Wed-nes-day CT

Yep, it's Wednesday. You know what that means... Crime Time!

A resident reported fraudulent use of his credit card, which he still had, at 5:30 p.m. April 27. It had been used at stores in Grand Avenue and Mayfair malls purchasing items valued at more than $700 including electronics and Major League Baseball caps from a number of teams including the New York Yankees, Seattle Pilots and Philadelphia Phillies. There was also a charge for $12 at Panera Bread. 

Rookie mistake. You need to carbo-load BEFORE the shopping.

Five Cudahy residents were arrested for disorderly conduct at a duplex in the 5900 block of South Hately Avenue, at around 7 a.m. April 30, after they engaged in a brawl over a dispute between the two families living in the duplex. The incident began when a 21-year-old man, also charged with battery and the only person that does not live on the premises, confronted a 23-year-old man over alleged insults to his mother. The younger man began punching the older man, and both men picked up small bats. The older man's 18-year-old wife then attacked the other man with her own bat, at which point the younger man's 17-year-old sister and 38-year-old mother entered the fray to subdue her. The 21-year-old man was hospitalized for a deep wound he received to his head.

Remember: Yo Mama jokes are only funny if everyone's in on the joke.

An 18-year-old Cudahy man was arrested for firing his handgun at a man in a passing car near 14th and Minnesota avenues, around 3 p.m. April 30. A resident followed the man's car to record his license plate number, and about 30 minutes later the man was located hiding behind a door in a residence in the 900 block of West Harrison Avenue in Milwaukee, and brought back to South Milwaukee. The victim was not injured, but at least one bullet pierced his car. The victim said that the shooting was about a drug deal that had gone bad a year ago, while the perpetrator said that it was because the victim had set him up in a robbery case.  

So, this was either about a bad drug deal from a year ago or because someone was framed for robbery? Seems legit.

A 35-year-old Milwaukee woman was arrested for shoplifting women's clothing and a purse at Goodwill Industries, 6941 S. Riverwood Blvd., at 1:35 p.m. May 3.

A 30-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested for shoplifting after he was seen concealing merchandise at Goodwill Industries, 6941 S. Riverwood Blvd., at 3:20 p.m. May 3. 


Dude. It's Goodwill. If you need it badly enough, just ask.

A 51-year-old man was arrested for shoplifting after police found $53 worth of hair clippers in his possession that belonged to Walmart, 6701 S. 27th St., after he was found passed out in Oak Creek at 2:55 p.m. May 4. After being booked and cited, the man was taken to West Allis Memorial Hospital for evaluation.  

Seems like a pretty hairy situation. 

A 59-year-old Mequon man was arrested for possession of 5.6 grams of marijuana found in a backpack at the Clark Station, 10355 N. Port Washington Road, at 10:35 a.m. April 24. The man had ridden his bicycle to the station and left the backpack on a newspaper box. Police were called and found the marijuana along with the man's cellphone. He was identified and told to get his property at the station. When he arrived later that afternoon, he immediately identified the backpack as his and after looking inside said, "Yes, everything's here."  

"I'm gonna get my weed back too, right? Right? Aw, shit."

Irrigation supplies and a well pump were stolen at Nature's Nook, 9801 S. 27th St., between Feb. 28 and 8 a.m. April 30.

Who steals irrigation supplies?? And how does that even get started? "Hey, man. You know what I could really use? Some irrigation supplies." "Dude, I was JUST thinking about how much I need a well pump!" "Wanna go steal 'em?" "Sure!"

A woman called police to complain about a man that was littering after she saw him placing large plastic bags full of garbage in the trees and on the ground in the 9000 block of South Aspen Drive at 7:15 p.m. April 28. Officers responded to the area and found six bags of garbage on South Aspen Drive and 30 bags of garbage below the Oak Leaf Park sign on Centennial Drive. The park was very clean with the exception of the basketball courts, and police later learned the man was part of a group was out cleaning up the community for Earth Day.

Damn those good Samaritans!  Wait...

A resident in the 5000 block of South Brookdale Drive reported a wolf or coyote in her yard at 7:40 p.m. May 5. Officers were unable to locate the animal. 

A resident in the 9600 block of South Shepard Avenue reported seeing a coyote walking on the bike path between Howell and Shepard across from East Middle School at 8:25 a.m. April 24. The caller was concerned for children who use the path to get to school and wanted officers to check the area. An officer checked the area but did not locate any coyotes.

You'd think that the cops would have something better to do than check up on a litterer or chase invisible/imaginary coyotes, but from experience I can tell you that some of the cops in the 'burbs get pretty bored and will jump on the chance to do anything police-like. 

So stay safe and stay smart, friends, lest you end up in my weekly Crime Time... 

Thanks For the Memories

I was really hoping that I wouldn't have to write another entry like this for a long time.  But here I am.

The first time (of many) I injured myself at school was in first grade.  I was running around the corner of the building - on blacktop, of course - and hit some gravel.  Down I went.  I think I only skinned one knee that time (many times it was both), and the friction tore right through my tights (white - what was my mother thinking?).  I looked at my knee, skinned with bits of gravel sticking to it, and started crying.  I don't remember who got the teacher on duty, but as soon as I had gotten myself to the door, she was on alert.

Standing next to her was a short girl with a cast on her arm.  "Erika," the teacher said, "this is Rachael.  She's going to take you to the nurse's office."  I sniffled and nodded, then looked at Rachael.  She beamed at me and opened the door.  

On our trip to the nurse (which was a bit of a hike for a six-year-old, since it was in the middle school half of our building), Rachael did the talking.  She told me how she already knew where the nurse's office was because she was in first grade last year, but she had to take it again.  She showed me her cast and kept smiling the whole way there.  I'm sure she told me other things, too.  I just remember that smile. 

By the time we got to the office, I think I had forgotten all about my knee (unless they poured alcohol on it - FCOL, that shit stings!).  Rachael waited for me while I got a band-aid and she walked me back to the first grade rooms.  With one more smile, she waved and turned into her classroom.  

Time went on, and I continued to run into Rachael (small school; it happens).  Though she got teased a lot (didn't we all?), she never quit smiling.  Sure, eventually you could piss her off (I think I only did that once; I'm a quick learner), but it was pretty rare.

I was never all that fantastic at making friends, since I'm terribly shy, but I hadn't had to think about it with Rachael.  She just became my friend. 

And we stayed friends for a long time.  It wasn't until after a party at the beginning of my sophomore year of high school that we really started to separate, and I haven't seen her since I graduated high school nearly 10 years ago.  

This week, she died.  When I heard about it, I could only think of two things: scraping my knee when I was six and that party when I was 15.  In a way, those were the beginning and ending points of our friendship.  (Though I saw her pretty often after the party, things weren't quite the same, and we weren't the friends we had been.)  After that, all I could think about was how I regret not trying harder to stay in touch.  

I will, however, always have some great memories of Rachael, and for that I'm thankful.  But now I'm starting to wonder who might be next...

RIP, Rachael.  Keep smiling.

5 Reasons You Should Stop Whining Whenever Facebook Makes Changes

1) It's never going to stop.  No, seriously.  Remember back when it was only for people with college email addresses?  When Facebook first opened up to the general public, a lot of people were PISSED.  I may even have been among them (even though I wasn't actually in college at that point, so I was kind of bending the rules to begin with).  These days, I'm actually happy that it's open.  I have tons of friends I can keep up with, lots of random games to check out, and opportunities that wouldn't have existed if FB had never changed since its original format.  And because FB wants to stay around, they will KEEP updating to try to get the most out of its existence.  I wish you luck in finding a social networking website (or, really, any website worth anything) that never changes things up.

2) If FB changes are the worst thing that you encounter today, your life is pretty flippin' good.  Seriously.  Clearly you have access to the internet, which makes you luckier than a lot of people in the world.  Odds are you're using a computer or smart phone that you own or can easily access, so you likely have an income of sorts and/or a place to live.  If your main complaint for the day was that FB made some stupid changes, maybe you should take a look around and realize how good you have it.  

3) It's a free site.  Free.  As in, no money needed to participate.  As long as you have internet, you can be a part of Facebook.  In all likelihood, no one's forcing you to use it.  (If someone out there reading this currently has a gun to his or her head and is being forced to stalk others via FB, my apologies.)  When you don't pay for something, should you really expect it to be perfectly to your liking?  No, you really shouldn't.

4) There are other options.  The internet is bursting with random websites.  Some of them are even other social networking sites (anyone remember MySpace?).  If you're that unhappy with FB, why not just go somewhere else for entertainment?  Goodness knows there are other ways to keep in touch with friends, if you're so inclined, so it's not like FB is the ONLY way you can live.

5) Facebook (not to mention many of your friends) doesn't care.  With more than 750 million active users, my guess is that your whining doesn't really matter to them.  Empty threats of leaving aren't going to garner much attention.  Hell, even if a bunch of you DO leave the site, there are still MILLIONS of other users willing to put up with a few stupid updates.  Sure, you might get a few "Likes" on your status about how FB can suck your reproductive organs or copulate itself.  And a few friends might write some encouraging comments noting their agreement with your feelings.  But in general, your words are falling on deaf ears (or blind eyes... is that how it would work on the internet?  Oh well...).   

Jeff-fa-fa Dun-ham

Last night, Hubby and I went to the Wisconsin State Fair with one main purpose: Jeff Dunham.  But, we also wandered around a bit, taking in some of the other sights and sounds of the fair.

Hubby needed some dinner, so we walked around the food stands until he found something that screamed, "Eat me!"  I wasn't feeling the best, so I just grabbed a Sprite.  Sitting on the curb so Hubby could eat, we realized the rain was picking up a bit, rather than tapering off as we had hoped.  Once he was done, we headed off to the horticulture building, where we took a look at some of the prize-winning photos, food and plants.  When we got back outside and it was still raining, we sought shelter in the products building.

The products building should really be called the Noms building, IMO.  The vast majority of booths in this building are dedicated to different foods from the state.  It's not at all like the booths outside, where everything is deep-fried, on a stick, or both.  Inside, you can buy bottled honey and cherry preserves and all sorts of yummy foodstuffs to take home and enjoy later.  They do have some ready-to-eat food as well, but the food inside always sounds much better to me than the majority of things outside.  They have a grilled cheese sandwich station, a baked potato booth, bison burgers, and Palermo's pizza, to name a few.  

While wandering this building, we actually ran into my brother-in-law and his wife (as well as her family, including my nephew).  It was nice to see them, but little A was getting hungry, and so we parted ways pretty quickly.  By the time I checked my phone, it was already 7:48...  Almost time for Jeff Dunham.

For those unfamiliar, the main stage at the state fair is the Milwaukee Mile.  Yep.  It's a race track.  Better yet, it's uncovered, and it was raining.  Not hard or anything, but raining nonetheless.  This was my first grievance.  

My second was our seats.  Hubby had let me get tickets for Jeff Dunham only if we got the cheap seats.  So, I tried to pick the best cheap seats I could.  I got seats in the 3rd tier of the stands (cheap seats were 3rd and 4th tiers), as center to the stage as I could, and got us seats 1 and 2 so we were on the end.  As we went to find our seats (the second time, as we went up the wrong stairs the first time), the woman helping us said, "Those are good seats!"  I was pleased.  Until I sat down, and this was my view:

Seriously?  There was a giant fence blocking my view of the track/stage.  Nothing warned me they were obstructed view seats, nor were they any cheaper than the seats next to us who had no fence in their way at all.  I understand it's a race track, but they have shows there every night of the state fair.  That makes it a venue.  And the fact that I couldn't see the stage pissed me off.  Thankfully, I could see the giant screens they had set up, but I was still pissy.

Until the show really got started.  And then I forgot all about the fence.  I felt like I was at home watching a special on TV, and I laughed until my stomach hurt, and then laughed some more.  The rain stopped at some point, but I'd mostly forgotten about it anyway.  

After showing off some terribly awesome photos of himself from middle and high school, Jeff talked a bit about his divorce (sad panda!!), and Walter begged to know what it was like.  Achmed (the dead terrorist) had some issues keeping his legs in line once his son came out to join the show and eventually got duct taped to the stool.  Jose Jalapeno (on a steeeeck!) slammed Peanut with some great insults, and Peanut himself showed off his newly found talent of ventriloquism with his dummy Little Ugly AssJeff.  

My favorite part of watching Jeff is that you forget there's only one real person on stage.  The man is talking to himself, but save for the few times the dummies point out that it's really just him, you don't even notice that his right hand is missing for most of the show.  The illusion is magical, and if you think ventriloquists are lame, you just haven't seen the right one.

The funniest part, though, had to be Peanut reading a fan's email (OK, it may have been made up, but who cares) and tricking Jeff into being just as racist as he was being.  Effing love the fact that Peanut can make Jeff feel uncomfortable.  

I was surprised that Bubba J wasn't part of this show (we were on a race track, FCOL), but it was just as well.  Walter, Achmed and Peanut are clearly the crowd favorites, and though we had fun, a longer show might have gotten old.     

All in all, I'm so glad we went.  Though it was an entirely different experience than last week's Daniel Tosh show, I think I laughed just as much last night as I did at Tosh (though it was more of a "Hehe, that was silly and fun" type show than an "OMG this is wrong, but so f*ckin' funny" kind of show).  

Jeff's new special airs on Comedy Central this September, so check it out!  You won't be sorry.

Moronic Monday - Valentine's Day Edition

Fair warning: This post will offend some people.  If you don't like it, don't read it.  Or read it, and then post an angry comment.  Or start your own blog to complain about my blog.  I don't care.  The point is, these are MY feelings.  Word.

So, there are a few things about Valentine's Day that really bug the shit out of me.  Don't get me wrong - I actually like Valentine's Day.  It's not my favorite holiday, but I think it's a fun way to show people you care about them.  But some people or things really rub me the wrong way on February 14th every year.

1) Engagements.  Okay, I get it.  It's a romantic holiday and you want to embrace that with some huge romantic gesture.  But really?  Be more original, FCOL!  Unless it just so happens that you met/started dating on a Valentine's Day or something incredibly meaningful happened on Feb 14th at some point in your past together, there's NOTHING romantic about a V-Day proposal.  Tons and tons of other couples are doing the same exact thing.  And even if it comes from your heart and you're truly in love, it just seems too easy.  Make some other random day special, and then you can really look back on that together.

2) "Every day is Valentine's Day with my sweetie!" Yes, we know, you're madly in love and every day is wonderful, but seriously?  Get over it.  I love my husband dearly, and he is wonderful to me, but that does NOT make every day Valentine's Day.  Do I look forward to each day with him?  Sure!  But there's something nice about a day to do something different or special just because.  Also, you sound really cheesy saying something like this and it's bound to make people cranky with you.  Just saying.

2b) An alternate to this one is something like, "I don't need a holiday to show how much I love (fill-in-the-blank)!"  Often this is along the same lines, but also tends to scream, "My significant other didn't get me anything, so I'm going to make it seem like I really don't care by playing it cool!"  You care.  You SO care.

3) "Valentine's Day sucks."  Way to sound like a joyless person who wants everyone else to be miserable with you.  It doesn't actually make you cool to dislike a holiday.  And all your friends will likely just think you're a sad, lonely individual who couldn't get a date for Valentine's Day OR that you've become so jaded that nothing they can say or do will ever make you feel better.  Neither sounds particularly like someone I want to hang out with.  But that's me.  

I guess I shouldn't say that these people are all morons.  They probably aren't.  Many of them are just hopeless romantics or have been scorned too much to appreciate the day.  But some of them are just idiots.  Proposing on V-Day because you can't come up with anything better?  Trying to make yourself feel better by writing off an otherwise sweet notion of a holiday?  Bah humbug much? 

How about you just go buy a box of chocolates, find a good movie, and enjoy the day.  No matter who you are, chances are you love SOMEONE, so celebrate that, whether it's your best friend, your pet, your family...  It doesn't matter!  Celebrate love.  It makes the world go 'round. :-)

Snow Day? I Wish...

Again, one of the non-perks of working from home is that you don't get snow days.  In fact, it's hard to even take a sick day (it's not like you're going to get anyone at the office sick, you know?) unless you really feel like crap.  

Thus far, my non-snow day has sucked.  

• Woke up and looked outside to see the world covered in snow.  No big surprise.  However, my fear of how I was going to let the dog out escalated when I could open either of our screen doors more than an inch.
• Woke the hubby up so he could advise me on the best method for doing so.  He tried to help me put some boots on, but that didn't work.  They were supposed to go over my shoes, but kept getting stuck.
• Hubby managed to open the door about a foot.  I held on to the pupper's leash and let her wander a few steps.  When she realized she wasn't going any further, she got the hint and took a piss.  However, she was then COVERED in snow (since the drifts are twice as tall as her... at MINIMUM), which was not so fun to deal with.
• That's when hubby managed to fall down the basement stairs.  This is the 3rd time it's happened since we moved into this house.  Those stairs are scary steep, we have NO railings, and the floor was starting to get wet from the snow that was falling in from having the door open.  Not cool.
• Hubby checked his email.  Of course, HE has a snow day.  Ugh.  We were supposed to both be working and miserable!  Instead, I am now working while he sleeps.  -le sigh-

To help, I did make some popcorn (and used REAL butter on it for the first time in ages... soooo good).  But really, that only helps so much.  Reading on Facebook about everyone's snow days and not being at work just makes me wish we had a sympathy snow day or something.  But, alas, that's what I get for "being able to work in my pajamas all the time!"  (The next person to say that will likely come to regret that decision.)

Here's to a long day that just keeps dragging on...

Frustrated!!!

WARNING: This is long.  I apologize.  I need to rant.

Ok, so, since getting married in September, I have successfully changed my name on my social security card, my bank accounts, my debit and credit cards, my paychecks, my student loans, and at Penn State, ALL without having to go anywhere.  The only time I had to go anywhere to make the change was my driver's license, and that's understandable (I had to get a new mug shot, ya know). 

So why is it that Chase seems to think I need to come into a local office to get my name updated on my mortgage?  That wasn't what they said in November.  Wasn't what they said in December.  But now they seem to think I have to go to the nearest branch (which, of course, I've never been to because they're NOT MY BANK - MY bank was able to handle it all online).

Sure, they were HAPPY to give me a new credit card with my married name without any documentation.  But changing my last name on the mortgage (to MATCH the last name of my husband, who is also on the mortgage, I might add) is apparently too hard for people to handle.

Mostly for documentation purposes, I'd like to post here the emails I've had back and forth with Chase (with some details removed) via THEIR secure message center. 

11/12/10 I sent:

Good afternoon,

I was just married in September of this year and have since changed my last name to my spouse's.

How do I update my name on my accounts and get a new credit card with my married name Erika (Married Name)?

Thank you,
Erika (Maiden Name) (Married Name)

I got a response that same day:

Dear Erika (Married Name),

Congratulations on your recent marriage. Wishing you a
successful life ahead.

I am pleased to inform that I have changed the name on
your account ending in **** as requested. A replacement
card with your new name reflected on it should arrive at
the address listed on your account by 11/19/2010.

Additionally, I have forwarded your inquiry regarding
mortgage account to our Home Mortgage department. You
should receive a response from them within two business
days.

If you need immediate assistance... [boring content removed]

It was a pleasure assisting you today. Have a great day!

If you have any further questions, please reply using the
Secure Message Center.

Thank you,

V*** M***
E-mail Customer Service Representative 

Well that was easy!  And helpful!  Huzzah!!  Just have to wait to hear about the mortgage...

On 11/15/10, I got this response:

Dear Erika:

I am writing in response to your Internet inquiry to Chase
about your home mortgage loan.

I have attached a name change request form. Please fill
it out and send it back to Chase together with the
required documents.

Chase's goal is to provide the highest level of quality
service. If you have questions about your mortgage,
please contact Customer Care at 1-800-848-9136.

We appreciate your business and value our relationship
with you.

Thank you,

L*** T***
Vice President
Customer Care


Fair enough.  On 12/6/10, I sent the requested documentation along with this message:

Good evening! Per the message I received on 11/15/10, I am submitting the requested documentation to update my name on this account from Erika (Maiden Name) to Erika (Married Name).

Please let me know if anything further is needed to make the requested change.

Thank you!
Erika (Married Name)

I got no response.  Waited a month.  Still nothing, so on 1/4/11, I sent this:

Good afternoon!

On 12/6/10, I had submitted documentation as requested via the Secure Message Centre to have my name changed from Erika (Maiden Name) to my married name of Erika (Married Name). To date, it seems this change has not gone through, so I was wondering if there was anything else I needed to do to help implement this change.

Thank you for your assistance!
Erika (Married Name)

I got a response on 1/5/11:

Dear Erika:

I am writing in response to your Internet inquiry to Chase
about your home mortgage loan.

We did not receive the e-mail you previously sent.

I have attached a copy of the name change request form.
Please fill it out and send it back to Chase together with
the required documents.

Chase's goal is to provide the highest level of quality
service. If you have questions about your mortgage,
please contact Customer Care at 1-800-848-9136.

We appreciate your business and value our relationship
with you.

Thank you,

L*** T***
Vice President
Customer Care

Ok...  Annoying much?  Whatever.  I attached the SAME documents and sent a reply:

Ok, I will send the same attachments I sent a month ago. Please let me know that they have been received, as the last attempt shows up in my Sent Messages so I have no way of confirming receipt.

Thanks,
Erika

No response.  Didn't want to wait a month, so I gave it a few weeks instead.  On 1/19/11, I re-sent the SAME documentation with this message:

Good morning,

I have submitted the attached documentation twice to have my name changed on my Chase account I was just married in September and it has not been completed yet.

Could someone please confirm that this is being worked on and/or when I can expect completion?

Thank you,
Erika (Married Name) formerly Erika (Maiden Name)

On 1/20/11, I got this response:

Dear Erika (Maiden Name),

Thank you for contacting Chase.

To process this request, you will need to visit your local
branch with one form of ID and supporting documents to
complete changes that are not minor name corrections.

We recommend that you contact the branch before visiting
to verify additional requirements. You can locate the
nearest branch and its number using your zip code via
Chase.com.

We value you as a Chase customer and appreciate your
business. We apologize for any inconvenience this may
cause you.

If you require further assistance... [More boring stuff removed]

Thank you,

M*** G***
Internet Service Center

Oh HELL no.  I was told I could do this shit online.  Twice.  I'm done with formalities at this point, so on 1/24/11 I sent this:

Why was this not explained to me when I first made the inquiry in November?

I have submitted documentation to get this change processed, per the instruction of 2 other Chase employees (via the Secure Message Center) after 2 separate inquiries. I was told this could be handled online (in fact, I was told it was already changed for the credit card account, just not the mortgage account)...

I was able to make these changes will my primary bank and many other services via fax or internet request and would MUCH prefer to do so in this case as well. If there is any way to do this online, as I was previously told, please let me know.

Respectfully,
Erika (Married Name)

Now, note that I was actually told twice by the same employee (didn't notice that until after I sent it), but the person who told me I could do this online is the VICE PRESIDENT of customer service.  I would have to imagine he knows what's what.

But the response I got today (1/25/11) says differently:

Dear Erika (Maiden Name),

Thank you for contacting the Internet Service Center.
Congratulations on your marriage!

In response to your inquiry, for assistance in changing
your name on your account, please visit a Chase branch
convenient to you. You will need to bring with you legal
proof of name change and two forms of valid
identification; one being a photo ID

I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Chase strives to provide excellent service to all of our
customers. It has been our pleasure to be of service to
you. Please be assured that we value you as a customer and
wish for your experience with Chase to be one of
satisfaction and ease.

If you have any questions or require further assistance,
please e-mail us via the Secure Message Center or contact
our Internet Service Center at 1-877-242-7372.

Thank you,

L*** M***
Internet Service Center

At this point, I'm beyond frustrated.  It doesn't seem like a big deal, but let me point out a few things:

1) I've never had to go to the local Chase branch for ANYTHING.  They just happen to have bought our mortgage about a year ago...  

2) I was told TWICE that all I had to do what submit the necessary documentation, which (as you can see), I actually sent THREE times.  

3) I've been trying to get this changed since November!  What the fuck have they been doing?!

4) How did they not get my email if I'm sending it using THEIR message feature?  Sounds like THEIR problem; not mine.

5) Why was it so easy for me to get a new credit card from them?  Why didn't they need anything for that?  But in order to keep taking my money on my mortgage, they not only expect documentation, but think I should come to THEM to provide it?!

6) Best yet, they didn't address ANY of my dissatisfaction or provide any feedback as to why I was told something different in the past.  The last response is almost identical to the response they sent before that.  UGH!!!

7)They keep addressing me by my maiden name when I clearly keep signing things with my married name.  That's just annoying.

Ok, I apologize again for this rant, but I've just HAD it with Chase.  We're now considering refinancing so we can move away from them and their terrible service.  Good riddance, I say. 

S A T-U-R D-A-Y Night!

Ok, not quite there yet, but I'm SO excited for the game tonight!

Even if the Packers lose (which I'm not saying is going to happen, but IF it happens), I think it'll be a great game to watch and I'm just pleased that we're this far into the playoffs.  :-)

I spent this afternoon struggling through the reading for my Psych course (intro readings are always the worst), so now I'm looking forward to a bit of a break.  

Hubby's out on a bar crawl (15 on 15 on the 15th - 15 bars on the 15th of the month along bus route 15, I think), so it should be interesting to see him later (it started at noon).  However, it does make the afternoon less exciting.  I can't help but feel so bored when I have the house to myself.  Even with Miss Maxine here!

Maxine, of course, is napping.  Shocking, I know.  Last night after a quick trip to the grocery store, we came home to find she had torn up a few cardboard boxes laying around.  This wouldn't have been SO bad except that one of the boxes was a Kleenex box that still had tissues in it.  Oh, and the fact that she has a bajillion toys laying around that she could have played with, but no.  Had to destroy boxes.  FCOL.

On that note, I'm off to find something fun to do.  Or clean.  But probably something fun to do. 

Stupid Cookies

Here I am, trying to be a good little baker and make some meringue cookies and what do I get?  Piles of goo.  Yep.  Piles.  Of.  Goo.  FAIL.

How do you mess something up that's essentially made of eggs, sugar and air?  Seriously?  FCOL.

Well, at least I tried.  Hopefully my mom can give me some pointers over Christmas and I can try again next year.  Stupid cookies.

On the bright side, it's almost Christmas Eve!  Which means it's almost Christmas Day!  Huzzah!!  Here's hoping the rest of the holiday goes better than those cookies...

Frustration.

I'm having one of those days where nothing really seems to be working and it's really starting to piss me off.  I've had problems all morning just trying to get things in order, and it's definitely wearing me down.

I won't go into specifics, but suffice it to say that communication is clearly too hard for some people.  Ugh.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

YES!!!  My packages finally came!!!  FCOL, man...

When I went on my lunch break at 1, I noticed a mini van pull into our driveway and thought, "Aha!!!  They're finally here!"  The guy was nice enough...  A little spacey (or high - he asked me how I was doing today...  twice...  within a minute...), but polite.  I doubt he has any clue what I've been going through waiting for these damn packages.

So, the full update is that I have my packages.  No response yet from the shipping company, and no response from Amazon (though, in all fairness, I just sent them an email an hour or so ago), but I have my shit.  This pleases me.

What have I been waiting for, you ask?  Glee: The Music, Volume 4, a knife for my hubby, and a Christmas present.  Nothing spectacular, but still great nonetheless.  :-) 

Edit: At 1:42 PM, I got the following from the shipping company.

"Greetings,

Thank you for contacting the XXXX Customer Support Center.  We appreciate the opportunity to be of assistance with your delivery needs and are committed to providing the highest degree of customer service.

We have received your email regarding the status of your Amazon orders AAAA, BBBB and CCCC.

Our driver has indicated the order has been delivered and left at your front door.

Please contact Amazon at 866-216-1072 for further assistance and information.

Thanks again for contacting the XXXX Customer Support Center.  We look forward to handling your future delivery needs and truly appreciate your business." 

Awesome.  Thanks for waiting to answer until 30 minutes after I got my delivery.  Which, of course, was 3 days late.  That's really professional.   

Also, I feel I must point out that the driver clearly did not leave it at my front door.  He delivered it to me personally, as I answered the door.  They also didn't address any of my concerns regarding the inaccurate information on their site.  Here's hoping Amazon gives them the boot soon...

Lazy, Lazy

I'm pretty sure I've done nothing productive today.  Wait, no, I take that back.  I might have been productive for about 20 minutes somewhere in there.  But, as it is, I could have been cleaning or doing laundry or exercising or something like that.  Instead, I watched America's Next Top Model re-runs and worked on a puzzle.  Awesome.

Ok, in all fairness, I did cut out pictures for our thank you cards.  And I picked up some dishes and stuff around the living room.  And I tried working on Christmas presents (which I just can't focus on because it's not even Thanksgiving yet, FCOL).  So I sort of tried!

I just can't do anything when Zach's not here.  I don't know if other couples function this way or not, but when he's not here, I just don't feel comfortable.  I get so bored doing things that I normally do.  If he were home, I could spend all day on my computer playing games and just being a dork.  But with him gone, I've spent maybe a total of an hour on the computer so far today.  I just don't know what to do with myself with an empty house!

On the plus side, I managed to get Maxine to sleep in bed with me all night, so that was nice.  I think she tried to wake me up a few times so I could pet her, but when I ignored her, she just curled back up and went back to sleep.  I really do love my dog.  

Tomorrow it's off to see my parents and stay overnight as I have a doctor's appointment on Monday morning (annual physical... joy).  The good thing about next week is that I only have two FULL days of work.  I'm off Monday morning for my appointment and I'm off Friday morning* for travel purposes, and of course I'm off on Thursday, so that leaves a full day on Tues and Wed!  Awesome!!

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving.  It's not my favorite holiday (that would be Halloween, of course), but I think it's the most relaxing for me.  I know most people get all up in a tizzy about Thanksgiving - stress from family and cooking and trying to be perfect - but it's never been like that for me.  

Growing up, Thanksgiving was normally my mom, my dad, and me.  Throw in my hubby for the past few years (though, this is our first Thanksgiving as a married couple), and the puppers this year, and you still have a pretty chill gathering.  

As tradition dictates (I'm HUGE on tradition - blame the OCD), I'll wake up early-ish to watch the Macy's parade with my mom while she starts cooking (because that is one parade you are never too old for!).  Then I'll get hubs up to watch some football with dad and me (and may make some Chex mix or some other snacky item).  

We'll probably do some family trivia after that (this is normally done via the numerous newspaper Super Quizzes my dad has saved up), then have Thanksgiving dinner (which, we actually have at dinner time, not in the afternoon).  Then it's time to make hand turkeys (a tradition just for me and Zach) and probably watch the Peanuts Thanksgiving special.  Dad normally has a fire in the fireplace, and he and Mom are often half asleep, enjoying its warmth.

And last, but NEVER least, comes dessert.  Pumpkin pie.  Or some variation thereof.  Sometimes mom gets a pecan pie for Dad, but nothing is quite like pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving.  The BEST tradition of the year is when Dad and I make whipped cream together.  

Dad will have the bowl in the freezer for hours ahead of time, waiting for us whenever we're ready.  Then we get out the heavy whipping cream, the sugar, and the vanilla extract.  There's no recipe or measurements to be followed.  One of us will pour in the cream, while the other starts getting sugar ready.  Dad starts up the mixer, and tells me when to start (and stop) putting the sugar and vanilla in.  When we think it might be ready, we grab spoons and taste it.  If it's not to our liking, the solution is normally more sugar.  And eventually, it'll be just right.  It always is.

So I know there's some big thing about being against Thanksgiving because of what it stands for, etc, etc...  But I never think about the history involved.  Maybe that's naive of me, but I prefer just to think about what I'm thankful for and enjoy the day with the people I love the most.  

My advice?  Stop over-thinking holidays.  Have they been commercialized?  Sure.  Are the things they were founded on maybe less than happy/PC/whatever?  Sometimes, yeah.  But does that mean they have to be ruined and we should all be unhappy and stressed?  Hell no.  Make holidays what you want them to be.  They're much nicer that way.  :-)      

   

*Yes, I actually do have to work Friday after Thanksgiving.  In fact, the only reason I have that morning off is because I requested it almost 2 months in advance.  No, I'm not in retail (thankfully).  No, I don't get overtime or holiday pay.  Yes, it sucks.  

For Crying Out Loud (FCOL)

Things that are contributing to my FCOL attitude today:

1. I really wish my face would stop breaking out.  You'd think I was hitting puberty all over again.  Blech.
2. Do you know how many forms one has to fill out and sign just to get their name changed?  It's insane!  It's not enough to show my new license or the marriage certificate?  Christ.
3. Work.  No explanation needed.
4. My dog seems to think she is our home alarm system.  Thanks, Maxine, but I really don't think the UPS guy is a threat (considering he was half way back to his truck when she started barking).
5. Laundry, sadly, does not do itself.  Someone needs to fix this.