Posted this in the wrong thread earlier, trying again… we’ll see if it works!
Today is our annual staff dinner. Historically held in January as a reward and thank-you for surviving the holiday blitz, we held it outdoors last year, but this year the bosses wanted to support a good local restaurant. Got an entire room to isolate from the rest of the space.
I am very nervous about attending, but I think it’s kinda mandatory. Was planning on ducking out pretty early.
Last night, my partner informs me that she doesn’t feel comfortable attending. That’s fine, I’m not comfortable attending, and the numbers in Ontario are pretty grim. I get it, it’s mandatory for me to be there, not her, so no big deal. She can stay home and be safe, and I’ll continue to risk my neck at work… unmasked, sure, but with two orders of magnitude fewer people around… about 15 people when you factor in employees and spouses.
She then proceeds to chew me out for going. No, I don’t want to go, yes I know it’s a risk, but this is the one social event my work has all year and if I don’t attend I’m really nervous about what the bosses will think. Starts saying that she will be super disappointed if I get COVID at this thing after being so paranoid about it for two years, and that I’m putting our friends at risk and so on an so forth.
I think I’m mad because she’s right, but there’s nothing I can do about it that doesn’t put me in trouble somewhere? If I go, Andy is pissed. If I don’t go, my bosses are pissed. Like, all she had to do was she she wasn’t going, that she understands I still have to go, and boom, no problem…
Well, I would probably handle a thing like that by isolating a bit more after the event and disclosing it to anyone who would want to meet with you. Sadly, this is not a solution for your partner.
I went to my „social“ work event this week because I also felt I had to be there. It ended up giving me a migraine rather than covid (it was only Thursday so there obviously is still some time to figure that out) and I had to cancel a visit with friends for this week-end, whom I only get to see a couple of times a year even during non-pandemic times. So that sucks.
If I caught covid from a colleague, I would hope I would find out in time to isolate from my partner as well. I had to take public transport though and that is by far the bigger risk. I‘ll be quite alert for any symptoms for a few days.
These are shit times for our social lives. But these are also shit times for our working lives. And sometimes we need to make nice for the latter as well… those of us with secure enough jobs may not have to but as a freelancer I had to.
We’ve gotten lucky with the new kiddo, as he seems to like eating and napping at fairly regular intervals, so his mom can get some decent rest and I can make some decent progress on keeping the household from completely devolving into chaos.
I was even able to complete a grad course and we got to play a couple games together!
We’ve entered into Burn the Whole State Down season here in Idaho, which means 100+ heat and real bad air quality. This kid’s going to get to know the sound of rolling dice and shuffling cards really well.
I get where both of you are on this. We’ve been really slowly coming out of our shells and I think we’ve both had times when the other one has moved faster than the other one expected.
Don’t do it! FCM contains no ice-cold beverages, despite what the packaging may suggest! (I mean, you can buy it if you like… just be aware that nothing inside is easily digestible)
My partner isn’t as worried about me making her sick today… which, again, means she was upset just long enough to make sure that I was miserable and stressed out the whole time, but it doesn’t seem to be bothering her any more.
I love this woman, but gods, she really grinds my gears sometimes.
I’m doing better than expected, because at the last minute I was told to work from home today (as in, I’d already taken the only non-cancelled train and was due to be an hour late, and was just leaving the station to hike up the hill to work). This is because it was pointed out there might be no trains at all tonight and I’d be stuck in the city! So I’m in an air-conditioned cafe instead
I’ve had a nice week off, capped by finally publishing a scenario I’ve been working on for 7 entire years. It’s a really good feeling to actually see through one of the many projects I’ve started and a confidence boost that I can. No idea if anyone will buy it, but that’s a separate issue!
My husband and I closed on our new house so I am also a homeowner for the first time in my life today! Down payment, closing costs, etc. are what have made me broke.
The rest of today is going to be switching utilities at the new place to our names and the like. Tomorrow is packing. Saturday we leave on vacation. Moving packing will commence at some point after we get back from vacation.
And now in addition to talking to all the utility companies, I got to have an unplanned conversation with the local police department. It seems someone reported my husband and I for animal abuse. They claimed our dog barks non-stop and is locked out in the heat without water all day. The police officer came by while we were at the house closing and left a note on the front door that we didn’t spot immediately because we come in through the garage. When I called to talk to him, he said our dog wasn’t barking when he pulled up to the house and only started barking a little when he called her over to him at the fence so he doesn’t believe she barks non-stop all day. I explained that the dog has a doggie-door that gives her free range to come and go as she likes. If she is outside, it’s because she wants to be, whether we’re home or not. If we are home, which at least one of us is most of the time, she has free access to the entire house. If we aren’t home, she has access to the kitchen with her water bowl. He seemed happy with those answers.
I’m just in shock that someone would report us for animal abuse. If it had just been a noise complaint for excessive barking, maybe, because she does bark after rabbits in the yard. We do bring her in and stop her if it goes too long and don’t let her before or after certain hours, but maybe our definitions of too long or too early and too late don’t match someone else’s. But animal cruelty or neglect or abuse or anything like that!? No way!
