Thursday May 11, 2006 5:20 am Lethbridge Alberta

A. Morning Musings

5:20 am Home.

I have been up and alert for an hour and a half already this morning. The next few days promise to be very full as we catch up with all the details resulting from having been away for the last 6 months.

Some of the time will be "on the screen" as I bring my systems up to date. Already this morning a popup window alerted me to an upgrade for Skype, which I downloaded and installed. Then a quick check of the laptop's system status indicated I needed 18 windows updates. That has also been done without any drama. That prompted another popup window indicating 2 updates for java, which also proceeded uneventfully. But near the end of that installation I received a warning message about low disc space. Playing with technology is a real time sink.

We were very fortunate to be met at the airport by neighborhood friends who helped us get our luggage and ourselves home and then provided us with a delicious full course hot turkey dinner. There was a large basket of fruit waiting for us in the kitchen and a case of beer in the fridge. Life is good. We had a cursory run through of the box of mail and sorted out a few items needing immediate attention. A look at the email this morning indicated a few more items requiring quick action as well. It is good to be home and back in the chaos of real life.

On a practical level, we need groceries. But before that we need to verify that our car is working. We are pretty sure it is as there was a note in the kitchen indicating that a new battery had been placed in it. I also need to take the battery for the truck out of storage and see if it will work without a boost. But before we drive anywhere we have to activate our insurance. That will have to wait until the office opens at 9 am.

Returning home is much like a New Year celebration - it is an automatic incentive to re-evaluate personal priorities and clarify tasks needing attention. The coffee is hot which is a good start.

B. Plan

Chores: getting caught up

C. Actual

7: 30 am Both vehicles are operational. The car started immediately and I had no difficulty putting the battery back in the truck and it started just fine. A promising beginning.

10:30 PM Jet lag may be a problem. I had a solid 3 hour sleep from 2 - 5 PM. We took it easy today and ate out for both lunch and dinner. We now have some groceries, so tomorrow may look a bit more normal.

I was able to update Windows on both my PC and laptop and also updated Stylus Studio to the latest version and am looking forward to continuing my learning of this package.

A wonderful welcome. All of the pottery bowls arrived safely!

D. Reflection