Is Today Saturday?

I asked aloud at 5am. I finally got a good, deep 8 hours of sleep, but I could definitely use a few more hours. I was so immersed in R.E.M. that it feels like I slept through Friday and into Saturday. I wish.

These days I don’t wake up dreading the commute to work. Getting up around 5:30am again is the norm to get in a short run or other type of workout. I like my routine. Afterwards, the GF takes the dog for a walk while I make breakfast and start getting lunches together. It’s easier if we’ve done most of the preparation ahead of time – peeled and cut the cucumbers, prepared the salad(s), and divvied up the strawberries. We eat just about the same thing everyday, which makes it a gathering process instead of a foraging process. There is enough variety that we’re not bored, but just recently we had to bust out the cookbooks to get some new ideas. (Note to self: work on the Thai curry sauce – it needs something.) I keep an eye on the clock knowing that I should be eating my eggs and bacon at 6:50am, heading upstairs around 7:00am, and in the shower no later than 7:08am based on the clock in the bathroom. This is my new routine and I like it.

The months of April and May were tough. I was supposed to be at the peak of my training for MMT and then tapering all while job hunting, and subsequently finishing up my last 3 weeks on the job with the job ending the day before MMT. It was a stressful time and my mind was very cluttered.

The new job was an eye opener for me. It took awhile to get used to leaving for work much earlier than I had been, but getting out AT 4:45pm is nice. No matter what I’m working on, I stop and let it wait until the next day. The contract says I come in at 8am, take a lunch from 12:00-:1245pm, and leave at 4:45pm, so that is what I do. Taking a job in the District has additional benefits to the shorter commute, and that is working only a few blocks from my GF’s office. At least two times a week we meet for lunch. We bring our insulated lunch bags and sit in the shade and chat. It has been good for our relationship, and for the first few weeks, I couldn’t help but say that over and over. We have become better communicators overall, which has really helped our bond. After work, I walk a few blocks and wait for her at the bus stop so we can ride home together. It makes the commute enjoyable.

I couldn’t imagine having to commute to/from Columbia, MD every day, where my old company is now located. I like what I’m doing now, and I like the location. If I was miserable in April, I’m sure I’d be worse now, and I’d be asking every morning if it was Saturday yet.