Paksworld

This time…THIS time I thought I’d scheduled all the packing stuff far enough in advance.  Monday, this.  Tuesday, that.  Wednesday, fold and place in suitcase, and…whew!  Thursday morning a final exercise ride, then wash my hair, throw the luggage in the car, and head for the city (where I’m spending the night with friends who will drop me at the train station, so we don’t have to worry about rush-hour traffic driving in on Friday.)

The trouble started on Monday when the power adapter for the netbook wasn’t in its place.  Either place.  It continued when the netbook, woken up on battery after a nice rest (I don’t use it at home much) started to install a new version of one of its programs and hung up.  Couldn’t wait it out–it was on battery power.  Forced a shut-down.   Called around and finally ordered a new power adapter and rush shipping.    All that helped me forget that Monday was supposed to be flu shot day, and go to the city and buy a decent pair of jeans for the train day.

So, Tuesday.  Tuesday would be the city trip day.   After the stuff I needed to get done before I left, including hand-washing some wool socks.  The place that advertised flu shots (big HEB grocery 20-odd miles away) turned out to have them only from 10 to 12 noon, and though I was there shortly before noon, the flu shot givers weren’t.   On into the city.   Where the car  gentle (!) announced that it was going to need service soon.   EEEK.   No time to get the car 20 miles in the opposite direction from home for service.    Husband will have to do that while I’m gone.  Along with getting himself and son flu shots and  making sure son gets registered to vote in time (he sent in his registration application weeks ago–no card has come in the mail.)

Another place where I sought a  power adapter in case the one on order didn’t get here in time–couldn’t be sure their universal adapter would work, and I hadn’t brought the netbook along.   OK, jeans and slacks.   Only, I forgot that a certain road dead-ends with no warning.  Finally, jeans and slacks.  Takes awhile if you’re not a svelte young (or old) thing, but old and un-svelte.    Found a place for a flu shot on the way out of the city, and then went grocery shopping (we were nearly out of milk, and I needed snack stuff for the train)  and then the slight but distinct after-effects of the flu shot hit when I got home. Did manage to cast on the second red sock in the backup pair that will travel with me.

Today–hit the ground running, yes sirree.   Only to find in the email some “got to have this now” things from two different editors, and some other business-related stuff to do as well.   Still, got laundry in, then hung on the line, another load in,  first load brought off the line and folded, a third load in (some finally dried in dryer) , linens changed on bed, decisions made about some shirts.   Actually rode NewBike to the post office to pick up mail, had mail to deal with.   The new adapter arrived for the netbook.  Plugged it in, turned it on…and that began six hours of frustration as the netbook objected to having been shut down and refused to make a clean boot until after many iterations, including more forced shutdowns.  But it’s working now.  Finally.

However:  The trip to the bank never happened.   Some of the packing is still in limbo.   The big suitcase isn’t out of the closet yet.  The last laundry’s in the dryer, waiting for me to fold it before I go to bed.  (It also has the pillow-cases for this bed.)  There’s  a lot to be done tomorrow.   But I did write another couple of pages on Book V.

I will get you all one more snippet before I leave. Somehow.  It may be a bit scrappy.