Saturday 17 November 2012

Chaos out of order

Much time has been spent, she says, and please note careful use of impersonal voice, in trying to become better organised, and not to lose or be unable to find so many things. It seems that the experience of having house repairs done can only have exacerbated a deplorable tendency to not be well-organised. Sporadic efforts to change this characteristic seem to have only temporary effects.

For ages I could not find my prescriptions or my medical referrals, for the various minor conditions that the General Practitioner deems worthy of more expert evaluation. You can hardly ring up for an appointment if you cannot find your medical referral. Although why does a referral only last for one year when the condition is perpetual?  Perhaps the reason is that it is a good earner.

Finally, yesterday and today, I found them all and can now set out to make the appointments, before I lose all this paperwork yet again.  There is nothing very serious, it is really just routine maintenance, just like the grease and oil change in the car.

It has taken considerable time to sort through all the documents, bills, receipts, correspondence and to put them into folders. Small piles of papers lay all over the room. All that is needed now is to buy a few more folders, and to maintain an organised and well-regulated schedule and NOT to lose things ever again.  And while things are still tidy, I should get my tax return done.

As if I needed any further aggravation other than those occurring because of my many personal imperfections, my computer just lost its internet connection. No obvious reason, but somehow my domestic network just went and hid itself. The little green light was on, and it all looked perfectly connected, except that it was telling me that there was no connection. Finally I did the simple and obvious thing and switched it off and on again. That made my network option reappear. Technology is so inexplicable. I will never understand it.

In the meantime, as light relief, I did the ironing. Yes, I am one of those prehistoric humans who still does the ironing. And who says to her children, and latterly to the grandchildren "You can't go out looking like that!"


However somewhere or other there has disappeared a little bag containing some vital information about a new and excellent wool supplier. Where can it be?

Yesterday I went along to the knitting and crochet group. What huge fun it all is. Our numbers are growing and the conversations are entertaining and noisy.We all enjoyed our visit to Wrap with Love immensely (and I wrote about it for my Italian class this week) and we all love being part of this growing network of women working together to help others and to be part of the wider community. I get all misty eyed when I think about it.

When I started going to this group, I was the only crocheter. I have been teaching some of them to crochet and now some of the group are joining and edging squared with crochet. And they are starting to crochet some squares too.  A few of them will have to have a go at teaching me to knit! Now there's a challenge.

Fate, however, is still lurking around seeking to inflict more of its random blows. The beautiful red gum entertainment unit I bought six months ago suddenly produced some fine red dust. It must have been incubating or harbouring some wood-eating pest. The makers will have to come out and have a serious look at it and probably take it away for some expert fumigation. Sigh.



3 comments:

molly said...

If only we could halt mail delivery for six months! Then I'd be able to get caught up. As it is, if I take care of three important pieces of paper, seven more will arrive that same day by mail. There is no way to win.

Jan said...

I speak as someone with two sons one of whom is a top class consultant. Management now but once IT.

The first port of call in any electronic malfunction is to reboot the thing, whatever it may be. As you found out, this worked for you.

If internet is still down, turn off the router for a good ten minutes or so. That's the gadget with the antenna and the lights, possibly branded Netcomm.

Then reboot computer, turn router back on and try to find your homepage or whatever. Just give it something to look for. It may take a minute or so or even another reboot. This usually works and is much better than ringing ISP where I get some overseas call centre with an operator whose accent I cannot understand. Also save a phone call to either son.

Router usually has a button switch somewhere on the back.

Jan said...

Sorry, I meant to add: since moving here by myself, I have had to make myself adopt some quite different habits to those held over very many years. When I come into apartment, keys must be put in the same place.

As to filing...after being caught out with paperwork a few times, I try to attend to stuff as it comes in. As you know, this doesn't always work. All paperwork is filed, if not actually in specific file, then more likely on top of the files in my filing box. At least that way, I know where to look. This regime was implemented after a nasty telephone stoush with someone at Centrelink who refused to believe me about something. At least I now know where the papers will be. Then when pile looks as if it will fall over, I sort it.

I am not a neat and tidy fanatic, so this has been hard, but has had its benefits.