The first month of this new lifestyle took some getting used to, but I made adjustments and did just fine. But now, it's three months later and I'm over it, getting antsy and crabby, and ready to have this whole COVID thing go away. We've seen the protests, the rioting, the looting and it breaks my heart to think of all the store owners who now have lost everything, who have nothing to go back to to get their lives back. They spent those months of just waiting, scrimping and saving and salvaging whatever they could out of the situation -- and now have lost everything that could have been a way up and out of the morass created by COVID because the looting and burning of businesses have taken that away. There is no picking up the pieces when you were just making ends meet. Insurance will only cover so much of the losses -- and where are the records to show what was lost in the looting? Well, they burned up as well.
It breaks my heart to be in this world right now, to listen to people demand "justice" when their way of getting it is to destroy what has been part of this country for centuries. Beautiful monuments and statues have been defaced, torn down, torn apart. Cemeteries honoring the lives of those who died for this country have been desecrated. Cities that have fought to improve their appearance and become the heart of a people's prosperity have been looted and then destroyed. And hoodlums who are looting, stealing, vandalizing and destroying are shoving signs at the newscasters proclaiming that "Black lives matter." If they truly mattered, those very people who want so much would never have destroyed what they did have to get it.
I was told, as a child and young adult, that I would get what I worked for: no one was going to give me a free ride, so I'd better prepare myself to work hard in order to have a better life. First step in the process was an education -- and one size fit all. There were no special circumstances, no getting off the hook in the hard classes, no free ride. If you wanted an education, you had to work hard for it, but there came a sense of pride when you completed the requirements and got to graduate. Sure, only a few could graduate at the top of their class, and the rest of us just sort of fell into line behind them, but we all had to earn it whether with high grades and honors or barely squeeking by. Some never made it, but almost everyone tried--and a lot succeeded beyond their expectations. Some went onto college, most often not at one of the prestigious colleges, but, rather, at a community college or a nearby 4-year program they commuted to attend--and others? Well, often they turned to the military for basic training in a skill that they could practice for an enlistment before getting out of the service and using those skills in their communities. Some, the lucky ones who thrived in the military environment, made it a career and retired after 20 years with a nice little pension, still young enough to take on a second career and have a good life with their families and friends.
No one gave it to another. It was there for the taking, but it was all on the one who wanted what life had to offer. Hard work never hurt anyone, but sloughing off, giving up? that hurts everyone. If any lives matter, they all matter regardless of the size, the shape, or the color--but no one owes anyone else anything when it comes to making it through life. We all have to make our own way, and some do better than others and some do worse, but most of us? We find a place for ourselves and make it the best it can be. If we want more, we try to earn more, often by going back for some additional schooling and/or training. Sometimes, we have to change jobs because we cannot be as successful in a job as we thought we could when we chose it. Sometimes, we have to take what we can get and be glad we got it because others tried and failed, but we made it. Barely, but we made it and had a sense of accomplishment that gave us pride in who we are and what we can do.
I'm sick about where we are today, what we have become, who we think we are, and how far we have sunk from the ideals that were the basic precepts of life when I was "coming up," as they say. Everything I was taught to believe has been tossed into the ruins of a looted building to burn and destroy what this nation stands for. No one owes you anything; if you want it, go out and learn and then earn. Work your ass off and do the best possible job of which you are capable, and earn the fruits of your labor. You won't always get rich from paychecks, but you'll have your self-worth, your self-esteem, your pride in yourself for a job well-done personally and professionally.
Stop proclaiming that you are owed something because ... fill in the blanks. No one owes anyone anything, but we all have the right to earn what we want or need to make our lives matter. If you want your life to matter, make it matter first to yourself, and then to others. Stop burning and looting and destroying and start by rebuilding your own life into the life you need it to be. Focus on improving yourself and stop pitying yourself for what you don't have, but want. If you truly want it, if you need it, then go out and work for it. You'll be proud of yourself and your accomplishments and be well-respected by your fellow citizens. All lives matter, regardless of color or creed.
Showing posts with label ranting and raving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ranting and raving. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
Friday, September 14, 2018
Dining Out!
Denny's has a newer menu than what it was in the old days, and most of the dishes are tasty. Denny's is also a quick stop, so it's a nice place to eat when you don't have all day. In my experience, Denny's has a lack of consistency both in the physical appearance of the restaurant and in the quality of its food. Last week, Y and I went to the Denny's on I-10 in North Palm Springs and man! was it NOT a good experience.
The restaurant is clean enough, but there is no ambiance and no sound damping, so every scrape of a plate is magnified into a significant noise. I became far too aware of the noise as I listened to the staff gossip and giggle, rather than come over to our table and take our order. Once the order was on the way to the kitchen, the gossip and giggling continued, often involving the cook in the conversation, which became very clear when our meals arrived.
My broccoli and chicken skillet was charred on the bottom; I've had it before at other Denny's and it was cooked perfectly, so I think the cook was distracted by the gossip girls. It was impossible to get the staff's attention from our seats, so Y got up and went over to the group to ask for a refill on our water. Another couple at a booth near ours kept looking toward the staff huddle and I told them they may have to go over and break up the gossip group to get any service. The best part of the meal was the apple crisp; the rest of the dining experience was sub-par.
I complained to the supervisor, who was one of the gossips, that the staff acted in a totally unprofessional manner and ignored customers who were there to be served. She apologized and gave me a "free entrée" card--but it's only good at that Denny's location and I'll never eat there again!
The dining experience begins when the diner enters the parking lot, so the appearance of the business has to attract attention first and then be supported by what's inside. The staff at this Denny's gave the impression that they really don't want to be there doing the job they were hired to do, and if I were their boss, I'd fire the whole crew and start over with people who want to be there and work hard to do a good job representing the venue and the menu.
As for the free meal card? Thanks, but no thanks.
The restaurant is clean enough, but there is no ambiance and no sound damping, so every scrape of a plate is magnified into a significant noise. I became far too aware of the noise as I listened to the staff gossip and giggle, rather than come over to our table and take our order. Once the order was on the way to the kitchen, the gossip and giggling continued, often involving the cook in the conversation, which became very clear when our meals arrived.
My broccoli and chicken skillet was charred on the bottom; I've had it before at other Denny's and it was cooked perfectly, so I think the cook was distracted by the gossip girls. It was impossible to get the staff's attention from our seats, so Y got up and went over to the group to ask for a refill on our water. Another couple at a booth near ours kept looking toward the staff huddle and I told them they may have to go over and break up the gossip group to get any service. The best part of the meal was the apple crisp; the rest of the dining experience was sub-par.
I complained to the supervisor, who was one of the gossips, that the staff acted in a totally unprofessional manner and ignored customers who were there to be served. She apologized and gave me a "free entrée" card--but it's only good at that Denny's location and I'll never eat there again!
The dining experience begins when the diner enters the parking lot, so the appearance of the business has to attract attention first and then be supported by what's inside. The staff at this Denny's gave the impression that they really don't want to be there doing the job they were hired to do, and if I were their boss, I'd fire the whole crew and start over with people who want to be there and work hard to do a good job representing the venue and the menu.
As for the free meal card? Thanks, but no thanks.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Sparkle
This is a months' long story about a stray dog, a beautiful German Shepherd pup that has wandered the neighborhood for at least 6 months. She looked so lonely and emaciated that I finally got her to trust me and come with me to my yard, where I fed her and gave her water. I called the pound 3 times and had them pick her up, but she'd be back out wandering around within a day. I couldn't put any pieces together, so I just kept feeding her and watering her and being friendly.
Fast forward to learning that the next-door neighbors "own" the dog. Their idea of taking care of an animal is to leave her in the yard with a pail 1/4 filled with filthy water -- and no food. The dog kept getting out of her yard and coming over to my home, where she received good, clean water and fresh food. One weekend, the neighbors took off for Mexico and left the dog tied to a post with a dog leash, which is probably 3 feet long. She quickly wound the leash around the pole and was well and truly stuck: she couldn't get to the pail of filthy water, much less any food. I tried to look the other way, but that's not who I am, so I went and freed the dog and brought her to my house.
I called the pound and asked them to take the dog away from the neighbors, but when the pound worker came to the house, the neighbors were back from their trip and promised to be better dog owners, so the worker left the dog with them. Sure enough, the next day the dog had escaped from the yard and was at my house for food and water. That was the beginning of what would become several months of me caring for the dog at my house, then returning her to the next-door neighbors when they came to get her. It wasn't ideal, but I didn't know what to do when the pound kept returning Sparkle to her "home."
A woman who works for an animal rescue became involved as she, too, was appalled at the abuse. I told her I had called the pound 3 separate times, but they kept returning the dog to the neighbors and I didn't know what else to do. She said she would take care of the situation, so I thought we were done with watching this beautiful, smart dog be abused.
Nope, she took the dog to the local shelter, where a call was made to the owners to come pick up their dog.
I spent weeks with the dog at my house, and we were working on potty training, but I'm going to be gone for 2 weeks, so I had to "do something" other than keep the dog here while I was gone. I talked to the animal rescue lady again, and we decided to find her a foster family. Meanwhile, the dog has been injured by the 2 boys living with her, as they like to pile onto her and wrestle, and they injured her leg in one of their play sessions. I asked the woman owner if she was going to take the dog to the vet to see what happened to the dog's leg and she said yes, but since then all I've heard is that her husband is gone, she has 3 children, and she can't drive. I offered to take the dog to the vet, but Y had a fit and told me no, this is not my dog and I need to let go of it.
Last night, the dog rescue lady and I were sitting outside with the dog, talking about what to do and how to go about it. When I reached the point of not knowing what to do, I told Nancy that I just had to give this to God and let Him do what's right. About 10 minutes later, the lady from next door came over to us and said that if we wanted to find the dog another home, she was willing to let the dog go. She realized that her children pose a danger to the dog, and that she isn't taking very good care of her. Nancy said that I must have a direct line to the Big Guy in the Sky to get a response that quickly after putting it in His hands!
There is no end yet, but I'm hoping that Nancy can come through and get the dog a foster family before anything else happens to her. I've been going next-door and getting Sparkle each day and keeping her with me, but my trip starts next week, so I have to wean her off being at my house. I thought that Animal Control would at least keep her away from the family, but I guess that's not the way they operate the shelter. I'll be sad to see her leave, but I know she has to find a family to love her and take proper care of her, especially in t he 120-degree heat we've been having in the desert.
Addendum: I was sitting in the livingroom this morning, watching one of the early talk shows, when I heard barking at the back gate. I went outside to see what was going on, and there was Sparkle. I opened the gate, she came into the house, went directly to her bed I made up for her, and hasn't moved in 2 hours. I'm not going to go over to the house and tell them she's here -- and I doubt that they will even wonder where she is. I just hope that Nancy and I can find her a new home soon.
Fast forward to learning that the next-door neighbors "own" the dog. Their idea of taking care of an animal is to leave her in the yard with a pail 1/4 filled with filthy water -- and no food. The dog kept getting out of her yard and coming over to my home, where she received good, clean water and fresh food. One weekend, the neighbors took off for Mexico and left the dog tied to a post with a dog leash, which is probably 3 feet long. She quickly wound the leash around the pole and was well and truly stuck: she couldn't get to the pail of filthy water, much less any food. I tried to look the other way, but that's not who I am, so I went and freed the dog and brought her to my house.
I called the pound and asked them to take the dog away from the neighbors, but when the pound worker came to the house, the neighbors were back from their trip and promised to be better dog owners, so the worker left the dog with them. Sure enough, the next day the dog had escaped from the yard and was at my house for food and water. That was the beginning of what would become several months of me caring for the dog at my house, then returning her to the next-door neighbors when they came to get her. It wasn't ideal, but I didn't know what to do when the pound kept returning Sparkle to her "home."
A woman who works for an animal rescue became involved as she, too, was appalled at the abuse. I told her I had called the pound 3 separate times, but they kept returning the dog to the neighbors and I didn't know what else to do. She said she would take care of the situation, so I thought we were done with watching this beautiful, smart dog be abused.
Nope, she took the dog to the local shelter, where a call was made to the owners to come pick up their dog.
I spent weeks with the dog at my house, and we were working on potty training, but I'm going to be gone for 2 weeks, so I had to "do something" other than keep the dog here while I was gone. I talked to the animal rescue lady again, and we decided to find her a foster family. Meanwhile, the dog has been injured by the 2 boys living with her, as they like to pile onto her and wrestle, and they injured her leg in one of their play sessions. I asked the woman owner if she was going to take the dog to the vet to see what happened to the dog's leg and she said yes, but since then all I've heard is that her husband is gone, she has 3 children, and she can't drive. I offered to take the dog to the vet, but Y had a fit and told me no, this is not my dog and I need to let go of it.
Last night, the dog rescue lady and I were sitting outside with the dog, talking about what to do and how to go about it. When I reached the point of not knowing what to do, I told Nancy that I just had to give this to God and let Him do what's right. About 10 minutes later, the lady from next door came over to us and said that if we wanted to find the dog another home, she was willing to let the dog go. She realized that her children pose a danger to the dog, and that she isn't taking very good care of her. Nancy said that I must have a direct line to the Big Guy in the Sky to get a response that quickly after putting it in His hands!
There is no end yet, but I'm hoping that Nancy can come through and get the dog a foster family before anything else happens to her. I've been going next-door and getting Sparkle each day and keeping her with me, but my trip starts next week, so I have to wean her off being at my house. I thought that Animal Control would at least keep her away from the family, but I guess that's not the way they operate the shelter. I'll be sad to see her leave, but I know she has to find a family to love her and take proper care of her, especially in t he 120-degree heat we've been having in the desert.
Addendum: I was sitting in the livingroom this morning, watching one of the early talk shows, when I heard barking at the back gate. I went outside to see what was going on, and there was Sparkle. I opened the gate, she came into the house, went directly to her bed I made up for her, and hasn't moved in 2 hours. I'm not going to go over to the house and tell them she's here -- and I doubt that they will even wonder where she is. I just hope that Nancy and I can find her a new home soon.
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Expansion
OK, so what am I going to do? The property next door is an illegal multi-family rental property, with a 3-bedroom house, and, in a two-story property, a one-bedroom unit and a studio apartment, a stand-alone building that is not up to code. This property has been vacant for at least 5 years, but recently a family moved into the “big” house, complete with kids and a dog. Soon thereafter, a family of 3 moved into the studio apartment, but I haven’t seen anyone using the one-bedroom unit upstairs. Yet. It may need some refurbishing as it had quite a history of use while the rest of the property was vacant. I actually called the police and told them that I thought there was some sex slavery/prostitution sort of thing going on as men would arrive with young girls and leave a couple of hours later—and the girls looked like they had been abused.
Anyway, back to the story of the octopus complex…
Last week, I noticed some workers enclosing the garage, installing two regular doors in the space that used to be the 2-car garage door opening. They’ve been doing carpentry inside and out, and had the former garage opening surface covered with spray-on coating that looks like stucco to match the rest of the house.
Today, the workers have been inside the two units, perhaps doing some of the finish work inside. I don’t know how they will bring plumbing to the new “apartments,” but they have to be hooked up to the city sewer, which may alert a sharp-eyed inspector to the fact that a property designed for a single family dwelling has now been “improved” to house 5 renters and their families!
I want to alert the city to this violation, but I’m not sure how to do that without giving away the fact that I am facing the renovated/ repurposed garage when I do dishes at my sink, so I know what’s been done. No one off-property will know that the garage is now two rental units because it sits behind the 3-bedroom house at the front of the property. But, the fact is that there are density requirements associated with property. This residential area is not zoned for the number of people who are going to be occupying it.
How do I get “someone” to come see the problem and, perhaps, offer a remedy? I don’t plan to live here for the rest of my life, but I have no plans to relocate in the near future, so I’ll have to live with the situation whether I want to or not. I’m concerned about retaliation if I sic an inspector on them as I would be the first guess of who ratted them out.
One of those damned if I do, damned if I don’t situations which make life interesting.
Anyway, back to the story of the octopus complex…
Last week, I noticed some workers enclosing the garage, installing two regular doors in the space that used to be the 2-car garage door opening. They’ve been doing carpentry inside and out, and had the former garage opening surface covered with spray-on coating that looks like stucco to match the rest of the house.
Today, the workers have been inside the two units, perhaps doing some of the finish work inside. I don’t know how they will bring plumbing to the new “apartments,” but they have to be hooked up to the city sewer, which may alert a sharp-eyed inspector to the fact that a property designed for a single family dwelling has now been “improved” to house 5 renters and their families!
I want to alert the city to this violation, but I’m not sure how to do that without giving away the fact that I am facing the renovated/ repurposed garage when I do dishes at my sink, so I know what’s been done. No one off-property will know that the garage is now two rental units because it sits behind the 3-bedroom house at the front of the property. But, the fact is that there are density requirements associated with property. This residential area is not zoned for the number of people who are going to be occupying it.
How do I get “someone” to come see the problem and, perhaps, offer a remedy? I don’t plan to live here for the rest of my life, but I have no plans to relocate in the near future, so I’ll have to live with the situation whether I want to or not. I’m concerned about retaliation if I sic an inspector on them as I would be the first guess of who ratted them out.
One of those damned if I do, damned if I don’t situations which make life interesting.
Friday, April 14, 2017
Unwinding
I have been knitting since I was in elementary school and crocheting since I was in my 20s, so I know a lot about yarn performance. Back in the day, it was what would be called fancy yarns by today’s standards: cashmere, nylon/rayon blends, all-cotton, and yes, silk. I used to have to save my babysitting money to purchase yarn that was sometimes 25 cents a skein, and sometimes a dollar or more a skein. I began making washcloths out of 100% cotton yarn and still enjoy making them today. I found the repetitious motions of using my hands very calming, which is still true.
Today I received a shipment of yarn I purchased on sale through a website KnitPicks. There are 4 skeins of 4-ply Felici Worsted in the pile which I intended to use to make a fancy scarf pattern for future gift-giving at the holidays. I excitedly located my pattern and picked out the “test” yarn to see if this pattern is all I think it’s going to be, and started the 282-stitch chain. The yarn kept splitting and shredding with every stitch, making it impossible to pull through the loop that is part of the chain. I persevered and was finally able to get the chain the correct length, then started on the actual pattern – which was infuriating as the yarn continued to split apart with each stitch I tried to crochet! For every stitch I made, I had to undo it and try to get the 4 plies of the yarn together so I could complete the stitch. It was my stubborn inner core that kept me at it –but I’m not going to use this yarn for anything after today’s experience.
This yarn is labeled “special reserve,” and I’m not sure what that means, but it sounds like the maker is pretty darned pleased with this skein of yarn. I’m not sure why, however, as it is the poorest quality yarn I’ve ever bought! Because this first attempt is a test of the pattern, I have cussed my way through half of the scarf and will find a way to finish it tomorrow. I can’t use this garment because it’s not smooth and uniform the way a crochet stitch scarf usually looks—and it will look far too “handmade” for me to feel any pride in my accomplishment of finishing it.
What a downer!!
Yes, I can return the yarn and get my money back, but it’s only 4 skeins of the yarn and the cost of the return postage will negate the amount in a refund. I have sent an email message to Knit Picks expressing my dissatisfaction with the product, so maybe they will have “someone” take a look at the quality of this yarn and second-guess the decision to market it.
Today I received a shipment of yarn I purchased on sale through a website KnitPicks. There are 4 skeins of 4-ply Felici Worsted in the pile which I intended to use to make a fancy scarf pattern for future gift-giving at the holidays. I excitedly located my pattern and picked out the “test” yarn to see if this pattern is all I think it’s going to be, and started the 282-stitch chain. The yarn kept splitting and shredding with every stitch, making it impossible to pull through the loop that is part of the chain. I persevered and was finally able to get the chain the correct length, then started on the actual pattern – which was infuriating as the yarn continued to split apart with each stitch I tried to crochet! For every stitch I made, I had to undo it and try to get the 4 plies of the yarn together so I could complete the stitch. It was my stubborn inner core that kept me at it –but I’m not going to use this yarn for anything after today’s experience.
This yarn is labeled “special reserve,” and I’m not sure what that means, but it sounds like the maker is pretty darned pleased with this skein of yarn. I’m not sure why, however, as it is the poorest quality yarn I’ve ever bought! Because this first attempt is a test of the pattern, I have cussed my way through half of the scarf and will find a way to finish it tomorrow. I can’t use this garment because it’s not smooth and uniform the way a crochet stitch scarf usually looks—and it will look far too “handmade” for me to feel any pride in my accomplishment of finishing it.
What a downer!!
Yes, I can return the yarn and get my money back, but it’s only 4 skeins of the yarn and the cost of the return postage will negate the amount in a refund. I have sent an email message to Knit Picks expressing my dissatisfaction with the product, so maybe they will have “someone” take a look at the quality of this yarn and second-guess the decision to market it.
Friday, December 16, 2016
Spectrum
I really disliked being a Time Warner Cable customer for the past 15 years. The company charged far too much for far too few services, and customer service was not their forte. I complained annually about my always increasing service bill, which seemed to have a full column of "add-on" service charges over which I had no control. I'd see the ads for basic services at $29.99/mo, but I never was able to actually receive any services for anything close to that amount. My monthly bill, prior to Spectrum taking over, had settled in at $165.00, which is my highest utility bill -- including both water and electricity!
When I hit $165/month with only 1 working TV in the house and constant issues with poor service to the home, I decided that if TWC couldn't fix it, I was going to go cold turkey. It was nice when into this same timeframe, Spectrum arrived. The words "Time Warner is now Spectrum" gave me hope that I would be able to have some service issues dealt with and I could again enjoy watching TV.
Spectrum is great! I had a list of issues I wanted handled, including receiving TV on the small set in my bedroom, making the start/stop/freeze frame/pixilation issues go away on the livingroom set, learn how to use On Demand without having to pay even more money to the cable company -- and stop my bill from steadily climbing to higher and higher peaks.
Adam, my Spectrum service rep, showed up cleanly dressed and professional. He introduced himself and asked me why I had called for an in-home service call. I gave him my list and he said we'd start in the living room with replacing the DVR box, then move on to checking the service in general, from outside line to outlets in the house. Thus, Adam found the problem with the bedroom TV: in spite of the fact that there was cable in the bedroom, that cable wasn't activated with actual hook-up to the service for the house. Adam solved that problem and voila! I had cable on the bedroom TV. He also did all the replacement hookups for the livingroom, then checked the outside lines and determined that the cable from the pole to the house needs to be replaced too.
And all of this at no service charge and no upping my monthly payment. It's just part of the Spectrum service. Really.
He also showed me how to use the new cable box in the livingroom, including OnDemand, which is free. He also assured me that I could call Canada without paying an additional fee, so I am now able to communicate more freely with my son who lives there. I know how to delete a series I chose to record, but then didn't like once I watched it. And I feel free to contact Spectrum if I have other service questions without feeling like an idiot.
I'm rooting for Spectrum to take over and run Time Warner Cable out of business!! I'm so glad to be free from TWCable's monopoly of bad service.
When I hit $165/month with only 1 working TV in the house and constant issues with poor service to the home, I decided that if TWC couldn't fix it, I was going to go cold turkey. It was nice when into this same timeframe, Spectrum arrived. The words "Time Warner is now Spectrum" gave me hope that I would be able to have some service issues dealt with and I could again enjoy watching TV.
Spectrum is great! I had a list of issues I wanted handled, including receiving TV on the small set in my bedroom, making the start/stop/freeze frame/pixilation issues go away on the livingroom set, learn how to use On Demand without having to pay even more money to the cable company -- and stop my bill from steadily climbing to higher and higher peaks.
Adam, my Spectrum service rep, showed up cleanly dressed and professional. He introduced himself and asked me why I had called for an in-home service call. I gave him my list and he said we'd start in the living room with replacing the DVR box, then move on to checking the service in general, from outside line to outlets in the house. Thus, Adam found the problem with the bedroom TV: in spite of the fact that there was cable in the bedroom, that cable wasn't activated with actual hook-up to the service for the house. Adam solved that problem and voila! I had cable on the bedroom TV. He also did all the replacement hookups for the livingroom, then checked the outside lines and determined that the cable from the pole to the house needs to be replaced too.
And all of this at no service charge and no upping my monthly payment. It's just part of the Spectrum service. Really.
He also showed me how to use the new cable box in the livingroom, including OnDemand, which is free. He also assured me that I could call Canada without paying an additional fee, so I am now able to communicate more freely with my son who lives there. I know how to delete a series I chose to record, but then didn't like once I watched it. And I feel free to contact Spectrum if I have other service questions without feeling like an idiot.
I'm rooting for Spectrum to take over and run Time Warner Cable out of business!! I'm so glad to be free from TWCable's monopoly of bad service.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Pay Hike
My Hispanic housekeeper told me the bad news: instead of paying her $70 every two weeks for 2 hours of housekeeping, she's raising her fee to $100 for the same services. I gasped and said, "That's $50 an hour."
Her reply: "I work so hard."
My response: "I earned $50 an hour as an adjunct faculty member at the community college -- with both a bachelor's and a master's degrees."
To which she again replied, "But I work so hard. The house is so dirty."
Well, that sealed the deal! Didn't know I was living in such filth, doing the cleaning myself between times for the housekeeper. I vacuum, dust, clean the kitchen every single day, and clean the bathrooms once a week. Y even uses the rug shampooer and cleans the livingroom carpet about every two weeks to keep the dog hair and odors at bay. May not be the best housekeeping in the world, but the house can be opened to guests at any time without my feeling embarrassed or ashamed of the way it looks.
I talked to Y, explained the situation, and told him he's going to have to work with me one day a week to clean the house ourselves because there is no way I'm going to pay $200 a month to have someone else clean it. We'll set the saved money aside and treat ourselves to a nice dinner and a movie once a month instead.
I hope all her other clients, who are also being told of the rate increase, do likewise. She won't have to work so hard any longer because ... she isn't going to have any clients!
Rate hike? Take a hike!
Her reply: "I work so hard."
My response: "I earned $50 an hour as an adjunct faculty member at the community college -- with both a bachelor's and a master's degrees."
To which she again replied, "But I work so hard. The house is so dirty."
Well, that sealed the deal! Didn't know I was living in such filth, doing the cleaning myself between times for the housekeeper. I vacuum, dust, clean the kitchen every single day, and clean the bathrooms once a week. Y even uses the rug shampooer and cleans the livingroom carpet about every two weeks to keep the dog hair and odors at bay. May not be the best housekeeping in the world, but the house can be opened to guests at any time without my feeling embarrassed or ashamed of the way it looks.
I talked to Y, explained the situation, and told him he's going to have to work with me one day a week to clean the house ourselves because there is no way I'm going to pay $200 a month to have someone else clean it. We'll set the saved money aside and treat ourselves to a nice dinner and a movie once a month instead.
I hope all her other clients, who are also being told of the rate increase, do likewise. She won't have to work so hard any longer because ... she isn't going to have any clients!
Rate hike? Take a hike!
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Invasion from the Samantha Brown People
For my river cruise a couple of months back, I went to the Samantha Brown website looking for a travel wallet that would keep my cash/credit cards safe, as well as handy. When it arrived, it was not what I expected, so I returned it to SB. Since that fateful transaction, I now am punished with Samantha Brown offers on every single page that opens in my browser.
I go to email and get SB offers; I go to msn.com and get SB offers; I go to the site I use for directions and get SB offers. I doubt that I’ve ever had such an invasive intrusion into my personal computer than I’ve had with Samantha Brown.
My question is: how do I remove this pest from my machine? I tried deleting cookies, but it stayed – and I don’t know how to do much of anything else to remove this annoyance, so I’m afraid I’m stuck with the banners and special offers and lovely photos of merchandise available to me from this vendor.
I may not know how to get rid of the computer infection, but I can guarandamntee you that I’ll never order from that website again!!
I go to email and get SB offers; I go to msn.com and get SB offers; I go to the site I use for directions and get SB offers. I doubt that I’ve ever had such an invasive intrusion into my personal computer than I’ve had with Samantha Brown.
My question is: how do I remove this pest from my machine? I tried deleting cookies, but it stayed – and I don’t know how to do much of anything else to remove this annoyance, so I’m afraid I’m stuck with the banners and special offers and lovely photos of merchandise available to me from this vendor.
I may not know how to get rid of the computer infection, but I can guarandamntee you that I’ll never order from that website again!!
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
IHOP No More
Today, Y and I decided to go to Palm Springs for breakfast at the IHOP on Indian Canyon. Originally, I wanted to get the pancakes with peaches and caramel sauce, but didn't see them offered anywhere in the store, so switched my order to the "senior special," which is 2 p'cakes, 2 bacon, and 2 eggs (scrambled in my case). Y ordered chicken fried steak, with fresh fruit instead of the potatoes. And, we both ordered coffee. Pretty much a run-of-the-mill b'fast, nothing fancy at all.
My meal was lukewarm, not hot, but the p'cakes arrived a bit later and they were smokin' hot -- really melted the butter. Y's meal was just fine, but by the time he had eaten his p'cakes, he was almost full, so he only ate half the chicken fried steak and brought the rest of it home for his afternoon snack.
When the bill came, I was astounded to find a total of $31.13. For 2 b'fasts, not a family of four. We were each charged for a cup of coffee, although the server filled a carafe at the table and whether one was drinking or two, the same amount of coffee was left for us to self-serve. My senior meal is supposed to be budget friendly, but it came in at $9.69, which is about $3 more than the last time I ordered it. Y's chicken fried steak was a whopping $13.29, which is also higher than the last time we ate the same b'fast at the same IHOP.
Needless to say, IHOP is now on my don't-go list. It's far too expensive for what is served, and the service isn't anything to sing songs about. There's always a reason that the meal comes late, or, in the case today, in two separate servings of egg dish first, then the p'cakes. For the price, I can find a dozen restaurants that do it better on all levels of dining -- and will the next time I get a hankering for p'cakes.
My meal was lukewarm, not hot, but the p'cakes arrived a bit later and they were smokin' hot -- really melted the butter. Y's meal was just fine, but by the time he had eaten his p'cakes, he was almost full, so he only ate half the chicken fried steak and brought the rest of it home for his afternoon snack.
When the bill came, I was astounded to find a total of $31.13. For 2 b'fasts, not a family of four. We were each charged for a cup of coffee, although the server filled a carafe at the table and whether one was drinking or two, the same amount of coffee was left for us to self-serve. My senior meal is supposed to be budget friendly, but it came in at $9.69, which is about $3 more than the last time I ordered it. Y's chicken fried steak was a whopping $13.29, which is also higher than the last time we ate the same b'fast at the same IHOP.
Needless to say, IHOP is now on my don't-go list. It's far too expensive for what is served, and the service isn't anything to sing songs about. There's always a reason that the meal comes late, or, in the case today, in two separate servings of egg dish first, then the p'cakes. For the price, I can find a dozen restaurants that do it better on all levels of dining -- and will the next time I get a hankering for p'cakes.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Cry Baby
Of course, receiving a seat assignment late in the reservation process assured that I would get a middle seat for the longest link of the three flights, and this one was between 2 men, each of whom quickly tugged down the arm-rest to make it more challenging for me to get into my seat. There was never even a smidgen of a chance that either of them would take their elbows out of my space, so I hugged myself tightly and settled in for the flight.
In addition to the lack of armrest comfort, the men both did the "man-spred" with their legs, which forced me to lock my knees together to keep from touching their encroaching knees and lower legs. I felt like I wrapped myself up like a taco shell and then had to hold that pose for a very long 5-hour flight segment. And that would have been okay but for the one male passenger seated next to me who was pissed because ...
1) No one told him that this was a no wi-fi flight. He's a busy man and uses his flight time to work, which meant without the wi-fi, he "lost" 5 hours of productive time and, as he said repeatedly to anyone who would listen, "time is money in my world."
2) We left the airport late, which was going to throw his entire work schedule out of sync. What was the excuse for not leaving on time? Well, believe it or not, the flight attendant really did not know why they left late, but she was sure the flight captain could make up some of the time and we'd arrive close to the original flight time.
3) Yeah, not so much as we ran into a storm and the captain was directed to fly around it, so we were late getting into the arrival gate, which inconvenienced many of the passengers, including me. I adjusted to the close call for my next flight by striding forcefully on the moving walkways and knocking out slow-pokes like they were bowling balls in an alley. I'm sure he was still back on the plane wa-wah-wahing to anyone who'd listen to his temper tantrum.
4) His final complaint was that the flight attendant did not announce gate arrivals and departures prior to landing. I'm sure the flight crew was busy with other duties, but this guy wanted -- and got -- a personally delivered gate arrival and information about his next flight departure. Guess it pays to be a pain in the ass, huh?
Proud of his bullying and whining, the guy made it loudly clear to anyone within 15 feet of him that he'd already composed the letter of complaint to the airlines so they will know how incompetent this particular flight crew was in meeting his personal needs. He turned toward me, pehaps to see if I was in agreement with him, and I just gave him the stare, and we all know the stare I shared.
In addition to the lack of armrest comfort, the men both did the "man-spred" with their legs, which forced me to lock my knees together to keep from touching their encroaching knees and lower legs. I felt like I wrapped myself up like a taco shell and then had to hold that pose for a very long 5-hour flight segment. And that would have been okay but for the one male passenger seated next to me who was pissed because ...
1) No one told him that this was a no wi-fi flight. He's a busy man and uses his flight time to work, which meant without the wi-fi, he "lost" 5 hours of productive time and, as he said repeatedly to anyone who would listen, "time is money in my world."
2) We left the airport late, which was going to throw his entire work schedule out of sync. What was the excuse for not leaving on time? Well, believe it or not, the flight attendant really did not know why they left late, but she was sure the flight captain could make up some of the time and we'd arrive close to the original flight time.
3) Yeah, not so much as we ran into a storm and the captain was directed to fly around it, so we were late getting into the arrival gate, which inconvenienced many of the passengers, including me. I adjusted to the close call for my next flight by striding forcefully on the moving walkways and knocking out slow-pokes like they were bowling balls in an alley. I'm sure he was still back on the plane wa-wah-wahing to anyone who'd listen to his temper tantrum.
4) His final complaint was that the flight attendant did not announce gate arrivals and departures prior to landing. I'm sure the flight crew was busy with other duties, but this guy wanted -- and got -- a personally delivered gate arrival and information about his next flight departure. Guess it pays to be a pain in the ass, huh?
Proud of his bullying and whining, the guy made it loudly clear to anyone within 15 feet of him that he'd already composed the letter of complaint to the airlines so they will know how incompetent this particular flight crew was in meeting his personal needs. He turned toward me, pehaps to see if I was in agreement with him, and I just gave him the stare, and we all know the stare I shared.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Turbo Taxing
My income tax guy made a huge mistake on my taxes last year that cost me an extra thousand dollars I had to pay. I talked it over with Y, who majored in finance and is taking his CPA license courses and doing well. Could we muddle through the taxes if I bought TurboTax, a highly recommended tax program. We came to the conclusion that we could not do worse than my tax guy, so Y downloaded the software and we were in for better or worse.
The graphics make the program seem so easy, but there is no place to explain that last year, an error was made and this year we have to do it a bit differently than last year. We made it through the federal return, going to the reams of documents to find the specific information we needed at each step in the program. It seemed that we did the return correctly, but Lord only knows!
Then it came time to hit the send button on the federal and check the state return for accuracy and completion. Alas, no state form – and panic set in. We tried everything we could think of to find the return, to no avail. Lacking that, we wanted to purchase the state return and complete it as a separate document. Believe it or not, we could not find an option to purchase a single state copy of the program. When worst comes to worst, call tech support, and what a mistake that was. The woman who answered our call was foreign, based on her very thick accent and difficulty communicating with us. When Y explained the problem, she told him she would check, then they began having a challenging conversation, so I asked him for the phone. I repeated the core problem – we did not have our state return, so could we download it and merge the federal information? Her response was that she would check with her supervisor, which led me to believe that she had limited knowledge of the product, much less the actual usage of the software.
After she told me three separate times that she would check with her supervisor, she finally gave me the bad news. We would have to purchase the state return program separately and start all over with completing it. I told her there had to be an option to merge the information, but I’m pretty sure she had no idea what I was talking about. I finally thanked her for her time and hung up.
Then we started trying to find a way to download the state return and I asked Y if he had saved the completed return. When he assured me he had, I asked him to find it. When he located the completed federal return, I saw the word “state” as Y quickly flashed past it and back to the main menu. I asked him to return, but he wanted to call another service representative. I told him that it said “state” as he looked at the saved files, so he reluctantly went back just to shut me up. Voila! There was our completed state return. We figured out that when we bought the federal program, we also bought the state program, which is what we intended, but we had no idea that we actually had done that. We printed both documents for our files, but also printed the state one and sent it by mail because we had already submitted the federal return and were tired and cranky and just wanted to be finished.
I had everything we needed ready to import to the program – and it still took both of us working together 5 hours to complete the return. Yes, it completes both federal and state returns at the same time, but the language and options are restrictive and don’t allow for much help in preparing the returns. The only positive is that once the federal is completed, the state is auto-completed too, which means we only had to wade through this process once. If I were to rate this software experience, I’d give it a 6/10.
The graphics make the program seem so easy, but there is no place to explain that last year, an error was made and this year we have to do it a bit differently than last year. We made it through the federal return, going to the reams of documents to find the specific information we needed at each step in the program. It seemed that we did the return correctly, but Lord only knows!
Then it came time to hit the send button on the federal and check the state return for accuracy and completion. Alas, no state form – and panic set in. We tried everything we could think of to find the return, to no avail. Lacking that, we wanted to purchase the state return and complete it as a separate document. Believe it or not, we could not find an option to purchase a single state copy of the program. When worst comes to worst, call tech support, and what a mistake that was. The woman who answered our call was foreign, based on her very thick accent and difficulty communicating with us. When Y explained the problem, she told him she would check, then they began having a challenging conversation, so I asked him for the phone. I repeated the core problem – we did not have our state return, so could we download it and merge the federal information? Her response was that she would check with her supervisor, which led me to believe that she had limited knowledge of the product, much less the actual usage of the software.
After she told me three separate times that she would check with her supervisor, she finally gave me the bad news. We would have to purchase the state return program separately and start all over with completing it. I told her there had to be an option to merge the information, but I’m pretty sure she had no idea what I was talking about. I finally thanked her for her time and hung up.
Then we started trying to find a way to download the state return and I asked Y if he had saved the completed return. When he assured me he had, I asked him to find it. When he located the completed federal return, I saw the word “state” as Y quickly flashed past it and back to the main menu. I asked him to return, but he wanted to call another service representative. I told him that it said “state” as he looked at the saved files, so he reluctantly went back just to shut me up. Voila! There was our completed state return. We figured out that when we bought the federal program, we also bought the state program, which is what we intended, but we had no idea that we actually had done that. We printed both documents for our files, but also printed the state one and sent it by mail because we had already submitted the federal return and were tired and cranky and just wanted to be finished.
I had everything we needed ready to import to the program – and it still took both of us working together 5 hours to complete the return. Yes, it completes both federal and state returns at the same time, but the language and options are restrictive and don’t allow for much help in preparing the returns. The only positive is that once the federal is completed, the state is auto-completed too, which means we only had to wade through this process once. If I were to rate this software experience, I’d give it a 6/10.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Sewers Suck
My water bills have been hovering in the mid-$30 range this year ($33.27; $39.37; $33.05; $20.61 $30.98; and $50.22), which is pretty much where they’ve been since I moved into the house in 2000. Yesterday, however, I opened the envelope to find a bill totaling $145.40. As the shock began to set in, I read the details and found that for this billing period, I’ve used excessive Tier 2 and Tier 3 services, which I have no idea what that means in water consumption. I also have a new charge, the sewer service, which is $35.00. Then there’s a $29.64 fee entitled “adjustments,” with no further explanation. The bottom line is that I’m paying $4.85 per day in water usage fees. Even on the days no one is in the house and no water is turned on.
I just returned from the water company where I received absolutely no satisfaction either for the total amount or for a better understanding of the “tier” system. I told her I know that’s water usage, but how much water usage isn’t specified. She told me if I use over my tier 1, the next tier is tier 2 – and you get the idea of her very patient, calm and quiet recitation of the tier system. I told her again that I understand it’s water usage, but what does a “typical” single resident residence use? I do 2 washers of clothes each week; don’t use the dishwasher unless I have company; only shower on alternate days due to a skin condition, and then the shower is maybe a total of 10 minutes if I have to also shampoo my hair. I removed all of my lawn and replaced plants with desert friendly landscaping – and I can’t think of what else to do to be compliant with all the water usage regulations we are all laboring under.
She assured me I must have a leak but, lucky me, I had the plumber here this morning and there is no evidence of a leak inside or out. She suggested that maybe the plumber missed a leak, but I told her that any leak that could result in $150 water bill for one month would be pretty hard to miss!
I requested that someone come read the water meter, but they don’t actually read the meters in this day and age. There’s a chip and they just drive by and click your chip. Well, then, I suggested that someone come click my chip again as I doubt I could use this much water unless I just opened a bathtub faucet and let it run for a while (like a week). She is going to put in the request for that chip click service to be performed.
As to the $29.64 adjustment? Oh, that’s the sewer fee retroactive because I was linked to the sewer system June 4, so owe for that entire month of service because it was not included with that billing cycle.
Wow. I’m so not going to like this program.
I just returned from the water company where I received absolutely no satisfaction either for the total amount or for a better understanding of the “tier” system. I told her I know that’s water usage, but how much water usage isn’t specified. She told me if I use over my tier 1, the next tier is tier 2 – and you get the idea of her very patient, calm and quiet recitation of the tier system. I told her again that I understand it’s water usage, but what does a “typical” single resident residence use? I do 2 washers of clothes each week; don’t use the dishwasher unless I have company; only shower on alternate days due to a skin condition, and then the shower is maybe a total of 10 minutes if I have to also shampoo my hair. I removed all of my lawn and replaced plants with desert friendly landscaping – and I can’t think of what else to do to be compliant with all the water usage regulations we are all laboring under.
She assured me I must have a leak but, lucky me, I had the plumber here this morning and there is no evidence of a leak inside or out. She suggested that maybe the plumber missed a leak, but I told her that any leak that could result in $150 water bill for one month would be pretty hard to miss!
I requested that someone come read the water meter, but they don’t actually read the meters in this day and age. There’s a chip and they just drive by and click your chip. Well, then, I suggested that someone come click my chip again as I doubt I could use this much water unless I just opened a bathtub faucet and let it run for a while (like a week). She is going to put in the request for that chip click service to be performed.
As to the $29.64 adjustment? Oh, that’s the sewer fee retroactive because I was linked to the sewer system June 4, so owe for that entire month of service because it was not included with that billing cycle.
Wow. I’m so not going to like this program.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Really? This is Customer Service at its Best
Last November, I sent an electronic check to US Airways to pay the first balance due on my new US Airways MasterCard. As is my practice, I sent payment several weeks before the date due as I don't like checks going astray and not being applied to my account. Imagine my surprise in December to receive my second bill from US Airways MasterCard showing that I still owed $179.10 -- plus a $20 late fee and interest ($2.40) accruing on my unpaid balance.
Thus began the customer service calls (20 minutes today with Tim) to figure out what went wrong and how to correct it, culminating in a heart-felt apology from Jake, the manager with whom I asked to speak after spending the 20 minutes with Tim. Jake claims that an internal audit was completed on my complaint and the first check was never received, so the second check I sent cleared the problem from the first billing cycle. Nope, US Airways MasterCard Services does not owe me a refund or a credit for a double payment, but they "notified" me of that decision in December (NOT). When I disagreed and said I have had no contact from US Airways MasterCard -- or I wouldn't be wasting my time contacting them again -- Jake explained that uh, it was a phone call that went directly to FAX, even though I don't have a fax and he had the correct home number. I had been told to allow two billing cycles for the refund to be posted, which is why I waited until today to do the follow-up.
Jake sounded sincerely sorry, a most practiced delivery from customer services that grates like fingernails across a blackboard. I'm wrong; US Airways MasterCard is right; if there's anything else we can do for you ... . Yep, there is: credit $179.10 to my account. I paid it, the back of the check clearly says "For deposit only US Airways Inc," so credit my account with the second payment of $179.10. No big deal: just do the right thing.
Well, says Jake, when we examined the documents you submitted under case PYT0108274, we discovered that the payment, although it does say "For deposit only US Airways, Inc," was actually deposited by JP Morgan Chase, which is not the credit card's bank (they use Barkley's), so no one owes me a refund or a credit back to my card for paying the same bill twice. And, he says, I was notified of this decision, which, of course, I was not or I would NOT again be on the phone trying to clarify the situation and get a refund credited to my account.
The $179.10 is a piddly sum to US Airways MasterCard, but to me it's a big issue in the way US Airways MasterCard does business -- and I'm not going to be party to it. Therefore, I asked for my current balance due, will send them a check, and then requested that the account be closed. It isn't worth the aggravation to deal with this company because if they'll do it once, they'll do it again. ...
but not to me!
Thus began the customer service calls (20 minutes today with Tim) to figure out what went wrong and how to correct it, culminating in a heart-felt apology from Jake, the manager with whom I asked to speak after spending the 20 minutes with Tim. Jake claims that an internal audit was completed on my complaint and the first check was never received, so the second check I sent cleared the problem from the first billing cycle. Nope, US Airways MasterCard Services does not owe me a refund or a credit for a double payment, but they "notified" me of that decision in December (NOT). When I disagreed and said I have had no contact from US Airways MasterCard -- or I wouldn't be wasting my time contacting them again -- Jake explained that uh, it was a phone call that went directly to FAX, even though I don't have a fax and he had the correct home number. I had been told to allow two billing cycles for the refund to be posted, which is why I waited until today to do the follow-up.
Jake sounded sincerely sorry, a most practiced delivery from customer services that grates like fingernails across a blackboard. I'm wrong; US Airways MasterCard is right; if there's anything else we can do for you ... . Yep, there is: credit $179.10 to my account. I paid it, the back of the check clearly says "For deposit only US Airways Inc," so credit my account with the second payment of $179.10. No big deal: just do the right thing.
Well, says Jake, when we examined the documents you submitted under case PYT0108274, we discovered that the payment, although it does say "For deposit only US Airways, Inc," was actually deposited by JP Morgan Chase, which is not the credit card's bank (they use Barkley's), so no one owes me a refund or a credit back to my card for paying the same bill twice. And, he says, I was notified of this decision, which, of course, I was not or I would NOT again be on the phone trying to clarify the situation and get a refund credited to my account.
The $179.10 is a piddly sum to US Airways MasterCard, but to me it's a big issue in the way US Airways MasterCard does business -- and I'm not going to be party to it. Therefore, I asked for my current balance due, will send them a check, and then requested that the account be closed. It isn't worth the aggravation to deal with this company because if they'll do it once, they'll do it again. ...
but not to me!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
What Goes Around
One of my favorite TV shows is Cake Boss, starring Buddy Valastro, who spun off a second show, The Next Great Baker last year, the winner of which is still working at the bakery. As I watched the several weeks of the competition this season, I was frustrated and angry at the way some contestants “played the game.” Lots of tears stood in place of good, solid talent, and everyone who landed in the bottom had a teary tale to tell about why their personal life qualified them for a professional win. Two of the worst bakers, but the best tear-jerkers, were Paul and Gretl-Ann, both of whom rode the coattails of other, better bakers, to the semi-finals. Thankfully, Paul was knocked out in the semi-finals, but Gretl-Ann made it to the final three bakers, one of whom would win both a job at Carlo’s Bakery and $100,000, not by being the best baker, but by "selling" the most baked goods at a sell-off competition in Las Vegas.
What upset me most about Paul and Gretl-Ann is that they wailed and bemoaned how much they needed the money to save themselves and their lifestyles, while ignoring the fact that their ability to bake was mediocre at best. The title of the show was not Who Needs the Money Most, but The Next Great Baker; hence, if you aren’t a great baker, you shouldn’t win the baking contest. In spite of her lack of baking ability, G-A went to Las Vegas as one of the Final Three. There, in an unscrupulous effort to win, she hid baking pans from her competitors and also turned up the oven temps so their baked goods had to be thrown away. She smirked to the cameras when she justified her actions by saying, “Hey, it’s a competition and I'm playing to win.”
Yeah: a BAKING competition, which by definition means being a better baker!!
G-A made it to the final two by out-selling the third baker in the finals, and was pretty smug in her potential to win until Buddy told the audience that the former competitors would vote on the winner. At this time, G-A lost her smug smirk and tearfully admitted that she had “pissed off” almost every other baker with dirty tricks, shabby work, and lies, so it was “not fair” that they would be allowed to vote because, probably, no one would vote for her. And, she was correct: 8 of the 10 former bakers voted for her opponent, Ashley, who was clearly the superior baker from week one.
Ashley nearly lost the title of Next Great Baker when she went off on Paul, who demanded that she, a “25-year-old kid,” justify why she should win the contest. He ignored her endless string of weekly challenge wins and attacked her personally, so Ashley lost it: she delivered a profanity-laced comeback that may have been accurate, but was totally inappropriate, and easily could have cost her the title, as well as the cash prize and job that came with it.
G-A is still convinced that she should have won because she was the only competitor who deliberately set about knocking out other bakers not based on baking skill, but by using dirty tactics to undermine their efforts. The good news is that what goes around comes around, and her loss should provide her with tearful stories to tell in a “poor me” pity party.
What upset me most about Paul and Gretl-Ann is that they wailed and bemoaned how much they needed the money to save themselves and their lifestyles, while ignoring the fact that their ability to bake was mediocre at best. The title of the show was not Who Needs the Money Most, but The Next Great Baker; hence, if you aren’t a great baker, you shouldn’t win the baking contest. In spite of her lack of baking ability, G-A went to Las Vegas as one of the Final Three. There, in an unscrupulous effort to win, she hid baking pans from her competitors and also turned up the oven temps so their baked goods had to be thrown away. She smirked to the cameras when she justified her actions by saying, “Hey, it’s a competition and I'm playing to win.”
Yeah: a BAKING competition, which by definition means being a better baker!!
G-A made it to the final two by out-selling the third baker in the finals, and was pretty smug in her potential to win until Buddy told the audience that the former competitors would vote on the winner. At this time, G-A lost her smug smirk and tearfully admitted that she had “pissed off” almost every other baker with dirty tricks, shabby work, and lies, so it was “not fair” that they would be allowed to vote because, probably, no one would vote for her. And, she was correct: 8 of the 10 former bakers voted for her opponent, Ashley, who was clearly the superior baker from week one.
Ashley nearly lost the title of Next Great Baker when she went off on Paul, who demanded that she, a “25-year-old kid,” justify why she should win the contest. He ignored her endless string of weekly challenge wins and attacked her personally, so Ashley lost it: she delivered a profanity-laced comeback that may have been accurate, but was totally inappropriate, and easily could have cost her the title, as well as the cash prize and job that came with it.
G-A is still convinced that she should have won because she was the only competitor who deliberately set about knocking out other bakers not based on baking skill, but by using dirty tactics to undermine their efforts. The good news is that what goes around comes around, and her loss should provide her with tearful stories to tell in a “poor me” pity party.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
No Good Deed
Being neighborly is a vague concept that depends on who the neighbor is and what they need from other neighbors. My next-door neighbor is a single mother (never married, but has contact with her Baby Daddy) and she drinks. When she doesn’t drink, I can be a good neighbor for her, but when she drinks, my stomach roils and my head starts to throb.
A week ago, she had been drinking and told me that if I see the police pull up to her front door, I should know that she has hurt her daughter. She described the daughter in “devil” terms, calling her heart black, and telling me that her daughter is evil and soulless. She told me that the Devil lives inside her daughter and she’s going to have to fight her and will hurt her.
Yesterday, the police pulled up to her front door.
My doorbell rang and it was the neighbor, drunk, and who told me the story of her “evil daughter,” who came home from school and locked her mother out of the house because she had been drinking. As forewarned, I walked over to the house to see if the daughter was okay. I briefly talked to the police officer about the previous weeks’ conversation, and then told the officer that there is a gun in the home. He talked to the daughter, who was unharmed and unarmed, and then asked me if there was a “safe place” for the daughter to go until her mother sobered up; if not, he could either arrest the mother for public intoxication or take the girl to Juvenile Hall – or both.
I asked the daughter if she would feel comfortable staying at my house for a while or overnight, and she agreed. I asked her mother if having the daughter stay at my house was okay with her, and she agreed that it was a good idea. This was all accomplished with a long drunken narrative about her daughter and life in general, punctuated with the loud wailing that only truly drunk people seem able to maintain and still converse. I told the police officer that I would take the daughter to my house, as well as the gun, and he relayed that message to the mother and escorted her to the front door to sleep off the drunk.
No good deed goes unpunished.
The daughter and I had gone to the home before gettting ready for bed to see if the mother was all right, as well as to ask if she wanted the daughter to come home for the night, but the mother refused to talk to either of us, so I set up my bathroom for her to shower and made up a sleeping area on the living room couch. We were just settling in for the night when the doorbell rang: 2 family members from a city 100 miles from here had been called by the drunken mother, who must have told them quite a story for them to hop into a car and drive all the way out here to rescue … someone from something. Although we had gone to the home to ask about the daughter coming back for the night and she was adamant that she didn't want her daughter in the house, the mother sent the young boys to the house to tell the daughter she was to come home. I asked the daughter if that was okay with her, she agreed to go back home with them, and I washed my hands of the entire situation. This is just not what I want in my life … .
An hour later, my phone rang: the mother was on the phone telling me how this was all the daughter’s fault, and then, out of nowhere, wanted to know why I had her gun. I was stunned as I had told the daughter that the police officer thought it would be best to remove the gun from the home until the mother sobered up, and I told the daughter a couple of times NOT to tell her mother that I had the gun. I assured her that I would return it to the mother after she sobered up, and there was no way I would return it to her in her present condition. I told the mother that yes, I had the gun – and I would return it to her the next day, but I was not going to have a conversation with her about any of the days’ events at this late hour of the night.
I tossed and turned for what seemed like hours, wishing I simply had refused to get drawn into the family feud next door. I wished that I could not care that the mother has been drinking a lot lately because her life has turned to shit in the past two weeks: her car was repo’d; the owner of her home sent a collection agency to collect back rent; she was fired from her job; and her daughter has about a thimbleful of sympathy and used that up a long time ago. I’ve been a taxi service in the past, so made it clear that I would take the mom grocery shopping (as I did yesterday morning, which is where the alcohol came into play), dropping her off at the local market and picking her up when she was done. But, I am not going to be driving hither and yon: they can ride the city bus.
This morning, I’m totally out of sorts, both pissed off and upset at the same time. I took the puppy to the vet to be spayed – and I had tears running down my face when I had to leave her there! I came home, got the gun and took it next door and told my neighbor I’m done. My priority for my life has to be … me and my life … and not refereeing the ongoing drama at her house! I know that 16-year-old girls can be a handful, but they are still “little” girls, not grown women, so you don’t put all of your adult issues onto those young shoulders and expect the girl to make it all better for you.
And you don’t make the whole mess your neighbor’s responsibility simply because she did a kindness in a troubled time.
I’m done. The ship is sinking with me still on it, and it’s not my ship, so I don’t have to stay aboard and try to save it from the inevitable outcome. If I hear severe domestic disturbances emanating from the house, I’ll call the police; if I hear gunshots, I’ll call the police. I’m done.
As a friend always used to say, "Not my life; not my wife."
A week ago, she had been drinking and told me that if I see the police pull up to her front door, I should know that she has hurt her daughter. She described the daughter in “devil” terms, calling her heart black, and telling me that her daughter is evil and soulless. She told me that the Devil lives inside her daughter and she’s going to have to fight her and will hurt her.
Yesterday, the police pulled up to her front door.
My doorbell rang and it was the neighbor, drunk, and who told me the story of her “evil daughter,” who came home from school and locked her mother out of the house because she had been drinking. As forewarned, I walked over to the house to see if the daughter was okay. I briefly talked to the police officer about the previous weeks’ conversation, and then told the officer that there is a gun in the home. He talked to the daughter, who was unharmed and unarmed, and then asked me if there was a “safe place” for the daughter to go until her mother sobered up; if not, he could either arrest the mother for public intoxication or take the girl to Juvenile Hall – or both.
I asked the daughter if she would feel comfortable staying at my house for a while or overnight, and she agreed. I asked her mother if having the daughter stay at my house was okay with her, and she agreed that it was a good idea. This was all accomplished with a long drunken narrative about her daughter and life in general, punctuated with the loud wailing that only truly drunk people seem able to maintain and still converse. I told the police officer that I would take the daughter to my house, as well as the gun, and he relayed that message to the mother and escorted her to the front door to sleep off the drunk.
No good deed goes unpunished.
The daughter and I had gone to the home before gettting ready for bed to see if the mother was all right, as well as to ask if she wanted the daughter to come home for the night, but the mother refused to talk to either of us, so I set up my bathroom for her to shower and made up a sleeping area on the living room couch. We were just settling in for the night when the doorbell rang: 2 family members from a city 100 miles from here had been called by the drunken mother, who must have told them quite a story for them to hop into a car and drive all the way out here to rescue … someone from something. Although we had gone to the home to ask about the daughter coming back for the night and she was adamant that she didn't want her daughter in the house, the mother sent the young boys to the house to tell the daughter she was to come home. I asked the daughter if that was okay with her, she agreed to go back home with them, and I washed my hands of the entire situation. This is just not what I want in my life … .
An hour later, my phone rang: the mother was on the phone telling me how this was all the daughter’s fault, and then, out of nowhere, wanted to know why I had her gun. I was stunned as I had told the daughter that the police officer thought it would be best to remove the gun from the home until the mother sobered up, and I told the daughter a couple of times NOT to tell her mother that I had the gun. I assured her that I would return it to the mother after she sobered up, and there was no way I would return it to her in her present condition. I told the mother that yes, I had the gun – and I would return it to her the next day, but I was not going to have a conversation with her about any of the days’ events at this late hour of the night.
I tossed and turned for what seemed like hours, wishing I simply had refused to get drawn into the family feud next door. I wished that I could not care that the mother has been drinking a lot lately because her life has turned to shit in the past two weeks: her car was repo’d; the owner of her home sent a collection agency to collect back rent; she was fired from her job; and her daughter has about a thimbleful of sympathy and used that up a long time ago. I’ve been a taxi service in the past, so made it clear that I would take the mom grocery shopping (as I did yesterday morning, which is where the alcohol came into play), dropping her off at the local market and picking her up when she was done. But, I am not going to be driving hither and yon: they can ride the city bus.
This morning, I’m totally out of sorts, both pissed off and upset at the same time. I took the puppy to the vet to be spayed – and I had tears running down my face when I had to leave her there! I came home, got the gun and took it next door and told my neighbor I’m done. My priority for my life has to be … me and my life … and not refereeing the ongoing drama at her house! I know that 16-year-old girls can be a handful, but they are still “little” girls, not grown women, so you don’t put all of your adult issues onto those young shoulders and expect the girl to make it all better for you.
And you don’t make the whole mess your neighbor’s responsibility simply because she did a kindness in a troubled time.
I’m done. The ship is sinking with me still on it, and it’s not my ship, so I don’t have to stay aboard and try to save it from the inevitable outcome. If I hear severe domestic disturbances emanating from the house, I’ll call the police; if I hear gunshots, I’ll call the police. I’m done.
As a friend always used to say, "Not my life; not my wife."
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Liar, Liar
It took a while, but Animal Control finally showed up July 3 to take my report of the June 28th early morning attack by two big "Husky" dogs up at the corner. I had staked out the street where I had last seen the dogs heading and finally figured out where the dogs are domiciled (3rd house on the left), so was able to provide that information to the officer so the incident could be investigated. Today, he stopped by the residence to talk with the people and determine if they have dogs matching the description I provided following the attack last Thursday, June 28.
They do have 2 "husky" dogs, one of which is an actual Husky and the other an Alaskan Malamute. They are both very light in color, just like the dogs that attacked us, but these dogs have NEVER been off the property. However, the dog owners provided another possible lead in the attack: there are two other dogs on the street who look just like their dogs, and THOSE dogs are always running the streets. Thus, I made an honest mistake by accusing these dogs when it's those dogs that probably attacked us last week.
I stared at the AC officer and asked him what he wanted me to say: actually, I asked him how I could even respond to that preposterous fabrication. Did HE really believe that there is another pair of dogs just like their dogs, and they all just happen to live on the same street? The AC officer explained to me that these dogs are "tied down" in the backyard, and he actually saw the tie-downs for himself. I have to catch them off-property and get a photo of them before my "story" about the attack is believed and any further action can be taken.
As the AC officer was readying himself to leave my front door, I smiled my sweetest smile and said, "I don't envy you having to figure out which of us is the bigger liar."
"No, no," he responded, "I believe you and your dogs were attacked, but if there are two other dogs in the neighborhood who look like these folks' dogs, well, you can see the spot I'm in."
Yeah, I can see that. And I can also see that I have to cough up $616.38 to pay the vet bill because I have no photographic proof that those dogs attacked us and it's, once again, the pet owners' version of their truth v. my allegations about the attack and injuries.
If, however, those owners left a box of puppies on a roadside, or if I physically harmed their dogs, there are penalties for that: $20,000 fine and up to 3 years in prison. And I'll bet that if I had hurt their dogs in fending them off during the attack, those would be the same dogs I reported to Animal Control, NOT the mirror set of phantom twins "down the street," and the owners would prosecute me the fullest extent of the law.
Same bullshit, second time around: not my dogs, not my problem. Mia survived her attack; Daisy survived her attack; and I hope I survive when it's my turn to be savaged by dogs that have NEVER left their property.
They do have 2 "husky" dogs, one of which is an actual Husky and the other an Alaskan Malamute. They are both very light in color, just like the dogs that attacked us, but these dogs have NEVER been off the property. However, the dog owners provided another possible lead in the attack: there are two other dogs on the street who look just like their dogs, and THOSE dogs are always running the streets. Thus, I made an honest mistake by accusing these dogs when it's those dogs that probably attacked us last week.
I stared at the AC officer and asked him what he wanted me to say: actually, I asked him how I could even respond to that preposterous fabrication. Did HE really believe that there is another pair of dogs just like their dogs, and they all just happen to live on the same street? The AC officer explained to me that these dogs are "tied down" in the backyard, and he actually saw the tie-downs for himself. I have to catch them off-property and get a photo of them before my "story" about the attack is believed and any further action can be taken.
As the AC officer was readying himself to leave my front door, I smiled my sweetest smile and said, "I don't envy you having to figure out which of us is the bigger liar."
"No, no," he responded, "I believe you and your dogs were attacked, but if there are two other dogs in the neighborhood who look like these folks' dogs, well, you can see the spot I'm in."
Yeah, I can see that. And I can also see that I have to cough up $616.38 to pay the vet bill because I have no photographic proof that those dogs attacked us and it's, once again, the pet owners' version of their truth v. my allegations about the attack and injuries.
If, however, those owners left a box of puppies on a roadside, or if I physically harmed their dogs, there are penalties for that: $20,000 fine and up to 3 years in prison. And I'll bet that if I had hurt their dogs in fending them off during the attack, those would be the same dogs I reported to Animal Control, NOT the mirror set of phantom twins "down the street," and the owners would prosecute me the fullest extent of the law.
Same bullshit, second time around: not my dogs, not my problem. Mia survived her attack; Daisy survived her attack; and I hope I survive when it's my turn to be savaged by dogs that have NEVER left their property.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Cornered
This morning, the girls and I made it to the corner before we were viciously attacked by two large dogs. My neighbor, to whom I had just been speaking, stood there as I repeatedly called to him for help. I fumbled for my dog spray and took a chance at hitting the attacking dogs, instead of my dogs, as they each had sunk their teeth into Daisy's hind quarters, one on each side, and were starting to pull her toward them. Luckily, the spray hit one of them full in the face, so it let go, and as I turned the spray toward the other dog, it, too, let go and they took off running across an empty lot to the east of our location.
Daisy's hind quarters have deep puncture wounds on both sides of her body, as well as one fairly large tearing wound on her right side. She's at the vet, but should be able to return home this afternoon. The tearing wound is probably going to require surgery to repair, which means another significant vet bill that I have to pay with no recourse to hold the animal owners responsible because, even though I drove up and down the street the dogs headed toward, I have not been able to locate them.
I did call the police and told them I was attacked in the intersection, described the two dogs as very large "husky"-like dogs with blue eyes, and told the officer that they had fled east from the intersection. I also added that my neighbor, who (finally) came to my assistance, had been attacked by the same two dogs while he was in his own front yard, located at that corner. I suggested that the police need to find those dogs and contain them because dogs that will attack not just other dogs, but humans, are too dangerous to reside in a residential neighborhood.
That went well; they will send the animal control officer to my residence later today to take my report. Last time that officer came to my residence, when Mia was attacked and it cost me $1000 at the vet for treatment of her injuries, the officer could not help me because I did not know whether it was a male or a female German Shepherd that had jumped its wall and attacked us. I assured the officer that I was too busy fighting off the dog to look for a penis, but the witness statements, as well as the vet report/bill, were simply not evidence that could be used to hold the dog owners liable for the damages their dogs caused to my dogs.
Yesterday, another block up and a couple over, a pit bull came through the wooden fence. As I fumbled for my pepper spray, a city employee drove up in a city vehicle. I flagged him down and he put his truck against the fence, forcing the dog back inside, so we could escape. I can name all the streets and point out the houses where dogs have come outside their yards to attack us, but there is no recourse available to me except to stop walking my dogs.
Put simply, the vet bill from Mia's injuries hurt me financially at a time I had already committed to paying for the cruise, and here comes another vet bill when I'm trying to gather the financial resources to pay for the trip back east for my daughter's wedding. The dogs and I love going for our daily walks, but I'm beginning to think the risk outweighs the benefits for all 3 of us!
Daisy's hind quarters have deep puncture wounds on both sides of her body, as well as one fairly large tearing wound on her right side. She's at the vet, but should be able to return home this afternoon. The tearing wound is probably going to require surgery to repair, which means another significant vet bill that I have to pay with no recourse to hold the animal owners responsible because, even though I drove up and down the street the dogs headed toward, I have not been able to locate them.
I did call the police and told them I was attacked in the intersection, described the two dogs as very large "husky"-like dogs with blue eyes, and told the officer that they had fled east from the intersection. I also added that my neighbor, who (finally) came to my assistance, had been attacked by the same two dogs while he was in his own front yard, located at that corner. I suggested that the police need to find those dogs and contain them because dogs that will attack not just other dogs, but humans, are too dangerous to reside in a residential neighborhood.
That went well; they will send the animal control officer to my residence later today to take my report. Last time that officer came to my residence, when Mia was attacked and it cost me $1000 at the vet for treatment of her injuries, the officer could not help me because I did not know whether it was a male or a female German Shepherd that had jumped its wall and attacked us. I assured the officer that I was too busy fighting off the dog to look for a penis, but the witness statements, as well as the vet report/bill, were simply not evidence that could be used to hold the dog owners liable for the damages their dogs caused to my dogs.
Yesterday, another block up and a couple over, a pit bull came through the wooden fence. As I fumbled for my pepper spray, a city employee drove up in a city vehicle. I flagged him down and he put his truck against the fence, forcing the dog back inside, so we could escape. I can name all the streets and point out the houses where dogs have come outside their yards to attack us, but there is no recourse available to me except to stop walking my dogs.
Put simply, the vet bill from Mia's injuries hurt me financially at a time I had already committed to paying for the cruise, and here comes another vet bill when I'm trying to gather the financial resources to pay for the trip back east for my daughter's wedding. The dogs and I love going for our daily walks, but I'm beginning to think the risk outweighs the benefits for all 3 of us!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
In Loco Parentis
Last night’s episode of The Glee Project demonstrates what’s wrong with our thinking, as well as what’s right. WE keep singling out those who are different and demand that they celebrate their uniqueness, often forgetting that WE are more comfortable not putting our vulnerabilities on display than WE are coming out of our own personal closets. This year’s The Glee Project created an unusual cast to compete for the one coveted spot on next season’s Glee, a selection that is supposed to represent a typical high school, but this year seems atypical. As Lindsey Parker writes in her blog Reality Rocks, “… the contestants (among them a plus-sized girl, a blind man, a conflicted Muslim, a transgender, a girl in a wheelchair, and an autistic boy) tapped into their real-life struggles while filming their raw performances.”
Water seeks its own level; when we try to capture it artificially, Mother Nature often corrects our mistake and allows the water to go where it needs to be. The seawall in Japan, which was meant to hold the water back and keep the cities safe, created a much more massive disaster than would have occurred had the water been free to crest and recede. The same is true with people: we are often more comfortable just being who we are, rather than being molded into someone we are not. Are there bullies at high school? Certainly, and often we know why that is true when the bully’s parent(s) show up to question why their kid is being singled out for punishment after an on-campus event occurs. They don’t ask questions; they throw accusations and make demands that are often back up with the phrase “our lawyer.” We quickly realize that the child learned the parental bullying lessons well and is simply living the life s/he knows.
The children who are picked on do not deserve that treatment, but we used to let them fight it out and settle it themselves, not a pretty way to handle things, but often an effective way. Then, we parents butted in and started protecting our children from reality, wherein the one who either cannot or will not fight to protect him/herself is shunned by the ones who do stand up for themselves. When bullies know that they are going down, they often pick on someone their own size; however, when bullies know that no one has the guts to take them out, they are free to act with impunity. It begins in the home, works its way into preschool, and then completes the process throughout the educational system: bullies get better because no one stops them, most especially the system that should. We don’t demand that kids be held accountable for their actions because we’re afraid of the consequences! They aren’t.
The Glee Project took the disparate group of wannabes and gave them a song to perform with the message that It Hurts (But Just Hang On), which they performed well; however, in the process of making the point, the action portrays that anyone and everyone who is perceived as different is a target of violence, which is not always true. When we portray everyone as a victim, then no one is victimized as it’s just what it is – and that’s wrong. Only one of these kids turns on their attackers, the very last one, who pushes back and the bullies back off, too. Sort of. It’s a gratuitous display at best, but at least the point is partially made: stand up for who you are and what you believe.
We adults are too afraid to stand up to our kids, to hold them accountable for their actions, rather than make excuses for what they say and do. Today’s instant media promotes bullying, but we don’t take the phones away, citing a litany of superficial reasons why kids have to have phones 24/7/365. Sure, tragedies happen at schools, but more tragedies are caused by kids with phones than prevented, especially kids behind the wheels of cars who are talking, texting, and watching their viral videos! Kids at school have too much time to take inappropriate photos and videos of one another and post them online, damaging messages that may not have any basis in fact. A nasty tweet does more damage in an instant that any handwritten note passed from one student to another during a class. Going viral seems to be the point, not just the process. The more egregious the claim, the more public the acclaim for the perpetrator. The victim is simply the inciting incident, not really the target, in the twisted logic of today’s teen.
Today’s media makes it okay to do just about anything to anyone without consequences: think TMZ, Access Hollywood, Extra, Entertainment Tonight, The Insider and all the other media outlets that trash talk with impunity. In point of fact, it’s the consequences that keep the actions in check; without consequences, I can do whatever I want, say whatever I want, and ruin anyone’s life just because I can. This is heady power, whether it’s the media or a school child who wields it. The Glee Project touched on the issue, but didn’t push it – and it’s time we all pushed it, rather than standing back and hoping that a song on an episode of a TV program will do the job for us.
Water seeks its own level; when we try to capture it artificially, Mother Nature often corrects our mistake and allows the water to go where it needs to be. The seawall in Japan, which was meant to hold the water back and keep the cities safe, created a much more massive disaster than would have occurred had the water been free to crest and recede. The same is true with people: we are often more comfortable just being who we are, rather than being molded into someone we are not. Are there bullies at high school? Certainly, and often we know why that is true when the bully’s parent(s) show up to question why their kid is being singled out for punishment after an on-campus event occurs. They don’t ask questions; they throw accusations and make demands that are often back up with the phrase “our lawyer.” We quickly realize that the child learned the parental bullying lessons well and is simply living the life s/he knows.
The children who are picked on do not deserve that treatment, but we used to let them fight it out and settle it themselves, not a pretty way to handle things, but often an effective way. Then, we parents butted in and started protecting our children from reality, wherein the one who either cannot or will not fight to protect him/herself is shunned by the ones who do stand up for themselves. When bullies know that they are going down, they often pick on someone their own size; however, when bullies know that no one has the guts to take them out, they are free to act with impunity. It begins in the home, works its way into preschool, and then completes the process throughout the educational system: bullies get better because no one stops them, most especially the system that should. We don’t demand that kids be held accountable for their actions because we’re afraid of the consequences! They aren’t.
The Glee Project took the disparate group of wannabes and gave them a song to perform with the message that It Hurts (But Just Hang On), which they performed well; however, in the process of making the point, the action portrays that anyone and everyone who is perceived as different is a target of violence, which is not always true. When we portray everyone as a victim, then no one is victimized as it’s just what it is – and that’s wrong. Only one of these kids turns on their attackers, the very last one, who pushes back and the bullies back off, too. Sort of. It’s a gratuitous display at best, but at least the point is partially made: stand up for who you are and what you believe.
We adults are too afraid to stand up to our kids, to hold them accountable for their actions, rather than make excuses for what they say and do. Today’s instant media promotes bullying, but we don’t take the phones away, citing a litany of superficial reasons why kids have to have phones 24/7/365. Sure, tragedies happen at schools, but more tragedies are caused by kids with phones than prevented, especially kids behind the wheels of cars who are talking, texting, and watching their viral videos! Kids at school have too much time to take inappropriate photos and videos of one another and post them online, damaging messages that may not have any basis in fact. A nasty tweet does more damage in an instant that any handwritten note passed from one student to another during a class. Going viral seems to be the point, not just the process. The more egregious the claim, the more public the acclaim for the perpetrator. The victim is simply the inciting incident, not really the target, in the twisted logic of today’s teen.
Today’s media makes it okay to do just about anything to anyone without consequences: think TMZ, Access Hollywood, Extra, Entertainment Tonight, The Insider and all the other media outlets that trash talk with impunity. In point of fact, it’s the consequences that keep the actions in check; without consequences, I can do whatever I want, say whatever I want, and ruin anyone’s life just because I can. This is heady power, whether it’s the media or a school child who wields it. The Glee Project touched on the issue, but didn’t push it – and it’s time we all pushed it, rather than standing back and hoping that a song on an episode of a TV program will do the job for us.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
My 10-Day Cruise in 6 Days
It's pouring rain outside and I'm making mac 'n cheese from scratch because I'm pissed off about my cruise and want comfort food. I cannot believe all the people who tell me how wonderful this cruise is, and that cruise is, and how they always book at least 2 cruises each year because it's such fun. If I had a way out of this one, I'd be staying home in May.
When a cruise ad sounds too good to be true, it is, but the truth fails to seep out until after the balance due is paid 60 days in advance of departure, a date that came one week ago. So far, my 10-day cruise to Greece (at a great initial price of only $1999) has cost me $3000 and dwindled to 6 days. I knew there would be adjustments for fuel and other travel costs, but … that additional $200 is merely the crown in the jewel of sparkling cruises gotchas.
We leave LAX on May 8 – at 9 pm, so the “first day” of our 10-day cruise package is really only 3 hours. We land in Athens at 11 pm on May 9, which is the second day of our 10-day cruise gone poof into the ether. On Day 3, we sight-see in Athens, then board the cruise ship on Day 4 for our first actual cruise. Days 5-6-7-8 are spent sightseeing in the Aegean Sea (at an additional expense to leave the ship for each of the excursions) and steaming back into Athens for the flight home, arriving at LAX on Day 10 at 7 pm. I’m basically ignorant about these kinds of travel events, so I really thought I’d be cruising for 10 days! Imagine my disappointment to discover that a total of 4 days are lost to travel and time changes.
Adding to the price, I have to pay for a shuttle to take me to the airport (currently $40) and back home (another $40 or whatever it will be 7 weeks from now), as well as for all of the exciting excursions planned by my tour company. I also have to pay a “gratuity” set by the cruise line for the staff who are hired to clean the rooms and serve the meals! In 35 years as a classroom teacher, no one has EVER paid me a penny above my salary to do the job for which I was hired, but it’s “expected” that cruise staff, as well as hotel staff for the time we are in Athens and the tour guides provided by the cruise line, are paid extra -- and we are provided with a chart that tells exactly how much to pay and to whom. The charges are significant enough that we are encouraged to use a credit card to pay them!
My $2000 cruise is going to finish off right at $4000, an increase I never saw coming. IF I ever decide to take another trip, I doubt that I will sign on for any “good deal” offered by any travel agency that specializes in affordable cruises for seniors. And I’ll never choose the local company with the outstanding reputation for "adult customized tours" as my experience with the President of the company has been disappointing. I don’t know him at all, but if he can accuse me of being “skittish” because I asked about canceling my reservation, I can charge him with arrogance! Can’t wait to meet him in person at our “welcome” brunch the week before we leave. The meet 'n greet is at my expense, of course, but attendance is strongly suggested.
I still want to travel to Alaska one of these days, but I'll figure that out without the help of a tour company! For the $4000 it's costing me for the ten days of May, I could have had a spectacular USA vacation!
When a cruise ad sounds too good to be true, it is, but the truth fails to seep out until after the balance due is paid 60 days in advance of departure, a date that came one week ago. So far, my 10-day cruise to Greece (at a great initial price of only $1999) has cost me $3000 and dwindled to 6 days. I knew there would be adjustments for fuel and other travel costs, but … that additional $200 is merely the crown in the jewel of sparkling cruises gotchas.
We leave LAX on May 8 – at 9 pm, so the “first day” of our 10-day cruise package is really only 3 hours. We land in Athens at 11 pm on May 9, which is the second day of our 10-day cruise gone poof into the ether. On Day 3, we sight-see in Athens, then board the cruise ship on Day 4 for our first actual cruise. Days 5-6-7-8 are spent sightseeing in the Aegean Sea (at an additional expense to leave the ship for each of the excursions) and steaming back into Athens for the flight home, arriving at LAX on Day 10 at 7 pm. I’m basically ignorant about these kinds of travel events, so I really thought I’d be cruising for 10 days! Imagine my disappointment to discover that a total of 4 days are lost to travel and time changes.
Adding to the price, I have to pay for a shuttle to take me to the airport (currently $40) and back home (another $40 or whatever it will be 7 weeks from now), as well as for all of the exciting excursions planned by my tour company. I also have to pay a “gratuity” set by the cruise line for the staff who are hired to clean the rooms and serve the meals! In 35 years as a classroom teacher, no one has EVER paid me a penny above my salary to do the job for which I was hired, but it’s “expected” that cruise staff, as well as hotel staff for the time we are in Athens and the tour guides provided by the cruise line, are paid extra -- and we are provided with a chart that tells exactly how much to pay and to whom. The charges are significant enough that we are encouraged to use a credit card to pay them!
My $2000 cruise is going to finish off right at $4000, an increase I never saw coming. IF I ever decide to take another trip, I doubt that I will sign on for any “good deal” offered by any travel agency that specializes in affordable cruises for seniors. And I’ll never choose the local company with the outstanding reputation for "adult customized tours" as my experience with the President of the company has been disappointing. I don’t know him at all, but if he can accuse me of being “skittish” because I asked about canceling my reservation, I can charge him with arrogance! Can’t wait to meet him in person at our “welcome” brunch the week before we leave. The meet 'n greet is at my expense, of course, but attendance is strongly suggested.
I still want to travel to Alaska one of these days, but I'll figure that out without the help of a tour company! For the $4000 it's costing me for the ten days of May, I could have had a spectacular USA vacation!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Balls to the Wall
An interesting phrase was used by one of the DWTS judges last night to encourage a dancer to "man up" by leaving his "balls" on the dance floor, as it were; however, it seems that manning up has little to do with either balls or dancing success this season as the most effusive praise goes to Carson Cressley and Chaz Bono, neither of whom can DANCE.
I get it: we're breaking boundaries. It's okay with me to go where no man has ever gone before, but THIS IS A DANCING COMPETITION. The couples who absolutely kick ass with their performances are brushed to the side so the judges can gush over the contestants that are marginal at best, but represent social demographics that want to make a statement about sexuality. Can they make a statement but also DANCE?
It's awkward, uncomfortable, and embarrassing to have the performers who are DANCING well have to find a way to say, "Ah, come on, man" when their visibly more competent performances are scored less enthusiastically than the WORST DANCERS in the competition. If I were one of the top performers, I'd be tempted to tell them to shove it: why work your ass off to do the best dance and earn the highest score of the week if it doesn't matter?
This show has become a popularity contest that detracts from the goal of the show to take well-known personalities out of their comfort zones and teach them how to DANCE well enough to win a ridiculous mirror ball trophy. It used to be fun, a little bit campy, and I looked forward to cheering for those stars who went from two left feet to a passable paso doble. This season no one seems to care about what the feet are doing as much as what goes on behind closed doors.
If this is what DWTS is going to be, a popularity contest that ignores the performance indicators, I'll move on. If, however, DWTS is going to be a DANCING competition, the show has to find another way to decide who stays and who goes, rather than allowing the popular vote to sustain contestants WHO CANNOT DANCE!
I get it: we're breaking boundaries. It's okay with me to go where no man has ever gone before, but THIS IS A DANCING COMPETITION. The couples who absolutely kick ass with their performances are brushed to the side so the judges can gush over the contestants that are marginal at best, but represent social demographics that want to make a statement about sexuality. Can they make a statement but also DANCE?
It's awkward, uncomfortable, and embarrassing to have the performers who are DANCING well have to find a way to say, "Ah, come on, man" when their visibly more competent performances are scored less enthusiastically than the WORST DANCERS in the competition. If I were one of the top performers, I'd be tempted to tell them to shove it: why work your ass off to do the best dance and earn the highest score of the week if it doesn't matter?
This show has become a popularity contest that detracts from the goal of the show to take well-known personalities out of their comfort zones and teach them how to DANCE well enough to win a ridiculous mirror ball trophy. It used to be fun, a little bit campy, and I looked forward to cheering for those stars who went from two left feet to a passable paso doble. This season no one seems to care about what the feet are doing as much as what goes on behind closed doors.
If this is what DWTS is going to be, a popularity contest that ignores the performance indicators, I'll move on. If, however, DWTS is going to be a DANCING competition, the show has to find another way to decide who stays and who goes, rather than allowing the popular vote to sustain contestants WHO CANNOT DANCE!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)