Joining the Human Race Again

Tuesday was a good day.
Best I've had in, I don't know how long (vacation excluded).
Tuesday's are the end of the weekend for me, and they're always difficult to deal with, usually because I end up alone.
I normally end up shopping. Costco. Target. Stater Bros. Making sure that the house has enough food and supplies to last the coming week. And that's if I haven't already done it on Monday. Then it ends up with me dropping off Luc and coming home and catching up on rest.
But after the week back from vacation had, I needed to do something - anything - different.
Some of the highlights from the week back:

The car broke down. A new battery and starter later, and it's back on the road.

Housing issues involving Gina's family, that somehow involve us. Somehow, we always end up involved.

My 20-year high school reunion was this past Saturday, along with a big side event the Friday before.

Then there's Gina's dad, and his mess.
That mess is one I started writing about the other night, hoping it would make me feel better, and it wasn't. It was going nowhere and meant nothing.
But there is a post in there, and it's coming soon.
Anyway, the past week has been hell. And it's come down on me as hard as ever. You come back from a vacation, and you want to ease your way back into the grind. I got ground up from the very start. It left me angry, depressed and bitter. And it showed.
I spent the entire last weekend moping about my lack of a life. Let's face it, Mondays and Tuesdays are not exactly the best days to have off, because you're among the minority of people with the time off. And the work hours don't leave room for much after work to go hang out.
Take the reunion for example. I had been on the fence about going from the start, mostly because of the $80 per person cost. But the Friday night bar bash? I so would have been there.
But I couldn't. I had to work. Having just returned from vacation, and having spent half of my first day back dealing with a broken down car, not going in wasn't an option. And getting off at midnight, going from Riverside to Anaheim would have been probably a 45-minute drive (even with no traffic, remember the city streets), getting me there just in time for last call. Then it would have been another hour back home to Colton.
So after all that crap, I needed some time to find a way to unwind and decompress.
I went bowling.
Not particulary well, mind you. My first three rolls went straight into the gutter. I haven't been in at least three years, probably more.
For $8 and change, I got three games of bowling, shoes and a refillable drink (which I got two refills). And I got rid of some of my frustrations. For that price, I may have to find my bowling ball and make a few more return trips this summer.
And rather than just run another errand, I went to Best Buy to *ahem* browse. Really I went to see the video games and try them out, namely the Wii and Punch-Out. It was my first time playing anything on the Wii. And gotta say, I'm impressed with the system. And Punch-Out is pitch perfect to my memories (I played without the nunchuks, opting for the classic controller).
So I feel almost human again.
Of course, there's a fix to all this. Get another job. But that's easier said than done. One went up on a job board that would be great - except that it's in Santa Monica ... and features the same nights and weekends ... sigh.
I think in the end, the realities of my life have changed. I'm no longer OK with having to choose between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Or Halloween or Easter (which, aren't paid holidays).
Obviously having a child changed a lot of that. But it's not just that. It's just the feeling around the office. It's nowhere near the same as it was 10 years ago. Hell, even three years ago.
But that's a dissertation for another time. I've droned on about my life long enough.
Besides, I have to go to work later this afternoon.