While having an innocuous conversation with my husband about exterior Christmas lights, I rattled off a series of building codes and reference standards like a DM, and I realized that’s it. That’s my job. I do D&D for architects.

That game was nonsense.

Why, yes! It did take me 36 hours to empty the dishwasher. Why do you ask? #ADHD

Epilogue: Someone *just* started working on the thing due today and asked if I can wait for their files tomorrow morning. I HAVE TO DO TWO OF THOSE TOMORROW FOR OTHER PROJECTS, SO NO!!

I wrote a Sternly Worded Email to my colleagues, and they pushed back, and now I feel bad for writing a Sternly Worded Email.

@biologicalriley.bsky.social apparently we’re in a Bears-Eagles alliance? Eagles are 3-0 against the NFC North. Bears are 3-0 against the NFC East. And the teams play against each other, I’m sure it will be one hot mess. 😂

Architects and Project Designers (people who can’t legally use the term Architect until they’re licensed) need to do their own flaming research sometimes. I googled the answer to your question, and you could have, too! This knowledge is not limited to spec writers. It’s for all!

Twelfth Night starring Lupita Nyong’o on PBS is amazing.

Writing a spec for exit devices, and an S keep creeping “exit.” Anyone in the market for an exist device?

Driving 45 minutes out to practically the city center to get a hair cut at 10 am to account for the best traffic. And why? Because that’s where the one person who knows how to cut my hair “ethnic” best works, and she doesn’t charge me “ethnic” hair prices. I hope work understands. 🤷‍♀️

I have now signed out of the office messenger app because apparently asking people to use their best judgement is too much.

Coworker: Hey, I see you’ve got your do not disturb on, but can I ask… NO! No you can’t! I have my forking do not disturb on! Respect my flaming, goat-kissing boundary!

I’m the kind of designer who’s like, “Oh, we can’t do this because the material doesn’t work that way? Fine, let’s not do it.” So it’s really frustrating to work with a team who can’t tell the Owner, “We can’t do it because the material doesn’t work that way. Sure, I’ll magic it into being.

“Immigrants…we get the job done.” I am a child of immigrants, and this city will be my home one day.

Bassem Youssef using a shattafeh to troll the “eating rice with your hands is so unhygienic” crowd is chef’s kiss. 🤌

A struggling coworker/younger professional asked me for help with a task. That’s not my discipline anymore. I have to enforce a boundary with my old discipline, or they’ll take advantage of me. I pointed them to experienced people in the discipline. Then, #RSD hit so hard. Thanks, #ADHD.

So, my PMDD symptoms have migrated from homicidal rage to difficulty spelling while texting…just on the downward part of my cycle. If every 3 weeks I have to retype things 3 times until they’re accurate, I’ll take it.

I cannot with the white people refusing to learn or intentionally mispronouncing Mamdani’s name. How disrespectful! Arabs still manage to say Vaughn despite 70% of it being silent. Y’all white westerners can put on your big person pants and learn to say people’s names right.

Opening up Instagram to a video of Zohran making a plea to Arab voters in Arabic. ❤️🤍💚🖤

My brothers, bless their hearts, registered for the lottery to get World Cup tickets. I refuse to support an organization that allowed the perpetrator of Palestinian genocide an opportunity to qualify (go Norway! go Italy! Andiamo Gli Azzuri!). And I’m not a fan of the dynamic pricing, either.

I cried reading this speech. Yes, I live in the shadows and pretend I’m the white Christian that I look like because people don’t expect to see and would be afraid of the Arab Muslim I am. I’m Arab. I’m Muslim. I shine in the Light.

Today I learned that Hades 2 is available on regular old normie Switch.

I’d like to send this email: “…and please remember that an unfortunate dipshit has to wait on your asses to get your shit saved in the folder so they can compile the main PDF and go home.” Instead, I settled for: “I’ll compile the main file, so please save your PDFs sooner rather than later.”

Colleague: We need to do the thing this way! Me: Shows colleague that we are, in fact, doing the thing that way. Colleague: No, but we need to do the thing this way! I’m still trying to rationalize what he wants, and it’s breaking my brain because this is literally a non-issue. We’re doing it.

Me: minding my own business and working Selene: Don’t mind me. I’m going to walk all over your work surface. Me: affectionately pets Selene. Selene: *protests* How dare you touch me? And I shall nip at your hand for good measure. Me: I’m just trying to work, man! 😭

The teacher to stand-up comedy pipeline is very real.

Yay, and Eagles win. #GoBirds

I stopped in the middle of a production task to organize my email and add ADHD Awareness Month to our Important Dates of Culture and Identity list. #ADHD

Workplace accommodations! 💪

In general, I’ve been avoiding news for my mental health, but I did ask my mom about the current state of things in Syria….i mean, Turkeisraemurca…and, well, I’m not a fan of what’s happening there.

If you wanna rag on the Eagles in front of me, hold my cloak. Above all, we’re a fan base that’s passionate about excellence, and this isn’t excellence. Also, Phillies, what in Ben Franklin’s bifocal spectacles was that?! I love my teams. ❤️💚 #GoPhils #GoBirds

And let me be clear, I don’t like it.

I’ve reached the age where women smile conspiratorially about our mutual trek through perimenopause. I appreciate the community. I do. This is serious stuff that affects all. But, darlings, I had a hysterectomy, and I can *still* accurately predict my period to the hour. Old Faithful, over here.

Why am I the person who knows the things? Why can’t team members know their things so I do t have to know their things for them? I’m tired of being the “Well, Actually…” person.

Here I go again; taking the Tylenol for my migraine. Does my depravity know no bounds? #Autism

For the husband’s birthday, we went to a screening of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” with a Q&A session with John Cleese. I learned that the French insults were inspired by two of the group reading “The Arabian Nights” at the time, and they were inspired by the cadence of Arabic cursing. ❤️💚🤍🖤

Today I witnessed a rare and morbidly wondrous thing…a woman mansplained our job to two men over lunch. Yes, I said mansplained because we still already knew what she was explaining, and we were all bored and uncomfortable with it.

Bought one of those plug in pheromones thingies to calm Selene down, and it’s worked. She’s a much happier kitty these days. Now, if they can just make calming plug in thingies for me…

We’re going to see John Cleese!

Today is a hyperactive ADHD day. Thoughts bouncing all over the place and impulse control management at zero, meaning I have an idea and immediately act on it regardless of what I’m supposed to focus on. #ADHD

How many times can I cross the same spec section off my to-do list before it’s done? Get your shirt together, project team. Let me take this off my list! #ADHD

I love when people ask me to find something in the specs. Like, I can CTRL+F that PDF just as well as they can.

Chili cook-off sounds fun, right? Not if you’re Hindu, vegetarian, or vegan or if you follow halal or kosher. And the last thing I want to hear is about how you also don’t eat one of the meats, so you’re in the same boat as me. Sure, but it’s still a non-inclusive event.

I used Tylenol for my cramps for years. I do not have autism. I’ll tell what Tylenol did, though. It made the cramps worse. That was fun when a doctor told me that.

Me: Here’s an accessible microwave because the solution in our office is dumb. Fellow spec writer: Yeah, so dumb to put microwaves in cabinets, but I guess that’s accessibility. Me: Uh, yeah, here’s some education on the accessibility code. Also, microwaves go in cabinets all the time in homes.

Go ahead and assume that this is my permanent news watching face for the foreseeable future.

Why, yes. My brain *is* churning away at this ungodly hour of night. Thanks for asking.

I’m reminded of the times I’d visit Syria and people would remind me that “we don’t have free speech here like you do in your American utopia” as though it were a shortcoming on my part. 🧐

I have been a good, little impulse manager today, and I have earned my cake. #ADHD

We won. Go birds.