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       Stardate: 20210703.0920 
       Location: Outlaw's vehicle en route to Solvang.
       Input Device: Gemini PDA
       Audio: Some 80's dance playlist
       Visual: Mountains, trees, other vehicles
       Emotional State: Still waking up.
       
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       I haven't had much time for personal computing or online socializing
       lately.  Volunteer work has been filling up my days since many COVID 
       restrictions have been lifted here since June 15th.  It has been 
       good for my soul to be of service and help other instead of getting
       wrapped up in my own self-centeredness.
       
       Today, we are taking a road trip with the outlaws to Solvang and
       then Santa Barbara for the day.  Unfortunately, my son cannot join 
       since he is working today.  He will be missed.
       
       It seems like things are happening so fast with my kids.  I was 
       talking about this with my wife last night.  My son has his 
       driver's license and now has a job making his own money.  We see him 
       less and less since he also goes out with his friends more often 
       since pre-COVID.  This fall he starts his senior year of high school 
       and then after that, off to college.  My daughter follows two years
       after that.
       
       It seems to me that my experience of living in pandemic times, as 
       well as being unemployed, has shifted my perspective of things like 
       time and calendars.   I have become comfortable with just
       taking each day as it comes and doing the next indicated tasks.
       Transitioning back to a modified, "how things were," or even to, 
       how things are post-pandemic" has me thinking about time again in 
       that way. Going back to the way of imposed schedules and having to be 
       constantly mindful of the time feels unnatural right now.  It's been
       nice having an open flexible schedule and I hope I don't resist the 
       changes too much.
       
       20210720 NOTE: "the outlaws" are what I call my extended family on my 
       wife's side (inlaws = immediate family, outlaws = extended family.)
       
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