Slight disruption

Or dispruption, which is what I actually typed. Not a big fan of this keyboard, she said while refusing to blame her own occasionally inept fingers.

So, yeah. Slight disruption. As I figured, the office (well, pretty much the offices, plural) is more or less disassembled at the moment, which means I'm typing this on a computer that I really shouldn't be using for personal business, which also means that there might not be another post until I can get my professional life back in some sort of order.

Or oder, which is what I actually typed.

Isn't that a river somewhere? Well, what do you know? It is.

Anyway. That's it for now, and possibly the next couple of days. See you when I see you.

Brain bubble

I've been sneezing all morning. No idea why. It's probably allergic something-or-other and is completely unimportant, except that I've sneezed so much that I feel like perhaps I've blown a bubble into my brain that's absorbed any kind of blogging thought that I might have had before the sneezing started.

In other words, I've got nothing.

Is it too early after a two-week hiatus to be saying that?

Well, I'll tell you what. Why don't I talk briefly about today's pointless photo for a change, and if that leads me to a topic I'll keep typing. If not, I'll stop typing.

Sounds good to me.

Ok. This is the Raven River, just outside of Caroline, AB (home town of Kurt Browning, although that's not exactly why I was there). If I had taken the picture the day before, you would have seen a lovely FALL scene. Then... the next day it wasn't fall. And the snit started. As pretty as it may look, my two fans know that photos like these don't make me especially happy.

Especially when I'm the one taking them.

Um... I still have nothing.

Time for an anyway, then.

Anyway, this next week will probably feature at least a couple of pictures from Caroline, although you won't be able to tell that from the shots. Makes sense, right?

Erm... please tell me that my two fans know enough to NOT expect sense from this blog by now?



All right. That's it from me for today. Don't be too concerned if blogging is a bit spotty this week. I have no idea what the state of the office is going to be at any particular time because of the painting. I  may or may not have a work space. Guess we'll see.

But I liked them the way they were...

I know, I know. I really need to take some new photos. Today, maybe. We'll see if I can get inspired about snow.

----------

This'll be short because I really should get something to eat. My fault for getting caught up in something else.

The something, if anyone was wondering, was frustration.

I can never figure out why companies take perfectly good products and either discontinue them or bugger around with them to the point where they're not good products anymore. I mean, I know that products need to be updated to keep the fickle consumer interested, but when something's good to begin with and develops a following, can't a corporation just roll with that for a while?

Apparently not, as was evidenced by my very fruitless search for winter boots this morning.

I have a pair of boots that I love, but unfortunately I've loved them for a couple or three years now and I know that this season is going to be their last. They're great boots, even for someone as hard to please as I am. Combine the ankle problem with wide feet and the fact that I'm a woman (why is it that so many companies seem to assume that women want cute boots as opposed to good boots?), and it isn't easy to find something that I can live in all winter. Or at least most of the winter.

I did, though. About... oh, maybe ten years ago.

I won't tell you the company or the style or anything like that, because in the end it doesn't matter. Suffice to say that since then I've been buying the same basic model (different styles as the styles changed every year, yes, but the same basic model) of really good boot. Last year, though, I didn't get around to looking for my replacement pair because the boots were still holding up well.

This year?

THEY'VE BEEN DISCONTINUED.

Gah.

My good boots have been discontinued, and the model that's replaced them has been getting poor reviews on several websites that I checked out this morning.

Gah, again. Stupid company. What did you do to my boots?

Ah well. I'm not in danger of being bootless in the immediate future, and in the meantime I'll keep looking for possible replacements from other companies. And if any of my two fans know of someone who makes decently warm lower-cut boots that are easy to get on and off and have good grips for the balanced-challenged among us... well, for Whomever's sake point me in the right direction, ok?





This whole thing just makes me sad. Or hungry. Yeah, lunch would probably be a good idea. Later, all.

Bonus chapter 1237: Wherein Dee likes fireworks

Ok, honestly? I'm mostly just posting this now because I'll forget by tomorrow. I'm getting older, you know. Brain isn't what it used to be.

If it ever was...

Anyway.

I'm in at my father's place for the first time in a couple of weeks, and it turns out that today is the town's official start to the shopping season. Jealousy about the American's Black Friday chaos (augh. That word again. It's been that kind of a day, I guess), do you think? Maybe. Most towns around here have a day to encourage local shopping, though, and have had for years. My home town always used to call it Midnight Madness, but this year they're stopping at 11 pm. Just as well. I remember having to work Midnight Madness when I was a grocery cashier in high school, and that last hour was absolute boring torture.

Anyway. Again.

The past couple of years, the town business association has tried to drum up the excitement a bit by starting off the evening with a fireworks display.

I like fireworks. It says so in the title.

I do, actually, but there's something extra neat about the Midnight(ish) Madness display. They set it up in a field that's just down the hill from my father's place, so a person really gets a front row seat for the whole thing. A front row seat to the point where you can see the techs with their red flashlights moving from set-up to set-up (and yes, I'm aware that I'm likely not using proper terminology. I like fireworks; doesn't mean I necessarily know much about them).

A front row seat like that is really cool. Far enough away that you're not in immediate danger (although last year there was no snow and they did set the field slightly on fire. Fire trucks are good things, boys and girls), but close enough that you feel every explosion.

Did I mention cool? Maybe hot would be the better word.

I wasn't going to bother watching this time and managed to miss the first few booms, but it didn't take long before I was standing at the end of the driveway like the rest of the neighbours and admiring the colourful destruction. They put on a decent show, too. No fancy music or choreography, but a nice selection of shells and a fairly long go of it.

And I had fun and it wasn't stupidly cold out, so all in all a good time was had by all. Or at least by me.





And the whole thing gives me an excuse to post this link, so all good. Click on the black box on that page for your own show, if fake fireworks are your thing. Personally I'd go for the real ones every time, but at least this way we can all play with the pretty colours.

Done typing now. Don't expect two posts tomorrow, even if I do have a lot of days to make up for.

Chapter 1236: Wherein Dee hates chaos

Look at the pretty flowers. Needless to say, it's not a recent photo...

Ok. This will be, of necessity, short. I'm in the middle of packing up my desk, and I thought I'd take a short brain break.

I'll pause while my two fans digest that last sentence.









Yep, that's right. Packing up my desk. I've finally quit this job.

Or maybe I've been fired.

Or maybe they're painting the building, and the office needs to be cleared.



Probably the last one.

Ok, yeah, really the last one.

The entire building is being repainted, and they've decided to start with the behind-the-scenes stuff. Part of which, as you've now gathered, includes the office I share with Wheat. All of my artwork (well, not my artwork. I had the staff decorate one of my walls with fingerpaintings. Seriously. It was fun) has been taken down, I have no calendar, I have no assorted crap under the desk, I have lots of assorted crap on TOP of the desk... and I hate it.

I just don't really do well with disorder, you know?

I know, I know. Huge surprise coming from a known olf.

Ah well. The good news is that it's giving me a chance to get rid of some accumulated garbage. The bad news is that next week I'll have to put all the non-garbage back. More chaos.

Kind of makes me wish that I was still stuck in my apartment (incidentally, Alberta weather is living up to its usual weirdness. Three days ago I wouldn't have been able to go outside without a full-on skidoo suit. Today I wondered why I wore a coat), except that being stuck in my apartment would have meant that someone else would have packed my stuff.

And that would have been far more anxiety-inducing than having to pack it myself.

Speaking of which, I should get back to the mess.





Yay?

Hey there, blog

So. Yeah. I have a blog, did you know?

Ok, explanation. A couple of sick days = no computer.

Four days at a conference = no blogging.

Weather went completely in the toilet = Dee couldn't go outside = no computer.

And now? I have an incredible amount of work stuff to catch up on, so this is all the post you're getting. At least my two fans know that the place hasn't been completely forgotten, though...



Yep. Type at you later.

No post of the day:

Ok. The internet was down at work all morning. I have lots of actual work things to catch up on now that it's back. Not even going to bother with a photo because this post isn't worth it.

Oh, and I probably won't be in tomorrow, so if you miss me you'll just have to read the archives until Friday. All right? All right.