No Escape

For some folks this might be a nice, relaxing long weekend. Not for us. I keep trying to find the bright side: the landlord could be hiring five guys to work on the downstairs flat instead of one or two, the noise comes in bursts of bone-shaking power tools instead of being constant, and at least the worker seems pleasant enough. Robin got him to promise to warn us next time he fiddles with the (of course unlabeled) fuse box, as he turned off our electricity for a few seconds and we had to wait another couple minutes for the router and all our electronics to reboot. Fortunately, my work laptop seems to have failsafes, so I didn't lose any of what I was doing, and I'd already made my personal-finances call of the day (this time to the holder of my pension plan from my first long-term job, who needed my divorce decree from 1998 before they could go ahead with my payments, as the beneficiary's SSN didn't match and OMG is this what getting older and having lived is like) and Robin had done his scanning (including said decree so I could upload it) before that happened, and no further elec-trickery interruptions were forthcoming. But the 9-6 noise still builds up, so we escape where we can, and today I took a bit of time off from a slow work day to pick up some prescriptions. Tomorrow, who knows? Maybe we'll luck out and get some quiet during a long weekend. Somehow I doubt it.

So Iterative

Hoorah, the heat broke at last! Unfortunately it rained a lot more in New York than anyone expected. I only got caught in a few drizzles, and I had a hoodie so it was fine... and of course we need the rain. It's the time of year when folks start to plan long weekends and go on vacations so things got a bit quieter, and I had to occupy myself somehow as I was in the office and couldn't just go into another room and watch TV for awhile, so I took some self-study courses, most of which seem to be about iterations of AI now. So, so iterative. Naturally the subway and bus were both hella crowded on the way home, but I managed a seat on both and wasn't thoroughly exhausted by the time Robin picked me up at the terminus and schlepped my backpack for me the block or so back to our home. Gearing up for more noise for the next few days as the landlord's hires are still banging and drilling away at the downstairs apartment...

Will No One Rid Me of This Meddlesome Heat

While my morning commute was fine (better than fine, actually; I made a new commuting friend who's British and needed help figuring out how to get to her destination), I decided to move as little as possible as our office's floor-to-ceiling windows tend to let in heat despite the more or less comfy AC. I actually made a lot of forward movement in my work tasks, so I guess things must be slowing down despite it being an inspection week (everyone seemed to need me yesterday but not so much today), and I was able to beat as much heat as possible on the homeward commute going through the air-conditioned Moynihan train station and Penn Station. The problem seemed to be that my legs weren't working, so the two-avenue slog was difficult. Add to that subway delays (caused by system issues, probably also heat-related) and the elevator being out where I exit in my neighborhood, meaning I had to walk VERY SLOWLY (as is my current wont) down THREE flights of stairs, and I was out for the count by the time I walked up the two flights of stairs in the house to get to our apartment. I just want to sleep now, hoping for more manageable stuff tomorrow when I work from home. I hear the heat will finally break on Thursday, so I'm just laying low until then.

Big Bills

As we have no idea at this point when we'll be buying a new car, I decided to renew my registration and insurance now, as Robin had looked up that it's easy enough to transfer both to a new vehicle. Now that those payments are out of the way (and OMG the auto insurance bill has jumped!) I can once again concentrate on work, which will also keep my mind occupied during this mini heat wave. I had notions of coming in today for the start of another inspection week, but I've been up since 4:30 AM and was in no shape to travel, even though my head now feels a lot clearer. So I took care of all the inspection issues (one from the PCAOB team and umpteen from the engagement liaison) and even made headway with the meeting scheduling I've been doing. All in all a decent work-from-home day. Now I just have to gear up for the searing heat tomorrow.

A Fair For All, and No Fare to Anybody

I tried to warn myself not to get too cocky about being over this illness, particularly as Robin is still in its grips, but my body wanted to move and, more importantly, I wanted to go to our local block party as there was a good chance the lobster food truck would be there. It was hot, and it was not. Glad I wore a hat, but with all the walking I was very glad it was a fairly short trip and I was home again within an hour. It's supposed to be even worse tomorrow and hotter still on Tuesday (when I can no longer postpone going into the city), so I'll just have to power through and be outside as little as possible. Which is, of course, not at all tomorrow.

Empty Vehicle

While Robin's been pretty felled this last couple days by the illness that snagged me earlier in the week, I felt well enough today to venture down then up our two flights of stairs twice carrying things we've accumulated in the car's trunk, glove box, and center console over much of the last 22 years. I was a bit winded after each trip, but recovered in fairly short order. I really think this stupid head cold thingie is behind me now, and hope that Robin follows suit tomorrow as he wasn't up to food shopping today (hence my decision re the car). We stayed in, tried to ignore screechy children and Hot Tub Hector (different houses, because of how our house is situated we have about a dozen backyards facing us on all four sides) by watching the FA Cup, golf, the Preakness, and the Yankees v Mets. Hey, New York won! Actually, I kept switching between the Subway Series and the Banana Ball game, but enjoyed both; I'm one of that rare breed who roots for both my home baseball teams. Even managed to do some cooking, as we'd run out of fridge dinners so I boiled some buccatini for dinner because I'm fancy that way.

Coming Out the Other Side

Not a bathroom reference, fortunately. My head was still a bit foggy this morning, but I didn't use any Nyquil last night and was able to breathe okay for the most part today. I'm never so happy health-wise as when I can quit the nasal spray and nose drops, having been somewhat addicted to them earlier in my life (and I maintain to this day that addiction led to my atrial fibrillation episode but I can't prove it medically). With any luck I can actually get some errands done this weekend, although now it appears Robin's picked up the illness so I think that's put paid to car shopping since we're trying Paramus NJ as our next stop. At least I made good headway at work and got everyone's expense reports and timesheets in by the mid-month deadline. Can't wait until my head clears totally!

Lentil Lady Down and Out

First off, no regrets. I'm glad I went into the office today to help out with the US Hunger Project, filling bags of food for hungry New Yorkers, especially when I was informed that only about 25% of those who'd signed up actually showed. I was assigned in an assembly line to fill the bags with lentils. Still, after 45 minutes with a hairnet and gloves and a mask (so that nobody else catches this lurgy) and repetitive scoop-and-fill motion, I had to excuse myself. I was going to head home right away but it was easier to sit still at my workstation, get some work done, then leave at lunchtime to spend the rest of the day working from home. I timed things well, there was a smoke condition in the East River tunnel and things were just beginning to escalate at Penn Station, so I made it to the subway platform before the major craziness (thank goodness subways weren't affected at any rate). My head has been gradually clearing just enough for me to think straight and get my work done, but I still feel sluggish. Let's see what tomorrow brings!

Still Ugh-y

I realized I have to go back into Manhattan tomorrow as (1) I promised to help with another Community Impact Day (Week) activity and (2) I left my backpack in my temporary locker which expires tomorrow. Ah well, I'm grateful that this illness is literally all in my head, and other parts don't seem to be affected (could be so much worse, like a persistent cough or body aches), so I can maneuver around okay, I just can't really concentrate because, you know, that takes a clear head. Fortunately I have a lot of goodwill built up among the folks I support, so they're very understanding, and I'm taking an hour or two here and there as PTO to rest up. We'll see what tomorrow brings!

Impacted

Well, I did schlep into Manhattan this morning and did a few Community Impact Day activities with my work colleagues, which is usually fun except I kept needing to sneeze and couldn't breathe very well, so I gave up around 3:15 and came home after pretty much working a full day anyway. Definitely staying put tomorrow, hoping to finally lick this illness. Ugh.