3.5 weeks in to this ick and my voice is still very fragile. I really can't handle having to scream at callers, which i've been doing waaaay too much.

caller on the side of a loud, windy freeway: "i can't hear you, speak up"

me, shouting into my headset, which i am holding so close to my mouth that it has chapstick it: "get inside your car so you can hear me"

caller: "can't hear you, speak up"

me: "i'm yelling, get in your car and out of the wind"

everyone around me is laughing. i had to hang up in order to cough up half a lung after all that screaming and then still had the call the *&^(*&%*&$^^%& back to actually handle the call. grrrrrrrrrrrr.

I really don't like silverfish. they are the one insect that will send me shrieking out of the room

I see that. I have more of a problem with spiders.

Voice~ma, erin!

silverfish

t shudder

Someday TCG is going to remember not to leave his non hand-controlled car behind mine when he goes out without his car. Someday, but obviously not today.

my qotd so far from work: "any drugs or alchohol today along with that rat poison?"

(very hi-sounding gentleman claiming that lots of diff people have been poisoning him over the years...)

Huh, I wonder if we're supposed to get snow. I should check.

I ran a couple of errands and then went to a clothing swap. I had hoped to not come home with anything, but I did come home with less than I took, and it was mostly practical stuff. Including some engineer overalls I can't wait to wear to work.

Once again I didn't get anywhere near as much done this weekend as I'd wanted. I'm tryin not to beat up on myself too much. I'm just kind of freaking out about all the stuff I need to do to prepare for this possible move. I really need to scoop the cat pans and clean up the kitchen tonight, at a minimum.

smonster, chance of snow starting at noonish, likely snow in the evening, turning into our VERY FAVORITE FRIENDS sleet and ice after that. Bleh. Fuck ice.

I couldn't grow white sage in NC, so I used to order it, or buy it dried from a couple-three places near me. I combined it with stuff I grew or gathered from our yard and dried myself: lavender, cedar, balsam, lilac, basil, thyme. I love the scent of burning sage, but H hates it like, well, burning. I burn it outside now, if I feel the need.

If smudging smoke bothers you or someone in your household, you can use a potpourri pot, put the herbs in water over a tea light and disperse the scent that way.

smonster, chance of snow starting at noonish, likely snow in the evening, turning into our VERY FAVORITE FRIENDS sleet and ice after that. Bleh. Fuck ice.

Oh, fucking great. Well, if the power goes out, I scored a pair of fleece pjs and a full-length hooded fleece robe at the clothing swap.

I know it seems laughable to Northerners, but this is the coldest and snowiest* winter I remember in 23 years living in NC.

* number of times it's snowed, not amount of snow.

What's sad is how this winter is making me realize what a total winter wuss I am - I still remember how to deal with snow, how to drive in it, when not to, I don't panic and buy out the grocery, etc etc etc. But this business of it STILL BEING COLD instead of the temps breaking after a few days or a week at a time? Nuh and uh. I'm all "but it was winter last week!! How can't this be over yet?"

eh, smonster, if you aren't prepared to deal with snow ( or rain ) or whatever weather is hard. It has been much colder than usual for longer than usual. I no longer own a weeks worth of work clothing suitable for 30/40 degree temperatures. And guess what the weather was like last week. That was hard