Apparently, I just can’t get enough of this silly construction crane. It’s better than having no view at all, though, so I’m not complaining. And how’s that for a crappy, cloudy sky? The sun did come out, though, lighting up the buildings and the freshly painted smokestacks. The larger one started reverting to black the very day after it was painted, so I think that was a lost cause.
The month started with the usual Indiana rainy-snowy-icy crap and grey skies. O gross.
I didn’t get much accomplished last weekend, despite trying to motivate myself to do more research. On that front, I managed to connect a stray Basquill to our little branch, which was pretty cool. Even better, it was one I thought I’d never be able to connect to anyone, period, so I wasn’t even looking for a link.
My cube neighbor’s African violet plant is blooming again. Another coworker has an adorable bonsai fig tree that’s sporting two wee baby figs. I’m hoping they’re still there on Monday, so I can get a photo of those, too.
Not just the Belt of Venus, but there are also some reflected sunrise colors along the cloud tops. The clouds cleared away within about half an hour, and it turned into a bright, gorgeous day.
Did y’all see that Google has teamed up with LIFE magazine, making millions of images searchable and available online? This is hugely cool! I spent quite awhile going through photos from the dust bowl (just watched a special on that over the weekend), and will definitely spend more time there. They’re large images, too, and I don’t see any restrictions on usage, though the full-sized images are watermarked. I think that’s a nice compromise.
I was vacuuming and looked over to see Harriet watching me, with her nose buried in her fleece blanket. Weirdo.
It’s not arctic outside, but it’s finally coldish. That means it’s time for soup, right? I replaced my missing stock pot a couple of weeks ago, so I’m making potato soup for lunch. Mmmm.
The view from my desk on two different mornings.
I got Harriet nine years ago today. It was a Wednesday night, a week before Thanksgiving. She promptly tried to beat the hell out of Elliott, which was hugely intimidating. I’d never dealt with fighting dogs before and wondered what I’d gotten myself into. By the next morning, Harriet was ready to make nice, and though the two had their share of scuffles, they were bestest friends.
It’s been both a long and short nine years. There were times when I wanted to wring her little neck, but mostly, she’s been awesome good fun. And to be fair, even when she’s at her most exasperating, she’s also deeply funny. Boxers aren’t called clown dogs for nothing.
To celebrate her got day, I bought her a new woobie, and we’re having homemade french fries (about the only people food treat she can have these days).
1. Harriet’s feet seem to be well on the mend. She’s not trying to sneak off and chew them, and the hair is growing back where it was worn away. Her ears are still sore, though. I don’t know if they’re just going to take longer to heal, or if I’m going to have to go back to the vet for drops. I was dubious about using wipes on her ears in the first place, because they only reach the upper parts, and the real infection is much farther down the ear canal. I’ve got six more days of wipes, so I guess we’ll have to re-evaluate at the end of the week.
2. And about those feet! They are snowy white for the first time in literally years. Very exciting. For all the stupid crap she’s had to deal with the past few months, it seems as if at least the allergy problem has been solved. And since that was, to me, the most difficult one to narrow down, well, I’m doing the happy dance.
See the shiny white hair between her pads? A couple of months ago, that was stained red, from saliva.
3. WTHIWWP?!: If you’re going to belittle another person’s artistic abilities, you might want to first make sure that yours aren’t laughable. I read a huge screed on another blog about how X, Y, and Z are amateurish dingbats, and then I went and looked at the ranter’s own artwork. My, but that’s a very low bar! Not to mention the weirdness of being that obsessed with other people’s artwork and whether or not they are doing it “right.”
Also known as Job Security. (Believe it or not, there is a very sturdy desk under there. Somewhere.)
Zyrtec + no caffeine = sleep dips
I feel like someone replaced my brain with a wool blanket. Ugh. I don’t know what it is, but my allergies have been bad the last couple of days. It seems to have coincided with the start of the Indiana Rainy Season, so I’m guessing leaf mold is the culprit.
And a completely unrelated photo.
Bee and Rose of Sharon, September 2008
And a funny story break.
LIT (the library’s IT department) sent out a mass email telling us to be careful opening attachments, even if we know the person who apparently sent them. Anyone want to guess how this better-late-than-never advice was distributed? Yep, as an attachment. Epic fail, LIT!
red paper boat 