songbird's crazy world

 For the first time in forever I was able to take a walk in my neighborhood. There’s still snow in the ground, but the sidewalks are clear. The snow on my lawn is filthy, car exhaust has turned it black … But it felt good to be outside, to get some fresh air.   Some of my neighbors still have Christmas decorations on their lawns, a few have decor from Valentine’s Day, and one has already decorated for St. Patrick’s Day.  I hope to be able to walk again soon. They’re forecasting snow again this weekend…

The spy  Interesting place to sit  So regal … we knew what we were doing when we named her Duchess.

 Winter …ugh … #skywatchfriday

 This song is on my mind today. Gee …I wonder why …

 So when I was offered this job it was considered hybrid — two days a week in office, three days remote. The office isn’t far … 20 -30 minute commute.  Not bad. Then last week there was a Town Hall.  That’s what corporate America uses to describe a meeting when the higher-ups talk to the rank-and-file about major events in the life of the company.   (When I worked at AIG during the government financial bailout we had some very scary Town Hall meetings.) Well, last week’s meeting was all about remote vs hybrid vs “in office” scheduling. So it should come as no surprise that we got an email today.  The new policy, starting at the end of April, will be four days a week in office, with Friday being an optional work-from-home day. Wish i’d known that when I was job hunting in December.  I would have taken the job anyway but my expectations would have been different. We were told that overall we are more productive in office, more collaborative.  That does n...

 Today is Mardi Gras.  It is also the Lunar New Year (also known as Chinese New Year).  And it is also the start of Ramadan.  Three holidays calculated by the moon. And in the ethnic salad that is the NYC metropolitan area, I’ve got neighbors celebrating each holiday. Yes, I called it a “salad”, not a “melting pot”.  We can debate the terms if you like … I just keep counting down the days until spring.  We got 3 inches of snow Sunday night.  Not a lot, but on top of what we still have from the big storm in January,  three weeks ago, it’s too much.  But spring training has begun, the first televised game will be Saturday.  Yay!  It’s 37°F right now … another sign that things are looking up.