Posts
So, I thought that I would become this power preggo-blogger, and it has yet to happen. In actuality, I have become so busy with work and being pregnant that I have barely had time to even read other blogs, let alone write my own (except CuteOverload.com...fuzzy bunnies are more fun to laugh at than the fact that I peed my pants while sneezing!), let alone really concentrate on anything else. Normally, this situation would have REALLY bothered me, but I am now in the twilight of my Non-Parent Days, which basically means that I could really care less right now...kind of like how I turned 29 without even batting an eye at the fact that I am now in the "Golden Years" of my twenties!
Yes, gone are the days where I drank aimlessly into the wee hours of the morning. Gone are the days when I could out-drink a frat boy in a keg stand. Gone are the days when I could still pass as a seventeen year old (although I still get carded!). -and sadly, gone are the last aftershocks of experimental college life that almost seems so juvenile to me now (ouch! that just SOUNDS old).
It's hard to accept getting older, but at this stage in my life, gaining a different level of maturity seems right to me now. -But that doesn't mean that I don't still support altering your state of mind in order to gain a different point of view...Oddly enough, being pregnant keeps you in a such a state of preoccupation, that it's almost like being on drugs in itself. You're constantly looking at yourself and your life (and your body) differently, but the pleasure of it is all mental (except for the horny 2nd trimester!). It's a different high, though. - a "high on life moment" as cheesy as that sounds.
For example, Pat and I could be watching a commercial with a newborn baby in it, then realize that we both just teared up a little because we were both thinking about how awesome it feels to become a family. Then we both get a little wierded out that we were actually getting emotional about it. Becoming a family is trippy. Hell, just growing up in a family is trippy and now we are becoming the parental units that our kids will (hopefully) always love and wonder why the heck we are the way we are.
I kind of feel like this a "through the looking-glass" moment for us. Life as we know it will be totally different in a matter of weeks or even days and theres no turning back. I'm excited to see how our personalities as parents will shape up and also scared shitless at the same time. Am I going to lean towards being one of the neurotic 30 year olds that I was so afraid of becoming in my early 20's? Or am I going to retain as much of my youthful habits as I'd like to? What even defines that? -Making the time to make sure that I maintain an admirable intake of beer? -Retaining a respectable amount of tattoos? Do those things even define youth anymore? More importantly, is it bad that at this point I don't really give a fuck?
You really think when you're 14, looking at someone in their 20's and 30's that they've got something so much more figured out than you. In reality, at 29, sometimes I feel like I'm the same person I was at 14. I've just been through more random shit. I often wonder whether or not I'd make my 14 year-old self proud. Of course, I thought at 14 I'd have my own band, art in 10 galleries, and an entire body of tattoos by now. None of that shit has happened, but what the fuck did I know at 14? The only thing I really knew then was: Life is what happens to you while you're making other plans. -and that's exactly what's happened. Any day now a new life is going to start and this whole process of "what does it all mean" is going to begin all over again with our tiny, tiny girl. That seems so much more important than me trying answering any of life's great mysteries. Nothing makes sense more than her now.
1/9/10
9/8/09
No more Reading Rainbow :o(
While I'm on the subject of PBS, let's talk about me finding out today that Reading Rainbow is CANCELED!!!! (Although, I must confess that I thought it was canceled YEARS ago. How old is LeVar Burton???)
An article from USNews.com refers to an NPR interview that discusses how " the Department of Education is now funding literacy programs that teach kids how to read, not why to read, as Reading Rainbow did." Now, PBS is following suit and choosing not to put up the money to renew the show's broadcasting rights. How sad. Makes me wonder what my kids are going to watch on PBS besides Sesame Street now...
An article from USNews.com refers to an NPR interview that discusses how " the Department of Education is now funding literacy programs that teach kids how to read, not why to read, as Reading Rainbow did." Now, PBS is following suit and choosing not to put up the money to renew the show's broadcasting rights. How sad. Makes me wonder what my kids are going to watch on PBS besides Sesame Street now...
9/3/09
ONE DECADE ANNIVERSARY - holy S***!
Today's number is 10. Ten years ago today, Pat and I decided that it was a good idea to start dating. Were we crazy? Maybe. Were we naïve? Definitely. Are we still in love? Fo sheezay!
While I was thinking of my TOP 10 list of TOP 10 lists that I thought would be good for this post, I figured a "TOP 10 List of Sesame Street's Count to 10 Clips" was appropriate! -Since we are going to watch a shit ton of it in the near future. Oh, how I miss "old school" Sesame Street!!! So in honor of Pat and I's 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 years together....Enjoy!
1-Classic Pinball Song - 10
I guarantee that you will be singing this song ALL DAY LONG!!!
2-Russian Dolls 10
Every time I see Nesting Dolls, I think of this clip!
3-John John Counts 10
This little kid is SO cuh-yoot! I'm in love with his Afro.
4-Classic 10 Song
5-Old School Baker 10
6- Grover Echo's 10
7-Jazzy 10
8- Mad Painter 10
9- James Earl Jones - Counts to 10
-a little intense, but when is he not? It's cool to see him so stinkin' young!!!
10- Super Creepy Techno Rubberband teaches us the number 10
This is proof that a LOT remnants of puppet/animator's acid trips made it to the small screen of Sesame Street!
While I was thinking of my TOP 10 list of TOP 10 lists that I thought would be good for this post, I figured a "TOP 10 List of Sesame Street's Count to 10 Clips" was appropriate! -Since we are going to watch a shit ton of it in the near future. Oh, how I miss "old school" Sesame Street!!! So in honor of Pat and I's 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 years together....Enjoy!
1-Classic Pinball Song - 10
I guarantee that you will be singing this song ALL DAY LONG!!!
2-Russian Dolls 10
Every time I see Nesting Dolls, I think of this clip!
3-John John Counts 10
This little kid is SO cuh-yoot! I'm in love with his Afro.
4-Classic 10 Song
5-Old School Baker 10
6- Grover Echo's 10
7-Jazzy 10
8- Mad Painter 10
9- James Earl Jones - Counts to 10
-a little intense, but when is he not? It's cool to see him so stinkin' young!!!
10- Super Creepy Techno Rubberband teaches us the number 10
This is proof that a LOT remnants of puppet/animator's acid trips made it to the small screen of Sesame Street!
8/19/09
Pregnancy = 9 months of PMS
Pregnant women: Check yourself 'forst thou wreck yourself.
I thought PMS was only part of my monthly visitor. Well, unlike my monthly visitor, PMS has decided to check IN for the duration of my pregnancy. I find it amusing that The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy devotes an entire chapter to "Pregnancy Insanity" and Googling "PMS + Pregnant" only offers a few web-sites with one paragraph about how "PMS-like" symptoms should dissipate during the second trimester. This does not apply to me. However Googling "Pregnancy + Insanity" will give you a years worth of reading. Why? -because pregnant women are insane!!! Yes, of course, this does apply to me.
If my experience on birth control was any precursor to my general emotional
state during pregnancy, then maybe I should have prepared myself better for
the nine total months of PMS I was about to have. Maybe I should have moved
to Nepal, became a master of meditation, then moved to a spa in the desert until the baby was born where stress and anxiety are not allowed. Instead, I
have done the opposite. I have packed more stress into this pregnancy than I
can possibly imagine dealing with without having the added craziness of having a small child invade my uterus and my brain: husband's job loss, moving out of a tyrannical landlord's house and buying a new one of my own (that may or may not fall apart at any second! -new homeowner jitters...), having my cat run away, working 40 hrs a week while devoting at least ten of those hours to yelling at Concast (I am up to 18 employees now!). Adding anything to top of this Pregnant/PMS Pyramid is enough to make me erupt like Mt. St. Helens! Take cover!!!
Pat unknowingly became part of a situation that set off said eruption and
triggered a response that has evoked aftershocks ever since. What was this
situation about? Brownies. Telling me how I could have avoided burning
brownies after I have burnt them was not a good idea. I repeat: NOT a good
idea! I was tired, pissed off, and the Scorpio Bitch that I keep in my back
pocket just waiting for these occasions leaped out, stomped on the floor,
and proceeded to badger Pat about the comment for the next hour....over
BROWNIES.
The next occasion was during a car ride around town while we were looking
for furniture. We were having a conversation that brought up an argument
that was never resolved (in my mind) and I immediately dug up the dormant
resentment and hostility that I had put to "rest" years ago. This argument
was over something from the "ancient past of Pat" that I had no business
resurfacing. -but me being pregnant and not capable of rational thought,
thought otherwise and let the fight drag on for the another couple of hours
AGAIN!
So am I clinically insane or just pregnant? Maybe both? Apparently I have
comrades in the good fight to keep sane while with child. I have read
stories about a woman who yelled at the guy at a sandwich shop over the fat
content of her sandwich. Another woman accused her husband of hiding her make-up because she couldn't find it in the car (it was under her seat).
Although it would have been better to focus my deranged, pregnant behavior
on a stranger instead of a loved one, reading these stories makes me feel
like less of a retard about my current bout with emotional retardation. I can see why people only skim the surface of pregnancy insanity in articles by only disguising it as a "mood swing". It's f'ing embarrassing!
It's been an integral part of my philosophy of womanhood to deny that insanity is even part of the definition of being a woman. (shh! I can hear you laughing!!!) Unfortunately, I am coming to terms with the idea that madness is a side effect of our motherly nature to "fixate" on things while pregnant. We must endure whatever it takes to provide for our little bun in the oven! For example: If I am thirsty, I am REALLY thirsty. If I need sleep, I'm REALLY tired. If I'm in the mood for Chinese food, YOU'D BETTER PASS THE CHOP STICKS! If you criticize my baking skills at an inopportune moment, I WILL KICK YOUR ASS! Of course, the beauty of all this is determining that the latter is not part of the actual, "get what I need" instinct. That's just pregnancy insanity!
I now feel obligated to accept that is they way I was designed to function and that I have to just accept that this is part of the total prego-package. I also have to accept that this is part of the changes that I will have to go through and that there's not really much I can do about this...(except exercise & eat better, neither of which seem much in comparison to the serenity that a couple of beers and cigarettes can bring! Beer, how I miss you!) As much as I'd like to blame God for this functional glitch, I have to revel in the fact that God also created Chocolate as a wonderful coping mechanism just for these moments. There is a Yin to every Yang after all!
I thought PMS was only part of my monthly visitor. Well, unlike my monthly visitor, PMS has decided to check IN for the duration of my pregnancy. I find it amusing that The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy devotes an entire chapter to "Pregnancy Insanity" and Googling "PMS + Pregnant" only offers a few web-sites with one paragraph about how "PMS-like" symptoms should dissipate during the second trimester. This does not apply to me. However Googling "Pregnancy + Insanity" will give you a years worth of reading. Why? -because pregnant women are insane!!! Yes, of course, this does apply to me.
If my experience on birth control was any precursor to my general emotional
state during pregnancy, then maybe I should have prepared myself better for
the nine total months of PMS I was about to have. Maybe I should have moved
to Nepal, became a master of meditation, then moved to a spa in the desert until the baby was born where stress and anxiety are not allowed. Instead, I
have done the opposite. I have packed more stress into this pregnancy than I
can possibly imagine dealing with without having the added craziness of having a small child invade my uterus and my brain: husband's job loss, moving out of a tyrannical landlord's house and buying a new one of my own (that may or may not fall apart at any second! -new homeowner jitters...), having my cat run away, working 40 hrs a week while devoting at least ten of those hours to yelling at Concast (I am up to 18 employees now!). Adding anything to top of this Pregnant/PMS Pyramid is enough to make me erupt like Mt. St. Helens! Take cover!!!
Pat unknowingly became part of a situation that set off said eruption and
triggered a response that has evoked aftershocks ever since. What was this
situation about? Brownies. Telling me how I could have avoided burning
brownies after I have burnt them was not a good idea. I repeat: NOT a good
idea! I was tired, pissed off, and the Scorpio Bitch that I keep in my back
pocket just waiting for these occasions leaped out, stomped on the floor,
and proceeded to badger Pat about the comment for the next hour....over
BROWNIES.
The next occasion was during a car ride around town while we were looking
for furniture. We were having a conversation that brought up an argument
that was never resolved (in my mind) and I immediately dug up the dormant
resentment and hostility that I had put to "rest" years ago. This argument
was over something from the "ancient past of Pat" that I had no business
resurfacing. -but me being pregnant and not capable of rational thought,
thought otherwise and let the fight drag on for the another couple of hours
AGAIN!
So am I clinically insane or just pregnant? Maybe both? Apparently I have
comrades in the good fight to keep sane while with child. I have read
stories about a woman who yelled at the guy at a sandwich shop over the fat
content of her sandwich. Another woman accused her husband of hiding her make-up because she couldn't find it in the car (it was under her seat).
Although it would have been better to focus my deranged, pregnant behavior
on a stranger instead of a loved one, reading these stories makes me feel
like less of a retard about my current bout with emotional retardation. I can see why people only skim the surface of pregnancy insanity in articles by only disguising it as a "mood swing". It's f'ing embarrassing!
It's been an integral part of my philosophy of womanhood to deny that insanity is even part of the definition of being a woman. (shh! I can hear you laughing!!!) Unfortunately, I am coming to terms with the idea that madness is a side effect of our motherly nature to "fixate" on things while pregnant. We must endure whatever it takes to provide for our little bun in the oven! For example: If I am thirsty, I am REALLY thirsty. If I need sleep, I'm REALLY tired. If I'm in the mood for Chinese food, YOU'D BETTER PASS THE CHOP STICKS! If you criticize my baking skills at an inopportune moment, I WILL KICK YOUR ASS! Of course, the beauty of all this is determining that the latter is not part of the actual, "get what I need" instinct. That's just pregnancy insanity!
I now feel obligated to accept that is they way I was designed to function and that I have to just accept that this is part of the total prego-package. I also have to accept that this is part of the changes that I will have to go through and that there's not really much I can do about this...(except exercise & eat better, neither of which seem much in comparison to the serenity that a couple of beers and cigarettes can bring! Beer, how I miss you!) As much as I'd like to blame God for this functional glitch, I have to revel in the fact that God also created Chocolate as a wonderful coping mechanism just for these moments. There is a Yin to every Yang after all!
8/17/09
Three Sheets is SAVED!!! Watch it on the Fine Living Network!
Since the demise of MOJO, I have been frustratingly without Three Sheets for a long time now. -But I didn't lose hope that it would be picked up by another network! I joined the rally to get more episodes out of Zane Lamprey and the Fine Living Network obliged. Now you can watch Three Sheets every week night on FLN. There's a bunch of repeats of oldies, but goodies and a few new fourth season episodes too! Like the Gibraltar episode:
8/15/09
Bizarre Death - Midget Luchadors killed by 65 yr old woman
For realz. My co-worker sent this to me and I died laughing! It's not the best written piece of journalism, but an interesting story nonetheless. Who could make this shit up?
Mexican midget wrestlers arrest
A woman has been arrested in Mexico over the deaths of two midget wrestlers - twin brothers - discovered in a hotel room last month.
I hope they find "The Fat One"!
Mexican midget wrestlers arrest
A woman has been arrested in Mexico over the deaths of two midget wrestlers - twin brothers - discovered in a hotel room last month.
Prosecutors allege she was one of two women who spiked the wrestlers' drinks with eye-drops as part of a robbery.
The 65-year-old woman denies the charges. The police said they were searching for her alleged accomplice, known as "The Fat One".
The wrestlers were part of the popular Lucha Mini wrestling circuit.
The brothers, Alejandro and Alberto Perez Jimenez, 35, fought under the names El Espectrito II ("The Little Ghost") and La Parkita ("Little Death"). Many professional Mexican wrestlers wear masks as part of their adopted characters.
'Big dose'
Prosecutors say the suspect met the two wrestlers in the centre of Mexico City and agreed to go back with them to their hotel room.
There, it is alleged, she and her friend put eye-drops into the brothers' alcoholic drinks.
Surveillance cameras showed the two women leaving the hotel. The suspect held by police was allegedly traced through calls made on one of the wrestlers' mobile phones.
The prosecutors say female gangs have been drugging men to rob them. The suspect and her accomplice, they allege, failed to take into account the wrestlers' small stature, and gave them too big a dose.
She admits meeting the wrestlers but denies drugging or killing them, telling prosecutors she stayed in their hotel room for just 20 minutes.
I hope they find "The Fat One"!
8/14/09
Acoustic Guitar is just more interesting
I'm seeing a trend here. There are two movies that I reeeeely want to see: Paper Heart and Where the Wild Things Are
Both of them have really great trailers! -But of course, they are two very different films. One film is a random indie film (although I am fastly becoming a fan of Charlene Yi -She's part Filipino, you know!) and the other is going to be a children's movie classic (Spike Jonze, you are my hero)! The common thread between them is that they both have great acoustic guitar background music, which automatically means that these will be awesome films! Why is this so intriguing? -Because it's so 90's INDIE, which is now SO mainstream 2000's, man! Just think of Juno's trailer! or Darjeeling Limited's trailer! I guess because acoustic guitar is so much more intimate and makes you feel more naturally inclined to relax, this helps the viewer feel more emotionally sympathetic towards the movie's subject matter. That's my scientific assessment. HA! I'm sure it has something to do with the actual producers wanting to get people like me (and my kids) to watch their films too. Well, IT'S WORKING! :o)
Not convinced? Look at what this type of music is doing (or not doing) for the resort industry. Swimming in the Bahamas is just more interesting with acoustic rock, especially foul distortions of Moldy Peaches songs!
Both of them have really great trailers! -But of course, they are two very different films. One film is a random indie film (although I am fastly becoming a fan of Charlene Yi -She's part Filipino, you know!) and the other is going to be a children's movie classic (Spike Jonze, you are my hero)! The common thread between them is that they both have great acoustic guitar background music, which automatically means that these will be awesome films! Why is this so intriguing? -Because it's so 90's INDIE, which is now SO mainstream 2000's, man! Just think of Juno's trailer! or Darjeeling Limited's trailer! I guess because acoustic guitar is so much more intimate and makes you feel more naturally inclined to relax, this helps the viewer feel more emotionally sympathetic towards the movie's subject matter. That's my scientific assessment. HA! I'm sure it has something to do with the actual producers wanting to get people like me (and my kids) to watch their films too. Well, IT'S WORKING! :o)
Not convinced? Look at what this type of music is doing (or not doing) for the resort industry. Swimming in the Bahamas is just more interesting with acoustic rock, especially foul distortions of Moldy Peaches songs!
8/13/09
Petition to have Comcast change their name to "ConCast"
There's a reason why Comcast was voted the 2nd worst company in the US by Consumerist.com. I can think of think of 14 reasons why. That's because 14 is the amount of Concast employees that I have spoken to to get the bogus transfer of my services to my new address “resolved”. Let's review:
Call 1- I called to transfer my service to my new address. I also griped that I was paying more for the service than what other people I know do, and got our monthly bill lowered for another year. Thanks, Concast! I also asked to have Concast install 3 wall outlets. We scheduled an installation from 11-2.
Call 2 - I called to complain that technician scheduled to install our service was not "qualified" to do that kind of installation. (He says this after he fishes around our attic) He told us that a supervisor was going to come in the afternoon to finish the job and I wanted to verify that was actually happening.
Concast employee 2’s response: Well, if he said he's got someone coming to your house, he should come out.
Call 3 - I called to complain that the SUPERVISOR said he will NOT come out, because there is a rule that they can not be in the attic after 11 AM. Therefore, it would be against protocol to finish the job as scheduled. What now? Can we reschedule our 3 wall mounts?
Concast employee 3’s response: No. You were never scheduled for 3 wall mounts, only 1 floor install. You can only schedule 2 wall mount installations per call and if you want a third, you'll have to wait until the work order is closed before you can schedule another one.
Me: Great! Thanks for nothing! Let’s schedule another 2 for another day.
Call 4 – I called to say that the SECOND technician showed up and said that he was ALSO unaware that he was going to do 2 wall mounts. -but he was coming back....
Concast employee 4’s response: Well if he said he was going to come back then he should come back.
-So, the Concast Contractor (For those of you who don’t know. Concast uses non-Concast companies to do their installations sometimes) comes, hangs out in the attic, crawls around in the crawl-space, then ultimately decides that he A) doesn’t have the right size cable and B) doesn’t have the right size drill bit. So, C) he will have to look around to see if the right size cable shows up. That evening, there was still no cable. The technician told me that he was going to come back in the morning at 9 AM.
At 11 the technician finally shows up with the right cable, but wouldn’t you know it? HE STILL DOESN’T HAVE THE RIGHT DRILL BIT! So, I lieu of having ANOTHER Concast technician come out, we told him to install the cable through the floor. -Our brand spanking, not even a month old, new hardwood floors.
The cable and internet got installed, but wouldn’t you know it AGAIN!? The technician didn’t have the right cable box that we ordered. So at 8:30 PM that night, the technician finally arrived with the right box, we gave him our old box and all was right in cable/internet land...for now.
Five days later, I checked online to make sure that our billing was correct online at Concast’s website. Lo and behold! There was a $308 bill staring back at me. Apparently, there was a $248 charge for UNRETURNED EQUIPMENT.
Call 5 - I called to figure out why I have a bill for $308???? And why do I have a charge for “unreturned equipment?? I need to speak with a manager
Concast employee 5’s response: Well, I may be able to help you. It looks like the equipment is labeled as missing. The work order that the technician started for you was not closed out. It still shows that it’s open.
Me: Well, we already have our equipment installed, so why is it still open? We returned our old box to the technician? Why can’t you just label it as found?
CLICK! I got cut off. THANKS T-MOBILE!!! I curse your wireless network of lies!
Call 6 - I just got cut off. I called to figure out why I have a bill for $308???? And why do I have a charge for “unreturned equipment?? I need to speak with a manager.
Concast employee 6’s response: Well, I may be able to help you. Your equipment is still listed as missing. I can only issue a request to investigate where the box is.
Me: I was told that the work order wasn’t closed what about that?
Concast employee 6’s response: Well, I don’t know why he didn’t close it out. It may be because you have another technician scheduled to come out this Wednesday at 8-11 AM.
Me: WHAAT!? I never authorized that. In fact I was told that I wasn’t even allowed to schedule another wall mount until the first work order was closed. So, are you saying that because this technician hasn’t turned in our equipment, we are going to be charged for his screw up??
Concast employee 6’s response: I never said that. If you returned it, you shouldn’t be charged. I’ll put in a request to find out what happened to the box and cancel the work order for Wednesday. Your account should be fine now.
Call 7 – I’m calling to complain that my bill is still $308 because of unreturned equipment that I actually had returned to the technician. I also just got a call from Concast saying that I still have a technician scheduled to come out to my house tomorrow. I cancelled this on Sunday. Why hasn’t it been cancelled? I need to speak with a manager or supervisor.
Concast employee 7’s response: Maybe I can help you. Well, the equipment is still listed as missing and we don’t have any record of there being a cancellation of this service.
Me: Well, I called on Sunday to have all of this resolved. What happens now?
Concast employee 7’s response: I will have the work order cancelled. I need my supervisor to speak with you.
30 mins later. Concast employee 7’s response: My supervisor can’t speak with you now. He’s leaving in 20 mins. So, he will definitely call you back soon.
GUESS WHAT!? He never called.
Call 8 – same shpeal as above.
Concast employee 8’s response: I will have the work order cancelled. I will also call you tomorrow with an update of where your box is.
GUESS WHAT!? SHE never called.
Call 9 – I called to say that I cancelled a work order that I never authorized both Sunday and yesterday, but this morning I got a call from a technician at my house wondering why I wasn’t there! I need to speak with a manager or supervisor.
Concast employee 9’s response: Well, the work order was never cancelled. I can get you to a manager.
Concast employee 9/Supervisor 1’s response : Your work order has been cancelled. I also show that the old box in en route to the warehouse.
Me: So, my service is back to normal? And I won’t be charged for the box?
Concast employee 9/Supervisor 1’s response : No, you won’t be charged for the box. You just cancelled your service.
Me: No I did not! I should have my Digital preferred package and internet.
Concast employee 9/Supervisor 1’s response : OK your service should be ok now.
Call 10 – I’m calling to say that I don’t have HBO anymore. I was told that this was part of my package.
Concast employee 10’s response: Well, I’ll restart your cable box and let me know if that works.
Me: Um, no.
Concast employee 10’s response: Ok, well we’ll have to send out another technician to see if there’s something wrong with your box.
Me: What do you mean!? It was working last night! I think something got screwed up when that supervisor “reinstated” my service.
Concast employee 10’s response: You’re right. It doesn’t show that you should be getting HBO at all. Let me transfer you to sales.
Concast employee 11’s response: Yes, you should have HBO let me have my supervisor speak with you.
30 mins. Later, Concast hung up on me.
Call 11 – I just got cut off. I was on hold to speak with a supervisor.
Concast employee 12’s response: Oh! Let me find you one. Pls. hold.
Concast employee 12’s response: I found one! She just needs to step away from her desk for a moment. Can I ask the gist of your problem?
Me: Yes, I’m supposed to have HBO, and trouble-shooting says that it’s not on my list of services.
Concast employee 12’s response: Oh! That’s simple. I’ll just add it back on....Is it working now?
Me: Yes! Thanks!
Call 12 – I called to say that my internet is not working.
Concast employee 13’s response: Ok I will just have to reinstate your modem. Is it working?
Me: Yes! Thanks
Call 13 - I called to say that my bill still says that my equipment has not been returned. A supervisor had told me yesterday that it was en route to the warehouse.
Concast employee 14’s response: It does not show that the equipment has been returned or that it is en route to the warehouse, but if the supervisor told you that then you should give it a few days to process.
Me: Great. Thanks.
So, as of right now. I am still fit for the bill of my lost equipment. Cancel my service you say? Why? THEY ARE THE ONLY BROADBAND INTERNET PROVIDER IN STONE MOUNTAIN,GA!!!???? AUAAUGH!!!!
Have your own Concast story to tell? Join the masses of Comcast haters here at http://customer-circus.com/.
You can also post your complaints! I did! :o) Or just want to hate on Comcast some more!? Visit http://comcastsucks.org/,cos it just does.
Call 1- I called to transfer my service to my new address. I also griped that I was paying more for the service than what other people I know do, and got our monthly bill lowered for another year. Thanks, Concast! I also asked to have Concast install 3 wall outlets. We scheduled an installation from 11-2.
Call 2 - I called to complain that technician scheduled to install our service was not "qualified" to do that kind of installation. (He says this after he fishes around our attic) He told us that a supervisor was going to come in the afternoon to finish the job and I wanted to verify that was actually happening.
Concast employee 2’s response: Well, if he said he's got someone coming to your house, he should come out.
Call 3 - I called to complain that the SUPERVISOR said he will NOT come out, because there is a rule that they can not be in the attic after 11 AM. Therefore, it would be against protocol to finish the job as scheduled. What now? Can we reschedule our 3 wall mounts?
Concast employee 3’s response: No. You were never scheduled for 3 wall mounts, only 1 floor install. You can only schedule 2 wall mount installations per call and if you want a third, you'll have to wait until the work order is closed before you can schedule another one.
Me: Great! Thanks for nothing! Let’s schedule another 2 for another day.
Call 4 – I called to say that the SECOND technician showed up and said that he was ALSO unaware that he was going to do 2 wall mounts. -but he was coming back....
Concast employee 4’s response: Well if he said he was going to come back then he should come back.
-So, the Concast Contractor (For those of you who don’t know. Concast uses non-Concast companies to do their installations sometimes) comes, hangs out in the attic, crawls around in the crawl-space, then ultimately decides that he A) doesn’t have the right size cable and B) doesn’t have the right size drill bit. So, C) he will have to look around to see if the right size cable shows up. That evening, there was still no cable. The technician told me that he was going to come back in the morning at 9 AM.
At 11 the technician finally shows up with the right cable, but wouldn’t you know it? HE STILL DOESN’T HAVE THE RIGHT DRILL BIT! So, I lieu of having ANOTHER Concast technician come out, we told him to install the cable through the floor. -Our brand spanking, not even a month old, new hardwood floors.
The cable and internet got installed, but wouldn’t you know it AGAIN!? The technician didn’t have the right cable box that we ordered. So at 8:30 PM that night, the technician finally arrived with the right box, we gave him our old box and all was right in cable/internet land...for now.
Five days later, I checked online to make sure that our billing was correct online at Concast’s website. Lo and behold! There was a $308 bill staring back at me. Apparently, there was a $248 charge for UNRETURNED EQUIPMENT.
Call 5 - I called to figure out why I have a bill for $308???? And why do I have a charge for “unreturned equipment?? I need to speak with a manager
Concast employee 5’s response: Well, I may be able to help you. It looks like the equipment is labeled as missing. The work order that the technician started for you was not closed out. It still shows that it’s open.
Me: Well, we already have our equipment installed, so why is it still open? We returned our old box to the technician? Why can’t you just label it as found?
CLICK! I got cut off. THANKS T-MOBILE!!! I curse your wireless network of lies!
Call 6 - I just got cut off. I called to figure out why I have a bill for $308???? And why do I have a charge for “unreturned equipment?? I need to speak with a manager.
Concast employee 6’s response: Well, I may be able to help you. Your equipment is still listed as missing. I can only issue a request to investigate where the box is.
Me: I was told that the work order wasn’t closed what about that?
Concast employee 6’s response: Well, I don’t know why he didn’t close it out. It may be because you have another technician scheduled to come out this Wednesday at 8-11 AM.
Me: WHAAT!? I never authorized that. In fact I was told that I wasn’t even allowed to schedule another wall mount until the first work order was closed. So, are you saying that because this technician hasn’t turned in our equipment, we are going to be charged for his screw up??
Concast employee 6’s response: I never said that. If you returned it, you shouldn’t be charged. I’ll put in a request to find out what happened to the box and cancel the work order for Wednesday. Your account should be fine now.
Call 7 – I’m calling to complain that my bill is still $308 because of unreturned equipment that I actually had returned to the technician. I also just got a call from Concast saying that I still have a technician scheduled to come out to my house tomorrow. I cancelled this on Sunday. Why hasn’t it been cancelled? I need to speak with a manager or supervisor.
Concast employee 7’s response: Maybe I can help you. Well, the equipment is still listed as missing and we don’t have any record of there being a cancellation of this service.
Me: Well, I called on Sunday to have all of this resolved. What happens now?
Concast employee 7’s response: I will have the work order cancelled. I need my supervisor to speak with you.
30 mins later. Concast employee 7’s response: My supervisor can’t speak with you now. He’s leaving in 20 mins. So, he will definitely call you back soon.
GUESS WHAT!? He never called.
Call 8 – same shpeal as above.
Concast employee 8’s response: I will have the work order cancelled. I will also call you tomorrow with an update of where your box is.
GUESS WHAT!? SHE never called.
Call 9 – I called to say that I cancelled a work order that I never authorized both Sunday and yesterday, but this morning I got a call from a technician at my house wondering why I wasn’t there! I need to speak with a manager or supervisor.
Concast employee 9’s response: Well, the work order was never cancelled. I can get you to a manager.
Concast employee 9/Supervisor 1’s response : Your work order has been cancelled. I also show that the old box in en route to the warehouse.
Me: So, my service is back to normal? And I won’t be charged for the box?
Concast employee 9/Supervisor 1’s response : No, you won’t be charged for the box. You just cancelled your service.
Me: No I did not! I should have my Digital preferred package and internet.
Concast employee 9/Supervisor 1’s response : OK your service should be ok now.
Call 10 – I’m calling to say that I don’t have HBO anymore. I was told that this was part of my package.
Concast employee 10’s response: Well, I’ll restart your cable box and let me know if that works.
Me: Um, no.
Concast employee 10’s response: Ok, well we’ll have to send out another technician to see if there’s something wrong with your box.
Me: What do you mean!? It was working last night! I think something got screwed up when that supervisor “reinstated” my service.
Concast employee 10’s response: You’re right. It doesn’t show that you should be getting HBO at all. Let me transfer you to sales.
Concast employee 11’s response: Yes, you should have HBO let me have my supervisor speak with you.
30 mins. Later, Concast hung up on me.
Call 11 – I just got cut off. I was on hold to speak with a supervisor.
Concast employee 12’s response: Oh! Let me find you one. Pls. hold.
Concast employee 12’s response: I found one! She just needs to step away from her desk for a moment. Can I ask the gist of your problem?
Me: Yes, I’m supposed to have HBO, and trouble-shooting says that it’s not on my list of services.
Concast employee 12’s response: Oh! That’s simple. I’ll just add it back on....Is it working now?
Me: Yes! Thanks!
Call 12 – I called to say that my internet is not working.
Concast employee 13’s response: Ok I will just have to reinstate your modem. Is it working?
Me: Yes! Thanks
Call 13 - I called to say that my bill still says that my equipment has not been returned. A supervisor had told me yesterday that it was en route to the warehouse.
Concast employee 14’s response: It does not show that the equipment has been returned or that it is en route to the warehouse, but if the supervisor told you that then you should give it a few days to process.
Me: Great. Thanks.
So, as of right now. I am still fit for the bill of my lost equipment. Cancel my service you say? Why? THEY ARE THE ONLY BROADBAND INTERNET PROVIDER IN STONE MOUNTAIN,GA!!!???? AUAAUGH!!!!
Have your own Concast story to tell? Join the masses of Comcast haters here at http://customer-circus.com/.
You can also post your complaints! I did! :o) Or just want to hate on Comcast some more!? Visit http://comcastsucks.org/,cos it just does.
7/22/09
Searching for the Tao of Mom
I've always admired the Winnie the Pooh phrase, "there's a certain something", because life is full of "certain somethings". To me, these are moments where you know something important is going on, but just can't put your finger on how to describe it because it's so new or you're in a very weird phase of your life. That's kind of where I am right now. We're moving into our new house, Pat's looking for work, I'm fastly becoming an exploding mom! ;o) There's a lot of unsettlement and redefining moments that I feel compelled to deal with.
By default, the way I deal with new, troubling situations is to beat an idea or situation to death by learning everything I can about it inside and out. That way I can choose which way I want to approach it. This is an integral part of my hidden Type A personality that I like to keep in the basement level of my brain, behind a large curtain where the rest of my brain thinks is just a storage place for bad memories of the 2nd grade, but is really the control center of EVERYTHING I do!
That being said, I've been reading a lot of mom blogs and there are MANY to choose from. There are some professionals out there! So professional that even Oprah had them on her show!
Heather Armstrong of Dooce was on too! I started reading Dooce a long time ago, and was excited to start reading it more often, because I'm going to be a mom now too. However, it only made me pissed off. I started to get jealous of the fact that she had 600 comments per post. Her blog supports her family (read that as $40,000 per MONTH). Shit. I want to do that! Alas, I am not as interesting as recovering Mormon, alcoholic, and nut-job (she was hospitalized for severe post-partum depression).
Anyway, I digress... After reading many of these "Mom Blogs" my, secessionist nature kicked in. I found that I didn't agree with a lot of what I was reading and it was depressing me. Although I'm sure that it was just the random blogs I was reading or something, it made me feel alone. There are so many schools of thought of how children should be raised or how women should compose themselves as mothers and role models. It's mind numbing to try to attach yourself to one or two ways of thinking or consider one better than the other. I have come to terms with the fact that I may never share someone else's exact same view on what motherhood means or how to raise my kids.
The thing is that I can search for all I can for answers to prepare myself for being a growing vessel for my kid and a faithful leader as he or she grows, but in end, none of that is going to matter. Essentially, what I've learned from entering this phase of my life is that there is no right or wrong way to approach motherhood. You can only go by what feels natural to you, no matter how extreme it may be. One of the definitions of Tao in Wikipedia sums this feeling up well:
Tao is undifferentiated
All distinctions are actually relative comparisons bound together by their mutual reference. Thus (chapter 2) there is no such thing as 'long' except by comparison to 'short' and vice-versa; there is no such thing as 'being' except by comparison to 'non-being'. Because Tao itself has no shape or size, all comparisons fall within it, so there can never be 'real' differences. Often this is used to suggest a neutral, giving attitude...
By default, the way I deal with new, troubling situations is to beat an idea or situation to death by learning everything I can about it inside and out. That way I can choose which way I want to approach it. This is an integral part of my hidden Type A personality that I like to keep in the basement level of my brain, behind a large curtain where the rest of my brain thinks is just a storage place for bad memories of the 2nd grade, but is really the control center of EVERYTHING I do!
That being said, I've been reading a lot of mom blogs and there are MANY to choose from. There are some professionals out there! So professional that even Oprah had them on her show!
Heather Armstrong of Dooce was on too! I started reading Dooce a long time ago, and was excited to start reading it more often, because I'm going to be a mom now too. However, it only made me pissed off. I started to get jealous of the fact that she had 600 comments per post. Her blog supports her family (read that as $40,000 per MONTH). Shit. I want to do that! Alas, I am not as interesting as recovering Mormon, alcoholic, and nut-job (she was hospitalized for severe post-partum depression).
Anyway, I digress... After reading many of these "Mom Blogs" my, secessionist nature kicked in. I found that I didn't agree with a lot of what I was reading and it was depressing me. Although I'm sure that it was just the random blogs I was reading or something, it made me feel alone. There are so many schools of thought of how children should be raised or how women should compose themselves as mothers and role models. It's mind numbing to try to attach yourself to one or two ways of thinking or consider one better than the other. I have come to terms with the fact that I may never share someone else's exact same view on what motherhood means or how to raise my kids.
The thing is that I can search for all I can for answers to prepare myself for being a growing vessel for my kid and a faithful leader as he or she grows, but in end, none of that is going to matter. Essentially, what I've learned from entering this phase of my life is that there is no right or wrong way to approach motherhood. You can only go by what feels natural to you, no matter how extreme it may be. One of the definitions of Tao in Wikipedia sums this feeling up well:
Tao is undifferentiated
All distinctions are actually relative comparisons bound together by their mutual reference. Thus (chapter 2) there is no such thing as 'long' except by comparison to 'short' and vice-versa; there is no such thing as 'being' except by comparison to 'non-being'. Because Tao itself has no shape or size, all comparisons fall within it, so there can never be 'real' differences. Often this is used to suggest a neutral, giving attitude...
6/16/09
Houses and Jobs and Babies - OH MY!
To pick up where I left off, Pat and I were in the midst of dating some houses and having a monstrous time finding anything we liked. After dating three that seemed like winners, we finally decided to make a commitment to one and marry the house! -for at least a few years, then divorce it when we get tired of it! We ended up looking in a neighborhood that's only a smidge OTP, right outside I-285 on the border of Stone Mountain and Decatur. Yes, that's right, we're moving OTP. Duh-Dah-DUUUHH!!!!!
Looking in those neighborhoods was like a trip to the Final Frontier on the verge of the unknown! We've been so ITP, that how people exist outside of I-285 is such a mystery to us! Realistically, the neighborhood that we settled on is only a few minutes away from the house that we originally put an offer on, and only ten minutes away from where we live now. So, it may be the Final Frontier, but not that far from areas that we've been living in for years! We were really surprised to find a diverse selection of houses that were huh-yuge! There was one house that looked GORGEOUSLY quirky from the pictures. It had a giant cactus and succulent terrarium adjacent to the sink in the kitchen, a Lord of the Rings-worthy fireplace, and even had a "secret room" (or "grow room" -hee!) that could be accessed from one of the bedrooms. Although these things made this a very intriguing house, there were a multitude of problems. -mostly stemming from the fact that all of the "improvements" seemed to be done after hanging out in the "Secret Room". ;o)
Pat: "Dude! I think I found the entrance to the secret room!
Our Realtor: "Where? Oh my gosh! It IS a secret room!"
The house that we ultimately fell in love with was an updated 60's ranch that was just waiting for our touch of retro! Ironically, it was just down the street from the "secret room" house. It was owned by a general contractor, so the improvements made to the house were actually improvements! The only thing we had to do to make us happy was install wood floors and gutters and paint! The seller even went down almost ten grand in price the same day we put in an offer. So far, so good! Right?
Then the shit hit the fan. Everything was going well with the house. The seller agreed to fix everything we wanted him to fix. We had just got all of our loan info together and were just going to get the house appraised when I got a call from Pat. He got laid off! Poor guy! He had been working at this company for six months, just got a raise, then got dropped like a hot potato. No two weeks notice, no severance package, no "Well, we may be able to hire you on again when things are good." -just a severance letter that would allow him to collect unemployment. Fuckin' economy! I totally freaked out and told Pat that we should call off buying the house, but after some MAJOR forethought, we decided to put the house in my name. Luckily, the payments were still going to be manageable on my income and our interest rate wasn't going to be much higher. We were so relieved that we had dodged that another bullet! We joked to all of our friends saying, "Well at least I'm not pregnant!"........I should watch what I say in the future.
One week later, Pat and I decided to go "Apocalypse Shopping" at Walmart for some frozen and canned goods and such. We were kinda freaking out and figured it would be a good time to stock up, since we were NEVER going to leave the house again! I was walking through the Feminine Needs aisle when I realized that I couldn't remember the last time I had my monthly visitor. I have an irregular cycle anyway, so I chalked it up to stress and the possibility that I was having a 40 day cycle. Just to be sure, we bought some pregnancy tests anyway. I had been off the pill for almost a year and was taking a test every few months. So, I didn't really think much about this particular test. I "prepared" it and set it on the tub. 5 minutes later, I took a look at the test and there were no lines! I was about to get totally pissed that I had bought some cheap, crappy tests when I realized that that my dumb-ass was looking at the wrong side. I flipped the test over and two bright pink lines were staring back at me! Ironically, the only thing that could sedate me was watching Baby Boom, that silly 80's movie with Diane Keaton, on OnDemand . I had to watch someone get thrown into motherhood and come out on top! -even if it was a fictional movie that didn't make a lick sense. Has anyone ever noticed that the baby in that movie NEVER grows up while her mom builds her baby food empire!? Oh the 80's....I digress.
Later, I went to the doctor and discovered that I was, in fact, pregnant! -8 weeks, to be exact! We even heard the heart beat already. Here is a picture of our little nugget:
So, that's just this month! Who knows what will happen next. So, the kid wasn't exactly planned, but that's kinda how we were wanting to have one anyway. We always said we'd welcome the "mistake" child. The more we thought of our situation, the more we realized that the only thing we didn't plan was Pat getting laid off! Plus, I've got to be proud of my kid for having my comedic timing, entering into existence at an inopportune moment! If I've learned anything from this experience, it's that I should appreciate the irony that exists in my life. I used to think that all of the shit that happens to me is because of some Karmic Debt that I have occurred (maybe it still is), but I've gotten to a point where I don't feel like God is smiting me anymore. -and I'm happy about that! In the end, nothing really matters, as long as you've got people who care about you and you have people to care about!
Looking in those neighborhoods was like a trip to the Final Frontier on the verge of the unknown! We've been so ITP, that how people exist outside of I-285 is such a mystery to us! Realistically, the neighborhood that we settled on is only a few minutes away from the house that we originally put an offer on, and only ten minutes away from where we live now. So, it may be the Final Frontier, but not that far from areas that we've been living in for years! We were really surprised to find a diverse selection of houses that were huh-yuge! There was one house that looked GORGEOUSLY quirky from the pictures. It had a giant cactus and succulent terrarium adjacent to the sink in the kitchen, a Lord of the Rings-worthy fireplace, and even had a "secret room" (or "grow room" -hee!) that could be accessed from one of the bedrooms. Although these things made this a very intriguing house, there were a multitude of problems. -mostly stemming from the fact that all of the "improvements" seemed to be done after hanging out in the "Secret Room". ;o)
BEHOLD the mighty cactus and succulent terrarium!
Pat: "Dude! I think I found the entrance to the secret room!
Our Realtor: "Where? Oh my gosh! It IS a secret room!"
Regina: "Um, you KNOW they grew weed in here. Right?"
The house that we ultimately fell in love with was an updated 60's ranch that was just waiting for our touch of retro! Ironically, it was just down the street from the "secret room" house. It was owned by a general contractor, so the improvements made to the house were actually improvements! The only thing we had to do to make us happy was install wood floors and gutters and paint! The seller even went down almost ten grand in price the same day we put in an offer. So far, so good! Right?
Our house! -more on that later...
Then the shit hit the fan. Everything was going well with the house. The seller agreed to fix everything we wanted him to fix. We had just got all of our loan info together and were just going to get the house appraised when I got a call from Pat. He got laid off! Poor guy! He had been working at this company for six months, just got a raise, then got dropped like a hot potato. No two weeks notice, no severance package, no "Well, we may be able to hire you on again when things are good." -just a severance letter that would allow him to collect unemployment. Fuckin' economy! I totally freaked out and told Pat that we should call off buying the house, but after some MAJOR forethought, we decided to put the house in my name. Luckily, the payments were still going to be manageable on my income and our interest rate wasn't going to be much higher. We were so relieved that we had dodged that another bullet! We joked to all of our friends saying, "Well at least I'm not pregnant!"........I should watch what I say in the future.
One week later, Pat and I decided to go "Apocalypse Shopping" at Walmart for some frozen and canned goods and such. We were kinda freaking out and figured it would be a good time to stock up, since we were NEVER going to leave the house again! I was walking through the Feminine Needs aisle when I realized that I couldn't remember the last time I had my monthly visitor. I have an irregular cycle anyway, so I chalked it up to stress and the possibility that I was having a 40 day cycle. Just to be sure, we bought some pregnancy tests anyway. I had been off the pill for almost a year and was taking a test every few months. So, I didn't really think much about this particular test. I "prepared" it and set it on the tub. 5 minutes later, I took a look at the test and there were no lines! I was about to get totally pissed that I had bought some cheap, crappy tests when I realized that that my dumb-ass was looking at the wrong side. I flipped the test over and two bright pink lines were staring back at me! Ironically, the only thing that could sedate me was watching Baby Boom, that silly 80's movie with Diane Keaton, on OnDemand . I had to watch someone get thrown into motherhood and come out on top! -even if it was a fictional movie that didn't make a lick sense. Has anyone ever noticed that the baby in that movie NEVER grows up while her mom builds her baby food empire!? Oh the 80's....I digress.
Later, I went to the doctor and discovered that I was, in fact, pregnant! -8 weeks, to be exact! We even heard the heart beat already. Here is a picture of our little nugget:
Ah, the miracle of life!
So, that's just this month! Who knows what will happen next. So, the kid wasn't exactly planned, but that's kinda how we were wanting to have one anyway. We always said we'd welcome the "mistake" child. The more we thought of our situation, the more we realized that the only thing we didn't plan was Pat getting laid off! Plus, I've got to be proud of my kid for having my comedic timing, entering into existence at an inopportune moment! If I've learned anything from this experience, it's that I should appreciate the irony that exists in my life. I used to think that all of the shit that happens to me is because of some Karmic Debt that I have occurred (maybe it still is), but I've gotten to a point where I don't feel like God is smiting me anymore. -and I'm happy about that! In the end, nothing really matters, as long as you've got people who care about you and you have people to care about!
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