Just before Thanksgiving, my office gave me a Holiday gift I will not forget: a two week long cold. Why on earth do people come to work when they are sick? And more important, why do not the people who are sick cover their mouthes when they cough? Well, the office cold finally caught up with me, and I was out of the office the friday before Thanksgiving, as well as monday. I drug myself to work on Tuesday, and was about to leave mid-day when my boss called me, ordering me, to stay at the office until he arrived because he needed to speak with me. So, I trudged back up to my office, and sat waiting for him for an hour and half. I knew what was coming, and yet I had to wait, sick and miserable, for him to tell me face to face that I was no longer needed in the office. I wasn't that I had done anything wrong, mind you. The simple truth is, that the industry is falling at the moment, and it was only a matter of time before someone was let go. I could tell in his voice what he needed to say, and I wish he would have just told me over the phone so I could go home. He did not, though, and so I waited. He told me the facts, and I gathered my things, feeling like I wanted to skip out of the office. Oh yeah, and everyone else seemed to know I was going to be fired that day, and no one told me. No one was shocked when I said I was leaving...for good. Oh well, I can't say I much liked any of them anyway, so I am on to bigger and better.
Italy is less than two months away, and I am a little overwhelmed at the idea of packing everything I need for a year of my life. I keep thinking ahead to the future, a sometimes not-so-good habit of mine, to the next year, and the year after, and the year after that. I keep saying to myself "Slow down, a year is a long time and who knows what will happen, or what you will want to do in December?"
Texas finally seems to have cooled down- after all it is only December!- and I am enjoying heating up apple cider, curling up with a warm blanket and a book, and in general getting some time to relax and do a little just for me. Apparently, the new weather has also brought a new guest: Frankie, aka: Frank, Kitty, and Tabby. Neither Mom, Dad, nor I am sure if Frankie is a boy or a girl. I keep calling her a girl, and they keep calling him a boy. But, Frankie seems to have accepted us, flaws and all. We think Frankie is pretty young because if his/her liveliness. He/She is gray all over with a stripped white belly. Mostly Frankie prefers to be on his/her own four feet, and loves being scratched. Although a stray, Frankie does not seem to be very wild. We have no idea where he/she came from, but low and behold, the other day is was outside our house. We all sat with her a while, leaving the door to the house open, and he/she made her/his way inside. We even left to go eat dinner that evening, and Frankie was waiting for us when we returned. So, we seem to be the chosen family. Now, half the time, we can't even get Frankie to GO OUTSIDE. This is a very fortunate cat indeed. Perhaps, if Frankie is still around tomorrow, I will post a picture of her/him.
