The Petty Tyranny of Possessions

[rolanni]

After work yesterday took I took my (still nameless) car to Charlie's Subaru in Augusta, because the check-engine light came back on, curst device. There were a couple other matters that needed attention, too, which are now taken care of and the car is back in my hands, considerably improved in behavior.

In the meantime, my favored pocket watch -- well, belt-loop watch -- had some time ago run its battery out, and had been sitting on the kitchen table waiting for me to get around to buying it a new one, which I hadn't done because I Am An Indolent Author and besides, I have another, though less-favored, belt-loop watch that was still doing its job.

This morning, I reached into the jewelery box for the everyday silver crescent, only to discover that the o-ring that (ought to be) hooking the rest of the chain to the magnet had gone missing sometime after the last time I'd worn it. Muttering, I put the necklace on the kitchen table with the dead watch, found another necklace and went to work, only to find, once there, that the back-up belt-loop watch was now out of battery and Rolanni had no working timepiece.

Sigh. I will go to Waterville tomorrow after work and attend to these minor chores. No, really. I will. Also, I need to stop by Goodwill and see what they may have in the line of men's suit vests. Might as well make an afternoon of it. I'm sure, if I put my mind to it, I can think of something that I must have out of Sign of the Sun.

In the meantime, since we were in Augusta and all, Steve and I stopped once again at Barnes and Noble and yea, Fledgling had arrived in-store only that afternoon -- at approximately the time I was getting off work, in fact. We signed all four, and I hope and trust that they will not long tarry on the New SciFi shelf, but will speedily find convivial homes. And that B&N will remember to reorder.

Now, dishes! And dinner! And finishing the book I'm reading so that I can start reading another.

Comments

[keristor.livejournal.com]

I hate those "check engine" lights. What are they supposed to mean? Is it "DON'T DRIVE THIS THING IT WILL BLOW UP!!!" or is it "you really should get this checked sometime in the next month"? And these days there's no way even a reasonably competant amateur can check their own engine because it needs specialised equipment which costs a lot (my first car even I could check my engine and I'm not even reasonably competant mechanically).

These days I don't replace the battery in my watch, I buy a new watch. It works out cheaper, because for the last 20 years I've never found even a jeweller who can get a new battery installed and working for more than a few days, and has the advantage that the new watch won't need the strap replaced for several years (plastic straps tend to break for me, and there's only a certain number of times they can be repaired with a soldering iron or superglue).

Yay Fledgling! (I'm about a third through...)

[scaleslea.livejournal.com]

You got your copy of Fledgling already?

Doc

[keristor.livejournal.com]

From Forbidden Planet in London, since Amazon UK still say it hasn't been released yet (Amazon US have apparently had it for over a week). Not the singed one...