Mishmash

[flea]

• Yesterday I worked 8am-10pm (many thanks to my sister for keeping me from dying of boredom after I ran out of internets at 8:30pm; we discussed smallpox, syphillis, and pernicious anemia, as one does).  Then I woke up about every half hour all night - every time to heat came on - because the air vents made some noise that kept triggering my "a child is crying downstairs" reflex. Yawn.
• It's cold in Georgia.  Even the NYTimes noticed! http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/us/09georgia.html  There's a mall in the ATL that makes snow outside every hour from 6-9pm on weekends, and I think we are going to try to go on Saturday.  My kids are in love with the idea of snow.  Simple frost on the windshield of the car had them shouting with excitement this morning.  It's ridiculous, but very cute.
• My Girl Scout rant issues continue.  I faxed in an RSVP on Friday 12/3, the stated deadline, for my troop to attend an event on Saturday 12/11, and was supposed to receive an email confirming the time (they are scheduling the troops).  On Monday I emailed the contact just to check if the fax had been received.  She was out of the office but said she would check with them.  On Tuesday, not having heard from her, I emailed back.  She said she hadn't been able to reach anyone ion the office, but I should give her my troop's info directly and she could register us.  I did.  On Wednesday, not having heard from her, I emailed again, just to say, "are we registered?"  On Thursday morning I called the office, where they told me a) she was the only person who could register troops for this event in their system, b) she was out of the office all week but working from home some and c) the office was "crazy" this week and closed early yesterday and today.  The event is now in less than 48 hours and I was supposed to - an email just came in.  We are confirmed.  Good grief, though.  I mean, honestly?  Who sets a deadline of Friday the week before an event (in 6 locations across Georgia, all RSVPing through one office) and then takes the next week off?  When she's the only one who can register people?
• We are going to buy a digital piano as the big family Christmas gift this year.  We went in to a local independent store and looked at them, but then I looked on Craigslist and there is a used one for sale in Atlanta for half what they want in the store for a used one, same model.  I feel guilty about not patronizing my local store - worse, patronizing and then not buying from them - but saving $250 is not to be sneezed at.  We're getting a Yamaha P-60 (replaced now by the P-95), which is an 88-key, weighted machine, with good sound (8 sounds total), and a midi export line so we can buy a $100 cable and hook it up to Garage Band if we want to.  I am looking at piano lessons for me, maybe.
• I am sort half done Christmas shopping.  I hope to accomplish a lot this weekend in the city, at the Fernbank Natural History Museum gift shop, and the big mall where it snows. mr. flea is under strict orders to make some headway in dealing with his family (i.e. acquiring suggestions, which is their practice) by Saturday.
• I am so tired.