T-Day Minus Six

Thanksgiving is less than a week from today.  How the heck did it creep up so fast??

Living in the desert you get used to having it NOT feel like Thanksgiving.  For those of us who grew up in climates where Thanksgiving often involved cold and snow I don't know if you ever get used to it being just another sunny 82 degree day.  But now I'm living back in the northeast and it still doesn't feel like itself.  Hmmmm.  I wonder why.

For those following the saga of my car - I picked it up yesterday.  New timing belt + New tire +  New O2 sensor + A few other minor things = Big OUCH!  It still needs some things in the front end suspension which all add up to another OUCH but I'll wait a couple of weeks before dealing with that.  The good news is that when I picked her up she drives like a kitten again.

My life has been a whirlwind lately.  I realize that my life is often very whrilwindy but this is a different flavor or it.  My days are full from early to late and then it starts over again.

Here's a synopsis of my last couple of days:

Wednesday I worked all day, then I had to drive the 100 miles from here to Newark DE to speak at the University of Delaware.  After I finished we went out to dinner and they had gotten me a hotel room to get some sleep.  But I knew I had an 8am meeting back here in Harrisburg so I drove the 100 miles at midnight to get back home.  I was finally in bed and asleep by 2.

Yesterday: The alarm went off at 6 so I could be at work by 7 to prepare for an 8am meeting.  In mid-morning I had a state Human Rights Commission meeting related meeting on bias related incidents.  That went thru lunch, then I had to be back at the office to finish up a couple of things.  Someone came to pick me up at 4 to drive me the hour it takes to get to Carlisle PA to meet with the LGBTQA Faculty group at Dickenson College there.  I was back at my car by 7:30, and made it home by 8:30.

Today I work for half a day, then I drive the couple of hours from here to DC to attend the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Dinner there tonight.  I'll spend the night there.

Tomorrow I drive back home, I'll participate in the Day of Remembrance event on the State Capitol steps and then I'll drive to Philadelphia to meet up with a group there.  I expect it will be a late night.

Sunday I have to drive back to Harrisburg.  There's a Meet and Greet event here on Sunday afternoon.

Monday it starts again....

People ask me if I'm enjoying the new job and I'll admit that I am.  But things go so quickly there's always something going on.  And the combination of having a job that involves food and drink with a lack of opportunity to get to the gym on any regular basis is making me feel like a blob.  I hope things settle out but it's not likely anytime soon.

In the bigger world, things are happening as well.  I was gratified, but not surprised, to see that the LPGA is in the process of removing the clause from their rules that prevent trans-women from competing (details here).  The comments are pretty ignorant, as you'd expect, but such it the world in which we live.

I was on a conference call with Dept. of Health and Human Services Director Kathleen Sebelius a couple of days ago to discuss a new directive on hospital visitation for same-sex partners (see story about it here).  One of the questions during the Q&A was about what are the consequences of hospitals that do not comply, or what are the teeth to make sure this happens.  I'm dubious that most hospitals even know about this, much less that they have the power to push this kind of stuff down to their staff.  When a trauma happens things happen quickly so I'd be interested to see how his all plays out.  Don't get me wrong - it's a step in the right direction and I very much appreciate the attention and energy that is being given to issues that affect LGBT lives.  I'm just concerned that the way it plays out in the chaos of real life isn't the same as the way it does in the controlled world of planning.

Gotta go.  Lots to do.  It's going to be a busy weekend.

Oh...and did I mention next week is Thanksgiving?  I've got plans, and I"m looking forward to enjoying some relaxing time.  And - LOTS of food.  :)