Can I Have a Nap Before Bedtime?

It's been a busy week so far, and this is only Tuesday. Not excruciatingly exhausting, mind you, but busy.

Sunday was spent doing all the household drudgery I hadn't done on Saturday (which I spent running errands). You know, I can remember when I'd work all week, get up on a weekend morning and start doing the housework and be finished by noon. I still QUIT at noon, but I'm rarely finished! Oh well....one advantage to getting a little older is that when my energy level went down, the timing was such that I started wearing bifocals. So, I have more cobwebs and dust, but I can't see them as well as I used to. :-)

Monday I worked until 1:30 at the office, then went to my doctor for my regular 4-month follow-up. All was well; my triglycerides were a little high, but they're pretty changable so the doctor wasn't too worried about those. I got my flu shot, which didn't sting as much as last year's shot. (Yay!) On my way home I stopped in my apartment manager's office to report a drip in a valve where the water goes in to my water heater. She sent the terrific maintenance guys right away and they fixed it in a jiffy. (Yay again!)

This morning I felt a little achy from the flu shot. Not enough to stay home or even to say I'm sick. Just a little achy. We had a biometric screening on campus today, so I went over first thing this morning to be sure that the folks conducting it had what they needed. They really had their act together and were already well underway to setting up. When I went back at 9:00 for my screening, everything was running like clockwork; I was impressed.

We had an in-service training from 10:00 until noon, "Give 'em the Pickle". It's apparently been around awhile, but it was the first time I'd been through it. When I got back in the office, the afternoon seemed to zip by; I was really busy, so it went quickly

And now I'm in my beloved recliner with Tilly and the remote control, preparing to spend a few minutes catching up on the television shows I've missed in the past week or so. Hopefully I can stay awake until bedtime. :-)

Today's random thought: As I was driving to work this morning, the timing was such that I was driving past a row of street lights when they shut off as the daylight grew brighter. Why does that make me feel a little off-center, as if the power had gone out or something

Have a good evening, everyone.

An Uninterrupted Lunch, Please

It's been pretty busy in my little corner of the world lately.  So, I decided that instead of waiting until I get home and try to find a few minutes for a quick blog post that I'd take my lunch break at the office to make an entry.  My office door is closed (and locked), my lunch is spread out on the desk (wheat crackers and hummus), and Pandora is quietly playing in the background (James Horner radio, one of my favorites).  Now let's just hope that no one taps on the door or rings my phone for the next few minutes.  I can ignore both, but I just hope I have an uninterrupted lunch break today. 

My Dad's back is still giving him grief, and now we're dealing with a pain management center to try to get him back on his feet again. He's just worn out with feeling so much pain all the time, and I can't blame him a bit.  Been there, done that, y'know?  I was very fortunate that back surgery helped my problem.  Dad's not been so lucky, I'm afraid.  We're hopeful that the procedure he's going through next will be the answer.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Lately I've spent any free time with Tilly TabbyCat and my knitting....and trying to keep Tilly out of my knitting.  *LOL*  For those of you interested in knitting, I'll post more about that on my knitting blog (see link to the right) after I get home tonight, hopefully.

Amazingly, I still don't miss having TV cable service.  Sometimes I still miss TiVo, though.  I really need to look into some way to have DVR capability without subscribing to a service.  All I need is a way to set up to record at a certain time on a certain date.  I don't need the search and TV listing service.  I don't get enough channels now for that to be a big deal to me.  If anyone has any suggestions, drop me an e-mail, okay?  And keep in mind that although I've been computing forever, I'm still a novice in a lot of areas.  *LOL*

Well, I'd better get back to work now.  Isn't it amazing how quickly a 30-minute lunch break can zip by?

Have a great evening, everyone.

Just Another Day in Paradise

I wish I had something wonderful to write about today, but it was just another Tuesday.  I awoke with the knowledge that my sore back (I injured it slightly on Saturday; nothing serious, I'll just be uncomfortable for a few days) had not improved.

I also knew that it was going to be a particularly busy, unpleasant day at the office.  My appetite wasn't very good, so I didn't have a good breakfast.  I had a bright spot at lunchtime, watching part of "Endeavour" on my Kindle Fire during my break.

The afternoon was long and relatively stressful, so I was relieved when quitting time finally rolled around.

The best part of my day was the enthusiastic greeting I received from Tilly TabbyCat when I unlocked the door.  After I had dinner, she and I settled into the recliner while I knit for a bit while watching "Chasing Amy" on Amazon Prime.  (I'd never seen it, even though Kevin Smith is one of my guilty pleasures.)

Exhaustion finally got the best of me, and now I'm in bed checking out a few things online before settling in with another episode of "Endeavour".  I'm behind and want to get caught up before PBS takes the videos off their website.  (I *heart* you, PBS, and am very sorry I can't see one of your affliates with my antenna.  *sniffle*)

So, my less-than-stellar Tuesday comes to an end.  Tomorrow will be better.  Right?

It's only TUESDAY??

This has been a long week.  A long, ugly week.  And this is only Tuesday.  *sigh*

Okay, so what's been wrong with this week?

1. Work stuff that I'll refrain from discussing on the internet, since Big Brother may be watching (for those of you who do not understand that reference, please read the excellent book "1984" by George Orwell).
2. Sinus problems that have been dragging on for weeks.
3. Exhaustion caused by items 1 and 2 above.
4. Nothing tastes right; probably caused by item 2 above.
5. I've had a sudden attack of "I hate my hair" syndrome.  Not unusual.  This happens from time to time.
6. I need a snow day.....really, really, REALLY need a snow day.  And the best we're going to get are a few snow showers Thursday.  Phooey.

Now, what's been right with this week?

1. Louise has been in the hospital, but is improving and will hopefully be home very soon.
2. Daddy's improving a little more each day.
3. I finished knitting a scarf for Mom on Sunday.
4. I learned how to crochet one of those Sashay scarves last night from a YouTube video (I've already knitted several, but hadn't learned to crochet one).
5. It's been a gray, rainy day.  I love gray, rainy days.
6. Dessert tonight will be a pear.
7. I'm close to finishing another pair of socks.  I've nearly finished the heel, and the rest of it is just knitting my way up the leg until I run out of yarn.  Good television knitting.

Okay, good outweighs bad, as it usually does.  Sometimes it's just a little difficult to see until you actually make a list.

Maybe it won't be such a bad week after all.  Keep your fingers crossed.

TGIF

Yes, I know it was a short work week because of Labor Day, but still.....TGIF.  I had taken Thursday and Friday off last week, so I had a 5-day weekend, but still....TGIF.

I returned to work on Tuesday, rested (no headaches for FIVE WHOLE DAYS!!) and resolved to have a good, productive week.  I was determined to meet the oncoming stressors with calm reserve and deal with them one at a time, refusing to be overwhelmed.  My good intentions lasted until about 8:45 that morning.

By yesterday afternoon, my migraine was so severe that I had to leave a couple of hours early.  Luckily it was cloudy yesterday; I don't think I could have driven myself home if the sun had been out.  I was violently ill by the time I got home and could barely call Mom and Dad to let them know I'd arrived home safely.  I took my migraine medication, crawled into bed and slept for two hours.

When I woke up, the medication had worked its magic.  I wasn't well yet, but my head was numb.  Sometimes numb is enough to get me through.  I'd been too sick to eat lunch, so I steamed a potato for supper.  I called Mom again to let her and Daddy know that I was feeling better, then ate my potato in the recliner while watching a show I'd TiVo'd earlier in the week.

At 7:30 I felt the heachache creeping back in, so I took another Maxalt and went back to bed.  At one point (still pretty early in the evening), my downstairs neighbors woke me with a VERY loud television in their bedroom.  I stuck in my foam earplugs and went back to sleep.  I woke at 4:00 this morning, finished a book I'd been reading, ate a bit of breakfast, and logged into Facebook to see what's going on in my friends' worlds.

Now it's time to shower and dress and face another day at the office.

I'd rather have a root canal.

3 Days of Work, 5 Days Off

Monday through Wednesday of this week was a mixed bag of assorted frustrating nonsense at the office, and I was exceedingly happy to see the end of it!  Yesterday I did some much-needed housework (the dustbunnies had taken over!) and was pretty worn down at the end of the day.  This morning I did a bit more household drudgery but let the gadgetry do most of the work this time.

I tossed a load of laundry in the washer, then started the dishwasher, then turned Roomba loose to do the vacuuming.  While the gadgets worked away, I treated myself to a half-hour on the deck with a cup of coffee and my knitting.  Such a treat!

I'd been knitting a scarf based on a stitch I found in my stitch dictionary ("Cells", it was called) which was working up into a lovely, honeycomb-like pattern.  Unfortunately, it was working up in a double-thick fabric which was lovely but probably too thick to be comfortable as a scarf.  So, I ripped it out and have now started a different stitch called Diamond Brocade.  We'll see if that works out better.  I hope.

Currently, I'm waiting for a call from the Salvation Army.  They're sending a truck sometime today to pick up a large (27") portable television set I'm donating.  It's still a good set, but I've replaced it with a much lighter flatscreen.

I'm actually more excited about the flatscreen than I expected.  I love having all my usual stuff (DVD/VCR combo, TiVo, and Nintendo Wii) PLUS my computer hooked up to the television set.  Very convenient!

I hope the Salvation Army calls soon....I had a very filling lunch (red beans and rice) and I find that I'm getting unbelievably sleepy.  I'm sure if I doze off for a nap, they'll call just about the time I fall asleep.  Or maybe not.  The phone will wake me, so maybe I'll just give up and snooze a bit.  :-)

Have a safe and restful Labor Day Weekend, everyone!

Hooray!

This morning I finally finished a sweater/jacket I've been knitting off and on for nearly a year!  *happy dance*  Now I can start my Christmas knitting....*LOL*

(If any of you are interested in my knitting projects, I keep a separate blog for those.  You'll find a link over on the right side of the page for it.  If you're not interested in knitting, feel free to skip it.  I promise I won't be offended.)

Once more it's race weekend in my little corner of the world.  Our city is filled to the brim with NASCAR fans.  While I am grateful to the monetary contributions they make to our fair city, I'll be more grateful when they go back home.  I handling the race crowds the way I usually do:  I'm staying home and out of their way!  I always make sure I have all necessary supplies (aka Diet Coke and coffee), then just plan to hole up for the weekend.

I had a week at the office that can only be described as "crappy", so I felt the need for comfort food today.  My solution was to cook a big pot of bean soup.  I love the smell of bean soup cooked slowly on top of the stove!  It's done, but I've not sampled it yet.  I'll have dinner out of it today and tomorrow, then I'll freeze the leftovers to enjoy later.  *yum*

I won't describe my work week, because it'll just make me mad all over again to talk about it.  Take my word for it, it was crappy.  The good news is that I don't have to deal with any of the things that irritated me again until Monday.

I've been reading a lot lately (I ADORE my Kindle); in the wee hours this morning I finished a Kurt Wallander mystery, "Dogs of Riga", which was very good.  Next on the reading list is the 9th installment of James Patterson's "Women's Murder Club" series.  After that is another Wallander mystery, then a reread of "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe".  It's so great to be able to check out books electronically from my local library and download them to my Kindle.  I can keep new reading material available at all times and never have to go to the library.  I'm a woman of simple pleasures.  *LOL*

On that happy note, I will now peruse my yarn stash and cast on some Christmas gift knitting.  That always makes me happy!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

A Good Week Off

I was off work last week and was actually afraid to post anything about it in fear of jinxing myself!  My time off lately has been few, far between, and an invitation for disaster.

As it turned out, I had a good week.  I ran a few errands, visited with some folks, and got some much needed rest.

One piece of excellent news is that I had a 3-month follow-up visit with my orthopedic doctor, and he said my leg is healing beautifully and that I don't need to come back to see him again.  *cautious happy dance*

The only day that I felt unwell was on Friday (coincidentally my birthday); I had a sinus headache that day, but felt well enough to read a book.  A whole book.  In ONE DAY.  I can't remember that last time I was able to do that.  Such fun!

I also managed to get a lot of knitting done on my nearly-finished sweater jacket.  I just need to knit a few more rows around the neck and hide the ends on it, and I'm done!

I expected today to be rough at the office since I'd been off a week, and it was as I expected.  *bleah*  But the good news is that I survived my Monday, managed to get through it without a migraine, and am happily piled up in my recliner with a take-out dinner waiting for me to finish this entry.

Have a great week, everyone!

I've Had Better Summers

I hate to sound like a whiner, but the truth is that I've had better summers.  It seems like every effort I make to take a little time off and get some rest gets thwarted.

As detailed earlier, my "week off" back in May turned into a mess due to a broken leg.  Since then, it seems that most of my days off have been spent recovering from horrible weeks at the office.  *sigh*

My leg seems to be healing well....still a little swelling if I'm on it much, but otherwise okay.  My next doctor's appointment is on August 13, and I'm hoping he'll see some real improvement in my x-rays by then.

The good news is that I'm taking Monday off, so this will be a 3-day weekend for me.  I had a migraine on Thursday and had to stay in bed all day, so maybe I have my migraine out of the way for a few days and can actually ENJOY this brief break!!  Keep your fingers crossed.

I'm hoping to spend tomorrow catching up some housework and laundry, then I'll try to spend some time with Mom and Dad on Sunday.  I'm really, REALLY hoping that Monday can be spent in the recliner with knitting.  I think that would do me a world of good!

As for this evening, I stopped at Alfredo's on my way home for a Greek pizza.  Mmmmmmmmmmmmm......If you live in my neck of the woods and haven't tried Alfredo's yet, you should!  Everything I've tried there has been just delicious, and the prices are very reasonable, too.

Hope everyone has a great weekend....I'm READY for it!

My Computer Croaked!

Adios, dear Dell desktop computer.  Okay, first and foremost, this is not a complaint.  It really and truly isn't.  I'd had my Dell desktop for several years (seven or eight, I really can't remember), and it was a replacement for an older Dell desktop.  They both served me well, and my losses when they croaked are nobody's fault but my own.

Losses, you ask?  Being spoiled by years of faithful service, I got lazy about backing up my stuff.  Photos, videos, correspondence.  All gone.  Not once, mind you, but TWICE.  Dumb.  Just plain dumb.

Here's how the latest loss came about.  Last Friday terrible storms rocked my little corner of the world.  The storms were not as severe as those of April 2011, but there was a confirmed F1 tornado in nearby Lee County last Friday.  As a precaution, I had turned off my Dell desktop.  Keep in mind that this computer was rarely turned off.  It ran happily at a desk in the corner of my bedroom, only occasionally being rebooted due to the eccentricities of Microsoft Vista.

On Saturday following the passing of the storms I realized I needed to turn the computer on to pay some bills and e-file my taxes.  I pushed the power button.  Nothing happened.

A brief wave of nausea ran over me.  Oh, man, how long has it been since I saved my photos?  How many episodes of Knitting Daily and movies from Turner Classic Movies had I not yet burned to DVD?

I fiddled a bit with the computer, doing the few techie tricks I know, to no avail.  So now, the computer sits temporarily beside my bed, unplugged and mourned.

I still had my little Acer netbook, so I wasn't completely out of touch with my online world, but I knew that was a temporary solution at best.  I shopped online for a replacement for my beloved Dell and had settled on a Dell laptop that happened to be on sale.  I didn't order it right away, though, because I had to be out of town for a training session for a few days.

On the first day out of town, my coworkers and I dropped in at Staples to look around.  (We don't have a Staples nearby, so we wanted to see if we found any bargains.)  There I found a heckuva deal in a Toshiba laptop.

So here I sit, tapping away at a new personal computer.  Now all I have to do is try to remember all the useful stuff I had bookmarked on my Dell.  I'll hang onto the Dell, of course, and try later to get it up and running long enough to rescue all the items I hadn't backed up, but there's no huge rush on that.  In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy this new toy.


I am a happy woman.  :-)

Vacation....AT LAST!!

A week.....I have a WHOLE WEEK away from the office!!  If it didn't involve breaking a sweat, I'd do a happy dance!  Those of you who read this blog on a fairly regular basis know that this has been an unusually difficult year at work for me because of a disasterous computer system conversion.  Because of the extreme workload this year, I wasn't able to take any time off until September.  During that month I managed to take three days off.  That was wonderful, but still not as great as having an entire week that I don't have to worry about the office.

So what am I going to do with this long-awaited week?  As little as humanly possible!!

Yesterday I did so little it was nearly (but not quite) embarrassing.  I'm not a big breakfast eater, so my breakfast is normally coffee with a breakfast bar or instant oatmeal.  But since I'm ON VACATION I treated myself to a cheese omelet.  Which upset my stomach, because I'm not used to something that rich in the morning.  Dunce.  *LOL*

After I'd showered and dressed I settled into my recliner with my trusty netbook on one side of me and my knitting basket on the other side.  Armed with my remote control and a TiVo full of stuff I hadn't had time to watch, I kicked back and made myself ridiculously comfortable.  My motto for the day was:  "The dustbunnies have waiting this long, they can wait awhile longer!"

Because I was still a little unwell at lunch time, I just had a baked sweet potato for lunch.  Hot, delicious, filling, soothing.  I actually intended to take an afternoon nap after lunch, but was never quite able to fall asleep.  All the same, it proved to be a very restful day.....which was much needed and very much appreciated!

Plans for the rest of the week?  No real plans.  I do want to take my car to be serviced one day, and I want to go visit Aunt Orpha one day (she'll be 101 next month!!).  I'm having lunch with Mom and Dad today and hope to go to a nearby park for awhile tomorrow to sit in the sun and knit.  (There's a possibility of rain Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, so I figured I should try to get to the park before that starts.)

Otherwise, I just want to get some rest and recharge my batteries.  I've waited for this time off for a long time, and I'm going to try to enjoy it!

Have a great Sunday, everyone!

The Past Month

A month since I've posted?  Sheesh.  I've been busy, I know, but somehow the past month just got away from me!

So, what's been happening?  High on the list of things that have happened is that my long-time friend and supervisor at work retired.  We'd worked together for 24 years, so that was hard.  I'm very happy for her, of course, and that helps keep me from feeling too sorry for myself.  :-)

So for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century I have a new supervisor.  Luckily, she seems very capable and very nice.

I've also been knitting (no surprise there) and for the first time this year have been able to take off a couple of days.  I took the Friday before Labor Day, then took Monday of last week.  I'm also going to be off tomorrow and Tuesday.  It's a really nice change, and I'm beginning to catch up on my rest finally.

The computer conversion at work isn't improving at all, unfortunately.  The new system is broken, and the powers-that-be are apparently unable or unwilling to admit that it's broken.  It's quite discouraging....in fact, so much so that I'm going to try to just not think about it for the next couple of days.

So what do I plan to do with the rest of this glorious Sunday?  I'm currently watching the Sopranos and as soon as I finish this post, I'll pick up the sweater I'm knitting and add a few rows to it.

Then I'll do a few household chores I didn't finish yesterday, knit a bit more, and get ready for a little trip to Pigeon Forge with Mom and Dad tomorrow.  Fun!

Have a great Sunday, everyone!

New 'Do

I had a rotten week. The work level at the office has been just NUTS (financial statement end-of-the-fiscal-year garbage). Then I had a scam artist at my door Tuesday evening trying to sell me magazine subscriptions that actually resulted in my filing a police report. Rotten, rotten week.

When I woke up Wednesday morning I looked in the mirror and said, "Okay, enough already. Time for a haircut."

I hadn't been particularly happy with my hair for some time. I've been wearing a medium-length undercut bob for awhile, and was just getting tired of it. I looked at several shorter hairstyles online and had seen a couple that I thought would work, but wasn't sure I was ready to go that much shorter.

On the way home from work that afternoon I called Mom to let her know I'd be a little later than usual getting home (so she wouldn't worry when I didn't call her at my usual time), and stopped at a local hair salon that takes walk-ins. When I sat down in the waiting area I honestly was still unsure whether I was going short or just getting a trim. There were only two stylists working that afternoon, and each had a customer in the chair while I waited. I watched one of them pretty closely, because she was doing a short haircut on her customer. And she was doing a FABULOUS job. "Okay," I thought, "If I'm going short, she's the one I want to cut it!"

And so, when my turn came, I pulled out the photo I'd printed from the internet, and away we went. When she was finished, looking at the pile of white hair on the floor it appeared that she'd sheared a sheepdog.

But I'm very happy with the results. I can literally style my hair by running my fingers through it. I haven't been able to do that in a very long time!

I apologize for the fairly terrible photo. I took it with the webcam on my netbook, and I've not used it before. *LOL*

Heat and Humidity Make Me Tired

Two weeks since my last blog entry....where is this summer GOING??? It's hot and humid in my little corner of the world. A bit miserable, to tell the truth. I've worked in air conditioned offices for so much of my life that I've lost any ability I ever had to withstand temperatures in the 90's. With heat indexes over 100. "I'm melting, I'm melting!"

So, since the last time I checked in with you, what have I been up to? The usual workweek, of course. Frustrating, but necessary because I've become accustomed to regular meals and a roof over my head. But after work is MY time. I've been spending some of my time knitting a retirement gift for a friend (see my knitting blog for more about that...the link is on the right side of this page). My latest Netflix disk was "Black Swan", which I really liked. It was definitely different!

Last Saturday I had lunch with a friend from high school days...such fun! We'd reconnected on Facebook and hadn't seen each other since our 20th high school reunion, which was TWENTY YEARS AGO. I still can't believe it's been 40 years since I graduated from high school. We had a lovely time, catching up on what's been going on in our lives over all those years. She was a bright, vivacious girl in high school, always fun to be around. I'm happy to say that she hasn't changed at all. We promised each other that we wouldn't wait another 20 years to get together again.

After our lunch, I stopped by Hobby Lobby to check out their supply of yarn. I already have plenty of yarn, mind you, but there's no such thing as too much yarn. I was terribly disappointed to find that their yarn stock was down to about half of what it was the last time I was there. I guess not everyone is quite as obsessed as I am about sticks and string! Their depleted stock didn't keep me from spending some money, though. I managed to find some sock yarn and a bit of baby yarn I needed for a toy I wanted to knit for my great-niece, Emmie.

On the way home I stopped by the hospital to visit my 100-year-old great aunt. Happily, she'd just been notified that she was being released to go home. She'd been hospitalized for a couple of days for diverticulitis. Like most of us, she doesn't particularly enjoy hospital stays and was really looking forward to getting home! She's an amazing lady, and I'm always glad to get to spend a little time with her.

And that just about catches you up on the goings on in my little world. Have a great week, everyone!

Another Thrilling Week

First of all, last weekend's Netflix disk wasn't "Black Swan", it was "Winter's Bone". Good movie, great performances, but nearly painful to watch. Such strength in a young woman, such a terrible thing that such strength was needed!

This week has thus far proven to be another very trying one at the office. And this is only Tuesday. *ick* So much to do, so little time! I'm writing this during my lunch break, and as soon as I finish here I'm going to escape to the world of knitting for a few rows.

Thank goodness for sticks and string!

Life Is Good

Friday....oh, how I adore Friday evening! The work week is finished, and it's TWO WHOLE DAYS before I have to think about work again! *happy dance*

Tired? Oh yeah. But I'm kicked back in the recliner, netbook in my lap, knitting nearby, and an unopened Netflix envelope on top of the entertainment center. "Black Swan", I think. I've kind of forgotten what was next in my queue! *LOL*

Have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate what knitting does for me? For awhile I was so exhausted from the horrific workload at the office that I was too tired to knit when I got home. I missed it so much. I've found that knitting centers me. Since I've been able to spend a little time with my needles and wool, I find that I sleep better and am much more rested in the morning. Busy hands, calmer mind.

Of course, Mom says it wouldn't have that effect on her....*LOL* She's never been interested in crochet or knitting. She can sew, but only does it when necessary. It's not something she's ever really enjoyed. She has other interests, but needlework just isn't on her list.

As for me, I think I'll wrap up this blog entry, pop in the Netflix disk, and knit until I'm sleepy. Have a great Friday night, everyone!

Sorta Kinda Normal

Finally. The overtime at the office is finally over. At least for now. The new system is still a piece of junk, but I think the worst of the backlog is behind us. I still have some catch-up to do, and it's time to do the end-of-the-fiscal-year extra work, but the 60-70 hour workweeks are finished, I think. I hope. (Hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying that!!)

A couple of weeks ago I was in the recliner with my little netbook, checking out Facebook to see what was going on in the lives of my friends. Suddenly, the netbook shut down with no warning. "Weird", I thought. "It ususally WARNS me if the battery is getting low." I pulled the adapter out of a nearby drawer and plugged it into the wall. Nothing. Dead as a hammer.

After I'd tried everything I knew to try (including fishing out an adapter from a long-defunct laptop computer and trying it in case my netbook adapter had gone dead), I still couldn't get the netbook to power up.

I e-mailed Acer from my desktop computer and over the next couple of days followed their instructions of various things to try. No good. They gave me a case number and an address to use to ship the netbook in for diagnostics.

Feeling a pang of separation anxiety, I boxed up my little purple netbook and shipped it to Texas via FedEx. Acer notified me when it arrived and gave me a site where I could keep up with the progress on my case. Happily, it was repaired and shipped back to me in short order.

Because it was under warranty, all the repair cost me was the expense (minimal) to ship it to Acer. So this morning I'm happily piled up in the recliner with a cup of coffee, netbook in my lap, reloading things on the netbook.

Acer rocks. :-)

A Good Day

I am very thankful that through much hard work during the past work week, we managed to get ourselves in position to actually take a TWO DAY WEEKEND this week! *happy dance* It's been awhile since we were able to take both Saturday and Sunday off, and this feels a little like a vacation!

I didn't sleep very well last night, and woke up much too early....4:00 am! I stubbornly refused to get out of bed at that hour. So, I reached for my Kindle and finished reading "The Thorn Birds". Not a bad way to start my "long" weekend. :-)

I did a few household tasks....nothing very strenuous. Then I decided to knit a bit on a pair of socks I'd started earlier. This afternoon I went to visit Mom and Dad for awhile, then came back home and called Kris (my daughter, for those of you who might not know).

So now I'm fed, kicked back in the recliner with my netbook in my lap and my knitting nearby. I have a Netflix movie I've not watched yet ("Hereafter" with Matt Damon), so I foresee a restful evening. Thank goodness.

Happy Easter, everyone!

A Post in Less Than Ten Minutes

I'm lying in bed, netbook at my side, and have been Facebooking and Tweeting for the past little while. Because I went to bed pretty early last night, I woke up pretty early this morning and decided to spend some "quality" time on the internet. :-)

At 5:30 my alarm clock chirped at me. I tapped the "snooze" button and continued happily netsurfing. Ten minutes later it chirped again. I tapped again, treating myself. When it chirped again a couple of minutes ago, I had just opened Blogger to begin this post. So, I tapped the button one more time, deciding to post until the alarm chirps. Then I must get up, shower, dress, and prepare for another glorious day in the employ of the Commonwealth.

The computer conversion is proceeding in the way a root canal procedure proceeds. Slowly and painfully. Work hours are long and frustrating, home hours are spent trying to recover from work hours. We muddle through, hoping that the next day will be better than the last.

At my age I have already adjusted to white hair and wrinkles. But lately the hair has begun to look dull and wrinkles appear deeper than usual.

Stress sucks.

Long-Awaited Sunday

I've not posted in a couple of weeks.....why, you may ask? Because I'm tired of hearing myself whine about how tired I am.

March was a train wreck of a month, and I was not at all sorry to see it go. We're going through a disastrous computer conversion at work; I won't bore you with the hideous details, but trust me. It's a disaster of Hindenburg proportions.

Because of the avalanche of extra work caused by this disaster, today is the first day I've had off since March 20.

So, what do I plan to do with this much-needed day off? Good question. I'm one of those obsessive list-makers who usually has a check list on my computer screen at home of things I intend to accomplish over the weekend and checks them off as I get to them.

I'll be the first to admit that not everything on that list gets checked off. I often run out of energy before I run out of self-assigned tasks. An acquaintance from years ago told me that she always makes the first item on her task list "Make a list". That way she knows that when she's finished making her list she has one task she can already check off, giving herself a sense of accomplishment. At the time I thought it was a cute idea. I did that for awhile, then for some reason dropped it off the top of my ever-present lists.

The way things have been going lately, I think I need to start that again. Item 1: Make a list. I've spent so much of my time in the past couple of months beating out brush fires that it's easy to lose track of the monumental amount of work that's been accomplished.

Okay. Feeling a little better now.

So, what's on today's agenda? Make a list. *LOL* Then, seeing how as it's nearly 8:30 on a Sunday morning and I'm still in my flannel jammies, I think I'll have one more cup of coffee (which is unusually delicious this morning, for some reason), then a long, hot shower.

I have a few household-drudgery-type things to do....for instance, I can either do laundry today or face having to do it after what's shaping up to be an ugly Monday in the office. Today will be easier. And there's a bit of picking up to do in the apartment, since not much of that got done this past week.

But basically here's the way I plan to spend my long-awaited free day: a half-hour of "must do" tasks followed by a half-hour of something enjoyable. I'll do that until I get tired, then get into the recliner with knitting and a Netflix movie I've not watched yet.

I already feel more relaxed. Sometimes you have to PLAN to make things better.