On the Bright Side...

Recently, I wondered what else could go wrong in a week (see my post Do-Over Day). I should have known better than to tempt fate, though the effects weren't immediate.

Earlier this week, there was a power outage in town for about two hours. The sun was shining so we weren't in the dark, and the house held its heat long enough so that I was warm enough with an extra sweatshirt rather than a parka.

This morning, however, it felt unusually cold in the house. Turned up the thermostat, but nothing happened. Flicked the switch on the actual furnace, and it came on...for a moment. It promptly shut down again. Brrr!

A phone call, a visit from a repairman...nope, it's time to replace it. Great. So, we put on extra sweatshirts and sat down with the salesman/estimator. The crew is here installing the new system as we speak.

Now, I'm no Pollyanna or Mary Poppins. I'm  not always "glad," and a "spoonful of sugar" won't make this go down any easier. But in the interest of keeping some level of sanity, I must look at the bright (or brightish) side of things and remind myself that things could be worse.

• This happened on a weekday, during the day, so it wasn't an emergency night/weekend/holiday service call.
• The temperature outside isn't quite as bad as it has been during these two waves of "Polar Vortex." I think it's even above zero.
• The service company did provide a couple electric heaters to hold us over until heat could be restored. After all, we're in a "no-heat" situation!
• Although they aren't yet finished, we're on the right track to have the new furnace up and running on the same day.
• Though it's a healthy chunk o' change to spend, it should reduce our energy consumption (and bill) now and long term. Efficiency is key!
• We were home--and awake--when the furnace quit. If circumstances had been different, there could have been issues with leaking natural gas or a fire. Had we been out of town, we could have come home to NO home! I won't rule out a guardian angel!

Am I happy with today's events? Certainly not. But instead of pulling out my hair or crying in my beer (or hot coffee, as the case may be), I will keep a stiff upper lip and look for the silver lining. Call it cliche, but I'd rather count my blessings than wallow in self-pity.

Don't forget to find your own bright spot in your dark days!

May I Suggest a Comma?

As I was letting the conditioner soak into my hair for the directed three minutes, I skimmed the package. 

I know what the product is supposed to do. There are three primary ingredients which are intended to provide "nutrition" for your hair and make it stronger and less dry. The front of the package tells me what I'm getting when I open and use the product:

Hmm... Maybe it's just my brain, but for a split second I processed that as a dose of dryness that reverses nutrition. My eyes automatically inserted a hyphen, making it "nutrition-reversing," an adjective modifying "dryness." All that in only three minutes!

OK, so that's just me being me. I know what it means, even if I would have phrased it differently. It made me curious, though, so I visited the company website to see how it was described there. With varying fonts and colors, the package is labeled as such:

TRIPLE NUTRITION

3-Minute Undo

Dryness Reversal Treatment

That copy layout works. There's a product line name, a short product name, and a few words to define what is meant by the product name.

But in the product description, it's suggested the user can "transform" their hair by using the "Triple Nutrition 3-Minute Undo Dryness Reversal Treatment." So...I'm going to "undo" the process of "dryness reversal"? I guess that's what happens when you try to use a verb as a noun. Among other things, it makes punctuating more complicated.

Note that I'm not mentioning the brand name, and I can't yet speak to the effectiveness of the product. I was simply trying a free sample I received. Maybe I'll notice a difference and decide it's worth it to spend more on this conditioner than my usual 99 cents.

I will say that if my hair is noticeably softer and stronger, I'll try to keep my eyes closed and not read the label again!

But maybe it's just me...

Weary of Winter

I've never been a fan of winter.

When I was young, I'd make a few snowmen and do a little sledding. I grew up near a ski hill, but I am not coordinated (or brave) enough to have ever tried hitting the slopes. I think I tried cross-country skiing once or twice, but it didn't "hook" me. I do not ice fish or ride a snowmobile.

I appreciate the change of seasons, I really do. The first snowfall or two can feel magical. But if I've had a white Christmas, that's enough for me.

We've already endured a Polar Vortex. The forecast calls for single-digit temperatures (if we're lucky) for the next week. Really? More? 

The snow piles next to the driveway are getting too high for me to throw more on the top.

I suppose I could move to a warmer climate, but everywhere has weather issues. Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, heat waves...no location would be "perfect."

I asked my mother to make it springtime, but her maternal magic apparently doesn't cover weather.

I'm just tired of it and so ready for it to be done. How has the weather been for you this winter? And how are you dealing with it? 

Microfiber...fleece...call it what you will. I call it my new best friend.

Do-Over Day

It's only Tuesday, and I already feel like this week needs a do-over.

Yesterday, I found my Twitter account "hacked" in some fashion. A few odd tweets, more than just a few spam direct messages to fellow tweeters.  Fortunately, several Twitter friends alerted me to the issue, and I was able to change my password posthaste. For the most part, the messages went to people sharp enough to see that a message with just a link and no "conversation" is probably not actually from me. I suppose that sort of thing happens more often than you'd realize. I know I've gotten those phantom DMs from friends, as well. Just part of life on the interwebs.

This morning brought heavy snowfall (with what one friend called "ginormous" flakes). It paused long enough for me to shovel the driveway, but I knew deep down it wouldn't last. More snow and gusty winds all evening and expected through the night. I believe we have around seven fresh inches...so far. Not surprising, really, in Wisconsin, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

So, Wednesday...what are you bringing to the table?