Good cop, bad cop

Good things:

I spent a few hours cleaning the office this week, expecting to find my mp3 player, which has been lost since the weekend we moved in. When it didn't turn up, I was vastly bummed. But then MB poked around a little, checked a few places I'd checked, then went upstairs and immediately found my mp3 player in my laptop bag, where I now remember stowing it so it wouldn't be lying around when we had contractors in the house. Yay!

The stitching project that's been missing since Easter turned up. This is especially good, since I only have about a month to finish it.

Spring has fully kicked winter's ass, after a long and protracted back-and-forth. Flowers are blooming, birds are making a ruckus, and we've had two good thunderstorms already.

A situation at work that looked like it was going to turn into me getting totally screwed over resolved itself with zero drama. Sweet relief.


Bad things:

Well, there's just one thing, but it's a big one. We have a beautiful holly tree beside the house. It's the only tree on the property, and it's lovely. However, it was planted RIGHT NEXT TO the fence, and its branches are growing through and over and under power lines. The power company left us a notice saying they'd be sending a crew around to cut the tree back, but I know that the companies they hire usually butcher the trees they cut. I emailed a local horticulture expert that I know through work, and he confirmed my fears. The guys the power company has hired this year are even worse than usual.

I wanted to get some quotes from tree trimmers, since if we pay to have the work done, we can call the power company and tell them not to send their crew. I got one quote from a really nice guy who gave me a price, then called back two minutes later and told me that in his professional opinion, we might as well just get rid of the tree. He says it's so close to the lines that we'll have to pay to get it trimmed every year of the tree's life, and that the bigger it gets, the more it'll cost. He recommended just letting the power company come and top the tree, and then paying to get the remnant removed.

I know he's right--the tree is just about directly under the lines--but it's breaking my heart anyway.


Reading:  Free for All:  Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangsters in the Public Library by Don Borchert

Playing:  Pressure Chief by Cake