Back pain
Holy cow, Dina, I wondered that I hadn't heard from you! I hope you and your back is feeling better. Have you thought about maybe visiting a massage therapist or physiotherapist? Nothing beats rest, but a massage might help (after the spasms die down, I can't think it would be nice to have anyone touching me if I was spasing out like that. I'll ask my mt. At the very least a consultation could be useful. There are different levels of massage, from relaxation to therapeutic, as well as different needs for it, so it may be worth checking out. It's not for everyone and therapists can range from new-agey to no-nonsense practical. Anyway, an alternative or maybe complement to relaxants. But. Maybe this will help: http://www.qwl.com/mtwc/guide/whatis.html and http://www.qwl.com/mtwc/guide/ and maybe this one: http://www.bodyscapemt.com/.
Sucks about your dragon landlady...eat rocks, lady! (no, not you...:-) )
Children in the workplace I don't have children, but from observing my co-workers who do, I don't think it's easy for them even though they may appear to get privileges. They're in fact often more stressed because if something comes up at work and they HAVE to be there, it's harder for them because they're not with their kids, it puts stress on the family, finding babysitters, etc.,e tc, whereas with the single, kidless folk, it's not always a big deal, or at least, it doesn't seem as if there's at much at stake. Frankly, I've always thought the single, childless life seemed rather easy compared to being a parent (although yes, I've heard that nothing beats the life experience and richness of being a parent; easily believable). I don't think I've ever heard anyone say the parents aren't pulling their weight. If anything, they've tended to be more mature and capable about things. One of my co-workers is a single mother with two teens and she's one of the best managers I've ever come across. Her team respects her. One of the lead testers here has kids, has had a rough time lately with parents, and yet, he's still sharp and on top of things. In fact, our VP Operations has kids, works a half day week, which is sometimes inconvenient in terms of getting meeting time with her, but oh boy, is she good at her job, and it's a tough one. (So was her job before she was promoted to VP) No one disputes that she's not right for it. If she has privileges, she's earned them.