A request

Dear May,

I'm not sure what I did to offend you, but I am truly sorry. Can you please let the sun come out and take the snow away now?

Thank you.

The End.

Read more...

Take this job...

There are some days I hate my job. Well, not my job exactly, but some of the people I have to deal with as a result.

I'm back to playing travel agent for a little while (which seems to be an increasingly more common occurrence), and there's this one person I just cannot stand! The last time I did a trip for him, I had to answer the same questions several times, and this time is no different. I don't know how many different ways I can tell him the same information. I'm about ready to say, "Do it yourself and leave me ALONE if you're so concerned about it!" But that would hardly be professional, so I just keep saying the same thing over and over. Although my answers are becoming a little less nice each time, I think.

And the worst part is that even once this awful day is over, I'll have to do it all over again tomorrow and probably again in a few weeks. It almost makes me happy I have a furlough next week...I'm willing to take an unnecessary cut in pay for one blessed week without having to think about him and his annoying questions at all.

Read more...

Good riddance, trailer trash!

For those who may not know: when we sold our trailer, we ended up playing "bank" for the people who bought it. For the last two years, they have been making monthly payments to us. Once we realized they were no longer living in Logan, we decided we didn't want the liability anymore and offered them a bit of a discount if they paid if off two years early. And today, they brought us a check! Yea!

While I'll miss the additional monthly income their payments were bringing in, it will all even out since we can now pay off the snowmobile, which means we also won't have to pay snowmobile insurance this year.

And here's the other fun part: There will be enough left over to pay off Lillian's ICU bill. It would have been paid off by the end of the year anyway since I've upped our payment in hopes of getting it gone as soon as possible, but paying off something earlier than expected is always nice - especially when you've been paying for you're kid who's almost two. I guess they can't repossess her now. :)

The frustrating part in all this good news, however, is IHC's crappy accounting department. Ok...so they probably aren't that crappy, and I know several wonderful people who work or have worked for them. (After Tina's experience with offending people, I don't want anyone to think I don't like IHC or its employees.) But here's the deal (it's kind of a long, boring story to anyone other than us, so feel free to skim):

I guess they changed how they're handling bills that are set up on a long-term payment plan like ours was. Unfortunately, they didn't bother to tell anyone (or at least I never heard anything) that this change would be taking place. Using my wonderful online bill pay, I set up the payment to go automatically on the first of every month. About that time this month, I realized I hadn't received the statement yet but didn't think too much about it since it sometimes comes a little later. When the statement finally made it to our house, I noticed the payment was no longer going to the same department and my account number had changed.

I checked our bill-pay information and saw that the check had cleared our bank the day before I got the statement and two days after they printed it, so I figured they would get everything transferred over soon. Since I could check the balance online now (that wasn't an option before), I decided to keep an eye on it for the next week or two and call if the payment never appeared. I hate when people call in a panic without giving it some time to resolve itself like the lady who called work all freaked out because she got an invoice for a conference in the mail and she'd faxed a PO the day before she received the invoice. How were we supposed to recall a letter sent in the mail just because we received your fax? But I digress...

Anyway, a week later, the payment still hasn't shown up. Now that we have this check in hand to pay the balance off, Erik called to get the payoff amount and get it taken care of. They didn't show a payment was made and transferred him to the people who used to handle our account. They told him they didn't know where the payment was and were surprised to hear that the check cleared our bank last week. "But the person transferring payments is really behind..." Surely they knew this issue would come up when they changed who was handling the payments. Maybe they should have put something in place so payments weren't "lost" in a pile on someone's desk. And how far behind is behind? How long until the payment actually shows up on my account?

Long story short: we have to get a copy of the check from our bank and fax it to them to prove we made the payment; then we can get the payoff amount. But I'm still thrilled to get rid of two bills for good and wash our hands of the trailer that was our home for four years. I almost shed a tear...almost.

Read more...

Another try...fees and all

A few years ago, Erik and I had a membership to the local gym. I went faithfully everyday during my lunch hour for probably a year or more; it might have been two - I can't really remember. Then, for some reason that completely escapes me now, my attendance dwindled. Erik's did, too, so we finally decided - after about six months of paying for something we weren't using - to cancel the membership.

After a year of trying to loose "that last 10 pounds" from having a baby (If you're still trying to loose it 2 years after the fact, can you still call it baby weight? Yes? Ok...thanks. That makes me feel better about it.) and not having much success with motivating myself to work out at home, we reinstated our membership last night. To my fellow gym-goers: anyone interested in doing Boot Camp?

What gets me about any sort of "membership" is the initial fees they hit you with. Luckily, working for the University has its perks since we don't have to pay the annual membership fee; we only have to pay a discounted version of the monthly dues. But even with the prorated membership for the rest of October, we ended up paying a full month's membership anyway just from the fees they tacked on.

Sign up fee? Are you serious? They should be paying me for signing up. After all, thanks to my signing up, they will be getting a monthly payment.

Card fee? Can you honestly tell me those cheap plastic cards with a bar code cost $10?

And even though we don't pay it, what's the deal with a separate annual fee and monthly dues? Why not just be blunt and tell me what it's actually costing me a month. I wonder if they think it's easier to swallow if you see it as two separate numbers: Look, your monthly dues is only... and you only have a small annual membership fee of...

But I fully intend to get the most for my money. At least until my attendance, once again, starts to dwindle...

Read more...

Are there ever days...

when you feel like you should have just stayed in bed?

Read more...

Give me a break!!

When Erik and I got a family cell phone plan clear back in the day (I guess it would be about 6 years ago), the salesman asked if we had any requests for numbers. I jokingly said I wanted a number that was all fives. I didn't get my full wish since the 555 prefix isn't used for real numbers, but I did get a number that ended in all fives. Kind of fun, I thought. Should make it easy to remember my number, right?

Since that time, I've discovered that my number is very close to directory assistance. Let me tell you, the first couple calls I got asking if I was directory assistance were pretty strange. I finally did some research and figured out the problem.

I've also discovered that people like to give out fake phone numbers. Since the 555 prefix isn't used, most people know it's a bogus number. So instead, they tack the fives on the end of a prefix they know is real and send the person on their way.

Between directory assistance and wrong numbers, I no longer answer my phone unless a name comes up with the caller id. I figure if they really know me, they'll leave a message. (Although I've had people calling the wrong number leave messages, too. How hard is it to realize they have the wrong number when my voicemail actually says, This is LEONORA.)

But on Friday, I got a call with an Arizona area code. Since I have family there, I decided against my better judgment to answer. "May I speak to Wayne Taylor?" Ummm...wrong number. I thought that would be end of it. Nope. They called back on Saturday. I answered and told them, again, it was a wrong number. They called back twice more that day. I answered again on the third try and asked what number the were trying to reach. "Wayne Taylor." Duh...I knew that. Did I ask who?

I explained as kindly as I could that they had the wrong number and continuing to call wasn't going to change that. What does he tell me? "The bottom line is, he requested information from us so I'm calling to give it to him." How is continuing to call a wrong number going to get him the information he supposedly wants? So I told him that apparently they were given a fake number, Wayne Taylor wasn't here, and please stop calling me. He hung up on me...as if he was the one who should be peeved about the situation.

Sunday, there were no calls. Finally, I thought, the message was received. But then Monday came. FOUR calls!! And one already today. They're nothing if not persistent. Does anyone know how to block calls from a specific number?

I've stopped answering.

Read more...

Oh the Frustration!!!

I hate our internet! I hate our whole "technology" package if you want to get to the nitty-gritty. We're supposed to have this fantastic, state-of-the-art technology wired right into our brand new townhome. But my internet runs at speeds closer to dial-up on some days rather than the the high-speed we were promised. And my digital, HD tv? Nonexistent. Not that I really care all that much about HD, but we don't even get the standard features most people get, like on screen programming for crying out loud even though our tv is provided through Dish! And the reception is so bad on some stations that we might as well have rabbit ears. In fact, that would almost be better since network stations are broadcasting in HD now anyway. Not to mention the lovely hum when the building housing the equipment gets too warm. Our VoIP never worked right and doesn't at all any more from what we've been told. And the security system that is supposedly why so many people buy in this development is no longer monitored. So I guess if someone breaks in, I better just hope some cop is driving by and hears the alarm.

Why, you ask, do you continue with this company if you are so dissatisfied? Because our stupid builders were so sure this package would be the bomb that they didn't let Comcast or Qwest run lines into the development and made us all sign a contract with a company that technically no longer exists, and it's written into the CC&Rs that we can't get our own providers. However, we've been assured that "negotiations are taking place with a major provider," whatever that means. We've heard the same schpeal for the last six months. I've tried to be optimistic, but when it takes me 20 minutes for a simple scrapbook download, I just can't take it any more!!

Tirade over. For now.

Read more...

A bargain?

So what good does it do to be a savvy shopper and hunt for some bargains if you don't get what you pay for, even if it's not full price? Let me preface this by saying that I usually have success with online shopping. It's a risk ordering something that you can't see first, but I generally know what I'm willing to order sight unseen and what I want to actually look at beforehand. I thought I would be safe with a set of sheets.

We've been wanting a down comforter for some time but haven't been willing to commit to one (or the price that often comes with them), but we finally decided to break down and just get one. What really prompted this was finding a duvet cover set that we both liked and fit the colors already in our bedroom. It was a great deal (half off regular price) so I decided to get a set of matching sheets, also half off. They arrived a couple days ago and I tried to put them on today. "Tried" is the key word since the fitted sheet would not stretch over our queen-sized bed. I finally gave up and looked at the tag. What did it say? FULL! The packaging said queen; the flat sheet said queen. But the fitted sheet was definitely a full...

I guess that's the risk you take when shopping at what was basically an outlet store that probably has most of their products because of some kind of defect. But honestly! I can handle a little color issue or maybe a slight imperfection in the fabric, but this is something that shouldn't have even been sold if you ask me. I hate dealing with online returns (which is why I'm usually very sure before I even order), so I'm not going to bother since we can use it on our guest bed, but I sent a nasty little email and it made me feel a little better.

Anyway...I'm done venting now.

Read more...