My knowledge on FMLA is patchy at best, but they might want the paperwork already in place in case the condition goes on life longer/recurs.

That or they're totally clueless and just doing it wrong :)

They probably also want to make sure it's not workman's comp.

Thanks, Typo!

We have a "quiet room" in my office - it was originally set up for, yes, expressing milk. It has a fold-up crib and a couch and is largely used for storage. I use it a fair amount - my back is giving me fits and I've found that lying down for 15-20 minutes during the day relaxes it enough that I can get through the rest of the day.

A previous office they decided to go with the completely open office plan (a very small - less than 20 - staff) since it was a weirdly shaped building with a fair number of windows. Well, the head person NEEDED an enclosed office. And then the department heads REQUIRED enclosed offices. When the rest of us were spread out on counters (seriously - counters) with little partitions maybe a foot tall separating you from the person across, but not the person next to you, they found that the noise and distraction levels were just too high. People weren't getting stuff done. And they had another department that ABSOLUTELY HAD TO BE closed off. So we had glass partitions to the ceiling. But the closed off department NEEDED PRIVACY ... so workmen came back and did something to give them frosted glass for about six feet up and the rest of us frosted glass a foot or two above the partitions. So ... kind of a habitrail effect.

My office used to have an open office plan, and contrary to all expectations of an introvert like me, I enjoyed it. It was broken up into "blocks" of 8 desks, arranged so that there was a wall infront of you and no one was directly staring at anyone else, but only a low wall between people, so you could converse with someone just by turning a little. People were generally quiet, and it was actually an enjoyable, busy, supportive social atmosphere. When they boarded it all up and put us in 6x6 cubicles like veal, I felt isolated. It took away the social environment that made me feel engaged with my job and my co-workers. That was about the same time they rolled out the new Automated Workflow Management Software, which was a near-unusable stinking pile of shit, and my job turned into paper-pushing drudgery. I was ready to leave. About a year later they instituted telecommuting, so I did. If not for that, I probably would have been looking for another job.

Last night as I was falling asleep, I dreamed that a tall skeletal winged being wearing a cape slid into bed beside me and wrapped a bony wing (and the cape) comfortingly around me and prepared to fall asleep beside me. It was rather nice. Then I woke up wondering WTF was that? if Death had paid me a visit, and if I should be concerned. Then I realized, well, it wasn't particularly scary, regardless, so I fell back to sleep.

Nora, I saw this article and thought you'd enjoy it.

Zen, I dreamed of Hubby last night, and we were walking through a museum, talking about all the exhibits the way we always did. This time he knew he was gone, but I felt like he was just checking in with me. He looked the way he did when we met. I could touch him, and we held hands as we walked. At one point a small Asian man came up to him, tsking at him about his hair, which suddenly was the wispy stuff he had when he died. He was remarkably vain about his hair.

I'm

I'm not weirded out by this dream, I'm just sad that I'm not going to see him again for a long time.

Well, you might have more dreams, but I don't think that's what you meant, is it?

No. But if I have one of those dreams every few months, I'll be content. Maybe he'll stop worrying about his hair. Honestly, an Asian guy a foot shorter than him popped up out of nowhere and took a comb to him, talking briskly in what I perceived as Vietnamese. It should have been Johnny, our town's long-time barber to men of a certain age.