Suits you sir.

It's unlike me, but I've gone on a bit of a clothes buying spree this week. I bought a waterproof jacket last week in a clearance sale, and when it arrived and fit perfectly, I then bought a heavier one for next winter. I've also bought a couple of t-shirts and a couple of pairs of jeans.

I think that's my clothes buying over for the time being apart from one thing: short sleeved casual shirts: my summer clothing preference. Once (if) the weather turns nice, that's what I tend to wear. I've not bought a short sleeved shirt in years - since before Covid, actually. Carrying the extra weight always put me off buying clothes unless I absolutely had to, and now that I've shifted a lot of the extra, I could do with something new.

 

Twiddling my thumbs.

Off the back of yesterday's post about my Dad's house and my sister, I'm torn between calling her and letting her call me. I'm also toying with finishing off the work in the garden, maybe 90 minutes worth of effort, though the weather forecast is for regular showers. The weather forecast also says that next week is meant to be consistently good from Monday, so maybe I just wait until then? I think that's the best thing to do - I'll pencil it in for Monday evening.

I'm also waiting for a parcel that's due to arrive between now and 4PM. I can't really afford to miss it - it's already being redelivered as I missed the knock on the door yesterday, thanks to a demanding co-worker.

So I'm not going anywhere until that's been delivered. 

Grrr.

As part of the ongoing family stuff, my sister hinted that she was going to hire a skip to help my Dad do a complete clean of his house and get rid of all the worthless, useless rubbish.

"If you're not busy, come over and help!" 

I say "hinted" because she told me this yesterday. To the best of my knowledge, getting a skip with 24 hours notice is almost impossible.

So do I go over to my Dad's place tomorrow on the off-chance that my sister managed to order a skip and get it delivered? Should I call my sister to confirm that everything's going according to her plan? Should I wait for my sister to tell me that a skip will be delivered on a specific date?

You'd think the latter, right? Except my sister (and brother-in-law) are fucking awful at communication. They're inconsistent (they'll say one thing then contradict themselves the next time the subject is discussed) and half the time they don't bother because they forgot or they assume the other has been in touch.

I've been accused in the past of not communicating well (in work, mostly, and somewhat unfairly I think), but I think that when it comes to logistics: organising, arranging etc. that I am very good, no excellent, at it. 

So it always frustrates me when this kind of thing is half-arsed. 

Go away.

Part of the problem at my workplace is Microsoft Teams. I compare it to the proliferation of mobiles phones. People feel that they have a right to your instant attention just because you use it.

In the past, people would send an email asking for me to do work/favours. Now, it's a Teams message and because they have engaged you in conversation, they think they have your focus and attention to the detriment of my other workload. 

 Yesterday, I was due to leave work at lunchtime. At 1145, I did the decent, polite thing and let the other person know that I was leaving the office. Bear in mind that the small favour they'd asked me to do on Wednesday afternoon had already taken me a full working day and was nowhere near completion.

"Can you do this before you leave?"

"Can you get someone else to cover for you while you're out? We have a deadline"

"Can you do this other thing?"

I logged off at closer to 2PM than 12PM with the work still incomplete. Will there be a shit show on Monday? Who knows?

All I know is that I have already gone above and beyond. I have spent 1.5 working days doing an hour's worth of work because other people don't understand what happens outside their own little sphere.

I hate Microsoft Teams, or rather, I hate the etiquette around it that enables people to feel they have your instant attention.

Water off a duck's back

Luckily, Nerdy Girl's sofa wasn't heavy and it didn't need to moved too far, so my back was just about up to the task.

We didn't do a walk afterwards - there was torrential rain and by the time I got to NG's house, I was soaked through. We ended up in a coffee shop where I had a hot chocolate and a donut.

We chatted for a few hours and then I called it a night - my clothes were still damp, my feet were soaking and I just wanted to be dry and warm.

But it was great seeing NG again. It must be over a month since we last saw each other.

Back to back.

I've agreed to meet Nerdy Girl tomorrow evening for a walk, weather permitting. About an hour after that, she sent another message. Could I help her move a sofa? I responded positively, but I'm having second thoughts. I had some groceries delivered earlier and I struggled to pick up a 24 pack of Pepsi max cans.

I think my back's in a worse state than I realised, but I don't want to let NG down. I am tempted to 'fess up and give her a chance to get someone else to help, but part of me wants to try. 

Sisters

I saw this picture of Daisy Ridley and the person who popped into my head wasn't the person I thought it was going to be. In the past, I've mentioned that E's sister kinda, sorta looks like a cross between Daisy Ridley and Kiera Knightley.

And there were times where DR also gave of E vibes, too. Specifically in The Force Awakens.

So, yeah, it wasn't ES who popped into my head when I saw this picture, but E herself. When I first met E, she had short hair in a style not unlike that pictured below. But it's a weird hybrid in the photo - definitely E vibes from the neck up, ES vibes from the neck down. ES is slim, like Daisy Ridley, and out of the two women, she's probably the one most likely top wear something like that, being an ex-model. E is not as tall as ES, but has more curves.

And, of course, I love women in suits and below is a great example. 

I should reach out to E, it's been months since we last swapped messages.

Hmmm.

I do hope the apathy, that I mentioned in my previous post, fucks off. I have a busy week this week that includes an appointment related to the health thing from Wednesday, a walk with Nerdy Girl, a trip into the office on Wednesday, a couple of house things (mainly asking for quotes for work) and I also have the feeling that there's something I've forgotten.

I didn't go to the opticians. It was a logistics decision instead of an apathy one. On an ordinary day, the bus to the shopping centre passes every 10 minutes. On a Sunday, it's every 30 minutes. So having to work around that alone wasn't worth it for a 10 minute trip into the opticians.

Meh.

For some inexplicable reason, I got hit with a huge wave of apathy yesterday that's still hanging around today. Well, apathy and funk. And I don't know why. Most of the time, when I get into a funk, I can pinpoint what made it happen or the general mood that led to it. Not this time, though.

It's likely a combination of several things, but not one thing is screaming out to me as being the main culprit.

I've managed to get some washing done, I also managed about 45 minutes of garden work, left over from midweek, before the rain started. (Still a couple of hours to do, though, and couldn't do any more as my grass bin is full and won't get emptied until Thursday). And even this small achievement isn't making me feel any better.

I got a text message yesterday from my opticians that my replacement glasses have arrived, and I could (should) go and collect them this afternoon once the shops open but the apathy is still here. I'd have to shower, change into "going out" clothes instead of these "household chores" clothes I'm currently wearing and then catch a bus. And part of me is like "Meh, do it tomorrow".

Woohoo!

I've spoken about them before, but one of my favourite local bands is playing CB Pub at the end of June, according to Facebook. It's a Sunday afternoon, strangely, but that wouldn't stop me from going. I went with M a few years ago, on a Friday night, but he was unavailable last year. I'll maybe fire him a text message this weekend about it.

Typical.

With the family health thing distracting me on Wednesday, I wasn't able to get everything done that I wanted to in the garden. With the weather forecast not looking too great for the next week, I had planned on getting as much done as I could after logging off for the weekend this afternoon.

The weather forecast had predicted rain from tea time, so that gave me a couple of hours to finish off what I wanted before the weather turned.

Except the forecast was wrong. When I logged off at 2:15, the wind had picked up and it had started to rain. FFS.

It looks like the next spell of dry weather could be about 8 or 9 days away. Fingers crossed.