I have been with my giant monolith for 12 years, but in Four different jobs. I can retire in 11 years, but I don't think I will survive with my sanity intact for that long. Frankly, if I make it through the summer without having a hissy fit, it will be a miracle.

Aw, I wish I had a tuxedo kitten that wouldn't let me pick it up.

That would be better than what I'm doing right now, which is finding out that I have to set up a new renters insurance policy with an agency in CA and then cancel my current insurance policy in Illinois, because licensing.

I've been at my current job for 15 years. If I stay until I retire and I take early retirement, which is the current plan, I'll have been here 25 years. Early retirement may not happen, but man, I want out of the corporate culture asap.

I'm listening to a webinar about science publishing in Africa, specifically Tanzania. If this lady would stop telling pointless personal anecdotes about her Africa trip that mainly just highlight what a sheltered white girl she is, we could cut this hour-long speech down to about twenty minutes. Seriously, I just need the information about publishing in a third-world country. I don't care how scared you were about flying in a tiny plane!

Oh, she's discovered that many of the problems Africa faces are the result of colonialism! Yes, that's why the kids have to make paper out of rice stalks. And her two-day African safari was a NIGHTMARE, oh my god, thank god for the Masai warrior who protected me, look at this photo of a giraffe.

Her talk is over, and people are asking lots of questions, about all the actually important things she didn't talk about, like how networking works in a country where people tend not to answer email or their phones.

Hey, she got paid to tell travel stories and show her slides!

Abundant congratulations, love and joy to Sheryl, Gary and Now We Are Three! As the child of a pair of experienced filkers, he can no doubt look forward to a babyhood full of gorgeous and totally improbable lullabies.

In the stores I frequent, the Halloween fabric will still be there right up to Halloween.

In the craft store in our neighborhood, the Halloween fabric will be there all year, and you can always ferret out at least a bit of decor even on Valentine's Day.

23 years with my employer, at various jobs in various divisions but still all at the one place. No point in leaving now, as it's one of the few places left in the US with a solid pension plan. I still hold out hope that enough editing gigs and maybe enough energy to finish the two or three unfinished novels languishing on my hard drive will surface that I can cut back to half time, but that hope is definitely a faint one.

Aw. I have been missing kittens lately.

Me too. Can you be a crazy cat person if you also have a dog to go with the cats?

My co-worker is a tiny tuxedo kitten who will Not let me pick her up!

I think that constitutes a hostile work environment!

I'm working at my friend's pet store today (in exchange for pet supplies)

My eye slipped and I read it as "in exchange for PUPPIES"