Memoirs

I recently started listening to "Fraud" by David Radkoff on my iPod. It has been such a joy to listen to. I love David Sedaris, so I started getting into memoirs, and just finished two audiobooks by Augusten Burroughs, and then moved onto Radkoff. Although I thoroughly enjoy Sedaris and Burroughs, I'm not sure that I've laughed quite as hard (or as often aloud) as I have while listening to "Fraud". I'm such a fan of authors who read their own work, and Radkoff has a really great way of delivering a story. Plus, the sayings that Kati and I have come out with from these memoirs...I doubt many people would actually understand our conversations were they not versed in memoir-speak.

So far, I have two favorite sections from "Fraud". The first is when Radkoff describes a museum about the Loch Ness monster, and how they desperately need a proofreader for the captions on their photos. Apparently they have random sentences inside of random sentences, leaving the whole caption to make no sense whatsoever. The second favorite is where he talks about using a computer mouse for the first time and not realizing that you pick the mouse up when you hit the end of the mouse pad. Both accounts are quite funny and very much worth downloading the audiobook to your favorite audio device.

House sitting and realizations

This week, I'm house sitting for an upper manager, M., at work. She and her husband live in a very nice house in Seattle and have four cats. Two of the cats are indoor cats, and two are outdoor cats. They each have very distinct personalities, and one of the indoor cats likes a lot of attention, but on his own time. If you approach him when he doesn't want to be disturbed, he'll scratch you. So, he's a bit grumpy at times.

This grumpy cat recently went outdoors (which is OK according to my cat-watching instruction sheet), and now I have to sit here and wait for him to want to come inside or he'll scratch my skin off. I know this because I followed him across the street earlier, trying to get him to come inside and eat, but when I reached down to carry him back over, he batted a big ol' paw at me and gave me a big ol' yowl. The other two outdoor cats just flopped over and purred when I picked them up to bring them in and eat, so they were easy. The other indoor cat seems kind of jumpy right now, although M. said that she should warm up to me over the week.

My problem is that I'm not a huge cat person. I don't dislike cats. I have a mild allergy to them, so I usually tend to avoid them to some extent so that I don't have red itchy eyes. I have met some really nice cats throughout my life, but the tempramental ones just always make me think - why? Why would someone love them and feed them and take care of them? This may sound bad, but isn't that kind of a waste of time? Isn't that kind of co-dependant, almost? I suppose that there is something more to it, but it's something I'll never understand. I'm definitely a dog person, and I guess that's all there is to it for me.

The funny thing is that I just met up with an old friend of mine, M. H. He's just opened up his own business, so I took a look at his new office and then we headed down to U Village for some Starbucks and a good chat. When I returned, the cat was finally waiting at the door, ready to come in, so at least that crisis is averted.

Anyway, M. H. is one of those people who I will always be glad to have as a friend. Even when we don't talk for some time, I always know that he's got my back if I need him and true to form, when all of this came down with C., M. H. started calling me every few days to make sure that I was OK and to see if I needed anything.

He's also the kind of friend who reminds you of who you are and where you've come from. We've been friends for close to 10 years, and I remember what I was like when I first met him my freshman year of college at the UW. I was still with my high school sweetheart, but I was really attracted to M. H. and we became really good friends, and semi-dated for a very short period of time, although it never came to anything - not even a kiss. There was just something that kept us friends, and I'm really thankful for that because he has turned out to be someone that I can count on and always will be. Had we dated, it's uncertain that we would have survived, let alone come out on the other end as friends.

So, it kind of reminds me that everything happens for a reason. 9+ years ago, I was asking God why on earth M. H. and I couldn't seem to get together. But now, I'm happy that we didn't get together and I understand why. So, I can at least look back on things in my life and know that someone is watching out for me.

Cell phone companies

What is it with cell phone companies? Can they ever actually get an order correct? When I signed up with my current phone company, we'll call it A, I signed up for a plan where C. and I could share minutes on one bill. However, that particular fact seemed to escape the woman that I spent nearly an hour with on the phone, and she somehow got my phone and his phone setup on different accounts. I didn't figure that out, of course, until I got separate bills and noticed that the calls on C.'s were being charged at 45 cents a minute. So, I spent almost another hour on with different people trying to get that figured out.

Skip ahead now to me setting up new service and ordering a new phone. I called a new company, we'll call it B, and ordered a new phone (a really kick-ass phone I might add), a car charger, and the new service agreement. Apparently this company just switched to a new computer system, so I spent several minutes listening to, "sorry, but the system is being really slow right now" and so on. Finally, toward the end of the call, the system went down completely, so my information had to be taken manually and then he would input it into the system later in the day. The guy read stuff back to me correctly and I happily hung up, excited to receive my new cool phone in a few days. If only the story ended there...

Last night, I receive an order confirmation email and notice that my name is spelled incorrectly and that the address is off. So, I call B back and explain the situation. The gal who answers says, "I'm sorry, but the system is down again so I can't correct your information at this time. Please call back tomorrow morning to have it corrected. We open at 5:00 AM." Huh...ok.

I call back this morning about 10:00 AM (I was in la-la land at 5:00). I spend a 1/2 hour on the phone waiting for someone to answer, and memorizing the dumb Musak version of some song I can't figure out that they play over and over and over again. I then have to run for a meeting, so have to hang up. I then call back and wait for another 1/2 hour and finally get someone on the other line. This guy tells me that my phone and charger are in their truck on the way to UPS, so there is no tracking number yet and no way for them to call UPS yet to let them know the correct address. He tells me to call back later in the day when UPS gets the packages and then B will have to call UPS with the correct address.

So, I call tonight at 7:00 and explain the story again. The guy on the other line says, "Ok, just hold on one minute." He comes back a few minutes later and explains that his supervisor has told him that B can't do that - they have an agreement with UPS that they can't change the shipping address once UPS picks up the package. I politely ask to speak with the particular supervisor who has told him this, and I'm transferred. After he finishes his explanation, I explain that I've been proactive at calling back to have the information updated, and through no fault of my own 1) my information was incorrectly recorded and 2) the system was down, so I did not receive a confirmation in a timely manner to get it updated before the shipment went out to UPS. I ask if they can send me a new order of the phone and charger, and then they'll receive the other one back at some point when the people who receive it have no idea who I am and why they've received a package, so they'll send it back. He agrees. I then spend another 1/2 hour on the phone with the other nice guy who gets my information entered into the system correctly.

Considering that you have to select a particular department when you call these companies, and it's always something like, "to setup new cell phone service, press 1", you'd think the people on the other line would actually know how to set something up correctly. I mean, isn't that their job? I realize that mistakes happen, but I've talked to several people who have had similar experiences. Oh well. As long as I get my cool new phone, I'll be happy.

Shopping therapy

Kati and I spent the day doing some much-needed shopping therapy. We started at the Bellevue mall, where I finally got the Tiffany's 1837 sterling silver T & Co. ring that I've wanted for a bazillion years but could never bring myself to buy. Of course, there are a bazillion other things at Tiffany's that I would also love, but the ring is something that I can actually afford and considering the amount of times I've visited it, I decided to make it part of my collection. I needed a little bling for my left hand now that my beautiful wedding ring is gone (thanks to my soon-to-be ex husband), and I knew that this ring would be a quite lovely gift to myself.

We then headed up to the new Seattle Premium Outlet mall by Tulalip, and proceded to do some wonderful damage there. I got a few nice new outfits for fall at GAP and Banana Republic. Kati spied a beautiful pair of cream and aubergine tweed pants at Banana Republic for me, and I do believe that they are one of the coolest pieces of clothing that I've ever owned. I'm so excited to wear them and feel fabulous in them :) I got a couple pairs of shoes at the Naturalizer store, so they are both comfortable and stylish, which is always a plus when it comes to fashion.

And, last but not least, I bought 2 fabulous purses at the Coach outlet store. Now, normally I wouldn't spend anywhere near what I spent on those two purses. But one is an oversize black leather bag that is perfect for carrying files, books, etc. for work and something that I will probably use for the rest of my life. That makes it a very nice investment piece, and so I think it justifies the cost. Plus, it was from an outlet store, so I didn't spend as much as I could have spent if I had bought it when it was first for sale. The second purse is a good size lavender suede bag with aubergine accents. Based on my wardrobe, this particular purse will be a staple for years to come.

I know that I shouldn't take so much pleasure in material things, but today was so FUN. There is something really great about having the ability to buy some really great pieces that make you feel like the fabulous person that you are. And, since I'm getting my bonus from work in a couple of weeks, I decided that I should spend a bit of that on some nice treats for myself, since the rest will surely go toward earnest money on a condo or townhome in the near future. And, perhaps the best part was coming home after a day of shopping and not having to justify any of my purchases to anyone. I am a self-made, successful woman and I can afford to do something like this every once in awhile to remind myself that I work hard for a living and I deserve to enjoy myself because I only have this one life to live.

New Orleans

I can't even imagine what the poor people in New Orleans are going through right now. What would it be like to come home and find absolutely nothing left? What would it be like to be stuck in a sports arena with thousands of other people for days on end? What would it be like to swim through waters full of sewage, chemicals, and dangerous animals to find supplies to keep you and your family alive? What would it be like to be stuck in your attic, awaiting help that may never arrive?

Frankly, I'm appalled at the response from the federal government. I think that the media has done a wonderful job of showing the reality of the situation (aside from the very obvious racial slant, which is unacceptable), and I can't believe that it took president shrub actually going there to decide that the situation was dire. How dense is he?

Additionally, I find it quite interesting that this has happened in the wake of budget cuts to programs that could have helped avoid this situation altogether or at least lessened the blow. The bottom line is that we have infrastructure all over this country that is crumbling or would certainly crumble in a natural disaster such as this. I think about the Alaskan Way viaduct in Seattle and the downtown area, and wonder how that will hold up when the big earthquake hits. We could very well be in a similar situation if we don't do something about these areas in our country.

People used to pay taxes to fund the upkeep of these areas and to support a better existence for future generations. We've become so jaded about our quality of life, that we don't understand that tax cuts, such as those given by the shrub administration, actually HURT us in the long run. It's not like I enjoy paying taxes, but I do it and support it because it is important not only for my lifetime, but in the future. If there is one lesson to take away from this catastrophe, it should be that we need to take a good, hard look at our governmental policies and elected officials and determine if they are really doing what is right for us or if they're being led astray by hidden motives. What kind of a country are we going to have left if we continue down this path?

Finally, the fact that this has affected the poorer community in New Orleans is extremely sad. Here are people who had so little in the first place, and most of them were unable to evacuate because they simply didn't have enough money at the end of the month to get out. In this day an age, it is shameful that anyone would die or live in such a horrible situation because of lack of resources. The government should have recognized the gravity of the situation and got busses in there to take people out of the city to safe places.

I realize that the shrub administration, and FEMA now say that they couldn't have known how bad this would be, but I think that is a complete lie. There was plenty of warning that this could happen, but led by ideology rather than scientific research, our government chooses to ignore what the reduction of wetlands and other environmental problems cause in our country. I also think it's time to take a look at that and realize that government is not a place for religious ideology to rule.