Yesterday was just so...

...busy.

 It was chilly in the house so while waiting for my fingers, and the rest of my body to warm up I checked Facebook, my e-mail, my store and then set about making invitations for the holiday pot luck we're having here in the neighborhood.  We started having one every year for us ladies that used to go out on occasion, for lunch.  I wanted to get them in the mail right away so that the ladies will have time to change schedules, decline, or whatever they so choose.

Where is the dang heat?

After the invitations were done, I made a Christmas card to give the girls at the 'pot luck', and it's ready to print out and put in an envelop come the day of the gathering.

By now I was feeling just a tad of warmth in the house and I began decorating the back rooms of the house.  I didn't do as much back there, mostly because this time of year those two back rooms are blocked off (I don't use them much) so why spend money trying to keep them warm, and who the heck is going to go back there anyway? 

The rest of the morning and some of the afternoon I was a busy little bee decorating, decorating, decorating the front of the house.   Full jingling boxes came off shelves, empty, plastic bag filled ones went back on them.  After a bit of carpet sweeping, I collapsed onto to sofa.

Perhaps I could finish studying for my Bible Study on the morrow.  Oh, that's right, I did some on-line research for that but never printed it out, so back to my computer I go.  It is now pretty late in the afternoon.  I'm tired, maybe I should fix myself a glass of wine, or maybe have one of my Porter beers.  Ah, what the heck.  Business before pleasure.

Well sir, my little printer is humming along.  You know how you know the 'sounds' of your printer, and when it's doing its job in a proper manner?  And, when it's not? 

Mine started making that awful noise that a piece of paper is getting....getting...
stuck.  No problem, this has happened before, I know exactly what to do.  I remove the paper tray, grab the tail end of the wrinkled paper and pull it out.

Uh-oh.

There is no tail end to grab, the paper was gone, vanished, disappeared into the bowels of my printer.  Well, this had never happened before.  Perhaps I can see it from the back, 'vertical feed' if I remove that tray.  Any other time that dang thing would pop up and out into my fingers.  Today, right now, that I need it...it refused to extricate itself.

Damn, dang, son of a sea cook.

(Have you noticed you no longer get 'manuals' with your electronics, that showed nice pictures of how to repair your gadgets?  I have, and I could sure use one now.)

I was in serious trouble.  I hate dealing with Customer Service, mostly because I don't want to appear stupid, but, it's mostly because I hate, hate, hate admitting I need help.  So, I begin by getting my flashlight, and screwdriver.  I'm going to disassemble this damn thing.  As soon as I unscrew the back, my printer begins to tell me 'the back of my printer' is open.

Ya think?

Why don't you tell me where the damn piece of paper is.  I push, "finish printing", Now there's a little yellow light flashing at me.  Shoot, that's annoying.  Wait.  Isn't there the 'troubleshooting' thing on my computer.  Yeah, that's the ticket, that will tell me what to do.

Well, first it tells me what the problem is.  "Paper Jam".

Dah!

Then it tells me what to do "If you see the paper...."

Sadly, I cannot.

Then it tells me what to do "If you can't see the paper..."

Hallelujah!

I can see by the illustration I should have not removed the back, so I screw it back into place.  The printer still says the back is open...I tell it to shut up.

There is a picture of what piece I should remove in order to retrieve the paper, but not exactly how to do that.  It looks simple, and I follow the instructions, but my piece simply will not budge.

Panic swells, am I going to have to call Customer Service after all?

No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I take my flashlight and move in close for a better look.  What the heck is that red stuff?  That looks like a strip of tape.  It is, and it is holding the piece I have to remove firmly in place.  Hurriedly, I rip off the tape, follow the instructions on my computer screen and there...is my crumpled up piece of paper.  Which I remove.

I then put the printer back together, say thanks to God, and turn off the printer so the dang thing would stop telling me the back was open, the paper was jammed and the yellow light would stop glaring at me.

I was exhausted.  Only one thing left to do.  I had to run a test to make sure I had done things correctly. 

I turn the printer back on.  The messages are gone, and there is no yellow light.  I put a single piece of paper back into the paper tray, read and follow the instructions on my computer screen telling me to "print a test page".  My printer flings to life,  I hear the ink cartridges being cleaned, I hear the paper being moved into proper position.

Will it,

will it,

will it print, or

will it jam?

I can hear the paper begin to move.  Seconds later, a neatly printed page comes out telling me no error had occurred.  I was one happy camper.  Again, I thanked the Lord.

I finished the job I had started in the first place, put my computer on stand by, and walked away.

I was worn out, frazzled, limp as a daisy, and good for nothing. 

It's dark out, well after six.  I should fix myself something to eat.  And, where's that glass of wine or Porter beer? 

Frankie.  Frankie!!!!

I laid down on the couch.

I guess I can't do trauma anymore...but, on the up side, at least I didn't have to call no dang Customer Service.  I dislike them even more than solicitation phone calls.

I promptly fell asleep.