QOTD: "Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it." - Mahatma Gandhi
Reading: Monica Ferris, A Murderous Yarn
Listening to: Christine Lavin, Future Fossils
Decluttering accomplishments: going through mail from the past week or so
On my way home from work tonight, I heard on the radio that Mildred Wirt Benson had died. For those who don't recognize the name, she was the original "Carolyn Keene" and wrote 22 of the first 30 Nancy Drew mysteries. She was also still working as a journalist up to her death, which might not be all that surprising but she was 96 years old.
Coincidentally, I had been thinking about Nancy Drew not long ago. Or, more specifically, about how I want to be Nancy Drew. Not the detective part or the getting rescued from pits of snakes by her father part or even the going to college football games with Ned part. The parts of Nancy Drew's life I want have to do with summer days spent hanging out with her chums instead of working, with wrecking one roadster after another without her insurance rates rising, and with having Hannah handy to cook supper after the latest adventure. It's the perfect fantasy of what adult life should be like.
My real life is far more frustrating. I spent yesterday morning trying to get my computer at work configured somewhat reasonably, after they hobbled it with Windows 2000. Everything is more or less working now except for Lotus Notes (which I don't really use other than to check that the mailer on it is forwarding mail to the Exchange server correctly) and some of the password synchronization. The good side of this is that I no longer have to toggle the power every morning to get it started and I can play audio CDs again. Both of those are things that were fine until the last time they "fixed" the computer. I will continue to whine about having to use Microsoft products at work, however.
Yesterday afternoon was worse, as our staff meeting wore on and on. We are once again revisiting issue that we thought were closed years ago and there doesn't seem to be any way to get anything resolved once and for all. Sigh. Today was equally unproductive, as I spent most of it in a mandatory class. They offer several sessions, but it's hard to predict my schedule and I figured it was best to get it out of the way. A couple of the speakers were good, but one needed serious instruction in presentation skills. Every other sentence ended with "uh, you know, okay." The rest was a mixture of familiar platitudes and sheer boredom. There were a few things in the briefing package that could be useful, though. And it isn't as if I had any actual choice as to attending.
Work isn't always boring and frustrating, but on those days when it is, I slip into the Nancy Drew syndrome. Alas, my clocks conceal only gears, rather than mysterious wills. Maybe I should color my hair titian?
Copyright 2002 Miriam H. Nadel