DICHOTOMY
My eyeballs hurt so badly (from rolling back into my scull) when we received an email at work on Friday, asking all bureaus and offices to take immediate steps to implement the name change from “Lake Ont*rio” to “Lake Am*rica”. Luckily, I personally don’t work on projects in this region and don’t have to “take immediate action”, but the fact that this is happening at all is too much. Aren’t there more important things to do than waste tax payer dollars on something childish like that just to get back at Canada in a trade war that we (and with “we”, I mean tR*mp) started? It really feels like a bad, bad joke.
Working for the feds is an interesting conundrum these days. I still believe in my work and the people I work with, but being often linguistically lumped in with this administration is a really strange dichotomy. Can you do me a favor? Whenever you think of the US and its government, I’d like you to mentally compartmentalize and distinguish the federal workforce from this administration. They’re not one and the same (but then again, I am sure you know that).
PERIMENOPAUSE HUMOR
After Nicole recently posted her Favo(u)rite things: Perimenopause Edition, I sent her this Instagram Reel. Please enjoy and have a good laugh (about non-laughing matters)… because how else are we going to get through this phase?
I am seeing a lot of perimenopause posts lately (because you know how this goes: if you watch one reel, Instragram will suggest a gazillion more!), but I appreciate them… some are humorous, some are really educational, and some are even posted by men, who plead with other men to learn and understand what their partners are or will be going through in (peri)menopause. I love the momentum of this conversation around this topic!
As someone else so eloquently stated in one of the comments (which of course I now can’t find again to give appropriate credit): (Peri)menopause is like coming off a drug you’ve been on for 40 years. If that isn’t the perfect analogy, I don’t know what is.
Relatedly, not related to perimenopause but women’s health in general, I saw a Reel that advocated for using female mannequins for CPR training. Why? Because women are 14-27% less likely to receive help during cardiac arrest, because apparently (mostly) men are hesitant to administer help when breasts are in the way and they don’t want to (inappropriately) touch. Fellows, this is NOT the situation when you worry about inappropriately touching a woman’s chest if it saves her life! This is yet another example where health care is generally geared towards the male body.
HAPPY MAIL
I received not one, but two pieces of Happy Mail this week. Thank you Birchie, Kyria and Michelle for sending a sweet message from your meetup! Thank you Melissa for sending me a postcard from your trip to Noosa! Snail mail makes my day :)
FRUGAL WIN
I received my per diem reimbursement from my work trip a couple of weeks ago and it always ends up being a nice, little “bonus”. I usually don’t spend all my per diem money and get reimbursed for more than I actually spent, even though my colleague and I had a nice dinner every night after a long day’s work (and I think we deserved that!) The part that makes it work in our favor is that we stayed at a hotel with a pretty decent breakfast buffet, and we always took a packed lunch every day (because there was no time during the work day to go and pick up food). My colleague told me that way back when, they used to have to submit receipts for every meal when traveling, but I guess that paying someone tediously review the receipts was “more expensive” than just giving a fixed “per diem” allowance.
DECIDEDLY NOT READY
It’s September and, like clock work, people get out their fall decorations and pumpkin spice everything is back at the store. The house in our neighborhood with the seasonal “Peanuts”-flags switched from “It’s Pool Time” to this Charlie Brown football flag.
I am personally not ready for fall yet. September is one of the most pleasant months around here. The temperatures drop a little but it still feels like summer. The days are getting longer (and mornings darker), but the sun still rises and sets at a reasonable hour. We don’t really anticipate any rain before October (but we’re expecting a very wet winter this year).
Are you ready for fall yet?
Natka
September 4, 2026 at 12:40 pmI nearly choked on my tea when I read that you guys were asked to switch lake names. I’ve been purposefully not reading the news – I’ve heard about another phase in the trade war, and then I heard my family joking about the lake name change. I thought that’s what it was – a joke! I feel like I am living inside SNL. This is madness. I hate it that no one inside the government is willing to say NO to the bully.
And aagh, perimenopause on top of political insanity… I hear you.
Birchie
September 4, 2026 at 3:12 pmSilly me, I thought that the lake name change was just Trump shooting his mouth off. How ridiculous that grown adults had to read the email let alone “take immediate action”. It will be one tasty TACO when this is over (you’ve all heard that saying, right? [Redacted] Always Chickens Out)
I have fond memories of saving my per diem money in my first job. We got paid $20 a day for meals and let me tell you that the majority of my travel diet during those years was the hotel’s free breakfasts.
I’m ready for fall! It’s been too hot here to do anything. I love the extended daylight but I’m ready to trade it in for cooler temps.
TGIF!
J
September 4, 2026 at 4:37 pmI love September, the weather here is so perfect, and I know many folks are ready for pumpkin everything, but I like to save that until October. I almost bought some flowers for the porch, sunflowers, but decided I would wait until I put my pumpkin out. Did it rain where you are last night? I’m not going to say we got a measurable amount, but it was enough to lull me to sleep in a lovely way.
I’m glad you get a per deum instead of having to give receipts. That does give you a little bonus, which is nice. I agree with you wholeheartedly, when I talk about this administration, I’m talking about specific people. When I talk about the Federal government, it‘s a whole different crowd, and I don’t confuse the two in my mind.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
September 5, 2026 at 12:46 amI actually feel like fall so much. We have heavy rain storms and winds in the past days, it’s rather cold and it just feels like warm socks, tea and candles these days. And I feel like hiding away from the world. It is just too much.
We have elections coming up and I fear for the first and hope for people taking their political responsibilities seriously.
How fun to get some happy mail. I did get my Noosa Card from Melissa as well. So great. I need to get back to writing more snail mail.
I am sorry about the work stuff. It is so ridiculous. I have no words.
coco
September 5, 2026 at 1:57 amI am the same with per diem, I rarely use up all and it’s a good little bonus. I don’t go out for dinner if traveling alone, rather order take out.
we don’t have fall here other than getting hotter, but when I go to US for the marathon I’ll enjoy the cold/freezing weather.
Nicole MacPherson
September 5, 2026 at 6:21 amThanks for the shoutout! It’s so important to talk about these things, I think, and take away any shame or embarrassed feelings about the weird symptoms.
The discourse around Lake Ontario is so upsetting and, frankly, offensive. Everything that comes out of that man’s mouth is offensive, but this is just one more giant step. It’s very upsetting.
Elisabeth
September 5, 2026 at 7:10 amThe Lake Ontario thing is just ridiculous. As things go, it’s one of the things that has a much lesser impact on human lives than others, but it feels especially symbolic of the general ridiculousness of everything going on in the world right now.
When I was at the hospital last week, I overheard people talking about the name change and they said the next thing will be Trump renaming Canadian Geese as “Donald Ducks”… I will admit, I chuckled at that one.
My kids were like: but now HOMES won’t work (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior)… HAMES doesn’t have the same ring to it.
I don’t have any trouble separating the fact that many people inside America do not agree with anything he is doing, but I also feel like relations between our two countries will never be the same, at least for the forseeable future. (It’s been great for tourism in our country because a lot of Canadians are choosing to travel within Canada! One tiny silver lining.)
Lindsay
September 6, 2026 at 6:25 amI wanted to jump in and say that one of my closest friends is a federal worker, as well, and we’ve done so much chatting about how that feels in these times. You are so not alone in how you feel! (Also, the SHAME acronym for the lakes feels too on the nose, sigh)
Nicole’s perimenopause post was amazing! It made me both laugh and feel seen – as do the Reels. Having a daughter in puberty while I go through this is definitely a moment where I need the laughs, haha!
Stephany
September 8, 2026 at 6:12 pmOh man, the whole Lake Ontario change is so dumb. On a podcast, they started talking about he’ll soon change New Mexico to New America. Also – why is everything just labeled “america”? If you’re going to change it up, at least be a little creative!
I have my fall decorations out and I’m enjoying my PSLs! We don’t have seasons in Florida so I’m just going by the calendar haha
Lisa's Yarns
September 9, 2026 at 9:16 amI have to submit all of my receipts when traveling but that’s the industry standard in finance/banking. They’ve made it really easy with an ap for uploading receipts, though. But it is quite a hassle. Before my company was acquired, we could expense everything on a personal credit card and get reimbursed which I much preferred as then I got the points! Now we have to use a corporate card. I get why they made the change since the company can benefit from points on the credit card, etc. But I miss those days.
The Lake Ontario thing is BEYOND STUPID. What a child.
Anne
September 12, 2026 at 3:44 amOh, San. Do NOT get me started on the lake and (*waves hands wildly*) everything else. Every. Single. Day. I mumble to myself, “You have got to be (redacted) kidding me.” I’m sorry people don’t get that federal workers are not the same as “the administration,” and I hope against hope that things improve in a few years.
No decorations here, yet. Oh, wait, except for the hallway goose. (Have I sent you a picture of the hallway goose? If not, I have been slacking and will remedy that immediately.)
The AUGH flag, though, captures my daily response to Life These Days, so there’s that. ;)