Rio de Janeiro

 

Where's the manual?!

As is not too unusual, I have come down with something post-trip. I had a couple of co-workers on the recovering end of something during the trip, but it was also late nights, different climate, different food, working in an archive, several flights (some of which were FREEZING!), so it could have been any number of things, or all of them.

Anyway, this time around, the long weekend wasn't enough for me to recover, which is unusual. I usually bounce back pretty quickly. The year everyone caught the flu working a booth at a conference? I was sick for 2 days then well enough to be back at work, while everyone else was out for a week or two. COVID? I had the 36-hour version. 

This time around, I tried working from home Tuesday (which was a disaster for multiple reasons), and took Wednesday off. Thursday I felt much better, but Friday I was flagging, so I've spent the weekend sleeping a lot, and quite frankly, I'm really bored. I mean, the sleeping is great, but then I wake up and am phlegmy and coughing and sniffling and bored. 

Amidst all of this, I've realized I really don't know how to take care of a sick me. I'm not sure I know how to take care of a sick anyone, but definitely not when it's me. How do you know if you are too sick to work? How do you know if you are sick-tired or just normal tired with a lot of congestion? Do you go see a doctor when it's definitely just one of the oodles of viruses going around? How does that stupid digital thermometer work because I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to shut off in the middle of taking your temperature! 

So, my advice to you is, don't get sick if I'm the only person around. Other than commiserating, I won't be much help.

Not enough memory

On my most recent trip, I encountered the fun problem of not being able to scan anymore because I had filled up my computer memory. So, I had to copy files over to a hard drive, which led to the fun problem of not being able to copy the files because there wasn't enough memory for the operation*. This is not as surprising when you realize that the scans were uncompressed tifs, about 42 MB per image, and I had scanned thousands of images. Also, moving images that size takes a minute, they don't copy over quickly. So, lots of fun, but it worked out. (Now I get to transfer them again so that hopefully I can free up my computer hard drive, because I don't think I can save anything to it!)

Anyway, in the future, just be warned that when I malfunction, I will be blaming it on memory problems. "Not enough memory to perform that operation." Not enough memory to get out of bed. Not enough memory to clean the kitchen. Not enough memory to remember my grocery list. Not enough memory!

*good news: I could find some smaller folders, copy those, delete them, free up more memory, copy over more files, etc. 

What to wear

I leave for a work trip tomorrow afternoon and while I have already checked in for my flight, I have yet to pack.

I have started packing, and I'm doing okay on everything except clothes. I leave home (where it is going to be unseasonably warm but still early spring-ish), go to a place that is 70s and rainy, spend 3 days in a place that is going to be summer temps, and then come home to who knows what weather because someone has rolled out some weather updates that are not very predictable! And, to complicate it a bit more, I will be working in office buildings and particularly in records storage sites that should be about 50 degrees. And for some reason this is breaking my head to try to figure out what the appropriate clothing is. 

It's not as bad as the Peru-Chile-Argentina-Uruguay-Brazil by way of Argentina trip, which was spring, summer, and late winter weather. That one was tricky! But I'm a little jealous of my male coworkers who get to wear white shirts and dress pants. Can I pull that off? Just invest in a bunch of white shirts? But then I'd have to iron them, and that's not going to happen. I know they don't always love the white shirts and pants thing, but they really do have it made.*

There is also always the worry that what is acceptable in the US office is too dressed down in the international offices. And the word is that the top people in the international offices will be there, not that they'll be overly concerned with my work, but still, appearance matters. 

Arrrrgh!! It's too complicated. I think what I need is a Mary Poppins bag that will just have whatever it is I need so that I can stop thinking about this! Or a Harry Potter magic bag, or a TARDIS** so I can pack a lot more stuff and be ready for whatever. 

I don't suppose anyone knows where Mary did her shopping?

*I bet I could just find button up office-style shirts, and that would solve lots of dilemmas. The ironing thing though...that would be rough. 

**Apparently, the space issue is deep seated, because it is infiltrating our fantasy and sci-fi. But that's a topic for another day.