It Doesn't Have To Be

Today started out very badly. I got to work a few minutes late, but that's no big deal since that just means I stay a few minutes longer – not that anybody would know if I didn't tell them because I'm the first person in my department to show up in the morning. The problem came while dealing with my POS computer. For some reason when it booted up, it didn't connect to all my networks which wouldn't have really been an issue first thing in the morning except that I got a phone call from one of the supervisors asking if I could print out something for him on the color printer that he needed for a 7:00 a.m. meeting. Yeah, it was on one of the networks to which my computer hadn't felt the need to connect, so I had to reboot, right? It took close to 15 minutes for the damn thing to shut down. And while it was doing that I got a phone call from another supervisor asking for her calendar since her laptop bit the dust (lost her hard drive) on Friday afternoon. I had to log onto a co-worker's computer to get that and then I tried to print up the presentation that the first supervisor needed, but co-worker didn't have the color printer downloaded into his computer. And then when I finally got my computer back up (a good 30 minutes after I started the entire process) and went to get my morning tea, I found out that the damned color printer was out of the black cartridge so it wasn't printing. It was probably out all last week, but everybody at work is too "busy" (read: lazy) to call the Help(less) Desk to get it taken care of (or walk 20 feet to get paper for the regular copier and throw in 3-hole paper, which we all know makes me crazy – yeah, that happened this morning too), so I had to do that, too. The shittiness of the computer system at work is mind-boggling. I think I'd get more done if I didn't have to wait 30 seconds just for an e-mail to open. And adding an attachment or even just cut-and-pasting into an e-mail takes at least a minute. So frustrating!!!!

I did a lot better at the Craft Show this weekend than I did the previous, although it was a two-dayer. Since the foot traffic on Saturday was sparse, we decided to keep everything set up and just announce the Craft Show at mass to guilt people into supporting the "artisans." We're Catholic, so it worked. Not only did I sell most of the scarves and rosaries (or gave them away), I got orders for four more scarves. I have two vacation days left to use before the end of the year (which is next week), so I'm taking this Thursday & Friday off to get as much knitting done as possible before church next Sunday. My friend Kimberly ordered two scarves (as well as buying one), Wayne ordered a scarf and Ms. Personality-less Announcer Person wants a black and red one. I'll probably get hers done first because I know Wayne and Kimberly will be patient, if I don't get to theirs right away.

The Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Extravaganza was incredible! If they come to your town, do yourself a favor and go to the concert! They probably played an hour and a half (including encores) and although I'm always perfectly happy if they want to play longer, it was a good length for a concert. And how many men Brian Setzer's age do you know who can wear black leather pants and look darn good in them? I had forgotten my binoculars which really bummed me out.

There's a rule in my life that I only go to concerts for which I have to wait outside or walk long distances from the parking lot when it's freezing butt cold outside. It was FRIGID on Friday and I was very much over winter (although I was informed that I have at least three more months of it), but then by Saturday afternoon it was in the high 40s and is supposed to be that way all week long. As we say here, "Welcome to Michigan and our variable weather." Yesterday I drove to Grandma's with my car window partially open because the sun was so warm while on Friday night the car heater couldn't get hot fast enough. Stupid weather.

Saturday was the DSO and Respighi's Pines & Fountains of Rome along with Brahms Symphony #3. Pines of Rome is seriously cool and the DSO performed stellarly, as usual. I told my cousin who is going to Western Michigan University for trombone on Saturday night that I'm dragging him to see Brian Setzer next year when he comes to town and my cousin said, "You wouldn't have to drag me." I was all impressed because the five saxophonists in the BSO also played the flute and the clarinet, but my cousin informed me that that's kind of normal. Besides the five trombonists there were also four trumpeters and four trombonists. Indescribably cool. If you haven't heard their version of The Nutcracker Suite, I highly recommend. Normally, the Nutcracker would have me running for the radio to turn it off (the only music of Tchaikowsky's for which I'll do that), but Brian Setzer definitely changed that for me. They also did a totally kick ass rockin' version of Adeste Fidelis. I decided that I would love to hear him take on Grieg's Peer Gynt. I must write to him and suggest it. It's not a Christmas song, but I don't care as I'm sure he'd make it even more kick-ass than it is.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and aren't panicking yet!