Today I am working on getting my brain back in working order so I won’t forget the Working Wednesday post again. Fingers crossed that works.
What did you work on this week?
49 thoughts on “Working Wednesday, August 16, 2023”
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Argh Ink
More than you ever wanted to hear from Jenny Crusie
Bits and pieces, here and there. I made some progress with filing, and in my joy, I pulled a quilting project out of it’s timeout corner and made significant progress with it. Then I took my machine in for regular service (it’s been working hard, so I need to take care of it.), so no more piecing until it comes back.
I’ve been working on an old knitting project. At one point, I had a mistake and thought I’d corrected it. Now, 10 rows further on, I can still see where that error is. So, I’m putting a lifeline in my knitting just below the problem part. Tonight I’ll “unknit” everything back to the lifeline and I’ll start over. It’s only about a 20 hour detour. (10 hours to knit what I’ve done, and another 10 to reknit). Sigh. But I know that I’ll not be happy with it the way it is, so I might as well fix it before I go another 10 rows!
No pictures as everything is in flux.
Nothing much personally since the show is over and I am in no-show sad limbo. Just trying to figure out my infernal Emma Overdress pattern and how I keep effing up the decreases like 9 times now. Ugh.
I should work on writing cover letters, but it’s so hard to do when you don’t actually want the job and really can’t in all good conscience argue that you should have the job. I’m sick to death of customer service and it’s the worst thing about me as a person, but every single job is nothing but now and I’m stuck.
When you are in customer service those are all the jobs you will see… it would be interesting to see what a career counselor might suggest that you have never thought of .
I have just been through the hell and back of getting the roof fixed. Combination of flat and shingled, with a shed. Complicated by raccoons that had to be lured/driven out of an attic, hole/entrance into attic temporarily blocked (underside of said shingled roof overhang, complicated by old grape arbor that assisted the acrobatic raccoons), and then the underside of the roof strengthened with temporary boards. Then rain. Roofer delays. Roofers carpeting the gardens with boards, old shingles, underlayment festooning all the shrubbery, and pebbles from the flat roof cascading over EVERYthing.
My zombie state only slightly less than the horror and alarm expressed by every blue jay, squirrel, and cardinal among the squadrons of sparrows, blackbirds etc. whose feeding spots have been knocked over, removed, and otherwise messed up.
BUT I’ve only had to scramble in place, rather than move house hundreds of miles away like some writers I could mention.
These are NOT the lazy hazy days of summer I recall hearing about so long ago.
Raccoons are the worst. The ones that used to bother my bird feeder and the birdhouses, disappeared, and I don’t care or want to know how. I’m just glad they are gone. I hope your mess is gone soon.
Raccoons are the worst. Once the cedar shingles on the shed were replaced by duroid and strong metal wire under the eaves, the problem was resolved. Into the third year without issues, although one did try to press the wire up to get in. Luckily the fastenings held. Commiserate with you.
And can I say how grateful I am for immigrants? It was half a dozen young Spanish speaking guys doing tremendous amounts of really heavy, dangerous work, and two blond American guys supervising and driving the air conditioned company trucks around from project to project. I hope that certain American state leaders find themselves struggling in the Rio Grande some day, and that the folks on the other bank of the river take their own sweet time rescuing them.
Continuing to work on cohabiting with Miss Kitters O’Scruffian. She has already put on much-needed weight, her coat looks and feels better, and I am truly enjoying glancing over at her chair during my workday and thinking ‘I have a kitty!’
Also making great strides on the new novel. Five chapters (15000 words) complete in the past week. Four to go.
Essential prep for the romance con is mostly done. Let’s see if I do this link right: https://www.instagram.com/p/CwArrj0reHG/
Pretty shoes!
Ooh. Shoe modification!
Very nice! What paint did you use?
base coat of Liquitex acrylic bronze, top coat of Polymark red iridescent fabric paint 🙂
Those are definitely ready for dancing! Good job.
I finally felt well enough, and was motivated enough, to clean the house, including dusting. It feels so good to have that done. It won’t last, of course. Then I had company for dinner, and managed that pretty well. We had a nice visit. The part of the lawn that didn’t get mowed still needs it, but the grass is really wet from 1.6″ of rain two days ago, and heavy dew. At least it is pleasant, here. I feel for the people who are cooking in the heat in other places in the US.
This morning I decided to clean the ceiling fans, all four downstairs. Did three and went to tackle the kitchen and it’s just like cleaning the top of the cabinets, very sticky. So, I’m going to plant the seed of replacing the blades and see where it goes. Next will be the bottom of the freezer where all the bits end up. So, from standing on my tippy toes to scrounging on the floor it’s going to be quite a work out.
I am still working on Social Security/Medicare B. I have sent in more forms. I have sent my boss the form she has to fill out to prove I’m still working and covered by employer-provided health insurance. Can she get this done by October 1? We…shall…see….
At this point working less than 35 hours a week sounds really nice, but I know that having “enough” free time to get things done is an illusion.
Usual garden upkeep, mountain of laundry as our guests washed their vacation clothes before they leave today and I must get in the office Today. Nice to have BIL and partner, nice to see the back of her leaving. Very catty today. Last day of high heat or not depending on weather forecasts.
Working on getting ready for start of school year, and we’ve pretty much wrapped up our maintenance/replacement of outdoor stuff. Except the mower broke last Sat and added itself to the list. Also working on enjoying summer while we can because if you don’t work at putting fun on the schedule it gets squeezed out.
Amen to putting fun on the schedule 🙂
Since I retired, I’ve been working part time at the state library. Today I went to work for my four-hour shift as usual. When I was getting ready to leave work, I realized I had locked my keys in the car, so I called my husband to come rescue me. He picked me up at the loading dock of the building where I work and drove me to where my car was parked.
Yes, my keys were in the car, but I hadn’t even turned the dang thing off when I got out of it this morning — just locked it and went on about my business, apparently in a complete and utter brain fog.
Was it still running or did it run out of gas?
If you need two passports try not to be like me and possess two passports you can’t travel on because they both expire within the next six months. argh.
If you need photos for more than one country (for a visa or something) at a similar time go to a photographer. They can print two completely different sizes of one (more flattering!) photo and include digital copies in case of a sudden need for replacement later. UK photo booths don’t work for US or AU paperwork.
Also try not to renew when overseas. I have to mail,tracked, my photos, applications and self addressed, tracked, envelopes to London. The consulates will mail back and forth to origin countries and then forward passports to me. Especially Australian, there is an extra $150ish fee for out of country renewal.
Did not know that.
Next decade I renew one of them a year early. Maybe two.
Whoa, feel your pain. Lost my passport 2020 on the plane flying into Miami. The Canadian consulate was helpful unfortunately the passport office in Ottawa or wherever did not release the special form to enter Canada until the last five minutes before closing. So stressful. We are taking requisite sized passport photos when we travel and hope never to need them. It was a nightmare.
The best advice I got was to leave a copy of your passport with someone at home. After I lost my passport in Paris, my sister was able to fax copies to the hotel and the airline, which enabled me to get home. Getting a new passport is such a mess in person these days that I shudder to think what it would be like from a foreign country.
I’m frantically working on finishing my own book before I have to start ghostwriting someone else’s.
While helping with my sister’s wedding. And applying for a job I got recruited for. And doing other freelance stuff. In a heatwave.
It’s fine. Nothing to see here…
I’m working on cleaning up from the Sunday brunch, entertaining my daughter’s in-laws, and packing for our trip to california.
We leave on Friday so Thursday night I will be sadly composting all the flowers from the party. They are so gorgeous but they will be completely dead when we return.
My main ac window unit just went out in Florida where it’s still 80 degrees and high humidity at midnight. Working on getting that replaced.
Got a ton of boxes broken down and hauled off to recycle.
Working on laundry.
Fun? What’s that?
Can you donate the flowers to a nursing home?
I don’t think so —they are pretty tired now. But a good thought if DS ever gets married …
We’re being successful at keeping an aging cat alive. She’s not helping much. If she’d just eat more than 1-2 tablespoons a day, things would be much better.
For work, I got my reimbursements filed and requests for the next 2 conferences submitted. I also booked flights and reserved a hotel room. New Orleans in Oct! I have also gotten my inbox down to only 82 messages!
I finished a quilt top (Resplendent – a Jason Yenter pattern and I used some of his fabrics) by adding the inner and outer borders this week. I was also in a race equity training course Monday and Tuesday this week where I did some hand sewing on my patchwork of the cross project. https://www.instagram.com/p/CwBWoiKpBHY/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
We kept my old cat alive for a good long while on tuna juice and tomato juice. She had given up eating but could still be temped by those two favorites. She passed peacefully in her sleep about two months later.
Thanks! I wouldn’t have guessed tomato juice. I don’t think we’ve ever given her any. We are praying that she does pass peacefully in her sleep. It would be the best ending we can imagine.
Gorgeous work!
Thank you!
Okay. The BornAgainIndoorFarmer side of me Upgraded… or possibly sidegraded my hydroponic farm. I decommissioned all my amber mason jars and all but one of the Smart Garden-3s [FREE to good home!] while adding two very pretty LYKO 12-pod units (Faith & Madison) and a seventh AeroGarden Aerovoir. The new reservoir is named Lori after Lori Lemaris, Superman’s college girlfriend.
The Gary J side of me is mourning a pet while anticipating an appointment tomorrow with my cardiologist. I already know he’s going to chastise me for NOT taking the Entresso he prescribed, but at $1600 per 90 day supply, I can live without it.
What does it do? Grow a new heart? That’s very expensive!
It’s supposed to be So Good, it actually reverses damage done previously. My PCP gave me paperwork (which I am still procrastinating over) that might involve a subsidy/reduced price if and only if I fill the prescription at her local pharmacy.
Follow-up to the cardiologist visit. He was understanding about the cost of the miracle drug, and if my PCP doesn’t come through with a cheaper program/subsidy, he has alternatives. In the meantime, I have been taken off Plavix/Clopidogrel completely and I’m being switched from metoprolol something to metoprolol something else. Longer acting, once per day instead of twice-a-day. Good visit.
I am still training someone at work. She is only 21 and a good kid, sweet and reliable, but she was raised in a very conservative Christian homeschool co-op. Sometimes the stuff that comes out of her mouth…. But I have hope. She seems like a really sweet natured person underneath the dogma.
And I applied for the other job at the bank and have an interview. Someone else from outside the bank was interviewed today, and I can’t tell if that is a good sign or not. I know that they are looking for someone with experience, which I don’t have. On the other hand, I had a strong impression that they were looking at someone else internally. Maybe I was mistaken. That could bump me up the ranks…
Otherwise we had a bat in the house two nights in a row. The first night it flew out on its own. The second night it took longer. And now I am slowly, but methodically cleaning everything. I like bats, but they need to be not in my living space.
Lupe:
you might like the early pages of https://www.dumbingofage.com/2010/comic/book-1/01-move-in-day/home/
college not work but similar, and heartening
I worked this working Wednesday at the dental office. I don’t want to work anymore. I have been reading Ursula K. Le Guin’s blog ‘No Time to Spare’.
I like my patients and am happy to contribute to their periodontal health, and am happy that my job pays enough that I can manage on 2-3 days a week, leaving time to do other side gigs and some reading and writing and lazing around watching the Blue Jays, but man, I am ready to be retired. Hey, Vladdy just got a base hit!
Although I was back at school last week, that was staff professional days and preparation. Today was the first full day with every single pupil from age 3 to 18 on site. Am trying to write one full page reflection every day – but only managed one third today. Will try to do better tomorrow. Am thinking about getting a short story together for a competition with closing date of 18 September, but not sure what to work on. But am moving forward with script for podcast. I think I may be spreading myself a bit thin.
I spent hours on the phone today trying to get my insurance company to cover the eye drops my allergist recommended. It was an exercise in aggravation and futility. Then I found out that my allergist/ENT is only working 2 days a week and so I will have to wait until next Tuesday for her to return and issue a new script for something to replace the antihistamine that my pharmacy can no longer obtain. There are 2 other allergists in that practice, couldn’t one of them have sent in a script for a week’s worth of something to tide me over? I though that’s why they have group practices.
Doesn’t really count as work but have been surfing essays and blogs on Mesopotamia and Sumer and now must reread Dogs and Goddesses.
We’re continuing with the serial visitors. Different visitors, same two weeks. Saturday is my brother’s pretty impromptu wedding, about 12 days notice. It’s going to be pretty casual, but feeding 25 people outside entails chairs, tables, a tent, some lights, lots of bug spray, etc., etc., and the grooms are only arriving tonight from CA. On Tuesday I had a funny feeling in my chest and decided to get my BP checked out, and ended up spending the day in the ER. I’m just fine, just harassed, and I did get a nap for a few hours. I’m a little embarrassed, but not worried about that funny feeling anymore.
People think a casual outdoor event is easier and all I can say is Ha! And what a great sister for doing this let alone on short notice …
I completely missed this, which gives you some idea of how this week is going. Hoping to catch up on the writing over the weekend.
This is the week of errands, and out of town ones at that!
Monday I worked on getting the storage room kinda back into shape after I tore it all apart late last week. I gave my manager a bunch of Christmas ornaments/decor and I have a carload of things to take to the second hand store on Saturday.
Tuesday Paul had an ophthalmologist appointment in Edmonton. It was set up by Medical Genetics and we weren’t really sure why since he has no complaints about his eyes. Turns out that his particular connective tissue disorder (officially changed from Marfan syndrome to Loeys-Dietz syndrome) has some eye symptoms that they wanted to check for. He got a clean bill of eye health which was great.
Yesterday we had to take the work truck to get a tire repaired and put back on. Turns out that the tire was unfixable but was under warranty since it was only a week old. The downside was they had to order the replacement in.
While we were there we decided to look at king-sized beds. We found a mattress we really liked and since it was a floor model and a style that wasn’t selling well the manager sold it to us for almost 60% off. We still have the 90-night window to sleep on it and see if we like it but Paul is really happy because he’s wanted a king bed for a long time. I had to order a new bed frame and night stands so we should be sleeping on the new bed in about 10 days. Yay for savings. The bed frame, mattress, and nightstands all together were less than the sticker price of the mattress. I had visions of having to hunt all over Edmonton to find a mattress we both liked and saving up for months to afford everything.
When I got home I went to my hair appointment and got my hair chopped off. I didn’t tell Paul and he was totally surprised.
Today I have to work and tomorrow I have head south an hour to take the cat to the vet for blood tests (routine thyroid, nothing scary) and to get her meds and then come home and head east for another hour to take the truck to get its new foot put on then be home before Paul has to head to work.
Saturday I’m going to see Six at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton and take Paul’s rental sax back to the music store and pick up his after a cleaning/tuneup and make a drop-off stop at the Goodwill and the storage room clean out will be done for a while.
Just dropped the last set of guests at the airport (second airport run today, and I think 18th since mid May). Tomorrow we drive ourselves to the airport for a weeks vacation and a party hosted by others.