Life as a Spectator Sport

Sleet is falling, earlier than predicted, but that's good, because one hopes it will also be over with earlier than predicted. Forecasts of icy roads on Monday morning were not what I wanted to hear, not with an early departure planned.

I have 91 inspections pending, a record for this early in the year. The last time work was churned out this early was in the spring of 2003. When I asked one of the agency employees why they were putting the inspections out so early that year, she said, "We were told by people at the top to get our work out as soon as we could." At the time, it was just odd. Later in the year, after the bombing began in Iraq, a light came on in my brain, familiar with government budgetary manipulations: "Get the money committed as fast as you can so it isn't taken away."

In 2002 through 2006, it was back to the previous pattern, ramping up in the spring to a maximum in June and July, slacking off to a minimum in December and January. This spring I'm getting dumped on again in January. Don't bother to tell me we aren't going to invade someone.

So Clarence and I will be off in the morning for a five day inspection trip, weather permitting. This will be the longest work period on the road so far. We took a longer trip last fall when we went to Atlanta, but there were no deadlines and no stress for me, other than having to deal with Clarence at close quarters for a week. This time I've got a huge pile of work that must be completed during the week.

But I have the coolest new toy! Some of my work must be scanned to turn it into a digital image. I tried carrying a small flatbed scanner with me on overnight trips, but it didn't survive long, and it couldn't be used in the car without an inverter. So I bought a little sheetfed scanner that is about the size of the cardboard core in a paper towel roll. It is USB-powered, so I can run it off a USB port on the laptop even when I don't have line power, and it fits right into the knitting bag with the laptop, in its own little case. If I had to, I could do an inspection and submit it immediately, anywhere I could find a wi-fi signal. One more step toward being completely independent of a fixed office location.

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RSS Feed PERSONAL Send email to liz at life-as-a-spectator-sport.com Home I'm a mother, grandmother, a computer professional, Democrat, Christian. I welcome politely worded comments and email, my spam filter throws the rest away, so don't bother to flame me WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT' "If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart. THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3 KNITTING BLOGS Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits FINISHED PROJECTS -------FINISHED IN 2006------- Peruvian Cap Tutti-Frutti Socks Shelley's Socks Carol's Socks -------FINISHED IN 2007------- Chain Link Socks Baby Surprise Jacket Valerie & Friend Baby Bonnet Rainbow Baby Socks Girls Pixie Hood Mitred Square Heart Red & White Socks Coffee Cup Pot Holder Nubbins Dishcloth Garterlac Dishcloth Suede Booties Kate's Socks Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap Half Thumbless Mittens Red Mittens for Akkol -------FINISHED IN 2008------- SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE -- Blogs and websites -- Causubon's Book Club Orlov Food Storage Made Easy From the Wilderness In the Wake Listening to Katrina Survival Topics The Modern Homestead The Oil Drum Notes from a Hillside Farm -- Mailing Lists -- 12vdc Power Living on the Land Rainwater Refrigeration Alternatives Old Ways of Living POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES The political sites have moved BOOKS I'M READING How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising ARCHIVES February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002