Quite a week so far

Workload pressures and the emotional stress of starting a mediated process with my problem manager who is not on sick leave has left me so disinclined to look at messages that I am even ignoring my blackberries. Both of them, which if you know me at all means I am either near death or in need of therapy or an intervention.

It took two days of furious photocopying and a late night session of scanning, but I now have four years of detailed financial records ready for the mediator. I'll drop it off while ShuLing is at the orthodontist's, getting braces tomorrow. Hopefully that will go okay, since she has a cold and sore throat she has now shared with me. I have a ton of work awaiting me at the office, but I was looking forward to working from home while she gets used to the braces. Now I'll have to waste a sick day on being sick -what's up with that???

I'm hoping Geoff isn't getting it too, since he injured his pericardium playing rugby yesterday. He felt too sore to go to school, so I told him to get himself to a clinic. I felt bad about the pile of frozen snow blocking the driveway - that he had to shovel to get the car out - after he got sent to Emergency for an ECG. It's just bruised, not torn, which is a blessing.

Geoff has figured out a way to improve his math mark, which is required for his chosen university courses. He will be doing four hours two nights
a week at the adult high school, on top of a heavy course load next semester. I guess I should be pleased that he is finally taking responsibility, but I really wish he would learn from examples and listen to advice, instead of insisting on doing everything the hard way.

To end my day, I got to break out new sheets. The old ones had hairball residue, thanks to the cats. Oh, and the second time the dog broke into the garbage and composter, I got to see my neighbour's new little dog. I was putting the composter outside to preserve my cupboards from Kaboone's depredations, in my nightie, when the dog tried to run into the house.

My life has many stupid adventures. If they were more entertaining, I could write a movie script. I can't imagine who would play me.

Writer's Block: Recipe for Success

[Error: unknown template qotd]Work hard. Listen carefully and be prepared to accept different perspectives. Be honest about yourself - strengths, weaknesses, values, goals - and find ways to make them work for you. Know how to let go. Make time for those you love.

Bunny with a thyroid condition

Ginny, ShuLing's bunny, has a thydroid condition. When she was younger, I just thought she was fat. Then I worried she had developed a tumour under her chin. She has never been particularly friendly or lively, but periodically I would buy new toys for both rabbits as I feltbad that Floppy played enthusiastically with his big cardboard tube, while Ginny refused to do more than nibble half-heartedly at the occasional toilet paper roll. A few months ago, I spotted some salt blocks and thought they might make nice treats. Imagine my surprise whan Ginny practically gobbled hers down. Hers needed replacing befor Floppy had made a visible dent in his. Silly me - that lump was a goitre from iodine deficiency. Since then, she has lost weight, the goitre has shrunk considerably, and she is much livelier. She has destroyed all the Christmas chew treats (including Floppy's), and a toilet paper roll now lasts only a few hours. She is also more willing to tolerate petting, thought that may simply reflect the increased attention she has been getting since she got so much more active. If anyone I see regularly has unbleached cardboard tubes (toilet paper, wax paper, etc) and doesn't mind saving them, you would make a bunny very happy.