Dinghies, Dump, Doughnuts, and Drama
This last week, work has been extra demanding with overtime, teaching, and admin paperwork. The teaching is enjoyable. The paperwork… not so much. I admit I am the worst procrastinator, and I am pretty much guaranteed to wait until the last moment to finish anything uninteresting. I have too much floating around in my head, whether it be about boats, writing, rainbow trout or Mai Tai recipes, to focus on quarterly evaluations. And the whole time I’m procrastinating, that work is weighing on me, holding me down, frustrating. What a relief it was to submit it all and get back to some proper day dreaming!
It was also my birthday. We had a family evening of cupcakes and gnocchi at Rocco’s, my birthday tradition, despite my current commitment to the low carb primal diet I dabble in occasionally.
Jill and I did some house cleaning and emptied out our walk in pantry/storage closet to take inventory and organize. After two trips to the dump, the closet was finished. She loves this kind of stuff, cleaning and organizing, out with the old and in with the new. For me, it’s a chore. One I would rather avoid. There are a million things I would rather do instead to enjoy a rare day off together. But I’m grateful it’s done and that I have her to keep me tidy.
The week was also filled with quick day trips to the boat between the kids’ school drop off and pickup. Cleaning, organizing, running the engine, checking the oil, checking the bilge, trying to find the most comfortable spot to sit (found it, btw). There is a nest of swallows under the dock right next to the boat. The parents dart around the sky and then dive bomb under the dock, inciting a flurry of chirping from the chicks. I could watch it for hours. I have watched it for hours.
Jill came with me to the boat today. We had lunch at 4th Street in Berkeley and then took a drive to Marin to spend a paycheck at West Marine. On the way back, we stopped at Johnny Doughnuts. Three strawberry, two plain old fashioned, and a Fritta Thang, please (never mind that diet I mentioned…) The kid behind the counter was no older than 10. So polite, efficient and professional, better than most adults, but I have no idea how his employment was legal.
To finish this week, Andie had her first performance for her school’s drama camp. She played the Escapologist in Matilda the musical. Can you see my proud smile?
The days of this week combined to give a snapshot of my life, as it is. Work commitments, house commitments, family commitments, with sprinkles of day dreaming and quick trips mixed in. I am grateful for every part of it, work-house-family. I know that can be a rare combination for some people in this world, and I try to never take it for granted.