Bits and pieces

-Do you ever get the feeling that some people send or respond to work e-mails at certain times to indicate how hard they're working or to suggest that you ought to be working too? (Hello Friday afternoon at 4:55 p.m. and late weekend evenings.) I'm not saying I've never done it, but in dealing with some particular people I've found this practice extremely irritating.

-That being said, I've learned that I need not always be available when it comes to work matters.

-We haven't received much rain around here lately, but a couple brief, intense storms have produced some lightning flashes that have been too close for comfort. This reminds me that when I was a kid we were told that during storms we should avoid being on the telephone and taking a shower or bath. (Obviously those are intended to be separate items. Talking on the phone while bathing cancels out a storm's potential for bad consequences.) We'd even turn off the TV sometimes. I'm wondering now, though, if this is actual good advice and if it is still passed along. The phone probably doesn't factor into this unless you're still using one with a cord, I'm guessing.

-How is it that July is nearly here?