The Quest for Normal

I get entirely too attached to the mythological concept of “normal.” I’ve even blogged about finding a “new normal” when life situations change. I must stop this quest. I swear the universe rises to the occasion every time to squash my efforts.

Hubby started yet another new job last week. The good news is he actually LIKES this one. I’m ecstatic. He’s happy. Life is good.

Except that I’m eagerly anticipating settling into a routine. And it hasn’t happened.

For the last two weeks, I’ve been kitty sitting for my nephew and niece while they’re on vacation. I love those cats like they were my own. But it takes a chunk out of my day to drive out there, feed, water, clean litter boxes, and—this time—give meds. Plus a little play-with-the-kitten time. My duties were supposed to end on Sunday when the family returned home. I was looking forward to life getting back to normal. Unfortunately, their flight was cancelled and they can’t get another one until tomorrow. Kitty duty continues.

Oh, well.

I decided to at least try to have a “normal” afternoon, tackling some of my writing to-do list after lunch today. I fired up my old workhorse computer. And it died. Black screen. White letters. A Windows root file is corrupted. Please reinstall.

Surely, you jest. People think I’m a computer wiz. I am NOT. The files I’d planned to work on were on that computer. Yes, they’re backed up on Carbonite, so I’m not completely freaked out. But I can’t do anything on that computer right now. As I write this, I’m waiting for my cousin, the REAL computer wiz, to call me and try to diagnose and fix the problem. If he pronounces it unfixable, I’ve already picked out a new PC online.

The point is THIS IS NOT NORMAL. Spending a day computer shopping online wasn’t on my to-do list. Losing days of work while I get a new computer up and running isn’t on my to-do list. It would be sooo much easier if we can just fix the old one. Life could go back to NORMAL.

In the meantime, I’m using my laptop. Twice today it blue screened. A friend on Facebook called it “passing out.” I like that. My computer fainted. Annoying, but at least it restarts.

But it isn’t NORMAL.

What IS normal? I wish I knew.

  

Working Stiffs Wednesday

I'm at Working Stiffs today with a post about a kitty crime. Actually, it's about my recent adventures in pet sitting, but I had my crime fiction writer hat on at the time.

Working Stiffs Wednesday

I'm over at Working Stiffs today and we're playing the If Money Were No Object game.

Spring Fever at the River

To continue with the theme of spring fever from my last post…

We decided to drive to Confluence on Saturday to “check the camp.” Now, this would be a logical and necessary chore if we’d had the kind of snow we had two years ago when THIS is what “checking the camp” meant.

But this year has been mild. Snow fall has been minimal. Let’s face it. We needed a day away.

The camper was fine. All bundled up in its tarp, just the way we left it in October. So the rest of the day was spent looking at the water. Hubby bemoaned the fact that he’d left his fly pole at home.

He would’ve loved to be right out there with these guys. Never mind that he was bundled up against the wind as it was. Standing in icy water? Nah.

From Confluence, we headed downriver to Ohiopyle. I love photographing the falls and the rapids.

Only two more months until camping season! 

Waiting for Spring

We’re on to the next phase of drilling. The rig is up. The good news is I can’t see it from the house. It’s just over the hill far enough to be blocked from view. I can, however, hear machinery when I step outside. No big deal. Hopefully the bulk of the noise will be done by the time open-window weather arrives.

Speaking of which…

I have spring fever. Yes, it’s been an incredibly mild winter. I haven’t bemoaned my loathing for the season even once. That has to be a first. Today is gray and chilly. No snow, but no hint of spring either. Still I have the fever.

Either that or I just want to run away from home.

I thought life would be a little less stressful now that Hubby has a new job. Not so. Without going into details, let’s just say I need a vacation.

A real vacation isn’t in the cards. Hasn’t been for the last three years or so. Our measly vacation budget is used up on the annual rental for our camp in Confluence. And that’s okay. I just have to hang on until mid April.

I do have a few other trips planned. Working vacations, I guess you could call them. First is the Pennwriters Conference, May 18 -20 in Lancaster. I’m teaching a pre-conference workshop on Thursday the 17^th. And I’m really looking forward to seeing my friend Hank Phillippi Ryan who’s giving the Friday keynote address.

Then there’s the biggie. Bouchercon! I’m really stoked about this one. I haven’t been to a Bouchercon since it was in Baltimore several years ago. This year it’s close enough that I’ll hitchhike if I have to. (Just kidding, Mom!) And I’ll be traveling and rooming with my pal Joyce Tremel again. We always have fun together. Cleveland, consider yourself warned.

The weekend after that is our Sisters in Crime Writing Retreat. The incredible Susan Meier has agreed to be our guest this year. I think I failed to warn her about our history though. Floods. Breaking andentering. Never a dull moment.

But for today, I’m just looking out a dull gray skies and a bleak, colorless landscape. Come on, SPRING!

Working Stiffs Wednesday

We've been officially notified. The drilling is about to commence. I'm blogging about it at Working Stiffs today.

A New Normal

That’s definitely an oxymoron. But it’s also my life at the moment. My husband started a new job this morning.

After seven months of unemployment, followed by a little over a year at a job he was extremely uncomfortable with (cleaning up “stuff” in an emergency department is NOT a good fit for a germophobe), he’s on to a new chapter. Hopefully a better one.

I felt like a mom sending her little one off to his first day of school this morning. Happy, but a bit worried.

This new job creates huge changes for me, too. His old job was steady three to eleven. It took a while to get used to having him around in the morning. I had to come up with a strategy to get my writing done with Hubby underfoot. It was a practice in patience. I learned to tune a lot out. I also learned to close the door to my writing cave. But then, after he left, I had the afternoon and evening all to myself. I admit I liked it.

This new job involves Hubby working all three shifts. This week, while he’s training, he’s on daylight. Back to setting the alarm.

So now, my quiet time is the morning. I’ve already hit the treadmill. I don’t have to stop everything to cook dinner at noon. Instead, I can take a quick lunch break and get back to work.

Writing-wise, this is much better.

The thing is… I’m just not used to it. It’ll take me a while to adjust and settle into a new routine. By then, he’ll probably be back to 3 to 11. Or midnight shift.

Normal may not be normal for a very long time.