Working Wednesday, February 9, 2022

~ Jenny

I’m still crocheting, mostly hats and scarves and shawls because they go quickly. I’m all about the quick reward, although as Carrie Fisher once said, “Instant gratification takes too long.” so I still keep wandering off in the middle. I mean, who wanders off in the middle of a hat for cripe’s sake?

Enough about me. What didn’t you wander off in the middle of this week?

66 thoughts on “Working Wednesday, February 9, 2022”

  1. I wandered off. Then the dotter wandered in. She admired my hydroponic garden, muchly, which reminded me to administer the biweekly dosages of plant food, because except for the green onions, everything is sprouting. Six different kinds of salad greens, two different tiny tomatoes, and basil. I am no longer just a soup farmer. I yam a soup and salad farmer. šŸ™‚

    1. Update: seeming instantaneous, half of my green onion plants popped a tiny green shoot up where it could be seen, but not heard. (Very well behaved, they are.) šŸ™‚ I did not see them earlier this morning. The soup and the salads will be amazing!

      1. Grindingly boring work. With relatives calling regularly to ask: “when do I get my money??”

        2. Be grateful they aren’t demanding someone else’s money. I was an executor for a cousin who left her minor grandchildren modest sums, and their parents were so obnoxious that someone else asked me whether I couldn’t just turn the kids’ money over to the parents (this while the parents are telling me that they need a new SUV but the kids will be riding in it) and be done with it. Answer: Fraid not. I was the major entertainment for every attorney I knew — all of whom were, of course, telling me what the state law requires about money left to minors.

  3. Still doing a little painting every day as well as making yo-yos for my niece’s wedding quilt. The sun is making me happy – and I returned my bed to its original position after a move that didn’t turn out the way I wanted. My Bedroom is just too small. Thinking about moving upstairs soon.

    Except my son is thinking about moving back in and I have to break that to my roommate. Not that she’ll mind, but it’s not a thing we were expecting. Of course, if things go to plan then she’ll be moving to England soon anyway, so perhaps it’s all the same.

  4. Iā€™ve got an unexpected break in my editing job: no one knows when the missing intro is going to turn up. I did some pruning, and am about to prepare a space for the new apple tree, due tomorrow. This morning I got back into my big sort-out. Thought Iā€™d start with my garden slides instead of the landscapes, but almost immediately realized there were dozens of slides that Iā€™d taken out for various projects, so Iā€™m putting them back (not nearly as straightforward as it sounds) before I start the actual sort-out.

    Oh, and I applied online for my state pension on Saturday, the day after receiving the letter asking me to do so. And Iā€™ve just had a letter confirming what theyā€™re going to pay me (a bit more than I was expecting, because it goes up a bit each tax year); and charmingly theyā€™re going to make a small initial payment on my birthday – one dayā€™s worth – in order to fit me into their four-weekly payment regime.

      1. I swear, every time I hear about the humane way European countries like Britain handle their basic services with ordinary citizens, I feel like more of a citizen from the third world. *sigh*

        Still, your garden sounds beautiful! Kudos to gardeners everywhere.

    2. Jane, I read you’re first two sentences as related, so the missing intro was (1) cut out when you pruned; (2) exposed when you pruned; or, (3) will be buried when the apple tree is planted. I enjoyed all the possibilities.

  5. I’m still mostly trying to prep things for my replacement (we’re doing interviews this Sunday) to take over the job I’ve been doing for over 22 years. It is taking way more time to leave the job than it takes to do it on a day to day basis. Which is really saying something.

    But I did sneak in a couple of short articles for a witchcraft publication, and I’m planning to work on serious revisions for my next Llewellyn book today, come hell or high water.

  6. I’ve been quilting like a mad woman (and my shoulders are feeling it). I’ve got things to the point where I now need to produce labels, and sew hanging sleeves on. Whew!

    I’ve also been trying to do a little something each day for #DailyFeb2022 – although I admit that the little sketch of an incipient quilt yesterday was a desperate attempt to keep up. I don’t know that I’ll even do that much, since work is kicking my butt this morning.

    The big fun was meeting up with my quilting peeps for our great Round Robin reveal. Each of us came up with a center, then passed it along to the next quilter, who put a border on it and passed it along, and so on through six quilters. If you remember, I started with the dancing dolphins, then had some presents around a Christmas tree, etc. Well the results of all this creative energy are just amazing!

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CZvV9Y2r1y3/

  7. My planned projects for this year weren’t making me happy so I scrapped them all. For some strange reason this seems to mean that I am making fall/ Halloween stuff. I don’t know. I am just running with it.

    The local high school asked me to work on the set of their musical, Into the Woods, so that is fun.

    I am ignoring the looming deadline of a show at a local gallery next month. I will probably start panicking soon about framing and finishing work, but I just can’t seem to focus on it right now.

  8. Had to buy yarn to finish a blanket – the only reason I’m allowed to buy yarn this year. Joann’s sale just about did me in, but persevered.

    Got some new tunisian hooks. I was trying to hold out, but I CANNOT work with the blanket I need to finish with that hook size. It hurts my hands too much. So I bit the bullet.

    Just about done with a scarf I started on a whim while waiting for the official yarn. It’s my second project of pulling yarn from my stash. It’s such a great feeling to actually use what I have – like the pleasure of seeing I have something to work with already! I need to practice gratitude, I think.

    Been doing Wordle every day. Any fansfans??

    Annnnd day job. Lost someone on the team and I’m picking up their work while training their replacement. The struggle is real…

    Started exercising at a gym. Day two is scheduled for tonight. T.T

    Happy Wednesday Arghers!! I am grateful for this community and the peace it brings to share with everyone, even intermittently.

  9. Unlurking to share that I’m knitting my first shawl. Very relaxing compared to sweaters and fun to mess with colors. After ten years of no knitting, it’s been challenging to remember SSK, etc.

  10. My step dad died abs so weā€™ve ask Ben dad and trying too figure out things for my mom.

    In between that and my job, Iā€™ve been trying to make a model of a tiny house. Iā€™ve never done any model making, so itā€™s all guess work and focuses my mind on something else.

  11. Very sincere Thank You to whomever recommended Duolingo. It’s lots of fun and I’m remembering a lot of French from the past.

    Working hard on it!

    2. Do Freerice as well, it has a French category too… so practice those vocab words and earn grains of rice for charity

  12. My FAFO (Faff/Fuck Around and Find Out what I want to do with my live) month has begun in earnest. Mostly quilting (for #DailyFeb2022 on Instagram) and dealing with clutter (putting together a box for Big Brother Big Sister to pick up the end of the month).

    And I started cardio rehab, which had been delayed by covid. I’m cautiously optimistic, since the therapist actually listened to me about the limitations imposed by my rare disorder (I have a long history of not being listened to in a medical context, a common occurrence with rare disorders).

    Plus I’ve been trying to find contact info for the authors of a recent journal article on my disorder (the lead writer doesn’t have a public email address that I can find, so I’ve had to go through back channels) to let them know how brilliant it is. I’m quick to criticize articles when they get it wrong from a patient-focused point of view, so it’s only right that I spread around some praise too.

  13. I will be busy calling transit garages today to see if anybody has turned in the zipper case of medicines I left on a bus or train yesterday. When I called last night the drivers had not yet pulled in for the night so it was too early to tell. But several people at the train stations were very helpful with finding direct phone numbers instead of the general ones listed on the website, so I am slightly hopeful that I might get lucky. After all, I just found the watch I was sure I had lost in the pocket of my robe so maybe I will be on a roll.

    I’m also making progress on doing my PT exercises more regularly. Although I was tempted to blow off the last 2 exercises last night, I finished them up while listening to the Olympics and was rewarded by not needing to ice my knees.

    Speaking of the Olympics, did anyone see Nathan Chen’s short program in figure skating? That really knocked my socks off. And the Russian 15 year old girl (I can’t remember her name) was totally amazing! Even with a fall in her short program, she was so much better than any other skater, male or female, that I just wanted to watch her over and over.

    1. Nathan was amazing to watch. I’ll have to DVR his performance tonight, since I doubt I’ll be able to stay up for it. The Russian woman was also astounding to watch – her arms going straight up above her head every time she jumped.

      1. Sadly the Russian 15 year old is now apparently at the center of a doping controversy. Her coach is known for training skaters so abusively (12 hour training days and dangerously low weight requirements and under hydrating thrum) that they have major body damage and retire before they are 20. If she did take a drug tbey should ban the coach permanently.

        Chen was amazing. If you didnā€™t see Jason Brown skate sinnerman I strongly recommend you watch it (available on the free NBC olympic app). The best short mens program ever. Brown canā€™t do a quad jump but he is amazing in every other way.

        1. Jason Brown was also amazing. I long for the day when the judging system rewards both halves of figure skating equally.

    2. Ooh, had to go watch that – haven’t seen any of the Olympics yet! Adore Chen’s music, must remember that, always like a waltz.

  14. This week I worked on getting ready for the gardening year. Cleaned up the bulb bed and found the spring bulbs already coming up. Got redcurrant bushes ordered to add to the perennials, sorted the seeds left over from last year and filled in the gaps with old standards and also new things to try, like yellow pear tomatoes. Got lettuce started in the greenhouse. Seedling containers ready to germinate melons and other long-growing plants underway. I’ve gone around checking on all the new additions planted last fall, and will be adding water-wells to help the new trees and shrubs on the steep slope keep water around the roots instead of it running off downhill.

  15. Max (the dog) had his staples removed last week, now on two weeks of taking things slow. Starting Monday heā€™ll be allowed several short walks per day. And, of course, Southern Cal temps are shooting up. I think close to 90 in the valley, and will remain high through the weekend.
    Most days I pop him in the car and we do an errand or two. He loves that and chats to me all the way home. And he whines if we have to sit too long at a traffic light. Not spoiled at all.
    Iā€™m tempted to give him a shower today. He needs it, and with the heat heā€™ll dry fast. It will be his first since the knee surgery, so Iā€™ll need to be super careful. We shall see how brave I am.

  16. Mostly working on Urinetown rehearsals. I admit I am feeling pretty tired because (a) this is back to back shows and (b) the ensemble is in 95% of the show and in almost every single song/dance/scene. Seriously, the leads do next to nothing, it seems, or so I thought as I watched them loaf on their phones for hours and came in for 5 minutes to enact their death scenes. Also every weekend is set building for this show.

    Otherwise I am working on my Ravellenic Games projects. One went horribly, one is almost finished except I may want to get more yarn for it.

  17. I am very very lucky this term with my timetable and I am only teaching up to Wednesday evening. This means that my weekend has now started šŸ™‚
    I do have to prepare lessons for next week but I have managed to do most of them already this week so I should properly start my weekend from tomorrow lunchtime.

  18. Wandering off all around my yard avoiding the ice. It’s challenging getting the bird seed out in the early morning when previous day’s melt freezes mirror-smooth. Still more and more of the yard is clearing and the next cold snap isn’t due until Sunday.

    Unfortunately, I won’t be able to wander off during my meetings…

  19. What I most appreciate about all these posts is that NO ONE has said they’re working on a Wordle. Which is completely wrecking Facebook posts as far as I can see. How is posting a picture of your most recent Wordle at all interesting?? I ask you.

    1. Hell if I know. I look at a Wordle screen and suddenly can’t think of ANY words at all.

      That said, somebody made a fake Wordle for the play with words from the show and that made me laugh.

  20. I’ve been doing writerly things. Then wandering off to watch episodes of The Dick Van Dyke show–always fun (few gender issues aside) but mostly it’s affirming to see writers at work (ie: pacing, stretched out on the couch, exercising). Reminds me that it’s all part of the process, so I can feel good about my own process and time spent away from the desk that really is writing. Which I know sounds crazy but other writers get it I think:)

  21. I’m working at grieving. My Charlie dog had some strokes (we think) over the weekend and we had to let him go Monday afternoon. It was a really difficult decision to make because in so many ways he was really healthy and I know that dogs recover well from strokes but he was also showing early signs of dementia and his eyesight was shot. We debated long and hard about the timing but in the end we had to let him go while he still had his dignity and was himself. The worst part was that his symptoms were intermittent and he would be fine walking for an hour or two and then he would fall several times in a row. I was afraid to leave him in case he went looking for me and fell down the stairs. There were times when he looked so lost and confused, like he didn’t know where he was or what he was supposed to be doing and it just seemed cruel to make him suffer so I didn’t have to. The staff at the vet clinic were wonderful.

    I can’t take condolences right now but I can feel the Argh hugs. If you’ve got a good joke, that would be nice.

    1. Per your request, no condolences. But I feel for you, I truly do.

      Also per your request – I don’t know if it is good, but I still chuckle over it:

      What do you get when you pour boiling water down a rabbit hole?

      Hot, cross bunnies!

      1. No condolences. What does Torg get when he pours boiling water down a rabbit hole?

        Hot cross Bun-bun. Ka-click!

        (You might need to be a Sluggy Freelance fan to get that one.)

    2. From comedian Crystal Lowery: “I watched a Hallmark movie backwards.
      A woman in an ugly Christmas sweater dumped her loser, small town boyfriend to pursue a law career in NYC where she lived happily ever after in pencil skirts and amazing shoes.”

  22. There are two things I actually completed! On Monday I had to put some notices on doors at a property I’ve been helping manage (sooooo not a suitable career for me; thank goodness there is a possible tech writing job in the wings pleaseOpleaseOpleaseOplease), so I actually did those when I needed to. And today I looked online to make an appointing for my covid booster (yeah, about time) and wallah! There were appointments available today! So I got my booster and long-delayed flu shot.

    Everything else remains in its usual state of disarray. The house where I rent a room developed a leak in the hot water line under the house. Because this is Texas, the foundation is a solid concrete slab. Sigh. So they have to take up the beautiful hardwood floor, break into the concrete (after they figure out exactly where the leak is), fix the leak, re-concrete, replace flooring … all while we don’t have hot water. Luckily, the house owner’s insurance is awesome and has okayed paying for alternate accommodations, so I am sitting in a nice hotel suite right now. Hot water!

  23. I just called in sick for the last two hours of work because work was so fucking awful today. New computer setup won’t work at all, international clientele make me absolutely furious and cranky, I’m sick of the emails, one of my coworkers is quitting after tomorrow, I spent fucking days having to correspond with this one guy demanding things immediately and I just wanted to be PAY YOUR MONEY ALREADY WE’VE BEEN ARGUING ABOUT THIS FOR DAYS NOW and THEN we got a subpoena for one of the worst people my office has ever dealt with, because I guess she’s suing someone again. Then I was all “after I finish with those two I AM FUCKING DONE FOR TODAY.” So now I am drinking and bitching on the Internet instead of working and my headache has magically disappeared!

    1. Oh yeah, and I had two people bitch me out for doing “wrong” things when (a) the first one LITERALLY TOLD ME TO DO THAT and then changed her story 3 different times on the phone, and (b) the second one clearly doesn’t remember that being in a dog and pony show is not the same thing as filing your paperwork six months later.

    2. Post Trump/ covid people are more entitled, demanding & unpleasant than before. The job I’ve loved for 10 years gets harder and harder.

  24. I wandered off into a major sinus event. Just starting to feel human again.
    I am consoling myself with a reread of Crusie & Mayers Wild Ride. Enjoying it more this read than before.
    I was sad to learn Howard Hessaman died. I loved him as Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati.

    1. We were able to get Season 1 of WKRP in Cincinnati from the library last week, and finished the season last night. Parts of it hold up well, but we thought the show treated the female characters, Jennifer (Lani Anderson) and Bailey (Jan Smithers), pretty badly by today’s standards.

  25. I did major yard work again over the weekend, since then it’s just been Day Job and a bit of writer business. Two scenes to go on the novella-in-progress and it’s tempting to stay at the machine after work and power through, but after work is my best time to go walk on the treadmill, so … must do my walkies.

  26. I’m on track with the 2022 1,000 doodles project but behind on Daily February. Catching up tonight! Also, Saturday I rearranged the Christmas lights on our front bushes into a heart.

  27. Yesterday was my last day at the second job, which is a bit sad. Doing both was getting to be really difficult, and I will enjoy having days off again, but I felt valued at the quarantine facility in a way I donā€™t currently in my primary job. So I guess Iā€™m wandering off from that. I wish I could wander away from the laundry pile. Sigh.

  28. Today was the last crazy day of the quarterly deadlines. I am now sitting with a friend watching the menā€™s figure skating after watching the Amazing Race. It is so nice to see people. Well, a couple of people.

  29. Today I should have been able to have a blood draw at the lab, but when I got there it was “We are only seeing patients with appointments” — first time for that in the twenty-odd years I’ve been tested there. So I came home, made an online appointment for a fasting test tomorrow for the first appointment available — 2:30 pm. — and then came home and spent the rest of the day knocking out a newsletter. Now I’m working on the agenda for a meeting Saturday morning. There’s probably something else I should include, but I can’t remember what it should be.

      2. I decided that it was the ideal day to sleep in, so Polka Dot and I Slept In. Very Late Indeed.

        I was anxious about the lab being able to complete all the tests in time for my Monday appointment, but these days they post the results online and when I looked this afternoon, everything seems to have been completed and posted.

  30. Since it was 50Ā°, I did a road trip to Ocean City NJ & strolled the boardwalk in the sunšŸ˜Ž

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