2008-09-12 - 5:25 p.m.
Well I've finally caught up on my reading and I'm officially worried about Lizzy...has anyone talked to the woman??? She hasn't posted since May!
Man, I can't believe all the credit card fraud floating around smalltown. I can just picture my total meltdown if that were me opening e-mail at 5am and finding out I was the not so proud owner of a pair of tickets bought in Russia. I don't have but 2 credit cards...one's Target that I use when I pick up my sister's perscriptions and the other is VISA, which is maxed right now.
I was in a snit last Monday, I was ready to wage war on the entire TV industry (cable and satellite). I still have to television service...I've missed an entire week of premiers and I'm not happy at all about it. When you watch as little as I typically do, you tend to be seriously devoted to the shows you do watch. Well Saturday after a seven hour wait, the satellite dude failed to show (or call...didn't that boy's momma teach him any manners?) and I probably would have throttled him if I could have reached him. I called Monday trying to keep my rightous indignation to myself and the earliest they could get to me was 17 Sept - 3 stinking weeks with no TV?!? I told the guy that it was unacceptable and I'd call back and let him know if he needed to send someone to fetch their equipment. I called the cable company (Charter for us). Well they were going to set me up with the whole package - TV, phone, internet and I'd have HBO and it was only a $4 difference from what I was supposed to be paying to AT&T. I signed up and the girl told me they'd be out Wednesday to install. I was thrilled...at least I'd catch half a week of premiers. Well Wednesday afternoon around 1 I called to check on when the tech dude would show. The guy I talked to pulled up the work order and told me that I'm scheduled for 20 Sept for TV and Internet and 22 Sept for the telephone. What?!? I told him I was told they'd be out on Wednesday. His reply was I don't know why they told you that, the 10th isn't on this work order anywhere. So I cancelled the order with Charter and called the satellite folks back. I rescheduled and the tech dude is supposed to be out tommorrow between 8-12...anytime I pick 12-5 they never show! I had a phone message (finally broke down and bought an answering machine for the house) that my technician is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, etc. I've never had them do that before...maybe he's going to actually put in an appearance.
Today we felt the effects from Ike. Lots of wind and rain. I spent the day in bed asleep. I didn't get up and stay up until 4:30. I have no idea what's going on with me. Some days I feel like faries have visited and siphoned off all of the miniscule reserves of energy I seem to have. This is the second time I've done this since moving here. Wonder if it's something in the carpet? Anyway, I feel pretty good right now...still a little tired (if you can believe that) and a bit hungry too (I had tea and toast earlier for brunch around 11). I think the biggest part of my problem is that I don't do anything. I work in the office 12 hours, come home, walk the dog to the mailbox (with Lexi in the lead a 2 minute walk at best), settle in and have some dinner, normally I'd watch a bit of TV, ahem, and then hit the computer and read e-mail and play games. I'm supposed to be downloading all the files from school I want to save since my account will be deactivated at the end of the calendar. I've started, but there's a ton of crap over the 18 months and I'm attempting to save every stinking article, even the few I did read. I finally got my grades (4.0!! Too bad I didn't do that well in High School and Undergrad) and a note from the Registrar stating that all requirements for the diploma have been fulfilled. I guess they do that so that the information can be posted to your record now instead of having to wait for the actual diploma, which doesn't arrive until December I think. I've actually looked at getting a second Master's, but right now I'm trying to play catchup in my non-acedemic life.
I've joined a Bible study that focuses on the life of St. Paul. This is his Jubilee Year. I've already learned quite a bit that I thought I already knew. Mel probably knows quite a bit more since I'm cradle and tend to take my faith for granted. Even the pastor attended even though he didn't run the class. I really like this pastor, he could easily be a best bud...my problem with some of the pastors I've had in the past is that they seemed afraid to let you know that they were human. Most of them you never saw out of the collar, but Fr. Tom came to class in kakis and a nice blue camp shirt. He's a good-looking man too and young (just turned 50) and he seems more in touch with the world and has a nice sense of humor. It makes it easier to want to be friends, attend services, etc. I also volunteered at the pumpkin patch that the church is having next month. I'm going to help decorate and take pictures. They are using this as a fund raiser to help defray the cost of building a bathroom in the church. Right now the only bathrooms are located across the parking lot in the back of the parish hall...by the time you make the hike, you've missed half the Mass! They halved the cry room to make the space. We have very few folks that seem to use it, at least at the Mass I usually attend.
My other thing that I've volunteered to do is through work. Every quarter we have a charitable work that the company members volunteer to do. Last time it was the Mt. Olive food kitchen here in Slidell - we not only collected food for them, but several employees worked a day in the kitchen. I brought food but didn't work. Anyway, this time we're working with Habitat for Humanity on some houses right there in Picayune. We'll be spending a Saturday doing it. I'm really excited. I've wanted to work for Habitat for a long time, in fact I plan to work with them quite a bit after I retire if I'm still able to swing a hammer. If I enjoy it as much as I think I will, I may continue to work with that group beyond our one-day committment.
I still haven't done the first thing in the house. I guess I really do need to get my tail busy and at least paint, which means getting some spackle, patching holes, and taking down those hideous mirrors that mom wants to have. I also have a cedar chest and night stand that I need to refinish. I'd like to get that done as well so I can get them where they belong and refill all the cedar chest with all the things that belong in there.
I've given a lot of thought to the layout of the house and the utilization of the bedrooms. Right now I have one rather nice sized room that holds a few toys for nephew and a closet full of sis' stuff. I'm thinking about splitting up the office and craft room functions and making the larger room the crafting room. Sis probably won't be happy about that, but hey, it's my house. That way I'd have more room to work and store crafting supplies. I'd also have room to have more than one person in there if I wanted to invite my mom or a friend over to do some crafting with me.
Well, the belly bell has sounded. My toast and tea has officially left. I really miss the TV right now. It's really quiet here and Lexi and Rosie are not holding up their ends of the conversation. In fact Rosie always gives me a "You're addressing moi?" look and then goes back to sleep, usually on my pillow. Lexi would sit and talk to me if she could, but I get a "You know I really can't answer you, don't you?" look from her. But she does at least sit and listen without giving the impression that I'm wasting her exceedingly valuable time. Cats, huh!
Later.
