I’m having one of those days.
You know, one of

THOSE

days.
A day that starts out decent enough.
Easy enough.
Just fine.

I often go over my plans for the day at the breakfast table.
Coffee, the Chicago Tribune, and conversation with my husband.

He leaves for work about 9 am and gets home about 6 pm. I try to fit as MUCH into that time as I can.

Today’s “much” included a few easy tasks. Put the new vacuum together. Hang curtains in my office. Work on the cover design for my novel.

THREE THINGS!

So…I’m going to start with the vacuum assemblage because it’s garbage day and if I work quickly, I can get the packaging out with today’s pick up.

I unpack it, shoving the plastic and cardboard back in the carton.
NINE PIECES. WTH.
It can wait.

Now, those curtains…
I recently rearranged my office. My computer faces the windows.
On a sunny day…I am blind.
I can’t explain it, but when I look at my screen, all I see is me. How is this possible? The sun is at the back of the computer. Does it reflect so strongly off ME that it bounces to the front of the machine?! Regardless, I can’t work if it’s sunny. I need curtains.

Easy-peasy, right? I’ve put up many a rod in my day.

I ordered the perfect curtains online.
Almost perfect curtains.
They’re a little long…
but no biggie, my daughter-in-law says she can hem them.

Hemming is for aesthetics, and another day, I just need something to block the sun.
Now.

I also ordered hardware.
The wrong hardware.
It’s nice, it’s just not nice for this particular window.

So, here I go, running to the store to pick up new rods and hardware.

But I need gas.
At least it’s nice out. Last time I filled up was twelve below.
Everyone is filling up today. It takes me three stations before there is an open pump that corresponds with the side where my gas tank is.

In and out of the store. For under twenty bucks! Check THAT off my curtain to-do list.

Hmm, where to put the screws…this window has seen many a rod in it’s day, there are several pre-existing sets of holes to choose from.

These holes look good. Pre-drilled! Awesome.
My battery operated drill is vrooming ever slower.
Exchange battery.
Now I’ve stripped the first screw.
Change bit.
Better.
Zip.
Zip.
Done.
Next.
I will need a support in the middle of the rod, between existing holes.
Wow, this is really tough wood. (Do not judge, like I said, I purposely went with holes that were already there so as not to have to add so many more to wood or wall!)

I find a hammer and a nail to get the hole started.
I get the screw turning, it’s burrowing, I’m nearly done…
then the screw breaks. It friggin’ SNAPPED in the middle. Half buried in the window frame, half hanging lazily off the magnetized end of the drill.
WTH?
I pinch, I scrape, I try to grip with small pliers…that screw butt is not coming out. Huh, looks like the window frame has a souvenir to remind us of this day. Sucks because that’s exactly where I needed the hardware to go.

Move on.
I skip the center support and go to the next set of pre-drilled holes.
How is it possible that these preexisting holes do not line up with the other preexisting holes? Were the preexisting curtains crooked?! Maybe they were not hemmed by a skilled seamstress and the hanger adjusted the rod rather than the curtain?!

Shit.
I am in no mood to try and drill more holes.
Not sure I can spare the screws that may potentially break off.

Luckily, I have wasted enough of my day that the sun has shifted to a much more functional location in the sky.

So I wrote this blog.

And there’s still time to work on my cover before I head to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
And drinks.
I think I’ll need a drink.

Looks like I’ll be ahead of the game for tomorrow’s to-do list since I already know two things that need to be done. As long as the two items on the list do not create a to-do list of their own, *sigh*

Remember when you had your college apartment and you thumb-tacked sheets over the window? Those were the days.

*This post was written several days ago. I’ve since hung the curtains, assembled the vacuum, and completed my book cover. 🙂
Now, on to today’s to-do list…