Daily Dose

Ducks Are For Carrying?

Animal Issues, Daily Dose, Family Funk, Holidays, Pets /

I forgot to check the front patio for packages yesterday so I wasn’t surprised to find a couple of package sized envelopes sitting on the patio this morning. However, I was surprised to see that one of those envelopes was for Skeeter, from Duncan.

You remember Duncan, right? She’s my mom’s dog? The one I dog-sat last year? The one who doesn’t bark? Right — that Duncan.

You might also remember that my mother left me a very, very long printed list of instructions for taking care of Duncan, Miss Priss, the fish, the plants, and the house. Most of the instructions were related to Duncan and one of the line items was something like…

“After you come home, she’ll grab her duck and carry it around the house for awhile.”

And it’s true. Duncan did that.

What’s also interesting is that Skeeter does this too. Or something very similar.

If we leave her at home, she will grab a stuffed toy of some sort and carry it around the house for awhile after we get home.

It’s cute. Even if Skeeter’s babies are a lot more dead than Duncan’s duck.

Anyway, back to the package for Skeeter.

I decided to hand her the envelope to see what she’d do with it.

Duh. How dumb was that? She started chewing it. And eating the paper.

So I took the big envelope away and found a Christmas gift bag inside (which caused me to kind of roll my eyes) so I handed the gift bag to Skeeter to see what she’d do. (Right, that’s me, still being dumb.)

She started eating the gift bag. She did not particularly care what was in the gift bag, she was happy to eat the little rope handle and the tape and the tag and just the whole bag really.

I decided I’d better put a stop to that paper eating thing, so I nudged the bag and the real present fell out.

A duck! Like Duncan’s!

Skeeter loved it. For the three minutes it too, her to rip a hole in it and strip the squeaker.

And pull out all of the stuffing and bury it in the yard (briefly) so Koto couldn’t play with it.

Seriously. Three minutes.

She still loves the Duncan duck but not as much as she loved it while she was destroying it.

Ducks Are For Carrying? Read More »

I’m Trying Not to Complain — But Failing

1 Comment / Daily Dose, Pet Peeves /

We might not have snow on the ground, or have had any real snow on the ground, but it’s still freaking cold. I’m trying not to complain because it could be worse but it’s still freaking cold.

And I hate it.

I really hate it.

I also hate it when I’m reading Facebook or Twitter or a blog and someone is complaining because it’s too warm and it doesn’t feel like December. That really, really annoys me and it makes it harder for me NOT to complain about how darn cold it is here. Even though, relatively speaking, it’s not that cold.

Which is what I try to hang onto when I’m freezing my ass off. It’s not that cold. It could be worse. It has been worse. It will be worse.

I’m sitting here shivering at my desk, people, and I’m trying not to complain but… It’s cold.

I’m Trying Not to Complain — But Failing Read More »

Too Fond of Vaginas?

3 Comments / Daily Dose, Day to Day /

Yesterday, KarenLynnn and I started a new Words with Friends game. It started out like most games do. A crummy word played first, a not great word played second and then everything went to hell — for me, at least. And it was my own damn fault for being so fond of vaginas.

After I played my first word, I found myself looking at all of the letters I’d need to spell “Vagina” and I was sure I’d be able to play the word on my next turn.

But I couldn’t. So I did something dumb, in the scheme of the game, I played one letter for something like 9 points. I laughed at myself and shrugged. My new tile was… an “S”. Hot damn! Surely on my next turn I’ll be able to use all of my tiles and play “Vaginas”!! How awesome is that?

Except I couldn’t. So I did something else really stupid, in the scheme of the game — something I NEVER DO. I passed.

Yep. I passed.

Next round, I still could not play the word I wanted! Damn that Karenlynnn! It’s like she knew what my tiles were and was intentionally blocking me from having my fun.

So. I played an “S”. Yep. I did that.

All the while, KarenLynnn is stacking up the points and I’m floundering around with like 30 points after five rounds.

Next round, I still could not play “Vagina” or “Vaginas” or “Vaginal”.

I might have let out a little sob. Maybe.

I said goodbye to my dreams of playing “Vagina” and tossed out a few letters.

Next round… there was the perfect place to play “Vaginas” and I no longer had the proper letters. I might have let out another little sob.

Someday I’ll get to play “Vagina” in a Words with Friends game.

Someday. Someday. Someday.

Vagina. Vagina. Vagina.

Too Fond of Vaginas? Read More »

ATT Uverse: The Ghost in the Machine?

2 Comments / Daily Dose /

My internet went out today, right in the middle of pulling a report — and in the middle of TW’s conference call where she would be asked to look at things online and provide feedback. Bad, bad timing.

I did all of the things you’re supposed to do. Unplug, reset, reboot. No luck, so I called ATT and got the nice automated computer voice who asks you questions and does some “tests”. Then he tells you that you should reboot your computer and if there’s still a problem to call back. I find this nice automated computer voice person to be completely unhelpful and annoying.

But, I did what I was told – rebooted and called back. The nice automated computer voice person says “I see I was helping you troubleshoot a problem earlier, are you still having trouble?” My answer of “Why yes, yes I am.” seemed to confuse him and he had to clarify that my answer was “Yes.” and then told me an agent would be with me in eight minutes.

25 minutes later, a nice real human came on the line and asked me all the questions she should ask me and then “ran some tests” and then looked for any “outages in your area”. She said there were no outages in my area and decided that she would try to reboot my modem from there. She tried, it didn’t work. She could not control my modem and then asked an odd question, “You’re connecting to 2WireXXX” is that correct?” Huh. No, that’s not correct. My modem connection is 2Wire 824 not 2Wire XXX. She seemed confused by this, too.

I suggested that maybe when the uverse guy came out before, and brought us a new modem, that somehow they still had the old modem number on file? Or umm something. She said maybe, and then tried to find 2Wire824 and make that modem reboot. She was not successful and started to tell me she would send a technician out to bring me a new modem.

I told her I actually have another modem that the technician left me the last time he was here — just in case. At first, she refused to attempt to assist me with this new modem because of the type of “plan” that I have. I argued and said, “If it’s just a modem, why do I need a technician? I just plug in the power cord and the internet cable and you tell my system to look for the new SSID etc.” She relented.

I hooked up the new modem, the same lights came on that were on the old one. She tried to speak to this new modem … and failed.

At which point, she set me up with a technician who is coming tomorrow between 1pm-5pm. Happy day off to me, right? Gah.

So, I turned on my iPhone’s HotSpot and TW and I fought over that connection for several hours. It was slow but it worked (mostly) and it was fine.

Late in the afternoon, Jenn called. While I was chatting with her, I decided to reboot my iPhone after we got off the phone because everything was getting really slow. I turned it off, walked away to nuke some coffee, came back to my desk and started working.

Notice what I said there… I started working. Without turning my iPhone back on.

My uverse was back on! But here’s the really weird thing, I am connected to 2Wire824, my original connection — but the modem that is plugged in is 2Wire261! I didn’t change the Wireless Network Key, either.

How the hell does that work? I’m connected to the internet via a modem that is not plugged in at all?

MomofAli said @melisalw’s dad heard from ATT that there was a system-wide outage earlier today. Huh. I wonder why the tech I talked to didn’t know that? I also wonder whether I should cancel my technician visit tomorrow or keep the appointment so that he can explain why I’m connected to the internet via a modem that isn’t even plugged in.

There’s a ghost in my machine, isn’t there?

ATT Uverse: The Ghost in the Machine? Read More »

Puppy Mania or Just Mania

Daily Dose, Family Funk, Pets, Work /

This is not the post I planned to write today but since this month’s Nablo theme is “Work” it makes sense that I’m not writing it because of work related issues. And also because my tomorrow is shot to hell and it’s still today, so I will be working a 16 hour day today, after all.

And that’s what my life is like. In a nutshell. This also goes a long way to explain why I never blog here any more.

See, I had to write a blog post for Rita, due this weekend and I’d been putting it off for ages because I didn’t really know what to say. I finally figured it out and I wrote it and there went an hour of blogging time. When was the last time I spent an hour for a post on this blog? Forever, that’s how long it’s been.

Then, I needed to test a tech problem at work so I wrote another post, you can see it here (and you should, if you have a puppy.) Puppy Toy Holiday Gift Guide: Skeeter Bess Approve.

Which led to MomofAli (Mom of Ali, dammit) showing me a photo of HER singing rat. Except hers never made noise because she found it, dead, at a playground. Heh. She thought it was a child’s toy and had no idea it was really a dog’s toy.

Which led me to do a wee video of Skeeter with her rat, so everyone could hear just what it sounded like, (that video is in the BlogHer post I linked above, so really, you should click that link whether you have a puppy or not. It’s worth it.) Except Skeeter wasn’t in the mood to play. She was too bloody busy cuddling with my woman — ON MY PILLOW.

Hmph.

Now back to work I go but at least I didn’t fail at December’s Nablo on day 3.

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To Work or Not To Work — Dumb Question

Daily Dose, Personality, Work /

I’ve been at my desk working since about 4:30. It’s 6pm now. I’ve gotten up a couple of times to let the dog out. And, I did get up and fix a plate for dinner (which I ate at my desk, working) and I scooped some ice cream for myself and Elly (which I ate at my desk, working.)

As soon as I finish writing this post, I’ll start a load of laundry and I’ll clean the kitchen. After that… do I come back here to my desk and work some more? Or do I call it done for the weekend?

It’s never a matter of will I work or won’t I work, on my days off. It’s a matter of how much I’ll work.

If I don’t get a jumpstart on the week, or catch up on what fell through the cracks last week, I’ll be so far behind that I’ll never catch up. Or, more likely I’ll catch up by working 16 hour days until it’s done. I love my job but I kind of hate 16 hour work days.

I don’t particularly love spending six hours on a Sunday night at my desk, either.

There are books to read and Firemom watched Dawson’s Creek in front of the Christmas tree today, which sounded like a ton of fun to me. There are movies I haven’t seen that I could be watching. There’s a puppy who’d love me to throw a toy for her for awhile. There are teenagers I could harass, because they so love it when I harass them. I could call my big kids. I could play with my iPad. I could re-organize the cabinets and the stockpile room. I could wrap the last two packages for JMP and his parents and get their boxes packed (and the Fake Husband’s box packed.) There are so many things I could do.

But I won’t.

I’m going to come right back here and barrel through. The work calls and if I don’t answer, I’ll be here tomorrow night until 9pm playing catch up and kicking myself for not getting it done.

To Work or Not To Work — Dumb Question Read More »

Half Empty

8 Comments / Daily Dose, Day to Day /

So.

I was feeling all stoked about succeeding at NaBlo and looking forward to December — the holidays, some days off, seeing the big kids, going out to see Melissa. I wasn’t even stressing over TW’s still missing paycheck and the hospital bills that just keep rolling in. Life was good. I wasn’t even too grouchy about all of the driving around we were facing the next day, to get RJ to all of the places she needs to be.

I took a shower and was looking forward to climbing into my bed with a book (and TW and probably the damn dog) but as I was drying off, TW informed me that RJ did not have her ID. The ID that’s necessary to get her into the SAT at 7:45am.

I cursed and put on my dirty clothes and then was informed that not only does she not have her ID, she doesn’t even know where her ID is. I cursed some more and went to find my shoes.

10 minutes later, she’d verified that her step-mother was in possession of her Passport, so I leashed the dog and headed to the car. And waited. RJ came down without shoes and had to go back up to get them. I waited some more. She forgot her key. I waited some more.

Everyone was in the car and I started to back out of my long ass driveway. Something I’ve done 8 zillion times in the last four and a half years.

Crunch.

I. Hit. The. Damn. Pole.

The pole I’ve reminded people not to hit 8 zillion times in the last four and a half years.

I. Hit. The. Damn. Pole. With. My. New. Car.

I pulled forward and just sat there a minute.

Climbed out. It was too dark to see anything but I ran my hands over the side of the car, just above the tire well — scrape. A very large scrape.

I cursed and got back in the car, where I sat and cursed again for a very long time.

I stopped cursing and just sat there quietly for awhile. I just needed a minute to feel all of the happy float away and all of the frustration just flooded right out of me.

Numb. Comfortably numb. That pretty much describes the trip across town and back again.

This morning, I’m tired but the kid is at the SAT and I’m at my desk doing most of the normal things I do every morning. Planning the rest of my day. Wondering whether I should file an insurance claim or just pay it out of pocket. And wondering where a good body shop is, close by.

Fuck.

At least Michelle Belle is in a cab, on her way home, after a nice Florida vacation.

At least JMP is adorable as ever (almost 19lbs of adorable.)

At least 99% of my Christmas shopping is done.

At least we finally finished listening to the most depressing YA book on the face of the earth.

At least the puppy hasn’t eaten baby Jesus, so far, today.

Fuck.

Half Empty Read More »

Half Full

4 Comments / Daily Dose, NaBloPoMo /

I made it through a full month of NaBloPoMo. It’s been so long since that happened that I can’t even remember the last time I made it. Or made it through a month of blogging without NaBlo to nudge me.

That’s a good thing. Sort of.

I didn’t write the posts I was hoping I’d write. But, I also didn’t fall back on a month of blogging about books (and not entirely because I didn’t get much reading done this month, either.)

I also didn’t make the time to write that I’d hoped I would. A few days, I did. But mostly, I jotted off something quickly, at the end of the day, just so I could say “I blogged.”

That’s OK. It’s a hell of a lot better than I’ve been doing and part of the experiment is to figure out whether I even enjoy saying anything at all. Turns out I do. Sometimes. Maybe even “Often” if I’d actually give myself some time to do it.

Tomorrow is the start of a new month — I’m not sure I’m ready to sign up for another full month, but then again — why not? Even if I only get a few fun posts out of the month, getting back into the habit just might be worth it in the end.

Maybe.

November was fun so let’s just see what happens tomorrow, ‘k?

Half Full Read More »

What Do You Do On Your Days Off?

2 Comments / Daily Dose, Work /

I took two days off from work and I had big plans to do ALL the things. Apparently there are fewer hours in the day on a day off than on a day I work because I did not get ALL the things finished.

I worked a few hours each day, which I had factored into my plans.

I did manage to wrap all of JMP’s presents and all of his mom and dad’s presents, though I’m still waiting on one for his mom to arrive so I can get it all boxed up (lord, do they make boxes big enough for all of this stuff?)

I got the gifts I need to send to Charlotte wrapped and shipped!

I finally managed to get the Comcast cable box sent back. I was supposed to do that last week but I forgot.

I ran out to the Navy Base today, so we don’t have to do that on Saturday (which we’d never manage to do since we have to drive kids to hell and back all day long.)

I made it to the library to pick up some books on hold but forgot (again) to pay my fine. Sheesh.

I did two loads of laundry. TWO. And one of them is still in the dryer waiting to be folded. That’s pathetic. I do more laundry than that on a work day.

I did take a short nap and a regular sized nap, which was nice and not really on my list of things to do.

I took the puppy for one walk. One. I would have taken her for two but remembered today was puppy training class and figured we could skip the walk in favor of a nap, since we’d be working during the class. I should have taken her for a walk, that might have saved baby Jesus or the lamb from being eaten.

And that’s it.

I didn’t get a blog post written that is due next week.

I didn’t clean the cabinets or the stock pile room.

I didn’t clean up the videos on my iPhone or the apps on my iPad.

I didn’t go through the winter clothes to see what’s going to Goodwill and what’s going into our drawers.

I didn’t even read more than one book (and that was a graphic novel!)

I didn’t figure out where I stand with my reading challenges for 2012 and figure out what I’m going to challenge myself to do in 2013.

And, I definitely didn’t get my desk cleaned.

Poop.

I hope I can get more done next week when I take some more days off.

What Do You Do On Your Days Off? Read More »

Tips/Gifts for Service Providers?

2 Comments / Community Chest, Daily Dose, Money Talks /

TW’s mom would like to give a gift to the guy who drives the bus for the Senior Center but he’s not allowed to accept money so she was wondering whether he could accept a gift card or what other type of gift she might give him. He goes out of his way to pick her up/drop her off — beyond the call of his actual duties and she wants to thank him.

So — I started researching the problem and I found a whole lot of people who feel very strongly (both in favor and against) the tipping of service providers.

And, I understand both sides of the argument.

Why do we tip folks for doing their jobs?

Shouldn’t tipping be reserved for people who go above and beyond? For those who provide extraordinary service?

Do teachers, bus drivers, hair dressers, postal service, UPS/Fed drivers, garbage collector, etc. always deserve a holiday gift?

Are those who make a “good” wage with benefits less deserving of a tip/holiday gift than those who don’t make said wages/benefits? Even if they provide outstanding, over-the-top service?

How do you decide which service providers to gift? And what types of gifts do you give?

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