I was such a slug yesterday.  

I don't have any real work to do for the office, my primary complaint about this job.  People tell me, "Don't worry about it!  Just enjoy it!"  But I can't, not without feeling guilty for being paid for almost nothing.  For the first few months on the job, I stayed busy trying to educate myself on the mechanics of grant-writing and the mechanics of local government.  I took classes, watched webinars, read books on all sorts of subjects.  At this point, I'm kind of . . . saturated on the various subjects.

I've threatened to quit come September, my one-year anniversary.  The point of taking this job was to boost my eventual monthly retirement check.  I have enough years of service and am close enough to retirement age that I could retire in September and draw full benefits.  But for every additional year that I work, my monthly pay will increase by some small percent that, down the road, might make the difference between affording that "Medicare supplement" and not affording it.  So I intend to hang in there for as long as I can stand it, or as long as they will keep me.  

It's kind of scary, actually.  

Yesterday morning after checking my email - nothing but newsletters and mail lists - I decided to practice painting.  Why not, eh?  Might as well make use of all this time.  Been trying to learn watercolor.  I have watercolor pencils, watercolor brush pens, watercolors in pans, and watercolors in tubes.  Good thick paper, flimsy sketch paper.  Might as well make use of all this stuff.  

Watercolor mystifies me.  It is unpredictable.  Maybe that's why I enjoy it.

I turned out two quick "paintings" yesterday.  One was a paint-along with an online video.  The painter's name is Diane Antone and I do not mind giving her a plug.  Her video tutorials are great for a beginner like me, simple lessons that help you learn to use the materials.  I just like to hear her talk.  Anyway . . . .

I painted with the paint-along.  

And I also played Zelda on the Nintendo.  Link was getting his ass kicked by a throng of gibdoes when I left him.  (They are already dead, so they're hard to kill.)

Around lunchtime, I mopped the floors.  Washed a load of clothes.  Did the second painting from a  "today's challenge" list - "paint a lively street scene with people enjoying drinks."  I probably will throw that one in the garbage.  

And every thirty minutes or so, I'd check the work computer, hoping to find some lead to follow that would produce something useful for the office.  Found a webinar (for Thursday) for learning how to query the U.S. census.  Fun times!

Since The Husband had a board meeting to attend last night, I did not need to cook dinner.  If he had been here for dinner, he would have gotten left-overs from Sunday's bean/cornbread lunch.  Tonight he has another meeting, so no cooking tonight, either.

Tomorrow is my office day, which means I won't be home until 5:30.  Our menu for tomorrow night might be a drive-thru salad.

Today is not looking too promising on the work side.  I'll probably be offing gibdoes before too long.