Shoveled Walks Are An Oasis

Boy, that Pavarotti sure could sing. I was all cozy last night on the couch thinking it was a perfect night to do just that since I had already shoveled and loaded the mouse ammo in the kitchen. I have a mouse back again and I'm a bit surprised that The Cat hasn't been able to get it yet. He was noisy Sunday night when I didn't have any ammo and mysteriously quiet last night when I finally cocked and loaded the trap directly in his path. Sneaky little fuckers. Anyway, I thought I had completed my civic duty of clearing my walkway only to discover this morning that even more snow had fallen since I finished. It hadn't just fallen on my sidewalk either, unfortunately. That meant walking through snow all the way to work this morning. Before you start to scoff and exclaim that it's only 3 inches or so, go walk through it for three miles on suddenly uneven terrain that was even only a few days ago which makes you appear intoxicated as you trudge on with your bag around your shoulder filled with coffee and normal clothing. Now I remember why I liked spring so much last year.

I love the Thermos. Brilliant invention. We have a little coffee maker in our copy room but my supervisor keeps forgetting to either turn off the burner after she's done, which scorches the coffee to the pot, or forgets to empty the grounds, which grow mold on them over the weekend. I'm not using that coffee maker anymore.

I suddenly realized last night that New Years' Eve is coming up. This may come as a surprise to you also which is why I decided to mention it here. I spent thirteen years always having to work on New Years' Eve so now that I don't work in an industry that's open absolutely every day of the year, I forget what it is people usually do on that evening. I know what I don't want to do. I don't want to go to a hotel bar and have fifty million Long Island Ice Teas to the point where I puke in the restroom, or lean over the railing and puke, or throw up into the pool, or fight in the lobby. I've been on the other end of that and I'd hate to start anyone else's new year on that note.

Speaking of notes, I haven't tried my oboe yet at home. I didn't have time over the weekend and last night I was waaaaaaaay too busy watching A Charlie Brown Christmas. I think tonight would be good after I move the fridge and dryer out in the kitchen to clean behind them and hopefully scare the mouse out at the same time. See, then The Cat might get a mouse and be content before I shatter his world with a completely new sound which may rattle him to the bones.

I'm off now to reconcile the mess that has suddenly appeared now that we have concrete reports to rely on. It's terrifying what has happened in the interim. I think people decided that the new chart of accounts system was too difficult to learn so they just made up their own.