It's only Tuesday?

It feels like it's been a week already, but today is only Tuesday! However, this week is proving the adage, "It's always something!"

Our transmitter is located out in the Apalachicola Forest. The Talquin Electric people have been moving some power lines out there, so the transmitter has apparently been running on generator. The first generator failed. The university loaned us one. That one failed as well. A third generator was rented. THAT one caught fire on Saturday morning.

(Pictures courtesy of various engineers)

Of course all this happened on the weekend. Our signal kept going off the air as generators died.

And of course we had "special programming" this weekend with a complete rerun of the National Parks series on Saturday and Sunday. The Viewer Services department had their hands full on Monday morning.

After yet another failure, it seems that bad gas is part of the problem (though I don't think it was enough to set a generator on fire). We now have FIVE generators at the ready.

Boy, are we prepared for anything!!!

Except...

You probably don't know exactly how you get whatever is on your television channels. In our case, we have several methods of delivery. Programming can come from satellite, from tape, or from server (kind of like a giant, industrial strength DVR). Then there's the stuff that runs in between programs. Promos, special event spots, underwriters and IDs. We house those on a separate, smaller server.

Today, the smaller server crashed. Which meant that we had programming, but nothing to run in between. Luckily, PBS actually has interstitial material between their program feeds, so if we HAD to, we could just go to the network for those three minutes between programs. We did that for a couple of breaks while those of us who push paper and schedule that in-between stuff ran around looking for backup tapes and wondering how it is that such things don't exist for much of our material.

While some of us were running around like headless chickens, Ray (the Chief Engineer) was trying to figure out how to fix the problem. He tried several things and the server just wouldn't reboot. Finally, Leo, another engineer mentioned that this had happened before. Ray asked what he did to fix the problem. Leo showed him. They went back in to Master and Leo whacked the side of the server.

It rebooted. (Thank goodness for those engineering-types. You gotta know just where to hit it!)

Lesson learned. Get some bloody backups made!!!!

At least the satellite didn't fall out of the sky... this time.

Seriously, the station couldn't run without Ray and Leo. They have more between their ears than the average bear. Ray is retiring soon and I don't know how the place will run without him.

Falling for Fun Monday

Monday has rolled around again (does that every week), which must mean that it's FUN MONDAY! This week's host is HoosierGirl, who has poured herself a cup of coffee and is looking for answers to her ponderings:

This morning, the weather turned cool here in Southern Indiana and my thoughts turned to fall. Our "10 on Tuesday" was name something that is your favorite about fall, and hence....this week's topic was born.

Show us or tell us what you love about fall - images, smells, sights, activities.

I absolutely ADORE Fall!

I love that the leaves drift down from the trees. Since I live in the South, this is usually as close to seeing snowfall as I get.

I love the cooler temperatures that allow me to breathe again. Have you ever been somewhere where the air is so heavy that it's hard to inhale? That's this place and summer.

I love that having a hot cup of tea, coffee, or cocoa is comfortable and not setting you up to melt.

I love that jackets and jeans aren't so out of place.

I love that the bug population falls off rather dramatically, and after the first frost, they nearly disappear.

I love that the windows can be opened without fear of bugs or pollen ruining it.

I love that a morning rain feels refreshing rather than dampening.

I love that it's time for more than just a sheet. It's hard to snuggle into bed when you're sweating like a racehorse after a good run.

I love that going out for a walk or a run or a bike ride or any other physical activity feels exhilarating and not like a slog.

Mostly, I love the energetic feeling I get that makes me want to take on projects! Painting the house, recovering furniture, sweeping the walk - my best life improvement projects happen in the fall!

This weekend, we started on my son's bedroom. We are making him a forest to sleep in.

We've got the sky and the hills and a few trees.

The sunset has been painted on the west wall and bigger trees and animals have been penciled in but need finer brushes than what we have now to complete.

Weekend and beyond project

When my boy was just a tot and we lived in a mobile home down in darkest Wakulla, I wanted to make his room a place he wanted to sleep in (we were having stay-in-your-own-bed issues). So I set about to make his room magical for him. I pulled out the blue carpet and put in a fake (vinyl) wood floor and painted over the oh-so-lovely trailer wallboard with a milk chocolate color, then added trees so that he had his own forest to sleep on. I found bedspreads with a leaf motif for his bunk bed and a green rug. Only on the rare nightmare nights did he show up at the foot of our bed after that.

It was an amazing room.

About a month ago, we were on our way to school when he rather wistfully said that he wished he could have his old room in our new house. I thought about it some and decided that it could be done - but better this time!

Granted, my artistic skills are limited. The trees in the previous room were pretty primitive - like something a five year old might make. I have a better idea of what I want to do for him this time - so I got started yesterday.

First, we removed all the stuff in his room.

I swept the ceiling and the fan and the walls (where does all this dust come from????) and finally the floor.

Instead of a flat landscape, this time, we're gonna have rolling hills.

There was no way I'd get to finish this weekend, so I build his bed (the frame was given to us by his godmother - we had the mattress) and put fresh sheets on it so he'd have somewhere to sleep while I figured out where the art brushes had disappeared to. That could take some time, and may actually result in my buying some more....

When I showed him his room, he was ecstatic - "It's better than I ever dreamed!!! And you're not even finished yet!"

No, baby... I'm not.