Saturday: The Week's Randomosity

I find it pretty amusing that for the second time in my blogging life, someone who knows me very well called to see if I was okay because I hadn't blogged. Yup, just busy! (And crazy, but you knew that. Thanks for the well-wishes and head-pats from Wednesday night's post, by the way.)

Thursday night I was out with a few people from work, seeing The Help. An 8 o'clock movie on a work night? Yoicks! Late to bed, very tired Friday, didn't post Friday night.

This morning I did something I dislike doing, and set my alarm on a weekend. Things to do! Took the car in for an oil change and pre-trip check-up, some errands, a few groceries. Home and trying to get a few things done around here (it is a pit) before going to a friend's for a group dinner.

Meanwhile, here are a few pictures from the week.

One day this week, I wore sedate business-casual clothes, but had these peeking out from under the gray cords. No one commented, but I liked knowing they were there.


I saw this on a car. Do you suppose it's meant to be a tribute? I find it a little ... creepy.


Pretty flowers.


The sock, before I started working on it while waiting for the car. Moving right along.



Have you seen the commercials for a new ice cream product called Magnum? I cut out a coupon, and the store had them on sale, so I tried them today for cheap.


Oooh, good. Wow. Dangerously good.

I was on the computer earlier and heard loud purring. From her, in her happy place:


She didn't really have enough room for comfort, but she made it work.


She really is beautiful. The prickles don't show.


Did you notice that himself had a bump in his fur?


Someone was washing him against the grain. Don't you hate it when that happens?

Soliciting Pats on the Head

Part of me hesitates to complain (MORE) about work, because, well, who wants to hear it, or maybe people will want to solve the problem and might give advice that hurts my feelings* (because I am a delicate flower). Plus it is super-hard to express how I am feeling so that I get my point across clearly. Particularly when I sometimes lose sight of the point myself in all the wah.

*For instance, I am well aware that many, many people in the world have much, much bigger problems than I do. Being reminded that my burden is smaller than many does not, surprisingly, make me feel any better. A forced sense of perspective does not shame me into real happiness.

I had to laugh a little reading Amalah today and seeing myself in the mirror:

I kind of get bugged by "fixers." You know the type. You tell them your problems and they immediately pepper you with helpful, practical suggestions, and you're like: Wait. Did I make it sound like I was done wallowing? Because I'm pretty sure I'm not done wallowing. So could you please dial it back to sympathetic head pats and save your to-do list of Actionable Items To Better My Own Situation for later?

Emphasis is mine because Amen. I love it when people actually solve my problems, but that's easier done with small, concrete problems than with big, messy, emotional ones.

There was also this from Miss Conduct, in her chat today. The question was:

I’m dealing with the terminal illness of a family member. I find myself annoyed at casual friends who constantly ask for an updated; yet even MORE annoyed by close friends who say / do nothing. Your best advice for the right way to handle?

Miss Conduct's answer was, as so often, simple but wise:

Decide what kind of support you want and ask for it. ("I just hate to be asked. If there is news I'll tell you" or "I really need you to buy me something chocolate and listen to me whine for 20 minutes.") You're being unfair to your friends by expecting them to guess your needs.

(And if I quote that, I suppose it's only fair to tell you, beloved reader, what I want here. I kind of feel like with this situation right now, survival is my goal, with the hope of future improvement. So, if you feel like commenting along the encouraging lines of 'yes, it will get better!' with the occasional 'poor baby,' jump right in. Not really looking for even the most well-meaning and likely quite right advice on how to feel better about the situation. Misery loves sympathy. Thanks ever so.)

I will just say that it is perhaps a good thing that I didn't know, three months ago, how I would feel about this job three months later. Sweet, innocent little me with my new-job jitters! Little did I know.

I'm not giving up on it, not yet. I'll give it through the end of the year to get better. But oh, how I hate saying that, having to decide that. How I hate the way I feel about this job right now. The people are nice, most of most days things are fine, but just about every day there's something that makes me miserable.

Also, this is the sixth new job I have started since I moved back to Massachusetts in January 2003. Layoffs didn't help, but that's just way too many first days.

To end on a less depressed note, here are a few random pictures.

My favorite picture-on-the-wall where we stayed in Maine.

Who could stay sad looking at this?

Amusing Placeholder

I'll try to post some Maine photos later, but in case I don't get to it, here's something that made me laugh. Are you a Doctor Who fan? Check out the Tardis corset this woman is wearing! Mere words cannot describe it, other than: Awesome.

Head and Weather Woes

When I woke at 4 this morning, my head was a bit worse (though still not defcon one or anything) and my stomach was upset. I got up for alka-seltzer and went back to bed. By 6, my stomach was better but head was worse (noticeable in how the back of my neck hurt down to my shoulder blades). Pills and back to bed for an hour resulted in improvement, but not complete healing.

If you, too, are superstitious, let me tell you that I blame myself, as the thought crossed my mind Sunday morning that I hadn't had a bad headache in a few weeks, oh joy! Whoops. (Not that this has been a terrible headache, but it's more than I can ignore.)

So today, I wore the invisible Yoke of Headache. Ow. Making it to work was the main accomplishment, really--and in the rain, yet! Or perhaps staying at work all day, being available if needed, was bigger.

One problem was about how I handled between-project time. Normally when there's time between this and that, I find things to do, training-related reading and so on. Even during busy times, these lulls happen: Friday night, I was at work until almost 7, but that wasn't all working, part of it was waiting for the last project to come back to me.

With a headache, it's harder for me to find filler, to concentrate on it. And since we have to fill out time sheets assigning our days into projects and categories, well, it's a challenge.

Plus, it rained and poured all day, and according to the car it was 69 on the way to work and 65 coming home. Right now I only have one window open, and I'm cold. So of course that's a great consolation for not feeling well*. I just put on a hat! A hat! Because I am cold! It's August! I should be barefoot! It should be too warm for wool socks and my soft pants!

*sarcasm alert

Humph and humph. That's what I say.

Any humphs that you'd like to add?

Sunday Night Needs Cheering

Oh, hi! Is it really Sunday night again so soon?

Friday night I was wiped out. I watched some TV (TCM showed me Midnight, with Claudette Colbert, which was great fun; I love the old comedies), and then I went to bed.

Yesterday was funny in that I inadvertently got some exercise. I did some used-bookstore shopping, and in order to look at the lower shelves, I was doing a lot of squats; then I came home and did 8 loads of laundry, which means 24 flights of stairs, half of them carrying laundry. Am I feeling my legs today! Whew.

The book-looking was fun, though, even at the price. It's a small chain of used bookstores, and I like the "vintage" section the best. (If you're local and feel the same, don't bother with the Saugus location, it hasn't any: very disappointing!) I've found fun things for myself and for oddball gifts for others, as well as the fun titles I don't buy (and in some cases am afraid even to open).




Yes, this is my idea of a good time: to peruse the old books and come home with a century-old novel (or two) that makes peaceful reading.

Fortunately for my legs, my plans today were not strenuous. Mainly, I was at a friend's party this afternoon, which the weather dampened but did not spoil. The rain's starting up again for real now, and it's supposed to rain again tomorrow. We had a lot of rain early last week before things got sunny, but apparently we're not done. August's weather is not living up to its reputation this year: not hot enough, and too wet. It saddens me to see the days growing shorter, and I need summer weather to compensate. Heavy rain and 71 degrees (tomorrow's forecast) is insufficient to my needs.

You can tell I have a slight headache, can't you?

Let's do a funny-shirts-on-vacation review, shall we, and lighten the mood?

Well, mostly shirts. There's a sign, too.


I have two different Bruins Cup shirts from this year already ... but I like this one, too!








We had ice cream more than once, but didn't get to this one. Next time!
Well, I'm smiling now! Hope you are, too.

On the Road

The Talking Back to Other Drivers and As Seen on Vacation Edition (with a surprise ending)

Three drivers on the road today have suggested tonight's theme.

#1: It's probably not only a Boston-area maneuver to speed up at a yellow light. This morning, though, I was far enough from one to slow down instead--and the car behind me sped up and blew straight through the red light--straight through, from the left-turn lane.

Dude, congratulations. Even around here, that was stupid and dangerous enough to stand out. Hope you made your train. If not, that was a lot of wasted testosterone for nothing.

#2: At the other end of the spectrum, there was the SUV on the quiet, curvy road with a 35-mph speed limit, who was doing 25-30 mph instead.

How very cautious of you, sir or madame. I will admit that I thought about parking, walking up to your car, and strangling you with my bare hands while you Drove. Very. Slowly. I would like to get home before dark, you know.

#3: On a little side street close to home, not wide enough for two-way traffic with cars parked on both sides, an oncoming car had to pull over to the side between two parked cars while I went by. With no cars parked on my side, I felt I had the right of way there. Apparently, he wanted something more, for I heard him say, "You're welcome," as I passed him.

Um, you wanted me to say thank you because you didn't pull forward and block both of us in place? Do you expect thanks for not being a bigger asshole often? If so, I pity you: you must go around in a constant state of disappointment.

So, while we're on the road, here are some fun things I saw on vacation.

From a WWI-flying-ace Snoopy on the back of a motorcycle trailer:

To some very fun plates:

And on the last day:

My friends said, "Oh, 'find joy'!" and I said that I must have been fully into vacation mode, because I read it as "Found joy".

**********
Finally, in an extremely tenuous "well, it could go on a road" connection, have you seen the Hungarian pool with its own backhoe?



The voices sound so matter-of-fact; I wish I knew what they were saying. Still, watching it was surprisingly mood-elevating.

Of Cleaning, and Drinking

You would think that, since I got back from vacation on Friday night, and had all of Saturday and Sunday to get back into the swing of things, that it might not be ... how shall I say this? ... a complete pit around here, but sadly you would be wrong. So when I say that I have a fair bit of tiding* to do tonight, in advance of my brother being here tomorrow, this is not to imply that my brother needs cleaning up for. He's about the least judgmental or uptight person I know, and probably he wouldn't bat an eyelash at the current conditions, but I think it would be nice if he didn't trip over eight pairs of my shoes in the living room, or some random cardboard boxes in the kitchen.

*Years ago in China, my mother saw something (in a park, perhaps?) that gave the story of Snow White and the seven dwarfs. Owing to translation issues, the plaque announced that Princess Whitesnow "tided" the house for the seven short men. Ever since, in my family, we speak of tiding the house.

It is often the case with me that I am found cleaning up before someone comes over, because my standards for "just me and the cats" are rather lax. Things get put away eventually, nothing rots in place like on those awful, fascinating, creepy shows about hoarders, but, well, it isn't exactly tidy most of the time. I don't live up to even my own, relaxed standards, basically, until I see with the eyes of another, and then mercy! What slob lives here?

I'm not sure how much sense I'm making. Moving on. My brother will be here tomorrow! Just for the one night, but still, it's a treat to get a visit with him beyond the Christmas season. San Francisco is just so inconveniently far away. They need to get that travel portal on the market already, so I could see him for a Saturday without all the hassle.

And in his honor, I finally got around to tackling the slow-draining bathroom sink (which, yuck, where's the landlord to deal with that), so hopefully he won't have to wash up in the kitchen. And I will pick up at least some of the shoes.

While I do that, you can look at some pictures of things I drank in Maine. I'm posting about my vacation in a manner quite categorical, no? I had intended to do the usual chronological, but this happened and it's rather amusing me.

Swedish soda at the diner. Not bad, either. Next time, I'll try the raspberry.

This was from the coop, on the last day. I had to try it! The liquid was clear, not at all purple, and neither tasted nor smelled like lavender. Dry and crisp and rather refreshing.

I bought this one, at T.J.Maxx of all places. Who could resist the bottle?

And Welsh water! Who knew?

I also had some of this, naturally.

But the best had to be the raspberry lemonade at Jordan Pond House in Acadia.

It tasted almost as good as it looked.

Let Me Tell You About My Knitting Vacation

I wish.

Monday.

After vacation.

At a job I still don't love yet.

When it rained and it poured on and off all day.

And no one else came to stitch and bitch tonight.

So, not the best day ever. Not actively terrible, but not great.

So, let's look at knitting on vacation, shall we?

Knitting at an awesome diner (with all of six booths and a counter, plus a sign on the register inviting me to like them on Facebook) on the way there, a week ago Saturday:


Knitting on the rocks on Sunday. (I have trouble with using the word "beach" when there isn't sand. It's a personal hangup. Say shore or water's edge or rocks ... but not beach. Beaches have sand.)

Knitting by Jordan Pond, in Acadia National Park, on Monday:
(I sat and knitted while my friends circumnavigated the pond. Another day, they climbed a large hill, while I relaxed, knitting, by the car. Postscript to that is below.)

That was sock two, and the pair was done by Monday night.

Next up! This much was done before I got there.

On Wednesday, I tried them on, on the beach (Sand Beach, in Acadia, to be precise).

(When we walked back to the car after the beach, we passed a woman who asked how the knitting was going, I was knitting earlier, wasn't I? Yup, it's going fine! Big, crowded park, but small world.)(Or else knitting is a really weird thing to do in public ... but I'll keep doing it.)

No pictures of me knitting on Thursday at the winery while my friends tasted ... but if you're going to bring a non-drinker to a winery, on a rainy day when sitting outside or looking at the garden is not an option, bringing a knitter is probably your best bet.

And driving home Friday, it was all-but-done (I kitchnered the toe on Saturday).

That was sock one, and I cast on sock two tonight.

I also worked on the striped scarf one night, but I haven't taken its picture again. I'll show you when I do. The colors blurred similar again, but seem to be going different once more. Very interesting!

At least, if you find that sort of thing interesting. And I do!

Vacation Ends. Sadness.

Last night I tried to upload a little video I took Friday, of Carlos and the good time he had with the little catnip toy I brought back for him, but it hadn't finished loading an hour and a half later, when I was ready to turn off the machine and go to bed. I tried again today and got error messages twice, so it seems that you are to be deprived of the 90-second delight, poor you. (Don't worry if that doesn't bother you; I understand, really. I was just so happy to see him.)

Now, I took hundreds of photos last week (you: shocked, right?), and in the deep Sunday-night-ness of tonight, have little interest in sorting through them. But here are a few to start out with.

Basically: Maine is beautiful.









If you lie on the rocks and look back over your head, the view is the same and yet different.




So. Obviously, more to come.