I don't bike to work much in the summer--too hot, too crowded. This year (on top of the heat and crowds) both the path and the roads between my office and home were under construction.

But the schools are all back in session (so the crowds are less) and it's finally cool and the construction near my office on the path is complete, so I took Linus to work today.

Only to discover the construction no longer covers the last two miles of my commute, but the first one mile.

I hope it's done by the time the good winter weather sets in.

Geriatric cat needed to go to the vet. He's having issues eating. It does not seem to be appetite, but something else. He, and the other two as well, are also due for an annual exam, possibly shots, whatever. Vet appointments are part of my division of household labor--we usually both go (carrying three carriers is a bit much) but the scheduling and prescription re-upping &c is my domain.

But I had not done it because every time I looked at my calendar, it was one thing too much (there was also the fear what the vet might tell us). So Spouse did it one morning when I apologized, again, for not having done it yet.

By choice, Spouse only looks at my primary calendar in his calendar view. This means he sees the events and appointment and engagements that I am 100% committed to. He does not see the Invite calendar with things I plan to do but may not if I can't swing it. And he does not see my work calendar. He also does not see the "Work calendar of things that affect when I'm home or at the office or WHEN I'm NOT AVAILABLE TO GO TO THE VET" (which, yes, is a separately maintained calendar).

So he scheduled the vet appointment for a usual work-from-home day that was disrupted by a conference he did not know about. Though I am slightly embarassed to admit it, I had a full-on toddler melt down when he IM'd me about it. Not because he'd done anything wrong but because I just cannot cope with my calendar.

Below is a facsimile of what May looks like--or, rather what it looked like the day this happened. May was, at that time, a relatively unscheduled month (it's changed a bit since the screenshot). A couple major events (plumbing repair at the rental condo, grantmaking for the board I'm on, a party we're throwing) but not much beyond the usual and some social engagements. A few things not on the calendar as "reminders to schedule" that need to get scheduled soon or won't happen. Like the vet.

And I was very much thrown off-balance when Spouse picked the one usual work from home day I would not be working from home to schedule a thing I had been neglecting because of stress, anxiety, as well as general feeling of not enough time.

It made me start thinking about calendar bankruptcy. Can I? Dare I? What happens if I just delete ALL THE THINGS in my calendar and start over? How about if I just find the first week with nothing (except possibly one of those "repeats on this day" events) and mark all times as busy?

Will that finally allow me to schedule a trip to Cleveland to see some friends we've been trying to visit for a year? Will that get me back in the habit of the three yoga classes a week I used to go to? Will that let me find the right time to start rock climbing lessons again? or finally get into a Spanish class? Or. Or. Or.

As my friends and I say to each other, at least once a month, Calendars Are Hard.

(By the way, geriatric cat is losing weight because of a thyroid issue, although he does appear to have a bad tooth and the pain medication appears to have solved the issue of him howling for food and then not eating it. Luckily, the thyroid medication can be applied to and absorbed through the ear. Once that's under control, we'll do the dental. He's got a bit of a heart murmur, which had me afraid of anesthesia for him, but the vet thinks that getting the thyroid under control will help mitigate some of that risk which she thinks I'm a little over-anxious about)