Career update: my company made a counter-offer and I accepted. What a stressful situation this has been! I have no experience with this kind of wheeling and dealing, but, I suppose I do now. I am so glad I have next week off, to decompress from all this chaos and start afresh in my sort-of new position. I'm looking forward to some 4th of July R&R at my mom's house in NH, sitting poolside with a stack of trashy magazines and the Union Leader police blotter and totally turning my brain off. It usually takes a few days for me to shed my city tension and adjust to the languid pace of NH, but nothing speeds up that adjustment like a house with central air, some home cookin' and a leisurely stroll through my beloved Hannaford!