That didn't work...

Chat with the Cable Company's customer service advised me to, wait for it... contact the exact same people who 'fixed' my bill before. Oh, and get this, requests for a manager were met with 'We don't have a manager in this queue.' Yeah, right... they're just putting all these guys on their little computers with nobody over them? I did not just fall off the turnip truck.

I called the customer service number on our Collections notice suspecting they just might have some experience dealing with people's screwed-up bills. Veronica was very pleasant and apologetic and assured me she had everything fixed. I guess I'll know for sure if/when my cable gets turned off.

Ya know, if my bill is still screwed up, I'm going to post the name of this Cable Company on my blog so all 10 of my readers will know. (very small laugh at myself here)

Normal Channels Haven't Worked

E-mail sent to my oh-so-lovely Cable/Internet Service Provider:

I would like to please speak to a customer service representative, any customer service representative who is capable of providing just the tiniest margin of customer service. My bill is a screwed up mess, and I am begging, please, please, please, let me speak to someone who is even remotely capable of managing a billing customer service issue. Surely there is someone left.

Account: XXXXXXXXXX
Issue: $60.64 in excess charges plus a $5 late fee and threatening disconnect letter
Documentation: Transcript promising free installation; receipt dated 9/24/08 showing $0 balance and printout showing that we were charged for 2 installations. This was after speaking to an exceptionally disinterested customer service rep in person in Waco.
One unreturned voice mail from Sunday evening (I left this after being transferred three times and spending 30 minutes on the phone).

I am seriously doubting that customer service is anywhere on This Company's list of priorities.
I wonder if this will get anyone's attention. It feels like I've been yelling down an empty corridor just listening to my own echo for a month now...

The most beautiful word you ever heard... October!

My darling, sweet, L. of the speech impediment can now say the word 'October' perfectly. She was so proud of herself that the first thing she did when she got home that day was come straight up to me and repeat 'October' over and over until it dawned on me that she said it as well as her older sister.

Now, if she just hadn't stayed up half the night practicing...

Going Political (just this once, probably... maybe)

I plan to vote Libertarian this election. Quite frankly, I can't tell any real difference between the Republican and Democratic nominees beyond one of them seems more likable than the other. They've both had to sell at least 3/4 of their souls in order to get the backing needed for the nomination. All those concessions will mean that significant change to the status quo just can't happen.

If you are serious about making changes, then you should back a third party. Traditionally, it's the active third party that has ultimately made significant changes to the way our country works (abolition and women's right to vote to name a couple).

I don't trust the government to look after anything other than its own self interests. That, again, means keeping the status quo to a certain extent. Those currently in power have zero incentive to make any significant change.

I am pro life, and cannot begin to wrap my mind around choosing to have an abortion. However, I don't trust the government to enforce that, either. For one, there are way too many uncertainties. You just cannot legislate for every possible scenario. I think the pro-life movement would provide a FAR greater service if they focused on pregnancy prevention and support.

I think marriage should be between a man and a woman, and if my church officiates a same-sex marriage, I will be ticked. However, it is none of the government's (or my) business what two consenting adults of sound mind decide to do. The thought of a constitutional amendment defining marriage burns me up as a huge waste of time, energy and violates its very spirit. Beyond enforcing the marriage/civil union contract, the government should butt out. I do believe that if two same sex adults bind their lives together the same way a traditional married couple does, then they should experience all the pluses and minuses (including taxing negatives and sharing work benefits pluses).

I'm also ticked with all the political parties (even minor third parties) that turn this into a combat-fest. Come on, we are citizens and only want the best for our country. When you consider how evenly split the nation is just looking at Democrat/Republican side of the world, it is insane to keep things so full of animosity. We are going to end up (yet again) with half the country jeering at the other half, and I am dreading that.

Having been anti-major party so far, I will say that I am encouraged that whichever party wins, it will be historic. It is exciting that the Republicans were able to put a woman in the VP slot and the Democrats put a black man in the Pres spot. Who could have predicted this even 20 years ago?

Someone else who could use a science book...

The original doesn't have the inspiring music. But, the music just adds that little 'something' to her rant.

What has she been up to lately?

Baby A is on the move. Crawling, standing, trying desperately to pull up. Here are some pictures from when she turned six months old earlier this month:

Crawling, with drool:


Standing with drool:

Love those baby blues, without drool:

First Aid in the First Grade

S started first grade on Tuesday. Where, oh where, has the time gone. She has gotten to be such a big girl. It sounds like she had a good first day, even came home with a band-aid after ripping a scab off her elbow while playing outside.



First day of school. Can you tell she just could not WAIT for me to get out of there?

Isn't amazing what you can find on the web?

Awww, look, someone's created a Muppet Wiki: http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Muppet_Wiki

*sigh*

Shiny, Happy ULEV having fun...

Mr. W. has taken a new job, leaving me alone and forlorn. Gee, I didn't realize how much I relied on him to keep me grounded and as a release valve for stress. He has been my sounding board and reality check here since before we started dating. Many people I've talked to have said they can't imagine working with their spouse. I, however, am trying to figure out how to work without my spouse. I miss him.

Since we no longer work at the same place (or even on the same side of town), we can't exactly commute together any more. Soooo, Saturday, we took the plunge and bought a shiny new Honda Accord. The car is big enough to fit three carseats across the back and small enough to get 30 mpg. Another bit of greenery is the ULEV label.

Since Mr. W. will be working close to daycare, he will continue to drive the minivan while I get to drive the car. It has been so long since I've driven a car, I forgot how much fun they are. I'm glad we got the little 4 cylinder model or I'm afraid I'd be zipping around a little too fast. I did learn how to drive in Germany... and going fast is fun!

Doing the Locomotion

Little Miss A. is on her way. We now have rolling front to back and back to front. We have scooting forward and backward. We have getting up on hands and knees and rocking back and forth. We also have frantic attempts to stand up. And we are scooching from a laying down position to almost sitting up.

She will be six months old next week... What a change from when S. was a baby. She rolled over the very first time a week or so after she turned six months old. The way A. is going, I expect she will be walking by 10 months old. It is definitely past time to baby proof.

Heh, heh, heh.

Just imagine Mr. W.'s name is 'Carl' come July 29...

Good News, Bad News

Good News:

Since we started working closely with L. and her speech issues, she has become more intelligible. She still needs professional assistance, but we're definitely making progress while we're working out timing for her therapy appointments.

Bad News:

I have no idea how long she's been calling me a poo poo head, and I just didn't understand her before now.

Isn't parenting grand.

Good grief

Perhaps someone should send these two yahoos a dictionary and a couple scientific articles.

From the Dallas Morning News:

Dallas County officials spar over 'black hole' comment
5:34 PM Mon, Jul 07, 2008

A special meeting about Dallas County traffic tickets turned tense and bizarre this afternoon.

County commissioners were discussing problems with the central collections office that is used to process traffic ticket payments and handle other paperwork normally done by the JP Courts.

Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield, who is white, said it seemed that central collections "has become a black hole" because paperwork reportedly has become lost in the office.

Commissioner John Wiley Price, who is black, interrupted him with a loud "Excuse me!" He then corrected his colleague, saying the office has become a "white hole."

That prompted Judge Thomas Jones, who is black, to demand an apology from Mayfield for his racially insensitive analogy.

Mayfield shot back that it was a figure of speech and a science term. A black hole, according to Webster's, is perhaps "the invisible remains of a collapsed star, with an intense gravitational field from which neither light nor matter can escape."

Other county officials quickly interceded to break it up and get the meeting back on track. TV news cameras were rolling, after all.

Conversation in the Wheezer household

S: I wish I had someone else for my daddy!

Mr. W.: Go to timeout

S: I wish you didn't have any kids!

Hoo boy are the teenaged years going to be a fun time for all...

Because it's Saturday, I'm at work, and I'm grumpy...

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Fences

I was recently invited to and joined an online community for people who attended my high school. Since my school was a Department of Defense Dependants School located in Germany, about the only way we can keep in touch is via the web. Alumni are literally scattered across the globe. It has been fascinating getting back in touch with people I haven't seen in the past 18-20 years. It's bringing back a ton of memories and some bitter-sweet nostalgia.

I graduated from General H.H. Arnold American High School in 1990. At the time, the base was open to anyone who cared to drive through all the military housing units, past the BX, around the commissary and schools. September 11 changed a good many things... Now there are fences and soldiers surrounding everything. Without a military ID card, I cannot enter the premises. Unlike most Americans, I can never go back to my high school to look around and walk the halls.

Even though the odds of me making it back to Germany in order to take such a walk are fairly slim, the fences hurt. It is another shock to the system how things changed post 9/11... If I had thought about it, I would have realized fencing and security guards would be a part of HH Arnold, but I didn't think about it.

I am excited about the online community. I hope we find enough graduates that we can put together a decent 20 year reunion come 2010.

How to get a 3 year old to thoroughly clean herself

1. Allow three year old and her 6 year old sister to color... with markers.
2. Get distracted with 4 month old for a few minutes.
3. Discover three year old has decorated herself with said markers, which are blessedly washable.
4. Put three year old in shower and tell her to scrub until she is a single color (not GREEN!) again.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to get three year old to clean carpet which has also been decorated with washable marker.

Trying to find my way out of the blues

This has been a rough couple months on the mental/emotional health front. Between postpartum hormones, work stress, home stress and seeing my co-worker go through losing his son, my mental health is a little precarious. To the point that I've gone on bcp to try to regulate the hormone flucations at least. They don't seem to be working. Next step would be to go on some anti-anxiety medication.

Logically, I know I should probably bite the bullet and take my doc up on the prescription he offered. Emotionally, I just can't quite do it. The funny thing is that I am almost certain that the emotions keeping me from taking the anti-anxiety medication are false and would go away once I finally started the meds. The analytical part of me is slightly amused by the cyclical nature of what's going on in my head. Uber-anxiety leads to a need for the medication but the uber-anxiety keeps me from taking the medication I need.

The not-so-analytical part of me is afraid to go to sleep at night thanks to the nightmares I've been having. The nightmare/lack of sleep thing is also very chicken-and-egg. Poor sleep leads to nightmares which leads to worse sleep which leads to worse nightmares and on and on. I've taken to working out at night for two reasons: 1. the endorphins are good for the spirit and 2. if I'm physically worn out, I fall asleep faster and am somewhat less likely to have nightmares.

On the bright side, I'm not in a position of being a danger to me or my family. However, I am not nearly as laidback as I ordinarily am. To the point where my boss asked me what was going on after I snapped at her a couple times.

Humbling Experience (in more ways than one)

I've recently decided to boost my German proficiency. After not speaking it in any way, shape or form for 14 years, I've managed to forget quite a bit. Sooooo, I've started reading Welt Online thinking it would be easy-reading enough that I wouldn't be completely lost.

There was an online quiz today on the good ole' USA. I thought that surely I'd know the answers to any USA questions asked of Germans. Right? Right? Well, maybe not so much, LOL. Out of 25 questions, I got 17 right. To be completely fair, I did miss a couple because I did not understand what they were asking (note to self 'Opfer' is not German for 'opera' it actually means 'victim').

The so nice comment from Welt Online:

Sie haben 17 Fragen korrekt beantwortet.
US-Präsident können Sie als Deutscher zwar nicht werden - aber den Job haben schon Leute gemacht, die das Land schlechter kannten.

Roughly translated (I think): You got 17 right.
Since you're German, you can't be President - but others who know less have held the job.

*ouch*

Just for fun, I went back and re-did the quiz and got them all right (wanted to see what the message would be, LOL).

Sie haben 25 Fragen korrekt beantwortet.
Sind Sie vielleicht Amerikaner? Jedenfalls kennen Sie sich mit den USA so richtig gut aus - Glückwunsch!

Roughly translated: You got 25 right.
Are you an American? Anyway you know a lot about the USA - congratulations (or something to that effect)!

Go check out Bananas & Toddlers

A lovely PIM is battling breast cancer. I certainly hope her quilt gives her some comfort.

Check out the story behind the quilt here.