July 3, 2008

Mad, but not crazy

It took me a couple days to write the post I was going to put up today, but then I decided that it doesn't fit the spirit of the 4th, so it will wait.

Instead, I will tell you about about how I'm currently peeved at Verizon. Now, generally I'm in love with Verizon. They provide me with FiOS, a gorgeously fast, seemingly always up, relatively inexpensive internet access. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm somewhat attached to the internet. I'm not having any trouble with my connection, which is good, because that would make me all twitchy and livid.

No, I'm having problems with my payment.

See, Verizon automatically bills my credit card every month. This has worked flawlessly for years, through moves and changes and such. But now the card they have on file is going to expire. They were kind enough to send me a notice to remind me to update my information, complete with a website and phone number to edit my information. I tried the website first because, well, I have kids, and serious phone conversation can be, well, spotty. I had no problems logging in. I found the link I needed to make the actual change. I input the correct information. It told me that the info I had entered was the same, and so no changes were made.

Uh, what? MOST of the information is the same. But I specifically changed something they had populated. And besides, it says "update/change". Doesn't that somewhat assume that maybe only a small change will be made? Who's running your database, Verizon?

I tried several times, in case it was my error. Wouldn't be the first time I've fat fingered, after all. Then I called, and talked my way through their automated voice system. God, I hate those things. The wait was estimated at 15 minutes, but oh! they have the option of calling you back when the wait time is up! You just went up a notch in my eyes, Verizon!

So I give the autolady my information, confirm, confirm again and hang up. Fifteen minutes later, she calls me back and I almost immediately get connected to Dan. He confirms my phone number, I quickly sum up my issue, and he mumbles something that I assume to be "Hold, please" since I immediately find myself listening to hold music.

Then I wait. For 20 minutes. That's when I gave up and hung up. I was hoping he might get back to me, since he obviously had my phone number. Autolady didn't bother to call back either. You would think they would want to talk to me, seeing as how I'm trying to give them more money. Regularly scheduled, guaranteed money, at that.

I haven't managed to get back to them, either. I spent most of that 20 minutes on hold trying to keep Owen happy, and I never really had another moment of peace that day. I couldn't bring myself to go to the trouble today, and tomorrow is a holiday. I imagine I'll get through to them Monday, since even pissed, I'm not willing to jeopardize my magical, mystical internet.

Posted by me at 8:21 PM| Comments (0)

June 30, 2008

High maintenance

Owen is going through this (it goddamn well better be a) phase where he's getting up two or three times a night. If that's not bad enough, on occasion he decides to not so much go right back to sleep. The word we're looking for is ung.

Have I mentioned the part where I get one nap out of him per day where he isn't being firmly held? That one glorious nap he will take laying on the bed only lasts about 30 minutes, but it's the most glorious part of my day. It's probably also the only 30 minutes during the whole day where NO ONE IS TOUCHING ME. I usually use that time to shower, and in spite of my desire to be good to the environment and conserve water and yada yada yada, sometimes I spend a good five minutes just standing there, enjoying the lack of touching.

All this to say, I'm a little tapped out these days. I spend all day long toting Owen's lily white butt around, and when Rex comes home and takes him for a few minutes, I actually wander around sort of aimlessly, trying to figure out what I should do with myself. Finish installing blinds? Laundry? Dishes? Pee? My brain is fried, I can barely speak in complete sentences, and I almost fell asleep in the middle of reading to Jamie this afternoon.

I need a long long nap on a breezy, blue-watered beach.

Posted by me at 10:37 PM| Comments (0)

June 27, 2008

Risk for reward

This post over at Wonderland, got me thinking. I mean, I've thought about our kids being overprotected before, from slapping helmets on kids every time they approach speeds of two miles an hour to outlawing tag in schools for whatever ridiculous reason they came up with.

What made me think was the part where the author chose not to admonish her son to be careful on the uneven sidewalk. I'm sure in the same situation, I would have let my girls run. But I'm also sure I would have called out to be careful, as if they couldn't see the dangers themselves. I just wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut, wouldn't be able to not do anything I could to spare them pain (as if a warning like that really has any effect, aside from a prophetic one). She makes a good point, though, that not running would be more tragic, and more painful, lifelong, than a skinned knee.

It's so counterintuitive, but I think it's time to let go. It's time to let my kids get hurt.

Posted by me at 2:42 PM| Comments (0)

June 26, 2008

Link love

Stefanie from Baby on Bored linked to a blog called The Wind in Your Vagina written by Black Hockey Jesus. And I'm confused because this guy writes like a total loon, but I keep going back to it. There are imaginary people, ghosts and he never refers to his wife by the same name twice. He is irreverant and offensive and the post he wrote for Father's Day made me cry. In a good way, not like when my kids make me cry.

Go read him.

Posted by me at 9:32 PM| Comments (1)