Valued employee

I made a trip up for a meeting at the office job yesterday and while I was there, I picked up the mail I've been neglecting for a couple months. I got a hand-slap email from one of the administrative assistants for not picking up my mail, so I thought I better empty out the box before someone decided to stick all that garbage in an envelope and send it to my house.

There were really only two relevant pieces of mail, the benefits enrollment information and a letter about my status as an employee. Thankfully, I wasn't making any changes to my benefits because I completely missed the enrollment period while that information sat in my mailbox. The letter though, made me laugh. Since my position is funded by grant money, it isn't really permanent but rather contingent on someone with grant money being willing to keep me around and cover my salary. Also, as a "soft-money" position my job can be eliminated at a higher level without a lot of recourse for me. This leads to an entertaining letter every year. This year's was dated October 1, and stated that I have "been approved for reappointment effective July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007" also I'm congratulated "on this appointment and thank you for your contribution" to my employer. I'm not going to like the year that I find out in October that I haven't had a job since July!

While I was up there I also ran into the FOB (see NSP) who thankfully did not want to have a conversation any more than I did, but it was still weird to even realize he's still alive beyond the abstract small bits of info I get from my sister. If I'd been expecting him, I would've had something probably insulting to say about his treatment of my nephew, but I just managed a surprised "hey".

p.s. K is home today and a bit wiped out. The rest of his immediate family is heading to MI tomorrow to be with Grandpa. They were able to arrange hospice care at the VA, so hopefully he will be comfortable and well-tended for as long as he has left.