mosker

Last gasp

This is the last of the snow pile that started on Christmas Eve. Temps climbed into the 40s today and I thought it would certainly melt, but it's going to remain a little longer. (More is predicted tomorrow.)

Don't bother taking off your coat. You're going to need it.

Folks don't believe us when we report our office is cold.

Treat

I bought the one and only container of this yogurt/strawberry combo on the shelves at the grocery store this morning, but when I got home I could not find it anywhere. I double-checked all of the bags in case I hadn't unpacked it, I looked in the freezer thinking I'd just put it in the wrong place, and then I searched the car because it could have fallen out of the bag. I even looked at the receipt because maybe I hadn't put it in my cart at the store after all.

I found it on the shelf of the refrigerator with the other yogurt I bought. Hiding right there in front.

Groundhog day

Apparently Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, which means we should expect another six weeks of winter. I know I am supposed to be disappointed that we won't be experiencing an early spring, but this year the idea that spring might only be six weeks away sounds pretty exciting. Somehow, I had started to feel like winter will never end, and it's nice to have the reminder that it eventually will.

I have to stay until when?

I was off work last week, and yesterday I left early to get allergy shots. Today I leave at five six (or so) and I cannot believe how long that seems. Shouldn't there be some sort of phase-in to a full workday? Like for every day you're off, you work as many half-days before you're back to a full day?

Fog

I don't actually need to go anywhere today, but being fogged in gives me a bit of cabin fever. This is the third or fourth day in a row with a fog advisory, but it's not showing any signs of burning off like it did yesterday.

Catching up

I was sick for a few days last week and I slept for 14 to 18 hours a day for several days in a row. I'm glad I just gave in instead of fighting it--of course it helps that we had more snow and I didn't want to face the roads--but I feel like I will never catch-up on the backlog that built up while I was ignoring the world.

I kept an eye on my work email and acted on the stuff that needed immediate attention, but what's left now is stuff I actually need to read and process. Which seems ridiculous sometimes--are they paying me to think or something? My personal email seems to be taunting me though. I've replied to messages from friends and family, but everything else is waiting for attention. I could just delete it all and start fresh, I suppose, but that seems like asking for trouble.

On a positive note, we are expecting temperatures to rise above freezing this week, which has everyone around here pretty excited. 35 degrees is starting to sound pretty good.

Like it was meant to be

I received a $15 Amazon gift certificate and then the Wii game I had on my wishlist dropped to $14.99.

It can't be a coincidence, right?

Local channels

None of the local channels are available on DirecTV this morning.

How many calls do you suppose they got before someone suggested posting this announcement?

Happy New Year!

Judging by the mail I received on New Year's Eve, this must be resolution season.

Press pots: Another one bites the dust

They have slipped out of my fingers, they have fallen off the counter, I have picked them up by the lid and had the rest go skittering to the floor, or like this one, when I have dropped a coffee cup on it. The consistent theme here is that I manage to break one or two press pots every year. I am beginning to imagine that when I approach the aisle where coffee pots are stocked, all of the press pots scream "No! Please don't pick me! I don't want to die!"

I am down to my last backup (although I still have the larger one I bought at an incredibly reasonable price at the store that shall not be named, but that can be too much coffee sometimes). At this point it would have been cheaper to have purchased the expensive metal model like this one from Starbucks in the first place.

Seriously though, there is no way I can rationalize $60 for a coffee pot, so I think I'll have to learn to be a little more careful. Obviously I say this every time I break a pot, and you see how far it's gotten me. 

A chill in the air

Rumor has it that we're going to reach 31 degrees today. I'm trying not to complain too much about the cold, however, because it could have been much worse.

Ruffle

I'm working on a Christmas gift for someone who might just be my niece. I'm not saying it is, I'm just saying it could be. Unless of course she starts reading my blog at school, 'cause then it's definitely not for her.

It's really cute with simple touches that show a bit of attention to detail without being fussy, and the fabric is both pretty and nice to work with. Unfortunately, the garment also requires a really, really long ruffle. I think it looks remarkably even, but I must admit that about halfway through I started wishing I had one of those machines with the attachment that does the ruffles for you while you stitch.

Vacation

I need a vacation. I took three days off the week of Thanksgiving--meaning I had the whole week off--but I feel like all I managed was to realize that I need a lot more time off to even make a dent.

If I could do without sleep, however, I would have plenty of time.

My throat started to hurt this afternoon. I don't like it.

We Listen

Linda and I visited a new antiques place this weekend and spotted this old telephone switchboard. I can't imagine what calls must have been like, but you know the operators knew everything about everyone. At least they were honest about it. Check out the slogan, to the right of the ITI logo:

Somedays, this is exactly how it feels

Wait, what time is it?

I spent a chunk of the day working on images for some training documentation. I'm glad I don't have to write the content this time, because I don't want to see those pictures again for a while. I'm all for losing myself in my work, but I was definitely ready to go when I looked up and realized it was almost 5.

And am I the only one still confused by the time change? Every morning I think I'm running late and every afternoon I want to rush out at the end of the workday so I have a few minutes of daylight before darkness settles in. Why can't we just pick a time and stick with it year-round?

Sandwich boards

When I was a kid we had a set of sandwich boards, for lack of a better name. (They may have a proper name, but I've never known what it was.) They were thin, laminated boards, rectangular in shape, and they were always the perfect thing for having a sandwich at lunchtime, particularly when it was just the kids eating together. Ours weren't this colorful, of course, but even after they were worn from being used as cutting boards and numerous washings, I loved to use them.

Suzanne mentioned that she'd found some at IKEA, so when we went there during my brief visit home, I made sure to look for some for myself. Suzanne tucks them into her daughter's lunchbox sometimes, and I confess I'm tempted to look for a new lunchbox myself so I can do the same. I am delighted to learn they are actually as useful as I remember.

They had two patterns in stock and I bought two of each.

I'm not entirely sure why I exercised such restraint because they take up practically no space in the cabinet and I can think of dozens of uses for them. I am hoping to get some more when they release new patterns and colors. Oh, to be one of those fortunate people who have access to the store that shall not be named whenever they want to go.

Mom and Suzanne, that's a hint, just in case I was being too subtle.

Feeling so responsible

I bought this quilt years ago for a ridiculously low price (something like $35) and love it, but I realized that some of the stitching was coming apart. I knew I needed to do something about it, but I kept putting it off and just avoided using it so it wouldn't get worse. Somehow, that minor repair felt like an enormous obstacle.

After the road trip I just finished, yesterday it felt like exactly the right thing to do to curl up in my favorite chair with the quilt across my lap, and it only took a few minutes to put it back to rights. It was nice to just enjoy the afternoon without being concerned about how many miles I could cover by the end of the day.

I wish I could be so zen

 

First things first

 

I told Suzanne I would try my hand at making Barbie clothes for my niece. It took a while gather the supplies, settle on a pattern, and then get around to actually doing it. It's not that I mind doing it, it's just that everything seemed to be getting in the way and bumping it down the list of priorities. That, and the fact I was worried about doing it wrong, which is silly, because we're only talking Barbie clothes here and 10-year olds aren't generally too critical about getting accessories for their toys.

The first attempt was successful and I shipped the results off to Suzanne today. Before I start making any more, however, I desperately needed to sort through my supplies and organize things a bit. It took a couple of hours, but I finally turned this mess into a stash I don't have to dump out and dig through every time a need a snap or a bit of lace. That will make a world of difference.

Now I just need to keep it this way.

Still in denial

I broke out a lightweight jacket before I left the house this morning. It's seems too early to need that already, but yeah, I guess it is almost October.

Games

I played my sister's Nintendo Wii with her and my niece while I was there in August. I really liked it. Even though I'd heard how much they enjoyed playing, I didn't think it would be that much fun.

Now I've heard that the price is going to drop 20% on Sunday. I don't know if I'll be buying myself any gifts for Christmas this year, but that is certainly going on my wishlist, just in case.

Short week = long week

Why does the short week following a Monday holiday feel about eight days long? Considering I took last Friday off too, this feels like Thursday.

Apparently it has come to this

Today

• I got caught in the rainstorm and returned to the office soaked. As in shirt, pants, shoes, socks, hair. Fortunately I had a comb and a pair of clean, dry socks in my desk drawer, but I spent the rest of the morning with my pants legs rolled up so I wouldn't keep stepping on the dragging hems, and all day without my shoes so they wouldn't soak my socks.

• I started having sharp, stabbing pains in my back. You know, the kind that feel like you are getting an electric shock any time you move. Or don't move. I probably wrenched it while I was trying to load and unload that computer in the rainstorm without it getting drenched, but knowing that doesn't stop the shocks.

• Now I am sitting here after everyone else has gone muttering at two Vista PCs that will not install Service Pack 2. Actually, I'm not too quietly cursing Microsoft for their stupid suggestions about disabling services that you need to have running in order to install the updates. I mean seriously, if I am following the troubleshooting instructions for this error, STEP BY STEP, and it does not work, and can never work, that's a FAIL, right?

Of course, I needed these computers last week, so I have absolutely no time to work on this problem that I absolutely must resolve, so going home and just working on it tomorrow is not going to be as helpful as normal.

First order of business

I was out of town last week for some family business and came home to an empty refrigerator. Obviously the grocery store was one of my first stops.

Grace in small things

Lately I've been taking a different route home from work. It's less direct, but faster because there's less traffic. The side road I turn onto meets the main road at a sharp angle, so after you turn left off the main road you have to immediately make a hard right to avoid driving into the adjacent cemetery. (This turn sucks in the winter.)

Today I was waiting to turn left behind a truck and a couple of cars when all of the sudden the car behind the truck shot left without waiting for the truck to turn first. Not only that, but it ran up and over the median, barely missing oncoming traffic on both the main and side roads before careening into the cemetery. I was so surprised to see this car speeding out of control that it was several seconds before I realized that it had been riding on the trailer the truck was towing.

When I pulled off the main road, the truck was making its way into the cemetery, I assume to retrieve the wayward vehicle. I still can't believe that car didn't come off the trailer earlier, didn't hit any other cars, or even strike anything in the cemetery. Today was a good day.

Courtyard debris

Losing it

Today I couldn't find my card to check in for allergy shots. I searched every pocket of my book bag, inside my wallet, and even in my pockets, just in case I'd already pulled it out and didn't remember. Nothing. They were kind enough to check me in without the card (I'm sure it happens all the time and I did ask nicely.)

It wouldn't have been that big of a deal, except I also can't seem to find my Sam's Club card. I distinctly remember the last time I used it, but the next time I went I couldn't find it in my wallet. I got a temporary card and made a mental note to put it back in my bag when I got home. Apparently I lost that note, however, because the next time I went I realized I had forgotten to look for it. I don't think I lost it so much as just mislaid it in the house or the car.

This time I actually put a note in my calendar and I found the allergy clinic card, but I'm still searching for the Sam's Club card. Maybe I should check the refrigerator.

What an awesome surprise'

I received an unexpected package today from my Mom. It was filled with plums from my tree. We all call it my tree, but it's in her yard so it's really her tree. Hooray! What makes it even better is that just days ago Suzanne told me the crop was ripe and quite delicious.

And today is my Mom's birthday, so this is almost like getting to share birthday cake with the family. Thanks Mom! Happy Birthday.

Leave it for Mom

It doesn't seem to matter how often you remind them that their mother does not work here--some people will always leave their dishes in the sink for others to wash.

It makes me glad I don't have to see their apartments.

Bookbag

Inspired by Alexa at Flotsam, these are the contents of my bookbag.

1. pocket journal
2. Splenda minis
3. pocket knife
4. eye drops, Target brand
5. eye drops, Optive
6. reading glasses
7. generic Sudafed PE
8. flyer from Valupak with the location of the Oroweat Bakery Outlet. I still haven't been there.
9. Amazon receipt for The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes
10. $1.55 in loose change
11. Altoids Smalls, peppermint
12. 2 pens
13. mechanical pencil
14. 2 Crest Glide dental floss (samples from the dentist)
15. Neutrogena Hand Cream
16. iPod nano
17. business cards
18. inhaler
19. tissue
20. 3 empty resealable sandwich bags. I always feel like I should save them if they're not icky, but then I forget they're stuffed in the bottom of my bag and pull out a new one.
21. ear plugs
22. generic Mucinex
23. Target brand Tylenol
24. 5 pony tail holders
25. Kodak EasyShare DX7630 (old, but still useful)
26. wallet
27. brochure from the Wisconsin School of Business. The picture on the front is a great example of a bad Photoshop composite.
28. a flyer from Photoshop User that I've been using for a bookmark
29. Receipts and claim form for flexible spending
30. list of photographs I'm supposed to be taking for a project at work

Normally I wouldn't empty it out just to take inventory, but this morning I discovered some wear on the strap and I'm afraid it's going to break soon. The bag is about 20 years old, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I'm not ready to stop retire it.

I'll have to go shopping in my closet tonight, but I think don't have any backup bags left. I may have to resort to a backpack.

Does anyone know a good place for leather repair south of the river?

Storm damage

The neighbor lost a very large tree limb in today's storm, but fortunately, it does not appear to have landed on the house or the awning. I don't envy him the task of getting it cleared away.

And now it's starting to rain again. We're expecting storms overnight again tonight and possibly strong storms (Including hail. I don't like hail.) tomorrow afternoon. Don't you just love living in the Midwest?

I should probably close the windows soon...

A gift for the person who has everything

I saw this at a local antiques store today: a silver-plated telephone handset cover. I've never seen anything like. It would be perfect gift for the person who has everything (after polishing away the tarnish, of course).

It must be Spring in the Midwest

At least there's wireless in the parking lot

I'm hanging out in the parking lot outside my building waiting for the AAA guy to arrive to change a flat for me. Judging by the nail in my tire, it appears that I've been felled by the dreaded road hazard. Yes, in theory I could do it myself. But I've never actually changed a tire myself and it's cold out there. Besides, I've been a member of AAA for 7 years and, other than helping a friend who got locked out of her car, I've never called them before. I want to feel like I'm getting something for all that money I've been paying them every year.

I can't say that I'm excited to have a puncture, but as new tires were already on my list for this spring, the timing could have been much, much worse.

And surprise, surprise, there's actually a great wireless signal out here in the parking lot. Nothing in my office, but at least I can browse the web from my car.

Creeping me out

Several years ago, just as Steve and I were splitting up, I received a phone call at home where the female caller addressed me by name and threatened me. She told me that Steve "was her man" and she was going to come over and, to put it more politely than she did at the time, cause me bodily injury. I doubt she got the response she wanted because it's not like I was going to get into a verbal spat with a stranger over my husband when we were getting a divorce. Besides, how did I know that he wasn't involved with her? She called back a couple more times to threaten me some more, and then it was quiet until a car pulled up in front of the duplex and started honking. I peeked through the blinds on the front door and watched as the driver and a passenger climbed out and made a nuisance of themselves for several minutes before they finally went away.

I'll admit I was pretty freaked out. My life had been turned upside-down only hours before and now someone was threatening me? I have no doubt that I would have suffered some manner of bodily injury if I'd gone outside, particularly as I was effectively outnumbered. We did establish, however, that Steve did not have a girlfriend who was making menacing phone calls and it never happened again. I suspect the caller got the information--our names and address--from the phone book and this was a New Year's Eve prank. Scary, but no harm done. (For the record, I do not list my full name or address in the phone book now.)

For the past few days I've been receiving phone calls at home from an unknown number: 817-302-0293. The caller ID information lists the caller name as TX, which isn't particularly helpful and calling the number back just gets a busy signal. If I don't pick up, there is no message, and when I did pick up, the female caller asked for me by name and then promptly hung up. It was late evening and I was pretty creeped out. I had, after all, just confirmed that I was home, and I felt very vulnerable.

Apparently I'm not the only one experiencing this, because a Google search on the phone number came up with plenty of hits. I think this number is from DSS Research, who coincidentally, sent me a couple of surveys in the mail recently asking me about my health insurance. I guess they don't take rejection well, because now they're calling. I was all prepared to contact the company until I realized there's a technological solution that doesn't cost me any extra or require that I navigate an endlessly complex call-handler: Call Block. I feel much better knowing their calls won't be ringing through any more.

That's just cruel

It really isn't very nice to approach someone who works inside all day and cheerily announce how beautiful it is outside. Chances are they have already passed by a window at some point and looked wistfully at the sunshine and daydreamed about how nice it would be to experience first-hand.

Rubbing their nose into the fact that they are stuck behind a desk until almost sunset is not particularly helpful.

Please tell me it's not just me

The switch to Daylight Saving Time has me whipped. It's only 9 pm--how is it already 9 o'clock?!--and I'm ready to rest my head on the table for a little nap. Or a long nap.

It doesn't help that I'm trying to get back to my before-work workouts either.

Best laid plans...

While, I had hoped that I could use this weekend to finish building planting beds, but this is what it looks like outside this morning:

So that means I have plenty of time to work on taxes. I know...exciting, huh?

And the hits just keep on rolling

I haven't talked about the economy here because I know other people have it much harder that I do and, after all, I still have a job. I know that if I can just keep things going until the end of the recession (or depression, if that's what it comes to) then things will improve for everyone and maybe I'll have more options, but I have to admit that I'm worried. Every time I turn around there's another twist and I'm really feeling the squeeze. This week, for example, I learned that:

• My employer is going to start taking a percentage of our income for retirement. I'm not complaining about having to pay toward my own retirement, but one of the selling points, if you will, for the lower than market salaries is the fact that we are not required to pay into the retirement fund.
• The administration has received permission to institute furloughs. That scares the heck out of me and my colleagues. Obviously furloughs are preferable to lay-offs, but I don't have enough in savings to absorb much of a pay cut. I know the unit for which I work has done some serious planning to avoid having to consider cutting pay or personnel, but that doesn't mean the system won't mandate furloughs for everyone anyway.
• In the same message where we learned about the retirement deductions and the possibility of furloughs, lay-offs were mentioned.
• There will be no salary increases in the next fiscal year.
• There was a notice in my electric bill that Kansas City Power & Light is seeking permission for a rate increase.
• My mortgage company is increasing my escrow payment. If I can come up with a lump sum by the end of the month then the monthly increase will be about $20, but it's a big if about coming up with that lump sum.

I don't know what the answer is and there doesn't seem to be much choice other than hanging on by my fingernails and hoping things will work out. I'd ask my mom if I could move back in with her, but considering she lives 1,740 miles away, I think the commute might be problematic.

Sick day

It's not like I made any big plans for the 3-day weekend, but I certainly did not think I'd be curled up nursing whatever bug it is that I picked up from work. My nose is running, my throat hurts, and basically I've just got the miseries.

If I get all of the laundry finished today, I'll chalk it up as a successful day. In the meanwhile, I'm going to find somewhere warm to nestle until the washer is finished, or until I'm ready for a nap. Whichever comes first.

I know what would be good here...

The humidity level in my house is down to about 20%. That means Eli flinches whenever he comes near me because he's afraid of being shocked and my hands are so dry the skin is starting to crack and bleed. Since this happens every year, it's a bit surprising that it's taken me this long into the winter to remember that I do, in fact, own a humidifier, and wouldn't it be so much more useful if I filled it up and turned it on.

After dinner

Laughing out loud

From Yondalla at Thoughts from a Foster Family

A leisurely breakfast

I spent a week at home for Christmas and now I've had a few days at home before I go back to work on Monday. Yeah, I know that doesn't actually make any sense. I always think of going to see my family as going home, but when I come back I think of that as going home, too.

I haven't accomplished much of anything constructive this week (I did finish a project for Suzanne last week, though) but I am thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to hang out without many (immediate) deadlines looming.

This is not helping!

I'm already experiencing nearly crushing anxiety about money (who isn't?) and time and whatever else there is to worry about, and this forecast of a 46 degree temperature drop between today and tomorrow is not improving my outlook.

It makes me want to curl up somewhere and hibernate until Spring.

Days like this make me want to move back to the Central Valley

We've had an inch...maybe two...of snow today. That wouldn't be a big deal somewhere that gets lots of snow, but in Kansas City that's a freaking disaster. A student asked me if the University was going to close tomorrow because of the weather. This is finals week, so I'm going to say no, and even if it were Intersession I think we'd still be open. Kansas City doesn't really do a bang-up job of clearing the streets even when the city budget is in good shape (does that happen?), but now that times are tough and the mayor is busy suing the city, I suspect snow plows and salt trucks will be a rare sight.

Traffic during the evening commute was much worse than can be explained by the sloppy road conditions. I always think my trip is relatively level until I get stuck on a seemingly endless incline hoping not to lose traction as it takes three or four cycles to get through the light. Okay, okay, so I get a little grumpy when my less-than-30 minute commute takes almost 90 minutes. It's enough to make me consider moving back to California where the cost of living is about 5 times higher.

$1.479

The price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas at two gas stations I passed on the way home this evening.

I wasn't able to take a picture (it was already dark), so I don't have photographic evidence, but that's a price I didn't think I'd ever see again.