Some random questions

• Did you know that, in Excel, pressing CTL + ; (control + semicolon) automatically enters the current date into the active cell? This could be HUGE in my life! Seriously.
  
  
• Did you ever wonder why you have to bag your own groceries at the most expensive grocery store in town? If they're not paying the cashiers to do it, why are their prices higher?
  
  
• Why doesn't said grocery store stock any individually quick frozen (uncooked) chicken? Has this suddenly become an unusual ingredient?
  
  
• Why does the space bar randomly stop working? (I'm guessing it's related to the canned air cleaning I gave the keyboard the other day, but still...)
  

Answers welcome!

So here's the deal...

I look for patterns in things -- what's the next number in the sequence, how are the tiles laid out on the floor, how many steps to get from here to there, etc. A couple of days ago, it occurred to me that it was possible to make my 200th post, my 1-year blogaversary AND my birthday to align. I'd only have to post a little more than once a day to make it happen.

So, you know I have to try. I'll apologize now for the boredom that is sure to follow ;) Hey, maybe I'll photograph all my UFOs/WIPs and post one each day... at least there'd be pictures. Hmmm...

On a happier note, George's bloodwork was all normal. Just one more test for basic kidney function to rule out super early-stage renal issues, then he's in the clear. Lucky him -- that means a new low-calorie, high-fiber diet to encourage weight loss!

One last thing... new season of Project Runway starts next week. Are you up for the challenge?

Summertime...

and every news station is giving the "official" definition of heat wave! (Three consecutive days -- or more -- with temps of 90* or higher.) The first one of the season starts tomorrow.

Today, on the other hand, was the official start of summer hours at my office. We work an extra four hours M-Th, then close at noon on Fridays for a jump-start on the weekend. I had big plans: go to the DMV for driver's license and car registration/plates. 90 minutes later, I left... with my new driver's license. No registration... since moving, I can't find the payoff letter from GMAC, and my title shows the lien. The DMV will accept a fax directly from GMAC, which is good, but I have to find the loan number in order to get it from them! I'm sensing another trip through my seriously unorganized "important papers" this weekend. On the flip side, I *did* find the title (which was MIA before I moved), so I didn't have to first go to the NYS DMV to get a duplicate.

Hope your day was somewhat more interesting!

Happy Birthday Mr. Rogers

I almost forgot -- today would have been Fred Rogers 80th birthday. A call went out -- wear your favorite sweater (a cardigan, natch) in honor of his kind and gentle spirit.

Although I *didn't* remember about "Won't You Be My Neighbor Day" this morning while getting dressed, I actually DID choose one of my favorite cardis to wear today. It's not red and doesn't have a zipper (funny, the one I wore on Monday fits that bill!), but it's comfy and wasn't too warm for the first day of spring. Did you know that Mr. Rogers' mother knitted all of his cardigans?

I grew up with Mr. Rogers, and his kind and gentle approach to life and play was both meaningful and memorable. For 15 great reasons to love him, read this list.

Thanks, Mr. Rogers -- here's to you.

Don't Drink It!

Trust me... it's NOT good. We opened the bottle of sparkling shiraz tonight, to drink with our dinner of delicious Orville Redenbacher popped properly on the stovetop.

Mom poured while I supervised the stove. There was a rather pink froth in the glasses, which wasn't terribly appealing. We each took a drink, and said "Hmm, that's not very good." It occurred to us that we didn't chill the bottle at all -- the recommendation was that it should be just cooler than room temperature, basically. Being the high-end wine connoisseurs that we are, we opened the freezer and grabbed a couple of ice cubes (one for each glass)! It was slightly less bad on ice, but the general assessment was a strong thumbs down. It was extremely dry and vinegary. All but four swallows (two each) went down the drain.

Some days are harder than others...

And someecards.com has got just the right greeting to get you through it! Some great Valentine's Day cards here, too.

Tons more on the site... absolutely hysterical, but generally not family-friendly.

via mental_floss.

Star Sighting

This never happens to me... I could walk by the most famous person in the world and not recognize him or her -- seriously. But I saw Paul McCrane (Dr. Robert Romano from ER, well, back in the day, I guess) in an airport today. Like walked right past him (almost into him). Crazy.

12 Days of Christmas -- and a Dreidel?!

Housekeeping...

I fixed the link to Christine Thresh's web site in the PJ Week #4 post -- if you were looking for her bra block pattern (or any of her other great patterns), the link is now correct.

Just some responses to comments:

@ Dorothy: thanks for the ladder idea (I wish I had thought of that!)... but I don't get the tutus... I ended up using some leftover flannel from another project, that happened to already have some strips sewn together. His quilt looks like Daffy's, except in Thimbleberry flannels from a few years back.

@ Nellie: I considered making a quilt for my sister's dog (who, despite not being allowed on the furniture, seems to spend a lot of time on the living room sofa!), but that was too much work for the time left. She's getting a butterfly softie to rip apart instead ;)

@Sheri: My previous cat would have done just what your Jingle did -- she preferred cold or glossy surfaces (like magazines or newspaper inserts), and probably wouldn't have much cared for a quilt either. I didn't hold it against her, though -- she was such a sweetie!

I guess it's fall...

I bit the bullet today and took the window air conditioning units out. Even though I was using the one in my bedroom last week when it was 90*, it was time -- after all, it's getting cooler and it won't be too long before it snows.

Putting these beasts in was a trial -- a comedy of errors combined with a drama of physical pain. A little more complicated than I had thought. Oh well -- it was worth it!

Taking them out should be easy, right? Unscrew the little accordion pleated things, remove the window stop, unscrew the sill bracket, push up the window a smidge and yank the sucker inside, right? Yeah, I wish. I couldn't get the window sash to move at all on the first one. I hammered, I pried, I pushed, I pulled, I swore, I even called my dad.

I finally got the unit out without moving the sash... and STILL couldn't close the window. I grabbed the storm and popped it in, so at least George couldn't fall out, and ended up on the step stool with a hammer and a block, really whacking down on the sash until it finally moved. I'm sure THAT was good for these 80-year old windows. Nonetheless, it had to be done!

The second one came out more easily (the window didn't stick), but I caught my finger between the AC and the storm frame, and ripped off about a half pound of flesh. Yuk.

But I survived -- again -- and now I know I can do this myself. Think how much easier it will be next year!

Horoscopes

Because I find it amusing, I have my daily horoscope (or as Sophie calls it -- horror-scope!) on my homepage. Most of the time, it's just kind of funny -- although I *am* a Leo, I don't have all of the typical traits.

Today's outlook, though, is REALLY on target:

It may be very challenging now to keep it all together, for there is so much happening that your ability to maintain your cool is being tested. Your schedule may get so full that you think about sleeping less just to fit everything in. The pace of life will be hectic throughout this week, so make sure you get your much-needed rest so you can do your best. By Rick Levine Tuesday, September 18, 2007

And that scares me just a little! (After all, I love sleeping... ) The pace of change at work is almost unimaginable right now, let alone manageable. Good times...

Teeth -- Update

I know you all find this incredibly fascinating, so I'll keep telling you about it! (If you need a refresher, I last posted about my teeth on August 13.)

I realized I might have missed an important point -- I have TMJD, or temporomandibular joint disorder. Say that three times fast -- I dare you! I've been in treatment for about six years, with varying degrees of success. The key is that the pain (usually significant muscular headaches) is WAY better than it has been. That gives me the luxury of time right now to explore options.

So, I detailed the first consult six weeks ago. I saw orthodontist #2 yesterday, who did offer a slightly different option than ortho #1. The relationship between my teeth hasn't really changed, but I found it interesting that more of my teeth touched when I bit down. Maybe three or four of them actually made contact, instead of just one lonely molar. And no, I haven't done anything differently in the intervening six weeks.

Doc #1 recommended braces, which would include screws inserted into the bone above the teeth. Rubber bands would be used to try to torque that bone down into place, bringing the teeth with it. Call me crazy, but that sounds painful! And it's expensive, for 27 months of treatment.

Doc #2 recommended the surgical option -- braces first to bring the teeth into the right relationship with their neighbors, then either or both of the arches (teeth and the bone that holds them) are surgically separated from the jaw. Metal plates are installed to hold everything together properly. Again, major pain from the surgery, although less time consuming and less expensive.

The key in all of this is that either approach can bring the teeth in line correctly and fix the bite. There's no guarantee that there will be pain reduction -- 85% of surgical patients report at least some pain improvement, 10% have no change and 5% have more pain. Pain reduction does not mean that pain goes away, of course.

So, I think, for now, that that neither of these options is the right one for me right now. I'm going to talk with my regular dentist next week to review, but I honestly think the pain would have to be WAY worse than it is to purposefully bring on more pain with no promise of resolution!

Bread

Bread originally uploaded by Charles Haynes

Upside down I may take shape
I may become resilient.
Kneaded, turned on end
I will become less
And somehow more myself.

--from Becoming Bread by Gunilla Norris, as quoted in Bread Alone by Judith Ryan Hendricks

Blast From the Past

This just popped up onto my iGoogle homepage, courtesy of WikiHow... This was a big treat when I was a kid, something I always wanted to take to school on my birthday celebration day. (Given I have an August birthday, I usually celebrated at school at another time.) I think my mom wishes she had never discovered this idea -- although they're absolutely darling cupcakes, they're a real pain to make, and more importantly, transport to school! If you choose NOT to share this idea with any kids in your life, I'll never tell ;)