Domestic Geek

So, the last couple of years have been really busy and this poor blog fell by the wayside. I didn't even realize until last week that my domain wasn't even reachable due to a DNS change I never made with my registrar. I'm not even in a Google search anymore.

Just a few of the things that happened that have kept me from all this:

• July 2016: Got a job working at paper in Custer, SD and quit working at the printer in Denver that I was at for almost 10 years


• August 2016: Moved to South Dakota by myself


• October 2016: Dad passed away


• July 2017: Quit job at paper to run print shop business in Custer that Marcus bought


• June 2018: Marcus moved to South Dakota

It's been over 2 years since I moved up here and I still haven't gotten unpacked. My house is a disaster. We still need to sell the condo in Denver. We really need to find a bigger space for our shop.

Anyway, it's been a crazy couple of years and this just didn't get on the radar. Since I really want to do NaBloPoMo in November, I had better make sure this is all working again soon.I also want to restart my 101 in 1001 days and do a Project 365.

ETA: OK, so looks like NaBlogPoMo is defunct? WTF? I guess I have been out of the game for a while. Oh, well...

I used to be really good at web coding and design. That almost 10 year stint I did at the print shop and not using the skills made me freaking rusty. I thought when I got my current job that I'd be able to start getting them back in shape as in the interview they seemed really pumped that I had web skills. Well, they had hired a web company before I got there and I have no access to the back end (something that I can't seem to make them understand). It's irritating when they'd ask me to try to do something on the web site and I'd have to explain again and again that they'd have to call the developer as I had no password to access the core of their site.

For reasons I can't go into on a public forum, I need to get my skill set back. My poor site here has been broken because I hadn't upgraded EE in so long that when Marcus upgraded his servers to the latest PHP, everything here was broken. I'm back up enough that I hope this will post...we'll see here in a bit. PHP has changed, Expression Engine has changed, even HTML changed (I have no experience whatsoever with HTML5). It's going to be a challenge, but I will relearn all this.

ETA: OK, my little mood guys are broken, but at least I can post. That's a start...

Man, can not get my act together with this daily blogging thing anymore. Totally slipped my mind last night...so, guess this is it for this year.

Since it snowed here in South Dakota today, I'm behind in my work (left late packing stuff up in case I got stranded, left work early and it took 1.5 hrs. to get home), so I've got some of that to do tonight. I've got a bunch of stuff to do for Marcus, I'm exhausted and haven't been feeling well the last few days. My house is a pit. I am just going to have to admit that I don't need this obligation on top of everything else right now.

I'll still try to keep up with the Project 365 thing. I really do want to finish one of those, for once. I'm not posting those tonight, though.

Better luck next year...

Sorry for the funky mood yesterday. Feeling so much better today. It helps that I didn't freeze all danged day.

I finally found another set of size 7 circular knitting needles. They'll do for now, except that I think I'm allergic to the nickle plating and will either have to go in really short bursts or find some cotton gloves to wear. They also have a more blunt tip than the one that broke, so it was a little awkward (this yarn is a little bit splitty). I messaged the company about the needle that fell apart, and while they have offered to replace it, they say it will take 6-8 weeks as it has to come from India. WTF? Load of crap there. So, while I wait for that replacement, guess I order a new one off eBay or something. It cracked me up when I titled this photo "Broken Dreamz" - Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" started playing in my head. LOL


Here's a link to an amigurumi pumpkin I want to make. Let see if the link keeps the Google Translate function intact.

There's a winter storm watch in effect for Thursday and Friday of this week. I'm really not looking forward to driving to Custer in the snow. Hope it's not as bad as some people are saying. Of course, Marcus is supposed to come this weekend, so it better not be horrible. I miss him and T.

OK, on to the Project 365 photos and then I'm hauling my carcass to bed. I need to start compiling my Thanksgiving menu so I can send a shopping list to Marcus for the stuff I can't get organic around here.

#14 - I'm going to be finding skeins of floss for a while, it seems. I found a box that I thought might contain another size 7 needle as it has the extra yarn skeins for said project. Nope, but there was more cross-stitch stuff tucked in there.


#15 - The restaurant I was going to eat at tonight was closed and I was craving a burger (today was rough at work, but a different rough than yesterday). I didn't feel like cooking. Black Hills Burger & Bun in Custer is usually packed and I've only ever had carry-out from there once. As I drove by, I noticed it almost empty, so I popped in. Had some cauliflower soup and a burger called "Big Sur". Yum, radish sprouts and cucumbers. (NOTE: I am not drinking a Pepsi - that is iced tea.)

OK, my new employers apparently don't believe in providing heat. It's always super cold in there on Mondays and today I was so cold that I never warmed up. I tried running the heater in my car during lunch. I had the heater raging on the drive home. No luck - once I get chilled to the core, it takes me a long time to finally get warm. I felt like such crap when I got home, that I turned up the heating mattress pad and crawled into bed. I don't know when I dozed off, but I finally woke up around 10pm somewhat warm.

I'm either going to have to invest in some kind of electric hand warmers or something. It's only November and it really hasn't even gotten that cold yet. I can't take a whole winter of freezing every danged day.

I was in a mood today, anyway. Wonder if it was the full moon, in addition to the fact I was freezing. Things were really irritating me today, especially the office manager of one of our clients. She got bent because I told her it would cost extra money for me to take their black and white ad (for the paper) and remake it color for their office use. She thought since they were paying for the ad, I should just do it. Um, you didn't pay the extra for a color ad. GRRRR! I was already miffed at her because I did exactly what she asked me to over the phone to change this week's ad, but when she saw a proof, she said that's not what she had in mind. Um, how about spelling out in writing what it is you want? You have email. *Sigh* This is why I can't make it as a freelance graphic artist. I would've cut her loose weeks ago. Oh, well. It's still better than working my last job (not that I wouldn't bolt in a heartbeat if I won the lottery).

Wish I could find my other size 7 knitting needles. I'm sure they're probably in a project somewhere. This is one of the things I'm not thrilled about this area. There are no more knitting stores and there are no cross-stitch stores. Sure, there is the Internet, but sometimes you just want to go browse. Oh, well...in theory I will spend less money that way, right? LOL

I wonder if mammogram machines really do give some people cancer. There's a woman I watch on YouTube every week that was mentioning how she went in yearly for her test. She's got cancer now and her doctor even mentioned that there was a spot she had been concerned about the last couple of times. I know there are studies out there that say they do. We all know I detest the medical profession and wouldn't doubt that this is just one more avenue to make sure they have patients.

They say we're getting our first measurable snow at the end of the week. I'm really not looking forward to driving to and from Custer in the snow. It's one of the misgivings I had about taking the job. Guess that time is here now.

I'll post my 365 picture tomorrow - I don't feel like transferring from my phone tonight. I'm going back to bed. Hope I feel better in the morning.