After all I've been working at SDSU lately and after the long journey to Wiky, I couldn't be happier to be here. The weather has been warm but not hot, and the nights have been good and cool and have made sleeping present. The weather is supposed to be warmer this weekend, however, which should make for good conditions for a barbecue on Labor Day if there are any to attend.
I've been fairly active over the past few days I've been here, but I've also taken plenty of time to rest, too. Each morning I've awakened and taken Dolly in to work at the W.H.O. and then returned to her house to nap for a few hours. I've done the same this morning but didn't nap quite as long. I've spent the past hour or so surfing the 'Net, checking work e-mail, and taking in the day's financial and market news. After I finish writing this I'll get cleaned up, hang out with Dolly at the office for a bit, and then take her to lunch. I don't know what's happening this afternoon, but I do know Dolly and I will cook spaghetti for a birthday party later this afternoon.
Apart from hanging out at Dolly's place, Dolly and I have been able to taken in a fair bit of what's been happening in the community the past few days. We spent Tuesday night mainly at her house hanging out, eating, and watching TV. On Wednesday we attended some workshops during the day and then watched the movie The Bucket List at Dolly's place. Yesterday we hung out together at the W.H.O. for a good chunk of the day and then checked out the Thunderfest II music festival at the community ballpark. What we do this evening after the birthday party remains to be seen. But I'm thinking we'll probably rent the movie The Pathfinder and watch it at Dolly's place.
Our plans for the weekend aren't set in stone just yet, but we do know we're going to spend tomorrow night in Sudbury. On the agenda thus far are to watch a movie tomorrow afternoon, have a nice dinner somewhere, and then go gambling at the racetrack slots in the evening. We'll probably start heading back to Wiky sometime Sunday morning or early Sunday afternoon. Regardless of what we do, it should be a nice relaxing weekend.
Visiting Wiky is always great, and this time 'round has been no exception. The days behind me have been good and pleasant, and I imagine the days ahead will be the same.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
More adventures ahead
As I wind down from all of the day's activities, I can't help but feel excited for the coming day. Tomorrow I will once again travel east, north, and east again to visit Dolly. It feels like it's been longer than three weeks since I last visited her. But no matter ... I'm so happy to get back on the road again, especially to see her.
More adventures lie ahead, but life has been a different kind of adventures since I last posted something here. And I have to apologize to all of you again for being so lax in writing here lately. There actually has been a lot that's happened day-to-day; I've simply been lazy about keeping up with my writing.
For the past few weeks I've been spending a fair bit of time getting the ball rolling on the Festival of Cultures. Next year's festival will be Friday, April 3. Most of what I've done thus far has entailed finishing the first mailing, making some entertainment contacts, and coming up with additional entertainment options. I'm surprised by how many hours I've been putting but can't complain. I'm enjoying my work and I'm happy with how I'm being compensated.
I've raced in Sioux Falls a few different times since I last posted here. Overall my performance has been good, but I must admit I've been disappointed that I haven't taken first until today. Still, I remind myself from time to time that the most important thing is to have fun and to not worry so much about competing with others. Ultimately I should compete with myself. I must admit, though, that it feels good to come in first like I did today.
Ordinarily I'd be up for a while yet on a night like tonight. But I plan to leave around 5:30 tomorrow morning, so I should call it a night. As it was the last time I posted, life is going very well and I expect it will continue that way. It always takes some work to stay on that course, but the result is well worth the effort. And driving great distances can require a great deal of effort. But driving to Wiky is always worth the many hours spent on the road because it means I'll be able to see and spend time with Dolly again.
More adventures lie ahead, but life has been a different kind of adventures since I last posted something here. And I have to apologize to all of you again for being so lax in writing here lately. There actually has been a lot that's happened day-to-day; I've simply been lazy about keeping up with my writing.
For the past few weeks I've been spending a fair bit of time getting the ball rolling on the Festival of Cultures. Next year's festival will be Friday, April 3. Most of what I've done thus far has entailed finishing the first mailing, making some entertainment contacts, and coming up with additional entertainment options. I'm surprised by how many hours I've been putting but can't complain. I'm enjoying my work and I'm happy with how I'm being compensated.
I've raced in Sioux Falls a few different times since I last posted here. Overall my performance has been good, but I must admit I've been disappointed that I haven't taken first until today. Still, I remind myself from time to time that the most important thing is to have fun and to not worry so much about competing with others. Ultimately I should compete with myself. I must admit, though, that it feels good to come in first like I did today.
Ordinarily I'd be up for a while yet on a night like tonight. But I plan to leave around 5:30 tomorrow morning, so I should call it a night. As it was the last time I posted, life is going very well and I expect it will continue that way. It always takes some work to stay on that course, but the result is well worth the effort. And driving great distances can require a great deal of effort. But driving to Wiky is always worth the many hours spent on the road because it means I'll be able to see and spend time with Dolly again.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Back on the job
Things haven't worked out quite as planned, but I've found that things not working out as planned is sometimes a good thing. My job as the coordinator of SDSU's Festival of Cultures is one such an example of such a phenomenom.
Months ago, I had visited with my boss about the possibility of my work on the Festival of Cultures being incorporate into a half-time of three-quarter-time position with benefits. And during the same discussion I requested that the position being a nine-month one in which I would have summers off. A few months came and went until I received an answer to my query.
The long and short of what's happened is the position didn't quite pan out as I had originally requested. But I'm back working in the same position but am making more money. I'm not receiving benefits like health insurance and paid holidays as I'd hoped, but I am enjoying the same freedom I had in this same position last year. So it looks as though everything is going to work out fine. It will be good to make some additional money in this position but still have time to travel, especially to visit Dolly and the rest of the family at Wikwemikong.
This past week has been my first official one in this revamped position. It's been a fairly busy week even though it's still pretty early in the game. I've been able to get my workstations more-or-less set up and I've gotten my files and thoughts organized. There really isn't that much, apart from a first mailing, that will need to be done this month. But all of this preparation will allow me to really hit the ground running when I return from a two-week vacation at the end of this month and the first part of September.
Other than working on the Festival of Cultures, I've been spending a lot of free time playing drums in my house and working on increasing my physical fitness level. It's fun to play drums, and I've been also working on getting my chops back into shape for working on music with my buddy Dan. I'm also working on composing a solo to play during the Guitar Center Drum-Off coming up in late September. I'd like to try to make it beyond the preliminaries this year. If I don't, though, I'll know in my heart that I gave it my best shot. And I'm hoping someone can videotape my performance during the competition so I can post the video to this blog and to my Facebook page.
Last weekend was the annual Sports Car Club of Siouxland two-day event. We didn't attract quite as big a crowd as we have in the past, but our numbers are still respectable. The club drew 40 drivers, some from Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska, on Saturday and 47 on Sunday. I'm pleased with performance this past weekend, but would liked to have come in first in my class both days. I ended up taking third in my class on Saturday and second on Sunday. Both days I was within one second of the class leader, who is now in first place overall. I'm in second place overall in my class now. There's a chance I may be able to reclaim first in the four events that will follow in the next couple of months. But I need to remember the most important thing is to go out and have fun and give my best each time.
In the meantime, amidst all the busyness and work, I've been taking time to get plenty of rest and just take things easy. And I'm pleased to say I'm feeling happy in my work and am looking forward to the challenges ahead. As I've said before, life is good, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure it stays that way.
Months ago, I had visited with my boss about the possibility of my work on the Festival of Cultures being incorporate into a half-time of three-quarter-time position with benefits. And during the same discussion I requested that the position being a nine-month one in which I would have summers off. A few months came and went until I received an answer to my query.
The long and short of what's happened is the position didn't quite pan out as I had originally requested. But I'm back working in the same position but am making more money. I'm not receiving benefits like health insurance and paid holidays as I'd hoped, but I am enjoying the same freedom I had in this same position last year. So it looks as though everything is going to work out fine. It will be good to make some additional money in this position but still have time to travel, especially to visit Dolly and the rest of the family at Wikwemikong.
This past week has been my first official one in this revamped position. It's been a fairly busy week even though it's still pretty early in the game. I've been able to get my workstations more-or-less set up and I've gotten my files and thoughts organized. There really isn't that much, apart from a first mailing, that will need to be done this month. But all of this preparation will allow me to really hit the ground running when I return from a two-week vacation at the end of this month and the first part of September.
Other than working on the Festival of Cultures, I've been spending a lot of free time playing drums in my house and working on increasing my physical fitness level. It's fun to play drums, and I've been also working on getting my chops back into shape for working on music with my buddy Dan. I'm also working on composing a solo to play during the Guitar Center Drum-Off coming up in late September. I'd like to try to make it beyond the preliminaries this year. If I don't, though, I'll know in my heart that I gave it my best shot. And I'm hoping someone can videotape my performance during the competition so I can post the video to this blog and to my Facebook page.
Last weekend was the annual Sports Car Club of Siouxland two-day event. We didn't attract quite as big a crowd as we have in the past, but our numbers are still respectable. The club drew 40 drivers, some from Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska, on Saturday and 47 on Sunday. I'm pleased with performance this past weekend, but would liked to have come in first in my class both days. I ended up taking third in my class on Saturday and second on Sunday. Both days I was within one second of the class leader, who is now in first place overall. I'm in second place overall in my class now. There's a chance I may be able to reclaim first in the four events that will follow in the next couple of months. But I need to remember the most important thing is to go out and have fun and give my best each time.
In the meantime, amidst all the busyness and work, I've been taking time to get plenty of rest and just take things easy. And I'm pleased to say I'm feeling happy in my work and am looking forward to the challenges ahead. As I've said before, life is good, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure it stays that way.
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