Robin is wise.

If TCG's mother can't like or at least accept you, there's no one she'll accept. Her loss. I'd love to have you as a DiL.

re: Word

People, all I ask is that you learn to use styles and then use them consistently! And the automatic numbering is bullshit. I avoid it when at all possible. I just create a style that has the formatting I like (hanging indent, the right leading etc.) and then number things manually. Saves so much aggravation and, ultimately, time.

sj, I hope TCG's mom turns around and is surprisingly accepting of the news.

I just create a style that has the formatting I like

My biggest nightmares when doing Word support was when people would inherit big documents that had interlocking styles, and we had to untangle which fields were referencing what. It was like stepping on a land mine to insert a numbered table, because formats would blow up all over the place.

I enjoyed mail merge, though. Simple logic.

~ma all around where needed.

I am so glad this week is over. It has not been the best of weeks. And yet I'm kinda dreading next week, because we're getting a new director, which means a new boss, and I'm afraid that she'll spoil all the things I like about this place. Not that I have any reason to think she would, except that in her previous workplace she had an admin, and I'm afraid she'll try to push me into that role instead of treating me as a colleague like our current senior staff does. Mostly this is because of my previous bad record with new supervisors coming into places where I'm part of the established staff.

I adore all of you so much. I don't think there is anything I can do at this point to make her like me, so tonight it is just a matter of controlling how I react to her and getting through the evening without freaking out.

sj, your MiL should love you. She should trust her son's (obvious) good judgment and welcome you into the family.

If she doesn't doesn't, Pfffffft!

A 2nd year law student just wanted to know how she's supposed to find what she's looking for in a multi-volume set. I tell her to use the release number and date of the release. She repeats her question, "But how am I supposed to know what volume it's in?" I point to the release number. Finally she says, "So you mean I have to take the books off the shelf and look?" Yes, dear. Something like that. @@

Aww, man. I even have nice neighbors that I'm moving away from. I"m waiting (still!) for the truck to show up, and my next door neighbor saw that my door was open, and was worried, so knocked and came in, and her husband called, moments later, too. I gave them booze. Yay.

A 2nd year law student just wanted to know how she's supposed to find what she's looking for in a multi-volume set. I tell her to use the release number and date of the release. She repeats her question, "But how am I supposed to know what volume it's in?" I point to the release number. Finally she says, "So you mean I have to take the books off the shelf and look?" Yes, dear. Something like that. @@

Oh, as usual, dear.

Actually, she'll probably be all happy and fake in person and then call TCG and yell at him later.

Fake happy is a social lubricant. An eye-roll-y one, but an eye-roll-y social lubricant is better than none. Plus, no hangover after. So as long as you don't strain your eye muscles, no lingering regrets. The nasty phone call is an unfortunate burdon on TCG, and I suspect, a concern for you because you care about him. May he find strategies for dealing with these things that are both healthy and firm with the boundary-setting.

Thanks for the words of encouragement about the chaos here.

Oy vey. Now the guys who pack and the guy who moves (with the truck) are arguing over who is supposed to actually move the boxes and furniture FROM my apartment to the truck. Thank god this is not my problem.