The first days back from a vacation are always glowing. It’s warmer than I expected it to be and it’s nice to be home. The vacation is still fresh in my mind; I can still feel the sun radiating off of my skin and the soothing relaxation in my bones.

I’m happy to be home; I enjoy the familiar sights and sounds; I get back into my routine. New York is a great city to come back to. I’m always struck by that upon returning from a trip. The first few days are full of doing all of your favorite things, all the things you missed while you were gone.

And everything is novel. “Oh look at that, I just missed the subway. No bother. I don’t mind standing here for a few minutes and people-watching.”

One week later: “%$#&! I missed the $%&*ing train.”

I can’t believe it’s 2013. I can’t write it yet with a straight face.

I wrote a check this morning and literally chuckled to myself. Anytime I see it, it still feels like the future.

I’m still living in 2012. The best movies of 2012, top stories of 2012, the albums you missed in 2012, the endless top-10 lists of everything and anything you can think of—so much of which I haven’t heard of or seen yet or experienced.

I’m not a superstitious person, but I’m a little surprised there weren’t a bunch of people who wanted to skip 2013 and go right to 2014 the way they do with floor numbers in buildings. (I just Googled it and there are, in fact, many of these people.)

One of the more positive things of the year so far was my mother coming into the city to spend the night last weekend. Long-planned and rescheduled, it was the first time she’s stayed with me... Ever! Eleven years since I moved out of the house and I’ve never had the space for her to stay before.

I was a little nervous about it, to be honest. I took off early from work to come home and scurry about the apartment and go food shopping.

I came up with a few options of things to do. I wondered if I should be more prepared. I looked around the apartment wondering what she would think of this or that. Emily calmly told me not to worry about it.

My mom and Stephen arrived on Friday evening and Emily had prepared a lovely meal. We all caught up and chatted over dinner. The next day we went to brunch and walked around. It was a lovely visit. Very low key.

My mom gave Emily and me some local ground beef from the country, and a few days later we made hamburgers. I use the term “we” only as a way to include myself. I just sampled them. The meat was organic and very fresh. It was amazingly tender and juicy. It was a fantastic burger. It got me thinking about the meat that I normally get at the supermarket.

Back to work the following Monday; the paperwork for my accountant is overdue. There are meetings every night this week. How quickly the things that were put off until the new year pile up. I’m suddenly extremely busy.

Now headed out of town for a documentary shoot through Northern California, Los Angeles and Colorado. I’m catching up from being away and getting ready to leave again at the same time.

I want 2013 (2013A, as one of the Internetters called it) to be a year of growth. I want to be more conscious about what I’m eating, more mindful of my workload and to have more patience.

I want to be the “no bother” kind of guy when I miss the train.