Things have not gone my way today.
1. There is a very smelly plumbing problem which I have tried (many times) and failed to fix. Which means I have to call a plumber. Which means research and getting recommendations, cha cha cha.
2. Somebody in this family who shall remain nameless (but it ain’t me) missed a FIFTH dental appointment. Five no-shows since January. This unnamed person (who I’d like to strangle) has now been booted out of the dentistry practice to wander the streets at his/her own peridontal peril. This person must now find a new dentist. Without my assistance, and before he/she loses every tooth in his/her head.
3. Also today: the guy who was doing garden work for me has disappeared, with about a hundred bucks of pre-paid time. So I’m out a hundred bucks, I have to find a new garden person, and the weeds, no dummies they, are already on the march, the invading army bent on world (or at least garden) domination.
5. A bill arrived. This bill had big red letters on it: SERIOUSLY OVERDUE (who writes these things, a surfer dude?). Then lots of dire warnings. Except I had never seen this bill before, so I called, using my reasonable let’s-figure-this-out voice, and I explained.
Me: I’ve got this overdue notice. You seem to think you’ve billed me for $150 in the past, and that I haven’t paid.
Accounting Person: You haven’t paid, that is correct. You are three months in arrears.
/note/ Do they force them to talk like this? /note/
Me: You’re right, I haven’t. Because this is the first such bill I’ve received.
AP: You received four other notices.
Me: I beg to differ. But wait, can I back up a minute? What exactly is it that I’m being billed for. Because there’s no indication here.
AP: Services rendered.
Me: Okay. Which services? You are a large organization. I have consulted more than one professional under your roof. And you will note, I have always paid my bills on time.
AP: So it seems.
Me: Are you doubting me, your computer, or both?
AP: If people would just pay their bills on time.
Me: I sense frustration.
AP: Pay the bill, I’ll be nicer next time.
At that point I asked for this person’s supervisor. It took about five minutes to straighten it out, and it turned out that I did owe them about fifty bucks. I volunteered to pay immediately by credit card, and before I could stop her, the supervisor transfered me back to the SAME AP.
6. And one more, just for fun: My computer is making Noises. Off and on, clicking/grinding noises from deep inside its shiny little heart. I did a full backup but every time I type a page I wonder if I’ll ever see it again.
My solution to this problem? New computer. Load ‘er up with RAM and dual processors and all kinds of goodies, damn the price, full speed ahead. But the Mathematician, the Voice of Reason, the Cautious One, the Patient one (more patient than I am, anyway) thinks I should wait. Just a day, to see what happens.
Good and fine. But I won’t be sleeping much.
Here’s an idea I had. What if I got in touch with Steve Jobs old buddy old pal, and suggested that he give me a top of the line, fully decked out laptop. He can engrave something clever on the lid so people see that (1) I am an author using a mac; (2) Everything I have in print (more than a million words) was created on a mac; (3) that he, Steve Jobs, is a patron of the arts and generous, to boot. heck, I’ll even put one of those MADE WITH A MAC icons on the darn book jacket.
Now I’m going back to work.
You've stumbled across my official website and landed on the front page of my weblog.
Can you activate the links?
link isn’t working for you? It works for me. There’s only one, “she will take you apart”
working now. I may have been operating with a caffeine deficit earlier.
No sir. I sure wouldn’t want to run afoul of Candy or any of these other incredibly smart people who have responded to Jan Butler’s statements. I found JB’s refusal to approve any of the comments people were leaving on her follow-up blog entry, “Freedom of speech and ideas…for whom?” most interesting. That blog entry STILL has 0 comments. Unbelievable.
I love how she hides behind the freedom of speech like some self-important martyr. The first amendment doesn’t promote or encourage hate mongering does it? I love how she bucks at the names she has been called while sprouting immorality and terms that might as well spell out YOU ARE SICK AND WE HATE YOU. But just because she is legally allowed to say these things does not mean she is pushing any less shit up hill. The reason so many people are on one side of the argument compared to her up-start little group on her side is the fact that over the last fifty years – even less actually – the world has been proven round. It is okay and normal to be homosexual, there is no conspiracy to make others homosexual, it is a part of our biology and a part of our race as human beings. The world is round, it is not flat, deal with the fact that we are not all straight, some of us are gay and GASP! most are normal, morally-bound human beings who live good, productive and useful lives. The thing is that this sort of mentality is engrained and there is no point arguing with people like this, all they feel is that they are the poor victims because their tirades of mean-spirited, out-dated thinking has been countered. I feel bad for her, it would be hard being one of the last people standing in the middle of the street yelling “the world is flat damn it” while other people are taking pictures from the moon proving her wrong.
There are some countries in the world where people who write about same sex love get imprisoned and tortured. It’s truly depressing to see a writer of whatever genre come out with these views let alone asserting a writing organisation such as RWA should adopt them. I though we were in the business of writing our truths.
Ok the dentist thing, I admit I did it once myself, I missed 3 appointments and I was out and it was a dentist I shared with a co-worker and she somehow found out about it. I mean I even had a dental plan covering 100% why I didn’t go, I’ll never know (um I have been to the dentist since then 2 x year LOL).
As for the charming Accounting Person, I can’t believe they are allowed to talk to people like that, I mean ok, she didn’t call you names, but still some respect is required.
Gardner, hmm, I’ve seen your flowers, he did a great job, get someone young and cute like on Desperate Housewives lol :D.
I’m with you on the new computer, brand new fully loaded MAC, the only problem I have with that is I’m the type of person that once I get that, I’ll love it, play with it, load it, and then want the next best thing. Sometimes there’s just no pleasing me (only when it comes to computers LOL :D).
Will you be sharing any spoilers with us in the near future (can’t hurt to ask :D).
I love these posts from you, they’re my favorite kind (next to the writing sex scenes ones).
So, if the, um, BRAKES on your CAR were making that same awful grindy-clicky noise, would the Mathematician tell you to keep driving on the winding hilly coastal highway for another day or so, just to see what happened?
Today you are a better woman than I am, for it is a rare person who could describe such a day without resorting to even one exclamation point.
I [grrrrr] at them all on your behalf!
Back that puppy up, bigtime! On a CD or DVD, not to the same disc. Experience speaking here.
Other than that, sympathies! Sometimes things just can’t get any worse. Then they do.
Sorry ’bout your day.
As for the hard drive … if you are so inclined with all the other things that you have going on, and if you have a MSWindows machine around, and if you have SpinRite (a disk recovery program which can be purchased on GRC.com) you might be able to correct/save the HD. A solution the Mathmetician might support. Personally, I like your solution.
hehehe@ robynbender.
..oops, I’m so sorry you had a bad day :(
Sorry about your shitty day, Rosina.
At least for one of those shitty things, you can say, “N.M.P. Not. My. Problem.”
Because whether it’s the girlchild or the mathematician, s/he’s a big girl/boy now. Their teeth are unlikely to fall out tomorrow.
So check that one off your list.
I just got a new laptop at home myself, Rosina. I highly recommend it. If that helps.
Hey Rosina. You’re artistic. Maybe you can design and market an all purpose Mother of All Days poster template.
For 1 it would say WANTED – plumber (then tick off list of all your requirements in a plumber)
for 2 it would day WANTED – dentist. Must have facility to microchip, detect and round up errant patients
for 3 it would say WANTED – have you seen this man? (followed by one of your excellent sketches)
[just noticed 4 is missing, me being a list person and all]
for 5 it would say WANTED – proof polite/not bored sounding/don’t cut you off halfway through a sentence human beings do exist in large company accounts dept (might be a long time waiting for that one)
for 6 it would say GETTING – followed by pics of shiny new computer. This of course would be addressed only to the Mathematician.
I really hope you get a computer, if only for your own peace of mind. After all, you can still keep your current one as a reserve (if there really isn’t anything wrong with it). 2 weeks ago my own computer hard drive clicked its last. Except it didn’t click. It expired by stealth. Very scary. I wanted to cry. Thankfully all could be retireved except e-mails. Horror – I lost all my e-mail addresses. That’ll teach me not to keep them all somewhere separate.
That was one nasty day you had Rosina. The weekend’s coming up so I hope that at least your plumbing problem is solved by then