Goals update

AB suggested that his cleaning the carpets in the playroom should count as a monthly goal.

Ok, sure, I can add steam cleaning to the list.

Yes, I AM one of those people that will add something to a list just so I can cross it off.

March is only about half way through and I have accomplished my goals. Mostly. Pillowcase dresses are made. Cross stitch is started. Spice cabinet needs to be remeasured and ordered. Then done! (OH and the steam cleaning is done!)

This has of course, raised the question of what's next.

In an ideal, money laden world, AB wants to start an outdoor living area. We have ideas kicking around. But alas... I just don't see it happening.

So AB has relented.

Office? Playroom? Master Bedroom? Downstairs bathroom? All good options, but the one screaming for attention. The one where boxes have recently landed.

The office.

The big need for that room is book storage. Or book purge.

And file cabinet purge.

And maybe a spash of paint...

Have a seat

I have these two chairs in my office. They are old leather, library chairs from the 1950's. The ultimate in comfort. When I was pregnant I would crawl into one and vege in my office. When I had to get up it was usually a touch of a problem and I would end up crawling out of them.

I happened upon them by chance really. There were a number of people who worked (like me) in the old library transformed into an office building. I had a crappy hell office (compared to my 2nd floor window office now). But at the time I was just happy to have an office because my manager at the time (Manager #2) was an ass and I had to beg and plead to get to move into this empty office.

A guy named Bubba... yes Bubba... used to walk by my office daily. He would occasionally stop and talk. Nice guy.

One day he came to my office and told me he was moving onsite and said he had a present for me if I wanted it. Of course, I told him!

The next day there were three leather chairs sitting in the hallway outside my office. (I had a sucky office, but it was large.) I VERY quickly scrambled to get my office door opened and scootch them into my office before someone came by and swiped them.

Since then nearly anyone who has come to my office has commented on my chairs. I have had a lab fellow, associate lab director and the lab director comment on my chairs at various points. Many meetings have been slated for my office simply because the people holding the meetings could have comfortable chairs to sit in. And there have been many jokes made about the fact that you only see chairs of this caliber in "high ups" offices and that I really don't have the stature at the lab to justify them.

I lost one chair when one of the guys in my former group lodged a complaint with someone (Manager #2) that I didn't really have a need for sll three chairs. And even though I was in another group at the time, crafts came by one day and hauled one off for him. I was ticked.

Because honestly, nearly anyone could have walked up to me and said, "can I have one of your chairs?" and I would have probably said yes. This is still the case. (Now I will find out who really reads my blog.)

A few months ago Manager #2 was deposed of his position (he wasn't my manager at the time) and he landed in the office neighboring mine. I always found it funny that the manager who lectured me on office hierarchy ended up with the mirror image of my office and smack next to me. Though it did make me a little self conscious about how loud my Medela breast pump was.

He always makes a point of making small talk with me when we find ourselves standing in the lunchroom at the same time. And he stands way too close when he does so... almost like he is trying to pretend like we are old buds, or he is letting me in on some secret. Actually he isn't a bad guy... just not one of my favorites given my pass over for promotion the year I was pregnant, my funded proposal being handed to someone else while on maternity leave and his refusing me an office and telling me to buy a power supply so I could pump in the bathroom. A little clueless managing a group of 72 men and 4 women at the time, but actually a nice guy.

He told me today that he noticed I had "managed" to finagle my famous chairs out of the old building and into my office.

Yep, I replied. It didn't seem that hard, I just told crafts what I wanted hauled to my new office and they did it.

"Yeah," he told me, "you know James lost his chair when he moved onsite. He tried everything to keep his chair and other antique 1950's furniture he collected while here, but they wouldn't let him take it with him to the main site."

Fear filled my heart. I am moving sometime this spring onto the main site. I might not get to take my chairs with?

All of a sudden reasons why Bubba passed his chairs onto me when moving onsite made sense. Well they didn't make sense. But I remember him saying, "you can have them as long as you stay offsite, if you move onsite you can't have them anymore".

I had thought he was just passing on a legacy to me... a legacy that those of us forced to live offsite got at least a little luxury.

Nope. Turned out he passed on legacy waste instead.

A couple of leather chairs from the old long gone library of the 1950's. Deemed as waste and therefore not "moveable".

Sad.

I told Manager #2 I suppose he could put in his request for my chairs now since I too would be bailing from offsite life for the gleaming palace in the distance. Or at least the land of trees and grass between buildings.

I could see the wheels rolling in his mind.

Must find a deserving soul to pass my chairs onto before I move and before Manager #2's request comes in.