So, yesterday's joys included the 'NutNews--which was supposed to go out on Friday but then they're supposed to give me 24 hours for coding and proofreading and I didn't even get the files until 3:00 Friday afternoon. This edition may and/or may not have gone out error-free--I just didn't have time to care.

Yesterday's joys also included an appointment with HairMan originally scheduled for 4:00 but then moved to 11:00 am to accommodate his schedule. Carving 1-1/2 hour out of the middle of my day is stressful for me. While I generally do eat lunch, I couldn't be said to stop working while I chew. (My brain was so out of kilter that I stiffed HairMan on the tip. I left him a message this morning apologizing and promising to make it up to him next time. So embarrassing.)

Since yesterday's joys also included a request from NewBoss Anais to create and activate a campaign to cover the Southernest DIY 'Nut's location (he just closed his doors)--a campaign intended to run for one or two weeks while she waits for 3Dorks to get their highly automated process up and running--well, it was Monday all day long yesterday.

Seriously. How stupid is that? I can barely start getting real traction in a normal 7-14 day period, much less a time when two major holidays are distracting the entire country from getting any work done. I kept wondering if it was really worth eight hours of my time to create a campaign that might generate one phone call in the next two weeks?

And! Then she comes to my desk, at noon today, and tells me that 3Dorks might actually be able to get their act together in a timely fashion (for a change) and that their campaign should be active today or tomorrow. So, yes, the campaign I finally got activated at 10:00 this morning might get shut off at 5:00 this afternoon.

I don't normally mind having a busy day--not even if there are conflicting projects to be done.

What really fried my brain cells and created chaos in what passes for my mind these days was the discovery, as I walked into the office yesterday morning, that I'd donned black shoes, a gray shirt, a black jacket, and a pair of very distinctly blue pants.

Even as late as 5:00 yesterday afternoon I was sitting here thinking that I'd be willing to do the entire day over again if I could get a do over to dress myself properly, remember to tip the guy who worked me into his holiday schedule on a couple of days' notice, etc. Sigh. I suck.

At the moment, I'm ignoring about 30 emails in my (work) in-box. Whatever those people want, they can wait for tomorrow or even next week. I can't deal with it today.

But!

Holidays!

With a four-day weekend coming up, I'm prepared to really relax and enjoy the holidays this year. This is the first time I haven't been unemployed or on a Major Frugality Plan during the holidays in--I'm not sure--maybe four or five years? And a four-day weekend! It was nice of the Argonut Café to give us Christmas Eve off, since they couldn't afford bonuses or even reinstating our original pay levels.

I'm still working my way toward the quasi-completion of two Harvest Moon games, the R.C. got the new Zelda game earlier this month and we're both working on it, I treated myself to a new book last week and I want to get time to read it, etc. I have big plans for the long weekend.

Most of which don't involve spending money--at some point in the next 30-60 days I need to get some major work done on my car, which needs both struts and a new clutch. I'm guessing, two or three thousand for all of it. Wincing. Even reminding myself that I'll probably be able to keep driving this car for another five or six years doesn't really ease the pain.

In the "free, but annoying" category, I have to take the laptop back to the repair shop again. The sound on the CD/DVD player doesn't work any more--it was fine until I took it in for them to fix a busted power switch, but hasn't worked since. (I'm getting my money's worth out of that extended warranty I bought.)

We're supposed to get weather tonight and tomorrow. Not as frigid as the last round--eighteen above instead of below for the low, but an unknown amount of snow. It always worries me when the weather forecasters won't guess at how much snow is coming. Sometimes we wind up with a foot or more.

On a final, happy note, I should point out that after having ignored the PC speakers Gidget left behind when she was laid off--ignored them for the last year--I thought to move them to my desk last Friday.

I have sound! I brought in some CDs. This morning I had the Brandenburg Concertos and this afternoon I'm having Strauss waltzes.

More sensibly, it also means I can finally view some of those training and education videos that Webstrainer shares so freely.