I see all of you and wish there were anything I could do.

I'm about to be on vacation for two weeks, thanks to my job, but I'm carrying so much leave time, I've stopped accruing, so I guess I'm going to take a week in February for no apparent reason, because I would like to get what they owe me!

Timelies all!

Thursday is officially a holiday at my workplace, but I will be going in anyhow. (There are patient samples scheduled then.) Hopefully I won't have to be there all day.

I'm so sorry about your friend, David, and your uncle, SJ.

My friend and I decided way back in June that whatever coping mechanisms you've built up to deal with your life, this year is finding a way to knock those coping mechanisms out from under you.

I've been bucking two trends: I have lost some weight, mainly weight I had gained since my mom died, and I am burning through vacation time. I'm using 6.5 days around Christmas and after that I have 2.3 days left until the end of March. I started out with 26 in April! It's mainly because I've been travelling with my nephew to see my dad, and he works 5 days on and 5 days off, so holidays and weekends are meaningless in his travel schedule.

ION, yesterday, I put out birdseed for the first time this winter. Today I looked out and a rat was eating it. I had squirrels last year, but never rats before. They've been doing road construction for six months, so I'm blaming them. I'm a little worried about the fact my house will be empty (and catless) for two weeks. What if the rats move in? and have a party?

But Awesome Doctor didn't say a word about it, so that was nice. The only criticism about my quarantine 15 is in my own head.

Seriously glad that Awesome Doctor is awesome like that, Steph.

I haven’t sent my family any cards, I haven’t bought my nieces and nephew anything, and I know I’m just being spiteful about it. I keep trying to psych myself up to get the energy to put something in the mail, but it isn’t happening.

FWIW, that doesn’t sound particularly spiteful to me. You’ve hit your damn limit and the milk of human kindness isn’t exactly rushing through your veins at the moment.

Yay awesome doc. And right there with the rest of you. I am so glad it’s the weekend, and then a short week and then a week off!

I’m very sleepy. But have a craving for steak frites so trying to figure out the best place to get them (my first two thoughts are both closed, sad! The third is only offering weird full meals. But I think I found a place. If I have the energy to go get takeout)

Msbelle you’re awesome and already seriously tempted me with a ModCloth dress I have zero need for. But so pretty!

It’s supposed to rain all weekend, which sucks. Especially with the dog still on a bathroom strike when it comes to the yard. Ugh.

My condolences David and sj.

Pix, that has to be hard.

If I didn’t have Petunia, I seriously think I might be dead now. Not kidding. Being single and isolated is crap, although I get that being not single and isolated with the same people is also probably crap. Again, I should be fine- I have a job, I am not so close with my family, but I am not fine. I was offered the chance to go to work and I have been taking it occasionally and those days are my best days.

But we are locking down a bit again, so I don’t know how long it will last.

We have all been asked if we are willing to take the vaccine, and I might have a new project building a sign up for employees to get the vaccine. And those things energize me because ai feel like I am helping.

I'm going to bed an hour early this next week and see if it helps me to start getting up earlier.

I just looked at a Target order I was supposed to get LAST week. I ordered 11/29. Delivery was supposed to be 12/11. It has been sitting in a VA USPS facility for 5 days. DeJoy really f'd them up.

DeJoy, COVID, an increase in holiday mail order due to changed shopping patterns (more online shopping/shipping gifts to people instead of taking them with on a visit, etc.), FedEx and UPS saying, “Sorry, we’re full” to several of their clients (due to COVID and the aforementioned shopping changes) who then turned to the USPS—it’s a perfect storm.

And for once all my cards and all my gifts made it in the mail on time! Who will ever know?