16 listopadu

2100+ words (so therefore 3 800+ for the chapter 32 000+ for the novel). Didn't accomplish what I thought I would, but I did accomplish something I wasn't sure how to: something important, too. Gave the reason for the Duke's relatives to dislike Yanek, and therefore a reason for the Duke to shelter him from the relatives. Got them to the country, got a few personality things straightened out. Got Sasha to demonstrate his social graces. Got some description of the godawful late winter landscape. Accidentally created a recurring character of a newsboy glimpsed from the car two chapters ago, by glimpsing him again on the way out of the city.

I am not Mr. Earbrass.

I don't have to go to work right now but I do have to clean: the furnace man is coming this morning (which is why I have a substitute for the morning). I have been reluctant to turn the thermostat even on because the furnace has as fr as I can recall never been cleaned. I'm not sure how long we've had it but it's more than ten years, I think. Yesterday one of my co-workers really needed to leave early for personal reasons and stayed later but still we couldn't get them out until more than two hours after they wanted to leave, because of a high number of children staying later.

furnace man came: we have heat

Well. The furnace was clean, after 12 years. It turns out that the reason we never had it cleaned before is that it's a self-contained, high-tech, new modern kind that we had installed for that very purpose . . . I just forgot. Anyway, it was due for an inspection. Furnace man says it's in the middle of its life but I do not see myself replacing it in ten years unless there's something wrong with it. Got a new washable filter and a new thermostat. And the filter for the cold air return is the only filter, so by washing that every month (theoretically: in practice, more like four times a year), I'm already doing the regular maintenance that the thing needs.

I have set the thermostat rather cool: I will keep checking in to see that it's not still too cold for the young man.

Of course the dog loved the furnace man to bits and kept racing around and barking.

on another front: tags. Am I the only one who uses them as a vey detailed index? I see other people hardly tagging their posts at all, and when they do tag them it's kind of general every time.