Save the Endangered Interrobang!

This is an interrobang. I am absolutely floored to learn I have one, wish it was common, and want this character on my keyboard (along with a right-side tab key). It is exactly what it looks like.. a combination of an exclamation point (a "bang") and a question mark (interrogative point). How is this not widely used‽ <--- Arial Unicode MS on character map

Wiki has info here.

I wonder how I could ever write without such a cool punctuation mark. Come on, people, get this one back out there!

Of Mouse and Me

The backs of my eyeballs hurt. I don't know why but they do, but it's a very odd feeling. It isn't the "behind-the-eyes-headache" kind of pain, or sinus pain (at least I hope not... ten days' worth of antibiotic pills the size of small submarines should have knocked out that pesky sinus infection, plus any of its relatives thinking of coming to visit). It just feels like any minute now an eyeball is going to make a run for it and pop out of my head. Interesting, but not desirably so.

Today was our holiday dinner at work. I didn't win either of the giveaway turkeys but I guessed the weight of each to within 3 ounces. Apparently I'm good at eyeballing plucked, frozen, large-breasted birds and determining their weight... maybe I should be running a Guess Your Weight booth for the Swedish Bikini Team winter carnival. Do they have one of those? I might be on to something.

I'm loving the heck out of my new iPen and tablet. Somebody please tell me why I didn't get one of these before. Oh yeah, I remember... I thought it was frivolous to spend money on unnecessary computer accessories when we had bills to pay. Good thing it was a gift! And a really cool one, at that. Also great timing... my HP mouse just croaked (squeaked?) and the cursor was zooming all over and opening stuff at random. I'd just switched to my backup trigger mouse before the old one decided to rewrite my registry or buy out eBay at 1 AM. Trigger mouse serves one vital function: it keeps anyone else from using my computer, because nobody knows how to use it. I can't use it myself for long due to a painful thumb joint caused, most likely, from using a trigger mouse.

Speaking of computer peripherals... I'm one of those who will use what came with the computer- keyboard, mouse, speakers- until it's absolutely necessary to replace them. My last keyboard saw me through two computers (it was a multimedia keyboard with all kinds of fancy buttons and functions, most of which didn't correspond to anything on the new comp, but it had volume control on it, and since I can't reach my speakers from here, I kept it just for that purpose) and when I finally replaced it, half the letters were worn off, the left shift key and the 1 didn't work, and the space bar only worked if you hit it in the right spot. This past summer I broke down and bought a new multimedia keyboard. May I just say... "quiet soft-touch keys," my fanny. It's just as loud as the last one. Why can't anyone make a keyboard that doesn't A. sound like a roomful of wind-up chattering teeth and B. require forcible keystrokes to register characters? Is it just me?

I have iTunes on party shuffle. Clay Aiken singing Solitaire just came on, causing me to wonder just what that malfunctioning mouse was doing while I was away. Clay Aiken?!? I just went from hearing Veruca Salt and STP... to American Idol. *no clue* Must investigate and see what else is on here I don't know about.

Lennon was Optimistic

I've been having One Of Those Days.
I decided to get my baking done, as much as possible. At the moment I'm taking five (or ten) to let my raisin filling (and myself) cool off a bit.

The first batch of peanut butter cookies overbaked, due to me getting distracted by my husband, who chose that time to explain to me how a lock tumbler from a vehicle (in this case, our Bronco) worked, or again in this case, wasn't working. I like stuff like that, and naturally had to examine the tumbler mechanism, in the process getting graphite all over my hands and letting the cookies burn. We're out of peanut butter so unless I make a third trip to the store today, I'm not making any more.

I pulled out the dough for the sand tarts. Too hard to roll, set aside to thaw a little. Made dough for raisin cookies, chilled, made raisin filling. Rolled out some raisin cookie dough, banged elbow on stand mixer. Didn't have a round cookie cutter, improvised with the top of a martini shaker. Filled one sheet of cookie bottoms, set aside. Told hubby there's not enough room to roll on the bake cupboard; he decides to remove everything from kitchen table for me. I help and knock his iced-tea glass over. He steps in the spilled tea while I'm searching for a dishcloth. I wipe up tea, he knocks over the entire pan of cookie bottoms. They go in the trash. Meanwhile he's lost his keys, which are attached to the lock tumbler; I find them on the dryer. He asks if I need any more help. I send him outside to put the Bronco door back together. Realize the sand tart dough is too dry and the raisin cookie dough is too soft. Back in fridge. See some spilled vanilla on the counter, start to clean it, discover it isn't vanilla. My beloved KitchenAid mixer is leaking oil. Finally able to make raisin filled cookies. Have much more filling than dough, thanks to earlier incident. Discover why nobody else likes making them, too time-consuming. Vow to purchase cookies from the Amish like everyone else.

Made bourbon balls with no problems, of course... I hate bourbon.

Update: raisin cookies are done, and delicious. I might tackle a batch of biscotti yet tonight. Hubby came in and told me I had flour handprints on my butt. He looked at the kitchen, decided not to ask what was for dinner, heated up leftovers and retreated to the other room. Now I have to clean up the aftermath, wash dishes, clothes, and myself, and limit biscotti-making to one surface if possible.

Nobody told me there'd be days like these... strange days, indeed.

Snow, snow, snow, sleet and snow

It's alternately sleeting and snowing again. We're on the line between weather patterns so we're getting a mix- a nasty, ugly mix- of winter precipitation. Housebound today, by choice. Might bake cookies. Might take a nap. Might finish reading my book, then take a nap. Nap sounds good.

I was up till almost daybreak, home while Hubby plowed the roads so that idiots with vain notions of invincibility in their overpriced, ego-stroking four-wheel-drive SUVs might actually continue harboring their delusions. I tend to enjoy seeing one of them fly past me, believing the speed limit +5 is a goal set in stone regardless of weather, then spot them farther down the road with wheels in a ditch, cursing into their cellphones because AAA won't be there for two hours. I only take pleasure in this if nobody's hurt, and I've been known to stop and check before laughing at them, so don't send me hate mail.

The other day I saw an SUV driver in a shopping center parking lot attempt to back around a corner into a freshly-vacated prime spot. She didn't see the stop sign- accelerated in reverse- just in time for her husband, exiting the store, to watch her back straight into it. I laughed. Being a female SUV driver probably had little to do with it, but the stereotype was there and it was funny.

Last night I went outside to see just how close I could slide to the corner store if I wore slick-soled boots and got a running start. No, it just felt that way. Stupid boots. Some guy was in his Bronco, snowplow on the front and ready to attack the residual elements, but he couldn't get it out of his lot. Tires just kept spinning the more he gunned it. I wondered if it was a bad sign that the plow guy couldn't get out, or, worse, if the plow guy was driving around with bald tires. He did, finally, get out after much slinging of ice and gravel. There really wasn't much on the ground but a thin sheet of ice so I have no idea what he thought he was going to plow. He didn't have an ice-melt spreader on the back either. Entirely useless battle between Goodyears and macadam, there. But at least he entertained me, however briefly.

DOT stealth mailbox plot revealed: It has come to my attention, from an unnamed source, that DOT plow drivers have modified their ritual downing of mailboxes to be less obvious. Instead of just burying a mailbox or knocking it over immediately to get it out of the way, as per the norm, drivers now work in teams. The first driver goes through, pushing the snow in front of the box, just enough to see the post wiggle. Joe Homeowner, watching from his living-room window, only sees that this obviously experienced driver did not blatantly mow down his mailbox, as in times past. Homeowner, pleased, retreats to his hot cider and newspaper. On each subsequent pass, the plow driver pushes the snow a little more; the post wiggles a little more. Homeowner goes to bed assured that he won't be buying yet another box, vowing to call and compliment DOT on their fine driver. Second shift comes in and plows the now-packed-and-stacked pile of snow into the base of the mailbox post, either sending it flying into the driveway or obliterating it under the chunks. Sometimes, for good measure, the driver will pile more snow on top so Homeowner won't know it's down until he comes out to dig the driveway out.

We don't have a home mailbox, but the post office driveway has been plowed in a few times. DOT hasn't figured out how to push snow directly into the lobby yet but I'm told they're working on it.

I should go bake cookies, make biscotti, eat something. Shovel today's snow off the walk. I really should. But my space heater is next to me, my feet are warm, and the nice glow from the monitor creates a comfortable ambiance. I'm in a good-vibe pod. Hate to break it up with reality, the reality that Christmas is NEXT FREAKING WEEK. Crap. I better get to baking! *pod=poof*

Disclaimer

I'm going in for oral surgery in the morning. I take no responsibility for any posts between now and the time the painkillers run out. :-D

See you on the moon! Bring pudding. Thx

Week of the Rat

Some random droppings:

• We got a little snow last night, not enough to stop anyone from going about their business but enough that the plow trucks are running. Supposedly, sleet and rain are coming later. Joy.
• Hubby got called in to plow last night. He's hoping they'll go to winter hours this week... he'll be off at noon and be able to hunt the rest of the afternoon. Freezer is looking empty.
  
• This past week at work, I personally removed nine dead Norway rats from one section. Usually we get field mice and voles, and maybe one rat a year... but nine rats of various ages all decided to expire within 20 feet of each other. Very odd. Maybe they were playing Lemmings and got carried away. *shrug*
  
• We're getting a Target! Well, not in our area, but close enough to drive to without making the long trek to the city. I <3 Target.
  
• I've barely started on Christmas. Going to be low-key this year. Oral surgery was postponed until the 13th so I really should get moving... I may not be in the mood, physically or mentally, to even think about going out after that. Attention shoppers: Cranky woman on painkillers in Aisle 10! Avoid at all costs! :-D

happy holler daze, y'all.