I watched this month's full moon come and go, and thought several times about writing. I guess it is good that I am more into living the days now than writing about them.
At work, I have gone from worrying about not having benefits to worrying about which benefits to sign up for to worrying about which providers to sign up for to worrying about whether I will like our new providers. All of this is totally and completely needless. One would think we could all agree that it is in a country's best interest to educate its citizens and keep them healthy and safe. When I think about the resources wasted in administering healthcare programs which could be spend providing health care, I just get crazy. People don't need health insurance, they need healthcare.
That said, I am very fortunate to now have excellent benefits as an employee of the University of California. And I am grateful for this, as long as we insist on using the completely broken system we have.
And I now have a desk and a bookcase in an office that I share with one of my colleagues. I really love having my own little spot with my comfort objects near me.
I have also changed my means of transport to work: unless it is raining, I ride my bike! The last several miles of the trek is a long uphill climb, so there is a van you can meet at the bottom of the hill which has a trailer to bring your bike up the hill with you. So, with that help, it is a nice (only 2 short uphills) 20 minute ride to the shuttle, then a lovely 30 minute ride downhill with panoramic views of the Monterey Bay, and only one uphill climb when I am almost home. It's a start! My goal is to be able to ride the entire way up one day...
The highlight of the last month at home was a lovely visit from my dear friend, Pat, who lives in Rhode Island. We had 5 days together to walk and bike and eat and talk. It was just what I needed.
Rich and I were invited to dinner at one of his golf friends' home. Interesting. It was a side of Santa Cruz I had not yet experienced. Probably not going to become a regular part of our lives.
We continue to feel very happy about being here. Just soaking it in.
