Back to the Grind

It's been a fairly smooth transition back to the real world.

I drove O to work on Monday, then headed to lunch with my friend S. We haven't seen each other for a while, so we had a good time catching up. She's been busy with a new job and other projects and I was really busy before leaving for Europe. It seems that the older we get, the less time we have.

I was afraid I would suck when I got back to work. My job is has little room for error and it took me a couple of hours to get back into the routine of things. I was pleasantly surprised that I sucked less than I would have thought. Summer is a busier time than fall, so it is nice to have return to a quieter workplace than the one I left.

Tonight at work, the girls surprised me with food for my birthday. Tamales, rice, and beans from the Tortilla Factory and an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. Damn, it was good. I've started running every other day again, so the gelato handles I had are slowly subsiding. My vacation was great, but I did eat too much. Then again, it was Italy. I make no apologies.

Fall is my favorite time of year. I was born on my grandfather's birthday on October 2nd. He was quite a character, a farmer and a local politician in rural New York State. He called my mother on October 1st and said, "You can't have that baby today! You have to wait until tomorrow, so he'll be born on my birthday." (And you all think I'm boisterous!) My Mom was taking care of my five brothers and sisters while my dad was on deployment in Bermuda at the time. She always tells me that I was born on a gorgeous autumn day in Maine and that I was a very happy, carefree, and low maintenance child. I'm not sure if I buy it, but it sounds like a good recommendation. (Maybe I should put this on my resume? Work Experience - Happy, Carefree, and Low Maintenance Child 1973-1983)

I got a new cell phone today, so I spent the better part of the night transferring numbers from one to the other. My friend E was in town from New York right before I left for Europe. We were in the T Mobile store and I found a phone I liked, but T Mobile service in the East Bay is pretty poor still. So I found an unlocked version on E Bay and it arrived today after sitting in the Post Office over the Columbus Day holiday weekend. Plugged in my Cingular SIM card and we are in business. For some reason, the Cingular signal at my house is very strong. It works for me.

So that's my story. It's nice to be home. Cuidate.