The company I worked for was planning a talent show to help raise funds for a day care center for the employees. The CEO had promised to match any funds raised, dollar for dollar, so the enthusiasm to put together a good show was shared by all. Most of the people that worked for the company were middle income, so a day care facility would help the majority of the employees.

It was time for our companies New Years costume party. Kind of a tradition, since this year will be the thirteenth edition of the affair. Over the years the party has changed quite a bit from scary monsters and witches to famous movie stars.

This year Monica, the CEO wanted a more lighthearted theme since with the virus, the depressed economy and so many people unemployed anything to help people forget for a while would be welcome.

From the time I got up this morning till now, today has been one shitty day. I ended up having to get my car jumped because of a dead battery. The service I paid for to handle such occurrences taking their sweet time to get here. Thus I arrived late for work missing an important meeting, my immediate boss livid that I had missed it.

Then my computer failed a little after eleven A.M. requiring the IT guys to replace the hard drive. Three hours of work that I had performed this morning lost in the process. Then the final touch to my horrible day occurred.

Dressed in my feminine finery, I stepped out on the deck. The cool days of autumn making it almost pleasant here in the desert southwest. My family and I live here, a few miles south of Phoenix, near the mountains that frame the valley.

Another week successfully completed; in a few hours, I can head home and enjoy some peace and quiet in my little corner of the desert. Well, hopefully for at least two days. Of course, then the grind starts all over again: five days of my job and the commute that goes along with it. My little corner of the desert is quite a ways from our offices, requiring a daily commute of almost fifty miles.