October 2024 - Canada and New England Cruise

In October, I was able to get on a cruise to Canada and New England.  It was a last minute thing, as in about 48 hours before I set sail I found out I got approved to go via a program we have at work.  Fortunately, I was already planning to take the week off but hadn't made any firm plans or reservations for the week.  It was still a scramble to get everything together in time and leave, but I did it.

The cruise was round trip from New York City, and my friend Rory, who has moved there, was able to join me for the cruise, which was a lot of fun.  It was nice to have someone to do things with and generally hang out with.

Unlike the cruise I had done in September of 2022, this was one more New England than Canada.  We only had one sea day, and we had two stops in Canada.  There were still come cross overs with the cruise I'd done before, but I saw enough new that I felt it was worth it.

One stop was Newport, Rhode Island.  I'd just started a series of historical mysteries set there, so I really enjoyed getting to visit the area.  I visited with an author I like when we stopped in Portland, Maine, as well.  Other stops were Boston, St. John's Bay, and Hallifax, the last two being in Canada.  It was really foggy the day we were in Hallifax.  Like barely seeing anything in front of you until afternoon.  But that was the worst weather we had, which is pretty remarkable.

And yes, we saw fall foliage.  It took getting in Canada to really see it, but it was nice.  Nothing like the pictures you see out in the country, but still, there were some beautiful trees.

I left late the day we came back, which gave us some time to hang out in New York City.  We went to the 9/11 memorial and stopped by The Mystery Bookstore.

I was very sad when it was time to head to the airport and fly home.  It was a much needed and enjoyable vacation.

September 2024 - Going Hybrid

 Sadly, September saw a change in my life I wasn't at all happy about.

After four and a half years of working from home, I had to go back into the office part time.  We are officially hybrid, which means we are only in the office Tuesday to Thursday.  But it is such a change.  I'm really struggling to figure out how to fit everything else in my life into my evenings.  Something I didn't really struggle with before.

We have some flexibility in our hours, which is wonderful.  But with when I get home, it means I am missing about an hour out of my evening.  That's a hard change for me.

But the thing that doesn't make any sense to me is that not everyone is back in the office.  There are entire departments that are working from home still, I'm guessing due to space.  Plus, those who have moved out of the area since March of 2020 or been hired in other areas when we were told we were all going to be fully remote that aren't having to come in.  I get that last group - those who were promised they wouldn't have to move.  I'm glad they aren't being forced to move now.  But I do feel like we were lied to.  But for those who are still in the area but not having to come back to the office?  Yeah, it infuriates me.  Especially since all of our meetings are still over Teams.

But I am thankful that we still get to work from home two days a week.  They are by far my favorite work days.  I know most companies are requiring everyone back into the office five days a week, so I'm sure that is coming at some point.

August 2024 Part 2 - Visiting Family

 In the middle of August, I took off again and headed to northern California to visit my family.  My parents had just gotten back from an extended trip, so it was great to spend time with them and hear about all the fun they'd had.

But the main reason I headed up was Saturday.  I joined my brother and his family at Great America.  This is a theme park that I went to once as a kid, long before I was big enough to enjoy coasters.  So it's been a couple of decades.  I hadn't done coasters much in the last few years, so this was a lot of fun.  I'm discovering that I'm not quite as big on coasters as I used to be.  Sadly, I think it's an age thing.  But I did have fun that day, and it lead me to getting a pass for Six Flags Magic Mountain again.

Anyway, we also spent a little time in the water park attached to the theme park that day.

My family was used to going on weekdays, so going on a weekend meant the crowds were a little bigger than they were used to, but we still managed to hit most of the big rides.

Then Sunday, I was able to go to church with my entire family before heading back south again.

It was a great visit.

August 2024 Part 1- Visiting a Friend

The beginning of August, I went to central California to visit a good friend of mine.  Originally, it was going to be for a week with me working from his place during the week, but that wound up being cut down to about four days.  Still, it was a great visit.

Saturday, we played ultimate Frisbee and then hosted a game night for his friends.  Many of them the same, which helped me since I am bad with names.

Sunday, we went tubbing, which I really enjoyed.  The tube I was using leaked, which was funny, but I made it to the end.  I also got a bad sunburn, but it was a small price to pay.

Monday, I worked, and then we finished up a TV show we'd been watching together.

Tuesday, right after work, I headed home.

Seriously, it was a great visit.  I wish I got to see him more often.