Also it's really cold and the heat keeps going off at home ... the office is always chilly, so I have things to wrap up in, but it's hard to stay wrapped up when I'm trying to go through stuff.

But thanks Amy.

Toddson, I'm sorry. That's a heap of things. I would bring you a doggo if I could.

Ugh, Toddson. I'm sorry. Almost all of that would be nearly manageable by itself (not easy, but cope-with-able), but all of them piling on each other on you, and then the computer and the smelly lunch just to finish it all off.

ION, boss is in my corner and is instituting Event Planning RULES and a firewall between us and the other division (happily/unhappily, the other admin analyst within my division just got back from being dragooned by the other division into a decision-making meeting she should never have had to go to over decisions she neither can nor should make, and they did it to her solely because they know if they ask me I'll just keep robotically saying, "I'm not a decision-maker; you need to talk to our academic manager"), and so boss is now super-steamed about boundary-trampling.

I feel roughly 200% saner and 500% less like I'm about to erupt in ulcers after the three of us sat down and brainstormed. After all the years of Rage Nurse, I'm still not used to being in a place with an emotionally functional manager who sees protecting her admins' quality of life as one of her vital job duties. (Things got bad over the last couple of years because she had an aggressive cancer that kept her home for almost a year, and then recurred barely two weeks after she'd been declared in remission. She's now 3-4 months into the second remission and seems to be holding steady. So, so grateful.)

JZ, I'm glad you have a boss backing you up. And I can sympathize with the frustration of having to work with a, um, fluid process. I used to be (no longer, thank the powers that be!) responsible for doing the accounting entry for one of our programs. Lots of fiddly details; we have someone who's responsible for accounts receivable, but she refused to do it so I got stuck with it. Always - always - there would be something I'd done wrong. She'd say I'd messed it up but refused to either tell me or show me the correct way. Invariably, I'd spend at least a week, usually two (or more) asking her how to correct the problem. She'd finally get someone else to show me how to fix it.

Yay having a good boss, JZ!

Toddson, have you talked to any renters rights groups in DC? I feel like DC usually has some pretty good protections?

Oh Todd, that is a lot. I'm sorry.

I'm really unclear on what all has transpired with my brother today, but the short version is that he's alive and hanging in there. Friends are on the way over with more beer, and other friends are coming over later tonight.

I am sick and fucking tired of taking care of everyone, and everyone can just fuck all the way off and take care of themselves. My brother, my dad, my husband -- they can all fuck off and sort their shit out themselves without me. Or maybe they could take care of me for a change. But the goddamn sun will burn out and the rivers will run backwards before that will happen.

{{{Tep}}} You should be free of taking care of everyone! I know it's hard to actually do, but I hope you get at least a little timeto, I don't know, not.

Teppy, you absolutely deserve reciprocity for your concern and compassion, at the very least. I am so sorry that the people in your immediate family aren't able or willing to provide it.

Oh Teppy. You deserve care and you deserve to be angry

Toddson, that is a lot. Feeling like that and not acting on it was sort of what caused me to shut down and not clean my apartment. So I am glad you are interviewing. That sounds like a good fit, and admissions is fun! If I try for another job, it will probably be in admissions.