It’s the morning of my last day up here.

I had a fairly long and busy day yesterday with a movie, dinner, then hanging out with the kids.

I didn’t drink my water and now I’m dehydrated and tired as fuck.

I need rest today.

I have a long drive tomorrow. 18 hours. 17 hours if I’m good.

We’ll see how it goes. Let’s see what time I get up.

I need to make sure Pickles is okay. Don’t need any accidents that will delay me.

Rest.

Tired.

Zen.

Kids.

It was good seeing them all together, all grown up, all drinking.

Time flew.

I’m old.

I was the same age as Sinh was when I first met them. 23.

The year I graduated high school, ’97, was the year that Thien and Minh were born.

Cloud is 26.

Fuck, I’m old.

They’ve all assimilated quickly. They’ve all seem so American now and to think that they came over in 2002.

They didn’t know English and mostly knew Viet and Canto.

That’s how we communicated, canto.

Now, two are out of college and two are graduating next year.

Time flies.

It’s great seeing them grow and become who they are.

Overall, it was a great trip, bad news and being rained out this past week aside.

I got some alone time in nature.

Hiking.

Some form of exercise.

Zen.

I was able to be a couch potato as I let the weather play out.

Pickles…..Pickles is Pickles.

He’s old and still young at the same time.

It’s a grumpy fighter like me with his own neurosis.

I wonder about him sometimes.

I wonder what’s he thinking when he’s acting up and I worry about his stomach.

Now, I will take the day easy, going with the flow, spending whatever time I have left with family, doing laundry, and packing and bright and early tomorrow, be off.

Let’s do this.

Let’s go.

Roll.

Sigh.

That’s right.

That’s the right emotion. At. This. Moment.

At this time.

Sigh.

Out of my control. Out of my hands.

Sigh.

Got news that our SP Developer resigned yesterday. We got a few weeks left with him.

It’ll be a fun trip back to the office next week. Very fun.

This morning, Pickles shat on the floor.

Yay me.

Sigh.

I should have known. I had a feeling. My intuition was telling me he was having issues. I was aware of it, but I didn’t do anything.

Fuck me.

My life.

Sigh.

I should have acted on the signs that I got. I should have acted on my gut feelings, but I didn’t.

My fault.

Live and learn.

That’s life. Live. Learn.

He’s on meds now. Hopefully his stomach gets better.

As for work. It is what it is.

I had a feeling he wasn’t going to last. Just something that tells me that he was looking for something different.

I’m unsure why he’s leaving, but I don’t know.

I’m just going to leave it at that.

It’s times like this I wished I listened to Dad and got my degree or something some IT things when I was younger instead of trying to pick it up now.

I would have been in a different place, I know, but I don’t know….maybe I wouldn’t feel so helpless.

I wouldn’t have this feeling of inadequacy of not being able to do something and relying on people.

Sigh.

Sigh.

Sigh.

It is what it is.

Zen.

Breathe.

It’s the only thing that I can do right now.

Maintain a sense of whateverness.

Breathe.

Zen.

Relax.

Everything will be okay.

All this anxiety that I feel about work is just me being a control freak. It’s not about the work, it’s more about me not being able to do the work to a good standard and being able to deliver it without someone.

We all know that we need someone in house for this.

My boss knows this. We’ll find someone to replace him.

Until then, we’ll make due.

Sigh.

Breathe.

Zen.

In.

Out.

Breathe.

It is what it is.

Let it go.

Sigh.

Pickles!

My boy.

My love.

My soulmate.

He’s old.

He’s not quite the spring chicken that he was once.

Time.

Life.

That’s what happens.

I know that he’s been losing a little spring in his step for a while now. He’s been slow on our walks, taking his sweet time.

He’ll take his time getting up from time to time.

Jumping up in the car and sometimes my bed would present an issue.

Old.

I took him out hiking last week. We did Snoqualmie Falls and then we tried to do Rattlesnake Ridge.

He’s done Rattlesnake before and never had a problem with it. But that was back in 2013. Five years ago. 35 years ago, for him.

He was 56 back then. A relatively young man. A relatively young dog.

I watched him take his time, panting hard, struggle at times to get up the incline at Snoqualmie Falls. He was fine at the end. Tired, but still ready for more.

Rattlesnake Ridge was more of the same. He’s ready and by my side, eager to go.

But he’s slow. Taking his time up the trails. I think I was more worried about him than he was worried about what’s happening.

At no time did he stopped and didn’t want to move. At no time did he lay down.

He was ready.

I’m sure if we took our time, we would have gotten up there. I’m sure that he didn’t need any prompting or coaching or pulling to get up there. He would have been happy going wherever I was going.

I don’t think I could have pushed him. I know he’s old. I see it.

Although the hike is easy, but how would it be for an old dog like him?

I didn’t want to test it out. Seeing how slow he moved at Snoqualmie and how he was at the beginning of the trail, I decided to stop.

It was a busy trail and we’d have to stop and move to the side.

I didn’t want to push him.

I didn’t want to hurt him.

Age.

It hurt me to see him like that. He’s still so eager, but just a little bit more fragile than he used to be.

Age.

He’s still holding up and doing relatively well in his old age.

Pickles is good.

Pickles is fine.

He’s still eager to go out and play. He’s still eager to go out on his walks rather than staying inside all day.

I protect him.

I shelter him.

I do what I can to ensure that he has a few more comfortable years left.

Pickles.

My soulmate.

My love.

He’s an inspiration to me.

He’s a good dog.

I decided to turn back a third of the way up the hike. We got about half a mile up, maybe a little more and I stopped and turned back.

Pickles was just tired, but he never gave up.

I decided then that his hardcore hiking days are over. No more hikes up mountains. No more hardcore days like we once did.

What we setup to do now would be simple.

Easy.

What adventures that we’ll go on would be something a little more manageable.

It’s what he deserves after putting up with my shit for so long.

He still has adventures. I will include him in as much as I can.

Looking back, he’s been through so much with me. We’ve gone to so many awesome vacations together.

We did all those road trips back home and so much hiking up here.

We’ve gone to Vancouver together. Pickles is an INTERNATIONAL TRAVELER!

Pickles was a good copilot for our road trips and enjoyed the western route I did a few years ago driving up 1 and 101.

He was my companion and was such a trooper on our trips to the Grand Canyon.

I put him through shit, but he was always down.

We explored cities and cities. We were our own Lewis and Clark.

He’s my boy.

He’s my dog.

We’ll always be Boy and His Dog where ever we will go.

I’m sure I’ve forgotten many of our trips, but I’ll never forget how he keeps me company on every single one of them.

He’s a good one.

He’s my soulmate.

We’ll have so many more adventures together.

I can’t wait.

Pickles.

My love.

Hiking.

My meditation.

My Zen.

When I need to find balance, I go out into the woods or the mountains, find a trail and go.

It keeps me grounded. It clears my mind. It keeps me sane.

Hiking.

This vacation trip up north is no different than the many others that I’ve done in the past few years. I’ve always planned some hiking.

I’ve always picked places that I’ve never been or hiked with spectacular views. Exploring. Setting foot to ground, feeling the rocks grinding beneath my soles.

One. Step. At. A. Time.

Hiking.

The Olympic Peninsula.

I did it properly this time.

Olympic National Park.

I was in Olympic National Park proper for the whole trip.

I’ve driven through it a few years ago with Pickles and couldn’t explore as much as I wanted to.

United States.

National Parks.

Fucking no dog rules.

Sigh.

It is what it is, but I managed.

Luckily for me, Ms. D did a similar trip a few weeks ago so I asked her for some recommendations and decided to go and do Hurricane Ridge.

The views were spectacular. Mountains span for days.

Breathtaking.

The Olympics was all I could see.

Most of the long hikes were closed due to maintenance and goat capturing, but I did find a pretty good ridge hike.

The Klahhane Ridge trail.

It’s about a 3.8 mile one- way trail along the ridge and you’ll eventually end up at the top of the Klahhane Ridge with sweeping panoramic views of the Olympics on one side and Port Angeles and the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the other. O’ Canada is right.

Amazing.

It was relatively back until you hit the switchback trail and it was just up and up.

The views were worth it.

I spent around 40 minutes up at the top enjoying the views and snacking, resting before I hiked back down. Worth it.

Definitely, worth it.

It was a busy trail most likely it was because most of the big hard trails were closed.

Surprisingly many hikers didn’t finish or stopped half way before turning back.

After Hurricane Ridge, I decided to go to Lake Crescent and check it out. I decided to scope out Mount Storm King and Marymere Falls.

Speaking with a junior ranger, it seems Storm King would be a better bet because of the landslide over at Pyramid Peak.

Done and done.

Lake Crescent.

Magnificent.

Beautiful.

Ms. D’s favorite part of the drive through the Olympics.

I still remember the first time I laid eyes on it. I was driving north on 101 and I see it through the trees and then we bust out from the tree line and BAM, beauty.

It took my breath away.

It was gone.

Breathless.

Every time I see it.

I’m reminded of that first time.

I hiked the short easy hike to Marymere Falls and found the trailhead for Storm King. Before I left, I sized up Storm King, my mountain to conquer in the morning.

I’ve done worse, but I heard it was rough and boy, it was rough.

Mount Storm King.

Clocking in at around 2 miles one-way, it is one of the toughest that I’ve done.

It’s all up. 2,000 ft elevation gain in about 2 miles. It was rough.

The first half was a steep steep climb and then eventually the grade lets up, but slightly.

I don’t think I stopped so many times to take a breather on a short hike like this. I kept reminding myself that the hike is a marathon, not a sprint.

It was rough.

I’m out of shape.

Near the top, a girl passed me up.

She said I was almost there, close, to the top. I trudged on and then the ropes portion came.

I took my time. I was scared.

You have to have a little fear.

I did.

I pulled myself up and was rewarded with a spectacular view of Lake Crescent.

It’s even more beautiful at that view. Seeing it at level and then from an elevated view is totally different.

I wasn’t prepared for it.

The girl left after I got there.

We chatted a bit.

She grew up in North Tacoma, by UPS. She had to drop her dad off in Tacoma at 10, so she started early and wanted to get it done before she leaves Port Angeles.

She kicked my ass. She started about 15 minutes later than I did and beat up to the top.

Good for her.

You know my thing.

Just that strength, determination, and that independence, made her one of the sexiest girls.

We bid each other goodbye and I was left alone.

I took my pictures, posted my social post, and just sat.

I took in the views.

I took in the lake.

I took in the silence.

Solitude.

The birds.

I thought about dad. Would he have enjoyed the views like I did?

Would he enjoy hiking like I do now?

I don’t know.

I don’t know.

I took my time getting down the ropes, ensuring that I have a solid grip and solid footing.

If I slipped and let go, that was it.

No more.

I thank the sky, nature, dad, whoever was listening for getting me down safely and went on my merry way.

I met a few hikers on the way down, letting them know to be careful on the ropes. Some didn’t know about it.

I hope they made it okay.

I did think about the girl on the way down. She has a wedding in LA this weekend. I wonder what’s she up to now.

Conquering Storm King, I decided to get started on my second hike for the day, the Ozette Loop.

It’s more of a triangle, but hey, it all connects.

It’s a 3-mile boardwalk hike through the forest to an alcove and the Pacific. Then you hike along the beach for another 3-miles to Sandy Point and then another 3-mile boardwalk hike back to the parking lot.

It was a beautiful hike. The beach, amazing.

Thankfully I caught it at low tide and was able to hike along the beach and was able to explore some of the tide pools.

There was a stupid smile on my face the whole time.

Magnificent.

That hike took a long time, ’cause I took my time on the beach.

Eventually, I ended my day close to 4pm and then it was a drive back to Port Angeles. I thought about driving straight home to pick up Pickles, but I wasn’t going to make it.

I got to Port Angeles, got a nasty dinner and then drove home.

I didn’t get home until 9:30.

Totally worth it.

Amazing.

Body, tired.

Body, sore.

I’m still recovering.

The Olympics. Gorgeous.

I will definitely be back and do it again.

A few days ago, mom asked me about hiking. I’ve always known that in her head, she thinks I’m physically climbing a mountain. Mountaineering with all the gear and what not.

I explained to her that it’s just hiking up trails up mountains and what not.

It was on Tuesday that this happened. I was planning on doing the simple hikes that day, Snoqualmie Falls and Rattlesnake.

I’ll talk more about this and Pickles at a later time, but I wanted to get this down about mom.

If she didn’t have to work, I would have brought her along.

She seemed interested in hiking now.

I showed her pictures of the hike I did at Olympic National Park yesterday and told her about some of the hikes that I did. Some were hard, but some were easy like the Ozette Trail.

I even told her that there were a lot of old women hiking the trail.

Practice.

Get out and walk more. Exercise more.

I keep telling her, work at it and walking up the hill on the trail won’t be so hard.

Work at it.

After looking at the pictures, she said she should have gone with me.

She should have.

If she had, the trip would have been a totally different trip. I wouldn’t have done many of the hikes that I did, but bonding with mom while introducing her to something that I love would be worth it.

Next time.

Definitely, next time.

Welcome to Amsterdam!

Nope. Not really.

Still in Federal Way.

Still in Asensio.

Still doing the writing.

It’s one of their artworks on the wall. A black and white picture of one of their canals and a red rotoscoped bicycle.

I thought it would make a good title and here we are.

I’m explaining.

Well, back at it.

Tired.

My brain is tired.

My body is tired.

My eyes are tired.

Tired.

I guess it’s a little bit of a blessing that it’ll rain at North Cascades National Park next week.

I don’t think my body can handle it.

I plan on doing nothing but resting for the next couple of days anyway, if I do end up going.

Not very likely.

Rain.

Showers.

60% showers in the mountains.

It doesn’t sound like a fun time.

Mui Gwai Fah tried to shame me into going. Wear a jacket. Don’t be a sissy.

She knows me better to know that shaming me isn’t going to work.

I have no problem walking in the rain. I love the rain.

Put on a rain jacket and take a stroll, walking Pickles.

No problem.

But when I have a choice to go out in the rain and hiking? I prefer not to.

It’s not fun.

As much as I miss the rain, hiking in the rain is a different story.

Hiking up a mountain for six miles and then I need to hike down, in the fucking rain?

I think not.

It’s hard to tell the conditions of the trails at that point and I honestly don’t want to risk it.

Also, it’s a good excuse for me to rest my body.

I need it.

Tired.

Hurting.

Tired.

Tired.

Mind flickers.

Tired.

My mind plays tricks on me.

My dream tells me how reckless I am.

It was a fitful night’s sleep.

Maybe my body was tired, but my dreams were telling me something.

I’m reckless.

I go to fast.

I’m crashing and burning because there are a few unexpected bumps in the road and my distraction is work.

I don’t remember most of it, but there are some snippets.

I’m driving along and Pramit is on the passenger side. We’re on a phone meeting or something and the person on the other end is having problems understanding what Pramit was saying. So, Pramit wanted me to translate what he said in Cantonese for some reason and I was like, I can’t. I’ll reiterate what you say, maybe it’s like an accent thing. Not sure.

So, I’m doing this and I’m driving along and then there’s this big gnarly dip in the freeway or road and I hit it at high speed and it sends us flying and then we crash land and my car bursts apart.

I’m okay.

Pramit is okay.

My car?

Not so much.

I don’t remember what happens next, but eventually I end up walking like a dark mall or some dark streets at night with a big back pack on.

Inside this backpack was parts of my car, just the top for some reason.

I’m trying to find someone to fix it for me and no one can.

I have to buy a new car.

What does it mean?

I don’t know.

Maybe it is a recall back to yesterday morning when I was working and answering emails for an hour when I’m on vacation.

I’m working too hard.

Going too fast, not paying attention to my life or the road that I’m on because I’m too busy working.

Eventually, I’m going to make a mistake and crash and burn.

I’m going to burn out and that’s what happened. Or at least, that’s what it feels like.

I’m crashing and burning at work.

It’s too much.

Stress.

Too much.

Anxiety.

Too much.

Relax.

Calm.

Zen.

Breathe.

Zen.

Relax.

Just do it.

I was planning on coming out there today and write about the hiking trip I did a few days ago in Olympic National Park.

I planned on writing about the hike at Hurricane Ridge and then Lake Crescent and Storm King and then Ozette Loop.

No.

I can’t.

I can’t process it.

My brain is dead.

I’m tired.

I can’t think.

My body screams.

Maybe tomorrow.

Maybe tomorrow.

Had dinner with Loretta last night.

Listening to her talk about the curve balls that had been happening in the past couple of months and the outcome of everything was just heart breaking.

It’s tough.

I don’t even know what to do or say.

I just hope she stays strong and tries again.

Be positive.

Be optimistic.

If you first don’t succeed, try again.

You have to.

Sigh.

Be positive.

What else could you be?

Shall we?

We shall.

Slow.

Steady.

A beat of a drum. My heart.

It counts a metered beat.

Ba dum Ba dum Ba dum.

It beats loud but soft and gentle.

My heart.

My life.

I beat on.

My life.

It goes on.

Where am I?

I don’t know.

I really don’t know.

It’s been a while since I’ve written anything much about how I’m feeling and how I’m doing.

These little random posts of mine have been more about what’s happening in my daily/weekly life with a few things about how I’m doing thrown in, but they aren’t the same type of entries that I’ve filled this thing with.

How am I doing?

What am I feeling?

I guess with the past couple of years, my life has been crazy, and I never really stopped to really think and consider how I’m doing on a mental level.

Everything has been about stress and work and stress and work, but, how am I?

I don’t know.

I do know, my heart beats on. My life…goes on.

Life.

Calm.

I’m at a calm state now. A little Zen from everything around me.

There’s no anxiety of failing or the dread of being overworked.

Vacation. I guess.

Sure, vacation does have something to do with it, but I guess I’m at a point at work where I think things are more manageable.

I haven’t felt this calm in a long time.

Things are progressing, and I have a little more control over everything that I’m doing.

I’m able to manage the things I’m responsible on and help make the big picture decisions that should benefit the agency.

Also, these decisions take the responsibility off me.

I know my limits. I know my abilities and I’m smart enough to know when I need help and release my control of it.

Growth.

Knowing when to give things up.

It takes a lot, but it helps me.

It just makes the ticking a little easier.

It makes my life a little simpler.

Calm.

Zen.

That’s the goal, right?

To reach a level of Zen and happiness where nothing really bothers me?

It’s a constant struggle.

I’m not a guru yet or a yogi, but small steps.

Zen.

Just focus on myself, my needs, and forget about everyone else and everything else that doesn’t pertain to me.

It’s a struggle.

Growth.

Growing pains.

It’s these little things that are the toughest to overcome.

This little pettiness.

Let it go.

You do you.

I do me.

Life.

Zen.

Flow.

Open.

Be open.

How open is open?

I think I’m an open person.

Not just about being an open book and sharing stuff about myself, but also being open to new possibilities and things about my life that I never considered before.

I know I’m always in my head, talking myself out of many things, but when I just act and decided, I think I’m open.

Take giving a ride to Grace, the PCT thru-hiker, I never thought I would ever do something like that, but I did.

I still remember that I picked up a family and took them to a parking lot at Capitol Reef in Utah. I’m open.

Open enough.

I guess that’s not what people mean when they say I’m not open.

But I don’t know.

I don’t know a lot.

There are things that I make happen and there are things that I allow to happen.

I know I wasn’t the one to reach out. You were.

I also know that even if I didn’t reach out the way that I did, we’d still be in touch, but I made an effort.

I reached out the only way that I know.

When I heard that you left, and I know that there’s a big possibility that you won’t be coming. I didn’t want to have you out of my life.

I reached out. I wished you the best and hoped that we keep in touch.

I gave you my number.

I made a small effort.

It may seem like a small gesture, but it’s big for me.

I work slow.

I work small.

I used to be a man of big gestures, but that has long faded away.

I don’t know what happened? Ms. D?

I guess.

Small.

Growth.

Growing pains.

Every day, there’s a lesson.

Everything that happens, is a lifelong lesson.

I just need to be in tuned to everything. To keep my eyes open.

Slow.

Small.

With each beat.

Ba dum Ba dum

Life.

It goes on.

I made it.

I got up here.

I knew I would but didn’t know in what condition.

I didn’t go all out. I didn’t stress myself.

I made the smart move in driving to Sacramento the first night. That saved me so much time.

Even with the shortened drive, with all the stops that I planned, I still felt rushed.

There were a few things that I didn’t get to do because of the time crunch, but it is what it is. Maybe next time, I’ll plan things out a little bit more and spread the drive up to a few more days to include what I wanted to do.

There’s a lot of Oregon that I wouldn’t mind exploring.

A LOT.

There are so many state parks and hiking trails and areas of interest, in general, that how could I go wrong.

How could I go wrong?

Vacation.

It’s meant to be taken and it’s meant to be experienced.

And I plan on doing that.

Firsts.

There are many things that people should experience or do in their life, at least once.

I never thought picking up a hitchhiker would be one for me, but I did just that.

Now, to be fair, she wasn’t hitching, and I didn’t stop my drive specifically to pick them up.

No. Never expected it or was ever my intention to do something like that.

I was in Chemault, OR getting gas and the gas attendant asked if I was going to Bend, and if so, if I wouldn’t mind taking a PCT thru-hike hiker up to Bend.

I looked at the hiker and felt that she wasn’t too threatening and was like, sure.

That was how I ended up driving a hiker to Bend to meet up with some of her hiker friends.

She’s off doing the PCT alone. 23. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago. A nurse who took a year off to do this.

Grace.

She started in April and hopes to finish before the rainy season of the PNW starts. October.

She has about 680 miles left in the hike.

So, what did we do on the hour drive? We chatted.

I asked her a lot of questions about the experience and how she ended up doing it.

A friend told her about it and she went and did it.

Pretty awesome.

One day. I just may.

I just may.

To Grace. I wish you the best in finishing this great feat.

You can do it.

Bend.

After I dropped off the hitchhiker (more below), I thought I’d spend some time to explore Bend, maybe get some lunch too.

But it didn’t end up happening.

I parked and explored their downtown a little bit, but not much more.

I walked around the block, then looked at the time, calculated the drive to Painted Hills and to Portland.

Didn’t have time. Couldn’t spare an extra minute.

So, I left.

A little disappointed that I couldn’t explore more, but hey, that’s life. Roll with the flow.

Next time.

Next time, indeed.

Painted Hills.

The main reason why I took a different route and went out of my way to get home.

It was a small attraction out in the middle of nowhere.

It was different. It was kind of cool and beautiful.

There’s small little hiking trails around but Pickles and I only did the main one to the lookout.

He had the same problem that he had while we were in Alabama Hills. The rocks were bugging his paws and that made it difficult for him to walk. I had to carry him a few times.

It was what it was.

I wouldn’t mind exploring, if I had time.

I remembered from pictures that I saw that there was a boardwalk area that one could go through the hills. But I didn’t see it. It was one of the hiking trails that we didn’t go to.

Time.

It all came down to time. We didn’t have much.

Time crunch.

Rushed.

I didn’t want to get to Portland and Phinny’s too late. I didn’t want Julie and the kids to wait for me to have dinner.

I left early and got there at 7.

But was I disappointed by that stop? No. It’s a cool little thing that I’m glad that I made the effort to go see.

To more little gems.

On the drive to Portland, I was pull over. Right when I got on I84, I got pull over.

Speeding.

Of course.

I totally forgot it was Labor Day Weekend.

Thankfully he didn’t give me a ticket.

Thankfully.

I’m so lucky.

Just a little reminder that I need to slow down. Not just driving, but life.

Slow down.

Enjoy it.

Stop rushing and that’s how I felt.

Rushed and out of time.

Time crunches.

Slow down.

I’ll keep that in mind.

Slow down.

Vacation.

Vacation mode.

What do I have planned?

Hiking.

Wilderness.

Nature.

Alone time.

There’s going to be so much alone time while I’m up here. I need it. I need to relax. I need some peace.

I need some hiking in my life.

I’ve already booked my hotels for Olympic National Park and North Cascades National Park.

I even started the planning and research of the good hikes to do. The manageable ones that I could accomplish in a day without killing myself.

Next, it’s to just make it happen. Keep my days and itinerary open for other things.

Also, try not to kill myself.

Just don’t.

Enjoy my time. Enjoy nature.

Take it slow.

Slow down.

Try not to overdo things and just enjoy it.

Let’s see how it goes.

Pickles won’t be with me, so I have all the time to do anything.

Relax.

Other than these two side trips, I got nothing planned.

Well, I’m taking Pickles to Snoqualmie Falls tomorrow. Do a little short hike and see what else there is to do.

I wouldn’t mind taking him to Rattle Snake Ridge, but I just don’t think he can make it.

Old. Slow. Tired.

I know he would want to, but I don’t want to risk it.

I’ll see how well he holds up at the short Snoqualmie Falls hike.

We shall see.

School.

Programming.

I need to get back to it.

I’ll have some down days and I guess that would be a great time to get back to it.

Make use of the extra time that I have.

Learn and learn and learn.

I’m a little behind, but I’ll be fine.