A Year in 6 months?


There's a light at the end of the tunnel. It is a grey, misty, slightly obscured light. But I believe it is there...
I am leaving Cork Friday morning. I get to go home and see J&J get married in Marlin, TX. After a week in San Francisco, I have one more (short) visit to Cork the first week of March. And then... No. More. Travel. (Booked, at least)
I accepted a job offer that will, in the short term, at least, cut down on my travel significantly. And, in the new role, I really don't see any more of the crazy schedules like I have been on since August. Any trips I make, I foresee being in the one week range, instead of the six-week range.

Since I only have three more days until I check out of my apartment, I have an enormous sense of anticipation and gratitude. I had a moment on Nov 29, when one of my main projects went live in the last stage for that quarter, when I looked back on what the project team had accomplished in the time that I was here. It was significant. And I am having one of these moments now, too, because in December and January, I led another project through kickoff to go live, and it went REALLY well. Last week and this week, I am walking another team through the initial detail workshop sessions for a 6-month project cycle, and the workshops are really productive. I am thinking about how much I love project management, and how much I am going to miss this work. And I can't help but wonder if I will be as good in a new operational role as I am in project management. It will be a learning curve.

Speaking of learning curves...
I am not sure how well I am going to adjust to going back to living with my family... Ms Pope and Sören have gotten used to living by themselves. And I have become accustomed to having nobody but myself to answer to on weekends.

I sent Ms Pope an iChat the week before Valentine's Day, asking her what she wanted for the holiday. I know it is lame that I hadn't figured out a gift in advance... Her response: "Nothing." I probed a little more, maybe flowers? Jewelry? A piano? "Nothing."

I am not positive what I am going to encounter when I go home.

Saturday night, I was driving around the Dingle peninsula (pictures to come once I locate the USB cable for my camera), and would call home to check on them every few hours. Ms Pope had come down with the flu, and I was a little worried about whether someone needed to come over and check on them or not. Sören had a Camp Fire potluck dinner on the calendar, so I was trying to locate another parent who could come over and take her to the dinner for the night. When I asked Sören if she was still interested in going. She said she would see how Ms Pope was doing -- she didn't want to leave her mom alone if she was still feeling sick. Wow! She's only 9 years old, but she took great care of her mom through the weekend.

So, my Year of living Irishly is ending at less than a year, and I am not going to cry about it. But I am not sure I am ready for a lifetime of living Austin-ly. I will make the best of it! SXSW starts just as I get home in march and I have vacation planned. :)

ps -- I will post at least some more entries with description of Dingle and pics from the jaunt...

Posted: Tue - February 19, 2008 at 08:18 AM        

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