I know, it's been a really long time. Not that anyone was reading this, right?
Toward the end of May I flew to Minnesota for just two days, to see Jeffrey (my former stepson from when I was married to Michelle) graduate high school. High School. Made me feel kinda old, you know? Minnesota was beautiful, though.
The new job: it's going OK. On the one hand, lots of challenges, and so far I feel like I'm up to them, technically, for the most part. Learning a lot. The CIO, every time I talk to him, makes me feel small and ignorant, however. Mostly my insecurities, and, actually, it's preferrable to have a CIO who knows too much to one who knows too little, don't you think?
I have this little, profoundly boring studio apartment in Long Beach, now, and I'm moving in slow motion from the little house on the hill in Highland Park down into this new place. Walking distance from the Long Beach offices where I work – but the current project I'm on – a data migration – has me down at business offices in Newport Beach several times a week, so the commute is still happening, at least part time. I've taken to driving back and forth to Newport on the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) rather than the 405 freeway, however… takes a little longer in the event there's no major congestion on the 405, but who can predict when that would be? One out of 10 of the times I've tried it, regardless of time-of-day. So I'd rather have "slightly slower but predictable." Plus it's rather scenic, down along the coast Long Beach – Seal Beach – Sunset Beach – Huntington Beach – Newport Beach. The oil platforms and tankers and container ships and navy ships sitting offshore, the surfers paddling about, the vaguely brown pacific.
I'm in a weird phase lately, thinking what I think they call "nesting" thoughts – daydreaming about a nice house and looking covetously at furniture. Haven't been in that frame of mind in a long time … like, since I was with Michelle. The job isn't dissatisfying, but my life, overall, is. Like… I never did decide what I really wanted to do, so I just jumped into doing something, anything to pass the time, right? Whatever.