Dear Winter...pppptttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Dear Winter:

Usually I would curse your name as I chisel the glacier from my windscreen.  But today I say thank-you so much for the balmy air and the mild temperature.  The weather forecasters fill my ears with threats of titanic storms headed this way but they lie.  THEY LIE!  And I laugh as I dance on the graves of their dead threats.  Hope to not see you soon.
Sincerely, Me the sol-a-phile!

Took my neph to dinner tonight.  We were going to pick him up and bring him home for dinner but schedules got in the way.  We took him to eat at Brick Oven and had good food and good laughs.  Next time we get together he has promised to bring photos and give us a walking tour through his mission.  Just like when LL went on a cruise last year and I asked her to take snaps of the trip so I could see what it was like to be there, I hope to do the same with my neph and see what it was like to be in Guadalajara (is that how it is spelled?).

Got a call from LL yesterday morning and I feel like I dropped the ball somehow.  She is back in college and working her butt off in some difficult classes and called for some support.  I, of course, tried to be a sort of a fixer, suggesting ridiculous solutions like "maybe you can drop the class and take it later with a better teacher" and other nonesense.  For some reason or other it got to be difficult for her to hear me speaking and she must have thought I was ignoring her so she said goodbye and rang off.  I suck at being supportive.  I was trying to listen and "be there" but it didin't come off that way.  I felt lousy about it all day.  But it's not about me, is it.

Got some job apps in and took an online exam sent to me by one agency.  They said the score would be sent on to recruiters of all agencies seeking my skills.  Sounded promising.  Meanwhile, I am still getting by with the two jobs I've got and not stressing about the down time during the search.  I mean, I learned long ago that I have to enjoy where I am while I am there, and not spend life waiting for what's to come next before I can have a life.  Like when the children didn't come right away - I did my best to enjoy the freedom I had and not let what I couldn't control dictate to me whether I had a life!  Same today.  No worrying about the next job.  Just search, apply, and be happy with what I have for now.

I am still proud about finishing my degree.