and he never had a sweetheart, but he finally found a home - underneath the boothill grave that bears his name

Today didn't feel entirely like a vacation, most likely because I still had quite a bit of work left over that I should have finished before I left the office, and I wanted to make progress on it so that it wouldn't hang over me like a shadow during my vacation. So, I woke up a little after eight, worked until eleven, and then went upstairs for lunch. I ate a bologna sandwich (complete reversion to childhood) while watching my father sort pennies with this new penny-sorter that he made, which is faster and more accurate than the one he showed me over Christmas. My mom came in from gardening, and the three of us chatted for awhile before I decided that I should return to my desk and finish working.

Unfortunately, I decided to take a little nap instead, which turned into a three-hour nap, destroying my afternoon productivity. But, when I woke up, I did manage to dress myself in something other than my pajamas and unpack my suitcase so that I can spend the next week living in a well-ordered room. I went upstairs to watch the end of the Kansas State/Butler game (unfortunately, K-State lost), and I also managed to work for an hour before dinner, which still wasn't enough, but I was happy to take a break to eat again. My mother is a saint and made chicken and noodles and mashed potatoes for dinner, which were utterly delicious, and so the four of us enjoyed a lovely supper before watching the end of the West Virginia/Kentucky game.

I then worked for three hours, which was painful, but it was enough to get through all the most pressing issues on my to-do list so that the big boss doesn't kill me. I still have a couple of other things that I need to take care of sometime this week, but they're not urgent, and so I can spend the next couple of days reconnecting (how business-y is that?) with my family and writing Madeleine and Ferguson's story. Now, though, I'm going to go to bed. Unlike most trips home, I'm trying to retain something closer to a working person's schedule so that I can get some writing done, but we'll see how it goes. Goodnight!