I had really been looking forward to my planned trips home in January and February. I was slated to be in SF the second and fourth weeks of the month; and then ten days in the middle of February.

Of course, work is now sending me to Philadelphia during the second week of January instead. This bums me out because — despite being ridiculously cold in that part of the country this time of the year (and precisely why we moved to Texas in the first place) — my trip was supposed to start on January 9th, which is just close enough to Russian Christmas (January 7th) that it would almost be like going home for Christmas to see my Dad.

Naturally, I’m still planning to be there at the end of the month. Unfortunately, that trip (coincidentally) is at the anniversary of my mother’s death… which hampers some of the fun a bit.

Here’s hoping that my next two trips home remain intact, in spite of crazy work commitments back east. (Is there an emoticon for crossing one’s fingers?)