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Stop the World!
Swapping the vacation my partner and I had been looking forward to for Dad’s funeral ended up being a good thing. We were already off work, and since we were driving anyway and had a free place to stay at the beach, changing our plans at the last minute didn’t cost anything. Any other time…
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They’re Back
The same ten pounds I’ve battled for the last twelve months have returned. Since we had to go out for anything we ate, I expected to maybe lose weight on vacation. I hear you laughing, but it’s happened before. Honest. After we got home, I stepped onto the scale–naked–so whatever number popped up would be…
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The Beach
The farther north you go in Florida, the more southern things become. Northern Florida definitely has its own flavor. And nowhere is that more true than here in Panama City Beach, queen city of the Redneck Riviera. Like coastal towns throughout the southeast, the town boasts a healthy assortment of hotels, restaurants, and shopping areas.…
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Pushing My Buttons
I’m the unpaid executive director of a small professional association. About my only duty is to plan the every-other-year conference. I’ve been in the role for nearly ten years and consider it a labor of love. Our little association has no officers, membership dues, newsletter, or paid staff. Just me and whoever I can con…
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What on Earth Did I Do?
Since the first of the year, I’ve been running like crazy. Seems like there’s never a spare moment to just kick back and relax. Well, that’s not entirely true, but I sure don’t have the kind of downtime I had just a few years ago. Four years ago, we didn’t have any dogs. It’s not…
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Off the Beaten Track
Counting grad school, I’ve worked in the same small academic field of study for nearly three decades. Because I’ve skipped it for the last few years, the conference I attended in Jacksonville, Florida last week was a homecoming of sorts. It was also a wonderful opportunity to catch up with colleagues I’ve grown close to…
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Things Missed
As you may have gathered, I had a rip-roaring good time during my visit to Kentucky. It was fun catching up with friends and family I haven’t seen for too long, eating food from my past that’s not available here in Athens, and dancing until after midnight. I’m exhausted, bloated, and three pounds heavier than…
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Home Again–Days Three & Four
After staying out until after one o’clock and then laying in bed for an hour or more reflecting on everything that happened at the reunion, getting up Saturday morning was a chore. Sleeping in wasn’t an option. I had plans to hook up with my cousins for breakfast at Frisch’s–another crappy place I like going…
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Home Again–Day Two
After completing week four, day three of the Couch to 5K running program on the treadmill yesterday morning, I got cleaned up and headed downstairs for the free breakfast buffet at my hotel. Meh. There were no danishes or donuts or pastries. I had a reasonably healthy breakfast of scrambled eggs in a flour tortilla…