Introducing the donut of misery, or: I am Excel-lently OCD

The fabled donut of misery is used by military members and spouses alike to track a deployment's progress down to the second. It also calculates the various extra pay you're getting if you enter the correct numbers into the formula.

I open my handy Excel spreadsheet every day to watch the pink sliver grow (I customized my donut with calming colors, rather than the abrasive red, black, and neon green that were on the version of the spreadsheet that I found online). Of course, since we don't have a firm return date--this cruise is projected to last anywhere from seven to nine months--the pink part could actually shrink if I have to make a change. I currently have the return date set for exactly seven months. Wishful thinking, yes.

I'm also designing a spreadsheet to tally up the various things that I do or consume while Jason is gone. I make Excel charts like it's my job. I have one for my (currently stalled) weight loss efforts, one for the money we spend on our cats, and one to keep track of our Christmas spending. Before our wedding, I had one to track our budget, one to track our invites and RSVPs, and a section for gifts received and thank you notes sent.

It's completely obsessive-compulsive, I know. The truth is, I'm a control freak, and knowing exactly what's what in certain aspects of life helps me to deal with the parts that I can't control. Like that little thing called having an active-duty spouse.

And, in case you didn't see Glee last night:


My deployment song!