Lookie What I Did!!

I have been a busy little bee this last week. It is definitely harvest time!

I got 12+ jars of salsa, 10 quarts of grape juice, and 21 quarts of peaches (with half a tree still to go!).

I'm exhausted. Whew!

P.S. Skins sailed through the interview process for student council and will now be campaigning for votes. She's doing great. I'm so proud!

The Past Doesn't Have to Repeat Itself

Today is a happy day for me. Let me explain why.

When I was in jr. high school I had visions of being an SBO, or Studen Body Officer. I never wanted to be a cheerleader, work on the yearbook staff, or play any sports - nope, all I wanted was to be in student government.

The time came for elections and the first thing one had to do to run was get a petition and have 30 or so signatures. Once that was completed, the administration would interview each candidate and narrow the field down. It was so simple.

I eagerly went to the office and got my petition paper and hurried off to the cafeteria to start getting my signatures. And, that's when I overheard someone say: "I saw Angel in the office getting a petition. What is she thinking? Nobody is going to vote for her!"

I'd like to say that I ignored the comment, got my signatures, turned in my paperwork, wowed the administration and won my office. But, that's not what happened. Instead I ripped up my petition paper without one single signature and threw it away. I never tried out again.

And, to this day, that is the biggest regret of my life. Hands down.

BUT, I am so proud of Skins, who after just one month in junior high decided that she was going to try out for student government. I encouraged her and she followed through. Today she turned in her petition, loaded with signatures, to the school counselor and now awaits her interview slot. Even if she doesn't make it into student government, she'll never have to go through her life wondering "What if?"

I'm so proud of her. Win or lose, she took the first step... and that's more than her dear old mom dared to do. Vote for Skins!!!

Blech

TGIF - It supposedly means Thank Goodness it's Friday, right?

Well, not for me it's not. At least not today. Let's see... perhaps:

This Gut is Frustrating, or
Tummy Gluttonous: I'm Fat! or
Thighs Grotesque - Infuriating - Fat!

These things may or may not be true... but I just got home from 3 different stores trying on jeans. If you aren't a woman, you can't appreciate the impossible task this is. A guy can just walk up to the rack, look for his approximate size, and head to the checkout -- a trip taking approximately 2.7 minutes.

Not so for the female persuasion.

We approach each rack and scan for color. Next we grab the size we wish we were, the size we might be, the size we probably are, and each size surrounding these sizes (just to be sure) then head for the dressing room. We try on each pair (sometimes squeezing and stuffing ourselves into them), then examine our reflection in the dressing room mirror from every angle, step out of the dressing room to look in the multiple-angled mirror from every angle, then head back to the dressing room, check mirror again, take them off, and proceed with the next pair. By the time we get to the checkout it has been approximately 72 minutes since entering the store.

I found two pair that were a tad tight but I bought them anyway (spending a bit more than I intended). My rationale for that is that if I live off of tomatoes and water for the next 7 months they won't be tight on my anymore. As if.

I'll put them on for Da Man when he gets home from work and let him have the final say. If he likes them, then I'll be happy. If he hates them... well... at least I saved the receipt.

Thank heavens it's not swimsuit season anymore!!

FRUSTRATION!!!

I am coming to you tonight through dial-up. Yep, you heard me correctly D-I-A-L U-P. As in 48kb/sec. Yawn. It took 2 minutes just to load this page so I could draft this post. Kill me!!

For the last 3 years I've been with a local wireless provider whose speeds were rather nice at 2100kb/sec and a price I could live with. They've been fairly reliable for me and I've been pleased with their service.

The antenna for our area is on a home in my neighborhood - Maybe that's why my speeds are good. BUT, last year the couple who own the house where the antenna is located decided to divorce. That wouldn't be a big deal if either spouse was going to stay in the house... but alas, the house is now up for sale and nobody is living in it. If there is nobody living in the house, then there is nobody there to maintain the antenna, the tower, or the powerbill that gives the juice to said tower and antenna. We've had a few outages lately because of that problem, but my local ISP has been good about getting it back up and running within a few hours.

Until today.

We went down and I called to inform them of the problem. They said they were aware and had a technician on the way out here to get us back up and running. We could expect service within 30 minutes.

Four hours later I receive a call from the technician, who, after exchanging niceties over the phone, offers me these 5 little words: "We're taking down the tower." Silence. "Ummm, you're what???"

"We've decided that there have been too many issues with this particular tower, so rather than service it, we're going to take it down. We'll contact you with our DSL pricing options tomorrow."

So, that's it. No warning. No further explanation. No internet service.

I'm livid! Were it not for my "free" dial-up backup, I'd be completely without the internet for an indeterminate period of time.

Shouldn't there be some kind of restitution from this company? Isn't there some kind of law that says they have to give me a warning before disconnecting me? Give me some time to research other providers? I know I'm not the only one in this neighborhood that depends on my internet connection for work.

What the heck!! ::insert fuming emoticon here::

I'm so angry. And, now I'm going to hit "Publish Post" and wait another 45 minutes while it posts it to my blog...

Dial up sucks. Blech.