Category: Crankypantsing

Crankypantsing, Photography

Moong Dal and Taxes

Shelly

Taxes are done, done, done! And it only took 27 minutes. I went ahead and filed both state and federal electronically, but my understanding is that federal returns are going to be held up because of the late changes to the tax laws. So I guess we’ll just wait and see how long it takes.

Laundry is almost done, too. I wish I could say as much for the house, because it looks like a bomb hit it. I didn’t get any cleaning done this weekend, unless you count emptying and (re)filling the dish washer, and I’m pretty sure you can’t.

And now for a gratuitous food photo.

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Moong Dal, inverted lens macro

Crankypantsing

Crankypantsing, Ahoy!

Shelly

I paid my cable bill online, but of COURSE, it got messed up somehow, and I didn’t get a confirmation number. The last time that happened, they lost track of my payment and shut off my cable. Hopefully that won’t happen again. Hrmf.

And then there’s my upstairs neighbors. The first few months, they were very nice and quiet, but now they’ve turned into The Mad Bonkers. Their bedroom floor is really creaky, so when they go at it, it wakes me from a dead sleep. And they always seem to have sex late at night. Last night it was around midnight, but the night before they woke me up at 2am. Which would have been bad enough if I had a normal schedule, but I usually get up around 4am, so I was super duper Not Amused.

Which is to say that I have been severely sleep deprived lately. Today I slept and slept and slept, and then I thought I might sleep a little more, and then I took a nap. I think I might be caught up now, but I’m sure they’ll wake me up again tonight, and all that lovely sleeping will have been for naught.

Crankypantsing, Photography

Tree of the Damned

Shelly

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My cubicle neighbor, who ought to know by now that I am scroogier than Scrooge himself, asked me this morning if she could put her little Christmas tree on top of my bookshelf. WTF?! I was speechless. Boundaries: YOU ARE CROSSING THEM! I told her I don’t like Christmas or Christmas decorations (which she should have figured out by now, since I always complain about them, and I never put any up. Duh!), but I don’t think she gets it. So whatever. Now I have a fake tree lurking over me. Ugh. But it’s one of those things that I don’t feel like I can make a big scene over, so I’m stuck with the damned thing.

I do think the moose adds a little je ne sais quoi.

Crankypantsing, Photography

Sunrise

Shelly

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I took this from the staff lounge on the 3rd floor of the library. Once again, I couldn’t get any coworkers to get up off their lazy asses to go look at the sky. What the hell is wrong with people?!

And speaking of “What the hell is wrong with people?!” On my way home this evening, I was stopped by a flagger at 10th street and the bypass. There’s a big construction project on one corner of the intersection, and they were moving materials around, which held up traffic. So, I sat there while a flagger stood in front of my car, keeping the intersection clear. Which OF COURSE meant that every car behind me started honking its horn as soon as our light turned green. Apparently they all expected me to run over the flagger so that everyone could get home on time??? WTFBBQ?!

Crankypantsing, Photography

Bloom Where You’re Planted

Shelly

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I took this last month at a coffee house in Mantorville, Minnesota, but forgot to post it. I’m not usually a fan of country crafts, but I thought it was kind of cute.

In other news, I had to brave the black Friday crowds to buy toilet paper. I meant to get some on my way home after work on Wednesday, but it was raining so hard that I decided to wait. I couldn’t wait any longer, though, so I tried going to Target. I couldn’t find a parking place, so I tried next door, at Kmart. It was busy, but nowhere near as packed as Target. And then I stopped at the grocery store, which was EMPTY. Apparently, the day after a big food holiday is the time to go grocery shopping, if you want the whole store to yourself.

The more you know…

Crankypantsing, Photography

Pretty Ladies

Shelly

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Young Women, cartes de visite, 4 x 2 1/2 inches, c. 1880-1890
Photographer: Heinrich Kriegsmann, Nordermarkt No. 49, Flensburg, Germany

I think these two photos are just lovely.

In not so lovely news, I have a feeling my hard disk is about to commit suicide, and I’m not looking forward to it. What a pain in my ass! Other pains in my ass include maintenance cutting down the cedar tree outside my bedroom window, being waked up at 2am by my upstairs neighbors’ very noisy bed, a still-broken-after-being-“fixed” trash disposal, having to work on Friday and Saturday, and getting my first ever parking ticket (to the tune of $50!!!). I know this week could suck more, but enough already!

Art, Crankypantsing, Doodles

Staff Meeting Doodle

Shelly

Staff Meeting Doodle
gel pen in composition notebook
4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches

After spending the majority of the weekend uploading photos to Findagrave, I got up this morning to an email from someone who either has absolutely no people skills or who has a giant rude streak. I can’t tell which, and I don’t really care. The name on one of the headstones I photographed apparently used the woman’s middle name in place of her first name. Presumably she went by her middle name, which is not unheard of. But how the hell should I know it was her middle name? I just have what’s in front of me to go by.

The email had a list (I kid you not!) of reasons why I should delete my record, including the fact that the person was a family member. Okay, but I don’t need a list, like I’m some sort of mentally challenged three year old. Duplicate records happen with fair frequency, and a simple, “This is a duplicate, can you please remove it?” is all that’s needed. Really. It’s that simple. No lecture wanted or required, pleaseandthanks.

The best part, though? She instructed me to upload my headstone photo to her record, with not a word of thanks for having taken and shared the photo in the first place. WTF?! So no, I don’t think I’ll be doing that. I happily go out of my way to take photos for people who have the good sense to ask nicely, but I’m not too motivated to share them with people who lecture me like I’m a child.