Catherine, We Have a Problem.

I heard that phrase at least six times today, from six different people, with six different severely FUBAR problems, in which I had absolutely nothing to do with the FUBARing, and which were in fact FUBARed on someone else's watch, but am now gonna have to try to fix. And we are not talking jammed copiers or lost documents here, people. This is world-class very expensive FUBAR.

And speaking of things that I didn't fuck up but have to live with, I installed Norton Systemworks this week, in a last-ditch effort to spare This Old Dell from its next career as a boat anchor. I ran WinDoctor. This Old Dell had - count 'em - 468 Windows Problems! Norton bragged that it fixed all of them! And guess what? All of the shit that didn't work before still doesn't work! So I give up. Bill, I want a divorce. I even brought in counseling, figuring that it was cheaper than a whole new computer, and we still don't get along. You are dead to me, Bill Gates.

So, it's been a lovely freaking day so far, and then I read Laurie and got totally intrigued by the idea of doing this
365 project. I was in Best Buy yesterday (and you know, it was quite painless and efficient and everybody was so nice, even this close to Christmas) and for some reason I started petting a wee little Olympus sliver of a camera. Itsy and weightless and totally suited to living in a purse. Of course, it doesn't have the big honkin' lens and the ability to take pictures of distant mountaintops or pelicans in flight like the Big Camera, and I do love taking pictures of pelicans (and there are tons of them where I may be going) but it would totally fit in a pocket and live with me all day. So I started thinking how it would be such a nice baby brother for the Big Boy SLR. It's so tiny, it's not much bigger than my cellphone. It weighs less. And Olympus keeps courting me with special offers (that's where they first wafted this camera under my nose, in a teasing email) because I registered the Big Boy, and I am betting that after Christmas that little darling will be even cheaper. So I'll be looking for a deal. But in the meantime, I'm totally thinking of doing this 365 Project even though I can't tote the Big Boy quite everywhere yet. (If you saw what I lug around on any given day, you'd understand.) It could be a lot of fun. And since it looks like 2007 is going to be, um, interesting, in the way of the curse about living in interesting times, this could be a good time to do it.

Re the move: I think at this point it could happen, but not anytime soon, which suits me just fine. Maybe by next summer we'll get around to looking for office space. Meanwhile, all of my "preparing to move" actions will not be in vain, because if it doesn't come to pass, I will have a streamlined and efficient house, and if it does, I can pack like greased lightning.

Re giving up a yard - Murphy and I used to walk at least three and usually 4 times a day. After Dudley came to live with us, we started taking advantage of the backyard because walking two dogs was a PITA. Murphy sulks still because he misses walking. I am not concerned at all about giving up a yard, I have no problem at all with taking ONE dog for a stroll. It's just a damn logistical nightmate with two when Girl is not here. And Murphy still misses his walkies - if Girl is here at Walk Time he agitates like crazy, because he is a smart dog and he realizes that there is another leash-holder present and dammit there is no reason we can't walk now! So Murphy and I would be quite fine with giving up a yard.

But all of this is still in the hypothetical file until someone announces a date, I'll assume it's Someday. I have a plan to deal with it, so I can file it away in the WTFever file.