The kind of day you shouldn't have too often. Egg visited Dot Org today on her way to a long weekend in the mountains, as she did last year; as happened last year, Dot Org happened to have a cookout on that day. My department finally took its turn, and instead of the burgers that every other department has done, we did fajitas, and had a casual salsa and guacamole competition. (There is a more structured chili cookoff on Hallowe'en.) Everyone said it was the best lunch Dot Org had ever had, and that we had raised the bar. A great part of the day for me was Egg's visit. As she and Intern and I chopped peppers and onions and sliced skirt steak (and the chicken that Tex reluctantly allowed despite its not being authentic*), she told us about her recent volunteer vacation in Thailand, a week of post-tsunami assistance and a week at an elephant sanctuary.
We hugged hugely downstairs, and when I was ready to let go she hugged me harder and longer, which was fine by me. I am a fan of the long squeezy hug. We trotted upstairs saying hi! Hi! HI! and how are the dogs? and how is Blake? and as we reached our floor she asked and how are you. I socked her lightly on the arm and bounced: "As of Tuesday, I am a research analyst!" She cried, "Get out!" and flung her arms around me again. (That's what the celebratory lunch was about yesterday, my promotion (and raise! wheee!)) Later, after everyone had helped themselves and now we could serve ourselves, she and Intern and I, with Kal and another Orgerista to my left, sat on the parapet around the patio, soaking up the sun and talking and talking and laughing and laughing. Egg asked about the promotion, and I told her about that, and, since she has mother-issues as well, that my mother had just visited and it went fine, and there was Kal now, and RDC and I had just had our tenth anniversary. "And I'm proofreading the magazine!" Unfortunately this came about by the death of an editor emeritus and the health-related resignation of another, but after an error of antecedent that had one of our articles implying that a state killed an individual, I'm glad to be on board. And Egg is a terrific cheerleader. She sounds like Willie Wonka. "That's fantastic! That is fabulous! That is so amazing!" Her happiness for me was thorough, her praise so very worth having, that I got all happified about these things again, plus I was so glad to see her, and enjoying being comfortable among my coworkers, that I got fairly giddy. I asked to be slapped around a little and brought back to earth, but Egg said I deserved a little giddiness.
I had remembered to bring my camera, so I took pictures of Egg and Intern and Kal and Tex and a few other Dot Orgeristas. Plus I flung the thing into someone's hand to have pictures of me with Egg and Intern and with Kal.
Later in the day, as Egg was leaving, Trey called. I hadn't heard from her in six months, since Yule cards, just before which she left the organization she left for Dot Org in 2000 and then returned to in 2002. Her husband is still with NCSL and reachable, so earlier this week I emailed him asking to be sent on to his lovely wife because I had gossip. Now she called, and my greeting her happened alongside my hugging Egg goodbye, and Trey squeaked, "Egg's there?" The really groovy thing about this is that I was happy to talk to them, who now live Elsewhere and Away, without getting all miserably mopey about the past and Change Is Bad. And that is why I want to stay on Lexapro. Maybe it's cognitive therapy, or psychodynamic therapy, that has enabled me to function in the now without looking over my shoulder so much, but I am certain the drug affects me in good ways.
Trey has encouraged me to do More and Other nearly since I've known her, and I knew she would be happy to know I am Off the administrative track and On the research track. Plus I got to hear about her new job, which she loves and finds wonderfully challenging. Also I told her, woe am I, that the haircutter she found and converted me, Nebra, and Haitch to moved to San Francisco. (Damn, I'm the only one left in Denver.) Plus about Haitch's podling.
In the evening was The Razor's Edge with the older bookgroup. Even the one person who thought Maugham's writing was pretentious found the book eminently readable. Several people thought several of the characters were unlikeable, but everyone thought Maugham wrote about them with affection. I brought up The Corrections, which I just reread, as an example of much less likeable people (I didn't find anyone exceptionally objectionable in Edge), whom, some readers say, the author despises too. And I have to commend Maugham for saying no he wasn't there but this is how this conversation could have gone, whereas Dostoevsky--merely following the literary convention of his time but one I dislike--used an omniscient narrator despite that narrator being a resident in the town.
* Faja means "belt" and "fajita" therefore "little belt," in English the skirt steak from around the beef's ribcage. Tex sneers at impossibilities like "shrimp fajitas."