This was not a great week. I’m not sure I can make it to ten good things today. Let’s see what happens.

1. My wife and I went out to dinner Monday night after work. We don’t go out enough. We tend to do carry out if we get food out. It was a nice change.
2. It was really warm Tuesday and I was able to eat lunch outside.
3. We had several really nice weather days this week.
4. I had a meeting out of branch Thursday afternoon. Meetings aren’t necessarily great, but getting out of the branch is.
5. The meeting was at my old branch so I got to see some friends I don’t see every day anymore.
6. I took my birthday leave yesterday and Friday was my normal day off, so I had a three-day weekend.
7. After a few errands and some cleaning Friday morning, I’ve been able to just relax so far this weekend.
8. My free birthday stuff has been coming in via apps and emails. I had my free Mission BBQ sandwich last night.
9. Kentucky won both games this week and now have a 10 game winning streak.
10. I have one more day off today before I have to go back to the real world.

We are back to the weeks where it isn’t as easy to find the good things. My kids are away again and my wife and I are back to work. This means I have a lot more time at home alone and days dealing with the stuff that makes me like this

So let’s find the good

1. Due to app rewards and gift cards I had an excuse to go out two morning this week for breakfast, coffee and reading time.
2. I didn’t get a full snow day this week, but I did get to leave work an hour early on Tuesday. I will take what I can get.
3. Philly Pretzel Company has been doing a thing where people with certain names or names starting with certain letters get three free pretzels. This week I met the criteria and got free pretzels.
4. The snow and the cold this week meant a quieter, less stressful week at work as far as the public goes.
5. My wife surprisingly got home from work early on Thursday due to an off-site meeting so I had less time alone to fill.
6. I cooked something new Thursday night and it didn’t make us sick or taste terrible.
7. My free birthday food from the various restaurant apps and email lists have started showing up. I will be able to treat myself a lot over the next couple of weeks.
8. The Youth Media Awards were announced Monday morning and I’ve already been able to finish both the Newbery and the Printz winners.
9. Kentucky won two more basketball games this week and should crack the top 5 in the polls.
10. It will be somewhat warm and sunny for the next few days.

This one will be easier because I’m going to cheat and cover the last two weeks, one of which included a nice family vacation. I won’t take the easy route and use the vacation for all ten good things. Here we go..

1. I was off work last week and in Florida where the coldest day was still in the 60s.
2. All four of us were able to go on the trip. It was the first time in 9 years we were able to do our winter trip to Florida. It was really nice to be back.
3. It was our first trip to Universal since Harry Potter World opened. More than anything else on the trip, this was the place that brought out the kid in my adult children. I definitely think Universal is better than Disney at this point.
4. The parks were fun, but the day off in the middle was also really nice. It was a nice warm day with nothing to do but play tennis, play cornhole, play pool and read by the pool. It really made me long for retirement.
5. I received a phone call on that day off that was a job offer. I eventually opted to stay where I am, but it was nice to know that someone thinks I’m worth hiring. I was beginning to think otherwise.
6. Even though we had snowstorm the day before we left and really cold temperatures the day we returned, we made the 13-hour drive there and back without incident.
7. I had one last week this week of my daughter being at home. We go back to the empty nest today.
8. Meetings and being shadowed by a graduate student at work this week kept the first week back from being too post-vacation depressing.
9. The meeting and an interview gave me a reason to visit my friends at my previous branch, I’m sure that was a morale boost for them.
10. Kentucky beat Kansas last night.

We will see how easy next week ill be as I go back to a full week of work and many hours at home alone in the empty nest. At least the hours alone will give me time to have things to report in my reading and TV watching on Friday.

This will be good for me today. I can focus on thinking about the good of the week instead of worrying about my son who refused to drive home last night before the snow got bad and instead will be driving home today. I’m not sure why no one ever listens to me. I’m a genius.

1. The Ravens lost, but it was fun going to a playoff game again. Even if I sell my PSL I would still try to get tickets to any playoff games. It’s a fun atmosphere.
2. My daughter made it safely to and from New Jersey with a group of her friends from college.
3. I’m happy that she has a good group of friends at school. I knew she would be fine academically, I’m glad the social part is good as well.
4. Kentucky won both of their basketball games this week.
5. I got my outside Christmas lights down before the snow hit this weekend.
6. I had a free sandwich at Mission BBQ to eat this week. Free food is the best food.
7. While it was a boring week, it was not a particularly stressful week. That was a nice change.
8. While others have already gone back to school, I have another couple of weeks before we go back to the empty nest.
9. We are going on vacation as a family gain starting tomorrow.
10. Assuming we make it out of town, we will trade snowy Maryland for sunny Florida for a week.

Not sure if I will post much next week. I’m sure the handful of people reading this are very sad about that.

This one will cover the last couple of weeks, so hopefully, it will be easier to find a list of good things to report. It would be sad not to have 10 good things from a period of time that was mostly vacation.

1. The way the holidays fell, I was able to take 4 days off but get  10 days in a row off. That’s always nice.
2. We were able to visit family in Kentucky for the first time in a year. We missed our usual summer visit. It was nice to be home with family again.
3. All four of us were able to go for the entire time. It’s becoming less usual for all of us to be together for more than a couple of hours. Having 10 days together was nice.
4. I was able to stream both of the Ravens games while stuck in a house with no NFL Network and in Bengals territory. Technology is great.
5. Kentucky basketball won both games while were away against North Carolina and Louisville.
6. After the holiday obligations were over we had time to do some fun stuff with my brother’s family. We went ice skating, to an escape room, the arboretum and played games together.
7. We didn’t have to deal with winter weather on our drive to and from. We had rain and some fog and there was some snow on the ground on the way there, but nothing that made the trip difficult.
8. I made my goal of 100 books read for 2018. It was close, but I was able to read 101 by the end of the year.
9. We have one more week and then we all travel together again for a vacation before school starts again. We still have 3 weeks before we have an empty house again.
10. The Ravens on their division, I have tickets to the playoff game today and a coworker was willing to work for me today so I could be at the game.

I have one more week of real life a then I get another week reprieve before the real world sets in for an extended period of time. I’m going to try to take the time to enjoy this while I have it. I’m hoping that the new year will bring some new beginnings that will make the What’s Good posts easier to write.

I’m suffering from a severe case of Christmas Cheer deficit that playing Santa four times this week could not overcome. I think it will continue until I get out of town next weekend. Let’s see if there was still good to find.

1. Despite some parking frustrations delaying our arrival, we went to Zoo Lights and the National Zoo Sunday night with the kids and then went out to dinner.
2. Old work friends came back to the library Monday to see Santa.
3. My Thursday at work was play Santa and then go to the work holiday party. Every workday should be that fun.
4. I had Friday off and was able to finally buy my wife’s Christmas gifts.
5. The rain held off on Friday long enough for me to finish shopping and take the dog for a walk.
6. We had 11 straight days with no precipitation. That doesn’t sound like much, but this year it is. I’m so tired of rain.
7. My time as Santa is over for the year. It was nice to do something different at work and away from the public service desk, but I’m not jolly enough to be Santa.
8. Kentucky basketball won yesterday. Winning is more fun than losing.
9. My daughter comes home from college for winter break today.
10. I only have four more days of work until I’m off until January 2.

This will likely be the last one for the year. My next two Sundays will be in Kentucky. I probably won’t post at all(except maybe a short Merry Christmas post) while I’m away. I will do my year in review sometime next week and I’ m sure there will be a couple of other random posts.  My year in reading and my year in blogging will come around January 1.

It’s not even 9am on a weekend day and I’m already slightly annoyed by something. Let’s see if I can find the good while in this type of mood.

1. Free bagels! I have a month of free bagels at Panera. It’s nice to have a reason to leave the house and read somewhere besides my couch. I need to leave the house more.
2. My reading has picked up. I don’t know what changed, but I’m not having as much trouble focusing on a book this week. I might make my goal for the year.
3. I had something stressful on my schedule this week and it’s done. I’m not sure it was worth the stress, but I’m glad it’s over.
4. All of my outside work is officially done until I have snow to shovel.
5. The Ravens have won three games in a row and have a decent shot at the playoffs.
6. Use or lose personal leave made it possible for me to leave work early on Thursday. It was nice to get home before dark.
7. Dry weather! We’ve had so much rain here lately. It was nice to have a stretch of dry weather. I wish the snowstorm was going to make it into our area, but at least it isn’t raining.
8. I was pleasantly surprised to see three friends of mine at work on Friday. They all brought their kids to a class at the library. It had been a long time since I had seen them and it was nice to spend some time with them.
9. I was supposed to work today, but someone asked if they could take my Sunday, so I have the day off instead.
10. Two weeks from today I will wake up in Kentucky with a week of relaxation ahead of me.

The next two weeks will be a mix of “getting ready for Christmas” stress and some fun things. Hopefully, the fun will outweigh the stress.