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brother, you said a mouthful
September, 2008
Word of the day in my inbox the other day: ressentiment
noun: A feeling of resentment and hostility accompanied by the lack of means to express or act upon it
Well, that pretty much describes my emotional state to a �T�.
Particularly at work. Since my company just eliminated sixty more jobs at the location I work in, I suppose I should be grateful that I still even have a job.
Should be. Not, though.
I was just informed that, due to the re-structuring resulting from the above-mentioned firings, I am once again being forced into the position of having two bosses to report to.
Y�know, I�m not a big believer in the accuracy of the bible, but that line about no man being able to serve two masters has a lot of truth to it.
In other topics:
The Retro-Rocket has always had antenna issues�poor design, sticking way out on the fender like they did. The factory model lasted about 3 weeks before Spouse took it through a carwash and it was wrenched off by the wildly flailing curtain-y things (technical term, there). We replaced it with an aftermarket antenna that worked out much better; it was a low, one-piece, rubber-clad model that was flexible enough to withstand carwashes. Until Spouse decided to run it through one on a winter�s day when the temp was near zero, anyway. The extreme cold made even a rubber one brittle enough to snap clean off. Still, it had lasted a couple of years and so for number three, we went with the same again.
Which mysteriously disappeared sometime earlier this week. I got in my car on Wednesday morning, and all of a sudden I didn�t have any reception. Since the weather was kind of shitty, I assumed it was thunderstorms, shrugged, and switched over to CD mode. Because of the way a PT is designed, and the ridiculous position of the antenna mount, you can�t see the damn thing from the driver�s seat. From anywhere inside the car, actually. (Since Chrysler succeeded in building a car that consists almost entirely of blind spots, this isn�t too surprising.)
But when it was still not getting any stations on Thursday, I checked the aerial when I got out at work. Sure enough�gone.
So I had to go buy the fourth antenna for my five year old car this weekend. Which is annoying anyway. But extra annoying because this time, there were no freezing temps or carwashes involved. And the way the stump looks, I have a sneaking �spishun that somebody just snapped it off to be an asshole.
Buncha savages in this town.
And speaking of meaningless destruction, Mr. B decided last week that he needed to have one of his extremely rare instances of bad behavior, and chewed up the electrical plug on the electric fan. It wasn�t plugged in at the time. Although if it had been, he may have learned a lesson about that kind of behavior�
It taught me a couple of things as it is. Number one�I never want to have Mr. B too angry with me, since he can bite clean through a � inch piece of solid PVC. And number two�it�s damned hard to find a new box fan in September. Not impossible; I found one at Lowe�s. Eventually. But winter or summer, I cannot live without my fan, so I was glad to find one, even at Lowe�s prices.
Random stuff I mention only because it happened:
Spouse surprised the hell out of me over the Labor Day weekend by actually getting off his ass and doing something that could be classified as home improvement--he installed a new kitchen faucet. I've needed one for about three years, and I've needed a new hose-sprayer since be bought the house, so I'm pretty tickled that it got done. Don't know why, out of the approximately 9,457 jobs that need to be done, he did that one. Glad he did, though.
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Friday, the 5th was the first anniversary of Mr. B's adoption. Poor dog got to celebrate with a physical,which included poo samples, lots of shots, blood draws, diagnosis of a mild ear infection--complete with ear washing and antibiotics--and a pedicure. He took it all well in stride, though. And other than the ear thing, he's healthy.
Unlike our checking account--all that attention I just listed ran to $357.89.
Oh well, if you can�t afford the vet, you can�t afford the pet.
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We went to a retirement party for Spouse�s cousins on Saturday. These are the wonderful, loving, completely well-adjusted cousins from the western suburbs, who have retired to follow their dream of traveling the country in an RV.
Yeah, the timing could have been better, considering gas prices. But this plan has been in the works since the Clinton administration, and they aren�t changing it. It was a lovely party�an informal cocktail reception with open bar, hot hors d'oeuvres, and coffee and cake. And lots of the kinds of lovely people that lovely people like G&G have in their life. I adore these folks�and I don�t see them anywhere near often enough. Needless to say, I had a great time.
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Since we were all the way out in the western �burbs anyway, and since we needed to get the weekly shopping done anyway, we went to the Meijer in Rolling Meadows on the way back from the party. Always a treat when I can get to a Meijer for groceries, especially when I just happen to hit them the week of their periodic Buy 1, Get 2 free sale of laundry detergent. Hey�that�s the kind of deal that pays for the gas.
We also got a great deal on chuck roasts (3 pounders for around $5.00 each), bacon, milk, and cheese. Certainly glad we stopped, and I was happy to spend some money stocking up on stuff. But that can bite you in the arse, sometimes. By the time we got all the way home from Rolling Meadows, and I got it all put away, I was pretty bushed.
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Evidently, such a busy day wore the Spouse out, too. He was utterly worthless yesterday, swanning around on the couch all day and moaning that he didn�t feel well. Well, I take that back. He installed my antenna, and he picked up the dog poop, but those two small chores exhausted him so bad he needed a nap after. As for me, I would have really liked it if he�d helped me pump down the pool, since last week�s torrential rains added nearly 4 inches to it. But all in all, it was kind of a perfect day anyway. Any day I can spend in a ratty, oversized tee-shirt & faded, baggy knit shorts (no shoes + no bra = heaven! ), reading, puttering around and relaxing? Pretty perfect. The weather was sunny and cool, got up and made breakfast (oatmeal and toast, OJ and coffee), then I puttered around doing laundry (5 loads), baking and frosting a tube-pan pound cake, and fixing pot roast with all the trimmings for dinner.
Crybaby took some cold medicine shortly after dinner, and retired to bed. And I did something I hardly ever do: I watched two full hours of television. In a row.
I started off with �True Blood�, HBO�s newest series, about modern-day vampires in Louisiana. I�d seen the previews, and it looked intriguing to me�sassy and funny as well as dark. I was never a Six Feet Under fan, but I respected it as good TV, and this is from the same guy, so I watched. Hard to say after one episode, but I really like it so far. It�s entirely new ground for me�not being much into vampires once I climbed out of my 20s, I�ve never read the books this is apparently based on. I�ve heard it�s a mystery series, so if they stay true to that in the show, and do it well, I may be able to stick.
And I finally slid my way into this season of �Mad Men�. I caught myself up on the storylines at TwoP, so I knew where things were going. And it was a pretty good episode�lots of Sal (poor, sad, conflicted, closeted thing!) and another tantalizing teaser of a glimpse into Don�s past. The obligatory scene of 1960s un-enlightenment was a roadside picnic for the Drapers, where Don throws his beer can on the ground, and Betty cleans up by shaking all the paper plates and other garbage off the blanket, and leaving the trash where it falls. Made me smile, because I come from a family of scouts, and we were waaay ahead of the cultural curve when it came to not littering. I was a bit disappointed that there wasn�t any Pete, and no real Peggy to speak of�but hey. You can�t have everything, every episode, I guess.
Anyway. I don�t know why it took me so long to get �with the program�, so to speak, but I�m hoping I can keep up with the rest of the season. The commercial breaks continue to annoy, but now that I�m over the hump and invested in this show, I�ll just cope with them. It would help ensure my getting to see every episode if they didn�t have the schedule they do. Middle of the night, middle of the day, Sunday night�couldn�t they run it at a time when I didn�t have to surrender TV rights to Spouse, at least once a fucking week? When he�s home and awake, he�s always watching the damned TV, so I can�t even record it, because it�s only on when he�s home and awake.
Let me explain the set up. We have a 12-year-old Dish system, on ONE television. Since it�s such an old system, there is no DVR or On Demand available. There is no double filter to allow us to have separate feeds to separate TVs. I still have to watch my TV 90s-style, and if I want to record anything, I have to bust out the VCR. Remember cassettes?
Some would (and do) ask how we can live like this. Why not just clamber into the 21st century, and upgrade to a new system? But it�s tricky, y�see. Because I generally only have one or two series at a time that I care to watch�if any. Spouse is the same. And brand new, shiny satellite dish systems are a major expense. Far too big a price tag to be justified by our feeble television habits, anyway. So we just stick with what we have.
And eventually, I get what I want to see on DVD.
Reading: �Ten Days Wonder� & "The Origin of Evil" by Ellery Queen. Something I picked up at the library, while in a hurry and in the mood for something relaxing and non-taxing. I've read these before, but sometimes I just want to spend a little time with Ellery.
Beading: I give up. I can't finish anything I start, due to lack of focus, lack of time, or lack of interest. And I am a person who does this in order to get a sense of accomplishment absent from work and from other areas of my life. So if I can't finish, it's just another source of frustration--and believe me...I have plenty of those.
Surfing:Swapitorium Photostream. Fry in Hell? No, Fry ON Hell.
Listening: GooGoo Dolls, Shawn Mullins, U2.
At Random: click here
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