The latest in a string of not-vacations

My marital property arrived last week, striking a blow for my sanity. However, this has also struck something of a blow against my productivity. This is not her fault, nor is it my fault. It's more of a structural problem. How can I muster up the fire in the belly necessary to spend an entire day at the archive when I know that she's at home, effectively stuck with little to do in a city she doesn't know in a country where she doesn't really speak the language? Once upon a time, I worked from 9 until 4:30 or so, with 20 minutes for lunch and a pair of 10 minute coffee breaks, one in the morning, one in the afternoon. Then (some days) I would go home, break for an hour or two, and then work a bit more or go to the library straight from the archive. This is no longer an attractive option.

To her credit, she is pushing me to get work done this week. But even with pushing, I cannot shake the feeling that I am responsible for her while we're here. Because I am. Frankly, I'd rather be having a vacation here in Genoa, just the two of us, for a week. But I've left things on the table that need doing at work, so this isn't really an effective option. Instead, I've got work in the day and now "vacation" (being a tour guide) in the afternoon/evening. I don't really feel like I'm getting much relaxing in. Because I'm not.

In the end, though, I wouldn't have it any other way. The last weeks or so before she arrived were long and pretty tiring. I'm tired of being away from home, and was getting that way before her visit crested over the horizon. Without her here, I'd no doubt be doing much worse from a contentment standpoint (except in the bed department - sharing a twin bed isn't something I imagined doing as an adult). We have two weeks of real vacation coming up on the heels of this not-vacation and then the Christmas holiday. All that's left is to knuckle down, grind out the last few things to do this week and enjoy it.