Well, I survived the first of my two annual hell weeks. It was the first week of closing meetings so work was non-stop. Other than Monday, it wasn’t too stressful though, just busy.
I had just sat down at my desk on Monday morning when my old boss from HR was at my desk with a data request from the vice chancellor. She had actually been waiting for my IM status to be available and so truly was at my desk before I even had my purse put away. Not the way to start the day, never mind my first hell week. The data request was not easy and she was at my desk every half hour or so looking for an update. By noon I was nearly frantic – unable to pull the data and worried because I’d been told the VC needed it right away. Well, I sent my boss downstairs, only to find out it wasn’t an emergency after all and I had a couple of days. So I went to lunch with Darla and calmed down. I also thought of a different way to approach it and so spent the rest of the day tackling that. Sheesh!
I worked late to finish it, which actually made my night easier because I didn’t swim. Instead I went to the laundromat to throw in the comforter one of my rotten cats had peed on while it was in the middle of the living room floor on its way from the spare room to downstairs. Then I went home and actually got to eat dinner before going back to put the puff in for one dry cycle to fluff it (I would hang it to dry all the way) before heading to the library to knit. See? Easier. Also, my swap box had arrived so I brought it with me for show and tell and gave away some of the little things I wouldn’t use. Nice.
The closing meetings started Tuesday so I was slamming to prep all the handouts and then do the follow up work too. The day flew by and then I walked over to The Ross to see the new Woody Allen movie with Marge. The movie was a bust. I knew it would be as soon as I saw that Woody was actually in it, playing his normal neurotic self, as usual. Oh well.
Wednesday flew by with more meeting prep, blazing heat and working through lunch. I got to swimming late but still went. Just two more days to go.
I dropped my car at the mechanic’s on Thursday for an oil change, tire rotation and brake check. They’d been squeaking so I thought I might need new ones. When they called at noon, I thought the worst but he said I didn’t need brakes. They were squeaking because they were so dry. Another victim of the heat wave. Nora was going to drive me there after work but we got held up and by the time I left the shop, it was 5:30 so I skipped swimming and went directly to the mall. I returned the Tevas I’d bought before finding my Birks, getting a $53 credit. Then I crossed the lot and used my 40% off coupon at Michael’s to save $2.40 cents on a skein of yarn then spent $30 in the bins. Sheesh! Then I went to Trader Joe’s and spent the rest of my credit. I got sushi for dinner and stopped at Anne’s to meet her new kitten and see her kitchen remodel. Anne was a good sport and actually ate her first sushi.
When I got home ~8:15, Pie, my ex-feral cat I took from campus, was nowhere to be found. I hadn’t seen her since Wednesday morning and was now officially worried. She always comes in for a few minutes morning and night to eat and this was now a day and a half. With the triple digit weather, I was thinking the worst. Maybe she was stuck in someone’s garage or shed, dehydrating. I called and called then walked the neighborhood, asking anyone I met to be on the lookout for her. I was dripping with sweat when I got inside, more worried than ever, so took a shower and tried to get to sleep. That was a no go and I slept fitfully all night, getting up a few times to call her and finally getting up at 4:45. When she still wasn’t there, I made a missing cat poster (it had now been 2 full days.) I put on some grungy clothes and was about to print some posters when she walked in the back door like nothing was up. I was thrilled to see her but also wanted to wring her neck. I was exhausted and had the whole day to face.
Caffeine got me through. Starbuck’s in the morning and then 2 sodas at lunch, which I had at KFC with Darla after thrifting. We hit pay dirt and I got lots of fun stuff – yarn, a big 70’s punch bowl with orange and yellow flowers and some fun plates and mugs with French scenes. The afternoon was over in a flash and I headed straight home to start another weekend inside because it was going to be another hot one.
It was a slow, lazy weekend. My cousin Debbie from California called on Saturday morning, which was a nice surprise, but delayed me getting out while it was still cool. Ish. I was outside around noon for half an hour getting plants watered and hoses set up and I was dripping. After I’d cooled down and had some lunch, I headed downstairs to do some sewing – lining a cute knitted bag that I wanted to enter in the fair. Well, my iron, which wasn’t very old, was dead! I really needed it but didn’t want to drive to get a new one so called Anne Marie and drove over there to borrow hers. I did finish the bag but at the end of the day, didn’t have much else done.
Sunday didn’t look like it’d be much better. I was completely unmotivated but went downstairs and did some mending before returning the iron. Then I decided to dye some of the yarn I’d gotten Friday, which was fun and it was so hot that it dried in an hour on the line. I then made roasted potatoes, carrots and sausage for dinner. Yes, I had the oven on at 450 degrees while it was pushing 100 outside. It was yummy though and the only cooking I did, despite needing to use things up before I head to RI on Friday. Oh well.
So, one more week to go of closing meetings and I fly out on Friday, which is my usual fiscal year end routine. The books close and I get on a plane. It has got to be cooler in RI and it’s always great to see everyone. I’ve done little to nothing about making plans once I’m there. I think it’s time to get on that.
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