Sunday, January 20, 2013

The good, the bad, the ugly


Sometimes I have lists of things to do that are so long, I wonder if I will ever get them all done.  Often they don’t take that much time, but still, they need to be done.  Sometimes, getting one thing done, just leads to another follow-up thing that needs to be added to the list.  Still, I persevere.

Monday I finished most of the work from last week… which resulted in more work.  I believe that’s a good thing.  The financial newsletter likes some of my headlines and leads, and chose one.  It was not, however: “Stop the Zombie Apocalypse with ETF’s!”  (Exchange Traded Funds) I had written it because I’d read one needed to think outside the box and be outrageous, but humor is not typically used for money matters.  I liked the slant they chose and will have a good time with that.   Got another job from the accountant.  Have another possible big assignment.  Need to think if I want to work full time.

Monday I decided to buy a computer.  I’ve been working off the laptop.  And I find more and more I need two screens up to move data between.  It’s a little cramped.  So I spent time researching and looking and finally pulled the trigger on a 23” all in one.  Not the fastest, but the biggest.

Tuesday I went visiting teaching and worked on the AWAI articles.  Wednesday more of the same. 

Thursday I worked a bit and then had a clay day.  I so enjoy that.  This time we made vases by wrapping clay around a piece of wood (A 4x4 in my case.)  Then I added a bottom.  And I took darker clay, made a motif, and wrapped it around the white clay.  It was an interesting exercise—trying not to get any of the deep red clay on the white.  It came out well, except for I didn’t measure the height of the wrapped piece and so it sags a little on one side.  I will practice this more.  My goal is to cut the vase 2/3 of the way up, separate the pieces and insert cutwork into the opening.  If the clay is too damp, it won’t work.

I had our evening Relief Society meeting that night and had volunteered to take some food.  So I made chocolate covered mints and potato soup.   Tom actually finished the potato soup for me and brought both over to the church.  I just went directly from my clay day. After I got home—about 10pm, Miranda arrived with the little ones.  That was nice.

Friday was a difficult day.  The nice news was that the computer arrived and I got it partly set up.  The bad news was that I got a call from our property manager in St. Louis.  The house we were in the process of selling got broken into.  The heaters, air conditioners, wiring in the basement (for the copper) and refrigerators and stoves were all stolen.  The deadbeat tenant had vanished, too.  Very disappointing. Had a police report.  Called the insurance company.  We’ll see how it all turns out.

The shed in the back yard (our “attic”) was sinking.   I think the termites were gnashing on the skids.  So Tom wanted to lift the shed and put new skids in.  He’s been digging around it and jacking it up.  Monday he hopes to put skids under it. 

Saturday Tom and Dan worked on the shed.  Tom helped to adjust my computer stand to adapt to the larger computer.  It was emptied off and moved out… so it seemed like a good time to rearrange the office.  And if I was rearranging, it was time to clean things up.  So I emptied out file cabinets and organized new files.  I still have some stacks of things to put away, but the room is more functional.   Alas, the new computer is still not.  It needs Word uploaded and my files from one computer to the other.

Today Miranda spoke at church.  She did a great job.  After church was Bishop’s Youth Discussion.  It sounded like Tom did a great job, but he wondered if the message was totally absorbed.  The goal was to recognize that church standards were to be a part of one’s life—not just something put on for Sundays or for going to the temple.  You shouldn’t have a residence in Zion with a summer home in Babylon.

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