curiosities

* i returned to the office today, opened my top desk drawer (in my metal filing cabinet) and found a mess. a sealed granola bar had, apparently, been chewed open at one corner and enjoyed by something very small and furry. there were little shards of wrapper strewn amid scattered oats, and there was an array of teeny tiny mouse poops. i'd been in the office on friday and the drawer was fine, so this obviously happened over the weekend or yesterday. i should note that i'm as much a neat freak at work as i am at home, and i never keep any open food anywhere in/at my desk. i applaud the mouse's determination and nose for snacks... but i nonetheless sent a group email to everyone in the department to notify them of its presence. (aside: i named the mouse "leon.")

* i've been on vacation and haven't had any work in the past four weeks. like, not even a hint of stuff to do. on friday, i went in to work to get my schedule for the coming months and suddenly i'm being inundated with assignments. feast or famine, i tell ya.

* i'm still waiting to find out whether i'll be job sharing with another editor when my managing editor goes on mat leave. seems my colleague is asking for huge amounts of money, which the department can't afford (and won't pay). so, my boss is going to put forth a take-it-or-leave it scenario and see what happens. in the meantime, i'm the one who said, "sure, what do you need me to do?" pretty much right off the bat. thankfully, i will be seeing an increase to my hourly rate.

* remember my post about people asking for your opinion but, really, just wanting praise? the owner of the condo mom and i rented in florida has emailed her with a jovial "how was your trip?" message, asking after our stay at his place. i've drafted a very gentle but honest reply, citing all the things we found to be dirty/broken, for mom to send. we'll see how he responds. not that we really care, since we don't really intend to book his pad again... unless he makes a ton of improvements.