Ramblin' Man

Shauna and I just enjoyed a terrific weekend together, her last visit from Utah. It was her last visit because weekend after next she'll be back in Reno permanently. She took the train this time, instead of driving, and it seemed like she enjoyed this alternate means of getting here. We had no idea that the train was so inexpensive--her round trip ticket between Reno and Salt Lake City was just over $100. It costs that in gas to drive. Unfortunately, it meant that she couldn't bring Peaches so Emily was quite disappointed.
So next week I'll be taking the train to SLC for a visit and to attend my father-in-law's retirement party. He's officially retired from the military this week, so he's having a big barbecue weekend after next to celebrate. He's retired from the Army as a Command Sergeant Major I believe, the highest noncom rank aside from Sergeant Major of the Army (of which there is only one.) He's a great guy and I'm looking forward to seeing him.
So at the end of my visit to Utah, I'll be driving back to Reno with Shauna and this time she'll be staying. She's stressing out about finding a job here when she gets back--we can't afford for her to be out of work for very long. She has a real problem with job interviews because of her size. I've been trying to encourage her, to help her feel positive about the job hunt. Any employer would be fortunate to get her. Also, we'll be getting her registered for classes for her Fall semester at the local community college. We're both excited about her going back to school.
After my days off with Shauna, I was of course very busy at work today. My days off came right after our annual inventory, so there's lots to do to get ready for our busiest time of the year. These are the times that I'm thankful for the awesome student employees we have working for us--they do a terrific job of allowing me to delegate a lot of what I need done, and do the work so well that I don't have to worry about it.
Speaking of student employees, a couple of my former student workers have invited me to the inaugural meeting of the Book Club of Awesomeness. They're planning it as a discussion and social book club centered around graphic novels. I've only read a couple of graphic novels, so I'm thinking it could be a lot of fun. Given my general lack of recognizable social skills and tendency to become passionately eloquent to the exclusion of other's opinions when it comes to certain types of discussions, we'll see how that all goes.