marcicat | Entries tagged with confounded by life

There's a vacuum cleaner* I've had my eye on for potential Black Friday sales, but it's been out of stock on the website. For weeks. I started seeing rumors it had been discontinued. I looked at other vacuum cleaners (ugh, extensively -- why is buying things so hard?), but my heart was set on the first one.

[*I assume this is like buying exercise equipment in hopes that it will motivate you to exercise. I hate vacuuming, so I'm buying a new vacuum cleaner to... motivate me to use it?]

I tried the "contact us" option on the website, but got no answer. Finally I gave in and used the site's live chat feature and clicked the "I want to make a purchase" option. LO AND BEHOLD I was instantly connected with a person who was eager to assist me with any questions I might have.

So I was like 'hey, I really want this, when will it be back in stock,' and they were like 'I can place an order for you today and it will ship within 2-3 weeks at most,' and I was like 'so it will be back in stock in 2-3 weeks?' and they were like '...would you like me to place the order for you today?' and I was like ::insert skeptical face here::

But, you know, YOLO, or whatever the kids say now. So I let the customer service rep order it for me, which felt a bit 'secret back room deal,' and now (TWO DAYS LATER) I have an email confirming that my order has been shipped and will arrive on Friday.

The website still says it's out of stock. I'm so confused? But also pleased?

Good news: it's Thursday!

I don't have any particular reason for that being good news, but also no particular reason for it *not* to be good news, so I guess why not?

Time for our first annual chimney inspection! It's possible it won't happen till tomorrow, but probably today? I'm very curious what a chimney inspection involves. Presumably there's an inside element as well as a roof-based element? (Also we have a gas fireplace and not a wood-burning fireplace, and I'm not actually sure how the chimney interacts with that whole situation. It didn't seem like the highest research priority during the June-through-August portion of the year.)

The Big Questions

*Masks: yes or no? (The email said they would wear masks; I want for this to be true, but to be honest I am skeptical.)

*How long will it take?

*Will they manage to show up during the only hour of the day I'm supposed to be on a zoom call for work?

Time to get myself out of the danger zone in duolingo! Small goals today; we got this!

Why do I keep attending the webinars my workplace offers about topics like 'healthy meal planning' and 'modifying meals and snacks'? I already know everything they're going to say, and I disagree with almost all of it! (We tend to get the same basic set of about five 'educational webinars' each year, slightly repackaged but with the same content every time. Since eating food is a topic I'm interested in, I somehow keep signing up every time, as if the content will be different. Spoiler: it is not.)

Note to my future self: Please stop doing this. Please go outside and take a break instead. I promise it will not make things worse.

*Just how magical are magic erasers?

Pretty damn magical. Special shoutout to the magic eraser for bath -- despite the (not to my taste) 'lavender scent,' this eraser did a surprisingly excellent job on the tub and shower. Do recommend! The OG erasers seem particularly suited for removing grime / smudges / etc from trim and baseboard paint. I am genuinely impressed; it is possible ~~my apartment~~ the parts of my apartment I just cleaned are now cleaner than at any point since I moved in.

*Is spackle really easy enough for me to use without disaster ensuing?

Yes? Signs definitely point to yes. I tested it in the closet first, because that seemed like a safe choice, and then moved outwards. A+ work on holes made by push-pins or those little picture hanging nails. Anything that screwed into the wall and made a larger hole (and pushed up the wall around the hole) is more noticeable even post-spackling, but still much improved.

Most funny result: now that I'm looking for it, there are signs of prior tenants' spackle work *everywhere.* It's great; I love it. I feel like I've joined the secret spackle club.

Most impressive use so far: soooooo, there MAY have been a spot on the baseboard trim that I hit with the vacuum and a piece chipped off, and it was not huge, but it was eye-catching because of the color difference, and thank goodness everything is painted white, because Spackle To The Rescue! I mean, it doesn't look 'like new,' but to be fair, there were cockroaches here when I moved in, so I think it's probably Good Enough.

*How weird will it feel to go to the grocery store and just buy toothpaste?

Going to the grocery store always feels a bit weird -- shopping in general usually twigs my imposter syndrome, like I'm constantly expecting someone to leap out and be like 'what are you doing here unaccompanied by an adult, you tiny child?' (Note: I am not a tiny child. My brain is more or less aware of this.) But I went through the self-checkout line, so there was minimal additional weirdness from the 'only buying one thing' situation.

What I Expected:

Potentially as many as six people walking through the apartment (in their outdoor shoes!) and, you know, inspecting things. Maintenance Tim definitely said they would be 'checking to make sure everything works,' which sounds vague but thorough, and he also said they would be checking the balcony. (Agh, more outdoor snow and dirt!) I figured they would only be looking for obvious issues -- things hanging from the sprinklers, grills on the balcony, that sort of thing -- but I did expect they would look.

What Actually Happened:

Two people came into the apartment; I told them the cat was closed in the bedroom; they assured me they didn't need to look in there. (Really?) They appeared to visually assess the smoke detector (commenting it was newer than some), some of the sprinklers (obviously not the one in the bedroom), and the exits to the balcony (from afar). At no point did they step onto the balcony. A third person entered briefly and seemed to look only at the water heater, then left again. Two more people came by a few minutes later with Maintenance Tim, but upon being told that the first people had already left, they also departed, without ever entering.

Some Thoughts:
So, on the plus side, not nearly as disruptive as it could have been. On the minus side, not nearly as useful as it could have been. In conclusion, 'the cat is closed in the bedroom' is apparently an excellent way to keep inspectors from looking at anything you might not want looked at.

Sometimes there's just those days when you realize nothing is going to get done, and that's okay too.

*Made some scones this morning, like a baker. (From a box mix, because I am not actually a baker.) Based on initial impressions (aka I ate one), it appears I neither burned nor overcooked them, a minor miracle when it comes to me and baking.

*My brain is overwhelmed by the sheer number of things I *could* do today. Historical precedent indicates this means I will probably do none of them, read fanfic all afternoon, and then feel guilty about it. (Why, brain, why?)

*On the other hand, I made scones, and I wrote this post, so if I do one more thing, that will be *three things,* which surely is enough for any Sunday.

Aw yeah, gonna do some zoom cooking today! Well, I say cooking. Work is offering this 'learn to make dumplings' virtual class, and there's a kit that came in the mail, and it's mostly pre-made. (The best kind of cooking for me!) There's wrappers, and filling, and a dipping sauce. Soooo...

(Also, in a lucky happenstance, the filling is pre-cooked, not raw. Which doesn't eliminate the chances of accidentally giving myself food poisoning, but it does certainly reduce them. Yes, I'm aware that I'm unreasonably concerned with food poisoning. Although, having experienced it, I would argue that I am exactly the right amount concerned.)

I believe folding the wrappers is the key challenge element to the class, although there is a handy sheet offering FIVE different options, ranging from simple to fancy. (The wrappers are So Much Smaller than I anticipated! Very Small!) And then the actual cooking. (Haha not my strong point. But I'm sure it'll be fine!)

Best News:
*

starandrea is coming over to join in the dumpling fun!
*work paid for it, so zero guilt if it doesn't quite work out as expected!
*after today, it will be Friday!

We've made an abrupt transition from 'late summer' to 'early fall,' and my body is So Confused. I have zero interest in turning the heat on, but I am wearing slippers and a sweatshirt and I'm wrapped in a blanket, and three days ago it was so hot and humid I had two fans going just to fall asleep. Now my body is like 'it's -- winter? the cold times have come?'

And in its oh-so-helpful way, it's alerting me to this shift via sinus congestion and anxiety. (Aw, thanks! You shouldn't have!) My body is excellent at sending danger signals. Not always excellent at identifying the most useful moments to do so, in an age when I could just, you know, check the weather app. Or the calendar.

Through a series of somewhat unplanned events, I received a $25 gift certificate to DoorDash this week. Never having used DoorDash before, I had no idea if any place even delivered here. (It's not necessarily FAR from any restaurants, but it's not really close either?)

Anyway, the answer was yes, which was neat, but in the course of my browsing I was reminded that DoorDash combines two of my Very Least Favorite Things:

1. WAITING
2. STRANGERS COMING TO MY DOOR

And those are pretty key components of the whole system. Still, it's always nice to get a gift, even if you don't use it for its intended purpose!

Okay, so Trader Joe's sells these "72% Cacao Dark Chocolate" bars in three-packs, and they are EXCELLENT. A half a bar? A whole bar? Either way, a delicious breakfast choice -- good flavor, good texture, all around good chocolate.

(Bonus: the segments are excellently bite-sized without having to do any additional breaking up.) ((Even more bonus: it's a folding wrapper so you don't have to rip the foil, which for some reason is A Thing for me.))

The problem with Trader Joe's chocolate is that they're really only sold at, you know, Trader Joe's. The closest TJs to me is about 45 minutes away, and there's another one a bit further, and both of them are in the middle of plazas with (to me) scary driving parts to get there and back. Not ideal.

HOWEVER. It turns out you can get a lot of TJs products through unauthorized amazon shops, which may or may not be how I got my hands on 12 bars recently. Bootleg chocolate is also delicious, it turns out. (It's not *technically* bootleg chocolate, but it's fun to say -- reselling the packs isn't illegal, though TJs would obviously prefer they not.)

The clear solution here seems to be for TJs to do their own online sales, since people are clearly willing to pay significantly higher than in-store prices to get this stuff delivered to their door, and TJ's 'we don't recommend purchasing from unauthorized sellers' stance is just as clearly not effective. As soon as they do, I'll be there with my order for chocolate. (And until then, I may or may not be purchasing it elsewhere. As one does.)

Every month, my boss asks for our 'highlights, lowlights, and what we're working on in the next 90 days.' (Even though we do it every 30 days? IDK, I'm pretty sure my boss only asks because *their* boss asks.)

(I'm guessing these questions work better with a more project-based job, which is -- not mine. My 'next 90 days' are always basically 'I'll be continuing to do my job.')

I'm always at a bit of a loss when it comes to the 'lowlights.' This has been particularly challenging recently, when I feel like the answer is always 'look around!' But I've tried that, and apparently 'well, we're in the midst of a pandemic' isn't the answer the boss is looking for.

(Usually I go with some variation of 'delays,' which has the benefit of being true and largely blameless.)

There's a local 5K that I've done for a few years now (four, which I know because I have four t-shirts), and it would have been happening today.

2016: SO HOT. (To be fair, I'm pretty sure the race was in May that year.) Got a not-insignificant sunburn. Great t-shirt that year, though. Best.

2017: SO COLD. Super cold. V. chilly. This was the year I carried a kid part of the way, because they were tired of walking. (Not a random kid. A coworker's kid. It was fun! Good memories.)

2018: Different location! Also cold, but I was more prepared for it? Best course. I remember reading fanfic on my phone while I waited for the race to start. Good tech t-shirt.

2019: Yet another location! AND IT RAINED. NOT FUN. BLECH.

2020: Well, it's snowing. But the race was cancelled because of the pandemic, so there's that. (WHAT IS THIS YEAR EVEN? I'M SO CONFUSED.)

Anyway! It's snowing, and I'll be doing my virtual 5K wearing my local 5K t-shirt, which I definitely would not be wearing if I was doing the actual race. Because snow.

I ordered some things last week, and the estimated delivery date was this Wednesday the 8th. Which seemed pretty accurate for getting something from North Carolina to New Hampshire, so I left the shipping confirmation email in my inbox and went about my week. On the 8th, I checked the tracking -- still said estimated delivery was that day.

Yesterday (the 9th) I checked again.

The status said this:

Your package is moving within the network and is on track to be delivered to its final destination. It is currently in transit to the next facility.

First: that's vaguely ominous.

Second: that sounds suspiciously like 'we're not entirely sure WHERE your package is, but odds are it's still within this plane of existence and will turn up at some point.'

The detailed tracking history is a study in confusion. It looks like it travelled logically on the 6th and 7th, getting as far as the New Hampshire regional distribution center (arrival scan at 9:35 pm). Then there are three arrival scans at various North Carolina locations on the 8th. Then the ominous "in transit" message on the 9th, and then nothing else.

IT'S A MYSTERY, SCOOBS!

Like many who are working from home now, all my meetings have become video calls. Or rather -- calls, where everyone except me has their video turned off. (I like seeing the video! Sometimes I get very, very lucky and the cat sleeps nearby while a call is happening, and then I can watch her in the video window and it looks like I'm super focused!)

Here's what I don't totally understand about (specifically) my coworkers' reluctance to use video:

*I've seen them before. And our workplace is pretty casual, so I've seen them in t-shirts and hoodies. (In fact, a hoodie or fleece is my standard workplace and video call attire.)

*Since you can see your own video, you know exactly what's visible and what's not.

*Because everyone has things they need to provide info on in our meetings, it would genuinely be helpful to have video, since the visual cues would keep us from talking over each other so much.

But it's fine -- I wish they used video because it's interesting to see other peoples' work-spaces, but there's a certain amount of enjoyment in joking about them *not* using video too.

Here's my more general confusion about video calls:

*The big joke seems to be 'not wearing pants.' But -- it IS a joke, right? I mean, most people aren't out in the world like 'if only I didn't have to show up at work every day, so I could finally achieve my lifelong dream of not wearing pants.' Right? Pants have so many benefits! Pockets! Keeping your legs warm! And so much more! At first I was like, 'haha it's just a funny joke,' but now I am beginning to wonder.

Looking up health stuff on the internet is always such a wild ride -- it's somehow even more of a mishmash of sensationalist clickbait and unhelpful common sense than other searches. So when I thought to myself, 'maybe I'll look up foot pain online,' I really should have known what I was getting into.

The results were pretty typical of a health-related internet search:

*are you dead? foot pain is a common symptom of death [flashing ad for article 'you had no idea this celebrity was dead!']

*do you have an illness that causes foot pain? [fifteen pop-up ads for prescription meds featuring a person in a white coat]

*did you recently injure yourself? [a video starts auto-playing; it's about weather]

*buy something! [ad for shoes] try buying something! [ad for shoes] read this list of the top ten best shoes for foot pain! [it's also an ad]

*genetic abnormality! [so rare that there's like two cases in recorded history; somehow this is the most-linked article in the search results]

*maybe it will go away on its own [this was not in the search results; it's just what I decided after my computer started heating up to a concerning degree and I decided I should stop using it for a while]

-After getting my package to the next state over on June 3, UPS gave me the worrying ‘we’ve misrouted the package; this may cause a delay’ message on June 4, and it’s been an ominous silence ever since.

+On the plus side, it’s pay day! Find that silver lining.

Mirrored from The Marci Rating System.

It’s free-lunch Friday, since I’m part of the ‘minions meet the interviewee’ lunch meeting today. I have been debating whether I should go with an outfit that says ‘yes, this is a real workplace, and I have a real job here, as evidenced by my business casual attire’ OR stick with my usual work aesthetic of ‘anxious pajama goblin.’

At this point I’m hoping it will be warm enough that I can split the difference, go with a t-shirt and jeans, and call it a day.

Mirrored from The Marci Rating System.

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The Marci Rating System

Entries tagged with confounded by life

a mystery

let's celebrate for no reason at all!

chimney inspection day

rainy day Sunday

it just doesn't make sense

questions answered

post-inspection update

ah, yes

I think this means I can take the rest of the day off

zoom cooking

it's cold now?

at least it makes a good story

breakfast chocolate review time!

workaday Wednesday

I mean, it's not like I wanted to run in the snow? I guess?

"moving within the network"

workaday Wednesday

should've expected that

must be Thursday

decisions, decisions