Wow, I really need to update more. Perhaps with the upcoming changes, which are fairly few but not at all insignificant, I will have more time to reflect on life and more opportunities to write about.

In October of last year, I took a job that was almost literally 100 miles away (door to door, depending on my exact route, it’s between 95-105 miles). It was a big change: I was moving from a Software Development and Quality Assurance team, into a Systems Support and Administration team. For me it was important because I was leaving SDQA, something I like but don’t enjoy (at least not full time) and getting back into IT. The learning curve has had it’s steep points, and so far I’m still happy to go to work.

That said, it was always in the plan for Kelly to find a job in the area and for us to find a home much closer to work. I don’t mind driving, but 200 miles a day gets a little old, and certainly eats into what little was left of a social life, after being assigned to the 3am-7am shift, on Saturdays through Wednesdays.

And she did! It seems perfect for her: just enough kids interaction to be fun, and enough of everything else to balance it out. And the more she talks about her supervisors and bosses, the more it sounds like they feel the same way.

For the last month or so, she’s stayed with one of her college friends in Reston while I commuted back and forth. On Wednesday we take the keys for a one year lease on an apartment just around the corner. Her commute to the library is about 30-40 minutes, sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on time of day and traffic. Mine will likely be 10-15, maybe 20 at maximum. For an affordable price, we found an apartment complex that will let us bring our monster dog and still has space for all of our things.

That makes this packing week. So many things to put in boxes, only to take them back out again. Granted, there is a truck ride in between the putting in and the taking out, but shh. I suppose the good news is that our room is finally starting to lose shape. Most of what is left to pack are clothes and other little things getting put into “Miscellaneous” boxes.

And as if moving 100 miles from where we have lived the last 4.5 years (so many thanks to Tammy and Randy, so many) wasn’t enough, in the next couple of weeks I’ll be rolling my shift back. I’m yet to see the exact details, but I understand it will involve a week of 11pm-7am, and then 7pm-3am for the next three months. It sounds weird, but I actually like the idea. Again, largely missing out on social life (except for Monday/Tuesday) but it’s really not that different from my “ideal schedule” anyway. Staying up late, sleeping late, sounds good. And SO much better than waking up at midnight to go to work. There’s something just wrong about going to bed in daylight and waking up in darkness.

It’s a lot to think about. Taking responsibility for absolutely everything again, the roof over our heads and the lights we see by, we pay for directly. Getting used to having a really tight budget again. Having time to do things outside of working, sleeping and eating (and driving). Having a more normal sleep pattern. Not spending my days off from work worried about messing up said sleep pattern, and making myself a danger to myself and others on the road as a result.

I’m excited.