You're spending the night with Phil Nervig...Acting Consul

So today was my first day as Acting Head of Section, what with my boss being gone on R&R and all. And just like a bad movie plot, all the complicated, strange, maddening things that rarely (okay, not rarely) happen at a Consular section happened today. It was like the place was a black hole, sucking all the stuff that is anything but run of the mill right into my lap.

Thankfully the staff was here to offer me tissues when I cried, and they did coax me out from under my desk after about 20 minutes when someone finally hit on the idea of offering me candy (just like my mom used to do when she wanted me to do something). I'm still a sucker for that ploy.

Anyway, Monday will be better....if only because I plan on calling in sick and staying in bed all day with the covers pulled over my head.

Katherine's on her way to pick me up and take me to the Sunset Bar for a beer. Maybe I'll have 5 or 10. We're going biking tomorrow morning with some other embassy folk, and my friend, Dr. Mark Blegen, Ph.D, once did a study in Grad School that proved that alcohol consumption the night before an athletic event enhances performance (or at least that's the way I remember it).