Shamelessly stolen from the lovely
Jordana, who is participating in
Jen’s brainchild – 7 Quick Takes. This is to tide you over until later; our departmental party is this afternoon, and I will bring you all the action (accounting and finance professionals gone wild!) when I get home.
1
Once the sun dipped behind the horizon on the drive home, the brilliant full moon became visible. If I remember correctly, scientists have debunked the idea that people go a little strange when the moon is full. Those scientists were not with me on I-94 west this afternoon, for if they were, they would have changed their minds. While people are all sweetness and light in person during the holidays, they are secretly storing up all their aggression to vent on the roads.
2
I have
zero Christmas decorations up. Usually, I finish putting them up after I come home from wherever I spent Thanksgiving (or begin after the guests leave if I host the dinner). The fall stuff – and there is a lot of it – mostly got put away last night. Then I pulled out the Christmas quilty stuff to put out, saw the green and red Christmas quilt with the soft white flannel backing, and promptly sat down on the couch with it to doze until bedtime. Putting up the (six foot tall, fake, pre-lit) tree is beyond my energy level this year, but I may make up for it by buying a real evergreen swag for one of the archways. The Boy Scouts came around selling wreaths, but they no longer have the pretty 36” swags they sold several years ago – bummer.
I’m not sure exactly what my problem is this year. I certainly feel Christmassy – not down or melancholy. But my energy level is even lower than usual, and I can never get enough sleep. Even with only four short weeks to go before I turn fifty, I should not be falling asleep on the couch at 6 p.m., no matter how early I usually get up.
3The phone rang as I was unpacking groceries last night. By the time I dug it out of the purse, it stopped. After taking a look at the number, I hit the call back feature. The number looked familiar, and the voice that answered sounded
very familiar. But after a minute of conversation, I finally had to ask, “
I’m sorry, but really, can you tell me who you are?” Talk about a peri-menopausal moment – it was a friend from church who needed the address to the home at which the women’s function was being held. She couldn’t find her church directory, but apparently had my number in her phone.
Naturally, I couldn’t find my copy of the directory, but I knew where she needed to go and provided what I hope were more than adequate directions.
4
We have the sweetest student workers in the entire University. Jackie is graduating on Sunday, going off into the “real world”. She brought in a big box of pastries as a thank you for us being such good bosses the four years she worked for us. If you are so inclined, remember her in your prayers. The job she has lined up doesn’t start until February 1st, and is as an analyst for a brokerage firm. Not at all what I’d consider a stable environment at the moment. Pray her job will still be there in February.
5
Rachel, another student worker, has just completed all the grunt work on a UBIT project on which I’m working. She is an accounting major, and I’d hoped to have her continue with it and help do the analysis and the interviews we may be doing, but she opted instead to spend next semester studying in Madrid. Huh – sunny Madrid vs. cold Wisconsin and taxes. I can’t understand why she is leaving.
6
A couple of people from some citizen’s action group came to the door last night with a petition (and a fund drive, though he quietly slipped that one into the spiel) to put pressure on our state lawmakers to “develop a strong economy that creates sustainable jobs and a prosperous future.” He went on to say (after I politely declined to either sign the petition or listen to more nonsense) that “This is how things get changed” and “We’ve won every issue we’ve gone up against.”
Show me a detailed, comprehensive plan that takes into account the real workings of a free market economy, and maybe – maybe I’ll listen to you.
But I
am sorry I made you stand on the cold porch to give your little talk.
7
Cookie swap on Sunday. Monday, I take most of them to work to enrich my coworkers. Our cleaning lady, however, will be disappointed. Two weeks ago she came into my office to empty the trash, and a propos of nothing said, “When you bringing in them pecans?” Seeing the rather confused look on my face (I had been in the middle of a complex calculation, and had no clue how pecans figured into it) she went on to rave about some spiced pecans I had apparently brought in last Christmas that she really liked.
I didn’t tell her, but for one, I don’t think I brought any in last year (she described them as sweet, while the ones I make are rather spicy), and for two, pecan halves are currently $9.50 per pound at the grocery store. Even at Fleet Farm they are $5.00 per pound. I’d need over four pounds to allow a 3 ounce serving for each person in our office (including Wendy, of course). Plus a pound of butter and assorted spices…I’m generous, but hadn’t planned on this. She’ll have to make do with assorted cookies.
Back later, assuming the departmental party provides some interesting post fodder.
