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missroseroseJust got a spam entitled "DSL Internet - Get access to blazing fast speeds!" Uhm, dude? 1998 called. They want their technology back. (Sadly, though, the American perception of "blazing fast speeds" probably hasn't changed much in the past thirteen years...)
I have the day off work today, in theory because the contractor was supposed to come back and paint the ceiling today. In practice, he didn't show up; when I called him after he was an hour late, I got "Oh yeah, I left a message on your phone, did you not get it? I can't make it today." In the interests of not coming off as a grump/unwilling to give the benefit of the doubt, I note here that I specifically asked him to call me if anything came up; I might also note that no such message or incoming call was noted on my Google Voice or my cell phone, and it should have logged itself on both. He's a nice guy and does decent work, but getting him to actually show up is like pulling teeth, I swear. (Mini-rant: Is there a rule somewhere that contractors everywhere have to perennially be running behind schedule and over budget? Of the many experiences with them that I and my acquaintances have had, I can think of exactly one that arrived on time, did the job, did it well, and was out the door within the timeframe they said they would be. I'm sure there are plenty of reliable, efficient contractors out there, but I'll be damned if I've ever met one. End of rant.) I told him to just not worry about it until after Christmas - the ceiling isn't awful-looking, and I want to get my decorations up already. Grump. Grump.
At least the day off won't go to waste - I have oodles of things to do today. Brian's home sick, but I don't mind that too much; he's pretty self-sufficient when he's ill, plus it means I can use the car to run errands and things. Plus he'll be around for decorating, even if he won't be as participatory as normal.
Also, I'm putting up outside lights this year! For the first time in my life (despite growing up in the suburbs) I'll have outdoor Christmas lights! Nothing super-fancy, just some icicle lights over the deck and a few strings of colored ones to outline the eaves with. Our house is so adorable, and you can see it from the bottom of the hill - it'll look just like a little gingerbread cottage. And for some reason, that prospect is making even several hours spent on a ladder seem like fun.
But first, time for some marathon writing. I've got over 9000 words to go in the next two days, but if I can reach my earlier 2000-words-an-hour rate, that's more than manageable. I think part of the reason that worked so well before was that I was developing a strong emotional arc between two of the characters, which made the beats for each scene fairly easy to map out. That part's mostly done with now, so I'll have to see if I can find another one to follow.
4000 words, then I can put up lights. That's my deal with myself. If I get really ambitious, I'll get another 2000-3000 in before putting up interior decorations, but that'll probably depend on how long the lights take.
So I'd better get going so I'm not putting up lights in the dark...
I have the day off work today, in theory because the contractor was supposed to come back and paint the ceiling today. In practice, he didn't show up; when I called him after he was an hour late, I got "Oh yeah, I left a message on your phone, did you not get it? I can't make it today." In the interests of not coming off as a grump/unwilling to give the benefit of the doubt, I note here that I specifically asked him to call me if anything came up; I might also note that no such message or incoming call was noted on my Google Voice or my cell phone, and it should have logged itself on both. He's a nice guy and does decent work, but getting him to actually show up is like pulling teeth, I swear. (Mini-rant: Is there a rule somewhere that contractors everywhere have to perennially be running behind schedule and over budget? Of the many experiences with them that I and my acquaintances have had, I can think of exactly one that arrived on time, did the job, did it well, and was out the door within the timeframe they said they would be. I'm sure there are plenty of reliable, efficient contractors out there, but I'll be damned if I've ever met one. End of rant.) I told him to just not worry about it until after Christmas - the ceiling isn't awful-looking, and I want to get my decorations up already. Grump. Grump.
At least the day off won't go to waste - I have oodles of things to do today. Brian's home sick, but I don't mind that too much; he's pretty self-sufficient when he's ill, plus it means I can use the car to run errands and things. Plus he'll be around for decorating, even if he won't be as participatory as normal.
Also, I'm putting up outside lights this year! For the first time in my life (despite growing up in the suburbs) I'll have outdoor Christmas lights! Nothing super-fancy, just some icicle lights over the deck and a few strings of colored ones to outline the eaves with. Our house is so adorable, and you can see it from the bottom of the hill - it'll look just like a little gingerbread cottage. And for some reason, that prospect is making even several hours spent on a ladder seem like fun.
But first, time for some marathon writing. I've got over 9000 words to go in the next two days, but if I can reach my earlier 2000-words-an-hour rate, that's more than manageable. I think part of the reason that worked so well before was that I was developing a strong emotional arc between two of the characters, which made the beats for each scene fairly easy to map out. That part's mostly done with now, so I'll have to see if I can find another one to follow.
4000 words, then I can put up lights. That's my deal with myself. If I get really ambitious, I'll get another 2000-3000 in before putting up interior decorations, but that'll probably depend on how long the lights take.
So I'd better get going so I'm not putting up lights in the dark...
