Snow, Hey Oh

"What do you mean 'Frozen Wasteland?' This is a Wonderland!"
-Abominable Snowman, Monster's Inc

I'm going to skip the apologetic preamble of how-long-it's-been-since-last. Truth is, the urge to write comes upon me mostly in the car, in the shower, and when going to bed, all times of inconvenience for the task, and with varying levels of danger in attempting to do both at the same time.

My first week back was a struggle. I spent most of it running behind on everything, my battery had died in the time I was gone (I had cleaned out the car before I left and left an internal lamp on). On top of that, the return to work involved several people who were brand new and quite green and more than a bit of disorganization on the managerial end. I spent the time alternating between the slide and the truck and my supervisor told me I wasn't "cut out for sorting." I came home Friday night hating the job, and the situation, and utterly disgusted.

Saturday brought with it good omens. News from a friend that I might be able to pick up shifts where she works, a few stores with signs in them looking for employees, and a sort of silent cosmic reassurance, if you believe in that sort of thing, that this is not the only way. And in a way, that was all that was necessary, because in the week following, I ended up permanently on the slide, sorting, despite my supervisor's previous assertion. And now the entire shift is running more smoothly, and everyone seems to be in a better mood. Either it's getting easier, or I'm getting better, either is good.

During my second week back, and my transition to slide, my spaceheater broke, my evening plans got stalled, and the next day I got into a fender bender, which prompted some maddeningly annoying pro-forma talk from the boss about missing days, despite his acknowledgment of the abscences' legitimacy. I've gotten some folks to look at the car, who's damage is small and completely cosmetic, and so will probably be ignored for quite some time, I've borrowed a space heater from another room in the house, but it's small and not quite so effective. I'm looking at a replacement, something more efficient and worth keeping for a few years.

Sam and Steph have bought a new couch, and it looks great and creates a much more comfortable space for the living room. There's still some stuff to do, like get the TV mounted above the fireplace and get rid of the old couch, but the transitions from old to new are always a hassle, and usually worth it. They've also decided to purchase a new washer and dryer, though, while used, are new to us, and are head and shoulders above the sputtering ones we've got. And apparently a replacement to the water heater's in the works.

We've constantly got new snow coming down, and the temperatures are climbing and then swan diving back down. I've adopted the attitude that it can do whatever it wants, for the next eleven days, the final gasps of February, and then enough. We're done. Temperatures, rise. Rain as much as you please, but the time for being cold is over and move on, now, thank you.