Odds and Ends

The mood, she is good today.  I am on an even keel. Pain is relatively low.  Hurrah.  My current assignment is not to wait for the other shoe to drop, but enjoy the moment.

I have given the kids an actual writing assignment, on the grounds that they need to be doing something other than playing MarioKart online, or watching Futurama on Netflix.  Their assignment is to write two essays: one about what they want to do on our vacation, and a rather more important one of what they hope to get out of the coming school year.  Middle Son, predictably, asked if he could do a simple list rather than an essay, where Echidna Boy already has his outlined.

There is good news in my life: the job I love will continue for a short while longer.  In telling me I was allowed to stay a bit longer, my grand-boss told me I do "fantastic work."  Very ego-gratifying.  The good thing was that I had already come to the conclusion that I do very good work, so that his words were a confirmation rather than a surprise.

I think the reason I do so well at this -- and other jobs I have held -- is attitude.  I fight to get interesting assignments.  When I hit a roadblock, instead of saying to my supervisors "this is a problem, take care of it" (although I have to do that a lot, too), I also say "this is a problem, teach me how to take care of it myself."  So the result is twofold: I tend to get more interesting work and my work tends to get noticed.

I need to contact the boss-whom-I-would-walk over hot coals for and tell her.  She will be pleased for me, but not the least surprised.  When I told her that I had to discontinue the volunteer work I was doing at the non-profit she works for because I had a paying gig with the Census Bureau, her reply was "They're lucky to have you."  There's  nothing like having people whose opinion you respect tell you you are capable to boost your confidence.

Oh, and someone passed my resume along to a non-profit and told me last night that they love it, and are simply worried that I will have another job before the end of August when they are planning to hire. I am very excited about this.  This does not mean I will have a job soon; but it does mean that I will be considered for a job.  This is wonderful.  I have no doubt that me being employed currently has helped.

Although I tend to be annoyed at the constantly boring weather (no summer thunderstorms!) in Northern California, the sky does tend to get an amazing color of cornflower blue.  Wow.

Rocket Scientist gets back from the Arctic in a few days.  A good thing: they have had minimal communications this year, so he has been out of touch.

This afternoon, I have had good coffee and good conversation, two of the things on my list of "Things I am grateful for."  Maybe I'll take the kids to Rick's for ice cream, and make it a trifecta.

On the other hand, I already have commented on the blue sky.  So that covers "the color blue."  And I am writing. Maybe tomorrow I will go to the ocean.  If I do, I will have made a good start on covering the whole list; other things will come up.

Just this very second, I am happy.