Today's topic will be: What gets you through your day at work?

I once read a very old book about dog training that said, when you see a dog standing on a sidewalk seemingly guarding his owner's briefcase, it's actually that the owner left the briefcase to guard the dog. Because a dog is more likely to stay where you told him/her to if you leave something that is yours to anchor the dog there. Of course, nowadays, no one leaves their dog somewhere without a leash, so it's a dated reference. But my circuitous point is that I have certain things that I use to anchor myself at work until I can go home.

One of these things is my bright orange water bottle. The color cheers me up, and it ensures that I will not feel crappy and dehydrated from talking all day. Another is my engagement/wedding rings, because sparkly things cheer me up, esp. when they remind me of Aaron. And also my ipod, with which I can sneak-read harry potter all day.

I don't remember dreading each day this much when I was working at Harcourt. But then again, there I had no job stress. Oh, to go back to making copies all day.