I was video chatting with my supervisor a few days ago, trying to troubleshoot a blog scheduling error. I’d uploaded a blog to the TobacCo website and scheduled it to post next month, but it went live immediately. Even though, on the website, the post date showed January 11, 2023.
Our blog module at work is not WordPress, by the way. I never have issues scheduling posts here.
After making sure I hadn’t inadvertently time traveled – it was, in fact, still December 6 – I tried to figure out how to fix the issue. Hence, the call. Long story short, there is no scheduling function with that particular module, so the only workaround is to set a calendar reminder.
“Either that or use sticky notes!” I said.
“Holy 1995!” my supervisor replied.
At which point, I couldn’t help but chuckle. This is the inside front door of our apartment circa 2022.
We have electric baseboard heating in the apartment, and it’s so quiet we never hear it running. So, Tara slapped these on the door as a reminder. They’re crude but effective.
And I should add that, in 1995, I was very much a Post-It® Note devotee. I used to plaster my cubicle walls, my desk, even my computer monitor with those little yellow squares. I used them so often, I invested in a popup dispenser that I kept filled with fanfold Post-Its. Man, when they came out with new colors, I damn near stroked out with excitement. Neon green was my jam.
I still have that dispenser on my desk, but nowadays, it doesn’t get much use. A roll of Post-It Notes lasts months instead of days. I’m more likely to rely on a Google calendar or smartphone app instead. Neither are as satisfying as plucking a sticky note from the dispenser, scribbling myself a reminder, and attaching it somewhere that will catch my eye.
If I ever do figure out this whole time-traveling thing, I just might go back to 1995 and relive those glory days. That was also the year of Jagged Little Pill and debut albums from the Foo Fighters and Garbage, so I’d have a great soundtrack to listen to while playing with those sticky squares of paper.
Thursday morning, driving to work, I saw the strangest-looking cloud. I snapped a photo while at a stoplight and posted it to Instagram with the caption, Red skies at night, sailor’s delight. But what do jellyfish clouds in the morning mean…?
Twenty-four hours later, I had my answer: snow.
It started about 7 a.m. Friday, and within three hours, 4.5″ of heavy, wet snow had fallen. I’d gone for my usual morning walk earlier and, while out and about, spotted no fewer than 10 snowplows salting the streets. I will say this about Wisconsin: they are pros at snow preparation. The streets and sidewalks are always salted and sanded, and roads are plowed in a timely manner. Snow removal has always been an iffier proposition in other places I’ve lived.
The fresh snow gave us a perfect excuse to check out the Holiday Light Show at the Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville. We’d visited in late October, and they were already busy stringing up lights then. Well, no wonder: there are 1.2 MILLION lights, plus themed displays and colorful animations. People drive all the way from Chicago to check out the gardens. Sure enough, it was pretty stunning.
Looks like we’ve got ourselves a new tradition!
Mark My Words 
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