Lesson learned: Don't leave The Husband in charge and actually listen to what he says before agreeing to it

I made a huge, tactical mistake.  If you've been anywhere near Twitter recently, you have seen me ranting about our internet service.  A few recent highlights...

Well...the internet is fixed but the connection is so slow we might as well be on dial up.

— Gigi (@gigirambles) October 18, 2017

There is only TWO of us on the internet...so WHY is the connection SO slow?!

— Gigi (@gigirambles) October 24, 2017

Now, it seems, I am the ONLY ONE in the house using the internet and yet it continues to buffer...#rage #seriously #shameless

— Gigi (@gigirambles) October 25, 2017

As you can surmise, the internet has been HORRIBLE around here.  Well, during a conversation with a service tech (which was probably the BEST interaction I have EVER had with this company!  They must have seen my tweets about my previous contacts with their service techs, and fixed the issue.  That's MY theory anyway), he mentioned that we should move from the DSL line to fiber - that it would probably solve all of our problems.  And, even better, it would cost about what we are currently paying.

So, after those last two tweets, we bit the bullet and set up a service call for today.  It was determined that since The Husband was taking today off anyway that he would arrange to be home when they arrived to hook us up to what is, hopefully, some kind of magical cure for our internet woes.

So I swanned off to work (and, I must admit, resenting it just a touch that he was still in bed) and thought nothing more about it.  Until, I received a call from The Husband telling me that the guy was going to set up the new fangled system where the old one was.  He also said something about drilling a hole in the floor - but I was distracted because work and said fine.  This is part of the huge, tactical mistake I mentioned earlier.  

The Husband and the tech looked at the area and neither one thought, "This might be an issue..." because, they don't think like I do.  And this is what I came home to...

"What?" I can hear you asking.  "Other than that mess of wires
from the old router, it looks fine!"

What you can't see is that this is THE first thing I see when I walk into the closet/dressing room/whatever.  Had I known that THIS was what the finished product was going to look like, I would have suggested that they place it behind the chair in the room.  Now, I'm sure once I clean up all the old routers and wires it won't be as big of an eyesore but it will still be a prominent feature in the room.  And I have no one to blame but myself.  On the plus side, if I rearrange the entire room, I may be able to minimize it's prominence.

So far, two hours later, the internet speed and connectivity is amazing - so if that continues, obviously the placement will not be an issue at all.  But since I'm currently the only one online, the true test will come when we are all home and all connected.  *fingers crossed*

Chores

The boys left about 4:30 pm to go watch the Giants play.  I am over the moon about this because I got SO MUCH accomplished!

I have realized that I prefer to do chores in the quiet, maybe with a little music in the background; but that's rare.  I like to be all alone with my chores.  When football is blaring on the television, or really anything, it does not inspire me to take care of chores.  It inspires me to play on the computer or to hide in my dressing room/closet (what ARE we going to name that room?!) and read.

I will do the chores that are necessary if they are here, with the television blaring, but those little, nagging chores?  The ones that aren't do or die necessary?  Like that shirt that's needed ironing since spring?  Those get left undone until I find myself a chunk of free time that hasn't already been designated to a different project.

Since they've been out, I've ironed that shirt finally even though it required pulling out the ironing board and setting it up in the dining room.  Because of this, if there is only one item that requires pressing, it will usually be put on the back burner...for months, apparently.  I also completed a few sewing repairs, washed the towels, cleaned the bathrooms, tidied up a bit, set the dressing room/closet back to rights and then?  Washed and dried my hair straight.  It's been a long while since THAT has happened...let's see if any of my family or coworkers recognize me tomorrow.

Oh - and I composed this post. 

It becomes more and more apparent to me that in order for me to be productive, I need to have some alone time. 

A little bit of fun...

Due to random events, I was recently reminded that I have a FaceBook page tied to this blog (come find me - but I can't promise I'll remember to check it...) ...yes, I had forgotten.  Hey, if I ignore my personal FaceBook it stands to reason that I've ignored the blog FaceBook; right?!

At any rate, I found myself over there today and came across a status update from a blogger that I love (unfortunately, she hasn't blogged in a while *sad face* but I am hopeful she will return eventually; in fact I'm positive she will return one day, she is too talented not to.) that said, "Just for fun, ask Siri what you should be for Halloween."

As we all know, I shun all things Apple, so I turned to the android version, and asked my phone, "Okay Google...what should I be for Halloween?"

I especially love how she interrupts our conversation
to answer the door to some trick-or-treaters....

I also love that she (of course Google is a she; why do you ask?  She has ALL the answers) wants to continue the conversation!  So I played along...but, of course, a bit later after I realized this could be blog material and had to ask her again...

I replied yes, and then she asked about obtaining a
brain for a demanding boss and wondered if I'd comply or
find another job...yes I failed to screen shot that portion...sue me

Umm, I think I need a different costume...but what about you?  How does Siri or Google respond when you ask you should be for Halloween?

Caroline: Little House, Revisited (book review)

I first learned about this book's existence because June mentioned it on her blog.  I loved Little House on the Prairie when I was a child - both the books and the television show...although, to be honest I remember more about the television show than the books - so I was intrigued enough to buy it.

Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller arrived on Wednesday.  I tried to pick it up and read Wednesday night but found that I was just too tired.  The same could be said for the remainder of the work week.  I was disappointed because I really was excited about it.  Eventually, I found myself ensconced in my chair with the book for all of Saturday afternoon and again this afternoon, until now as I finished it.

A blurb on the jacket states:

"Sarah Miller vividly re-creates the beauty, hardship, and joy of

the frontier in this dazzling work of historical fiction, a captivating story

that illuminates one courageous, resilient, and loving pioneer woman as never

before - Caroline Ingalls, "Ma" in Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved Little House books."

This book was authorized by The Little House Heritage Trust and I can see why - I loved it.  I don't need to explain the plot of this story, as I imagine most of you reading, either saw the television show or read the books.  If you loved it when you were young then I think you would most definitely like this book.  The Little House books were told from Laura's point of view and this book tells it from Caroline's; and tells it very well.

I will say the ending kind of shocked me but that's because I am mainly remembering the television show, but it made perfect sense that it ended the way it did.

I can also honestly say, that I could not have done it.  ANY of it.  I seriously would have died before we even got to where we were going.  The trip to Kansas was dangerous and harrowing.

No, I am very happy to have been born in an age where there are cars, washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, etc.  And especially the internet.