not just the assumption that you have no friends, but just that you have no plans.

I often spend the day of my birthday alone. by choice. I go shopping, I go wandering, doing what I feel like. DH once happened to mention to someone that I was spending my birthday alone - luckily when that person called me, they understood that I wanted to be alone.

not just the assumption that you have no friends, but just that you have no plans.

We always ask each other. Some years, I want to go out. Some years, I don't or can't. No one ever pressures me into doing something if I'd rather not.

ETA: Okay. Except for my mother. But she's the one who actually labored on the day of my birth so she's allowed.

Allyson, my birthday wish for you is that you get to do exactly what you want this evening. And that the coming year is filled with getting to do what you want when you want to.

Good one. I share this wish!

I don't remember if I ever found any free ones.

I think I've found some. SPICE seems to be a simulator model of some sort. But the list of free apps is over ten years old. So I have a little more poking left to do.

I third Beverly's wish! Which I think makes it official; so you may now curl up with Ruby, the book/movie/teevee show of your choice, and a sweet or savory treat (or both; it's your birthday, after all) and enjoy yourself without guilt or neighborly recriminations.

last week: "why am I getting these emails?" "it's receipting - the company has decided to go down to one email per account, and you, big boss, are the account holder." "Please look into sending them to somewhere where all of my department can get them" ::not my job.:: ::soooo not my job:::

later last week: ::ok fine.:: ::1 hour on hold with account services because main account email cannot be changed online. much bitching and moaning::

today: "the emails will now go to universalxaddress@xxxx.com, on your request." "kthanksgreatjobbye" ::@@::

later today: 'why are we getting these emails?' "because your boss requested it." 'we don't want them - send them to [temp admin-assistant] and she'll stick them in a folder, k? ::so not my job. so not your job to decide that you'll be missing some important email about account service discontinuation or something:: feh. leaving... 3 months, 5 days - and counting. I wonder who will remember where that email address was when I'm gone...

but the question for the hivemind is this:

- I need to get bigboss to ok or quash any change to the email... and I am NOT going to have the vendor shift it to a single-named email again, nor do I want to do this again - it is a huge waste of everyone's time. but all I have is the email from 3 of her staff that says "we don't want to receive these" after she asked for them to do so. Do I reply to middle-manager 1 and suggest that bigboss needs pulled into conversation in order to ok any change (and set out the reasons why)? Do I resist my urge to cc: bigboss on the "we don't care" and "sorry to be a pain" emails? help, hivemind - you'll know what to do.

I would cc bigboss.

And also, why don't they have a group distrib list, or a separate e-mail account bucket (and someone responsible for checking it) for these purposes.

Get a clue, stoooopid people who upset Sox.

My only advice is not to send any "sorry to be a pain" emails. Just say what you need whoever to do, and leave it at that.

Not saying sorry is the biggest thing I'm taking away from this ridonk professional development thing I've been doing, and I do think it makes me seem more powerful or whatever.

Not saying sorry is the biggest thing I'm taking away from this ridonk professional development thing I've been doing, and I do think it makes me seem more powerful or whatever.

So. Very. This.

The whole "sorry" thing (unless, of course you threw a bleach-filled water balloon into the person's office for 'fun') just screams an invitation to disrespect.

I'm not sure I'd cc the angsty emails. I would, however, create a document with the progression of events and a plan for fixing the problem.

Much more likely to get the 'you saved me so much hassle, go ahead and do it' response from the bigboss.

I've got Dylan's Forever Young sung by Baez in my head. I know why. It is a wish unrealized for scrappy's niece. Isn't entirely appropriate, but it is what visits me. And damnit, my ipod needs charging.

I get cc'd on so freaking much that my inbox is currently 1000+ and I still haven't dealt with monday's email. Crap.