Snippets: Work, Tech, Hockey

I had to work late last night*, since we were waiting for one last item (which was with the writer for hours, not that I'm bitter but anyway). It was actually not a busy day overall, and at 5 a couple of my fellow editors were talking about how it had been such a quiet afternoon. I acquit them of malice, but I really wanted to say something snarky about how even after the quiet afternoon, some of us didn't get to leave at five. Sigh. It's not their fault ... but I really wanted to leave, too.

*It ended up being less than an hour, at least.

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I wore a pair of non-hand-knit socks yesterday. (A rare thing for me, these days, but I need to do laundry.)

They kept sliding down around my ankles.

The ones I make don't do that.

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I know you're curious about how my group at work organized our late-night coverage schedule, after I asked you for suggestions. We did in fact go with a monthly rotation, with the added fillip that the primary and backup coverage are lined up to make Fridays less painful. Well, I mean, it's already less painful for me, I don't have to cover 5 Fridays out of 6! But this way is more equitable for all six of us.

In every 6 months, we each get one month off primary (and do Friday backup that month), one month off backup (and do Friday primary), and four months with a backup and a primary night Monday through Thursday.

I was entering all this and more in the Outlook calendar, and realized that I fell into a certain rhythm of murmuring the revolving info as I entered it: "Thursday primary Jane, Thursday backup John". And what did it remind me of? Kitchener! When I use the kitchener method (usually on a sock toe), I end up mumbling to myself "front knit off, front purl on..." in just the same way.

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I can't believe my answering machine died! (Well, partly.) It's only ... about ... what ... okay ... fifteen years old, maybe? Fine, whatever.

I don't actually know how long it hasn't been working right. It was still taking messages, even, but last weekend my brother left a puzzled message about how he was calling for me, hoped he had the right number ... I checked the outgoing message, and it was some standard-robo-message, not my taped one. I tried to re-tape it, and not only didn't it tape me, it just gave dead air. Time for the funeral.

I do actually have voice-mail capability with my landline phone service. Do you remember how I didn't know that when I got Verizon two years ago, and was surprised to learn that I had messages there? Well, since I haven't been using it, I had to do a lot of digging around to re-learn how to access the stupid thing, but at least I have message capability again.

For the many calls I get.

Right.

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The Bruins played the top team in the conference, the Rangers, this afternoon, and it was a very good, really balanced game. I felt that the Bruins played as well as they have in some total blowout games (9-0 anyone?), but the Rangers are good enough that it was fully even instead. Then the Rangers scored with three seconds left in overtime to win, which really sucked. Oh well.

Now I'm going out to clear the snow off my car (we got a couple of inches today). I haven't missed this part of winter, honestly I haven't.