(no subject)
Really mundane note, but charming: last night we all felt so completely miserable that we broke into the House Office (read as: I went in with a key) to nick construction paper and spent a few hours watching Scrubs and making Halloween decorations. The hall is now adorned with orange and black paper chains, bats, pumpkins, and tissue ghosts that I taught folks how to make. I made: a ghost, a dad ghost (ghost + moustache), a mom ghost (ghost + lipstick), an albino ghost (ghost with red eyes), a clown ghost (clown makeups) and a pumpkin head ghost (guess).
They are pretty fucking cute.
People are getting sick again.
Yesterday's Staff Meeting made me bitter. I get very cranky when people I like & love & respect are not picking up on the frustration and drained-ness of other people I like & love & respect. When a number of frustrated and drained people are in a room together, different things can happen: apathy, nonprogress, inspiration, empathy, or heightening the tension. The trouble comes when frustrated and drained people cease to have empathy for other frustrated and drained people, and this was happening in spades from all different directions. I have a broken empathy valve which means I cannot turn it off even when it would be in my best interest to do so. So I watched people I like be angry and not pick up on other people's quieter anger. So this made me feel anger, which I did not like, so this made me cranky afterward.
But.
My yellows for today are the berries on the tree outside Gian's window. They are bouncing in the drizzle and robins keep landing on the branches to suck on them and nibble. Sitting at his desk I am less than two feet away from three robins. The window is there, so they feel safe and don't mind me watching.
They are pretty fucking cute.
People are getting sick again.
Yesterday's Staff Meeting made me bitter. I get very cranky when people I like & love & respect are not picking up on the frustration and drained-ness of other people I like & love & respect. When a number of frustrated and drained people are in a room together, different things can happen: apathy, nonprogress, inspiration, empathy, or heightening the tension. The trouble comes when frustrated and drained people cease to have empathy for other frustrated and drained people, and this was happening in spades from all different directions. I have a broken empathy valve which means I cannot turn it off even when it would be in my best interest to do so. So I watched people I like be angry and not pick up on other people's quieter anger. So this made me feel anger, which I did not like, so this made me cranky afterward.
But.
My yellows for today are the berries on the tree outside Gian's window. They are bouncing in the drizzle and robins keep landing on the branches to suck on them and nibble. Sitting at his desk I am less than two feet away from three robins. The window is there, so they feel safe and don't mind me watching.