Dolly Day

Again, probably only in the US, as "9-2-5" only works as a pun in countries that put the month before the day, and I think we're one of the only countries that does that. Nonetheless, Happy Dolly Parton Day, the first of many I'm sure. I tried to be kind today but work made it kind of difficult. Still, all's well that ends well, at least for this week. I have to keep reminding myself that, at my age, I'm there because I mostly want to be, even as my work friends drop off one by one. At least I have a cat around the house again to bring me joy for the next couple weeks. Now to batten down the hatches...

The Coming Storms

Lots of cautionary tales are starting to make the rounds about a big nor'easter hitting our area this weekend. Naturally Saturday is the day we made our appointment for our COVID and flu shots, and we  have to go food shopping, so that's still the plan. Meanwhile, I said farewell to the 16th floor of our firm's NY headquarters, as the business unit on that floor (including the partner I support) is moving to our brand-new 10th floor starting next Tuesday, the next day I'll be in the office. And I'll be busy saying farewell to a lot of coworkers in the next week; I'm starting to think I'm something of a sucker for not taking the early retirement package myself, being past retirement age, but I still want that steady paycheck a little while longer. And as the weather cools I'm starting to feel it in my bones and am very grateful for the temporary presence of a warm kitty body.

Settling In

Both me and the cat, that is. I still feel like I'm treading water, but at this point it's just a matter of getting used to the new work normal until the next work normal comes around. Nothing I haven't handled before. Mango seems to be calming down just a bit; it's so wonderful to have an actual lap cat, even if it's just temporary! All the laundry that had accumulated since England (and Philly) has now been taken care of and mostly put away, the last week of the regular baseball season is well underway, and there's a definite nip in the air now, which excites me as autumn is my favorite season. Bring it on!

Too Much Movement

So lots of my work colleagues are leaving at the end of this month (fiscal year end), having taken an early retirement package which was tempting to me but, you know, a steady paycheck for the next couple years still beats 8 months' worth of severance. In any case, this has meant trying to get up to speed on my new assignment, staying on top of the folks I'll be passing on to others, and today I just found out our entire floor will be moving to a new floor opening in our office space next Tuesday. The partner I support on that floor should be all set with his designated space, but I can't secure mine until at least Thursday when reservations open (no doubt while I'm still on the bus like today, delayed around the Met for 10-15 minutes due to the UN stuff which you wouldn't think would affect anything on the west side). At this point I'm just kind of waiting for things to slow down before I feel like I have a handle on stuff again.

Shifts and Changes

Lots of stuff going on at work, having to do with a seismic shift in colleagues leaving at the end of this month. I'm losing three partners, one of whom I've supported for almost a decade, and gaining a new one, with whom I met online today to discuss her needs. Amid all this transition I still have to get my usual stuff done for the folks I currently support, and I'm still majorly catching up after being out for a week and waiting on others who are currently out themselves. I do so love the end of the fiscal year. But I'm slightly better able to breathe today than yesterday (even though Rob's cough is worse) so I think I'm finally ready for tomorrow morning's commute. That is, if I can get some sleep without a lovely marmalade kitty settling in atop my legs. 

And Another Thing...

This stupid head cold. I'm sure the travel exacerbated whatever I picked up in Merrie Olde, but now it's been passed on to Robin, and of course it's almost autumn with its attendant allergens, and I hope we're not also allergic to Mango but who knows? So lots of sniffling and exhaustion today, and whenever one of us gets some rest it turns out Mango enjoys plopping himself down on our legs. Not good when, like me, you can't count on your legs not suddenly cramping. Have I mentioned how much I missed having a cat, and how precious and adorable he is? He'd better be considering how we're both feeling. 

I'll Rest Tomorrow

So much Mango, so in our faces. I missed having a kitty, but... so, so much Mango. So much food shopping after having not shopped for two weeks. So much exhaustion from dealing with "Hot Tub Hector" playing his music way too loudly (Mango loves open windows). Just... just too much, I guess. Tomorrow we go nowhere and do nothing. 

Hot Mango Flush

What a whirlwind day! The last for awhile I hope, I can't stand this pace. I had to keep my calendar tight, as company was coming at 1 or so and I had my eye doc appointment at 3, so I sped through the meeting scheduling and timesheets and so forth, had an early lunch, and left things fairly accomplished by the time my cousin Marvin, his son Jonny (my godson), and Jonny's cat Mango arrived. Wow, what an amazing kitty! I've never had an orange one, and this one does seem to follow the stereotype of orange cats not being terribly smart. But he's resilient and determined and very affectionate (a lap cat at last, hooray!) and alas, fairly unrestrained. We'll have to see how we can reach a compromise as I lead a somewhat slower life than Jonny. Oh, and the eye exam went extremely well and I walked a few blocks up from there after I got out and found my feet do feel better. So there's that.

Treading

Things are, as usual, never dull on the job. Due to this cold as well as wanting to not walk around very much on my sore feet, I worked from home today and found out that my support assignments will be changing as of October 1, as so many colleagues are leaving at the end of the fiscal year. Lots of meetings and discussions about this, all while still trying to catch up on other things like suddenly having to schedule tons of year-end meetings for four of my current partners. My inbox is manageable again, but I'm less caught up on the workload than I'd like to be. Glad I don't have a commute to throw a spanner in the works! Lots of stuff around the house to do as well, because our little furry lodger arrives tomorrow, so I'm caught up on most of my finances, the wool-wash is done, Rob's unpacked, things are straightened out and put away (I'd almost forgotten how to cat-proof things), and all I need now is some more relaxation and a good night's sleep.

Missed and Not Missed

Nice to watch a couple NY baseball games, even though the Yankees lost in extra innings and the Mets are being clobbered as I type. I've missed baseball, apparently the Yanks clinched while we were away. The Emmys were also televised, probably the first year I can remember not being able to see them. Most of the rest I haven't really missed, especially work. I came back to 200 emails, but I'm not complaining as a fellow exec assistant who had been on PTO returned to over 2000! By the time I logged off, with this head cold still kicking my butt (I've cancelled my plans to come into the office tomorrow), everything in my inbox was under control again. We caught up on all the "special" Jeopardy episodes, and now have only three regular-season shows to watch, but not today. Time for more medicine!