I worked 12 days in a row until this week end. Last week end, as many of you know, I was traveling on business. That kind of schedule wears on a person after a while. Especially after you reach a certain age - which I apparently have reached.

So tonight I am relaxing. Actually it’s been a pretty relaxing day. I did a little shopping with my wife and cooked supper. Other than that I haven’t done much. For the last couple of hours I have been sitting on my back deck reading, playing with the computer, and helping my wife plan her trip.

She is going to New Orleans tomorrow. She and a co-worker are going to the National Educational Computing Conference. It looks like they are going to have a great time. I wish I was going. I’ve been to this conference before when I was a technology coordinator at a school. My wife is a librarian at a school so this is a good conference for her. But it does not relate much to my current job.

So I am going to be home without her for four days. Usually I’m the one going away. This is a switch.

To be honest, it is harder to stay home. I’ll have to eat my own cooking for one thing. And I have to feed my mother in law who lives with us as well. And while it feels natural to not have my wife around when I am away it really fells strange to be home and not have her around.

So while my wife finishes packing I am sitting on the back deck, listening to the birds sing, watching the chipmunks chase each other and generally just relaxing. And trying not to think about the love of my life being so far away.