense of well-being lasted without interruption all day, but I did go to work after the massage, so...well...it didn't. But for the first time ever, I can see that it would be very wise (and *lengthen* my lifespan) to have regular massages. Never thought I'd feel that way!

Sept. 3 Retro

Here's the memo I made for myself on my smartphone to remind me September 3rd what I wanted to say about the day:

Work stress is probably shortening my life. There must be a better way.

Sept. 2 Retro

Here's the memo I made for myself on my smartphone to remind me September 3rd what I wanted to say about September 2nd:

I had such a massive to-do list for to-day and I nearly got it all to-done. Here are excerpts, in no particular order:
Study Japanese
Weed front yard
Weed back yard
Transplant grasses
Vacuum
Clean bathrooms
Clean bird cages
Clean kitchen floor
Laundry
Write condolence card
Emails to 5 different friends & colleagues
RSVP to party
Stats for work
Blog about trip
Work on Novel
Pledge paperwork for S's school
Organize laundry room
Switch girls' closets
In addition, I went to the gym.

Sadly, I saved the novel and blog for last and they were not crossed off my list at the end of the day.
That is not the best prioritization. But still, it felt good to get so much accomplished.

Sept. 1 Retro

Here's the memo I made for myself on my smartphone to remind me September 3rd what I wanted to say about September 1st:

I had a dream about a kids' video game/quiz that would be called, "Sit Down Town."

I think the title was to encompass the idea of kids sitting down and focusing but on something interesting the way "downtown" can be interesting.  The game was to be all about current world events, including horrible conflicts in the Middle East. There would be an option to update via a sync daily, so the kids could test their knowledge of how poorly human beings were treating each other, real time.

Even while part of my subconscious was plugging the concept, another part of my subconscious was thinking, "This will never fly. It's too intelligent and too dark. And the title doesn't quite work, either."