Back to the meat grinder

2 days after my return from the ski holiday, my first day back at work today, and I'm surprised how easy it is to slip back into my old routine: I went to work buying breakfast from Wholly Bagels on the way since I hadn't re-stocked my pantry/fridge/freezer yet (something I usually do on a Friday when waking-up late), I cleared-out a billion e-mails sitting in my inbox (something I usually do on a Monday to start my week clean), I went to the library at lunch time and got too many books again, and when I had finally cleared-out my backlog of e-mail love I went straight into programming like I hadn't left at all.

Sure, there were changes - new people brought into the team at work, my apartment mailbox filled with mail not addressed to me, and there was a note from the property inspector thanking me for leaving my apartment in such a nice clean state - but it's like there was a gap in the city just waiting for me to come back and fill it in.

I know, I've only been gone a week (or 7 working days if you count the Friday/Monday I took off before/after the ski week) so I can't really expect a lot to happen in that time, but having to wake-up in the morning in what was effectively 5 different beds over one-and-a-bit weeks and then coming back all relaxed (albeit sore - I was limping around the city today) made me look at everything a little bit differently as I walked to work this morning.

I guess what I'm experiencing is a little bit of disappointment; although the city had let me go to recharge my batteries, the city itself didn't recharge one iota. It isn't helped by the fact that the weather is still exactly the same as I had left it: grey, gloomy, as wet as a fish and as inviting as putting your hand on a hot element. And while I wore a bit of a 'ahh, I've just been on vacation' smile, it only made me notice the lack of smiles on the faces of others as I walked by.

So while the city may have left an opening for me to return to, it isn't so much a gap made by open arms as it is a gap left by grabbing-hands as it tries to fit this cog back into the machine. But unlike the feeling of being a rusty gear when I left for my vacation, I've returned a well-oiled cog.

The daily grind will get to me again - it always does - but not for a while; I'm going to make sure of that.