Meanwhile, back in Architectureland, where there's a tiny silver lining...

First of all, many many thanks to all of you who have emailed and commented your sympathies regarding Maddy. I really and truly appreciate all the kind words, thoughts, and prayers. This has been a rough couple of weeks and an especially painful few days; it's been hard to care about anyone's stupid AIA continuing ed credits and their waiting room layouts. I've tried my best to do the work I had been assigned and to stay professional, but I often found myself running to the ladies' room just to keep from punching someone or crying.

On Thursday, before I left at the end of the day, I got a call from Sven. (You'll remember that Sven is the partner at DA with whom I work on Gestalt HMO's various and sundry remodeling projects.) I wearily lifted the receiver and said hello, and Sven said in his supercalm voice, "Hi Pixie, you rock."

I chuckled. "Oh, well thanks, sir. You rock, too."

"No, I mean you really rock," he said, his typical casual, friendly tone becoming a little more formal and earnest. "You get things done fast, and well, and you're a great space planner, and you're really good and comfortable in the user group meetings. I don't even know why I go to them any more--you got 'em."

I accepted the compliment with as much grace as I could muster, we traded a couple of jokes, and then he asked me to find some drawings for someone and send them out. I said I would (though obviously that's going to happen this week instead of last week), and we hung up. It was a nice relief in the middle of a painful and stressful situation--layoffs, continuing ed coordination, Maddy--to have someone give me a professional and sincere compliment. With the exception of one social obligation Guy and I had on Sunday, I spent most of the weekend just being quiet and kind to myself, going for walks, doing my nails, reading cheezy fashion magazines, and occasionally letting grief wash over me and then subside. As I reenter the work world this week, it's good to have a few more kind words in my head to ease the frustration and tiresome pace that I must now recommence.