Monkeyfister

Two weeks ago, we had our workplace PCs replaced with G5 Macs. I sort of like the Mac interface, and it's a bit more intuitive for doing graphics work. For that, I actually like the system. HOWEVER-- there was something terribly wrong with the box that I received, wherein, it would not retain certain very important ADMIN permissions commands, and as a result, I've not been able to connect to our servers to access work files for the past ten work days. The couple of people who should have been helping to work this through were busy dealing with the mechanics of the new servers, and didn't have time to devote to brainstorming the situation. Meanwhile, my workload and deadlines were piling up. But, this isn't about a bad Mac experience.

I have Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE), and pressure and frustrations of this sort usually are not good for me-- typically resulting in my TLE clicking in, a slew of nasty language coming out of my mouth, and ending in a full-bore grand-mal seizure. But, this isn't about epilepsy, either-- it's about avoiding it, in fact.

So, yesterday, I handed all of my work tickets in to my manager, and a Leave Slip for yesterday afternoon and all of today to my Division Head, saying that I can't complete them with a messed up machine, and I walked out, asking for my old PC back, fully mapped to usable servers when I returned on Thursday. Now, we're getting down to what this is about...

I got home at 12:30 in the afternoon, found my Income Tax return in the mailbox, and ordered up $150 worth of 2" x 8" lumber, and started building raised bed frames with a vengeance. Today, I put the weed-block fabric on the bottom of each frame, and moved them into place. I built another 4' x 16' full bed, two 4' x 8' beds, and two 2' x 8' beds, with lumber to spare.

Now, I have the vision that I've had in my head for a year now, actually physical and in place. I have the beginning of what is going to be a nice little path of garden beds leading down to the larger garden, and beginning to branch off to what's about to be the start of the orchard project between my neighbor's house and my own. Each of the boxes is placed to stop, harvest, and/or deflect rain water runoff from the downspouts. I can already see the boxes filled with dirt, and sporting beautiful vining plants, fragrant flowers and herbs, and a host of fruits and vegetables lining my way down to the five 4' x 16' full-production beds. I need to find a good deal on rain barrels badly.

I can't wait to start throwing dirt into the boxes, and getting stuff planted, starting Friday.

End o' the story: My Division Head called me today, and told me that when I come in tomorrow, my trusty ol' Alienware PC will be waiting for me, fully mapped, and all the software updated. I really like my new Division Head-- he understands the nature of my two types of Epilepsy, and is also an avid hunter, and damned decent human being.

The moral of my little story is: Sometimes, when you're right about a situation, it pays to play a bit of hardball. I got what I needed at work, and put my gardenquest into high gear... My time was well-spent, and I got paid. It was a bit of a gamble, but, everyone involved knew that being away would be best for my health. Looking back on my epileptic history, especially last January, a bigger seizure usually follows spells of stress like this. Hopefully, I've re-directed that energy into all that physical work. Let's all knock on wood right now, eh? Now is just not a good time to get fishy. I've got way too much to get done.

BTW: That pic is a map of the slope contours that I made the week I moved in, last June with a piece of 2" x 2', a yardstick, and my ol' trusty laser sight, that I refused to sell in my "Stagehand's Goodies Sale" that I had before I moved down here, five-plus years ago. Each line is one-foot of slope. Now, the boxes stretch along those contours, and up to the deck.

Next steps: dirt; planting; irrigation hook-up; mulching the paths and beds to drive away the Bermuda Grass and other weeds; stepping pavers and ground-cover plantings on the paths.


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Labels: My Life As It Is