Oy. I'm Tired...

So today I had to be up at "before-the-chickens" o'clock and at work before dawn. Yawwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnn. I'm tired. I had a group here at work for an early a.m. session and then the HVAC guy came because our heating system is really acting weird.

Turns out that of the 3 units on the roof, Unit #1 has been "locked out" because the heat exchanger has a crack in it. Ok. We knew that, so what happened to the paperwork? It got lost in a Pit of Despair somewhere up at the main campus. The HVAC company will re-quote the job and they'll get it fixed.

I mean, hey. We're only in ILLINOIS. And on the verge of NOVEMBER. Global warming or not, it's cold today and it was snowing again for about 5 minutes. I just talked to one of the Facilities guys and he tells me, "Oh yeah, when we switch over to heat, you're supposed to flip the switch. 

Which switch? Where? I haven't done that in the entire time I've been here, and it's been nearly 10 years... To quote: "What we have here is a failure to communicate."

Cutie-pie!

Gotta love it.

Knitting...

Tomorrow, I go with my knitting gals, and I give up the ghost on the Chandelier Lace scarf. I need help picking it back to a purl row. And then I've gotta give in and use a lifeline. Needless to say, it won't be done for Christmas. At least not Christmas 2013.

I'll happily take a before-and-after set of shots. I'll own up to the hash I made of it...

Working on the next Fluffy Scarf. It's going along ok. Starbella, even though I dislike it, is easier to spread out than Sashay. But my problem with this particular ball is that there are some quality issues. I may end up keeping this scarf for myself if it gets worse. 

When I get home this afternoon, I'll sit for a spell, and if I feel like I can actually think straight, I may get the cuff of Sock #2 done and start on the leg. 

So the picture (a) is NOT knitting; and (b) is old... This is an old pic of my great-nephew (gah!!!) and he's wearing a sweater my friend Sue crocheted for him. He is now an adorable preschooler. I'm not violating any rules; his mom has his pictures all over Facebook, and I didn't even include his name. 

I do have pics of the twins in their sweaters, but I have to retrieve them. For another post...

Eating...

Let's just say this is going to be a bad week. I have good intentions. It's just that the busy-ness of the week and the lack of sleep have combined to make me into a tired, cranky, hungry grump. I know it happens every time. And today, at least - I'm too tired to battle it out. 

I have some home-made potato soup that I'll eat tonight for dinner; no, it's not specifically on my eating plan, but I'm in need of comfort food, and I'll be having an early night, if I'm lucky. 

Politics...

Well, it's not technically politics, but it's just a bombshell news story. OK, yes, it IS politics. Lookee here, boys and girls. Ted (Canadian/Cuban)Cruz gets HIS health insurance from his WIFE'S policy at Goldman Sachs... Yep. Imagine that. Click here to get the story. So of course he doesn't give a rat's rear end if anyone ELSE gets health insurance. In his book, "I got mine." And that's all that counts. 

If you don't realize that the Republicans WANT the healthcare.gov site to fail, and that they WANT voter suppression and that they WANT us to be a "Christian Nation" (which is entirely what the Founders did NOT WANT)... Well, then you're sleeping under the stumps in a forest or something. They market themselves as "for the people." 

For the people to work at subsistence wages so the Corporate Overlords can make big bucks.

For the people to get screwed out of pension benefits so that the Shareholder Overlords can get their dividends.

For the people to vote for them so that they can continue to manipulate the weak-willed and under-informed voter. 

Is that you? Are you a sheep? I didn't think so.

And the Job Creators? Pfffffffthhhhhh. Pardon my raspberry. They "create jobs" alright. Overseas, because it's cheaper. Which is why Detroit and other urban centers are virtual ghost towns. People will spend money when they're making it. We used to be a society that built stuff. 

Now? We outsource it. Crikey, we're even talking about outsourcing our food to China. Really? 

Random Picture...

The Duchess

This is a picture of the grand chandelier in our local theatre. This theatre was within inches of being razed for a parking lot when one of our grand dames in down actually started not only a petition, but a collection - to the point of going around with a coffee can for donations - to revive this theatre. Now, it's the jewel of the town, and acts from all over come out to play and entertain us. 

The theatre was the location of our women's group's anniversary bash: "Spirits With the Spirits" and we had a blast. I love the place. 

I remember my paternal grandma, who didn't drive, and we'd get on the bus for a dime and go see 101 Dalmations at this theatre. It used to be a movie house. 

I'm grateful to preservationists for their work. Some things probably need to be torn down, but on the other hand, rational minds need to come together to retain significant aspects of a town's history. 

This is a significant aspect. This picture, even taken with the "good camera" -- well, it doesn't do The Duchess true justice. She's beautiful. 

 Estate Stuff...

Well, we have a closing in the works. Yay. I'm so done. This has not been the best situation. There's been over-much drama. And we're not normally a high-drama family. 

I want Thanksgiving to be stress-free. I want us to all sit down and eat our lovely organic turkey in peace, without waiting for someone to have a melt-down. To this end, my mother has (wisely) chosen to un-invite both of my deceased brother's kids. They're not speaking to each other, and at this point, it's not worth the stress. I don't care what excuse she gives, but it's just not worth it. My remaining brother and one nephew have expressed to my mother that they don't want to be there if those kids are there. My own kids are "upset" (read: we need to make sure that the one kid doesn't flip out on mom or granny) and are not looking forward to what Kid #2 has christened "FAKES-giving." And I just don't want to have to wait to see if drama will happen or not. It's not why I'm going to all the trouble to cook the blasted dinner...

Christmas...

As I said, the baking list is done. Baking has not commenced yet. Hubby hasn't decided if he's going to spend Christmas with his mom. I will have from mid-December through New Year's Day off, and the kids and I will be making pierogies. 

I've already started the Christmas ordering. I think I'm giving #1 Girlfriend (Kid #1's gal) a lovely set of amber: a pendant and earrings. Amber is a traditional Polish gift to a bride and there are rumors... (yay!)

My mom's getting the Senior Series Yoga class taught by MY teacher. I'm already told what my gift is - Hubby and I are sharing a tablet computer. I'm not sure how that's gonna work, but whatever. I certainly don't need anything. 

Except slippers. I'd like a nice pair of sheepskin slippers...