Nevahmind! God Bless Leona Lowenstein

Only a few short days now. Only a few sticky situations to negotiate -- who wants to spend 8 hours trapped in a limousine with those people, for fuck's sake?! Only a few opportunities to spend time with the people who piss you off the most key colleagues.

But I'm looking forward to Monday night. Not looking so much forward to the looong drive home. Still, it gets me to my West Coast paradise. And, as Martha says, it's a good thing.

And:

• Chicago was so damn good! I'd been in the airport about 20 times, but had only stepped out into the city proper once before for an abbreviated weekend. I didn't go out or anything that time, so this was an opportunity to just do it right with my close friends. And everything about it was wicked. Definitely a new vacation destination -- but next time it'll have to be Summer! The Architectural River Cruise was stunning, but a wee bit rainy and windy!
• My suite was closed yesterday, so I watched the show from backstage. It was about freakin' time I did that, and it was cool to see all the stuff that goes on in the Artistic Tent as people are warming up, preparing to go out on stage, and then coming back from their acts. You don't get the chance to see that behind-the-scenes perspective too often!
• I had a meeting with HR yesterday to go over the details of redeployment as it seems -- not too much of a surprise here -- that we didn't manage to find a job for me by Oct. 22. I got my immediate questions answered, received details on my benefits and rights, and feel a bit more informed. Still, I can't help but feel that we're not being treated with nearly as much respect as we should. It's certainly not the fault of our HR advisor, but who is stepping in to help us out? And by us, I'm not even talking so much about me, but some of us who are being fucked around by management that acts as if it doesn't give a shit the system. Very disappointing.
• Tower Girl and I have a new, non-sexual crush. Our new friend Leona Lowenstein has been around for less than a month, yet has managed to weave her way into the fabric of our network like nobody else. In fact, we've often wondered "what if" she had joined us early in the year, as she had considered. Nevahmind the drama, it would have been a considerably different year, I tell ya. Oy Leona, where have you been all of our circus lives? God Bless Leona Lowenstein.
• I shudder at the thought of putting all of my crap personal belongings in my car and hauling 'em to Vancouver. Still, I don't want to part with my useless junk treasures until I know what my next steps are -- whether I'll be getting an apartment, crashing with Suzie, or something else. Until then, I'll haul that useless load of shit to the ends of the earth and then some. Amen.

OK, it's nearly time for The View. Yes, it's a scary thing that my life revolves around that show. I, too, can be influenced by the stimulus aimed at the 40-something middle American housewife market. Yippee!

Happy Thursday, everyone.