My boss and grand boss are on a zoom call and I can hear my grandboss's end of the conversation and it sounds like my job is changing again. Not dramatically and not by title or who I report to, but in what our little shrunken department will be doing. Which is probably inevitable but I was already in a department that was quietly squeezed out of existence and I will be bummed if it happens again.

ETA the funny and frustrating/irritating part of that being how much of what I used to do as a core part of my now defunct job I am doing again because it turns out it needs to be done despite the company deciding that role was not needed

Marketing, btw, has shown up and they brought us all continental breakfast. Pizza with the new CEO in a couple of hours. Carbing it up today

Sophia, she sounds like a wonderful woman and I love reading your stories.

Ear morphine should really be a thing. I can deal with a lot but ear pain is so awful.

So it turns out I actually don't have an infection, but A LOT of fluid behind both eardrums (what happens is that the eustachian tube can get swollen from the congestion when you have a cold, which prevents fluid from draining properly, so it just hangs out and causes pressure and mayhem). The Rx is Flonase, Claritin, Sudafed, and prednisone, because they all reduce the swelling in different ways.

I didn't ask for Ear Morphine, but I should have.

Teppy, I've been thinking of you and the other Ohioistas while my cousins are staying with me this week. They have lived in Enon most of their lives. We have been comparing the horrors of Florida and Ohio governments. So far neither of them is winning or losing the competition, although both seem to want to top the other.

Friends of ours moved from Ohio to Florida last year (near New Smyrna Beach), and they've said that politically, it's like they didn't move at all. Being in the Which State Sucks More? competition is not awesome. I'm so worried for my trans and queer friends and family.

I had that happen several years ago but both drums burst. Freaky at the time but healed up just fine with minimal treatment much like the Reduce Inflammation group you are taking. I super hope they help you feel better very quickly.

Burst eardrums?! Yikes. I hope the not-ear-morphine helps prevent that.

T that sounds about right for corporate America.

Sophia, she sounds like a wonderful woman and I love reading your stories.

Thank you for hearing me! I didn't realize it as a teenager, but it was pretty admirable how she turned her grief into helping other weird kids. I have to figure out how to get back for calling hours since I don't drive.

The meet and greet did not have any meeting and greeting. I'm not sure if the new CEO was even there, no one pointed him out or anything. But I grabbed some leftover pizza to help me get through tomorrow. I may need to stop on the way home and stock up on cat food, I think we are getting down to the wire on that front. It's a WFH day so my plan is to just not leave the house.

I didn't ask for Ear Morphine, but I should have.

There were prescription numbing ear drops that my doctor used to prescribe for me that were the only thing that worked when my ears got really bad. Then the FDA decided that there wasn't enough evidence that they worked, and took them off the market. I did discover that a similar product (the numbing plus an antibiotic) is available OTC in Canada, so I got some from a friend there a few years ago. If I had any left, I'd offer you some.

Hi, all. I’ve been back in NC for a work meeting this week—drove down Monday and I’m driving back to MI tomorrow. I’ve been able to see some friends while I’m here, including smonster, who has done lovely things with my former apartment.

Sophia, I’m sorry about your mentor. And I’m sorry to hear about Shir’s dad. Steph, I hope your ears feel better quickly.