Back to the grind

Yesterday was the first day of the real 2006 routine. Taxman was out the door at 8:00 am and back at 8:00 pm, so his quality time with Miss M was reduced to 20 minutes in the morning and the bedtime phone call, where she did say "Hiyee," sign "Abba" to me, and sign/say "I love you" to him before attempting to hang up on him.

After more than a week of "freedom," it was an adjustment. My access to the car was gone, which was just as well because it was 33 degrees and sleeting all day. I even renewed our library materials on-line instead of bundling up and walking the three blocks to return them. (Apparently G-d intervened and Miss M gets another 3 weeks of Raffi's Corner Grocery Store.)

But for Taxman it was really back to the grind. The problem with January is that it is the prelude to the real tax season (February 1st to April 15th). So in addition to all the work he normally has to do, there is the stress of knowing that the real test is coming. It's sort of like a medical procedure coming down the pike that you are dreading. Of course, the fact that The Firm was closed between Christmas and January 2nd made him realize that for him there is really no such thing as a true vacation for him any longer. The computer and the BlackBerry come everywhere with us. His clients were open last week, so he had to be available. The poor guy took a work call on the road as the three of us were bopping to Laurie Berkner. And this year April 15th isn't even the true stressor, because my due date is earlier that week. Although if it were up to me, the absolute last day I would be pregnant is April 4th. (Anybody listening to that request? Hello?) I really don't want to be in the hospital during Pesach. Really, really, really. The kosher food situation is bad enough there.