Life handed me a surprise change in fate last week when my office announced a major reorganization and let a large number of us, including me, go.

I’d been contemplating a job change for a while, since while what I was doing was interesting, it wasn’t what I was passionate about. But I was comfortable, I liked the people I worked with, and I was afforded enough freedom in the breadth and accomplishment of my tasks to keep me content, if not happy, so I didn’t pursue the hunt with much vigor, dismissing job listings frequently and applying for new positions rarely. Obviously that approach no longer works.

In my better moments, I’m inclined to look at this change in fortune as an adventure: Who knows what the future holds?! There are a great many possible paths before me yet, and I am okay with experimentation. When traveling places in real life, I like to look at the big picture, plot a rough line to my destination, and then wing it, much to the frustration of those companions who prefer a plotted course. I figure that this jaunt to my next career will likely take a similar approach, and I am okay with that.

I have some ideas about what I might like to do, but remain open to what the winds blow before me. I had an older coworker at one point who said you don’t have to figure out what you want to do when you grow up; you just have to figure out what you want to do next. I can do that. After all, I’ve just spent 15 years working on projects that I never would have chosen if left to my own devices, and I’m probably the better for it. And I have a healthy appreciation for the role of whimsy in decision-making.

My current game plan is to divide my time up into thirds: a third will be devoted to job hunting, professional development, and other career-related tasks; a third will go toward getting our apartment cleaned up (because we were already short on space before I brought 15 years’ worth of odds and ends home from the office); and a third will go toward personal enrichment and mental health care, so that when I do find that next position I’ll be able to enter it as my best self.

Obviously, though, if you can send some good thoughts my way, I’d appreciate that.

This weekend included a delicious lunch (I had a lemon-muffin French toast with strawberries. Yum!) and a stroll around Eastern Market with Sarah on Saturday, a bike ride home on one of the local bikeshare system I belong to’s new e-assist bikes, and a trip to the movies. We saw Bohemian Rhapsody, which we really enjoyed. If you prefer your celebrity biopics to be full of ruthless truths and raunchy scenes, than this will not be the picture for you, but if you appreciate how friends become family, how relationships can be complex, and examples of collaboration in the truest sense (oh, and the music of Queen), then you’ll likely enjoy it.

Today, we cruised through the farmers market for some breakfast and a few items, spent several hours at the garden, and ended the daylight portion of the day at the park with hot beverages. We had vegetarian pepper steak for supper featuring peppers from our garden, and in the evening I got in some reading and knitting while snuggling with the cats.

It was a good weekend for us. How was yours?

I admit to being a little at sea this weekend. But here’s what I have on tap:

• Do laundry. And I need to get to the bank to procure quarters in order to accomplish that.
• Watch a movie. I have a discount ticket to see Bohemian Rhapsody, which is playing at the big single-screen theater in town.
• Ride a bike.
• Stop by the library. (The new Galbraith novel should finally be in for me!)
• Shop at the farmers market.
• Take part in the final cleanup/part of the garden this season. Also, pick the rest of my peppers and dig up my potatoes and any peanuts I grew.
• Come up with a game plan for cleaning our apartment. (Our Christmas party is in a month.)
• Finish at least one knitting project and one book. (This week it’s totally doable — I’m on the second toe, and Harry is in the Chamber!)
• Do some text-banking for a national campaign. I don’t want to, but I should, since we’re down to the wire.
• Paint my nails. (I didn’t get them done for Halloween and I have some cleaning to do, so I suppose this isn’t urgent, but I think it would make me happy.)

I mean, I know that seems like a lot, but it doesn’t feel like the right lot. And I know it mostly seems like the same stuff I do every weekend, but I feel like it’s missing some element of fun, but the fun stuff going on isn’t my cup of tea. I’m sure it’ll all work out, though. It always does.

What are you hoping to do this weekend? Do you have a plan for that extra hour? Sleep? Campaigning? More time at the bars?

Wishing you a Happy Halloween from the Burrow!

Today marks the 365th day in a row that I’ve posted here. It started out intentionally — the monthlong NaBloPoMo posting event that I’ve taken part in the past few years. And then it was followed by the Virtual Advent Tour — again something I’ve done before. But then, instead of taking time off to recuperate during Christmas break, I thought, well, let’s see how long we can keep this going…

And apparently that’s at least an additional 310 days.

There were two days where I slipped up, dozing off without publishing anything, but I rectified that as soon as I woke up, so I decided that it still counted for continuity.

In the previous year, I published only 168 posts, so that’s a solid 117% increase in output.

I’m not sure it’s an increase in quality in any way, but that’s something to work on in the year to come. Because while I won’t swear that I’m going to post every day from here on out, it’s mostly become habit, something I do before bed, just like washing the dishes and brushing my teeth.

Here’s to many more words together…

Today was another special day in our family. Happy birthday, Mum! I’m sorry I did not get to spend the day with you today, but am glad you and Dad got to get out for pizza together!

(This shot is from three weeks ago, when we were baking together. I have another action shot, but Mum wanted me to take this one so you all could see her hat, and since it’s her birthday, this is the one I shall share.)

And here’s one with the whole family from a couple summers ago, where you can actually see Mum’s face: