Happy birthday to you, my dear Beverly, and much love to you and B. Give him a big squeeze for me, please.

Hugs, hand squeezes, and other appropriate manifestations of affection and love to those who need or want them. 2024 is not letting up, but Buffistas make almost everything better.

Great news, Calli!

Happy birthday, Bev!

Huzzah for clear scans, Calli!

Yay Calli!

Happy Birthday Bev.

Lots of health ma to everyone who needs it

I have a cold. Which sucks. I've been wearing a mask at work but have been lax with hand sanitizer. Also we have had semi house guests. M's 2 cousins basically live here part time now I guess. Or one has spent a lot of time on our couch and the other is here after her night shift and before.

It's been a lot.

All of the part time people have now quit on my team . And they still haven't replaced the full time person who transferred to Asset protection. So there is a lot to do at work. I do what I can and there is stuff that has to get done and it's going down to the wire but that's life. Also my team lead is on vacation for a week so there are 3 of us to do all the work. It's hair physically more tiring . I won't bore anyone with the details but it's one of those things that because it's taking longer there is stuff not getting done that means the main thing I have to do takes longer. And having a cold means it takes longer.

I haven't been doing anything artistic even though it was my resolution because I'm tired and get overwhelmed when I get home. There's a mess that needs to be organized but I get overwhelmed and...I'm thinking of chucking a bunch of stuff in containers so it's not in the way and I can deal with it later.

At work I did feel like I was able to help some coworkers with an inter personal work issue. Or one of them . She is around 22 and the academy trainer (a supervisor under the team lead) who is her 60s asked her if she had a boyfriend and then proceeded to tell her there is some guy (either a customer or a friend who is also a customer) who likes her and kind of pushed an interaction. The guy in question is "old and gross" ..from the description I guess late 50s. I had overheard her talking in her break room with another cashier.

I asked if she wanted advice and she said sure. I told her she needed to talk to her team lead and to HR lead because that was inappropriate on several levels . The biggest being that this was someone who is her supervisor and although the academy trainer can't write her up or anything like that it's still not appropriate. Plus the age differences involved. I hope she does talk to them both and doesn't just push it aside.

I have a cold. I went to work. I came home after 2 hours. My team lead looked at me this morning and asked if I was ok. I don't have a fever and was going to run and make it a half day.

But before I left I saw that co worker was talking to her team lead and then she caught up with me and said they talked and that her team lead was shocked and appalled that had happened and was going to talk to the academy trainer .

The neurodivergent and peri menopause thing is interesting. I never had good coping mechanisms OR study hormones. ..well no steady hormones until I hit 40 or so . I wonder if that has played a part in my improvement.

(considers endless kvetching"Say it again! No!" in wake of "Buffistas make stuff better," comments and conclude as usual that even Karl doesn't mean me this time.) Even though that is on every draft-dodging peace freak's secret wish list. I think I suck at it, which, how can I have impostor syndrome when nobody thinks I can do anything?! That is commitment to a persona that makes Larry David look like he phones it in.

Oh yay, time for my semi-regular bout of impostor syndrome because I've been a manager for not quite two years and I'm managing seven people holy fuck am I sure I know what I'm doing?

So that's how my day is going.

Belated happy birthday, Beverly!

Fuck yeah clear scans, Calli!

Also we have had semi house guests. M's 2 cousins basically live here part time now I guess.

Oh wow. It sounds like you really don't have any space to decompress after work and pursue your own interests, and work sounds logistically and interpersonally challenging. Is there any possibility of a different housing situation? But good on you for offering wisdom to that 22-year-old, my goodness.

holy fuck am I sure I know what I'm doing

Gonna take a wild guess and say that the people you're managing probably think you're great.

In other news.

So my Dad still isn't on oxygen, needs a sleep study to get a CPAP which may take 3 months, keeps falling asleep during the day while people are visiting and at doctor's appointments, and crashed his fucking car into a tree today when he decided could drive himself to the store. He seems to be banged up but physically okay, but his car is totaled and I seriously doubt he got checked out by a doctor after the accident. My Mom is currently sick (fingers crossed it's not COVID again!) and is struggling to deal with my Dad not being coherent and also managing his care. Currently talking with my siblings on how we can help, which we're probably limited in doing because I don't think any of us are on paperwork as power of attorney or have proxy access. And also acknowledging that loss of autonomy is scary and we don't want to do anything to make the situation worse.

I'd be happy for any advice folks want to share. Also happy for some "that's rough, buddy" hairpats.