It's sounding blustery and rainy out there this morning. Olga will not want her walk! And I don't particularly want to leave the house either, but there's that whole making-a-living thing.
Oh, readers -- it's a challenging time here at Shadows & Light. It's been challenging for a couple of weeks, honestly. There's a lot of drama going on where I work, both institutionally and, for some people, personally. None of it is bloggable, so I can't really go into any of it. And don't you hate it when bloggers bring something up and then say, "Oh, but I can't tell you about that" -- like, nyah, nyah, I've got a secret! My apologies for doing so. I just wanted to let you know why my mind hasn't been on my blog as much lately, though I'm going to endeavor to show up a little more fully in the immediate future.
Don't worry, I'm not in trouble or getting fired or laid off or anything like that. Nor are my immediate co-workers. The drama is more around me than on me. Which I guess is a good thing. Believe me, I am not in nearly as much pain as some other people.
It is depressing, though. And anxiety-producing.
So, anyway, enough said about that. Sorry again for the vagueness.
Dave had another concert last night, this one for the seventh graders, so I was on my own for dinner. I heated up some leftover chili for dinner and served it over leftover potatoes, which is a little weird but tasted good, and I spent the evening reading the second volume of diaries by David Sedaris. (I just spent 10 minutes trying to figure out the correct possessive form of "Sedaris" -- is it just an apostrophe, or an apostrophe S? Apparently it's either one, but I took the scaredy-cat approach and rewrote the sentence to avoid the usage entirely.)
It's a good book, and funny. Come to think of it, I had a very Sedaris-like experience yesterday. I was reading a story in The New York Times and it quoted a man named Robert Beaglehole. I burst out laughing, sitting at my desk, and I could not stop laughing for three minutes. My boss subsequently looked up the name and we found that it has all sorts of noble origins relating to topographical features in medieval English -- but I'm sorry, that is still a hysterical name. No disrespect to Robert, who I'm sure is a perfectly nice guy.
(Photo: A night street in St. John's Wood.)
Chin up xxtits out
ReplyDeleteIndeed! Moving forward!
DeleteSorry to hear of the workplace turmoil.
ReplyDeleteI've rewritten sentences when I couldn't get the punctuation correct and no doubt there are times others think I should have. For mine, Sedaris' but that goes against how English people write St James's Park. I would write St James' Park. I don't really know if I am right but I try to be consistent.
Imagine poor staff anywhere Robert visits when they ask his name as they try to suppress overt amusement. No doubt dear Robert had a character building childhood.
I am sure Robert endured a lot and probably just rolls his eyes at people like me.
DeleteI hope Robert Beaglehole is a perfectly nice guy -- with a sense of humor. It can’t have been easy! Sorry about the workplace drama. Your blog has not shown signs of the stress. If I remember correctly (and I don’t know that I do) Chicago Style and AP Style used to differ on the possessive S names. I tend to rewrite my sentences when I can, too. But it drives me strangely nuts when I hear my elementary school teacher friend say the boyziz room!
ReplyDeleteI thought I remembered that whether an S is used or not depends somehow on the noun that's doing the possessing, but Grammarly says either one is correct. Despite working in newspapers for years I've never been great about style.
DeleteWorkplace politics sucks, even if you just on the sidelines.
ReplyDeleteHope it all gets cleared up soon.
I don't blame Olga. I find raising enthusiasm for walks.. and even more so bike rides.. difficult in this weather.
It will all be fine in the long run. It's just temporary workplace pain.
Delete"Intrigue in the Library" by Justin Beaglehole (aka Steve Reed) - in which a perfectly ordinary school library in the heart of London becomes a whirlpool of immorality, bitterness, vicious rumours and accusations.
ReplyDelete"I couldn't put it down!" - David Sedaris "New York Post"
Who COULD put that down? Immorality, bitterness, vicious rumors and accusations is a recipe for a best-seller!
DeleteWell, you've helped me more than you know. No matter what happens today, I'll be able to say, "well...it could be worse. My name could be Beaglehole..."
ReplyDeletePerspective!
DeleteI, too, am sorry for your workplace drama. Plenty of that has been going on at my school, too, but thank goodness it doesn't seem to involve me at all lately. And I hate to admit this, but I take comfort in the fact that the "mean girls" in the office are causing problems for other people who are calling them out on it. Hopefully something will change soon. In the meantime I keep my head down and try to stay under the radar.
ReplyDeleteKeeping your head down is the best tactic! That's what I do, too. Just do the job and lay low!
DeleteTurmoil--whether it is directed at you or others--is never fun to be around. Hope things calm down soon. For everyone.
ReplyDeleteI've been known to re-write sentences umpteen times when I'm conflicted about a grammatical issue. In your case, having a blog means you are sure to be attacked by some nitpicking grammar fanatic. :)
Ha! Surprisingly, the only person who ever challenges my grammar is Mr. Pudding. :)
DeleteHopefully the drama dissipates sooner rather than later, but chin up, Beaglehole.
ReplyDeleteI seriously want to change my name to Robert Beaglehole, if only for a day, to see the reactions of folks.
I'm now going to get a button made that says, "Chin up, Beaglehole."
DeleteAnything that is depressing or anxiety producing sucks. Period. I'm so sorry, Steve. When does your break start?
ReplyDeleteNot soon enough! We have another week to go.
DeleteTension at work is never comfortable. Hope things get resolved soon.
ReplyDeleteI bet you are ready for your winter holiday break! Do you get a couple of weeks off? Have you planned another getaway with Dave?
Yes, we get THREE weeks off, which is pretty amazing. We don't have a getaway planned but we may do something.
DeleteUgh. Drama sucks. As one of my yoga teachers commented last night, why can't people just be nice? Apparently a lot of unnecessary unpleasantness has been happening around her.
ReplyDeleteI was taught that if a word ends in s, the possessive is just an added apostrophe. Most my grammatical trouble is getting the clarifying phrase in the right place. Hence seeing the peacock coming back from yoga.
And maybe Beaglehole was pronounced differently in the Middle Ages.
Maybe beagle dogs didn't exist in the Middle Ages, in which case the name Beaglehole would not have been encumbered with the same visual associations!
DeleteSorry about the drama, but you were given the gift of reading that glorious name and that must mean that times will surly improve!
ReplyDeleteP.S. One of my favorite things to get at Wendy's is a baked potato with a cup of their chili on it. SO GOOD. It's getting cool enough to want to eat that. I can see a trip to Wendy's in my future!
SURELY improve! I sincerely hope they don't "surly" improve - ha!
DeleteYeah, God knows I get enough surly! Now that you say it about chili atop a potato, I guess that's not as strange as it seemed at first.
DeleteHi Steve, Dave and Miss Olga.....Yes Steve I think people have lost it in the brain or their home life is so bad and they bring the mess out of there with them. Even at dialysis you have to pretend to be sleep even if you are not.(lol) I asked this messy tech where is this little nice lady that I use to help her in the facility in her wheel chair. She said she couldn't tell me about another patient as if I asked to view her medical records. (laughing) I told her oh well, not you because if they said you said something you most likely did and reminded her that I saw her and the clinic manager talking about me but I can care less because you really don't know me to say anything nasty or worthwhile. The clinic manager sent my medical records to other facilities without my permission because she hated me so much and didn't want me there. She got fired. The one I was talking to yesterday decided she was tired of my machine alarm and turned off the aterial line on my machine. I sit there 3 1/2 hours without my blood not being cleaned properly. I caught it and reported her to the charge nurse and when Dr. Hanson came to visit by my chair I told him what she did in her face. (lol) She was missing for a few days. Should have been missing forever. Not only that she raised her voice at me and another patient and told us to stop talking. I cursed her out and told her if she keep it up I will request to be unhooked from this machine and beat the hell out of her. So Steve trouble is brewing every where you go. I stay home as much as I possibly can. You're not around mess in a health care facility. (lol) Keep your head down and act like you don't know what's going on unless it is directed at you. Then you need to show them you are not the one to be messed with.(laughing hard)
ReplyDeleteBy the way another nicer tech told me this nice lady have passed on.
DeleteThat's so sad about the other lady at dialysis! There certainly is a lot of drama out there at every turn. I sometimes think we've all lost the ability to tolerate differences and be more forgiving.
DeleteWith one of my daughters name ending in S, I too have struggled with the possessive form of her name in my journal. I mostly end up using just an apostrophe and calling it good. I'm glad to learn that either way is acceptable. Now if I can just remember that fact the next time I need to write her name in possessive form...
ReplyDeleteI definitely learned to use just an apostrophe, but it looks funny to me.
DeleteI'm so sorry you are experiencing such drama at work. It's a bummer when that stuff is going on all around you. I can't imagine what must be going on, but that it has diverted your attention from the blog tells much about how much of a bummer it must be. I hope it all gets resolved soon, so you have more free attention for all the beauty around you.
ReplyDeleteI saw that article that quoted Robert Beaglehole. Oy gevult. That's quite a name.
It's a couple of different things, actually, but all will work out well!
DeleteThere are whole books with weird names. Our gr sevens spent much time with one book and laughing hilariously. that's the first time I've ever seen the word scaredy in print!
ReplyDeleteWhat book did they laugh at, do you remember?
DeleteI suppose Beaglehole is better than Bunghole. We watch Despicable Me frequently now and one of the characters is British and his name is Ramsbottom which sets the minions off laughing.
ReplyDeleteI read a book once in which one of the characters' name was Longstaff and the Chinese in Hong Kong called him Odious Penis. Hopefully I put the apostrophe in the right place. If not, feel free to move it:) I get stressed too with apostrophes.
Hope things work out soon. The world is full of grumpy people right now.
Yes, I suppose there ARE worse options than Beaglehole! British English is full of funny names. My favorite street name in London is "Ass House Lane."
DeleteIn Sussex, there is a Dumb Woman Lane and in Yellowknife, Canada, there is a Ragged Ass Road. I've been on both. Ragged Ass Road has lots and lots of flowers.
DeleteI'm laughing now! That's a funny story and a very laughable name. I also laughed when said you changed a sentence to avoid a grammatical error. I've done that!
ReplyDeleteI hope the work thing smooths out soon. I can understand the feeling. My department head is retiring and we will get a new boss at the first of the year. For some reason, the thought fills me with dread. Probably because I enjoy working but I don't know how the new guy will feel about an 'older' employee.
I guess any change in a workplace produces a degree of trepidation. It's easy to upset the apple cart. Hope your change turns out not to involve drama!
DeleteThat light hits the leaves on the trees just right. Rather pretty. You have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDeleteThat's what caught my eye -- that and the shadows on the buildings. It was a lucky shot with all the light just right!
DeleteThat name cracked me up too. In this world filled with drama, it's awful when you have to spend your work hours immersed in it as well. It's like that now in my former high school between those who used to be friends and are now on opposite sides of politics, vaccines, and mandates.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame when those sorts of issues come between people. I think social media encourages us to put the issues before the person, which is a lopsided way of looking at things.
DeleteDrama, "ain't nobody got time fo dat"
ReplyDeleteI had a beagle when I was a girl- I KNOW what Beaglehole is.
I love that video! "Ain't Nobody Got Time for That!"
DeleteI'm sorry about the extra tension around you. That can really make any workplace difficult. I hope it resolves peacefully for everyone.
ReplyDeleteNever a dull moment when people are involved!
Deletehttps://link.newyorker.com/click/25988933.278673/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmV3eW9ya2VyLmNvbS9jYXJ0b29ucy9yYW5kb20vP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9bmwmdXRtX2JyYW5kPXRueSZ1dG1fbWFpbGluZz1UTllfSHVtb3JfMTIwOTIxJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1hdWQtZGV2JnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmYnhpZD01YmU5ZjUwNTJkZGY5YzcyZGM4NzFhNzAmY25kaWQ9NDkyMDQxOTYmZXNyYz1OTF9wYWdl/5be9f5052ddf9c72dc871a70B16d70966
ReplyDeleteI don't think that link works quite right. Every time I use it I get a different cartoon! Or were you just trying to show me the random cartoon generator?
DeleteYou already know this, but retirement takes away all that sort of stress.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking this week that I can tell I'm moving toward retirement age. My tolerance for workplace drama has diminished considerably.
DeleteDrama sucks. I hope for your sake it's resolved soon.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter likes to eat BBQ on a baked potato. Thinking how many dishes involve potatoes and meat, your dinner actually makes sense.
My son use to love reading Sedaris. I've yet to try him.
Yeah, I guess it does make sense. When Bug mentioned above having Wendy's chili on a baked potato, I thought, "Oh, yeah, I've done that!" I don't know why it seemed weird to me at the time.
DeleteI'm sorry about the drama. I hope things settle soon.
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping!
DeleteHope things calm down at work for you and your compatriots. That picture, top of the page, is evocative.
ReplyDeleteThanks! The light came together in just the right way. The headlights of an approaching car helped a lot, illuminating the walking couple and the roadway.
DeleteI've changed sentences many times to avoid a predicament I wasn't sure how to resolve :)
ReplyDeleteIt's weird but real how the stress of others in the workplace can leach into our own lives. No man is an island, and so on.
It's actually a good writing technique, to "recast" a sentence (as editors often say) when in doubt.
DeleteYes, the apostrophe after a name ending in S is always fraught with indecision. I try to recast the sentence and avoid it. Sorry your workplace is in turmoil. It just wears on a person.
ReplyDelete