Well, not really, but people keep handing me checks today. If only it were Friday, this would be a glorious day.

As it is, I have to stay late and hammer through my backlog of files, because I lost an entire day to computer errors yesterday.

And then my assistant reminded me that he's on vacation til Tuesday. I don't remember telling him he could go to Vegas for four days. Then again, I'll get even when I go to France next month.

Maybe it's the overcast sky, but I feel unfocussed and disconnected today. Even the jolt from a venti mocha isn't helping my poor brain wake up.

I spent the weekend in bed dealing with a rare but intense asthmatic reaction. I think the rain and the heater in my new house are conspiring against me, because now that the heat's off, I'm fine. Mostly. I've called PG&E to come and clean the heater and check it carefully, as well, because there's a funny smell when we use it. Not like gas or mildew, just…funny. The smell of an iron when it scorches damp cloth combined with something vaguely sweet. Whatever it is is NOT GOOD.

I have a million things to write about, but I also have 35 new files facing me down, mocking me with their newness and incomplete-ness. How dare I write in a journal when they are waiting for my attention?

Still, it'll be an early day for me, as the office is shutting down at 4 so the boys can all go to some sporting event. They invited me, but it's not my thing.

Ah, well, the files are winning after all.
Back to work.

I braided my hair today, because I'm tired of having it in my face, and while ponytails are easy and quick, too many make my head hurt. So I have pigtails, which make me look about twelve. Maybe thirteen. To quote the words of another journalist I read often, “It's never too late to have a happy childhood.” Somehow, the act of braiding my hair has put me in a giddy mood and everything is making me giggle.

* * *
Starbucks has the most wonderful ginger-bread, well, ginger-cake, really, that I've ever gotten from a coffee place. It's moist, and not too sweet, and even has cream-cheese frosting. It's even better than my previous autumn addiction, pumpkin scones.

* * *
I stupidly forgot to buy tickets for Harry Potter in advance, and now, per Fandango, my preferred theatre is sold out for the first week. Argh! Well, it's not like I /have/ to see it in the first week.

* * *
Flowers! I have flowers! My mother treated me to $250 of flowers for the bed in front of my house, and we planted them about ten days ago, and now they're blooming. Yes, while the world around me is all crunchy leaves and greying skies, I have poppies and delphinium and snapdragon. I so love California. I still need to buy lattice and some vines so I can make our front patio a bit more private, and plant the lemon tree (“lemon drop futures”) that Kass and Libby brought us as a housewarming present. It's a rule, isn't it, that all Californian's must have lemon trees in their yards?

* * *
Work is actually going well. I told the guys if they each funded and originated one loan a day, I'd be very happy, and I was mostly joking, because that level of volume is really hard to maintain, but it's 11/06 and we already have 22 fundings on the board. (I only handled 17 of them, though.) So, I'm busy, but in a good way, and (this week, at least), I love my job.

Except, they gave me permission to find an escrow assistant, and there's someone I really would like to hire, who doesn't have any mortgage experience, but I know he's good with computers and customer service, and bright enough to pick up anything, and then they said WAIT. I suspect if we maintain this volume through Q4 I'll get my assistant after all, and a raise to boot.

* * *
I've been bad about commenting in people's OD's and LJ's. I do read all my friends and favorites, and I tend to compose comments, and then forget to actually type them in before work distracts me. This is one of those things that makes me really antsy for that t1 to be installed.

* * *
November has always been a difficult month for me, but so far, this one's not so sucky. Let's hope this is a trend, shall we?