Monday, October 29, 2012

Back to normal


A lot has happened since I last blogged.  I have driven across the country from St. Augustine to Denver, by way of Milwaukee; a total of 2300 miles.  I would like to tell you it was fun, but driving nine hours a day is not my idea of a good time.
  
I did see a lot of very interesting parts of this country.  There were many times I wished I had the ability to snap a picture.  Georgia has some beautiful lakes and rivers; the hillsides of Kentucky were a riot of colors; the ground fog outside Milwaukee was fascinating, and the Mississippi River is imposing in its width.  I saw baseball in Tampa, modern dance in Milwaukee, and played pai gow poker in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  I drove on a highway full of trucks in Georgia, hit rush hour in Omaha, and spent long stretches in eastern Colorado seeing barely a car.
 
Fortunately, I had good weather most of the time.  I came to love my Garmin GPS and began feel like I can’t live without Sirius XM satellite radio.  I was thankful every time my car started, but the old Lexus (12 years old, 131,000 miles) was reliable.  I saw rest areas in 10 states on this last trip and have been in 20 states in the past 12 months.  I saw lots of road construction, RVs, and Romney bumper stickers.  I even went to another country (The Bahamas). 

During my year off, which we will call my sabbatical, I lived a life very different from what was normal before.  I saw lots of Broadway shows, New York Philharmonic concerts, and Megan dance twice.  I went to art museums, halls of fame, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.   I walked barefoot on the beach and through Grand Central during rush hour.  I went up to the Top of the Rock and the New York Transit Museum in an old subway station.  I lived in Connecticut where the people are rude and stayed in Florida where a lot of them are old.  I ate many different kinds of fish and searched for good barbeque. 

I did manage to write some, but not enough.  I failed to accomplish many of my goals, but I learned some valuable lessons.  I missed my friends (no surprise) and life in Colorado (very surprising). 

All in all I am not sorry I left, but I am glad to be back.  Tomorrow I return to the Jeffco DA’s office for my fourth stint.  Yes, this will be a record, and I fully expect that I will receive many comments about this unusual work history.  I need to develop a snappy answer.  I have been using “I am going to set a record that no one will ever break” which is certainly true, but not especially clever.  

I still need to find a place to live.  I have been imposing on the wonderful couple of Rob Buchan and Michele Wagner, but they are preparing for a more permanent roommate and don’t need me imposing on their hospitality.  I have been shocked at the rental prices.  I guess no one can get a mortgage so everyone is renting.  I do plan to buy a place sometime soon.

Anyway, life is going back to normal.  I am going to have to wake up early, shave every day, and actually do some work every day whether I want to or not.  No more long walks along the beach.  I plan to get this picture blown up and put in my office as a reminder of my sabbatical.  It was a nice break, but time to go back to doing what I do.

Comments:
I am sure Colorado is richer with your presence.
 
Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]





<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Subscribe to Posts [Atom]