Work Exhaustion

Glad as I am to be working again, it is wearing on me. I can't tell whether the exhaustion is due more to the long, late (for me) hours, or dealing with the emotional stresses in the family I'm working for. At any rate, I'm glad to have discovered the joys of driving 55. It keeps my commute sane and, amazingly, relaxing! And I have some good audio books to keep me company in the evenings when I'm totally burnt out.

Finished Red Mars yesterday--an interesting, but somewhat slow story about science and politics. Started on Ender's Shadow--an adventure story taking place at the same time as Ender's Game, but from the perspective of a different child. It promises to be a fast paced adventure, but also to make me think, which is good.

Saw Prince Caspian this morning. It's the one book in the Narnia series which I couldn't remember anything about--turns out it was one long battle. No wonder I forgot it--there was no real plot, just, "I'm going to die! Oh good, I have help. Oh no! We're all going to die! Never mind, here comes the real help. Our enemies will have to surrender." That was it, plus a bit of The Lord of the Rings-type cinematic effects.

Lego Star Wars

Have spent the weekend hanging out with a friend's kids while she works. Am getting a good deal of internet time, and have done some interesting research, followed up on several e-mails, etc.

One of the kids found some funny Lego Star Wars videos on You Tube. Quite amusing and entertaining.

Am worried about the current ACOG and AMA backlash against home birth, in response to Ricky Lake's movie, The Business of Being Born. See Hathor for related comics, blog posts, etc.

New Favorite Song

The music video is a bid odd--not what I would have expected, but then I'm not a music video expert--but here it is on You Tube. Jason Mraz--I'm Yours And here's the live version.

From Hell to Highway

The past few weeks have been an emotional hell, but I've slowly gotten my perspective back. I'm also back to working (and commuting) regularly. One of the comic artists whose work I follow posted a comic on the Drive 55 campaign, and I've been trying it out. It forces me to slow down mentally as well as physically, and my commute feels much less hectic when I drive slower than the traffic flow, instead of trying to keep up. It isn't always practical, time-wise, but I do it when I can.

Going Here

Well, not exactly, but they didn't have a Yosemite background. Still coping. Have gotten some help, but big issues don't resolve instantly. Still more questions and concerns than answers.

Wish I was Here

Am coping. That's all. A lake with a tire swing would be really nice. Puzzle Therapy is a good second-best. Conversations with mom and a friend helped, too. Friend offered some healing help--which I was glad to accept. Work tomorrow. Bills today. That seems backward, but, oh well.

And Unpacking

We're back. It was a long week. I really enjoyed it--especially the "dime tours," but I am in great need of rejuvenation. We were pretty much always doing something--going to the coast, exploring M.'s home area, or visiting friends and family members. It was a lot to take in.

Going to church this morning filled some of my need for rejuvenation and helped me get some perspective back. Usually, I need to be alone to recharge, but today I needed to be with my community. I feel more at home with the members of my church than I do in most communities. I feel like everything is emotionally "up" right now, and even though I know it's an opportunity to grow and learn and become a better person, it's not exactly easy. So having the support of my community today really helped. I feel like I'm coming back to my center. Last week I did a lot of coping, and now that I'm home, maybe I can process some of the issues that came up.