I must have purged all the bad juju yesterday, because I got two things I didn't expect today: a relatively pain-free work session, and an hour of reading time. The work wasn't as intense as yesterday because I got more done then than I thought. It also helps that no new crises popped up through the floorboards to trip me up and slam me down face first. I dodged a few dangerous-looking waves but managed to stay the course.

The free hour of reading was courtesy of the utility company, which managed to find a way to cut off my electricity at 7:40 this morning. I wasn't sure whether to go ahead and take a shower, because in the past when I haven't had power I've lost water pressure in the middle of a shower and had to pour cold water out of a jug over my head to get the shampoo out. I didn't know when I'd have electricity again, so I went ahead and took a lightning-quick shower.

When I called PG&E, their recorded voice informed me that they were aware of the problem and had crews on the way to assess the situation. They were expected to arrive at 8:39 am. I'm not sure how they timed it that closely, but I declined their offer of an automated call-back if the expected time changed. (8:42, 8:46, 8:51)

What to do next? I couldn't turn on the computer, of course, or the TV. I couldn't make coffee or do laundry. So I sat in my new chair and read my new book. The juice was turned back on at 8:55 am, and my day started. I was determined to take it as a good omen that I'd been able to do some unexpected reading. That means it's going to be a good day, right?

Almost. The work day went so well that I didn't mind (much) having to restart the computer no less than four times. I should probably do it four times every day, just to keep myself humble. Sometimes I take it for granted, because it works fine most of the time. It was good to be reminded that after all, it's just a machine, and a touchy one at that. I should probably be grateful that it does almost everything I ask of it, instead of wishing it would do more.

If only I were as efficient as the computer. I always seem to be operating in sleep mode, though. Multitasking slows me to a crawl, and sometimes freezes me up altogether. I need to reboot more than four times a day, that's for sure.

My old pal Grady, who still lives next door to the place I used to call the Home Office, phoned me over the weekend. One of our insurance companies had mailed a package to an address that's now more than two years out of date. It's not a bill, because they manage to send their bill to the new address every single month.

I told Grady I'd pick up the package this week, and today was probably going to be the only day I had enough time to swing by there. I called him first, but I got his machine and left the message that I was on my way. He'd told me he was going to be home all week, so I took a chance. I got there and rang the bell and waited for awhile before giving up and heading home.

Shortly after I got back, he called. He'd slept in this morning. He heard the doorbell but assumed it was a delivery person or maybe a collection agent (he deals with those a lot). He didn't feel like getting out of bed to answer the door and was sorry. I told him not to worry about it. I'll try again over the weekend or next week. I'm sure it's nothing I need very desperately anyway.