I was completely unable to work. My fatigue had been keeping me from concentrating all morning, and the symptoms of my illness - bloody, uncomfortable, and draining - had been steadily increasing over the past two weeks. I gave up trying to function, and went into the backyard to sit with a cup of tea [...]
I'm still disoriented by the seasons in the Southern Hemisphere. September is the start of Spring in New Zealand, and after the long winter, I'm enjoying the warmer days and brighter skies. We Sprang Forward at the beginning of the month, while my North American friends will Fall Back 4 weeks later. So our time [...]
The month started with a cancelled flight. I was in Denver, across the world from my family, at the NSA #Influence19 conference. The trip went great, I made a lot of top-notch connections, and stayed over an extra day after the conference ended to catch up on client work. When it was time for me [...]
Directly after I wrote about the Darkest Days of the Year, my experience of this year's winter in the Southern Hemisphere, I spent two weeks working from bed with a winter flu. Then, as soon as I recovered, I flew to the Northern Hemisphere for a week of summertime. I didn't know I was going [...]
June was an exciting month. We experimented with celebrating American Father's Day in New Zealand. The timing worked great, with Johanna's dad visiting us this month. Her mom visited last month for Mother's Day, and we got her dad here for Father's Day, too. In New Zealand, Father's Day is in September. We played with [...]
Indi turned 13, and it was wonderful. Thirteen years ago, my daughter was born. At the precise moment of the anniversary of her birth, it also happened to be the precise moment of the New Moon. This magical woman stood at the center of a sacred circle, as she left childhood behind. Maiden, Mother, and [...]
1. Easter egg hunts Since we are in the Southern Hemisphere, the Spring celebration of Ostara falls in the Fall. It's odd, having the traditional spring easter-egg-hunt while the weather is turning colder, but it was till fun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDU_Qt6dN5E We plan on celebrating half-holidays, so we will celebrate Easter 2 2019 in the springtime. Stay [...]
It is April in New Zealand, and we 'fall back' with our clocks this season. This used to be a cause for celebration, getting an extra hour of sleep, but now I have to mentally readjust my distance from the Northern Hemisphere for the 3rd time (so far) this year. My difference from Pacific Time [...]
I'm working hard, and it's hard on me. When I’m working from home, I’ve found it helps me get more productive to change out of my pajama pants, and into pants with pockets and a belt. I guess it really gets my ass in gear. But I've had to work from bed many days in [...]
January is always a burly month; I've got a birthday or two to celebrate, plus my youngest son's birthday; there's new resolutions and annual reviews, habits quickly getting derailed, and clients off on holiday. This year, we also had family move to New Zealand with us! On my very birthday, they landed at the Wellington [...]