January 3, 2021

Today begins the seven day count down to travel. In seven days we will travel up to Rochester, Minnesota, to begin preparation for surgery. The holidays have been a welcome distraction even though we've kept our circles small, but I'm already feeling a bit nervous about this entire experience. I expect that feeling to continue to grow as the week progresses. For now, I remain focused on the tasks that I need to complete each day to make this all work out. 

Tomorrow is an early day, after what feels like a lifetime of days off work, but locked inside my house to avoid the COVID. In many ways, I'm looking forward to getting some work done, as a distraction if nothing else. Tomorrow is a billing day for Birck, so I will be busy for several hours just getting usage confirmed and lab access charges uploaded. We have a morning meeting to discuss how things went over the break, and I assume I'll have a chance to talk with the group a bit about my situation. Later in the afternoon I have a one on one meeting with my manger, and I assume we will discuss work arrangements during my recovery. 

As for the drive north, my wife and I plan to avoid road side food. That means we will need to plan out a grocery run for the drive up. Mostly lunch meat and snacks for the drive I'm sure, but my wife has a great idea to run a crock pot in the back using our new 300 Watt inverter. Should make for a nice meal once we arrive at our hotel. Sunday and Monday meals are also going to be from our coolers, and then I'll be headed into surgery early Tuesday morning and living off hospital food...I hope it isn't terrible.