A Prize for Maggie

It's been a surprisingly full week for me, which is mostly good* but also very tiring, and thinking about detailing all the whys thereof makes me more tired, so let me focus in on one thing, instead of going for the bigger picture tonight.

*Excluding the Bruins, but oh well

At the monthly Newcomers Club luncheons, they draw names to win prizes donate by sponsors, and I won one this month! Though really, it's Maggie who is the winner, as the prize was a basket of cat-specific items from a local pet supply store. Perfect item for our household!

It specifies cat on the side because they also donated a dog one.

It's a really nice selection!

Food, treats...

Toys...

"This isn't all the toys. I know you missed one. Gimme."

"I'm waiting."

"Thank you!"

She had to wait for me to cut it off the backing, and then she was clearly torn between jumping right on it, or maintaining proper feline aloofness.

But she couldn't resist for long. Sniff...

Bite...

Throw!

Follow.

Sniff.

Whap! Mighty paw of doom engaged.

Retrieve.

I actually don't know where it ended up, but we'll have to find it so she can have more fun with it.

And I should go visit that store to thank them, and get some more of those.

New Laptop for Work: Yes! No? Yes! Do You Have It Yet? No, Not Getting a New One

Work has been back-and-forthing over the last few months about whether they are giving me a new laptop. It went like this (I may be forgetting a few steps):

• They announced that they would be updating older machines (I didn't ask for it--they started it! But my machine is old and slow, and the fan comes on a lot, so I was very pleased that they might actually be proactive about it)
  
• IT guy #1 asked in early April if I had received it (no)
• IT #1 said the shipments were held up at FedEx for a billing situation
• weeks of silence
• IT #1 asks did you get it, it was mailed last week by IT #2 (no) (by now it's May)
  
• more silence
• my boss asked if it was lost in the mail
• IT #1 asks IT #2 for an update
• IT #2 does not answer
• IT #1 asks if I am happy with my machine (um, no?)
• IT #2 asks if I have received it (still no)
• IT #1 asks IT #2 for an update
• IT #2 says he's waiting on a shipment and will let me know
  

So mid-afternoon yesterday, #1 asks if I have time for him to remote into my machine to 'reset it'--sounds ominous, but it's not like I have a choice, so okay. 

We spend 2 or 3 hours with resetting and it's not working and logins and zooming so he can see what wasn't working*, and just So Much Annoyance. By the end of the day, it seemed to have reset. This morning, I got to get everything working right again, with every single display and setting effed up, just one annoyance after another.

*And while we were on the phone, I asked if this was in place of getting a new machine and he confirmed that I am not getting a new machine, to which I said, "Well, I guess I can keep using this one until it dies," which it will do, given its age--it's over 9 years old, by the serial number--and he said he thought it wasn't that old. Um, okay. I didn't make that up, but I'm not arguing with him.

But really kind of the icing on the cake is after all that, IT Guy asked how many company machines I have (or, actually, he asked "how many company machine you have with you," so I guess I would have been off the hook for any company machines that I had, but not with me at the time), and I said just this one laptop, and he asked when I got it ("May I know when did you received [sic, god knows] that laptop"). And the answer to that is August of 2015*. As I have told them before. But apparently that is hard to keep track of. 

*And it wasn't new then.

So who knows if this is the end of the story.

Made It

The week after a vacation and a holiday was always going to be a tough slog, plus the Bruins game went into overtime last night (they won!), and I am coasting on fumes today. but I made it to the weekend at last.

How are you? The inspector would like to know.

Re-entry

Getting back to regular life is a bit of a thing after visits and vacations, isn't it? Here, let's look at Miss Maggie enjoying a good bath and roll-around on her box.

 

A Boat Ride Around

We are having a nice relaxing visit with my brother, and yesterday we took a lunch cruise in our area that we all enjoyed. Pictures!

A fancy drink? Don't mind if I do.

Watching the pelican before we set off.

A glorious day.

I can't fathom what it's like to live that way.

The bridge from the side, not the usual view.

And from underneath!

Alongside this mammoth building...

Is where we saw dolphins!

Beautiful.

Hard to see, but lots of nesting birds along the water's edge here.

And one perched up!

Hey, look, a Bruins fan!

As we got back to the dock, we cold see a number of hopeful birds by where a man was cutting up the day's catch from a fishing charter.

And here is where I say, if this works, there will be a 30-second video of the birds watching the man cut up the fish.

 

In Between

My friend left yesterday, and my brother comes in Saturday: the month of May rocks on! Busy busy! After the pandemic year-plus, it feels pretty wild and crazy. But in a good way. 

Though I am exhausted in a not so good way, as the Bruins game went to double overtime last night. At least they won! But I am going to be in bed early tonight.

And how are you?

Burrowing Owls

Last night after dinner, my friend and I walked around the corner to the nearest burrowing owl spot to see if anyone was out and visible. Happily, one was, and we took lots of pictures. They always look so fed up. They are just over your nonsense and no mistake.