I grumped the other day, and then I whined, and now things are back under control. Sort of. I'm pretending, anyway.
Really, things haven't changed. I'm just accepting that there are certain things I can affect and others I can't. If I can't affect them, worrying and fretting and grumping and whining won't change them. It just diminishes my pleasure in other things. I'll let them go.
It's cold here today. It was cold enough overnight that the road crews were out spreading sand over the roadways. When I came over the ridge and started down into Calistoga there was snow on the palisades above town. Not a lot - just a touch here and there in the shadows, and Mt. St. Helena looked a bit paler than usual - not her usual dusky self.
We are supposed to get "rain" here, although it's so cold it probably won't rain. If we do get precipitation, it will probably come down as snow - a light dusting would be all since we're so low in altitude and relatively near the coast. That'll no doubt be enough, though. Enough to get us Californians seriously messed up and in the ditch because most people around here haven't a clue how to drive safely in the rain (slow down and leave more space between you and the other guys). The snow, if we get any, will be a real adventure (slow down even more and leave a lot more space between you and the other guys).
I did get good news and satisfaction today, so that's a plus.
The project about which I was grumping the other day is done and turned in. That's the satisfaction.
The good news is that the carpet I've ordered for the conference room here will be delivered and installed on Wednesday - in time for year end. Another bit of good news came via e-mail - a release from an obligation that is a rather pleasant surprise considering surrounding circumstance.
Now, I have a couple of phone calls to make, and get the year-end billing wrapped up (yeah, good luck with that!). But! If I get those done this week will be off to a good start.
It looks like our vendors want to get their year-end billing wrapped up, too. I got a boatload of paper today - all of which need to be reviewed and coded and entered and passed along. By ten o'clock tomorrow morning.
(So why are you writing this, Phil? Because I'm on my lunch hour, silly.)
Besides, whatever doesn't get processed (I'll take care of the big ones first) will be accrued - just like every other business.
Then I get to turn my attentions to The Stack. It's the pile anyone who works has. It's the catch-all and I don't care if it's an In-Tray, a Pending Box or just a corner of the desk, it's The Stack since you, just as I, probably deal with the easy stuff first. I don't even have an In-Tray because it's going to be The Stack whether or not it's contained. So I let it spread out and get comfy until I get to it.
Most of it will be straightforward. It's just those documents - a hefty portion - that are written in Asian characters. I haven't a clue whether it's Japanese, a form of Chinese (I have some documents from both Taiwan and Mainland China) or Korea - but I have to group them together somehow. That'll be interesting and that's the thing that's really kept me from diving into The Stack before now.
Unfortunately for me, my Stack is inherited and I'm not quite sure what it includes. Some of it I'm familiar with because I put it there after touching it and looking at it. A lot of it, though, arrived in the same boxes in which it's sitting. Someone left, I get The Stack from their desk. Someone moved, I get The Stack from their cube. Then there are the hefty portion that are in Asian characters. Hmm. If it were French or Italian or even Cyrillic I might stand a chance - change my keyboard and start entering letters (typing) and see what comes up and match, then translate. Unfortunately, with the similarities between the several and my total lack of code deciphering skills...
Last week I dreamed I would have this week to whittle The Stack down to size. Hah! Then I got my project. Then I thought, "Yay!" Then I got the mail. "Damn."
Oh well. That is the Truth about Stacks. Never mind if you clear it up this week, it will start to regrow (kind of like a mold or something) next week. It's like dust - inevitable and self-recurring.
As for me and my other world, I'm giving it over. I cannot keep worrying about things over which I have no control. If I can control it, even a little, I can fix it. If I can't, then worrying is a waste of time, attention and energy. I'll set it aside and deal with it when the time comes.
I even wrote a little (about two hundred words) this weekend. The first time I've felt like writing anything in several weeks, so maybe there is a bright horizon out there. We'll see.
In the meantime, I'm going to get started on the billing and then dive into The Stack.
Have a lovely day!
Best~
Philippa
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