So, basically, I'm back at work now.

The week did not start auspiciously. Monday morning, I got to the office particularly late, due in large part to a railroad crossing gate that got stuck and had traffic all shut down a mere block from the office. There was no train around anywhere within sight, but the gate stayed in the "down" position because why not? Each of us had to wait until the drivers ahead of us finally got up the nerve to pass around the gates and over the tracks - some drivers required more time than others. When I finally did get to work, I realized that I had left my laptop computer at home, and since there's virtually nothing I can do at the office without my computer, I had to turn around and go back home to retrieve the laptop. A 40-mile round trip because of my lack of mindfulness, and I had to take the long way since the crossing gate was still stuck. What with the extra driving, the stuck gate and all, the week finally got underway a full hour later than my already noticeably late start.

Monday night's Zen service went better, and work Tuesday was uneventful, but after work yesterday I had to buy a new dishwasher for the condo. Last week, I had received a phone call from the property manager of the unit below mine complaining about water staining on his ceiling, and then I got an email from my new tenants saying that the dishwasher was not draining properly. I had a plumber go by on Monday, and sure enough, these two things were related. It seems that while the unit was empty, a "rodent" (mouse? squirrel? rat?) got beneath the appliance and gnawed through the drain line, much of the wiring, and other components. The plumber declared the situation unrepairable, and advised me that I needed a new washer. It got purchased Tuesday night (just what we all want after the holidays - unexpected expenses), and will be delivered late this week or early next. Including delivery, installation, second-floor walk-up charges, and tax, the dishwasher cost me almost exactly the amount of rent my new tenants had just payed for the month of January - I should have just handed the check over to Sears.

Speaking of equipment failure, this afternoon, the lights went out at work - we suspect a blown transformer somewhere in the area. The internet still worked, at least for a little while, and my laptop batteries will last for two to three hours, but when the net finally went down and I couldn't get my email or the web, I got to go home a little early.

But while I'm grateful for the shortened workday on my first week back, I had been hoping to sit Wednesday night with the Kennesaw Zen group up near my office. I guess I could have driven back up there after coming home, but considering that unnecessary 40-mile round trip already covered on Monday, I didn't relish the thought of driving it again on Wednesday. So I had to do my meditation here at home, alone, just like I had been doing over the mid-winter break.