In some way, it hardly feels like I was gone for 10 weeks.  While Veronica had shared some concerns about an adjustment period when I returned, we settled right back into a normal routine pretty easily.  The kids are used to having more than 1 parent to harass, Veronica is back into her normal routine of going to the gym several times a week and having someone to share in the parenting duties, and believe it or not, we even managed to resume our normal sex life right away

===================================================================

There have been some odd things though, mostly at work.  Before I left I set the Outlook out-of-office assistant to notify anyone who emailed me where I would be and how long I would be gone.  I have a dry-erase board on the outside of my office door and left a message there as well,  again with where I would be and how long I would be gone.

I swear, some of my co-workers embody the absent-minded professor stereotype!  At least 4 or 5 of them said something along the lines of “hey, haven’t seen you in a while, have you been away?” or “long time no see, what have you been doing?”

Really?

I do have to admit, those people were a distinct minority, most people realized exactly where I was and what I was doing there and wanted to hear all about my time in Texas.  Of course, I couldn’t tell them everything, they don’t need to know about some of my various adventures!

One saving grace was that my boss was on vacation all week.  I really like my boss and he’s been instrumental in my professional development, but I just know he would have driven me nuts this week with pushing me to re-engage with projects I left idle while I was gone.  Without him around I could ease myself back into work, dealing with e-mails, catching up the status of some stuff c0-workers were taking care of for me, etc.

===================================================================

Starting last January I had been seeing a chiropractor for my back, it seemed like my lower back was always bothering me, even first thing in the morning.  The chiropractor definitely helped, but the pain never fully went away.  I felt like the chiropractor was doing a good job, but there were limits to what he could do for me, so I learned to cope with the occasional really sore back.

Whenever I traveled throughout the spring, it seemed like my back was better when I was gone.  I didn’t think too much about it until I got to Texas and my back didn’t bother me all summer.

The culprit?  Our mattress.

In the spring of 2009 we replaced the mattress that we bought sometime in the late ’90s with one of those fancy memory-foam types.  It’s nice and comfy and apparently not supportive enough for me.  As soon as I returned home my lower back issues returned.  Veronica and I will be going mattress shopping sometime this week…

===================================================================

Sunday morning DB and I will be in Boston for a bike ride, the Hub on Wheels event starting at City Hall Plaza.  Several years ago he and I did a 10 mile ride together, but that was when I was still pulling him on his trailer bike.  This time, he’s on his own, riding alongside me.  I hope he enjoys it as much as I will!  I’ll be carrying my SLR in a backpack, so be prepared for pictures tomorrow!