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Soon, I plan on doing a total redesign of this blog.
(crickets chirp)
Yeah, I know you can hardly wait. :)
Monday, November 28, 2005
TG and Beyond
Hope everyone had a great holiday! As usual, we had to go to two family gatherings: DH's family and my family. It was exhausting.
We spent most of the day at my parents' house. While there, my dad gave me a phone number regarding "something." Someone had called there looking for me. I figured that it was a telemarketer. However, I put the slip of paper in my pocket and decided to ignore it for awhile. Unfortunately, the paper weighed as much as a ton of bricks--I called the number on Saturday morning, and was promptly informed that a loan payment I had mailed on Nov. 2 had not reached their office yet. The payment obviously got lost in the mail--which is ridiculous, considering the office and myself are located in the same state. I told them to give it another week. They said they would put a note about waiting a few more days in my file. UGH!!!
Yeah, great way to spend the rest of the holiday weekend.
This is the third time I've had problems with the post office delivering things.
First, an insurance payment was sent to a completely different city, but also to an insurance company. The company sent back my payment, saying I needed to make out a new check to them. I called them, asking what was up. Instead of checking to verify my account and stuff, they told me to send a new check. I sent the new check; they sent it back saying they had no record of our account on file. Meanwhile, I got a notice from our correct insurance company saying they were going to cut off our coverage if we didn't send in a payment. I WAS FURIOUS! I had mistakenly assumed that our insurance co. had gotten bought out by the other insurance company.
Second, I bought something off Ebay. I went to the bank, got a cashier's check, and promptly mailed it using one of those priority envelopes. However, it was not an overnight envelope. The address I needed to send it to was in North Carolina. Unfortunately, I mailed it the Saturday before Labor Day, and it was right as Hurricane Katrina hit. I was told that the envelope should arrive by Tuesday or Wednesday.
A week went by. I heard nothing. I figured my item was on its way to me. In the middle of the second week, I get an angry email from the seller, saying she hasn't received my payment. After many emails back and forth, and waiting another few days, she still didn't receive it. She didn't believe that I was telling her the truth, which pissed me off. I thought she was trying to scam me by making me send her twice the amount. However, I ended up sending her the money via Paypal, and then she was going to package up my stuff. In her mail on that last day before mailing the package to me, she gets my envelope--finally. She repackages the item with the unopened cashier's check and I get the package a few days later. I redeposited the cashier's check in the bank.
The third problem was sending a payment to my cable company. Again, the company is in the same state I am in. It took over a month for the payment to get to the company. When I got the following month's bill and saw that the payment I had sent hadn't been applied, I wondered what was up, but I figured it would get there eventually. And that is what happened. The cable company wasn't rabid about collecting on the "missed" payment.
I would set up electronic withdrawals with these companies, but I can't always guarantee that I will have money in the bank when they make the withdrawals.
I hate the post office.
We spent most of the day at my parents' house. While there, my dad gave me a phone number regarding "something." Someone had called there looking for me. I figured that it was a telemarketer. However, I put the slip of paper in my pocket and decided to ignore it for awhile. Unfortunately, the paper weighed as much as a ton of bricks--I called the number on Saturday morning, and was promptly informed that a loan payment I had mailed on Nov. 2 had not reached their office yet. The payment obviously got lost in the mail--which is ridiculous, considering the office and myself are located in the same state. I told them to give it another week. They said they would put a note about waiting a few more days in my file. UGH!!!
Yeah, great way to spend the rest of the holiday weekend.
This is the third time I've had problems with the post office delivering things.
First, an insurance payment was sent to a completely different city, but also to an insurance company. The company sent back my payment, saying I needed to make out a new check to them. I called them, asking what was up. Instead of checking to verify my account and stuff, they told me to send a new check. I sent the new check; they sent it back saying they had no record of our account on file. Meanwhile, I got a notice from our correct insurance company saying they were going to cut off our coverage if we didn't send in a payment. I WAS FURIOUS! I had mistakenly assumed that our insurance co. had gotten bought out by the other insurance company.
Second, I bought something off Ebay. I went to the bank, got a cashier's check, and promptly mailed it using one of those priority envelopes. However, it was not an overnight envelope. The address I needed to send it to was in North Carolina. Unfortunately, I mailed it the Saturday before Labor Day, and it was right as Hurricane Katrina hit. I was told that the envelope should arrive by Tuesday or Wednesday.
A week went by. I heard nothing. I figured my item was on its way to me. In the middle of the second week, I get an angry email from the seller, saying she hasn't received my payment. After many emails back and forth, and waiting another few days, she still didn't receive it. She didn't believe that I was telling her the truth, which pissed me off. I thought she was trying to scam me by making me send her twice the amount. However, I ended up sending her the money via Paypal, and then she was going to package up my stuff. In her mail on that last day before mailing the package to me, she gets my envelope--finally. She repackages the item with the unopened cashier's check and I get the package a few days later. I redeposited the cashier's check in the bank.
The third problem was sending a payment to my cable company. Again, the company is in the same state I am in. It took over a month for the payment to get to the company. When I got the following month's bill and saw that the payment I had sent hadn't been applied, I wondered what was up, but I figured it would get there eventually. And that is what happened. The cable company wasn't rabid about collecting on the "missed" payment.
I would set up electronic withdrawals with these companies, but I can't always guarantee that I will have money in the bank when they make the withdrawals.
I hate the post office.
Monday, November 21, 2005
Pushy Salespeople
All over malls this year seem to be the kiosks for Temptation Beauty. Their salespeople accost you as you're just ambling along, window-shopping. They ask you if you have natural nails. If you say yes, they pull you over to the kiosk and start giving you the hard pitch.
Order it off their website: the nail kits are cheaper. I paid $38, but I see that the nail kit on the website is just $29.99. Of course, if you add in S&H and whatever, it might actually cost the same.
Then again, don't get suckered into this product. It is a good product, but these kiosks prey on impulse shoppers. Wait a day, and if you still like the idea of shiny nails (which I did like the nail buffer), go back and buy it.
Order it off their website: the nail kits are cheaper. I paid $38, but I see that the nail kit on the website is just $29.99. Of course, if you add in S&H and whatever, it might actually cost the same.
Then again, don't get suckered into this product. It is a good product, but these kiosks prey on impulse shoppers. Wait a day, and if you still like the idea of shiny nails (which I did like the nail buffer), go back and buy it.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Routines and Reactions
I am a creature of habit. It has been hard to readjust my daily routine since we got the new dog. The new dog is not quite potty-trained, even though he is ten months old, and the previous owner had reassured me that he was potty-trained. It is taking awhile to get some new routines established.
When we just had the one dog to take care of, she has a bladder of steel and could wait until whenever to go outside. Not so with the new dog. To train him, he needs to go out every two hours or so. If I were home all day, I'm sure I could accomplish a miracle, because I would watch him constantly. But I'm not at home all day. I think the poor creature is confused.
I have been feeling very anxious lately, trying to get the dog integrated into our household. For the most part, it's been going okay, but I feel like I'm the only one trying to do anything. No one seems to take me seriously half the time. I guess I anticipated nothing more than dominance issues between the two dogs, because I assumed the new dog was potty-trained.
Which brings me to my next point: reactions. I notice I am much more anxious than I ever have been, but I realized today that I choose to react that way. I need to turn on the patience, rather than the annoyance. I have been getting majorly annoyed at all the little things lately. This morning, I found myself getting infuriated at everything. However, I managed to hold my tongue instead of lash out, and even laughed. (It was either laugh or cry.)
I know things will get easier as the new dog settles in and learns, but it has been quite an adjustment. We're all on edge. I need to dig deep to find that well of patience, because I am not a very patient person by nature.
TGIF!!!!!!!
When we just had the one dog to take care of, she has a bladder of steel and could wait until whenever to go outside. Not so with the new dog. To train him, he needs to go out every two hours or so. If I were home all day, I'm sure I could accomplish a miracle, because I would watch him constantly. But I'm not at home all day. I think the poor creature is confused.
I have been feeling very anxious lately, trying to get the dog integrated into our household. For the most part, it's been going okay, but I feel like I'm the only one trying to do anything. No one seems to take me seriously half the time. I guess I anticipated nothing more than dominance issues between the two dogs, because I assumed the new dog was potty-trained.
Which brings me to my next point: reactions. I notice I am much more anxious than I ever have been, but I realized today that I choose to react that way. I need to turn on the patience, rather than the annoyance. I have been getting majorly annoyed at all the little things lately. This morning, I found myself getting infuriated at everything. However, I managed to hold my tongue instead of lash out, and even laughed. (It was either laugh or cry.)
I know things will get easier as the new dog settles in and learns, but it has been quite an adjustment. We're all on edge. I need to dig deep to find that well of patience, because I am not a very patient person by nature.
TGIF!!!!!!!
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Watching "Bones"
So I've been watching the new Fox tv series, "Bones." It was on hiatus for three weeks while the baseball playoffs were going on, but now it's back.
I was interested in this show for one reason: David Boreanaz. Since "Angel" went off the air, I've been jonesing for a fix. I was not particularly interested in the subject matter of "Bones," because I don't normally watch crime shows. They tend to depress me.
However, I thought I'd give this show a shot. After the first episode, I decided I liked the writing--it had a lot of scientific (read: anthropologic and forensic) jargon mixed with witty repartee among the main characters.
Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) is a forensic anthropologist working for the Jeffersonian Institute (an obvious reference to the Smithsonian). She works with Booth (David Boreanaz), an FBI agent, whenever he finds a decomposing corpse. She has assistants who help her reconstruct the victim and the crime. Not to mention, she wrote a fictional novel based on her life, and the others are continually teasing her about it.
The characters in the series are based on characters created by the author, Kathy Reichs. You can read more about her here in this USA Today article.
In the few episodes I've seen, I tune in to watch Boreanaz more than anything else. I do like a lot of the anthropological stuff, but sometimes, the crime stuff is depressing. For instance, in last night's episode, the victim was a young child. It was painful for the characters to reconstruct his death as well as it was for me to watch the show. Temperance also seems to be one-dimensional; she is obsessed with facts, as if by concentrating on the facts, she won't have to deal with her real life, which is lonely. I'm sure, as time goes on, we'll see more of the real Temperance.
If you have nothing better to do on Tuesday nights at 7pm (CST), then watch this show. Fox picked it up for the whole season.
I was interested in this show for one reason: David Boreanaz. Since "Angel" went off the air, I've been jonesing for a fix. I was not particularly interested in the subject matter of "Bones," because I don't normally watch crime shows. They tend to depress me.
However, I thought I'd give this show a shot. After the first episode, I decided I liked the writing--it had a lot of scientific (read: anthropologic and forensic) jargon mixed with witty repartee among the main characters.
Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) is a forensic anthropologist working for the Jeffersonian Institute (an obvious reference to the Smithsonian). She works with Booth (David Boreanaz), an FBI agent, whenever he finds a decomposing corpse. She has assistants who help her reconstruct the victim and the crime. Not to mention, she wrote a fictional novel based on her life, and the others are continually teasing her about it.
The characters in the series are based on characters created by the author, Kathy Reichs. You can read more about her here in this USA Today article.
In the few episodes I've seen, I tune in to watch Boreanaz more than anything else. I do like a lot of the anthropological stuff, but sometimes, the crime stuff is depressing. For instance, in last night's episode, the victim was a young child. It was painful for the characters to reconstruct his death as well as it was for me to watch the show. Temperance also seems to be one-dimensional; she is obsessed with facts, as if by concentrating on the facts, she won't have to deal with her real life, which is lonely. I'm sure, as time goes on, we'll see more of the real Temperance.
If you have nothing better to do on Tuesday nights at 7pm (CST), then watch this show. Fox picked it up for the whole season.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Movie Reviews
"Matrix: Reloaded": Hmmm... unsure about this one. We saw this movie on TBS, with commercial interruptions. It had been so long since we saw the first "Matrix" movie that we almost needed to watch it again and then view this second film. We muddled through it, though. It was interesting to see Harold Perrineau (Michael from "Lost"), Gina Torres (various roles on "Angel," "Firefly," "Hercules," and "Cleopatra 2525"), and Hugo Weaving (that guy who played Elrond in "LOTR"). I did not know they were in this film.
Unfortunately, a lot of scenes in this movie were obviously digitally animated, not to mention unbelievable. Ah well. We plan to rent the third movie ("Matrix: Revolutions") soon.
"Robots": This animated movie was a little too predictable for my taste. Basically, a bunch of misfits rescue the world. DD enjoyed it.
"Blade: Trinity": The third movie in the Blade series was nothing I hadn't seen before. Jessica Biel was hot. Wesley Snipes did even less talking than he did in the previous films. The ending seemed ambiguous, leaving room for another sequel or spinoff. There was quite a bit of scientist dumb daughter (explanation) stuff. I did not like the scene in which the original vampire captures the little girl of the blind technogeek woman. Sigh. Could have been better, could have been worse. See it if you have nothing better to do.
Unfortunately, a lot of scenes in this movie were obviously digitally animated, not to mention unbelievable. Ah well. We plan to rent the third movie ("Matrix: Revolutions") soon.
"Robots": This animated movie was a little too predictable for my taste. Basically, a bunch of misfits rescue the world. DD enjoyed it.
"Blade: Trinity": The third movie in the Blade series was nothing I hadn't seen before. Jessica Biel was hot. Wesley Snipes did even less talking than he did in the previous films. The ending seemed ambiguous, leaving room for another sequel or spinoff. There was quite a bit of scientist dumb daughter (explanation) stuff. I did not like the scene in which the original vampire captures the little girl of the blind technogeek woman. Sigh. Could have been better, could have been worse. See it if you have nothing better to do.
Week One of Nano
Alas, I was both busy and exhausted during the first week of Nanowrimo. I managed to get 2,202 words written on Thursday (Nov. 3), but the rest of the days last week were a washout.
First off, work is back to being busy. Then, Monday was Hallowe'en and we had to go over to my mom's afterward we went trick-or-treating to see my Floridian grandmother who was vacationing at my mom's house. We also drove over there on Tuesday evening for more visiting. That was a half-hour's drive each way, plus two hours of catching up. (DD was very tired both nights by the time we got home.) On Wednesday, DH & I ended up watching "Mythbusters" on the Discovery Channel after he got home from work. I think I went to bed early. On Thursday, I forced myself to get started writing on my Nano, because the hardest part sometimes is just starting--I also knew that if I didn't at least start, I probably never would. On Friday, DH was off and we took DD to McDonald's for supper. We also rented movies: "Robots" and "Blade: Trinity."
The weekend was also busy. We needed to go shopping on Saturday, which took up most of the day. In the evening, we watched "Matrix: Reloaded" on TBS. Then on Sunday, I had to meet my sister and her kids for family pics at Sears at 1:30. That whole day was basically a waste of time as far as doing anything constructive. I had to do four loads of laundry when I got home. I was so tired that I went to sleep at 9pm.
I hope this week is less exhausting. DD has Daisy Scouts tomorrow evening, but that should be all we have to do this week.
First off, work is back to being busy. Then, Monday was Hallowe'en and we had to go over to my mom's afterward we went trick-or-treating to see my Floridian grandmother who was vacationing at my mom's house. We also drove over there on Tuesday evening for more visiting. That was a half-hour's drive each way, plus two hours of catching up. (DD was very tired both nights by the time we got home.) On Wednesday, DH & I ended up watching "Mythbusters" on the Discovery Channel after he got home from work. I think I went to bed early. On Thursday, I forced myself to get started writing on my Nano, because the hardest part sometimes is just starting--I also knew that if I didn't at least start, I probably never would. On Friday, DH was off and we took DD to McDonald's for supper. We also rented movies: "Robots" and "Blade: Trinity."
The weekend was also busy. We needed to go shopping on Saturday, which took up most of the day. In the evening, we watched "Matrix: Reloaded" on TBS. Then on Sunday, I had to meet my sister and her kids for family pics at Sears at 1:30. That whole day was basically a waste of time as far as doing anything constructive. I had to do four loads of laundry when I got home. I was so tired that I went to sleep at 9pm.
I hope this week is less exhausting. DD has Daisy Scouts tomorrow evening, but that should be all we have to do this week.
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