"Mercury in retrograde"

I knew someone who used to posit that as an explanation for times when stuff just breaks, or goes wrong, or communication is bad.

I had two instances, easily enough cleared up, of that today:

1. My KnitPicks package had gone missing. I ordered some things (including this sockyarn, which is called "sugared violets" but at which I totally went "TWILIGHT SPARKLE" when I saw it, so had to buy some). I normally don't order stuff when going out of town, but sometimes those colorways of Felici are limited in availability and I was concerned that somehow the knitting-brony community would pick up on it and buy it all up (stranger things have happened) before I could get some.

Well, I figured, no big deal if it comes while I'm out of town; they ship USPS and I have my mail held. And yes, they sent me the e-mail on the 12th that the package was on its way.

So I came back, got my mail, expecting the package to be in it. No package. Asked the post office person - was there a package for me? No, she said not. She even checked the shelf of "recent" packages that people need to come and pick up.

So I called KnitPicks this morning just to see what was up. Told the man my order number. "That's strange," he said, "It says it was out for delivery [from my local post office] on the 16th."

Over a week ago.

So he offered to re-send it, saying, "I think it got lost."

So then I got home, and while I was dealing with issue #2, the mail came. Guess what was in the mail? Now I'm wondering if the mailman just drove around with it in his truck for a week or something. I called KnitPicks again and explained the situation, the person I talked to said she e-mailed the warehouse and would try to stop shipment of the second package. (Here is where my upbringing comes out, I guess: it was only after I hung up that I thought, "wow, she was grateful to me for calling" and then realized that it was because SOME people might have just kept both the original and replacement packages and never let them know)

But at least now I have TWILIGHT SPARKLE SOCKYARN. Also a couple skeins of dark grey "Capretta," which I am pretty sure I ordered for fingerless mitts but now do not remember which pattern I was going to use. I should really write those things down.

2. I got in my car to run home for lunch (this is the only day I have time to eat lunch at home) and Sirius XM wasn't working. Instead of the usual soothing "Pops" channel, I got someone reading off a list of stations (it was stuck on channel 184). There was an ominous message: CALL SIRIUS.

So when I got home, I did. Got transferred to a "customer care representative" because the automated system could not find my account based on my phone number. Talked to a fellow with a heavy accent who, when he spelled my last name back to me, left all the vowels out. Finally, despite a very poor connection, I managed to get that he was saying I needed to leave my car turned on, sitting in clear view of the sky, and they were going to "reset" the satellite. Or the connection. Or something. (Satellite radio is one of those things, like the internet, that I'm willing to accept Arthur C. Clarke's Third Law about. All I know is that when it's not working, I can't do anything from my end to make it work again, and I want it to work again).

Finally, the connection (or whatever) recovered, and I was once again able to listen to Strauss waltzes and Mozart concerti while I drive.

Both those were easily-enough sorted, but it does make me wonder a bit what the third thing might be. ("They" say stuff happens in threes....)