Category Archives: Ramblings

Talking To Aliens

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Have you ever had to call or email customer service and felt like you were talking to aliens from another planet? This happens to me all the time! I used to think it was just me. Me, being the problem; that perhaps I wasn’t expressing myself properly or maybe I was leaving out words or important details. Nope. It is NOT me.

Many years ago, we had one of those humungous satellite dishes and hadn’t had a problem with it for years. Then one year, we lost our signal. I called customer service. They directed me to call the installation department, and so I did. After briefly explaining the issue and what I had done to troubleshoot the problem, they transferred my call back to customer service. I hadn’t had the chance to tell them that customer service directed me to them. I explain again to customer service because I was speaking to someone different. They said I needed to call the technical department. They gave me the number and I called. I explained the issues again and this foreign-accented man asked me if the television was on. I’m like, “Um, yes. How else would I know if I was or was not getting a signal?” He guided me through the troubleshooting process even though I explained I had already done that. I followed him through the steps, and then in all of his wisdom he declares, “You need a tech-nee-shan!!” I said, “OMG. Are you serious? That’s why I’m talking to you!” I was so disgusted from spending the last hour on the phone and getting nowhere that I just hung up. Not too long after that, we replaced our humungous satellite dish with a smaller one from Dish.

Another example: I had a credit with a company because they had discontinued something that I had ordered and paid for. I couldn’t find any information on the website or in my account regarding using that credit, so I emailed customer service. I explained that I had a credit coming to me and I asked, “How do I apply that credit to my next order?” I was flabbergasted when the answer I received was how to login to my account. I emailed again stating that logging into my account was not the issue and explained again. This time, I got some other stupid answer that had nothing to do with my issue! After several tries, I sent them a rude and to the point email about how the company needed to hire competent people. It wasn’t long before I received an email from a manager, who apologized and that he didn’t know what the problem was with the two reps but that he knew what I was asking and understood my frustration. He solved my problem and all was well in the world.

Just this week, I was trying to find a certain product that I had purchased many times before on a website because I have a friend interested in said product. This time, I couldn’t find it. Using the search option, the product appeared but when I clicked the link I was taken to an “ERROR 404” page. I emailed the company. I was instructed to call them to place the order. Well, I don’t want to call them because the company is located in the UK, plus I’m not ready to order at the moment. I responded and explained, then asked if they had the item in stock or if they were going to get them back in stock any time soon because I had a friend who was interested in purchasing right now. I also explained again about the “ERROR 404” page. The response back was simply, to use the search option to locate the product. OMG. I was ready to scream. I responded back and got the exact same response but from a different representative. Finally, I blew a gasket. I responded back with, “Will you please direct this email and the entire conversation to someone who reads and comprehends English?!” I also added, “The keyword search from your website sends me to an ERROR 404 page!!! Do you have the product or not? Will you be getting them or NOT? Why is it so hard to get a straight answer????”

It’s like talking to aliens from another planet, I swear. I do not play well with STUPID. It frustrates the hell out of me, and it happens all the damn time! I have even read aloud to other people what I have written and everyone, including my therapist, agrees that I express exactly what the problem is and/or what I need. So, why do people not understand? Does everyone have the wrong freakin’ job or what?

What are some of your experiences? I surely can’t be alone….and don’t call me Shirley.

My Goals For 2020

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I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions. I have never once kept a resolution in my life. I tend to pick things that are unrealistic so I stopped when I was in my 30’s, but I can still set some small goals for myself. I made a list of things that I need or want to do for me. Some are very simple and some will take more effort, but I’m going to do my best! These are in random order, typed as they came to me.

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❣ I’ll write in my blog more, start writing that cookbook I’ve been promising to write, and finish my short story “Spike” because after all, I started it when I was 22 years old.

❣ I will exercise more. I’ve been trying to walk more and using my Air Walker at least 5 times a week. I’ve started out slowly because of my pain level and mobility issues.

❣ It’s about time the spare bedroom is used as a bedroom instead of a storage room. I’ll do a little decluttering every few days, and throw a LOT of stuff away.

❣ I will continue on my weight loss journey and with the support of the gals over at Weigh to be Healthy, I just might get to where I need to be! You can join this private group, too! We are a very supportive bunch and we want to see each other succeed, no matter what health issues we have or what our goals are!

❣ I will keep a gratitude and affirmations journal. I take things for granted, as we all do, but if I write down what I am grateful for each day, I will be more grateful. I will be more aware of what I have and what I can do instead of being focused on what I don’t have or what I can’t do. The affirmations will change my mindset, and allow more positivity into my life.

❣ I will spend less time on Facebook. It’s just exhausting anymore when it used to be fun. People can be so rude and hateful. They are too quick to judge and try to impose their beliefs or their opinions on everyone else.

❣ I will drink more water because I guess 2 quarts of tea per day isn’t the same thing. Haha. I hate water. I’d rather drink tea!

❣ I will cook more and with the help of my new Instant Pot, I think I can achieve this quite easily. I’ve already made several things in it and it’s all been edible, so that’s something! I can put a little more thought into meal planning and making my own “freezer meals.”

❣ I will eat breakfast in the mornings. It really is hard for me to do that because ever since I was a teenager, I have skipped breakfast. I’m just not that much into breakfast foods. I’m never hungry first thing in the morning either.

❣ I will read more. Lordy, I need to finish the 3 books I started a few months back and never finished. I get lazy. My eyes get tired. I can’t sit still. I used to read all the time! I don’t know why I stopped.

❣ I’d like to learn a new skill. I don’t know what yet. Maybe I’ll take another online class or learn how to play guitar. I could try a new language but…been there, done that…don’t seem to grasp it well. Maybe I’ll learn superb hacking skills and get hired by the government to fight cybercrime!

❣ I will give to charity, help a Veteran, and donate pet food to shelters. I will do what I can to help others because it makes me feel good about who I am as a person.

❣ I will save money each month so I can afford to do something big for myself. I don’t know what yet, but I’ll figure something out.

❣ I will meditate more. I don’t do it enough because it’s hard for me to focus. Sometimes I just fall asleep, which isn’t a bad thing.

❣ I will create a Keepsake Box for each of my children and grandchildren. I’ll add keepsakes from the past adding more as time passes. They will each have a box of memories to remember me by when I’m gone.

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So, there you go. All I can do is try, try, and try again to do all of these things. Have you made a list of goals for yourself going into the new year? Please feel free to share in the comments! I’d love to hear about your plans. Thanks for reading mine!

 

 

Makin’ A List

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The holidays are not what they used to be…at least for me. I used to enjoy the holidays when my kids were small. The joy and wonder, the anticipation was worth all the hassle of decorating, shopping, wrapping gifts and hiding them, etc. It was fun to help the kids make gifts and goodies for Santa! We had our traditions; the cookie baking, the homemade pizzas, popcorn cake, and pizza balls. That was all on Christmas Eve! The kids got to open a gift that night and leave cookies for Santa. We watched Christmas movies and had lots of laughs! I always made a big ham dinner on Christmas Day, along with tons and tons of appetizers that we got full of before we even had dinner! The kids enjoyed all of it and so did I.

The kids got older, became harder to shop for, harder to please. You know, pre-teens and teenagers. They no longer believed in Santa Claus. Ok, so before someone decides to educate me on the true meaning of Christmas, don’t. I’m quite aware. I’m not a religious person but I always taught my kids “the reason for the season.” But that’s not what this post is about.

About 11 years ago, certain events changed the way I thought things would be in our family. On top of that, chronic pain has invaded my every move, my every thought and…my everything. It’s rough. I was able to spend a little time with my son, his wife and the littlest grandson on Christmas Eve and I enjoyed every minute of it but I thought my house would be full of kids’ laughter and play, during the holidays. Depression, loneliness, and sadness always sets in.

I try not to succumb to the depression but it’s hard. I eat too much, don’t sleep enough, and I cry a lot when I’m alone. During the holidays, I try so very hard to hide my sadness and put a smile on my face. I’m not able to do the cooking I used to do. My son made the popcorn cake for Christmas Eve this year but he didn’t have time to make the pizza balls. That’s ok though, we still had pizza; it was frozen pizza but it was still good. I threw a ham in the oven on Christmas Day and opened a can of baked beans, which was fine because it was just me and Dad. Still, not what this post is about.

I bet you’re thinking, “Damn, I wish she’d get to the point!” I’m getting there, I promise.

Every year I try to make myself feel more festive and happy by giving gifts to others. GIVING TO OTHERS makes me feel good about who I am and I love to make gifts. This year, I crocheted over a dozen gifts for family. I carefully chose the yarn color and pattern/design I thought was perfect for each person. I worked my ass off, sometimes ripping out a design that just didn’t look good and starting over. I put my heart and soul into everything I made. It felt good to do it and I’m not sorry I did, but I’ll tell you what…

I’m makin’ a list…

woman s hand using a pen noting on notepad

Photo by Kaboompics .com on Pexels.com

I’m making a list for next year and if anyone wonders why they didn’t get anything from me then maybe they should think about Christmas 2019 when they didn’t even have the common decency to send me a simple text to thank me for their gift. It takes just seconds!! What a bunch of ungrateful shits in my family. And this does not apply to young children. It applies to adults; young adults and older adults.

I didn’t make the gifts for the thanks, just to be clear. But it would be nice to be recognized and appreciated. I busted my ass to get everything finished and shipped in time for Christmas. It really hurts my feelings that only 3 people thought to thank me for their gift. Next year, I’ll be sending my handmade crocheted items to people who might actually appreciate it…perhaps the Nursing Home, a homeless shelter, or the children’s hospital. Maybe I’ll just make scarves for all the homeless dogs and cats in the area!

dog wearing crochet scarf with fringe while sitting on snow selective focus photography

Photo by Benjamin Lehman on Pexels.com

Generosity and Kindness

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Today, while Dad and I were out picking up a few groceries, we decided to stop at the Dollar Tree. Oh, how I love the Dollar Tree! Some people I know just shiver at the thought of going into a Dollar Tree. I don’t know why! They have some really great finds there! Just make sure your food items are not coming from China and you’ll be ok. Other things like make-up, facial care, and baby items I would be a little careful with as well. All in all, if a person HAD to (which some of us may someday) we could get pretty much everything we need to survive. But I digress. I always do that!

The store was pretty crowded as you can imagine. Most places will be this close to Christmas. We grabbed what we needed pretty quickly and headed to the checkout line. There was one young woman, probably in her early 30’s in front of us in line. She was having a hard time with her debit (or credit) card. It kept being declined and she couldn’t understand why. She ran it 3 or 4 times and still, declined. She didn’t have any cash on her. There was a woman behind us in line (probably in her 50’s) and she quickly asked how much the young woman’s tab was. It was a mere $4.00 and some change. She (the woman behind us) said, “I got it!” She pulled out a $5 and paid for the young woman. It was very nice, and although not very much money, the young woman insisted on a hug and thanked the generous woman for her help. It was heartwarming to see something like this in person.

It has me bothered though. It got me thinking… Those old rickety wheels of mine started turning. I wondered if I had had cash, would I have thought to help the young woman? I’d like to think I would BUT it never occurred to me while standing there like a dunce, if I had cash I would pay her tab. The thought never entered my mind. Does that make me a bad person? It sure made me feel like an asshole, but this isn’t about me.

We are all so wrapped up in our own lives and in a rush, especially this time of year. We need to slow down and be helpful and kind. Everyone is trying so hard to get things done, to be somewhere on time, or trying to take care of their families. We all have “stuff” to do but it won’t hurt us to slow down a little. It won’t kill us to be more helpful, more kind, and perhaps a bit more generous.

Have a wonderful week ahead, my friends. Enjoy family and food… If things get rough please refer to my last post and have a Merry Christmas!

red merry christmas printed mug

Photo by Roman Koval on Pexels.com

Saturday Morning Ramblings

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First of all, I just want to say I am SO behind on reading your blogs and I will try very hard to get caught up! I promise! There are so many of you who are producing great reads and I feel terrible for falling behind.

Dad and I decided to stay home this lovely Saturday. We normally go out on Saturdays for lunch but we went out twice this week already! The first time was after Dad’s periodontist appointment. I asked him if he was in pain and he said, “Not enough to keep me from eating. I’m hungry!” So we stopped at a little Mexican restaurant on the way home called, El Patron. We had eaten there before but it seems to get worse every time. The salsa was so full of cilantro that I couldn’t taste anything else. The enchiladas weren’t very tasty, and the service wasn’t very friendly or attentive. They have octopus dishes on the menu and I can’t help but wonder, where the hell are they getting octopus in SW Missouri? Is there an aquarium down the road that I’m not aware of? Ok, before you think I’m stupid, I know it has to be frozen!

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Is this the elusive octopus of SW Missouri? Photo Image Pixabay

Two days later, we were out getting groceries. Yay, Walmart. I despise that place. Anyway, we got groceries and then drove a few extra miles to have pizza at our favorite pizza restaurant. Our eyes were bigger than our bellies that day! Dad had a shrimp basket and I had cheese ravioli, which was delicious but then we decided to get a pizza to go – our regular 16″ House pizza, adding black olives – and an 8 piece hot wings appetizer TO GO! We had breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the entire next day! I’m about pizza’d out!

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Photo Image Pixabay

One of those days we were out and about, we spied 19 hawks while driving to and from. We used to see a lot of hawks, and sometimes eagles, but for some reason, we stopped seeing them. It was like they moved to another state or something! I mean, it wasn’t just for a season. It had been over a year before we started seeing them again. We were shocked and amazed at how many we saw in one day after such a long period of time.

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Red-tailed Hawk Photo Image Pixabay

We saw a few different raptors that day: a Broad-winged hawk, a few Red-shouldered hawks, but mostly Red-tailed and Cooper’s hawks. There were a few that we weren’t able to identify, because we were, after all, in a moving vehicle. I miss being able to go outside with my Field Guide to the Birds of Missouri, my binoculars, and camera. I guess I have to be satisfied with our “hawk hunting” when we go somewhere!

I suppose I’ve rambled enough for one day! I’m going to leave you with this: A bear doesn’t wear underwear OR use toilet paper and no one would ever mistake toilet paper for a bouncy castle! Hahaha! Have a wonderful weekend!