Congratulations on a slightly productive day of faff

[j4]

I wish my most productive hours of the day weren't always taken up by work. As it is I frequently find that in the afternoon I'm full of energy and wanting to Get Things Done ... but by then I've done all the stuff I can find to do at work (and I have actually done quite a lot today!) and I want to Get Things Done at home: just odds and sods of Things like tidying the house, selling stuff on eBay, washing clothes, etc.

However, I have managed to use this afternoon's random burst of energy to: pay some of my rentmortgage; pay my credit card bill; send off for a DD form so I can pay off the balance of my HSBC card by DD every month; check my other credit card statement; and send an email to chase up the Richard Thompson CD I ordered a month ago from EIL. If I was at home right now I reckon I'd have about enough energy to tidy my room and put a wash on as well, but as it is, by the time I get there I'll be feeling flaked out & good for nothing except random pottering around.

Hopefully, however, I will have the energy to make a 'congratulations' card for my little sister, since the shops are utterly bereft of anything attractive or useful. I was astounded today to discover the granularity of congratulations cards -- not only the standard new job, new baby, new house, passing driving test, graduation, exams, etc., not only the slightly more specific (but doubtless useful) "congratulations on your ordination", but even "congratulations on losing weight" and "congratulations on giving up smoking". Whatever happened to the idea of selecting a generally-applicable card and actually writing something ourselves to tailor it to the individual case?

Anyway, I know it's unlikely, but if any of you were thinking of sending me a "Congratulations on paying off your credit card bill" card, or a "congratulations on remembering to make lunch before going to work" card, for goodness' sake save the money and buy yourself a beer.

Comments

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on your ordination?

Excellent! What's the cover image, though? And I'm betting it's not a Larson or Bestie ...

[j4.livejournal.com]

Something arty and not very interesting IIRC...

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. Trying to think of an ordinatary image now ...

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

The most upmarket cards used to be available completely blank inside, on the assumption that upmarket people wrote their own greetings. Sadly such things are no longer available.

I have often wished that I could buy a completely blank card, and do all the artwork, greetings, messages etcetera myself.

No, wait: it's called a letter. On the other hand, there's a certain attraction in sending that special somegit a card congratulating them on having washed.

[j4.livejournal.com]

Sadly such things are no longer available.

Oh, they are -- the "Art" section in card shops usually has blank-inside cards. And Paperchase usually has quite a good selection but just really didn't have anything suitable for my sister.

I have often wished that I could buy a completely blank card, and do all the artwork, greetings, messages etcetera myself.

You can buy blank cards with envelopes in craft shops. Or you can just buy card, and envelopes, and do it yourself (which is what I usually do when I make cards) -- cutting the card to size is a faff, but a lot cheaper than buying ready-cut. If I want cards with a frame effect (e.g. for cross-stitch) then I'll buy those, though, because I really don't have the patience to measure them up and make them -- I'd rather spend the time on the artistic bits than the ruler-wielding.

Anyway I thought I'd seen some nice cards recently in the shops but couldn't find them. :-/ Maybe they were in John Lewis, I went there but found that it had moved & I didn't have time to walk to the new location in my lunch-hour ...

there's a certain attraction in sending that special somegit a card congratulating them on having washed

Heh. <grin>

[acronym.livejournal.com]

I have a grand plan for Christmas cards this year, but it depends on about three unlikely things (one of which is my effort). If I pull it off, though, it'll be quite shiny I think.

(Possibly literally).

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

Combinatorial polycards. Congratulations for things that are well ended. Congratulations for finishing or selling a novel. All these I could make myself, but not being the most visual of people, would sooner have someone who is do so that I could then obtain and send them where needed.

[k425.livejournal.com]

for goodness' sake save the money and buy yourself a beer.


Surely we should buy you one?!