Start with a Crash!

Well this week started off with a crash ... I opened the cabinet to get a mug for my morning tea and a crystal glass exploded - yes exploded out of the cupboard. In my kitchen that means hitting a hard ceramic floor - lesson ... never get a ceramic floor, they're hard as rocks and cold to the feet, and EVERYTHING breaks on contact! This does not bode well for the coming week, uhoh....
Monday I have 1/2 day off work as the CQA ladies are coming to town. I volunteered (since I'm on campus already) to be one of the drivers and pick the ladies up from their hotel and deliver them to the venue we're inspecting. Hmm, didn't think about it but this also puts me on the hook, so to speak, for driving them to dinner, to the meeting post dining and then back again. This on the last week of a long expensive month, and Im trying to slide through to pay day on $20. Don't think I'll make it ....

Had mother over yesterday morning for tea and pumpkin cake - the one the ladies didn't finish off. She announced for the second week in a row that's she's depressed. No wonder! She's experienced perhaps her own annus horribilis. She gave up her home and moved into an apartment. Now she has to pay rent for the first time in 2 1/2 decades and it's eating up her income in a way she's not used to. She was rear ended by an aggressive driver in November and suffered multiple whiplass after effects including a return of her Meniere's and stiffness for several months. The she came down with that horrible cold that wouldn't go away. She just got hearing aids and is adjusting to a much louder world, and now, to top it all off someone inconsiderate Ahole in the building is playing their stereo well into the middle of the night (4 am!) Regardless of how many people tell her to do it, she'll never call the police on the Ahole, but will suffer in silence....
I do my best to help out. We go out to dinner every Friday, keep in contact through email and phone and , except for September, I try very hard to have her over for dinner regularly. My dear sweet soeur (sarcasm intended) has managed with the greatest of efforts to visit  mother once in the past year (we all live in the same city). I guess many families are like this - or so I'm told, there's always one that does all the work and one that does - well ....
I'll stop my whining now as there is really nothing that can be done, and I'll be strong and not feel guilty or
responsible for mother's problems ... it could be worse, much much worse. Besides, I have my own problems - don't we all?

I started this year's holiday gifts - yup, that's right, they're all getting homemade gifts - again!!! I got as far as finding the insulated quilt batting and cutting out the fabric for the casserole carriers (mine won't look like this). Now to machine quilt then put them together ... this could take awhile. I also pulled out the quilts and wall hangings I'm going to use for my "show". Did I tell you? I've been asked to put up a display of my quilts in the Library's Spencer Gallery. I've shown there before, but as part of a group display, never all on my own. So, this will take some work to make up descriptive paper labels, hang the quilts securely, and create an artist's statement! Wish me luck - looks like my schedule will be crazy from now to ever!
TTFN

Hurrah for Techs, and Pumpkin Cake !

Woohoo ... I 'm up and running. As suspected the service rep who unceremoniously flicked me off with the pat answer "It's your modem" was totally WRONG - nya na nya na nana :)
The tech guy took approx. one second to confirm all my non tech suspicions, and then did a very thorough job and fixed my internet/wireless, and cable TV problems, while yaking my head off and generally entertaining me and making me feel much much better about the world. So, the R internet/cable company is back in my good books, thanks to a tech guy who cares and likes his job!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

My  other woohoo for this week is the pumpkin spice cake I made for the "ladies" this week. Ok, I'll admit the first one was a wee bit of a disaster ... what did I learn from that? To always wear my reading glasses when baking ... cup - can look the same - they are both 3 letters and start with a C - but make a world of difference in a recipe  So ... cake number two was made and turned out fine, delicious actually, so in the end I was happy!

 

TTFN

Not Impressed!

Warning - this post is full of SARCASM  and  WHINING..

So I realllly am trying to become a part of the online world, and it reallllly should not be this difficult. Honest, I am a reasonably intelligent person, I have 2 university degrees, am somewhat educated and I have worked online for 15 years now, so  I am somewhat online literate.

So last night, being the lovely early fall evening that it was I grabbed my laptop and popped out to the patio to enjoy the weather while sending a few emails. That was the start of my wireless/internet problems ....
It took several tries and multiple running in and out of the house to finally get the thing to connect to my network - what the heck .... isn't the point of going wireless ? so that you can do this anywhere ??? After dinner I resumed my computer travails ... downloading pics from the digitial camera, emailing the pics to friends and family, but when I tried to connect to my bank for some online  financials that's when the whole thing blew up!
Not literally, but my internet connection died, and when I tried to revive the SOB, by following the checklist in the guide provided by my internet provider (R)  ..... well that's when the real fun began and I also lost my wireless network!

Anyway, still fuming I spend the next 2 hours playing some stupid computer games and wondering WHY this is so important? Only a short week ago I wasn't online (at home) didn't have all this equipment and didn't care! ...  see how quickly I've become a slave to the online world! This could be a bumpy ride!

Just in case you think all I've done in the last week or so is play on my new laptop .... oh no ............ I finally sewed all the rectangles together and got the "piano key" borders onto a quiltop I made oh, about 2 years ago! So, I have been somewhat productive and, shush - don't tell, maybe just maybe will get this one done for Xmas as a present!

TTYL 

Libraries and the world getting smaller ...

 

So, back to the academic year and another round of "what's that called, how do I , where is ....." aka - my world! CNN recently had an interesting story re libraries and technology , for those interested enough to learn how my world is changing. Speaking of changes .... TADA ..... I spent the better part of Saturday morning getting my new laptop online and setting up a wireless network. WooHoo! I'm good to go! And, I must admit that I am already hooked on Solitaire and Mahjong!!! Oh No !

This past weekend was family visit time. Mother's first cousin, an only child, wanted her son, also an only child, to finally meet his Canadian cousins.  As it happens mother's brother & wife from the west coast just happened to be in Ont. this past week, so why not have a family party! Of course mother was the e-contact, but she's not the best at details anymore. 

Next weekend is the first of this year's workshops from the quild, and the first Quilt show of my season. Another big woohoo! Anyway, you get that my schedule is kinda busy these days, so be patient with me as I try to find the time to get this blog rennovated/updated ...

TTFN

Back to School

So, they're  back!!! and in a way so am I. I work at a University campus and the kiddies are back! This year more than ever I'm very aware of the kiddies - (OK now be honest, how many of you have to deal with 5-7000 17 year olds???) as they built a new student services building right next to the library! All the registrar lineups are just outside our windows - Oh, yeah!
Also, a wee blog hiatus while I vainly attempted to figure out how to change the appearance of my blog - as yet to no avail,  but I haven't given up.... No, instead I decided to bite the bullet and get my own hardware, so I can blog anywhere, anytime, 24/7 - OH NO - LOOK OUT! Of course, it is taking a wee bit of time to gather all the pertinent info and make a wise, or not so wise, consumer decision. So in a fashion I too have gone back to school as I must now learn the ins and outs of an online life at home! Stay tuned for more fun and excitement.
TTFN