I realized it’s been a while since I just did a general update on life. So I figured I’d do a little bit of a brain dump.

So yeah, there’s a book. If you don’t know that you’re new here ‘cuz it’s all I’ve been talking about forever. So yeah, go buy that. No need to talk more about it.

Summer vacation for boy child started today. I can already tell it’s going to be a long summer, lol. If anyone has any ideas what to do with a pre-teen child who’s bored all the time, drop those nuggets of wisdom in the comments. I’m gonna need them.

Speaking of boy child, he turns 12 on Friday. So truly and officially a “pre-teen.” When the holy hell did that happen? He was just a baby yesterday. Now he’s officially a 7th grader. Given the option of choosing what to do with his birthday, he’s opted to go to his old daycare with brownies during the day, and go have dinner at a French bistro for dinner. He’s a good bean (when he isn’t bored – see prior paragraph.)

He still has a year before we need to apply, but the discussions of what high school magnet programs he wants to apply to have begun. When it was time for choosing a middle school magnet all he cared about was going to the same school as all his friends from elementary school. But that hasn’t been the case this time. It’s been more about what he wants to actually have classes in, which I chalk up to some increasing maturity. His first choice is culinary arts. Second, health sciences (that’s the magnet he’s been in during middle school). Last, engineering. It doesn’t really mean anything about what he’ll do in college, and it’s just one class out of all his other normal classes, but it’s still been a point of discussion. We’ll see how he feels next fall when it’s time for the actual applications to be submitted.

Dave leaves Sunday (yes, Father’s Day – phooey) for a week-long work trip in Dubai. As always, neither boy child nor I are thrilled. It’s so hard having him gone. It’s hard enough on days where he works in the office and I just can’t wait for him to get home. He’s my “battery recharger.” Granted, my batteries don’t get nearly as easily depleted now that I’m no longer working in an office, but I still need my Dave time. And especially now that it’s summer, that makes it extra challenging. The long days without him are gonna seem even longer. Did I mention send me ideas on how to keep the kid entertained?? Normally he’d spend his evenings playing games with dad, but now it’s five days of just the two of us without even school as a time-killer. Wish us luck, we’re gonna need it.

On the non-kid front… speaking of working in offices, two days ago would have been my 20th anniversary of working at my old job. It was bittersweet. I am genuinely sad I didn’t quite make it to that milestone. Simultaneously I’ve felt so much better since I left that it’s hard to not be happy with my current life as is. It’s complicated.

What else with me? Well, I’ve had random nightmares 3 of the last 4 days. Like, wake me up and I can’t go back to sleep kinds of things. Worse, the emotions of the dreams (even though I can’t remember the details) hang with me throughout the day. It’s sucked, and I have no idea why it’s happening. Whatever it is, it needs to piss off. I’d really like a solid night of sleep, please.

So I’m part of a gaming group (D&D 5e) that’s been playing together for well over a year now (actually, are we coming up on 2 soon??) We play online and a couple of the players live out of state. One of them came to visit some folks in the area last week and we carved out some time to meet up in person for the first time. It was really a great afternoon. It’s really interesting how you make some of the friends you do, even though you don’t live anywhere near each other. Like I mention in the book (I know, there it is again), I’ve made some great online friends in the process of writing the book and the blog. It made me think the world is so different from when I was younger, but then I realized how many of my lifelong friends I met back in the earliest days of the internet (we’re talking modems that you had to hook up to your phone and monochrome monitors.) So maybe it hasn’t changed as much as I think.

Speaking of lifelong friends, my oldest friend and I hadn’t seen each other since the summer before covid! We finally made the trip up to Pittsburgh to visit a few weeks ago, and it was lovely. We realized that next September we’ll have been friends for 40 years. One, that’s incredible. Two, I feel very old, lol! We got to stay in a lovely Victorian B&B just up the street from her house, which was also a nice treat.

We’re about to embark on our summer full of travel basically as soon as Dave gets back from Dubai. We’re not doing anything exotic at all, all family trips, but I already feel like the whole summer is accounted for. A trip to Ocean City Maryland, one maybe two trips (possibly even three??) to New Jersey, one to Pennsylvania, and one to Virginia. Between the trips, along with some other activities we already have planned (like a pizza and music festival at a local winery and an afternoon at a tearoom) almost every weekend until Eli goes back to school is booked. 😯 That all should at least give me more stuff to come here and write about in the coming months.

And that’s about it for now in Panekland. Thanks for catching up with me!