December 2001

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There's something messed up with the phone lines in my part of the world. I'm posting this from work, just to let you know there probably will not be an entry later tonight, and perhaps not tomorrow, either. The phone company isn't sure when service will be restored.

I plan to used the enforced offline time to finish Christmas things (aka rattling socks and the last of the mailed greetings) and catch up on some sleep.

December 18

Multiple subjects tonight. First, for those keeping score, there are three rattling socks finished, and the last one started. And the only snowflake for the year is drying in my kitchen. I have also gotten out one decoration besides the Advent wreath---but the week is young, and I'll do more before Christmas.

Today's adventure involved trying to read the handwriting of one of the attorneys. He was in a meeting, and another attorney needed to work with a document that he had edited. Only problem was there was a word he had written in the margin that is no doubt vital to the sentence, but all I can tell you about it is that somewhere towards the end of it there's a "d." Fortunately, the attorney working with the document has another day or so to finish it, so she can ask the other attorney what the other letters are in the word.

Here's a hint: if you have asked me to do something freelance on an hourly basis, and I have delivered it in an extremely timely manner (as in, two days before you had asked for it), pay the damned bill. Especially pay the bill before asking for more work. That is all.

December 17

I was right, she was wrong, So why do I feel so terrible? I had to do it. She would have gotten hurt if I hadn't.

Her name is Zoe. She's a Golden Retriever who captured my heart a long time ago. And damned near broke it today. You probably know that she's the office dog, and that I'm her Aunt Becky. When I got to work at the law firm, one of the clients was leaving that same minute. And Zoe wanted to go out with her. With no leash, and uninvited, which are both big no-no things that Zoe knows. But Zoe wanted to go and was making every attempt to get past me to the outside door. I grabbed her by the collar and said, "No." That just made her more determined.

Which means that stronger action was necessary. I pulled out the secret weapon. My mother's schoolteacher voice. You probably know the tone of voice I mean. It's the one that teachers from prehistoric days have used on unruly school kids. It's the one that means the speaker will brook no more foolishness. Oh---it's also useful if you need to call out to someone who's across the parking lot, but that's another story.

Anyway, after I repeated myself, using that voice, Zoe looked up at me and realized I was not going to lose this particular argument. She was also rather surprised, since this was the first time I've ever scolded her. She quit trying to get away from me, and came into the office with me. We got settled in the office, and Zoe decided her best bet would be to curl up on her sleeping pad in Wendy's office.

I started feeling terrible about the encounter when Zoe didn't try to help me eat my lunch. Later in the afternoon, I wound up getting a dog biscuit for her and assuring her that she was a very good girl and that I still loved her.

For the first time in my life, I understood what my mother and aunt meant when they would say that punishing me hurt them more than it hurt me. I'm still not quite sure why. I know I did the right thing, but damned if I don't feel guilty for it.