JZ, I feel your pain. I just spent Over an hour with my replacement about ordering textbooks, which was a process that took me 10 minutes.

I'm sorry, Sophia. This is a pain no one should have to share.

My Costco was TP free today. Woe is me! I thought I had plenty of time to score another brick, maaaaaan.

How does the co-worker get away with not wearing a mask? WTH?

If you are a civilian working for the Army, you travel to New York for three weeks with multiple changing of places and two large events that are unmasked including a huge wedding and you come to work the next day and never ever put on a fucking mask or are asked to. Yeah, I told my boss I was shocked that she wasn’t required to quarantine given that her military husband is required to a 14-day restriction of movement.

So in a few days, I am testing, letting them know and I’ll go home paid until I get a hopefully negative result.

My general plans are that I test because it’s a good Public Health indicator and because people can be asymptomatic. And I don’t tell work because if you test, you are sent home. But a coworker takes a three-week vacation across the country, multiple state lines and likely a few super spreader events like the huge unmasked wedding she attended? I’m gonna get paid to wait for testing. I wouldn’t have to if people who supervise us weren’t dumb as shit. Their bosses will likely be angry. And I hate to burn a bridge with my vet because he’s leaving and him labeling me difficult will be difficult for me. But he introduced me to a possible civilian vet to cover for us in a way that doesn’t lead me to think my time there will continue for long.

and I have just compartmentalized all my feelings about never seeing that house again into a little lockbox in the back of my brain, to be opened at some later date yet to be determined

Oh, JZ. I cannot imagine. Well, I can some of it but to a much lesser extent and even that much broke me.

Dog is being barky and whiny again tonight, even though we went to the dog park for almost an hour. So annoyed.

The whiny you can often age them out of but barking requires training but also the right temperament of dog.

Mine has more anxiety when I have more anxiety. Nights we chill and relax a little together are huge.

She isn’t a huge cuddler either so she’s allowed on my bed and sometimes comes in for night nights and stays a half hour or so. It’s probably really calming for both of us. Then she bails to find a couch. On nights I keep petting her, I think she stays until she thinks I’m asleep.

Went to an actual restaurant last night. There were only a handful of people, very far away, and it was outside. Bottom line, I think I like staying home. I used to like going out so very much, but now I think how I could cook that, and my chairs are more comfy, and I could be braless. It just isn't relaxing anymore. Maybe after pandemic I will be able to relax more and consider it a treat.

My attempts (two) at outdoor dining have not been calming. One wasn’t even worth it.

The other more recent was for the Boy’s birthday and it was nice. He’s so social and has MS so can’t work full-time and his stonework gigs have dried up when you aren’t around people and talking. And Covid has locked everything down so much that I determined I need some small degree of socialization. The dinner was amazing, staff masked anytime they approached and gave us time to mask as well.

It did not surprise me to find out my stepmom and step step Aubrey went there recently. Ate indoors. No surprise.

We're as good as can be. The DH took early retirement (at age 50) to get out of this administration, and has been much happier. Mal and I had covid back in January (we were overseas in December) but mild versions and I'd been tracking it for work so we quarantined immediately and didn't spread it.

That’s good that DH got out, Raq. I’m sorry about the Covid but good you were tracking so early and kept others safe.

Would it be wrong to hold his presents hostage until he gets a Covid test?

I hope you either didn’t give the presents or he got tested.

I told him "You can re-schedule the visit with your dad for next week, and schedule a Covid test for Friday." And he replied, "I think that's what I'll do." 

Good job, Tim.

The plan was for me to take Molly to the vet today for some antibiotic and steroid shots in reaction to her loud, snotty breathing yesterday. 

Light pre-sedation for cats is common. Ask about it. It’s easier for everyone, especially cats having breathing issues. They’ll maybe watch her for longer so a longer wait (we are completely curbside for all but necessary compassionate euthanasia and that is one person only) but better than a tooth and claw tornado.

I'm just not going to poop for the rest of the year. That's my solution.

Very male-centric of you. I can not poop ever (and, as a lady, obviously don’t shit) and still need toilet paper. Especially when tracked on a cyclic basis.

Has anyone suggested, however delicately and encouragingly and fluffingly, that she's worked here long enough that she can feel confident in taking just a tiny bit of initiative and going ahead and doing a thing without quintuple-checking it through all the rest of us first? She utterly collapses.

She’s the anti-me. People try to task me and I’m aghast, do you not know me to reliably get all of my and many other people’s work done? Why are you interfering? Get thee far from me, heathen.

My check-in with the boss earlier was, “Do you need anything from me or should I just keep doing my work like I do?” Not probably as cosseting as I could have been. Should be, at least a bit.

Has anyone suggested, however delicately and encouragingly and fluffingly, that she's worked here long enough that she can feel confident in taking just a tiny bit of initiative and going ahead and doing a thing without quintuple-checking it through all the rest of us first? She utterly collapses.

Oh no, JZ. I know how much it sucks the soul and faith in other humans out of you. I'm sorry, and no wonder you have strong feelings about her. I am sorry.

My check-in with the boss earlier was, “Do you need anything from me or should I just keep doing my work like I do?” Not probably as cosseting as I could have been. Should be, at least a bit.

In my ex-job, I... really had to much to do, and it was management's fault. So we came up with a solution: The Board. A Big Ass Whiteboard was installed in my office with all of my weekly tasks, and if anyone came and asked me to do something that wouldn't allow me to complete other tasks, it was boss' decision to say which of the tasks will be dropped/delayed to next week. It might seem small, but it was a relief not to carry the guilt of "I had to drop it, dammit" and making my boss to choose.

(Wait, was it this board's idea? It sounds good enough to be this place's idea. Saved some of my sanity there, either way).

Ugh, JZ that sounds so frustrating.

Raq, I’m glad you and Mal had mild cases. It’s so good to see you posting here.

Cass, I’m so sorry your job isn’t taking everything more seriously. Tons of negative test~ma to you! And it’s also really good to see you posting here.

Light pre-sedation for cats is common. Ask about it. It’s easier for everyone, especially cats having breathing issues. They’ll maybe watch her for longer so a longer wait (we are completely curbside for all but necessary compassionate euthanasia and that is one person only) but better than a tooth and claw tornado.

Oh, the contortionist show and hour-and-twenty marathon chase was after lacing her breakfast with gabapentin, Cass. She only ate enough to get down maybe 50 mg, but was apparently very calm and lethargic until I tried picking her up in a towel. Fortunately her breathing seems much better now. Maybe I just needed to get her lungs working like a bellows all along?

Like how all the turkey farmers didn't (couldn't?) change how many turkeys they produced this year, and without Ren Faires and big Thanksgivings and such there is a turkey glut.

I was just talking about excess turkeys with a co-worker, and how far in advance farming decisions have to be made.

anyone came and asked me to do something that wouldn't allow me to complete other tasks, it was boss' decision to say which of the tasks will be dropped/delayed to next week.

I just learned a phrase for this! "Only so many penguins can fit on the island." So now whenever news tasks get added to my workload I picture them as penguins zooming up out of the water, and then I picture penguins falling off the other side of the island.

I needed DH to get something or me from Home Depot. I was going to get curbside pickup, but I added TP to the list, and that couldn't be included because of possible shortages. He went into the store and was able to get a couple 12 packs.