I haven’t written anything in a while. There have been so many major things happening and I just haven’t felt like putting in the work. Being an accountant, though, I get all queasy knowing that I spent the money for a year of blogging software that I’m not using. I know no-one ever really reads what I write, but going through the exercise is good. Like going to the gym for my brain. Especially since I’m more of a numbers person. Writing is not what I do, so challenge myself, right? Still, it’s a lot of work to do it regularly. Maybe think and plan less and just get something down? We’ll see…
Major things happening. Mostly work related. Can’t really talk about it, but it’s been hard and stressful. Lots of changes and uncertainty. I’m trying to do my best and deal with what comes, but I’ve been sad and preoccupied for a while now. It’s difficult to balance trying to treat something like work as important and meaningful while at the same time knowing that it isn’t really. There are more important and meaningful things in life, obviously, but work is where you spend most of your time. Work is what you’ve prepared your education for your whole life. And the money, of course. But it can all go away on a whim. With no rhyme or reason. Kind of like life itself, right? It’s hard to stay motivated, though, when everything seems to boil down to working so hard just to build your own coffin.
A little humor break…
We had something weird happen a little more than a week ago. While my wife was making dinner she noticed the stove stopped working. The burners went off and the oven stopped heating. The stove was still getting power because the clock was on and the lights were working, but it wouldn’t heat. Great. Weeks before Christmas and now we were going to have to get a new stove.
I started up the gas grill out back so we could finish cooking dinner and began researching what may be the problem. The issue I was having was why everything stopped working at the same time. With a stove, usually when something goes bad it’s just one component – not all of them at the same time. I pulled out the thing and unplugged it. Check the breakers out in the garage. Plugged the stove back in. Still not working. Then my wife yells from our laundry room that the dryer isn’t working. Uh oh.
I check the dryer. Again, it’s getting power. The light comes on, but when I push the power button there is a buzzing sound and no start up. Ugh. What could be happening?
More research, and come across the most likely issue. Either something is wrong with the power coming into the house, or something is wrong with the wiring in the house. Basically, nothing in the house using 240 volt current is working. I’ll have to call the electric company in the morning. In the meantime, no heat and no hot water overnight.
So the next morning I call the electric company, and sure enough they know what I’m talking about and tell me they will send someone out to check the power coming into the house. It ends up being something bad underground. Or maybe something bad with the ground – you know – electricity talk. Anyway, they wheel this big box around the side of our house and connect it to the meter in order to give us a temporary fix until a crew can come and fix whatever is wrong. Once we get full power back, the relief kicks in. The stove and dryer are working fine. Nothing broke and nothing to have to pay for. A Christmas miracle!
Almost a week later the crew finally came by and finished the job. Whatever it was could be fixed at our box out back because they never dug up the yard. We never had anything like this happen to our electricity before, so hopefully that will be it while living in this house…
The kid has been chugging along with all her music. She had a concert just before Thanksgiving with her regional youth orchestra. This weekend she has a recital where she is playing both the piano and the violin in duets with her private teachers. Last week was her High School Orchestra Christmas Concert. Because she is first chair violin, she got a couple small solos when they played the very pretty Once Upon a December song from Anastasia. It was so good and the kid was amazing. Here, check it out:
So proud…
I started reading this new book. It’s not normally my kind of thing because of the religious nature of the story, but a guy I work with wrote it. That’s such a great accomplishment and how often do you get to read a novel written by someone you know? So I bought the kindle version on Amazon and started reading it.
It looks like an interesting read and an opportunity to learn something new. Check out the link on Amazon to see what it is about.
The book I just finished was the third one I’ve read by the actor Gene Wilder. He was such an interesting person. Obviously a great actor, but his writing is worth exploring too. It has a gentleness about it. And a love of love – and life. The first was a memoir I actually listened to on Audible where he was the narrator. So good and so interesting. Kiss Me Like a Stranger. The second one was about WWI and his main character falling in love while in a dangerous situation. My French Whore: A Love Story. The one I just finished is called Something to Remember You By and takes place during WWII. All kinds of stuff happened in that one. Check them all out and get a fuller picture of a great talent.
