Pix, that email reads as eminently reasonable to me. I'm sure if you were in a situation where this was happening to someone under your authority, and you wished to advocate for that person, you would feel quite confident that sending that email was the right thing to do - because that person deserves you to back her/him up. You would bravely take a stand to help that other person, and not even feeling that there was anything courageous about it, because it is simply the right thing to do. Well, guess what? You are a person too. And you deserve to have someone write an email advocating for you. The fact that you had to be the one to send that email may feel scary, but it was still the right thing to do.

I know there is other stuff going on around here, and I have lots of warm, supportive thoughts for y'all, but... I don't have enough mental spoons to do a proper meara. (Nothing earth-shattering, just exhaustion from allergies wearing on me, and continued depression/unresolved sleep deficit fun.)

I am out of metaphorical spoons. But not out of packing to be done. Dammit.

Aww. I hope you find enough of them to finish the packing.

Pix, your e-mail is sensible and assertive, despite a ridiculous situation. I hope it gets sorted out in your favour.

I have to sort out my garden - which is looking lovely since the gardeners came and I will put up pictures somewhere - and then pack for Israel. (Shir, I swear The Girl* will e-mail you soon about meeting up - she's currently asleep with a migraine, poor thing.) Am very excited about going somewhere WARM. It is currently 12C here. I feel that June should be warmer than this.

*I tried calling her The Wife. I can't. Maybe when we're in our fifties or thereabouts.

Anybody else awake?

I totally support bikers who tune their engines loud & especially at 4am when there are few other people on the road, it helps keep you safe. But the idling outside the window thing. Ugh I can't really complain- my car is probably just as loud.

[waves at Laga] I'm awake and getting ready to shower and head to work.

I get tuning your bike engine loud for safety reasons. But the way Harleys tend to be super-loud and not necessarily super-powered, while some of the upper-level Hondas just sort of whine along, tends to amuse me. Then again, I'm working from information gathered in my 1990s motorcycle crush days, so it may be out of date.

Have a good day at work, Calli.

My roomie is driving back home from WA right now. I'll probably be able to sleep after he gets in. That should be... about six hours from now. hurm.

so glad I haven't managed to fall asleep yet. Housemate's phone (which sounds like R2-D2) is going off. If you tried to tell me when I was 10 that one day I would hate the sound of R2-D2

Laga, your housemates are... rather inconsiderate. /understatement

I absolutely think that there is nothing wrong with citing the actual law when someone is trying to break it and screw with you.

What javachik said.

Windsparrow, I hope you got some good sleep last night and feel better today.

Dog is at the groomer, car is at the dealer, I am also at dealer using their wifi. And now that I've caught up here, I need to do some planning and stuff.

Why are the birds?.. oh dear is that daylight?

It's been a while since I've pimped my birthday, but I feel the need to mention that it's THREE WEEKS until my 40th birthday WOOOOO!

(Tim and I leave the next morning for vacation, and so we will *not* be celebrating my birthday until we get to the beach, because there is no level of hell quite like trying to pack for vacation with Tim. IN.SANE. So the night before we leave -- aka, my birthday -- will not have time for celebrating, what with the frenzy and stress and anxiety and cleaning and packing and repairing the fence [all that is only Tim; *my* plan is to pack and eat cake, although that will probably be ditched in favor of anxiety and cleaning].)

I hope your pre-vaca, pre-b-day weeks are at least slightly less stressful than you anticipate, Teppy. And if not, that you are generously rewarded by a lovely time on holiday.