Due to it being Administrative Professionals Week, our leadership gave exec assistants two hours off this week, and most of us opted to take them today to end the workday early. I kept my laptop on during that time in case of emergency, as the EA for whom I'm the backup took the time off as well and I knew I wasn't doing more than relaxing in the living room and hoping my neck gets better (taking a day off of exercising after the neck hurt pretty badly in the night and I had to sleep with the neck pillow). One of my partners called to let me know she's thanking me for Admin Pro Day by Venmo'ing me enough money to enjoy a sushi lunch with Robin and, not coincidentally, we plan on visiting a just-opened conveyor belt sushi place in Scarsdale tomorrow. I'm not sure of their tipping procedure yet, but as long as it's not this:
Via Laughing Squid. Please stores, just pay your workers more so this is no longer an issue.
Crazy commute home, as the President was apparently in Manhattan so midtown east streets were blocked off and I grabbed the first homeward bound bus I could. Fortunately I'd exited the office a few minutes earlier than usual and didn't have long to wait to get out of the morass. Unfortunately the ride, and the preceding two commuting days, was a bit hard on my neck despite the exercises I've been doing. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm going to have one-step-forward, two-steps-back days, and This Too Shall Pass. Speaking of stepping:
Happy Administrative Professionals Day (APD) or, as we used to call it when it started, Secretaries Day. I got a couple hundred in cash and gift cards from two of my partners, another took me out to a lovely sushi lunch, and one of the financial service sectors I've supported for the past half dozen years got me lovely flowers (roses and sunflowers!) and sugar-free chocolates. Plus tons of folks wrote nice things about me, and I was able to help and be helped by fellow admins, so it was a good day all around. Unfortunately my neck has gotten worse, possibly due to tension. Maybe I need a relaxing day-trip vacay to a spa. Or maybe I just need a Mongolian throat-singing heavy metal band.
A lovely day in Manhattan, even though it started and ended a little cooler than I'd anticipated. But my laptop is safely in my locker so it was nice to come home unencumbered. I got through most of my neck exercises, but I mustn't overdo them as I fear I'll backslide. I just need a vacation, or maybe a hobby. My cousin does Lego stuff, maybe he can teach me how to do a Lego Tetris game.
While the landlord came around again, there didn't seem to be any construction today, so I could work from the home office in peace, although I do miss gazing out at what used to be the tree limb. We got rid of a mess of trash, including a box of KF94 masks we never wound up using (we're strictly KN95'ers now, and those are now reorganized and to hand), and I took frequent breaks and worked on my neck exercises as often as I could, figuring I won't really get a chance to for the next few Manhattan-bound days, which are bound to be filled with AI stuff, although not as extreme as an AI beauty contest.
The desolation of No Man's Land (the tiny parcel right behind our house which has been fenced off and fallow for years) continues. The fence separating that piece of land from the concrete patio used by our basement neighbors is now gone, and all the detritus from yesterday as well as years past was cleaned up, and yes, that took the handymen all day so it was once again disconcerting to have all this activity around us and pretty much be powerless to do anything about it. I just don't get it, but there's a whole lot the American mind cannot comprehend.
The car is fine, I have to keep telling myself this. All went swimmingly well with our shopping trip, which was over and done with well before noon, and good thing too, because the landlord came 'round with some arborists who proceeded to celebrate Earth Day by chopping a large branch off a tree I've enjoyed looking at from my home office, creating more sunlight over an area nobody uses and more noise (and less privacy) from the Yonkers back yards which the trees used to dampen. I swear, every time we move somewhere lovely the trees gradually get cut down. The area nobody uses had two lovely trees that were chopped for no good reason a few years back, so henceforth when I gaze out the office window I'll see harsh sunlight and no green. Speaking of which, because of the disruption it was right around 4 PM when I finally got to celebrate 4/20. I refrained from trying to sell mirrors, because I fear my eyes are a bit red.
I certainly had enough work to occupy me for the morning and late afternoon, with a bit of a micro-sleep in the recliner during midday, so all in all I was happy. Robin and I had a chance to read through my "nexercises" (neck exercises), which are now printed out for bedroom as well as living room use; it's going to be quite the uphill battle, but these stretches are probably long overdue. Today's Lego-related silly site is an app that scans your random bricks and suggests projects using them.
Another fairly slow day at the office, so I had no issues getting out early for an appointment with an arthritis doctor about my neck. Turns out it's a muscle issue with (of course) some arthritis, not a pinched nerve, and the cracking sounds I hear when I move my neck are apparently normal, so I got a PT referral and recommendations for some stretching exercises, and I'm glad that's done as I was waiting for the medical diagnosis before making further plans. Now I can figure out how to juggle my in-office days with PT with seeing Mom with maybe taking some days off next month-- oy! Time for some Lego-related silly sites, starting with the idea of turning yourself into a minifig.
As the days get longer and warmer, and I yearn for more of a break, I'm rethinking my current plan of coming into the city thrice weekly and considering cutting back to twice, particularly as things were kind of dead today. I'll make up my mind after next week, as a lot of factors are coming into play. One thing is certain, I wouldn't mind trying out what3words for location finding.
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