Started Typing: 11:19 AM ET
Clicked Reply: 12:47 PM ET
I almost forgot about it being Monday/there being a new thread again! 
I went to catch up on the last thread and thought “huh, there aren’t nearly as many posts as I would have expected” – and then I remembered. This work thing really isn’t going to help my awareness of what day of the week it is! LOL! The good news is that I have a lot more time to stalk the MMP… the bad news is also that I have a lot more time to stalk the MMP. 
Work blathering, handily formatted for those who'd rather skip it. :)
In my almost 30 years of being a federal contractor I’ve been lucky enough to never experience a stop-work or furlough before: it is so weird to involuntarily not be working. It definitely doesn’t feel like a vacation or a day “off.” The invitation for the 3pm meeting with HR went out yesterday afternoon, and I’ve confirmed that my direct reports received it. Waiting for that meeting – the not knowing – is harder than I expected.
I’m actually logged into work at the moment: I want to catch any messages that need a response sooner rather than later (I’ve already replied to a couple), and I want my Microsoft Teams status to be “active” in case the boss needs to reach me/all of the program leads. I could accomplish both via my corporate phone, but my work setup is right next to me and as long as I’m putzing around on my personal computer I’d rather just be logged in and able to type on a full-sized keyboard when needed. Except for a lunch break, I’ll probably hang out in my home office through the HR meeting.
I’ve disconnected my government laptop and put it and all of my other customer stuff in the backpack they issued when I joined the program. A very weird silver lining is that now I can use both monitors with my corporate laptop…heh. Of course I’m not doing any work right now, but having the second monitor connected and displaying helps me remember that there’s no government laptop to try to turn on (a reflex when that monitor is black). Whenever I start working on contract close-out activities, the second monitor will be very helpful for the various lists and spreadsheets.
My stress level hasn’t changed since the announcement came out Friday afternoon: it’s moderate, but constant. I will allow myself to indulge in some feelings-eating, but am determined to not let this be an excuse to revert to my pre-surgery eating habits (or as close as I’d be able to get these days). I’ve even looked at my gym’s class schedule: I haven’t gone since my last personal training session in mid-November but I’m still a member, and most classes are included with my membership. It could be good to take advantage of one or two of the easier classes that are only available during the day. I definitely wouldn’t mind being in, say, a “gentle yoga” class with a bunch of older folks!
I picked up the Bricks 'n Brews custom stone cottage Lego kit from the event venue yesterday at around 12:30, and found that the organizers (who I know) didn’t have shareable instructions prepared. They gave me a handout with pictures of a completed model, and I also took some photos myself of the model they had on their table, but I’m going to have to try to figure out how to put it together just from that – though they said I shouldn’t hesitate to let either of them know if I get stuck. I’m intrigued by the challenge, but I definitely wasn’t up for it yesterday…I might wait until disassembly of the Batwing is finished before I tackle it.
After I left there, I took advantage of being less than 3 miles away from a recently-opened Lego reseller and finally visited that store. I was underwhelmed, but I did pick up a tiny little upright piano kit that was designed by the same guy who made the tiny little grand piano kit my BFFs gave me for Thanksgiving. 
It’s something I can put together at my coffee table in ~15 minutes; I’m not sure yet when I’ll assemble it.
I wound up napping in the late afternoon. I’d registered to attend a Zoom jazz performance at 6pm, and I set an alarm for 5:50 but woke up at 5:40. Woot! 
The show was great: my most recent voice teacher sang, accompanied by a guitarist she’s worked with for a long time.
Time to write some replies, then have lunch!
Such a ruff life!
(I truly cannot believe that doggio didn’t beat me to this! 
)
Yay! 
Also yay!
Sometimes you make it hard for me to love you. 
Ain’t that often the way…
Good luck! 
Aww, he’s Bailey-sized!
OMG…of course he would already have a name!
Hooray!!
ISWYDT 
! But I have no concept of what Richter scale numbers mean in actuality: how strong was it for you? Enough for things to fall off the walls? If you’d been upright, could you have been knocked down?
1 envelope = 1 serving.
If they meant for that amount to be multiple servings, they should have provided it in multiple envelopes!