Strix, everything you're saying is taking me back to a still-unresolved situation with a friend who cut me off for -- well, I'm still trying to figure it out, four+ years on. She cut a lot of people out of her life before and since, so in a sense I know it's HER, but it still hurts.

Suzi, I'm so sorry. HR should bring in grief counselors at this point, this has to be such a major deal.

I'm sorry to here that Suzi. That's terrible.

HR should bring in grief counselors at this point, this has to be such a major deal.

Yep, they will be there Monday. That was part of the announcement. I touched base with my boss and he doesn't know anything and is as gobsmacked as I am.

I started the day all bouncy over today being the first post season game for the A's. And as usual, I went overboard - A's jersey, necklace, earrings, manicure, blanket, rally towels, and I keep looking for our A's flag.

Since I got the e-mail, I've been whiplashing between grief and bouncy and then I remember and I'm back to grief.

In random work news, I have to write a report for every visit I go do. Normally these get sent back saying "Great report, a few changes to it" or whatever (sometimes "just a couple changes" or "had some question on the letter that goes with it") but I kinda figured the "great report" part was fairly reflexive. But then someone else covered a visit for me, so I got cc'd on the revisions part...and it was just "They're ready for revisions, blah blah issue blah blah". And when I responded to say "oh, I can explain issue XYZ", the reviewer wrote back and was like "Yeha, it was a really poorly written and confusing report". ...so I feel kinda better about me now?

Suzi, I am sorry for your loss.

Strix, I'm sorry for your loss, too - even though it is a different kind.

You know, there are times here when I feel so overwhelmed with my own crap that I can't reach out to others when their stuff overwhelms them. It's just that I can barely keep my own head above water, so that putting even the effort required to type something supportive is simply more than I have to give. But often I am thinking supportive things. Sometimes all I can do is wish I could think supportive things. I've been doing a lot of wishing lately.

Go you, meara!

You should feel good about you, meara!

Suzi, how terrible.

Strix, I am assuming your friend needed to do what she needed to do, perhaps because she is emotionally not handling what is going on in her life right now. It is unfair to you and your long relationship, but I'm thinking this isn't about you. It really sucks though.

The NY Times has an online test checking how good one is at reading people's emotions through their facial cues. [link]

I got 33 out of 36, which was way better than I expected.

I'm reading more about the details of what happened with the shooting at the Capitol yesterday. I have no idea what actually happened, but I know the streets in that area really well, and I can easily see somebody taking the exact route that she took if they had started out near the White House, took a wrong turn into the entrance (from that point, it's not really obvious that what you're entering is the White House), and then panicked when the security guards rushed at her. Like I said, no idea if that is what happened, but from what the newspapers are reporting now, I can easily see that as a plausible scenario.