Kid and Caboodle

I am working from home this morning due to a paperwork error.

Yesterday morning, after a brief break, I discovered that my badge was no longer allowing me into my office. Upon inquiring at the guard desk, I was told that my building access had been revoked because I was no longer an employee (?!?), whereupon the guards confiscated my work ID.

A few frantic calls later, my supervisor learned that a certain administrator had filed an undated “separation notice” with my name on it. Security then deactivated my badge.

By the time we managed to convince security there had been a mistake and that I really should be allowed into the building — in all likelihood the notice was meant for an intern with the same name — they had sent in my badge for destruction. Now I need to get a piece of paper from the administration person who filed the separation notice saying that, no, I AM a valid employee so I can get a new ID. Oh, joy.

Since we have no idea when this certain administrator will be available — she has been out all week — my supervisor has told me to work from home until we can reach her. Hey, life isn’t all bad ….

For Christmas this year, my mother-in-law gave me some figurines of animals that look like they’ve been made of fruit or vegetables. I decided to have a little fun with one set:

Clementine and Squirt play hide-and-seek.

You know that companies’ mania for packaging things has gotten out of hand when people start writing articles on how to remove plastic shells from products without getting hurt:

How to open clamshell packaging
http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/88/how-to-open-clamshell-packaging.html

(I would have never thought of using a rotary can opener ….)

I have several pieces of jewelry associated with special memories, but this is just too weird for me:

Remember your loved one – as a diamond
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080829/od_nm/diamonds_dc;_ylt=AnzeNna0xoTV8IayXuj7XuQuQE4F

As I was taking a lunch break at home yesterday, I heard a “boom,” like thunder, then felt the house … bounce. At first I thought something largehad fallen on the roof. I went outside to look, but could not see any tree branches or other large pieces of debris. I decided that perhaps a military plane had flown overhead, generating a sonic boom, and dismissed the incident from my mind.

This morning I scanned the local headlines and learned that yesterday a 1.8 magnitude earthquake hit Annandale, Virginia, which is a few miles away. Wow!

Overheard while riding the Metro this morning:

Train Operator: Arriving at Pentagon next.

Woman: Where is “Pentagon Next”? Is that close to where we’re getting off?

Friend: We’ll be on this train for a long time. We’re getting off at Chinatown.

Woman: Chinatown! What country are we in?