the list

Way back in '92 I was working for AT&T as a telephone operator. Good money and benefits. Not a bad job if you were thick-skinned and unconcerned with a stranger's opinion. I personally found the daily quota of assholes amusing, but at any time, up to 20% of the crew was out on stress disability. Did I have something missing, or something extra? I never figured it out.

Then AT&T dropped the bomb. Our office was closing. We could quit, retired (if eligible) or relocate - take "lateral" positions in Pleasanton, CA, Silver Spring MD, or Atlanta. I forget how much notice we had. Months.

They brought in outside soft skills coaches and counselors. The union helped some I recall. There was a career counselor. An Episcopal minister with a handful of degrees in something. I can only suppose he was qualified to put us through a battery of tests...the kind of thing all over FB these days. "What you should be when you grow up". That sort of thing. At some point, we were asked to write our top three job choices (?) on a blackboard. I wrote:

Phone Slut
Writer
Supreme Court Judge

Two out of three ain't bad, to quote Meat Loaf.

weeks fly by

A piece from the last (I swear) dyefest. There was a nice clutch of threads too. None of it posted yet. I may make up some bundles tomorrow.

I've been putting in what feels like 18 hour days.

A new project on the horizon, too.

No school today, so I spent it artfully in good company.

a day out of time

Today is the first weekday since school started (August 6 down here) that I wasn't up before dawn to get Charlie up, fed and off to school. They have some family time today and I got to sleep in. Like I could.

I watched the full moon dance through the trees, consulted Sweetie on the state of her sandbox, made coffee and got on with it. My place, my things, even myself have been so neglected for so long in favor of other projects, a morning shower felt bizarre.

Now I'm in the studio looking over the cloth and threads that got rinsed in the light pass that Florence gave us. There's been no rain since and nature is parched. But it's clouded over with showers promised. I have a post office run, then I'll be back. I need to clear the design walls. To make way.  Go through these things and decide if and what to keep for future dreaming.

.

Running with it

One more day of summer. We heard they might keep the pool open another week or so if the warm weather holds. I'll take what I can get. This was coupled with a Braves win - in fact they swept Philadelphia.

Then a very hedonistic trip to Whole Foods. Sweet Sunday. I also got some decent words on a page. But first...a nap.

fun with sick days

This is where the contamination began, but I wouldn't trade that long, lazy Wednesday. He'd spent the whole night throwing up and was reluctant, afraid to eat. We went through a lot of juice and a lot of low key kids tv even though it was glorious outside. A brief car ride made him green.

The next morning, I was my turn. No pictures, please.

Late in the second day, I took my laptop outside for some real air, but it was still very hot in the sun and the glare just didn't work.

Still, it was pretty out after a full day and night in my dark bedroom. Waking up on serious "E" was interesting too. Something I may try with intent, fasting.








I carried these tiny things around for a while, kidded myself that I would make them into a book. If they travel anywhere, I promised to sterilize them first. A strong sneeze would blow them away, they are so delicate, eight x four inches?

Then fretted about whether or not this purchase would arrive alive. It did. I went two days without coffee because there was no point in consuming it, but we've gone without power here often. We still have wires strung on poles and a lot of old, drought-ill trees in the area. The current cheap coffee maker is losing its grip on "hot" and I'm sick of shelling out for a new one every two years.  When we lose power,  I will still be cooking with gas and there WILL be coffee!