Back plus a month ;)
Remember me? ;)
I went on the trip that I posted about here a while ago -- two weeks in Glasgow for training for my job. The kids and I all survived it, but I sure don't want to be separated from them for anywhere NEAR that long again, not for many years yet.
No, I didn't really enjoy the trip. I mean, the training course itself was extremely useful and I learned a lot and am very glad that I did it from that perspective. And yes, I did a few fun things, particularly on the intervening weekend (went to Edinburgh one day, and took a bus tour of the Scottish Highlands the other day -- both times with a coworker who had come along). But mostly it just wasn't fun. I was tired/jet-lagged most of the time; the class was 9-5 and could feel very lonnnnggg -- they pack SO much material into those two weeks! -- and when class ended each day, it was what, 5:30, you get back to the hotel room, and you have a whole evening to kill and nothing much to do with it. That part of the day was the worst for me. It was boring and depressing to sit around the hotel room, trying not to think about the kids, basically just killing time until 11pm (which was when I could call them -- 11pm Glasgow time being 6pm Boston time).
A few evenings I did walk around the city a bit, either by myself or with coworkers, and that was nice. A few times we went out to dinner together which was also nice and was good for killing pretty much the whole evening. And the World Cup was on, which was a huge big deal around there, so I kinda got into that as well.
The kids did fine with all the many people who cared for them during the time I was away. We did Skype chats almost every night, both voice and video. So we stayed in touch and they were basically going about their usual routines most of the time, so they were mostly okay, although Ruthie apparently got tearful after almost every video chat with me.
Then I got back, and we immediately turned around and went out to our family's summer cottage for July 4th weekend. Which was nice, but maybe not the best way for me and the kids to reconnect; and I was mostly useless due to the jet-lag and general exhaustion. So it was good to finally get back home and move back into our usual routines.
Last week we went to Cape Cod with my mom and her brother, my uncle. Mom had reserved a small suite in a resort, through her time-share (long story) so we had basically two rooms with a small kitchen area and two bathrooms, and access to an indoor pool and an outdoor pool and a jacuzzi and, of course, the ocean. ;) The kids had never really spent much time at the ocean (Isaac a little, Ruthie none) so it was a whole new thing and they had a lot of fun. There are a zillion miniature-golf places on Cape Cod, and Isaac wanted to play every one of them...twice! ;)
So today is my first day back to work after the week off, and of course, coming back after vacation sucks. Ah well.
I know I probably say this all the time, but I want to start posting here regularly again. I just have so much that floats through my head -- that is, yes, too long to tweet ;) -- and it has to come out. I feel like I don't do any writing these days, which is kind of crazy considering that it's what I do for a living....
I went on the trip that I posted about here a while ago -- two weeks in Glasgow for training for my job. The kids and I all survived it, but I sure don't want to be separated from them for anywhere NEAR that long again, not for many years yet.
No, I didn't really enjoy the trip. I mean, the training course itself was extremely useful and I learned a lot and am very glad that I did it from that perspective. And yes, I did a few fun things, particularly on the intervening weekend (went to Edinburgh one day, and took a bus tour of the Scottish Highlands the other day -- both times with a coworker who had come along). But mostly it just wasn't fun. I was tired/jet-lagged most of the time; the class was 9-5 and could feel very lonnnnggg -- they pack SO much material into those two weeks! -- and when class ended each day, it was what, 5:30, you get back to the hotel room, and you have a whole evening to kill and nothing much to do with it. That part of the day was the worst for me. It was boring and depressing to sit around the hotel room, trying not to think about the kids, basically just killing time until 11pm (which was when I could call them -- 11pm Glasgow time being 6pm Boston time).
A few evenings I did walk around the city a bit, either by myself or with coworkers, and that was nice. A few times we went out to dinner together which was also nice and was good for killing pretty much the whole evening. And the World Cup was on, which was a huge big deal around there, so I kinda got into that as well.
The kids did fine with all the many people who cared for them during the time I was away. We did Skype chats almost every night, both voice and video. So we stayed in touch and they were basically going about their usual routines most of the time, so they were mostly okay, although Ruthie apparently got tearful after almost every video chat with me.
Then I got back, and we immediately turned around and went out to our family's summer cottage for July 4th weekend. Which was nice, but maybe not the best way for me and the kids to reconnect; and I was mostly useless due to the jet-lag and general exhaustion. So it was good to finally get back home and move back into our usual routines.
Last week we went to Cape Cod with my mom and her brother, my uncle. Mom had reserved a small suite in a resort, through her time-share (long story) so we had basically two rooms with a small kitchen area and two bathrooms, and access to an indoor pool and an outdoor pool and a jacuzzi and, of course, the ocean. ;) The kids had never really spent much time at the ocean (Isaac a little, Ruthie none) so it was a whole new thing and they had a lot of fun. There are a zillion miniature-golf places on Cape Cod, and Isaac wanted to play every one of them...twice! ;)
So today is my first day back to work after the week off, and of course, coming back after vacation sucks. Ah well.
I know I probably say this all the time, but I want to start posting here regularly again. I just have so much that floats through my head -- that is, yes, too long to tweet ;) -- and it has to come out. I feel like I don't do any writing these days, which is kind of crazy considering that it's what I do for a living....