Everything and nothing and rambling

The sun is setting on yet another perfect day in northern CA. Or so M would say! He waxed on and on today about the glories of living in the promised land (ie, where we are). It really is pretty amazing. Funny, because last night we went to REI to pick up my bike which had been shipped there, and we talked to a salesman for a while who used to be a funds manager or something like that and then wandered the world for about nine years and now works at REI and complains about the management of it, which I don't blame him as I worked at an REI and there are definitely some issues with it. And it is true that people who work for a long time in retail know how to do nothing and get away with it, and people who don't work for a long time and have a really high work ethic can do nothing once and get caught (speaking from experience in the latter case). In any event, he asked why on earth we'd move here - because it's so expensive. Well, we answered, there's a ton going for it!

And while I'm in the ramblin' amblin' mood, I'll just take the time here to say how much I despise Comcast. And have from the moment I called to order. Actually, even before since their website does not allow you to provide a comment unless you are a customer. They think I am Emily and although they made the error, I have to go to a store and show my ID in order for them to change it. Here's a good story - I called today to get help with my bill, and I get Miguel. As we're just starting to talk, I hear cheering in the background, like they are watching a football game. I ask Miguel a question about an item, and he literally says to me "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention, can you repeat that?". OMG. Immediately I ask for a manager, and of course was on hold for 10-15 minutes, but dammit to hell I wasn't going to hang up and give them the satisfaction of getting away from me. Jason the manager comes on, and I tell him what Miguel said, and Jason says: He said that?! He helps me and I ask how Miguel is going to be handled. Apparently Miguel said that I wasn't giving him information and that's why he transferred me to the manager. Thing is, all calls are recorded. Dumb shit. The manager told me exactly how he was addressing it and it sounded great.

And yet another rant. I have been calling around because I might be going away soon for a short trip and need a cat sitter. Yelped, and found a few. I talked to one woman on the phone and she asked me to send an email. For some reason I mentioned to her that I was looking at another service. She got all pissy because she was really busy and was making an exception for me and that I should contact her when I was sure I wanted her. I was pissy after that, but she had good reviews, so I wrote back a mildly apologetic but clear that she had not be clear she was making an exception, and have not heard back from her. I'm not going to let her get away with not responding - I'll call her tomorrow. Let her verbalize that she doesn't want to talk to me.

Erg.

And I'm ovulating and it hurts like hell. Ouch.

I think I'll go to bed.

That time of the month

Grr... I have a rant. I am sick and tired of bleeding, and it's all for naught. Yeah, people have kids in their 40's, but I'd really have to be on the fast track in some future relationship to have that happen. And so I stick these cancer sticks up into me so I don't worry about bleeding all over the place. And there's years more of it to come. I know women who go on the pill just to stop having a period. Maybe I should do that. Hell, I take enough pills now, what's one more? And then I could find dates on herpeslove.com so I could have sex without condoms. Might be a plan.
[editor's note - I just made that site address up, but of COURSE it exists. ugh]

Customer Service - NOT

So, yesterday I drove into work. I don't normally do this because I'm CHEAP and don't want to pay for parking. But today I had to.

So, the end of the day I went to pick up my car. And they couldn't find my key. They showed me every key in the collection. I brought myself down to the car and opened up the car with the remote opener, and the key wasn't in there. I maintained my calm and asked how I was going to get home - they simply said they would look further for the key.

Finally, a half hour later, they found the key. Not unreasonably, I asked for my money back. To my shock and disbelief, the man told me no, because I hadn't been waiting that long, and that it was a single key, implying that it was my fault for not attaching it to a key chain. At first I threatened to leave my car where it was, but unfortunately there was enough space for another car to get around, and it didn't faze him. So, I asked him for the manager's number, and his name. He wrote down the number of the manager, and not his name. So, I repeated again that I wanted his name.

As he was futzing pretending to write his name down but not really doing anything, a guy I had seen down in the garage came up - dress shirt wearing with tie. I asked if he was the manager, and noted that I wanted my money back. Before he even reached me he said I'd be getting my money back and a week of free parking. I told him the guy had refused to give me my money back. So, he told the guy to give me my money back and a week of free parking, and the guy had the audacity to say 'no, why should I?'.

Oh my. The tie-wearing guy barked that he was a representative of the building and that he should not question his authority, and promptly made the guy take the money out of his pocket and give me my cash back. Boy, was the garage attendant steaming, and I loved it. Supposedly I also have a week of free parking there, but as I told the tie dude, no way am parking there ever again. Think about it - all garages have disclaimers saying that they are not responsible for anything that happens to the car. Do you think my car would be in good shape if I ever brought it there again? I think not. I was just happy to get my money back.

Damn them insurance companies

So, the disability insurance company won't accept a note from the doctor saying that I am ok to be at work. They want something that says that I am fully recovered. Of COURSE the doctor won't write that. He's a back doctor. Noone is ever fully recovered.

I talked to the president of our company and she said there aren't many that companies that will insure small organizations. She can call them and say they'll have to go with another arrangement/company. But what good will that do? Not sure. And not sure I have a case for any lawyer to take but I'll check with my friends.

I may be up against a wall, and I hate that. Some insurance is better than none? Bullshit.

Lie like a rug

I am so pissed. My company just went through a weird reorganization and thus they had to get new health insurance policies, disability policies, etc. I of course am one of the persons that helped their rates to rise - mental health issues, migranes, on medications, etc. But DAMN! Because I went to a back doctor in 2007, and even though he said I was fine (according to him, but that's another story), the damn disability insurance company wants me to sign an amendment specifically for ME that says that I won't be covered if ANYTHING at all happens to my thoracic area. NFW! So, I told the president of my company there's no way I'm signing it, and now the fun begins.

Damn insurance companies. The moral is, lie like a rug. Or rather, don't tell when the end result was ok. Grumble grumble... Grrrr.... Hackles have risen and I am on the prowl (and unfortunately not in a good way).

Namobloplop has ended and I"m ranting

And I am off to St. Louis for a meeting and going to be technologically disconnected. So sweet dreams. I pity the poor person who has to wade through 6,000+ websites to give the prizes. I wonder what percentage did post for 30 days?

I was going to rant, but my energy has left me. Oh wait, I have a surge of energy.

What ever happened to personal and/or corporate responsibility? What ever happened to foresight? How can anyone be surprised that if corporations give out risky home loans there's going to be a good number of people who will fall on hard times because they take them and can't afford them. Why should the government bail out the people/corporations for their mistakes and make the taxpayers who are fiscally responsible (such as ME) pay for this nonsense? If the government is going to stick its big nose into this business, do it before all the bad decisions are made. Oh, wait, there's tons of people who've made big bucks by developing and selling these loans. Wonder how much our government representatives got?

I loved the episode of My Name is Earl last night. One of his prison mates reneged on some promise and sputters out that it's his parents' fault because they didn't raise him right. So Earl gets back at him by doing whatever he wants and yells out that it's because of 'so and so'. Personal responsibility - what's that? There's always a choice - blame what you do on anyone else and you are weak. Yes, it's human nature to want to do that, but more for 5 year-olds, not adults.

Why do I feel so dirty?

Or is it anger? Or worthlessness? Perhaps I need a different perspective. Likely I do. I hate the fact that I'm being complimented for something that used to be natural to me. I am a team player. I work hard. I work for the greater good. Or maybe that was me 'before'. Before what I don't know. I like to blame everything on depression, but this could just be the result of having the life sucked out of me by my former boss. The attitude that we're a small group and everyone has to play their part, with no boundaries whatsoever. Or it could be that I've gone too long without a vacation, and thus the two days I had off before my work in SF just enabled me to relax and really focus on being a team player afterwards. But being complimented profusely for doing what really should be natural makes it feel like a game - the positive reinforcement is supposed to make me want to say - yee ha! She likes my work! I better keep doing this! But it just makes me angry. Dirty. It doesn't help that in the same conversation I hear that I'm supposed to back off on some? most? of the technology stuff I do. I'm supposed to be a good girl and leave it to the experts to research and implement. I should feel relieved because it's something off my plate, but I feel like I've been told to turn off a part of my brain. I suppose likely what I need the most is an attitude adjustment, but that office is closed today it seems. See if they are open tomorrow.

Outta my way...

Do NOT jaywalk in front of me when I'm on my way to a 2 hour dentist appointment. I don't mind jaywalkers at all (I do it all the time except in California, where you can get a ticket), as long as they know they are jaywalking and will run if they've mis-judged the amount of time they have to cross the street. It's the people who think they own the street, just because they are PEDESTRIANS and have no steel around them, and saunter with a look of disdain. In my mind it's like a game of Frogger for those sorts, and I will not slow down and will barely swerve to avoid. Sometimes if, for example, I'm on my way to a two hour dentist appointment, I'll speed up a little. And take my hand off the wheel to honk. And aim towards them just to freak them out a little.

So, I'm going to go drool now... (I had two fillings replaced and one new one done, in three separate areas of my mouth.)