Graduation Day

Oh Come On People

This video has  made the news.  

People think it is mean.  Seriously people.  Mean?  Go buy yourselves a sense of humor.  It is obviously meant for fun and did not cause any harm.

!Friday!

Yay! Friday!

Just because I am at my desk, I don't actually have to work today, do I?

Hoopty Shopping

Saturday was a whipping.

We decided it was time to get a "new" 3rd car.  If one of our daily drivers break down, it gives us a back-up until Handy Hubby can get it fixed.  Plus, Surly Teenager is going to summer school.  And just to be inconvenient it is not at her home campus, because it is being rebuilt this summer.  And they are not offering bus service.  So she needed a way to get to school.

So we decided to get a throw away, hoopty car; one that we don't care if Surly Teenager accidently squishes parts of it.  And because she wanted to have some say as to what kind of car we got, and she wanted to be allowed driving time, she chipped in her entire savings account.

We started Friday night and then almost all day Saturday driving around looking at one piece of shit after the other.  I don't know if my expectations were too high or what, but man oh man, we saw some trash.  And we were looking in the $1200 - 1700 range.  

Then when we were just about to give up for the weekend, we saw an ad for the PERFECT car.  It was slightly more than what we were originally planning to spend, but after all of the hooptiness we had seen, we were willing to up our budget a bit.   Only it lived over an hour away.  The ad had only been up for 2 hours.  Hubby called and the guy said he had received about 7 calls already, but no one had shown up.  Hubby said we are on our way with cash in hand.  He told the guy how far we were coming, and told him he didn't expect him to hold it for us, but he gave the guy our cell phone number and asked him to please call us if it sold before we got there, so we could at least turn around.  I don't know if he actually did hold it for us, or if no one else happened to call, but it was there when we got there.

And it was just as nice as we hoped it would be:

Its one big boo-boo:

It has other minor scrapes and dings too, but over all it is in great condition.  It is a 2001 Ford Escort, with 81,043 miles on it.  It is an automatic - that was one of Surly Teenagers conditions because she is not interested in learning stick shift - manual locks and windows.  Nice clean interior.

All for only $2000.

Advanced Cat Yodeling

RANT: Customer Service

Case #1: Enrolling Surly Teenager
Surly Teenager was released from the outpatient transitional program
she was attending. It was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but her
new doctor that will be managing her medicines had a last minute
appointment available on Tuesday morning, and for insurance reason,
she had to be released before she could keep that appointment. So
they moved her discharge date to Monday, but kept the scheduled
meeting for the paperwork, on late Tuesday afternoon.

After her Tuesday morning appointment we go by her high school. I
wanted to get started on her re-enrollment. I wanted to fill out the
forms, give copies of everything, get her schedule straight, all that
could be done, except for the final signing off on everything, because
I wouldn't have the discharge papers until late that afternoon. I
wanted to have everything done and ready, so all that was left was to
send her to school the next morning with the final signed paper.
Because I was scheduled off for Tuesday to take care of these things,
not on Wednesday.

But nooooo. They would not look at one single thing, not pull one
single form for me to begin to fill out. Because I did not have the
discharge paper. And were they going to be there so I could bring it
by that afternoon? Of course not! They were all leaving at the same
time I would be in my meeting getting the form.

Fine.

I get the form and we go to the school the next morning. I am
expecting it to take an hour or so to fill out forms and talk to the
counselor. But noooo. The discharge paper that the program gave me
was not the same type of form that the school wanted. They have to
fax a request to the charter school that the program uses and wait for
them to fax back. I am not allowed to go pick up anything and hand
deliver it. I might change some information or forge something.

So we wait. And wait. And wait. And then, then we wait some more.

Finally, I gave up and just left. I made sure the lady knew I was
leaving and that she had my cell phone number and that she would call
me when she received the paper, because I would come right up.

No call. I ended up missing the whole day of work because I kept
thinking they would call at any minute.

The next morning I decide to take Surly Teenager to work with me.
Then when the school calls with the paper, I will run back there and
go back to work. We stop by the school first, just to make sure they
remember I am waiting for that fax and that they still have my phone
number.

But noooo. Because guess what? They got the fax THE AFTERNOON BEFORE
BUT DID NOT CALL ME. I saw it laying there when she was signing off
on the papers for us to take up to the counselor. It had come in at
1:47 pm, about 2 hours after we had left. AND NO ONE CALLED ME.

* * * * *

Case #2: Our web hosting company
We own a domain. We don't really have any content on it, but we use
the associated email accounts, and host some info for my mother-in-law
and the Abilene Music Teachers Association (or something like that).
We use it mainly for hosting pictures when we sell something on ebay
or Craigslist.

It is set up to bill annually to Hubby's credit card. His card expired
this year and he had to update them with the new expiration date.
Which he neglected to do in a timely manner. They suspend the
account. Which knocked out the emails. Plus, they have 2 different
systems and even though an email change was given in one place, Hubby
didn't know about the second one. So we did not receive one single
notice that said Hey, you need to update your card info, or that said
Hey, your account is about to be suspended. I know that they aren't
required to give such notices, but wouldn't that be considered common
courtesy and just good business practice?

Hubby finally got all the information in all the right places. They
billed us. Two days later they still had not unsuspended the account.
Hubby had to send them an angry email to get the account back to
normal.

* * * * *

And don't even get me started on unethical cell phone company
manager's, who will fudge birthdays, to get a sales commission, and
get an underage teenager in the midst of a manic episode, to sign a 2
year contract so she can have texting, even though she has no credit
history because she has NO JOB, and can't pay their monthly $69 bill.

It is amazing how polite and helpful some people will get when
confronted by an extremely pissed off Mom that is ready to come across
the counter and rip them a new one. They apologize and issue refunds
and everything.

But you shouldn't have to go to that extreme in the first place. What
happened to the mind set of "the customer is always right"?

The Domino Effect

I like rearranging furniture.  All the decorating shows say that the cheapest and easiest way to redecorate is to "go shopping" in your own house.  Move something from one room to another.

I do this occasionally.

What I hate about it, is the domino effect that happens.  And it always does.

We had something sort of like this in our family room with a tv sitting on it.  Surly Teenager asked if she could have it in her room for her aquarium and other stuff.  I said sure. 

And so it began.

The Domino Effect.

It started with the new green wall.  She had been talking about repainting a wall and since we were moving furniture, it would be best to paint first.  We had to move out the stand her aquarium had been on before. It got stuck into a corner of the living room for now.

Then came her new desk.  

The old desk had to be moved out.  It had to go somewhere.  Ok, how about Lazy Teenager's old room.  Only in order to do that, the big desk that is currently in there would have to go somewhere.  Ok, how about in the family room.  Where the thing for the tv was.  Ok, but now I have to move the other piece of furniture that was with it to the other wall for the tv to sit on.  Now the recliners are all wrong and have to go on the other wall.  Only there is a bookcase there......

See what I mean.  The Domino Effect.

Surly Teenager's room is all nice and neat now, with her new wall, and new desk and new (to her) thing for her aquarium.

But the rest of the house?  The rest of the house is now in TOTAL disarray.  

Hubby Guest Post- $18 tool box

I was toolbox shopping today, and I got the best $18 toolbox ever. 

At Lowes I found one I liked for $36.98, but it was dented on the bottom.  It was the old model, obviously everyone kept skipping the dented one, but the new one had a odd looking light grey and blue handle, the drawers were updated with plastic coated rails which I guess made them smoother, but also much harder to open and close.  

The new model was also heavier, but somehow flimsier on the top.  When you picked it up by the handle to top seemed to pop in and out like an old oil can.  To top it off the latches where smaller and weaker than the old ones.  

I hated, however, to pay full price for the dented model, which actually made it hard to open the bottom drawer all the way.  I took a cue from Dave Ramsey, who despite being a millionaire, asks for open box or scratch and dent items when he shops, always asks for a deal.

I took both toolboxes up front and explained I actually preferred the old model, and if they had one that was not damaged I would gladly pay full price, so can I get a discount.  The customer service rep asked the manager, and he said is $18 all right?  Sure, over half off for a dent which I was able to hammer out after removing the drawers?  Heck yes!  I forgot to take a before picture of the dent, and it had been a floor model for a while, it also had a bent eyelet where the hasp closes for a padlock, I was able to straighten that out no problem. 

Taking a cue from my awesome father, I drilled holes and riveted the socket rails into place.  I have my wrenches and screwdrivers in "All Purpose" bags except for the ones that would not fit.  You can get "All Purpose" bags at Wal-Mart for like $5 and they come in 8 or more colors, they rock.  I also swapped the larger drawer and smaller drawer top to bottom.  

More Mother's Day

My other beautiful present.  This one from Lazy Teenager.

Moderation - or lack there of

I sat down in front of the computer at home this morning to write something about moderation.  I was going to talk about how, in some areas -spending money vs. saving – I have found my balance and am doing well.  In other areas –eating healthy vs. junk food –I still face a constant struggle.  Then there are those other areas – fun vs. responsible – that I am lacking in and, let’s be honest,  I don’t always put much effort into.

 Those are things like reading a good book.  I will get caught up in the story and ignore everything else around me.  The kids used to HATE it when I would come home on a Friday with the latest Stephen King book.  I would lay in my room and read all weekend.  We wouldn’t go anywhere or do anything.  I would stay up to all hours of the night to finish.  Or sitting down in front of the computer – the biggest time sucking invention EVER – and realizing 4 hours have gone by and I haven’t done laundry or the dishes.  Or starting a new jigsaw puzzle and getting on a good roll of fitting pieces, and not stopping.  One. More. Piece.

 Things like that.

 Anyway, I had planned on doing that this morning.  And it was going to be deep.  And insightful.  You would have walked away from reading my post, nodding your head thoughtfully, having gained a new understanding of the importance of having a balance to things.  Maybe even seeing some areas in your own life that could use some moderation.

 But then I looked up at the clock and realized I had been on Facebook playing Mafia Wars for too long and I was still in my pajamas and I had not even gotten Surly Teenager up yet and we needed to leave the house in 15 minutes.

 So you get this instead.  Sorry about that.

How's Everyone Doing

Lazy Teenager: graduating!  She is even willing to participate in the stupid ceremony.  Yay!

Surly Teenager: discharged!  She will be returning to her "regular" school next week.  Yay!

Hubby:  finishing!  He takes his Paramedic skills test on the 15th and the written on the 20th. Yay!

Me: ?!  Um, nothing exciting going on in my life. Yay?

Home Again

We spent a long weekend in Louisiana for Aunt Carol's service.   Surly Teenager did a large amount of the driving.  

This came in very handy and allowed me to look around at things like the Mississippi River and cool swamps.

The service was just for family and close friends.  She didn't want flowers other than a wagon wheel wreath, with broken spokes representing those already passed away.  There had been one at her brother Ron's funeral.  After some calling around to a few florists, it was determined that no one had such a thing.

No problem.

Hubby did the structural designing and Sister-in-Law broke out her mad arts-and-craft skillz (I think they are a requirement of anyone with any type of teaching degree), then a trip to Walmart for supplies that included, I kid you not, a blue pool noodle, purple duct tape, and green sequined ribbon:

Pretty awesome, huh?

She had also requested dove's to be released.

For Mother's Day, I received some very beautiful Star Gazer Lilly's, and a card, from Surly Teenager. (don't look at the poofy hair.  it was VERY humid there.)

And just because I am a mean Mommy, here is a picture of Surly Teenager sleeping in the backseat.  You can't see it in the picture, but there was drooling.

In Memory Of

One of Hubby's aunt's passed away a couple of days ago.

I didn't know her very well yet. She lived in Louisiana and I had
only met her 3 times.

She was very kind and generous, and a truly nice person.

I'm sorry that I won't have the chance to get to know her better.

Relax and Cope - as we pause for a brief commercial...

Surly Teenager is all about coping skills these days.  It is one of the main focuses of her outpatient therapy; relax and cope. 

So she is coming up with things to do to help her relax.  

Art is one of her big ones.  She enjoys being creative.  Last Thanksgiving we bought an art table at a great Black Friday sale at Michael's.  After we got it home she decided she didn't want it, so it was set up in Lazy Teenager's old room.  Where it promptly became buried under a mountain of stuff.  It has now been given new life, in Surly Teenagers room, and is currently fulfilling its true destiny as an art table.  It can be seen in the entry before this, to the left of her desk.  She loves it and uses it often.

She also finds soft rain, and ocean waves relaxing.  So to help her fall asleep at night:

This is HoMedics Spa Relaxation Sound Machine.  It has 6 different sounds:  ocean, summer night, rain, rain forest, waterfall and heartbeat.  It runs on batteries or can be plugged in.  You can just turn it on and let it run all night, or you can set it to run for 15, 30 or 60 minutes.  It was around $20 and I have seen them at Walmart, Kohls, and Target, so they are easy to find.

Aside from thinking the heartbeat setting is kind of creepy, it's a big hit.  I think she has listened to it every night since we got it.  Two big thumbs up from us.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled program.....

Purple, Teal, AND.....

Making Changes