My five 8s workweek is over, and I’m back to four 10s and a three-day weekend. I am pretty happy about this.
Hope you’re enjoying your Friday night, as well!
Author Archives: FC5
Day 351/365: Oh, Christmas Tree
We got our tree!
Now we just have to get around to decorating it.
Sean's legs. The rest of him sitting in his chair is covered by the tree.
Day 350/365: Frozen Yogurt in December
Sean and I are both full-time state employees at two different locations that are three counties away from each other and about 160 miles apart (one of us works on the Central Coast and the other in Southern California). This means living in two separate homes during the week and seeing each other over the weekends and holidays. Since Sean is a university professor, he gets summer and winter breaks. That’s when we’re able to see each other for longer stretches of time.
Because of a mandatory staff training this week, I’m working five 8-hour days instead of the usual four 10s. Sean’s teaching schedule ended last week, so he’s been up here at the Morro Bay house for the last few days. It’s been nice to leave work at 3 PM, get home, see my husband, and hang out together like the average married couple.
This afternoon we went out for a walk downtown and stopped to get some frozen yogurt. Even though it was kind of too chilly to be eating a cold dessert, the whole experience was still a nice treat.
Sunset Beach Sonny Angel tagged along on this outing.
No pants! He didn’t mind the cold.
Day 349/365: The Plus Side of an 8-Hour Day
The best part of my day was leaving work at 3 PM and having a couple extra hours of daylight to spend at home and work on this.
Day 348/365: First Monday of Work All Year
Did you ever sit in an all-day workshop or some sort of hours-long class where you got hit with so much new information that you thought your head would explode?
That was me today. This week I have to attend a mandatory five-day training from 7 AM to 3 PM. Mondays are normally my day off, so it was especially hard to be at work today. I did make sure to get to the classroom by 6:45 AM in order to secure the best seat (which I successfully accomplished), but that meant getting up at an hour when most sane people are still in bed– i.e. even earlier than the ass-crack of dawn.
On the plus side, I did get home while there was still daylight, and I was able to add a few more stitches to the Coastal Ripple afghan. It was exactly the kind of thing I needed to calm my overheated brain.
Day 347/365: Rainy Sunday
This week I have to work from Monday to Friday because of a mandatory training course for all mental health staff. It had been a long time since I only had a two-day weekend. These last two days just felt too short of a time to recover from the past four ten-hour days. I told Sean, “This two-day weekend gig, I don’t like it.”
“Wait until tomorrow,” he suggested. “And then tell me how you feel when you get home at 3 PM, and you’ve got the whole rest of the afternoon ahead of you.”
Anyway, it rained most of today. I did a lot of sitting around and crocheting. I added several more rows to the Coastal Ripples afghan, and I got to enjoy a nice view out of our sunroom windows. At least tomorrow when I get home, it’ll still be light and I’ll have a chance to watch the sunset over the water.
Day 346/365: Saturday Hike
This morning I sat around and crocheted while Sean read a book; this afternoon we left the house and went for a hike up Black Hill in Morro Bay. It was a nice balance of activities, because one of us likes to sit around and do nothing on her day off, while the other one wants to be outdoors and doing something active all the time.
At the top of the hike, to your left you have this view…
…and to the right is the ocean, Morro Rock, and Morro Bay.
Day 345/365: A Rainbow in Prison
It rained all morning, and then the sky cleared up around noon. I usually take a break from my office in the middle of the day and walk out to the parking lot, where I sit in my car for a few minutes. This afternoon when I left our yard and cut across the plaza, I heard an inmate saying to one of the correctional officers, “Wow. I’m glad I stopped to take a look.” I glanced over my shoulder to see what they were looking at. It was an amazingly bright and full rainbow that stretched across the sky over the prison.
I wished I could take a photo right then and there, but of course cell phones aren’t allowed inside the facility. I hurried through the corridor, stopped and waited for two sallyports, showed my ID at the gatehouse, and made my way out to the parking lot. By the time I reached my car, the rainbow already appeared to be fading. I popped the trunk, got my phone out of my purse, and surreptitiously tried to take a photo before anyone saw me.
I managed to get this shot, which doesn’t do the rainbow any justice, but I think it gives you enough of an idea of just how impressive a sight that must have been for someone standing underneath it.
Day 344/365: The Things We Don’t Say
These are my favorite patent leather flats. I wore them to work today, and then it rained all day. I would have been better off with rain boots.
My Lifers Group was scheduled this afternoon, and I had to leave our building to get to the group room. I didn’t have an umbrella, and I had to carefully step around puddles to keep from getting my feet soaked. The lifers were waiting outside the door, watching as I approached.
One of them commented, “All of them days you come to group wearing Converse or closed shoes, and today when it’s raining, you got on those open shoes.”
To some people, that may have sounded like a criticism. What I heard underneath that gruff, convicted murderer/formerly active gang member’s comment, though, was, “It’s raining, and I’m concerned that your feet will get wet and you could catch a cold.” He may not have articulated those words, but I knew the sentiment was there.
“Yeah,” I said. “When I put these on this morning, I didn’t think it was going to rain.”
What I meant and didn’t say was, “Thanks. I know you care about my welfare.”
Day 343/365: Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes
The other night I made Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes to take to work. (You can search online to find any variations of recipes; I used the one from Tasty.)
Cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and sugar whipped together to make cheesecake. Yum.
Place an Oreo on the bottom of each cupcake liner and dollop the cheesecake mixture on top of that. I used mint Oreos for the holiday season.
I made the mistake of doubling the recipe when I only had one muffin tin. This meant that I had to wait a half hour for the first batch to cool before I could remove the cheesecake cupcakes and prep the second dozen. It took 45 minutes for each batch to bake. By the time the second batch was cool enough to refrigerate, it was almost midnight.
I wanted to sprinkle crushed peppermint candies and chocolate chips on the tops, but I didn’t have any mints.
I didn’t get around to taking any After photos, and there were no leftovers to bring back home. So you will just have to imagine how they looked and tasted, or you can make a batch and see for yourself. I highly recommend it.
365 Days Handmade 