Incident Report, 4-26-2012

(1)  While walking into work today, spilled coffee down the front of my pants...the pants I washed last night.
(2)  Yesterday, splashed turmeric-laden sauce on my shirt during lunch.
(3)  Got a virus on my computer while looking for pictures of birds for a newsletter article.
(4)  Because the IT person had to completely re-do (I don't know the technical term) my computer (see (3), above), our mapping software's connection to the server (where my files are stored) needs to be restablished, and I don't know how to do it.  Result:  this conversation in the afternoon:

Mayor:  RR, I need to see a floodmap.
Me:  A floodmap of the city?  Or would you like a map for a specific property?
Mayor:  (please to have the option of a property-specific map) For a specific property would be great.
Me:  (with a confident tone in my voice)  No problem! Give me just a few minutes.

Me, several minutes later: Um...I can't get to my files.  Would you take instead a copy of our zoning map with a close-up of the property?

Awkward.

Next month, I'm going to Florida for a conference.  Some people would be excited about a trip to a purportedly lovely coastal location, paid for by someone else, and during which one gets to learn more about and discuss a topic dear to one's heart.  But I am not one of them.  If the conference were to be held here in town, I would be thrilled, but a conference involving travel makes me feel tired a month before I get there.

Why am I dreading going so much?  I'm glad you asked.

You probably already know from previous blog posts that I have many food allergies. When I'm traveling, I don't know the restaurants or the grocery stores, so I don't know where I'll be able to eat.  I have to bring enough food with me to sustain me for the entire time I'm away, because I rarely know for sure in advance if I will have access to a safe local food source.  Trying to travel light is not an option.  And because I can't pack much food likely to spoil, I always end up eating a lot of peanut butter, rice cakes, and larabars.  And as much as I love those things--and I really do love them--after a few days, I'm desperate for some vegetables.

For this conference, I'll be gone 5 1/2 days.  Five and a half days!  That's a lot of peanut butter.

If restaurants were generally more inclined to know what's in their food, and if they had a goal of making good, quality food over profits, this would be easier.  If food manufacturers didn't fill their products with garbage that we shouldn't be eating, this would be easier.  But because we want cheap food and we don't care how we get, I have to pack like I'm going on the Oregon Trail every time I travel.

***Stepping down from soap box***

In more pleasant news, I'm almost over my cold, and my sweet potato plant is growing so well.  It's looking quite pretty.  And the plant I've had in my office for two weeks now isn't dead yet.  It isn't even looking as though death is in its near future. I'm not sure how long this will last, but so far, so good.

Also, I don't fully understand the new blogger dashboard/tools/settings.  Have I reached the age where technology passes me by because I can't be bother to keep up with the new things?  Eh, who cares?

And finally, I think I went to work with a small stain on my shirt today.  I'm hoping no one noticed.

Incident report, week of April 8, 2012

Just a couple of incidents to report lately:

1.  Went to pick up co-worker from her house, finally realized how dirty my car is on the inside, embarrassed about the crumbs and leaves, etc.

2.  Found small stain on my shirt at work the other day, didn't know if I had acquired it at work but couldn't be sure it wasn't there when I left my house that morning.

3.  Caught a cold my sister got from a co-worker, and it kept me home from work for almost 3 days and made me cranky and sorry for myself.

4.  Tried to do some bird watching at home so I could get more practice for a project at work.  I also listened to bird songs, but quickly put headphones on when I realized Wally thought there was a bird outside and ran to the back window (by where I was sitting) to see if he could see it.  I felt so guilty. 

Lately, not much has been going on with me, which is about normal.  Just work, work, work.  I'd had a goal of getting my work life in order by early April so I could have time for a personal life, and so far that has not happened, but I'm making progress.  I've been setting aside time every night (except when I have night meetings or have to work on reports until 1 in the morning) for cleaning and practicing Korean, and I'm happy to be making progress on both fronts.  Hurray for a clean(ish) house!  Hurray for fifty vocabulary words learned!

In other news, I'm trying a garden again this year.  Right now, I'm focusing on keeping alive the plants that came back from last year: garlic (which I can't eat), cannas, and rosemary. I'm also growing pretty green leaves from a sweet potato that sprouted in the kitchen over the winter.  So far, none of the sweet potatoes I planted last year have come back, but that's okay. 

One of my co-workers recently planted a significant-sized patio garden at her apartment, and since gardening optimism is contagious, I'm considering adding to my garden.  I'm not sure what to grow, though, because it seems as though everything I try growing something, I wind up allergic to it.  Garlic, tomatoes, potatoes--all used to be in my garden (garlic still is), all now on my allergies list.  So I'm nervous about planting anything else.  I'm thinking of trying more herbs.  I don't use Rosemary much, so if I wind up allergic to it, no great loss, right?  And in the fall, I’m going to try some more vegetables.  Oh, yes, I am, and don’t tell me anything about my past failures in the garden.  I’m well aware of them.  But despite past failures, a person can still be a gardening optimist, can’t she?

And in case my optimism doesn’t pay off…

(Making a mental note to check with Deals about what time of year her fig tree produces fruit so I can mooch).

(Making a mental note to check with friend from grad school about what time of year his pecan tree produces pecans so I can mooch).