Another birthday signifying another year gone by and for the second year straight, I’m not in the usual deep reflective state of birthdays past. It was fairly low-key. I spent the day hanging the Christmas lights outside and then laying the liner in the rink with my brother and dad. Then it was a nice dinner with the family topped off with cake. Not a rager by any means, but a good way to spend a Sunday.

The rink is being flooded as I type. The hoses have been running for a seven hours now and the entire liner should be covered by the time I go out to shut-off the hoses in a few minutes. A cold spell is in the forecast for this week and with any luck, we could have ice by week’s end.

Turkey day was good and the Phish that followed on Friday was even better. I still have the Boston show on-tap for Tuesday and I need to figure out the best way to get out of work and little early and come in late on Wednesday. Looking forward to it.

My assimilation back into the working world is going well so far. The transition of having to once again
arise early everyday hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would although I am still dealing with the need to
go to bed at a decent hour.

The job is an adjustment with my biggest challenge trying to shed the corporate mentality from the last
three years. The mentality in terms of PR is more akin to the level of Faulkner than Millennium was,
however being three removed from that is going to take some time to get back to. I think my answer lies
somewhere in finding a way to meld the two together. I also need to realize that I am not going to learn
everything all at once. Still, I feel behind the eight ball.

I know I am expected to simply be getting my bearings but I feel the need to make some sort of a splash. I worry about my ability to find and pitch stories, but I know with hard work it will come. The problem now is simply trying to keep track of everything. I’ll get
it in all due time. But for now, well, I need to get to bed.

First day at the new job went well and as an added bonus, I have tomorrow off because of Veteren's Day. It's going to be a tough job but I really think it is in an environment suited to me. I will be left to my own devices and my biggest challenge is going to be overcoming one of my weaknesses in being able to recognize and develope good pitches and stories. It will be good for me. Getting-up was a bit of a shock to the system to day, but the day off tomorrow is perfect.

Last night of work-less freedom. Hard to believe nearly four months have gone by as fast as they have, but I knew they would. I thought the very same thing cutting my lawn the week after leaving Millennium as I stressed over when and how I would find a job. I didn’t know how long it would take nor whether I would find a job that would be suitable to what I liked. And now here I sit, less than 26 hours away from the start of my new job at Northeastern, reflecting.

I think I did all right by myself. I had it in my head that I would take this opportunity to write and find the time to land the job that was right for me. I think I’ve done that. I was able to land a couple of published columns in the Boston Metro while building a column clip base in the process. I exercised the demon of resting on my laurels by getting a second column published. I was also able to land a job at a university, something that I had been seeking long before being laid-off. Granted it was with hesitation, but I’m inclined to think that had more to do with not wanting to have to go to a job everyday.

Indeed, much has happened. So many nights spent reflecting and wasting away time in a positive manner in this very spot. And my conclusion…life is good. The teaching aspect came to the forefront once again as it has on several other occasions when I’ve been contemplating my next place of employment. And while I am not heading that direction just yet, this new position affords me the opportunity to pursue a degree free of charge leaving teaching in the mix probably three years or so down the line. I really think this is the situation I was looking for.

As Wilcox pointed out tonight, it has been a good run and if anything, if being bale to conceive the rink is one of the best things to come out of my time off, then I am doing all right. And that is what I am really looking forward to at this point and that is important.

Being able to have something to look forward to can often keep you moving from one day to the next. I had the house and the wedding to get me through the hell that Millennium was at times. Now I have the winter and the rink. Building it with my dad and brother has been an utter joy. It has been great to be able to construct something that will pave the way for a lot of fun with my family. And family becomes more and more important to me each day. I realize I don’t need to be the significant difference maker to the world like I though tin my young adult years. Being able to make a difference to my family is not only the equivalent, but what life is all about.

This time-off has been a great time to reflect and take stock of my life. And what that life is, is filled with a great wife, family and friends and one that I look forward to creating more memories with. And so to work, to a different stage in my life, change. Accepting change is what I have been trying to work on over the last year. I think I may finally have reached a stage where I am able to come grips with the realization of where I am in life…and that it is a pretty good place. MY understanding of life and myself is a bit clearer and I think I have a better sense of who I am and what my life is. I’ve chosen wisely and couldn’t be luckier. Onward and upward it is. I can’t wait.

Bought a new car tonight, the Honda Element and I know, you either love it or you hate it. I love it, its different, sharp looking and is a great ride with a ton of space. It's funny how these things work out. The Shitbox 1989 Grand Am we've used to kick around town as our second car failed to pass inspected and needed more work than it was worth. So, we figured we'd start shopping. Never did I think we'd have one so quickly and at a great price. Trace did a lot of the negociating based on my research and we got for dealer invoice. Not too shabby. Its her first new car as well, an added bonus.

I'm down to the last three days of freedom before I start work. The obligatory nerves had been kicking-up until I realized last night that there is now way this situation I am walking into can be any more difficult in terms of getting up to speed than Millennium. I guess that is one of the perks that former job learned me. Perusing the Northeastern web site today, I realized that much of what I will be writing release about seems to be in more of a journalistic style, which is perfect for me. I'm pretty excited about it. Now, back to enjoy my last days of lounging.