So there’s good news, there’s bad news, there are pictures, and whatever.

Good news is I seem to have fixed my broken blog. I’m home in one piece, and I think I managed to stave off bankruptcy :p

Bad news is kinda myriad (will that word always make me think of the movie Heathers? probably). There was staff upheaval in my absence, and we’re stuck with an astonishing, condescending temp who is so sweet to the Men in Charge that they don’t understand why our jaws are constantly on the floor and our eyebrows at our hairlines. She is either unclear on who her immediate supervisor is (that would be me), or uncomfortable taking instruction (not orders, instruction) from a younger female. Apparently the even younger female who was here while I was away had even more serious issues. It’s always really great when someone new comes in and totally reorganizes someone else’s desk, decides what is the right way to do something, and who she ought to listen to. Never mind actual permanent staff and established procedures.

One more week! please, no more! Unfortunately I don’t seem to have the kind of backup that will allow me to say THANK YOU AND GOODBYE for a morale-boost for the actual admin staff. Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.

The worse news is that my Main Distractor had some kind of bureaucratic snafu and will not be arriving permanently as of next week, after all. I heard that in Berlin the night my laptop finally, definitively exploded, and it was quite a blow It’s not forever, of course; Plan B has him arriving in August instead, and he’s committed to coming for my birthday and the Radiohead concert here, that’s set, so I guess we’ll take the next steps as they come. It’s funny, because when I was emailing with Rodrigo before the trip, he exclaimed about the difficulties in getting a work permit: when Rainbirds came, way back when, they had work permits and social insurance numbers as easy as pie. How times change.

I’m happy to be home with my cats and dog, and they seem fairly content to have me back, although Choobie obviously wishes he could have me AND go swimming every day. Sorry, Choobs.

OK I will try to get photos to post properly and do the Travelogue now.