February: Still on vacation. I took the bus to visit a friend from high school. That was a good time. I hadn’t had a conversation about my high school years in a long time. The visit prompted me to try reconnecting with more people I haven’t contacted in years, and the internet has plenty of tools to facilitate that.

March: I flew to the west coast to visit some friends from college. That was also a good time. Friends and I went hiking, went to arcades, hung out around the house, and so on. Unfortunately, all the people I was visiting lived in different outer suburbs, and I rode trains around the city quite a bit. As a pass-time, I enjoyed a long train ride more than I expected, but I don’t envy the experience as a commute.

I’ve since returned home and returned to work. The work-load has increased now that I’m in a long-term position, so the re-adjustment to employed life is more stressful than I would have liked.

Also, I agreed to house- and dog-sit for some acquaintances here, starting just two days after I came back. I am getting along well with the dogs (two schnauzers), but I will be glad to return the responsibilities of pet ownership to their owners tomorrow. I will also be happy to return to my usual commute. I may have chosen the most time-consuming route available from this house. I have been walking about twenty minutes to a bus line that goes directly to the office. I could have been riding a bus to the bus stop that I have been walking to, but it would have meant waiting around for a while between buses. Standing around doesn’t appeal to me, so I end up walking. I was second-guessing my decision at least once before I get home most days, but I still made the same choice the next morning.

Soon I will need to find a new residence. I will be trying hard to find a place convenient to work. I already have a map of the city with highlighting along all the bus lines that go near the office. I understand that there are nearby bike routes, too, but I haven’t been able to find any details yet.