From Here To Mundanity
I fixed Shylock's issue on Monday. Or so I think. I always hate to say I've accomplished something or fixed a problem because the universe has a way of slapping down such arrogance. Best to admit nothing. However, I solved the mystery issue with his laptop losing its connection to his wireless printer by manually installing the printer using its IP address. I had a hunch about it and it seemed to work.
Yesterday I had the chance to cancel my Meat Packer visit, as my contact there had no one to let his dogs out and had to depart early. Dog people :::eye roll:::.
I decided I could manage running the update on everyone's machine without him needing to be there and I was also able to putz around briefly with an ongoing issue there involving their wireless and switches getting knocked offline and having to be rebooted. I am sure I could have done more, but by the time the update was done it was after 5:00 and I was already looking at a horrible commute home.
It is construction season everywhere and there is seemingly not a road to or from our house that is not under construction, has utility work going on or is otherwise blocked or down to one lane. All the while, as is typical, you either see no one doing any work at all or one person doing something and ten watching him. My drive to the Meat Packer took two hours. It was brutal.
I am still mid-2005 reading/uploading my old entries and I've come across several back when I was running a lot. I'd post about the music that was motivating me at the time, which also at that time I thought was silly and stupid. But, now from 2023 I can look back and remember and revisit the music and it's a cool thing.
All of that to say on the drive home, with the warm weather I had the windows down and was jamming to some old club music. There was a time when I didn't think I'd ever revisit such music, but it's fun and I need to tell myself it's not some deeply symbolic thing or a message from my subconscious that I am "missing" anything. It's just fun. I mean yea, I do kinda wish I was young again. Or that I could have a fun night dancing and forgetting about the responsibilities of life. But, I also have more perspective now. I understand the difference between reminiscing and having a mid-life crisis.
Speaking of adult responsibilities, I think I am going to cut the lawn later today. All the dandelion seed heads and old stems are starting to bug me a little. Plus, I never cut the back hill the first time I mowed the front and it needs it. Especially down at the bottom where we want to plant our native border along the slough. It doesn't look like too many of the seeds I've thrown down there are coming up but the turf grass is already tall. I just didn't get gas the last time, so I didn't want to risk the tractor running out when I was down at the bottom.
Since I had such fun digging out old playlists on the drive yesterday I was thinking of making one for cutting the lawn. I've found a few old songs lately I'd never heard before I wouldn't mind spicing up my work, like 'Enough is Enough' by Donna Summer and Streisand and 'Hell on Wheels' by Cher. I do think it's funny that even to this day there are still songs from the 70's and 80's I've never heard.
I need to run out at lunch and get more cat litter since we are caring for the nation's feline population here. I'm running out of some of my bird seed too as the birds have been voracious the past few weeks. I'm guessing because the temps have been up and down that the insect population isn't enough for a lot of them to be feeding right now. The orioles (and finches) have been crazy for the grape jelly too. I am going through an entire jar in like two days. I guess I don't really remember from last year, but I just don't think they stuck around this long. Again, maybe because the cooler weather has kept the insects in hiding longer than usual and they are utilizing the food I am putting out.
The Sparrow is going to a concert in the city tonight, so I am on my own. Which likely will translate to time on the couch as if he was here anyway. Maybe with some consistently warm weather my patterns will change but, on work days, and being up at 5:30 in general, by the time the time 5:00 rolls around I am just tired for the day. It seems like there's barely time for dinner before it's time to feed the cats and go to bed.
The stress of having Bosco out in the back garage isn't helping. He's still just not ready to be around us and is STILL exhibiting signs of being in heat with all the howling and crying out there. We are only on week three of course. Supposedly, next week is when we will start to see signs of him "calming down". This is what the Internet told me.
I really need a vacation I think. I am just in a really anxious, stagnant place. Had we not be dealing with all these cats, we could simply take one. Granted, our spending money is a little tight right now what with some dental work I am having done. But, in general we are in a decent place where we could just book something for a weekend and not feel any financial hit from it. I'd love to plan a trip to New Orleans for Halloween. And the plan is already to do Mardi Gras next year. But, the question remains... Who will watch these cats?
My birthday is this weekend. It kind of feels like an irrelevant occasion, which they say happens when you get older. Probably the only thing keeping me from bitching about being older is reading my past entries and hearing my 30-year-old self talk about being "old". Because I know someday I may be reading the very words I am typing right now, in the distant future when I am 70, and if I bitch about being old my 70-year-old self is going to say, "You don't know what OLD is!!".
But, really though... when did I get so old?
Yesterday I had the chance to cancel my Meat Packer visit, as my contact there had no one to let his dogs out and had to depart early. Dog people :::eye roll:::.
I decided I could manage running the update on everyone's machine without him needing to be there and I was also able to putz around briefly with an ongoing issue there involving their wireless and switches getting knocked offline and having to be rebooted. I am sure I could have done more, but by the time the update was done it was after 5:00 and I was already looking at a horrible commute home.
It is construction season everywhere and there is seemingly not a road to or from our house that is not under construction, has utility work going on or is otherwise blocked or down to one lane. All the while, as is typical, you either see no one doing any work at all or one person doing something and ten watching him. My drive to the Meat Packer took two hours. It was brutal.
I am still mid-2005 reading/uploading my old entries and I've come across several back when I was running a lot. I'd post about the music that was motivating me at the time, which also at that time I thought was silly and stupid. But, now from 2023 I can look back and remember and revisit the music and it's a cool thing.
All of that to say on the drive home, with the warm weather I had the windows down and was jamming to some old club music. There was a time when I didn't think I'd ever revisit such music, but it's fun and I need to tell myself it's not some deeply symbolic thing or a message from my subconscious that I am "missing" anything. It's just fun. I mean yea, I do kinda wish I was young again. Or that I could have a fun night dancing and forgetting about the responsibilities of life. But, I also have more perspective now. I understand the difference between reminiscing and having a mid-life crisis.
Speaking of adult responsibilities, I think I am going to cut the lawn later today. All the dandelion seed heads and old stems are starting to bug me a little. Plus, I never cut the back hill the first time I mowed the front and it needs it. Especially down at the bottom where we want to plant our native border along the slough. It doesn't look like too many of the seeds I've thrown down there are coming up but the turf grass is already tall. I just didn't get gas the last time, so I didn't want to risk the tractor running out when I was down at the bottom.
Since I had such fun digging out old playlists on the drive yesterday I was thinking of making one for cutting the lawn. I've found a few old songs lately I'd never heard before I wouldn't mind spicing up my work, like 'Enough is Enough' by Donna Summer and Streisand and 'Hell on Wheels' by Cher. I do think it's funny that even to this day there are still songs from the 70's and 80's I've never heard.
I need to run out at lunch and get more cat litter since we are caring for the nation's feline population here. I'm running out of some of my bird seed too as the birds have been voracious the past few weeks. I'm guessing because the temps have been up and down that the insect population isn't enough for a lot of them to be feeding right now. The orioles (and finches) have been crazy for the grape jelly too. I am going through an entire jar in like two days. I guess I don't really remember from last year, but I just don't think they stuck around this long. Again, maybe because the cooler weather has kept the insects in hiding longer than usual and they are utilizing the food I am putting out.
The Sparrow is going to a concert in the city tonight, so I am on my own. Which likely will translate to time on the couch as if he was here anyway. Maybe with some consistently warm weather my patterns will change but, on work days, and being up at 5:30 in general, by the time the time 5:00 rolls around I am just tired for the day. It seems like there's barely time for dinner before it's time to feed the cats and go to bed.
The stress of having Bosco out in the back garage isn't helping. He's still just not ready to be around us and is STILL exhibiting signs of being in heat with all the howling and crying out there. We are only on week three of course. Supposedly, next week is when we will start to see signs of him "calming down". This is what the Internet told me.
I really need a vacation I think. I am just in a really anxious, stagnant place. Had we not be dealing with all these cats, we could simply take one. Granted, our spending money is a little tight right now what with some dental work I am having done. But, in general we are in a decent place where we could just book something for a weekend and not feel any financial hit from it. I'd love to plan a trip to New Orleans for Halloween. And the plan is already to do Mardi Gras next year. But, the question remains... Who will watch these cats?
My birthday is this weekend. It kind of feels like an irrelevant occasion, which they say happens when you get older. Probably the only thing keeping me from bitching about being older is reading my past entries and hearing my 30-year-old self talk about being "old". Because I know someday I may be reading the very words I am typing right now, in the distant future when I am 70, and if I bitch about being old my 70-year-old self is going to say, "You don't know what OLD is!!".
But, really though... when did I get so old?