More Tonto, Plus Bike, Laptop, Hockey, Head (Yeah, it's a long one)

 Here is the picture they had of him on their website ... until I get daylight to take my own!

I probably don't have to tell you that I wasn't planning to bring a new cat home last night. Right? Here's how that happened.

Over the past ten days or so, I've sent out inquiries on a few cats. The first one, they said, wasn't fully socialized yet. The second, it turned out after a few days of no answer, had already found a home. The third I still haven't heard back about. The fourth was not Tonto, but was at the same shelter/organization. I inquired about her, and they suggested I come to their event last night to meet her.

I went innocently off after work, and found myself in the basement of a house in a nearby town, small and full of cats (and the associated smells, not blaming them, but slightly warm and pungent down there), some in cages, some wandering around. They actually foster the cats in volunteers' homes, but bring them to the shelter and to pet stores for frequent events. (Which, clearly, is a winning strategy. After all, if I'd been able to go meet the one, and didn't like her, I wouldn't have a second cat yet. But there he was!) I met the cat, a young female tabby, and didn't feel any particular draw to her. She didn't seem that interested in me, and while not unfriendly wasn't friendly either. She also hadn't been introduced to the general population yet, having only been fixed the day before, so no saying for sure how she'd be with other cats. I talked to the people about how I was looking for a cat who would be friendly to me and to Carlos, and they pointed out a few: there's this cat, he was in a home with other cats (he gave me the hairy eyeball from a distance), and then there's Tonto, he's never met a cat he didn't like. Tonto was walking around, so I put out a hand to him, and he rubbed against me enthusiastically. He seemed friendly, so I carefully picked him up, at which point he curled up, settled down, and started purring. Well, then. I patted him and rubbed his head, he purred up a storm, and I started to think, well, I could...

I had to run back home for the carrier and my checkbook, and proof of owning the condo*, so I told Carlos briefly about what was happening (not that he understood me, I know, but anyway). In the car, I had a few qualms, but hearing the song All Mixed Up, and the lyrics to "trust your instincts" gave me a good reminder. It just felt right.
*I imagine that after I left, they were asking each other who comes to a cat adoption event unprepared to adopt a cat...

The paperwork didn't take long, once it was my turn; I'm glad to say they were busy adopting out animals. (In case you felt bad for the cat I went to look at and didn't take, I should mention that a family came in shortly after I did, and they were looking at her when I moved on to Tonto. By the time I got back with my carrier, she was gone. She got her happy ending, too!) Tonto went into the carrier without much fuss, and strangely to me, did not meow all the way in the car! We were home in short order, and I brought him into the office and closed the door, then let him out of the carrier. I had moved a litter box in, and brought in a bowl of water, and he moved around, sniffing at everything, and rubbing against me frequently. I called my mother to tell her the news, and we talked while I watched him explore. After I was off the phone, Carlos started meowing outside the door, and I went to see him. Tonto was all ready to join me: OK, where are we going now? I was laughing as I told him he had to stay in solitary for a while; in the end, to get out the door, I had to pick him up, open the door, step out, then turn back and pop him in before quickly closing the door. So curious!

Carlos didn't appreciate the whiff of change in the air, metaphorically speaking, and snubbed me a little before later settling on my lap again. I went in and out a few times, giving them both time, and letting Carlos smell Tonto on me (he didn't seem too interested, but he didn't get upset anyway, which is good). Tonto was very relaxed, which was a wonderful thing to see. I brought him in some toys, which he found interesting. He has some major hooks for claws, and it's clear he's not used to having them trimmed, but he doesn't mind his paws being touched, which will be a big step, and I got a few of them done, here and there (he's a big kneader, so they need to be done, ow). I don't think it will be long before he accepts the process without a problem. Finally, I had some cold pizza and got ready for bed.

This morning when I went in to see him, he was on the perch by the window, but was VERY happy to see me, purring up a storm, rubbing and butting into me. I tried brushing him, and he seemed to like it. I went in a couple of times, but eventually had to get ready and leave for work.
 
He is almost 100% black, just a couple of white hairs, down to nose and paws (his paw pads are dark grey). I think even his whiskers are all black. He has plushy soft fur, and is just slightly bigger than Carlos is. Friendly? Check. Affectionate? Check. He gave me more love last night than Miri did in almost five years put together. He's a head-butter and a happy drooler.

I called the vet this morning, and they'd actually had a cancellation for 6 tonight, so I was able to get him in and checked promptly. Probably wouldn't hurt to introduce them before he's checked, but hey, I'll take a quick convenient appointment, thank you. And the vet loved him; she said she's worked there ten years, and could count on one hand the number of cats who accept attention from her like he did. While she listened to his heart, she commented, "So that's what a normal heart rate sounds like," and added that she had to try to hear it around his purring. Yes, he purred up a storm at the vet.

The shelter estimated him at 2 to 3 years old, though their vet-check said 4. He was part of a trap-neuter-release program a year ago (which is why his ear is clipped), and was found to be so friendly that they adopted him out. The person who adopted him recently couldn't keep him, so he gave him to a friend, and she's the one who gave him back to the shelter (they're a no-kill shelter, so they're pretty adamant that you give the pet back to them if you can no longer keep it). Thus freeing him up for me! And Carlos.

*****
I got back on the exercise bike a week ago, and in that time have ridden it five days out of eight, for 6, 8, 9, 10, and 12 minutes. Better than nothing, and getting better! Plus, that's that much more sock done. Just keep knitting, just keep knitting...

*****
Three weeks ago, my boss spoke to her boss, who agreed that I should get a laptop.

Last week, her boss asked me in passing if the IT guy (in NY) had talked to me yet about it, and when I said no, she said she would have to remind him.

Monday, one of my coworkers spilled a cup of tea on her laptop (I looked up to see her holding it upside down, liquid dripping off it). Five minutes later, the boss is unlocking the IT room to get her another laptop to work on while hers dries out.

Uh-huh.

I wasn't quick enough on the draw at the time (being preoccupied with thoughts of that phone interview) to comment on it*, but today, when the boss was going back into that closet to get a laptop for someone else (whose Word kept crashing), I asked whether she had heard from the IT guy yet, and she said that since there were, in fact, spare machines, I should e-mail him (copying her) about what he needs to get it set up.
*One of my friends at stitch and bitch that night suggested I should have asked her to grab one for me while she was there.

And in the end, it's on my desk. For now, until it gets fully functional*, I'll keep the desktop. Progress, at any rate.
*Which supposedly will happen after it finishes the 138 updates it needed, which was hardly half done when I left, and is rebooted a few times ... but I'm not holding my breath.

*****
As I mentioned the other day, the Bruins won their game on Saturday 6-1. Monday night, they beat the Islanders 6-3. Tuesday night, they beat the Panthers 6-2. This has been a fun stretch of Bruins fandom, and tonight, it's Montreal! Unfortunately, it isn't starting well. Plenty of time for a dramatic comeback, though!

*****
I mentioned PMS the other day, and along those lines, I had a mild headache Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. It really wasn't bad, but it reminds me of how much better my head has been* recently, and how amazingly grateful I am for that.
*And the associated upset stomach. My consumption of Tums has dropped dramatically.

If 2014 is The Year the Migraines Weren't a Big Thing for Me Anymore, that would be so amazingly awesome, words fail me. And you know that doesn't happen often!

Too Tired Too Early

For some reason, I didn't sleep well last night, and oh, how I abused that snooze button this morning. Good thing it can't talk back! Carlos didn't help me sleep, since he had a raging case of the phantom-starving, no, not that food, I want other food going on. So that was fun (not), and it was a long sleepy day, and the Bruins game didn't start until 7:30 tonight, and I'm fearful of more overtime. But sufficient unto the day is the overtime thereof, etcetera*.
*By the way, Blogger's spell-check flagged etcetera, and its first suggestion is tetrameter. Because of course that's what I meant. No, racketeer! No, terrace!

Monday morning was a perfect example of what I mean when I sometimes think, "People don't understand what I really mean when I say that I am totally uncoordinated." I managed to punch* the door frame, and what was I doing? Putting on my shirt. The way I do every morning after I shower, and I've never hit the door frame before, but ow, ow, ow, I hit it dead on yesterday. Seriously, I literally bruised my knuckles** putting on my shirt. This is a special level of uncoordinated, don't you think?
*Being the word nerd that I am, I also wondered if "punch" was the right word. Does that imply intention? I certainly didn't mean to do it!
**I was putting ice on them Monday morning. There is slight but visible bruising. Honestly!

Given that my Monday morning could be said to have started with the 1 AM experience of stepping in cat vomit, it was clear that this week would have another true Monday. It ended, by the way, when I walked into something and bashed my toe, just to balance the hand from the morning. How is it that the weekend before a trip evaporates in the blink of an eye, but the week before departure stretches endlessly?

Naturally, just to make it all Even More So, the head bigwig is in the office on Tuesday and Wednesday, so dressing up is required* (though I still don't understand why we have a different dress code when he's here). Dude needs to go home for a while; he was just here.
*Mind you, today I wore some of my Chico's Travelers wardrobe, which is as comfortable as sweats, but it's the principle of the thing.

I was so tired this morning that, when the idea of boss-sponsered lunch crossed my mind, I kind of hoped that he wouldn't be doing it again, since the ordering was so stressful last time (I know, I'm so weird). And I thought that since my boss didn't say anything about it in the morning, that I was off the hook, but there she was at 11, holding out his credit card and telling me that what we got last time would be fine--like I remembered exactly what we got last time! I'm so much better at planning than I am at spontaneity. This time, I'll keep the notes, which should guarantee that I don't have to do it again. (I don't know what will happen tomorrow; last time, he wasn't here for two days, just the one. Will it be pizza again? Stay tuned!)

It does go to show that if you don't want to get to be The Person Who Always Does That Thing, you should mess it up the first time. Otherwise, you're stuck! Your helpful lesson for the day, kids.

Now, I'm off to eat something and watch the rest of the Bruins game. However long that takes (yawn). Go Bruins!

Well, Knitting and Hockey and Work and All

I have achieved much today, at the price of being very tired before 6 PM. Of course, it didn't help that the little maniac next door was up early, dropping things on the floor, and kept me from sleeping after around 7 AM. That's really early for me, on a Sunday, but he's like a howler monkey with a jackhammer; I don't know how old the little devil kid is, but although he says Mommy and Daddy and Yes and No quite clearly, every other sound out of him is noise without words, just yelling, and running, running, running, thump-thump-thump. Lovely neighbor, as you can imagine. (They're not owners, they're subletting, and I keep hoping they'll move to a bigger place, give the kid some space. I'm dreaming.) I'm still doing the laundry, and I rode the bike, and I cooked and did the dishes (well, the crock pot is soaking, but I did the rest), and I am currently very busy ignoring the snow, what snow, I don't know what you're talking about, the Bruins are in Florida and out of team unity I'm with them in spirit .

So! I blocked the lace shawl this morning, since I finally ordered blocking wires last week, and they arrived yesterday. Here's the shawl before:

By the yardstick, the top line is just about six feet.

Where did it go? My toy? It was just here a minute ago.

With blocking wires and pins, after its bath:

It grew about a foot, so it's nice and big now (I used all but 4 grams of the yarn: perfect!). And soft, and light, and warm! Threading the blocking wires through the edges is a pain, but it's much easier to adjust than going with just pins. And fortunately, it dried quickly, since Carlos found the yarn, or at least the texture of the blocking squares, a little too interesting for my comfort. There was at least one, "HEY! NO!" before the shawl came up this afternoon.

In other knitting, I'm making a quick pair of green mittens for Adrienne Martini's mitten tree project, which you can read about here (I'm with her: knitting is my response to a lot of things). And hey, if you're a knitter, think about whacking out a pair sometime in the next six months?

I started the first one yesterday, using bulky yarn that I got at Michael's (my stash is heavy on blue yarn, of course, but remarkably little green). I met up with Mary Ellen for some coffee and knitting in the afternoon, and got to here:

The yarn is actually 100% acrylic (it's from Michaels' own Loops and Threads brand, called Charisma), and it's really soft. These mittens aren't going to fit me, probably because it's a bulky yarn and the pattern calls for super bulky, but that's not a problem since they aren't for me. They're certainly quick and easy, and the pattern would be easy to tweak if I decided to make some for myself: just make the wrist longer, and add a few stitches to make the hand wider too. I picked them up again this afternoon, finished the first one, and have made a good start on the second one.

I was knitting while watching the Bruins game; before I picked up the mitten, I turned the heel on the purse sock. From here:

To use your imagination, but they're ready to knit onward. Going from that to the bulky yarn was startling, and then I rode the bike so I was back to fingering yarn; my hands are so confused.

The Bruins won this afternoon, so that was fun. And Chara scored a goal on a move so fine, it was on hockey blogs before the end of the period; you just don't expect a guy who's six-foot-nine to move like this:

Whoa. And on a side note, I hope we hear about it if the team decides to follow up on the "ballerina" theme and put a tutu in his stall. (Remember his Halloween costume in 2011? Giant bunny? Picture at the end of this post.)

The Bruins only played twice last week, and once was when I was in NY (and in the throes of a migraine, but you only need one reason not to be watching); they've played fewer games than any other team in the league to date. From here on, though, they play three or four games a week until the end of the season. Apparently the quiet week was well-timed, as no less than seven players missed practice before their trip to Florida with flu-like symptoms. (Question: why don't they just say "with the flu"? Why is it always "flu-like symptoms" instead?) I hope they can keep winning; they're playing well, but I think they can be even better. Should be fun to watch.

I had my review at work Friday, and am I glad that's over!

I always get worked up about such things ahead of time, and with a new job and new manager more so, but in this case especially, where I've had so little feedback from my manager so far, I just felt clueless about how it was going to go. It all very well to look at my previous experiences and say they were fine: as the investment commercials say in the small print, past performance is no guarantee of future results. The review itself did go well, though, and other than learning I'll be reporting to my least favorite person in the office from here on, I'm happy. (There's nothing I can do about that, so I'll see how it goes. Maybe I'm being too pessimistic. Though, I don't know; it still bothers me that she didn't appreciate the "stop clubbing, baby seals" poster.) After it was done, I felt limp with exhaustion; this weekend, being mostly restful, was much-needed.

This coming week, I have the usual chiropractor appointments, my stitch and bitch and the other knitting group I go to sometimes, all the Bruins games to watch, and on Friday night, a knitterly treat: the Yarn Harlot! I learned the other day, via an e-mail from my nearest LYS before she herself even blogged about it, that Stephanie is speaking in Watertown on Friday night. I'm not a member of the Metrowest Knitters' Guild, nor do I live or work in Watertown, but it's a reasonable distance to travel for such a fun speaker. Yay! I love an event that says "Bring your knitting. Cash bar."

The other thing this week is that my dear friend JDJ, who sometimes comments here, is starting her new job. I'm so excited for her, as the position seems like it will be an excellent fit for her skills and interests both, and how rare is that?

She is out of practice at starting new jobs, though; we figured out that since she started her last job, in 2000, I have had nine jobs. Nine! Two of them were temp jobs, three I chose to leave (for moving or for my sanity), and three were layoffs. Still, I've never worked anywhere as long as she's been at that job, so this will be a big change for her. Want to wish her well? I'm sure she'd appreciate some good karma heading her way this week.

Updates of Knitting and Work (Environment)

YOlympic Knitting Update
As it turned out last night, I overstated the case when I said that I only had to cast off the YOlympic shawl. How many times did I look at the instructions? Even specifically to see if there was anything else to do after the final lace section repeat? And yet it wasn't until I sat down and looked at it that I thought, "this doesn't seem right for the bottom border ..." looked at the picture, and finally saw the bit of the pattern just before it says "bind off" where it turns out you have to "knit four rows". Oops! I'm glad that I didn't have this revelation during the closing ceremonies ("Quick, knit 1200 stitches and then bind off 300!"), but it wasn't a problem mid-week. I knit one row last night, then brought it to my alternate-week knitting group tonight and finished it there. Happy dance! My hands hurt a little, but it's worth it.

I wonder how much blocking will change the way it looks? It should open the lace part up a bit, at least. Well, I won't be getting to that for a little while; I have plans this Saturday, and I doubt I will fit it into my single get-everything-done day Sunday. Maybe the following weekend. I'll get before and after pictures, of course.

The Continuing Saga of the Temperature in the Office 

I hadn't wanted to jinx things, but as of last week, the temperatures at work have been much more moderate, running around 76-77, a 5-degree increase over the previous averages. It was so very pleasant to not be freezing! To not have to wear two or three layers, and to be able to concentrate on something other than how cold I was. To feel neither shuddering relief at stepping out into a hot day, nor shivering resentment at stepping out into a not hot enough day--this is good, as is not feeling that I must park in the sun so the car will be hot enough to warm me up quickly when I come out of the building.

Or it was. Unfortunately, Tuesday morning when I walked in it was freezing. Apparently when the early arrivals noticed the heat coming on (something that has happened before; it's a very weird building), someone went to move the thermostat and overcompensated, and it was about 71 all day. Brrr! I find it distracting to be so cold. Picture me yesterday, wearing a short-sleeved polo shirt, a light long-sleeved shirt, a fleece jacket zipped up, a scarf, and fingerless mitts, shivering in the breeze, hands in pockets whenever possible. Ridiculous. I was still wearing corduroys, wool socks and closed shoes, or I don't know what I would have done; one of my poor coworkers wore a skirt. Mr. Thermostat-Adjuster fell several places on my list (or rose, depending on what you call the list). 

Mid-afternoon, I remembered that a month or so ago, when I was cold, I'd brought in a pair of microwave hand warmers I have, and I nuked them to put in my pockets. It helped a lot, since even with the mitts my hands were so cold I didn't want to keep my hand on the mouse between moves. Ridiculous to need it, but glad to have it.

Today one of my coworkers made a (minute) adjustment, and it was about 74, which is much more bearable. (No, I don't know why we didn't try that yesterday. Please do not apply logic. Our brains were frozen too.) Especially considering that in my rush to leave home in the morning, I left my long-sleeve shirt and sweater on the kitchen table, whoops! Still had the fleece, but it wasn't what I'd planned.

Speaking of work, some more new people have started at work recently, and I've noticed something. Fellow working women, please ask someone you trust if you have a limp-fish handshake, and if you do, work on that. I don't like the hand-crushers either, but there's middle ground.

That Wonderful Friday Night Feeling

At work today I got a new report to edit, written by someone in our India office. As I said before, I'm sure that there are plenty of non-native English speakers who write well, but this report was not written by one of them. I found myself tilting my head at the document, like the RCA dog, trying to see through the fog of the writing to the meaning within.

There's so much wrong with it, it's hard to know where to begin; it reads like the words were run through a blender.

The writers are supposed to use that mythical editorial tool, spell-check, before sending work in, but I know this writer didn't. I know because, while I understand that typos can happen, if you run spell-check yourself you'll avoid the embarrassment of turning in a report on the Mexican healthcare landscape that includes a use of "Maxican" (not to mention "Equador" for Ecuador). Spell-check is far from perfect--I laughed when it wanted to change resectable to respectable--but though it won't solve all your spelling problems, it serves a definite purpose.

Ah well. It wasn't a bad day, un-English report and never-above-72-degrees-inside to the contrary notwithstanding, and it was Friday, above all, meaning leave an hour early, stop for groceries, and I was still home before I would have been on a regular day. I'll take it.

Also, can I tell you how much I'm enjoying getting an hour for lunch? Today I walked over to the mall, returned something at Sears, had some Chick-Fil-A for lunch, then stopped in the Godiva store to pick up some chocolate for a friend, get my free monthly piece, and try their new milkshake (I had milk chocolate caramel, and it was utterly delicious). Then I sauntered back in the lovely mid-day heat (still freezing inside), and was back at my desk with time to check my e-mail before returning to work. NTTTT.

Happy Friday!

Wait, the weekend's ... over? Already?

How can that be? Wasn't it just Friday after work, just a minute ago?

I know, it's only been two weeks, it will take time to get used to the schedule again, but ow. Ten hours from now, this will be the look on my face:

Honestly. While admitting the whole thing about being grateful to find a job, let alone a job doing what I like best, blah blah blah, take it as read, let's be candid: working is a major time-suck away from fun and relaxation. I'm not trying to wallow, but it's true.

I am trying to look on the bright side, though.

Don't want to give in to those blahs! So, in the coming week, I have stitch and bitch to look forward to, and a haircut, and the goofiness of the annual NHL awards show. Also, it's supposed to get HOT, which would not be a bright side for some but it is for me. Looky here:

Highs in the 90s and lows in the 70s? No more than a 30% chance of rain? Oh, please, let that be right. There's been a lot of rain, and a lot of cloudy days, in the last two weeks. I notice my mood swinging dramatically upward when the sun comes out. On Friday, I sat outside for half an hour in the sunshine, knitting, and it helped my attitude immensely. More, please.

Oh, and speaking of knitting, I finished the socks today! These are the ones I started May 20th, and I really powered through them, because the yarn is unfortunately terribly splitty, and was a royal pain to work with, so I wanted to get it over with. Too bad, because I love the colors. (Photos to come, though of course they will look much like the photo here, times two.) I am at peace with never using it again, though, and to get the taste out of my mouth, I have already cast on the next pair in My Favorite Sock Yarn, Period (you know, Socks That Rock lightweight). Usually I have to ponder and consider which yarn comes next, but this time I knew, I had to go with the best. I did really enjoy going back to the Skyp pattern, and I'm doing it again. Sometimes you just don't want to rock the boat.

Oy, time to wrap up the evening. Paying the bills is over-rated...

Snippets: Work, Tech, Hockey

I had to work late last night*, since we were waiting for one last item (which was with the writer for hours, not that I'm bitter but anyway). It was actually not a busy day overall, and at 5 a couple of my fellow editors were talking about how it had been such a quiet afternoon. I acquit them of malice, but I really wanted to say something snarky about how even after the quiet afternoon, some of us didn't get to leave at five. Sigh. It's not their fault ... but I really wanted to leave, too.

*It ended up being less than an hour, at least.

*****
I wore a pair of non-hand-knit socks yesterday. (A rare thing for me, these days, but I need to do laundry.)

They kept sliding down around my ankles.

The ones I make don't do that.

*****
I know you're curious about how my group at work organized our late-night coverage schedule, after I asked you for suggestions. We did in fact go with a monthly rotation, with the added fillip that the primary and backup coverage are lined up to make Fridays less painful. Well, I mean, it's already less painful for me, I don't have to cover 5 Fridays out of 6! But this way is more equitable for all six of us.

In every 6 months, we each get one month off primary (and do Friday backup that month), one month off backup (and do Friday primary), and four months with a backup and a primary night Monday through Thursday.

I was entering all this and more in the Outlook calendar, and realized that I fell into a certain rhythm of murmuring the revolving info as I entered it: "Thursday primary Jane, Thursday backup John". And what did it remind me of? Kitchener! When I use the kitchener method (usually on a sock toe), I end up mumbling to myself "front knit off, front purl on..." in just the same way.

*****
I can't believe my answering machine died! (Well, partly.) It's only ... about ... what ... okay ... fifteen years old, maybe? Fine, whatever.

I don't actually know how long it hasn't been working right. It was still taking messages, even, but last weekend my brother left a puzzled message about how he was calling for me, hoped he had the right number ... I checked the outgoing message, and it was some standard-robo-message, not my taped one. I tried to re-tape it, and not only didn't it tape me, it just gave dead air. Time for the funeral.

I do actually have voice-mail capability with my landline phone service. Do you remember how I didn't know that when I got Verizon two years ago, and was surprised to learn that I had messages there? Well, since I haven't been using it, I had to do a lot of digging around to re-learn how to access the stupid thing, but at least I have message capability again.

For the many calls I get.

Right.

*****
The Bruins played the top team in the conference, the Rangers, this afternoon, and it was a very good, really balanced game. I felt that the Bruins played as well as they have in some total blowout games (9-0 anyone?), but the Rangers are good enough that it was fully even instead. Then the Rangers scored with three seconds left in overtime to win, which really sucked. Oh well.

Now I'm going out to clear the snow off my car (we got a couple of inches today). I haven't missed this part of winter, honestly I haven't.

Wednesday, Huh? Well.

I've been slightly headachy yesterday and today--nothing bad, I hasten to add, knocking on wood loudly enough to freak out the cats. But I wonder if it's a weather system or something? (It IS supposed to rain tomorrow; does that automatically mean a pressure change is coming?) Because I'm not at a trouble point for hormones, and my stress level has been fairly consistent (if on the high side) recently. I mean, I have a lot to do, but I feel good about what I am getting done, you know? My weird dreams are about finding a coffee flavor I like*, not forgetting to get someone a present.

*When they got a new coffee system at work, they seem to have decided that no one wanted that light stuff any more, and stock only medium and dark roast options. As a self-declared coffee wuss, I find even the medium stuff to be too much. I honestly dreamed the other night that I found a light hazelnut "pod" and I was so happy! Pathetic.

I don't like work days to be too slow and I don't like them to be too busy. Monday there wasn't much going on, and though I checked the workflow area regularly, I spent more than half the day rereading old notes as a refresher. Today on the other hand was 18 million projects hurry this goes out today hurry this goes out at noon hurry this was supposed to go yesterday, hurry hurry hurry. When I came back from lunch there were nine projects to choose from. It was like that all day long, and honestly, where is the balance?

I don't expect my job to be a source of great daily joy, but I would like it not to sap my energy and will to go on.

Speaking of which, I know that jealousy is not an attractive thing, but today at work when two of my coworkers were discussing how much time they still had to take off before the end of the year, even after they counted that one of them is taking next week off and the other is taking the following week off, well. I was green.

Also? They don't get migraines, do they? No, I think not.

(Seriously, though, stop talking about how you're going to HAVE TO take two weeks off, like it's some kind of actual problem. That's just mean.)

I was confused at work recently to read about DPN, since to me that doesn't mean diabetic peripheral neuropathy, it means double-pointed needles. Knitters, right? Well, I had another you-must-be-a-knitter moment today in a meeting, when I was studying the sweater on the woman next to me, and thinking of making a scarf inspired by the pattern.

That is, when yarn purchasing is in the budget again. I have plenty to knit with now. Just, you know, notes for the future.

Now, I have things to do (ha! understatement!) and a Bruins game to watch, so I'll leave you with hockey in the great outdoors.



An NHL rink would feel like a phone booth to these guys. Isn't that gorgeous?

Life's Like This

Work is better since I had the reality check, aka review, but it still has its moments. Just this afternoon, in fact, I had a moment when it felt like my head would explode, but I dug my nails into my palm to stop myself saying what I was thinking*, and the feeling passed.

*Basically, Are you fucking kidding me?

After work I went to get the oil changed in the car, pre-trip, and in the end also got a new battery, since having one that will likely fail at the first cold snap sounds like a bad idea to me. (Apparently it's unusual for them to last 5 years? And since I've had the car 5 and a half, well, there we are. Cha-ching.)

I was, of course, knitting while I waited, and when I held the sock up to my ankle to measure it against the sock I was wearing, another customer said, "Oh, you're making a sock!" Well, duh, though I guess I can see how it might not be obvious to muggles. Theoretically. (Really, it looks like the arm of a baby sweater. But trust me, it's a sock, and yes, it will fit. Yes, me. See?

It's an awful picture, but it proves my point. Not that I tried it on for him: one must draw the line somewhere, and for me today, removing my sock at the car repair shop was over that line.)

It's only Tuesday, but that was my second knitting-muggle-realization moment of the week. The first came yesterday at lunch, a meal to which my boss invited me and the rest of the group (six of us) for no apparent reason. After we ordered, of course I pulled my knitting out, like I'm going to just sit there? But after a while I realized, I'm kind of used to knitting in public opening at least a brief conversation. Oh, you're knitting; what are you making; that kind of thing. That's not why I do it, but it's often what happens. This time, no one said anything. Interesting.

Back to tonight: I successfully fought off the urge to stop at McDonald's even though I drove past two of them (yay me! willpower FTW! for once), then was going to stop at the pharmacy to pick up some prescription refills, but found myself in my driveway, having turned on auto-pilot. Whoops. Tomorrow is another day, CVS!

Which is fine, as long as I'm home before 8, to catch the show on NESN about the Bruins' Summer with Stanley! They got their Cup rings tonight, and, um, wow, words fail me:

(found on NESN)

Well, one: shiny.

And you know what else? Apparently I have to pick up this week's Sports Illustrated! Timmy Thomas, look at you. (I guess I was meant to go to CVS tomorrow: I can pick it up then!) Then the banner is raised Thursday night at the home opener. Whee!

And I'm jumping around a lot tonight, but I have to close with a quote from Rachael Herron's new book, A Life in Stitches, which by the way is excellent and I very much enjoyed.

...I'd wager that all knitters, even on the strictest of yarn diets, invoke the Souvenir Yarn Clause when we travel. Souvenir yarn--especially if it's just sock yarn--doesn't count.

Laughter, sniffles, nods: Good book!

Pfft, Work: Let's Talk Yarn

Well, only half an hour overtime tonight! (And by overtime, I mean the time, no money is involved. The downside of being salaried.) I won't usually have to cover two nights in a row, but we're shorthanded this week.

I haven't really gone into the issue of late nights at work yet, have I? Because of all the daily deadlines we have, there is the possibility every day that someone will need to stay late in order to get things done. Therefore, there is a schedule of who will be the ones to stay if it comes to that (one primary and one backup from each of the department's sub-groups), a schedule that was put in place because apparently the same people were always staying when it was necessary.

So. That's that. Meanwhile, in a happier, yarnier world, here's what I mentioned in passing last night, that came in the mail yesterday to redeem my evening.


I've been wanting to get this kit for the fiddlehead mittens for a while, and when the purveyor announced on her blog that it was going to be discontinued shortly, I snapped one up. No regrets!


The colors came out of the bag and were immediately brighter:


Too bright, even, as the lighter color washed out:


This one is more true:


Now I just have to decide when to start them.

And the ribbed shrug I want to make (for that extra little layer at work).

Hmmm. I do have vacations coming up: how much knitting is reasonable to bring for a week? Keeping in mind that a, it isn't a week solely devoted to knitting, and b, reasonable may not be the word I'm looking for.

Meanwhile, I have made progress on the scarf I mentioned recently. After a good stripey start, the two colors got a little too close, but I kept on to see what would happen, and they diverged again. I am finding the changes very entertaining.




I am ready for something other than green or brown to come out, though!

And just to show that we are everywhere (we meaning knitters, in this case), today's mail brought the new PW with these guys on the cover:

Pay no attention to the Tanis card; it was the closest thing I had to hand to preserve my secret identity.

Seriously, how cute are they? It's the craft issue, and this is a new book coming out.


Now I want to see inside!

Knitting and Working and Snarking, oh my

Knit Tease
I'm working on a little mystery knitting project, which should be revealed in a few weeks. I started it yesterday, and it's more than half done, so it shouldn't take much longer, but then it has to be given to the recipient, so... a little while. I look forward to showing you!

Meanwhile, I've knit on the commute, and at lunch, and enjoyed it so much. At its best, knitting can be both peaceful and productive.

************
Work Tale
Here is what a book nerd I am: after years of working at Barnes & Noble, I learned a lot of the prefixes in ISBNs, at least for the big publishers, by heart. (Fun fact for those of you who haven't worked that closely with books: part of every book's identifying number, the ISBN [International Standard Book Number], identifies the publisher. Some have more than one for different divisions. The numbers are different lengths, and the shorter ones tend to belong to the bigger, older, more established houses. Here endeth the lesson.)

Today at work, I realized I still remember a bunch of them. I was working on a project that involved check long lists of books that are going out of print, to make sure they're removed from the new catalogs. And I came to some that made me frown, as they shouldn't be our (meaning my company's) products, based on the numbers.

In my head, it sounded like this:

Wait, 440 is Bantam, no, Dell.
451 is NAL/Penguin.
812 is St Martin's?
14 is Penguin, 02 is Macmillan.
380 is Avon, what the heck?

I am so confused.

**********
More Work-Related
I wear skirts to work almost exclusively these days, since it's just too hot for me to be wearing slacks*. I do kind of miss my jeans, but the one day I wore them recently was a mistake; by the time I got home, they had more or less bonded with my skin, so I had to peel them off and sit in front of the fan before I could stand up again. Skirts are a better choice for now.

*Tonight it's in the mid-60s, cooler than it's been in forever.

Anyway, one of the issues I have with skirts is that I have to be constantly vigilant about them billowing upwards. In Boston especially it can be very windy, because of the tall buildings, and it gets a little tiresome to be on the alert all the time. (And on a rainy day like today, managing bag and umbrella while on skirt watch calls for more hands than I have with me.) However, as I prefer my hem to be closer to my knees than my neck, it has to be done. I'd pass out on the T in warmer clothing, and this is the price I pay.

**********
Snarky Me
A lot of the time, I may look well-behaved and quiet, at work say, but in my head, snarky me is LOUD.

Snarky Me wants to knock on the door of the person on the conference call and say, "Could you turn up the volume, please? Because I can't quite hear every word out here."

Snarky Me is the one who, listening to a group of people chatting loudly nearby, and clearly not about anything work-related, wants to ask them, "Am I working too loudly for you? Because I wouldn't want to disturb your conversation."

Do you hear that particular voice in your head? What does yours want to say?

Of Headaches and Other Irritants

I've had a minor headache for a couple of days now. The pain ranges from hmm, it barely hurts at all, maybe... knock on wood to the point where I grasp my head in both hands, in a vain hope that this will make the brain return to a state of fitting in the skull. I'm able to function at work well enough (I don't have to be at the very top of my game to catch "sceince"*), but one of my coping mechanisms is lost to me on this sort of day.

*no, really, actual example

When there are conversations all around, three people in a work-conversation over here (to judge by words like project and layout and client), a group in a possibly-not-so-work-related conversation over there (to judge by the giggles, anyway), all projecting their voices as if I needed to know, I usually put in the headphones, but if my head hurts, that's not a good idea. Meaning that I sit there thinking both "ow" and "oh shut up would you" in more or less equal measures.

Yes, though the job isn't bad, and is in fact far preferable to the last one, the workplace is not perfect (shocking, I know). Irritants within a short stone's-throw include:

• The neighbor of frequent conference calls. She does have an office with a door, and she closes it, but the drone is still very audible.
  
• The neighbor with a chronic cough. I don't know if it's smoking, allergies, or what, but she coughs. And coughs. All. Day. Long. This is my sixth week here, so it's not just a cold. I remind myself that it has to bother her more than it bothers me, but some days I wonder if that's possible.
• A table with two printers and a fax machine, which between them run more often than not. And one of them sounds like a cell phone on mute, vibrating on a table. Mmrrrr-mmrrrr-mmrrrr!
• A room of (presumably) elevator-related machinery, humming in various tones, up and down. Possibly also to blame for the periodic vibrations, as though an elephant was jogging by. It's disconcerting to be holding up a piece of paper and watch it flutter on its own.

On the other hand, I do appreciate that it's not cold at my desk. It's nice not have to layer up for work and un-layer to go out, over and over.

Then back on that other other hand, I miss having a coffee set-up, as I had got into the habit of having a cocoa-made-with-coffee most mornings. It's not even the taste I miss, so much as the start-the-day ritual.

Ah well, everything is more annoying with a headache. It's not bad right now; maybe it's going away. Cross your fingers, would you please? And have a good one, yourself.

Free

The song of the day is this:



Unless it's this?



You pick!

And why is that, you ask? Why am I linking to songs with lyrics about being free, and going from misery to happiness?

Early release from the asylum That is, today was my last day of work after all. Out, done, gone! Whew. Here's the story line so far:

Today is the day I originally gave notice for. Plenty of notice.

My boss then asked me to stay another week, and caught by surprise, I agreed. But they didn't actually need me for anything more (I think I was asked as a test, which I therefore failed but oh well, I never was that good at power plays and mind games).

This week, I was talking to my boss about how, since I trained The New Guy on everything, and how he was therefore doing all the work, it felt a little pointless to be staying on next week, both for me to do and for the company to be paying me. She went to her boss to see about releasing me from the extra week, and he apparently went off on how if I haven't solved world peace*, how can I say I don't have anything to do?

*Not actually world peace, but a big long-term project that I was not authorized to complete on my own, and which in fact he is the one working on. Jerk.

So I told myself that I could leave any time if anything went particularly kablooey, but otherwise resigned myself to "working" next week ... and this morning my boss told me that he told her I could leave today after all. I barely reacted at first, I was so surprised, but when it sank in, what a relief.

And the weather was much improved today. Temps of 70s, very windy but mostly sunny, not bad at all.

And I went to Wilson's after work and they had peas! From California, and not the best ever, but boy still pretty good, first of the year.

And raspberries, on sale and smelling divine.

And some corn on the cob (I'm finally remembering to try Leslie's way of cooking it).

When asked what I will do next week, I replied, "Sleep late." If you want me Monday morning, I'll be singing this in my sleep:



P.S. Go Bruins, go Bruins!

Let me sum up:

hockey, work, headache theory, flowers, cats, knitting

So it's the Big Bad Bruins meeting the Broad Street Bullies!

Sorry. The Globe mentioned that Boston and Philly haven't met in the playoffs since 1978, and I had a flashback to the 70s there.

Game 1 is Saturday at 12:30 in Boston; the early start is apparently to accommodate the Kentucky Derby, and yeah we finished sixth and have home ice in the second round, how weird is that? This is one strange year in the playoffs so far.

Go Bruins, go Bruins!
(Sorry, Kate.)

**********


Work right now is like being on call, or what I imagine what it would feel like to be on call. I have to be there, but it hasn't been busy, and I don't feel inclined to find long-term projects to fill the time. I'm there for when my replacement has questions, or to check his work, but he doesn't have that many questions and he's been doing fine, so I haven't really been working hard, I have to admit.

Say, did you know that at Project Gutenberg, you can read books online, free?

**********
I read, or rather skimmed through, a book on headaches recently, which proposed a rather radical diet scrub to remove all possible food triggers. The idea is that any one of these many types of food could be triggering your migraines, so you remove them all, then you can gradually reintroduce them one at a time to see if they actually are a problem. It's a little extreme, but in theory I don't disagree with it. Also, I appreciate that someone believes there is a connection between my headache tendencies and the stiff, "crunchy" feeling at the back of my neck.

However. In practice, the idea just about gives me hives. I have enough trouble managing everyday tasks, laundry and dishes and grocery shopping and cooking and preparing and storing and holy cow. Just balancing healthy eating and the budget taxes me. I can't imagine working around not eating anything with:

• chocolate
• caffeine
• MSG
• nuts and nut butters
• vinegars (including ketchup!)
• onions
  
• citrus fruits and raspberries
• fresh bread products
• beans
• much dairy (cheese, yogurt)

The only way I could possible handle that diet was if someone else prepared it all for me, and all I had to do was eat it. Even then, I would miss everything, but I think it would be worth trying to see what results it had. (Though I shudder to think of giving up so many things for 4 months, which is what he advises.) In the world where I live, it's just not going to happen.

I mean, let's talk about chocolate. I love chocolate. Love it. Yet if I knew that it would always give me a headache, would I eat it? No. Even if I knew that giving up chocolate would mean I never got another headache, that would be worth it. But to give it up because sometimes it gives me a headache? Yeah, not so much. Some things make life worth living.

If you're wondering, I refuse to follow the advice given to people with seasonal allergies, too. Minimal time outside, don't open windows at home or in the car ... why don't I just shut myself in a box and never come out? I'd be "safer" there.

**********
My, am I grumpy lately or what? You'd never know that I've been enjoying all the flowers and slowly-improving weather. I mean, daffodils and forsythia I really only like for being harbingers of Spring, but crocus and tulips and now lilacs?


LOVE.

Also a certain furball makes me happy.


A boy and his bear.


Even his sister was amusing me yesterday, rolling on the floor trying to catch her tail.

And I started swatching for the next pair of socks. Socks That Rock may call their yarn Goody Goody; I will call it rainbow sherbet.


So, you know, in case you were worried? It's not all bad here.

Hockey and Work and please send warm weather

Of course I was very pleased and excited when the Bruins won last night, defeating Buffalo to move on to the second round. I was also laughing out loud, thanks to a few new lines from the very excited Bruins announcer Jack Edwards (listen here):

"The Sabres' hopes sleep with the Edmund Fitzgerald", really?
"Snowball one, hell zero" I quite like.

Now, I will admit to being slightly, but only slightly, superstitious. I don't exactly believe it ... but I'll knock on wood anyway (though frequently, I'll knock on my own head when wood is not available, so perhaps that doesn't count). But I don't worry about black cats or Friday the 13th, and the only reason I won't walk under a ladder is because I'm claustrophobic and clumsy, two traits which don't go with confined spaces. (I'm always bumping into door frames and table edges and the like. Ow.)

And yet. Last Monday I wore a Bruins t-shirt with a Bruins oxford, and Bruins socks (yes, I do have Bruins socks). The Bruins won Monday night.

On Wednesday I wore my Bruins hooded sweatshirt over a hockey t-shirt (it says Give Blood, Play Hockey), and Bruins socks (yes, I have 2 pair!). The Bruins won Wednesday night. In fact, they won in OT, so on Thursday I wore my Cows t-shirt showing hockey-playing cows, with the header "Team Moo pumped up for sudden death overtime."

On Friday, since I hadn't done laundry during the week, I wore nothing hockey-related. And the Bruins lost.

So if you think I wasn't wearing Bruins apparel yesterday, well, wrong. I'm not into jinxing my favorite team.

And, it worked! Or at least, the Bruins won, which is what counts. On to round two, against a team to be named later (either Pittsburgh or Philly, depending on the result of Montreal-Washington in their game 7 tomorrow). Maybe starting as soon as Friday!

I'll have to do some laundry again.

**********
Sunday night I slept badly. Lots of dreams, cats jumping over me and only mostly missing my head ... it seemed like I woke up a hundred times.

One of my dreams was that I was at a restaurant near work, in fact the one where my department is taking me for a farewell lunch next week. It's a place with a buffet, and in the dream after I got my food, I found myself sitting at a table alone. One of the managers came over to get me back to the company table, but he was trying to get a man at the next table to come too, and I was objecting because the man didn't work for the company. Then I was out in the parking lot and everyone else had left, and I was going to call someone to come back and give me a ride, but then someone came along who said she was a friend of a former employee and she could give me a ride.

And I tell you this not because I think it's fascinating, but because when I mentioned it at work, someone said that it sounded like I was having separation anxiety. And I was taken aback: I interpret it as wanting separation from a place that won't let me go! I want to separate, to sit at a different table, and they're not letting me.

What do you think it means?

Also, I heard today that that manager is not going to come to the lunch, because he's "disappointed" that I'm leaving the company during this busy project. Un-huh. So does he think he's punishing me? Because I think he's kind of a jerk, and I'm pleased if he doesn't come.

**********
The weather is supposed to warm up by this weekend, but I don't know if I can wait that long. It's rainy and cold today, and brr. Please send warm thoughts.

And energy. Why am I so tired, so early? So falling-down-dead-in-a-fit-of-tears tired?

Friday thoughts of working, hockey

I may not be the most stylish person around (I heard you--yes, you over there, the one choking, stop it), but I'm actually not sure whether it's a point for me or against me that I don't usually build my outfit around my socks. Today, however, for the first wearing of my new socks, I did in fact carry the socks to my closet and see what went with them. (Other than jeans, obviously.)

Again, I'm not quite sure what I should be apologizing for here, but for some reason I feel apologetic.

**********
My recent work history is filled with change. When I moved back to Massachusetts in 2003, I signed up with a couple of temp agencies. I did one short (day-plus) job, then started the job I was at for a couple of years before the layoff. I job-searched briefly in the fall of 2004 before being extended; then again and for real in the summer/fall of 2005. After getting laid off from that job, I was searching again in the summer/fall of 2008. I have a point here, I promise: what's interesting me is how I've seen the technology of the job search process change in such a relatively short period of time.

In 2005, it was kind of a funny, unexpected thing that people contacted me after seeing my resume on Monster. Applications could still be made through the actual mail, as well as sent by e-mail. There were lots of job ads in the newspapers, but you could also sign up to have those ads e-mailed to you based on your keywords. In fact, that's how I found the job that I got: an e-mail of an ad from a newspaper (though not in the Globe, so I wouldn't have actually seen it in the physical paper I read).

In 2008, I was mostly applying through e-mail. There were fewer ads in the paper, too. I found my job through a recruiter who saw my resume on-line.

In 2010, the ads in the paper are kind of a joke, a few pages of mostly nursing and educator positions. Instead of e-mail, every company seems to want you to apply through their own website (and the interfaces are without exception tremendously annoying to use). Of course, it remains to be seen how I will find my next job.

One tool I've been thinking of using this time is business cards. I hesitate because I'm not sure they're necessary, and I am being very stringent with the non-essential spending until I have a new job and its attendant paycheck, but I can see how it might be useful to have a form of "here's my contact info" before the "handing over the resume" step. What do you think?

And if I do get them, what do I want them to say? "Proofreader" is good but might be slightly self-limiting; "Wordsmith" speaks to me but might seem too cutesy to an employer (though at the interview for my proofreader/copy writer position, the manager did say they were looking for a wordsmith, so perhaps if you're looking for one, the word wouldn't turn you off?). "Proofreader/Copy Writer/Editor"? I want to go for creative without being too much. Suggestions? Thoughts? Guide me, please!

*************
Mr SVP gave me the oddest look this morning, the exact sort of smirk I would expect him to have if I announced that I changed my mind and would like to stay on at work, please. The thing is, I am never going to say that. Is that really what he was thinking, or am I anthropomorphizing? Perhaps it was just his being pleased that someone else, a person he reportedly did not like, gave her notice today? I really don't know.

*************
The New Guy was in a long meeting* this morning, resulting in an unexpected peaceful period at my desk. He came out reporting that one of things about the new project that was supposed to be taken off was now to be put back on. I kind of wanted to laugh, and I refrained from telling him that dude, they change their minds All The Time here. It's like being managed by someone with the attention span of a 2-year-old.

*I wasn't invited to it, didn't even know about it, and if you're wondering if that hurt my feelings, well hell no. I'm glad they're divorcing themselves from me, as I am from them. I'd far, far rather spend a quiet hour at my desk cleaning out my in-box of two-year-old e-mails than sit in a meeting trying to look and sound as if I cared the slightest bit about the project. Whew. I can tell you, I'm never giving more than a two-week notice again.

**********
Of course I hope the Bruins win tonight, though I won't panic if they don't. More than winning, though, I want them to play well. As the announcers love to say at this time of year, hockey is a game of mistakes. I hope the Bruins don't make too many.

And whatever happens, I can sleep in tomorrow! Ah. It's the simple things in life.

Work thoughts, 3 month Carlos-versary

At work, I've been training someone on all the stuff I do. He's a new guy, and he may not end up doing all of it, but he's here and that's what they told me to do. He's not a bad guy, though he thinks he's funnier than he is, in my opinion. Anyway, he's nice enough, pretty smart, very cheerful (very, very cheerful), interested in the company's products (much more than I am, in fact), and basically makes me feel jaded and old and super-grouchy. I've had to bite my tongue a few times, in order to stop myself from saying bad things about the company, even vague things like, "Wait until you've been here a while, you'll see why I'm like this."

This morning on the way to work, I was singing along to the radio, and these lyrics really seemed to say it:

I started out clean but I'm jaded
Just phoning it in.

Anyway! I have not said many things, will continue to not say them, and no doubt he will learn in time. Meanwhile, he's doing fine*, and I get to leave after 12 more days. Eyes on the prize.

*I am getting really tired of having him walk into my cube all the time, though; it turns out, I'm a bit territorial. These things are not big enough for two, and I get claustrophobic. He has his own cube across the aisle, but he'll jump right in to "my" space and I want to tell him to back off, he's breathing all my air. He's just doing the work, I know, he has to do some of it at my desk, but give me room! And it kind of creeps me out to come back to my desk and find that he's been on my computer (for a valid work reason, but still). And though objectively I'm sure it's not true and why should I care if it is, I feel like he's judging me, my conduct and attitude and general lack of enthusiasm for working here. Sigh. My head is a neurotic place.

For the sake of the company, though, it is scary how many people have commended me on leaving, said they wished they could leave, confided that they're looking, said fervently how they understand why I'm leaving, and so on and on. My boss is at the same place of desperation I was before I gave notice, with only her mortgage holding her back from giving notice herself. Perhaps the upper management will turn things around, but I get no sense that they are aware there is a problem. And that is a huge problem.

But it isn't my problem.

**********
I still don't know why they asked me to stay on another week. I asked my boss, and she said that "they" asked her to ask me to. But what difference does it make? Was it just a test to see if I was committed to leaving? New Guy has the basics down, and only experience will give him more than that. He's already doing most of my work, which means I feel like I'm sitting around with nothing to do but "supervise" him. It's extremely boring. Boring is better than infuriating, I guess ... but it's infuriating that I'm here being bored! Just let me leave, people.

**********
Someone at work made a contribution to the candy dish on my desk: Lindt truffles, white chocolate inside milk chocolate. I think they're yummy, though I get that not everyone likes white chocolate. ("It's not even really chocolate!" they exclaim, as though I have never heard this and will immediately apologize for my heresy--and nerve.) The thing is, this is free for anyone who wants some, no one is forcing you to have some, and when they ask what something is and then make a horrible face about it, it makes me want to say, "Oh, I'm sorry, is this free candy not to your taste? How can I make it up to you for this tragic calamity*? Please, tell me what I can do."

*Repetitive redundancy alert!

I think it's safe to say that I have no problem providing a candy bowl, but the attendant human issues are wearing me down. It's also safe to say that at my new job (when I get one), I will not be putting out candy, at least not right away.

**********
It's now three months since I got Carlos, and he's doing so well! I really love having him here, having a lap cat again, a cat who welcomes being petted and wants to curl up next to me. I'll always miss Harold, I still miss Pan, but Carlos is a love, and I'm happy to have him.


He was about a hundred times more relaxed and laid back on Day One than Miri ever has been, but there are signs that he is more comfortable living here now than he was at first. He went from staying on the perch in the office most all the time, to venturing cautiously out to explore and quickly retreat, to finding other spots he likes and gradually feeling safe in them. The night-time yowls that led to his being closed into the office have long stopped. He'll play with Miri, or warn her off if he's not in the mood, without seeming either scared or over-aggressive.

He likes to be on the bed, on the corner where he can look out the window (and woe betide any who try to close the curtain, woman, I have to look out! yes, even at night!). At first, he very much wanted me to be there with him: when I got in bed, he would be right behind me, and sometimes when I was getting ready for bed, and going in and out of the bedroom getting things, he kept following me hopefully in and sadly out again, all but asking when I would settle down finally? Now? How about now?

He didn't like to stay there without me, at first: if I got up, he got up. Slowly, though, this is changing. When I got up, he would sometimes stay there. For a few minutes, or for a while. And finally, I saw him on the bed when I hadn't led him there. Not only that, but Miri was there, too. A safe foot away, but still. (I could tell she was lying there sending powerful love-and-snuggle-me rays toward him, but so far he's unbending on that point.) Now, if he's not there when I get in bed, he usually comes along, but he'll also go there of his own accord, curl up, look out.

He's also started to come along when I'm on the couch, and look for a lap, considering my suggestion and jumping up, rather than just accepting it if I pick him up. It's so nice to have a cat on my lap.


Now I'm off to that couch to watch Game 4! The Bruins blog from the Globe had an encouraging stat this morning for the Bruins, who lead the series 2 games to 1: "All-time, the Bruins are 21-8 when they have led 2-1." Doesn't that sound good? Go Bruins, go Bruins!

Quick Note Before The Game

So is it just me or did time move so slowly today that it was almost going backward? Like, I think it might now be Wednesday night instead of Thursday? Just me? Well, at least that means that the Bruins do play tonight, looking on the bright side and how will I get through another 16 days of work I have no idea.

Have I mentioned how every time someone at work, learning that I am leaving, asks where I am going to be working, I want to answer, "ABH. Have you heard of it? It's short for Anywhere But Here."

Here's an example of what things are like at work: one day before I gave notice, I thought the big-boss crazy SVP was coming to my desk, and I considered hiding under my desk. For only a second, but seriously thought of doing it.

And rejected it because it would never work, I'd get caught. NOT because it's a ridiculous thing to do. I mean, it is ridiculous, but I only thought of that after the moment.

Oh, and on the lines of fortunately/unfortunately, I got contacted by a recruiter today, but it was for a position similar to my current one, not proofreading. And a phone message from a company that googling reveals is in sales. Bummer and bummer.

Ah well. Go Bruins, go Bruins!

Work ugh, hockey yay, yarn hum.

I'm thinking of adding a new item to my resume: Excel Support for Senior Vice President. Except that really, it has more to do with how little he can do, rather than how much I can do, with Excel, and I don't know that I should brag about that.

I certainly don't want to set myself up as some sort of expert, when that's far from the truth. Just today, I had to correct something I did yesterday that messed up some hidden columns, and I know better--just because you can't see them doesn't mean you can't change them (damn you, Bill Gates). But I know far more than the SVP.

Yesterday, he called me over to the next building to un-hide a column on a spreadsheet.

Today, he e-mailed me another spreadsheet so that I could print it out for him on one page.

The man needs an admin, so he doesn't have to make me do this nonsense.

Anyway! Seventeen days left in the asylum and I am done (despite his attempt to guilt me* into staying through this next product launch, in September if the current time-line holds). I will try to hold off the waves of why-should-I-care, though I am feeling them already for sure. And although giving notice helped my ability to deal with the crazy, it doesn't remove the entire sting--the place is too crazy for that. I must think of happy things.

*It will sound harsh, he says, but he doesn't mean it that way! But don't I feel guilty for abandoning my team before the project is complete? When they may not be able to make the deadline without me? My team; I like that. If he thinks I'll get cold feet about leaving, well, he'll see.

And for me, these days, thinking of happy things usually involves yarn, or hockey. The NHL playoffs start tonight, though the Bruins don't start until tomorrow. I think it will be a good series, and the Bruins have a chance, though Ryan Miller is going to be a goalie that they don't have to make look good: he is that good. However, the Bruins beat Washington on Sunday, and over the last dozen games played quite well, and I have hope. Also future hope, as we have the second draft pick this year, meaning we'll get one of the best two players coming along, and that can't help but help in the next few years.

As for yarn, I'm coming along well in the second sock at last, enough that I'm going to start looking at patterns and yarn choices for the next pair--stash-diving! I have such yummy yarns to choose from! And I think I'll also start another Meandering Vines shawl, like the one I made my mother, in some of the pretty lace-weight I got on sale a few months back. Mmm, mmm, decisions. Happy thoughts.

Little Irritants, Looking More Happily Ahead

I can't wait to shake the dust of this workplace from my shoes. On top of everything else...

So the weigh-in was supposed to happen between 9 and 11 this morning. I usually have a small snack, like a granola bar, around 10 (creature of habit much?), but I figured I would wait until after the weigh-in, why add to the number, right?

10 ... 10:30 ... 11 ... hungry ... 11:30 ... at 11:45, I e-mailed the person to ask if I missed it? ... 12:00 and "starving". But I don't want to eat right before being weighed! (Like it's going to make that much of a difference, really, but still.)

She e-mailed back a few minutes later, to say she'd be over at 1*. No way was I waiting for lunch that long. I compromised and had my soup but held the apple for later.

*Or that was how I read it...

1 ... 1:30 ... 2 ... 2:30 ... another e-mail from her: if you haven't been weighed yet, come see me!

Oh, we're supposed to come there? (I may have mentioned before that the company is in two buildings.) When the contest started, she came over to the building I'm in, to weigh whoever was interested. I made the logical but apparently incorrect assumption that she would do the same at the end. It seems that was my mistake.

It's just more small stupid stuff. One person walks between buildings this way, or 17 people walk between buildings that way...

Fuck it. I can weigh myself at home. I just did, in fact, and the number was 227.6. At the weigh-in on January 5th, it was 238.8. Therefore, I lost roughly eleven pounds. Yay.

Further updates as events warrant.

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It did stop raining today, mostly (mist this morning, light sprinkles tonight). The sun didn't come out, but baby steps. Maybe tomorrow. Hey, my mother comes in to town tomorrow, the sun will be out for me! Friday we drive to Grandma's, returning Monday, which is to say, I may or may not post for a few days here. In case I don't, Happy Easter!