Week of Lasts

Seeing that I have “earned” and still have over 100 hours of sick leave on the books that I won’t be paid for when I retire, Chris suggested I shouldn’t go back to work. That and the fact that the stress of the previous week had caused a seizure Thursday evening as I tried to get my desk ready for a long weekend. I would be out of the office on Friday and the following Monday was President’s Day. That meant I would walk in cold on Tuesday morning to take over a critical materials list that was started by someone else the preceding Friday. I don’t like cleaning up other peoples messes. And so it was that Tuesday was a sick day. Making this past week a bit shorter than anticipated. Especially short seeing that each day had an hour or so dedicated to clearing desk drawers and getting old work to a point of hand-over-ready. My office has changed almost to the point of being unrecognizably impersonal. All pictures are gone. There is nothing on the bulletin boards. All my hats are gone including the hard hat that the Carl Vinson SPO gave me. The only way to know it is or was mine is the name plate outside and on the desk. The one on the desk goes Monday evening. Starting yesterday the week became one of “lasts.” Last Friday – last Crit List – last expedite request – last retirement.