Wired

When I was a child my grandmother Carter had a desk on her closed in porch  with a matching chair - it had belonged to some long dead aunt I believe. The seat of the chair was sprung so when I sat in front of this desk I had to sort of perch and balance on the front part of the chair, not comfortable but do-able. I loved that desk - it was flat on the top, like a table, but the center opened revealing ornate little shelves and a drawer, the writing bit pulled with a blotter on it - I thought it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. When I came home from school on my 13th birthday I found my beloved desk parked in my bedroom. My mother had the wicker seat redone to it's former glory - it was one of the best things I've ever gotten. I spent my teenage years parked at that desk, Wit h the chair restored I could write letters, do homework, as I grew older it became a make up table, a study area, coffee table. It is right next to me now, it's traveled from one house to another, a bit older and more  rickety, but still a sturdy little desk.

Over the years as time and progress has gone forward my stationary and books have been replaced by tablets, ereaders and a smart phone. A blue tooth keyboard, speaker, a fit bit. This of course all needs to be plugged in - all of it. At first it was just a couple of things - a laptop, a cell phone. But more things needed to be charged so I bought one of those stations with plugs and USB ports - every one is filled and my latest toy - a tablet with an 18.5 inch screen gets it's own outlet. I've tried to make it look nicer - I bought a hard leather tote that I store all the flotsam and extra stuff needed so it's not piled here and there. I've tried to put all the cords to the back so there's not a octopus perched on the edge of the desk. And it's not just my desk, is it? 

The more "wireless" we are, the more wires we seem to accumulate. There's a rats nest under the entertainment system between the DVD player, the box for the dish, the flat screen TV. The desktop computer in the den with the "wireless" router is a jungle of cords and surge strips. We live in an older home to boot so occasional extension cords are in the mix - the basement outlet fights with the recumbent cycle, the light and the fan gave it it's own surge strip. So my poor little antique desk is buried under a mound of wires, plugs and electronics, reserving one tiny corner for my cup of coffee. I wonder what that long dead aunt would think of her desk now!

It's All In a Day's Work

My last post was on my frustration of those that cannot seem to do their job. But this week was the flip side - those that not only do their jobs,but do it well. I had ordered a skein of yarn from Jimmy Bean Wool - I was one short for the shawl I'm currently knitting - it arrived, but it was the wrong color. I emailed the company and got a response right away, they apologized, had already sent out the correct item and it would come with a mailer to send back the wrong item. 

Amazon was next on my list, I'd ordered my dream item a couple of weeks ago - a honking HUGE tablet (18 inches across), but discovered the other day there was defect in the charging cord. It worked but was a bit worrisome. I emailed and an hour later customer service contacted me. They couldn't replace the cord, but they refunded me immediately $30, I ordered the replacement and got it the next day. 

AT&T that we signed up for a couple of months ago has been great - I'm amazed that I get reception even at my house - The Black Hole Of Cell Service. David's Gear2 is still his favorite toy (aka "the Dick Tracy Watch"), a pleasure to work with

The winner though has to be Cochran Subaru in Monroeville this week - they are the ones that replaced my back tire about a week ago when David accidentally ruined it. As I was going to work the other day my low tire light came on. Thank goodness I tilted my mirror to see it - it was not only low, but going flat fast! I made it to the gas station and pulled up to the air hose. No good - the air was leaking out as I was pumping it in. I called AAA first - they promised someone would be there within 45 minutes. Then I called Cochran who told me just to come in as soon as I could drive it and they would take care of it. The repair guy got there in in half an hour and changed it out to my spare. If you're wondering why I didn't change it myself it was because when they put your tire on and use the pneumatic thing it's impossible to get the lugs off without jumping up and down on the lug wrench. Given my history of Gliding Gracefully Through Life we all know I would have been laid out in the parking lot in under 5 minutes.

The repair guy put air in the flat to see where the leak was - it was a nail of course. I drove to Cochran - and they took my car right away to have the tire plugged and fixed. I was back in business not an hour later, they even washed my car - and charged me nothing - on the house! That would be great customer service and you can be sure when I get ready to buy my next car or need anything, that's where I'm headed. As we all know, the place I bought the car from - I-79 Honda I would rather have nails driven in my skull than ever go back to that place. They were horrible to me and have no idea of what the term customer service means. They sold me a car with a bent sway bar in the back - a $264 repair on a car I owned for less than a week, that had 3 warranties on it - and they refused to honor any of them. I still have the letter from the manager Dale telling the Attorney General that I must have driven over potholes and caused the issue myself!! Asshole! When I started at Bayada one of the things they told us at training was there was a survey that found if you do a good job, your customer will tell 3,maybe 4 people. If you do a bad job they'll tell everyone. This week, I have a lot to tell and not much to complain about, don't I? 

Just Do Your Job.

Ok - so, we ordered a bunch of stuff for our granddaughters this week. The big stuff came from Amazon - but one small, 5 pound box which held things we bought(clothes, sheets, etc...) we shipped from the post office. You know, the one that's always complaining how they're losing money and are trying to compete with everyone else. I have Amazon Prime which means free shipping for just about everything, two days at that.  Two of the items were sizable, a crib and a mattress and much to my surprise they also qualified for free shipping. Can we get a Whoo Hoo! I ordered, paid and then got emails letting me know where everything was and when it arrived - the crib took 3 days but given the size, I was fine with that. You're wondering about the package from USPS. Sad is all I have to say.

David shipped it on Monday, Priority two day - cost about $13. We waited. And waited. Friday morning David found the tracking number and found our package had been sitting in....... Flushing NY all week. That would be clear across the country mind you - it had arrived Monday afternoon and there it stayed, obviously bedazzled by the bright lights and big city.  You would have thought someone would have picked it up and said "hmm, what are you doing here?" but no. David ended up having to call and was told someone had put the wrong bar code on it. If they put the wrong bar code on apparently it just sits until someone asks about it, then they stick the right one on and send it to the address that you've carefully printed on the label. On the front. Where it clearly does not say Flushing NY.  

It's tiresome, isn't it? We've been waiting for two weeks for the lawyer to do the title search on the house we're buying - everything else is done. David called and apparently it WAS done a week ago. But the person in charge of picking up the f**king thing and sticking in the mailbox was unable to do that. So here we are over a week delayed because of one person that cannot do thier job. Again. I work in a profession that you HAVE to do your job. If I say I'll be there Monday at 3 believe it or not, I'm expected to be there Monday at 3. I am not allowed to NOT do my job because in that event, they will happily find someone else that can do my job. Oh, they'll fire some warning shots of course, but in the end that's just not allowed. And really, I've spent my entire life doing my job - whether it was babysitting, opening scallops, washing dishes, decorating wedding cakes, wiping asses or giving infusions, I have done my job. I did my job whether I was making $5 an hour or $30 an hour, it has never occurred to me do anything else. My kids do thier job, my husband and all of our relatives and friends with the exception of a few, do what is expected. My question is - what happened with all of these other people?

Catching Up

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted - I guess I could say I've been busy, but actually I had an extended period that I had absolutely zero to say. Or if I had something to say, but certainly was not saying it out loud. Things as usual, calm down, zing up into the stratosphere and then we all come back to earth. SO - 

I still have my phone from A T & T and I still love it. David has his Gear2 which is a watch/phone and we call it the Dick Tracy Watch. He thinks it's great and it's pretty tough stuff - he really likes that he doesn't have to carry a phone around anymore or be frantically searching for it as the ringer is shrilling away. He uses it as a speaker phone which is not for everyone, but he works alone so it's not an issue. You can get an earpiece though if you don't want your business hollered out in the supermarket.

We sold the house in Waynesburg finally last week. I suppose I shouldn't say "finally" as it was only on the market for 2 months and the closing was done in under a month. We usually do small houses, but this last house was two stories with an apartment and took David about 8 months to complete. Since he works alone that's not a great deal of time. We made the same amount that we would have made with two small houses but it's just too long a time to have that much money out there. We are waiting for a the title search  to be completed on the house we're under contract for and will start again. It's a small house and honestly, they're easier on David and faster to move. 

I spent a weekend with my sister and her wife which was fun. I have to do the two day training session for Bayada and it's half an hour away from thier house so it works out well. I spent Friday on my own just putzing around and then hung out with them. We did the Longwood Gardens at night, it's the last year they're going to have it which is a shame - it's really beautiful.

It was a quiet weekend and then home. One of my tires had a slow leak and David used that Slime stuff, you know that seals the leak. Word to the wise - don't do it. My car started shuddering over 60 miles an hour - I thought it was out of alignment. It was - but the Slime stuff actually forms a hard pile in your tire which unbalances it, then it unbalances your car. So, $500 dollars later (new tire, rotation and balance, alignment and got the oil changed while I was there )problem solved. Sigh. 

We have a little bit of freed up money so I got the tablet I've been jonsing for - it's HUGE. 18 inches across and 10 inches long. I've been having an absolute ball with it, the back has a built in stand that tilts so you can put it on your lap and play with it.  It's not something you can tart around with you, it's more for using at home, which is what I wanted it for. 

I've been taking Molly out on the weekends to hike and walk. We've done Friendship park, Cooper's Rock and we took both of them to the game lands this morning. Molly was racing about and then suddenly disappeared, then I heard frantic splashing. I ran calling her, I couldn't see her through the brush - David and Reuben were over in the next field and started running. I could hear her, but not see her and when I got through the brush there she was - she'd managed to get up the steep bank and was literally hanging with front legs on the ground at my feet, back legs dangling. I ended up getting my hands under her front legs and pulling her up and over the bank - the funny thing was she was not upset. At all. If a dog could laugh she would have been rolling, she thought it was the funniest thing ever. I have no idea why she thought it was so funny, but when I got her all the way on the ground she rolled to her feet, gave a shake and went loping to find her pal Reuben. So, it was a pretty good day. So, I think that's all the news for now. 

Fly Away.

So, David is finally getting his turn with the granddaughters. He reserved his flight about a month ago so it was only about $500 round trip. That isn't bad - if you try to book closer to the date it can be almost twice that. I only requested that he book for a more reasonable time than he did the last time he flew - we live about an hour or so from the airport and if you add in the two hours you need to be there prior even a 7 am flight can be nightmarish. His flight took off at 8:30 am,we got there in plenty of time and I was back home before 8. It's a long day, he had a few layovers which on a flight like this is not a bad thing, you can get out and stretch your legs, have a meal, etc.. David called me around 8p which I was surprised to hear from him that soon, but he had a layover in Seattle. There are two airports near Jackson and Brandi - one is in Bellingham which has much less traffic, Seattle is a major city and often has traffic jams that can last forever. So, he was in Seattle waiting for his connecting flight to Bellingham with a 5 hour layover - I actually thought I heard him wrong. 5 hours? I suggested he call to see if maybe they would like to come get him (as opposed to getting him at midnight) - turns out they did want to come get him. The only thing that made me laugh was when I suggested he leave the airport the first thing out of his mouth was "but I paid for the ticket!". He then decided it was not worth it to sit in an airport for 5 hours and got to Jackson's by 8p instead of 1 in the morning. Aside from that weird layover, the flight went well and he is now happily hanging out with the babies finally.
I'm constantly asked when we plan these trips if I'm going with him or he's coming with me -um, no. We rarely travel together - we've been married for 34 years and I can count the times we've traveled together on one hand. One reason is financial - when we travel together the dogs have to go to the kennel, if it's extended we have to hire someone to feed the cats, parking the car at the airport, etc... it can almost double the amount. But it's actually the other reason - we do not travel well together. I drive for a living so it doesn't bother me to drive for 11, 12 hours - David feels 5 is more than enough, 6 he is tapped out. I like to stop at rest stops frequently, David thinks they're a waste of time. We both want to be the passenger. I like silence, David turns into Chatty Cathy the second the car is in gear and I secretly want to open the door and push him out about 2 hours into the trip (sometimes not so secretly). David gets mad because I don't want to talk.  I love to road trip by myself, I can stop and take pictures when I see something interesting - with David it's constantly "why didn't you say something!" as we fly by at 75 miles an hour (I swear he speeds up as we go by graveyards!) - it makes him crazy with my constant stopping. So we travel separately and that way we will be married forever.

Brock Turner - Out Already

I normally do not visit a subject twice - But Brock Turner almost warrants it, doesn't he? He's released after serving three months in protective custody to return to his home, which is not all that far from mine. Some would say he's punished enough, let's face it, his life is pretty much ruined. But probably not as much as his victim's not by a long shot. And he is nothing more than the tip of the ice burg. 

Did you know that 97% of all rapists will NOT go to jail? That one in four college women have been assaulted? Or in 31 states if you become pregnant as a result of rape and you're not able to successfully prosecute your attacker they can turn around and demand visitation rights? Or in 2009 doctors performed an emergency abortion on a 9 year old who had been repeatedly raped by her stepfather (resulting in twins) and the Catholic Church excommunicated the child, her mother and the doctor that performed the abortion -but not her attacker - Because the church felt the abortion was the "most heinous crime"? And that was in 2009, not 1809.

I'm wildly offended by Brock Turner's parents - did you know he has a sister? Can you imagine if someone did to her what Brock did to that poor, young woman - would Dan Turner tell her she deserved it? That it was only "20 minutes of action" and she shouldn't get so upset about it? And the fact that Brock's mother condones what he did is horrifying, did you know she's a nurse?? I'm sure you're thinking, but what if it was my son? I thought that too - how would I feel if my child committed a crime like that? I would hire a lawyer too, but I hope I would have the strength to allow him to pay for his crime. I had a friend that was in that situation where her child had committed a violent crime (not a rape, I want that to be clear) - she was heartbroken. But she never defended his actions, she emphasized with his victim - he admitted he did it, served his time - and she did not give up on him, nor did she stop loving him or supporting him - I still admire both of them beyond belief. 

This episode with Brock Turner has had a good effect, the judge that "didn't want to upset him" is no longer in criminal courts trying cases, hopefully he'll be removed entirely at some point. It is now mandatory 3 years for a rape of an unconscious person in that state -  that will hopefully make someone think twice before they rape an unconscious woman. And two college football players were convicted and sentenced to 15 years for the rape of a 21 year old neuroscience student. But we still need to change our attitudes, to stop telling woman they deserve to be raped because they're drunk, alone, wearing a dress,asking for it, accepting a ride home from a male friend, attending a party, walking down a street at night, for breathing, for existing. And I believe in continuing to hold those accountable - to not use being drunk as an excuse, because that's all it is - an excuse. I believe these men went out with the intention of raping - the alcohol is just a handy excuse. A comedian used men being drunk as an excellent example - that if she went home with someone really drunk and asked to take all of his things - or she just stole everything - that would be consent because, well, he didn't object, did he? And if he did object, maybe he didn't mean it - he is drunk, after all. And if he woke up with nothing, that would be his fault since he was drunk.  I hope Brock Turner pays for what he did every day of his life - and I hope everyone pays attention. 

Second Rate

I was reading a short little piece on whether it is a good practice to give everyone a prize in competitive sports - so no one feels like they lost and subscribing to the theory that "everyone is a winner" - we have happily destroyed an entire generation with this, havent' we? A friend of mine once said that we have raised a generation of  non-motivated, directionless adults - and she's right. And no, not everyone is in this group, but there's far more then there should be. We spent all of our time telling them that they were all winners, that they should never settle - greatness was theirs. But we forgot one important thing that my generation knew - how to get there or at least how to try. And that it's very ok not to the best, you can be second or even third in line and survive quite well. 

Making everyone a winner takes the motivation out, doesn't it? That's why Russia's socialism fell, why should I bust my ass going to college and working my way up when the house cleaner down the road is equal to me? Why bother?  So we have a generation that is content to just survive, if I can't be the best why put forth the effort? I went back to nursing school as an adult and I have to say, having to pay for my classes to start was a good motivator. I had been out of school for years so did not anticipate how hard it would be, I got a D in my first A& P class - the first and last D I got. And it was not because I didn't want to suceed , I just did not have enough organization or drive. But that failure was my motivation - I realized I either had to put foot to ass or go back to being a nurse's aide. I did not like failing, I didn't like everyone knowing I had failed - but I didn't give up either. My failure made me want it more and it gave me the drive to go back and stop fooling around. It became the Important Thing, the first thing I HAD to do, not one more thing. And that motivation is why  I made of one 88 seats out of over 900 applicants - we can't all be first but that doesn't mean we don't try.

And am I great nurse? Nope, I'm a good nurse and I'm actually more skilled at some things then others. But I AM a nurse - I graduated as one and I earn my living that way. And if I'm being honest - I realize I'm not a great nurse because I don't want to devote that much time to climbing up the ladder. And that's very ok, because there can only be one chief and the person that's willing to devote that much time and effort certainly deserves it. And that's why children should not all get a trophy - only the winners should get one. That does not mean we should make a child - or even an adult feel less worthy because they did not win. It should be a motivation to work hard to improve and try to win - and the trying is what we should also reward. And maybe, just maybe reinforce that it's ok not to be top of your field - it's a win if you can come home every day knowing you did a good job and you did your personal best - I'm not always a winner but I'm always doing pretty darn good and most days, that's more than enough for me.