Does anybody read these?

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Want to feel old?

Every year, this professor at Beloit College in Wisconsin surveys the incoming college class and develops a list of facts about them that helps professors understand their mindset. There are all kinds of different statistics about the cultural things that have happened in their lifetime.

It makes me feel old by making reference to things I remember quite well, like Rodney King and "Can't we all just get along?" Or another favorite: Andy Gibb has always been dead to them. (I had a HUGE crush on him!)

There are 75 things on the list, so if you'd like to feel hopelessly out-of-touch with today's generation (even if yesterday you thought 30 wasn't old), click on the link at the bottom here.

The real reason I included it is because my old-lady ass asked when "Google" became a verb earlier today. (Tangent/Sidebar: As a grammarian and a PR person, I hate when words -- especially trademarks -- become verbs. Worst word ever? "Rollerblading." Some would make the argument that having your trademarked word become a verb increases your brand recognition. But it also erodes your trademark.)

Anyhow, #19 on this list:

19. "Google" has always been a verb.

So, apparently I am distressed that Google (or "blog", for that matter) is a verb because I'm old and out of touch. Not that I don't use them, so I guess I should just shut up and quit blogging about it.

Come be an old geezer with me. The whole list is right here.

The T-mobile rant

As you know, I am sometimes prone to go off on rants about companies that do things that piss me off. It's not as much about venting (which is nice) as it is about my secret hope that some jackass in the corporate marketing (or maybe legal?) department is in charge of Googling (when did that become a verb?) the company to see what people on the 'Net are saying about their company. Oh, and it comes up on Google for everyone else. So, it's part venting, part customer-service feedback and part warning other consumers.

So, really, I do it because I love.

Now, on to today's rant.

I always pay my cell phone bill online with my Visa check card. I hate writing checks. But I also hate automatic payments because too many things can go wrong when you give someone access to your bank account whenever they want it.

Because even though they say they'll only take money out on a certain day, that never, ever happens. Automatic payments are the root of evil. If I want someone to have money, I will give it to them when it's time for them to have it.

Remember my overdraft on my bank account yesterday?

I have located the culprit. And I'll bet you've already guessed who it is. You see, a few months ago T-mobile assumed that because I always paid at the same time every month straight from my bank account that I was interested in signing up for easy-pay payments. So they just signed me up for it.

At first it was convenient. But I have that sinking-pit feeling about automatic bill payment. Especially after the whole Bally's thing. So, I decided to cancel it. Right now with the way my money is coming in it makes sense to decide whom to pay when it's most convenient for me, and not for them. I'm sure that's not the best thing for my credit, but I haven't shirked anything too big and I'm working on keeping my credit somewhat decent. I'll never be one of those people with an astronomical score anyhow. I'll always be average. So no biggie.

And besides, you can't shirk your T-mobile bill for too long, because those bitches shut your phone off if you're about a week late anyhow. Not that I try to be delinquent. Sometimes I just forget. And yes, I know I should be more organized with my bills, but I just never seem to get around to it.

So anyhow, I went in this week to cancel my automatic bill payment. It wouldn't go into effect until next month, but that was OK because my bill wasn't due until the 24th, which conveniently happened to be my payday. So, crisis averted.

Well, in everyone's world except mine.

Because that's why there was a hold on my account yesterday. That's why I'm overdrawn today. And yes, I realize that it's only the 23rd, and the bill isn't due until the 24th.

Were you as shocked as I was? Because I was pretty pissed about it. So I decided to call T-mobile to bitch.

And guess what I found out?

Two things, actually. The first is that T-mobile takes automatic payments out three days before your due date. Perhaps if I'd signed up for it instead of having it thrust upon me, I would've seen that in some fine print. But that's shady. If you're going to take my money out on the 21st, then change my due date to the 21st.

Oh, and the second thing. The nice lady who answered the phone today (I wouldn't even try to spell her name, but it was pretty.) took it all in stride, even when I described the situation as "Fan-fucking-tastic." I don't think her friends are very funny, because she laughed like that was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. But back to the second thing. Are you ready?

They never cancelled my auto-pay when I went online to do it the other day.

So, nice-girl-whose-name-I-can't-pronounce cancelled it and took my Visa check card out of the system. So, no more auto-pays for me. It was too confusing. If you tell someone their due date is a certain day, that should be their due date. So from now on, I'm going to be in charge of when they get paid. It really bothers me that they would just assume I wanted automatic bill pay and keep taking my money. I'm sure there was some loophole I didn't notice that allowed them to do it. It bothers me that they take the money before they are supposed to receive it. I refuse to believe that a company as big as T-mobile is hurting for funds so much that they need my money three days early.

I just wish companies had better customer service policies in general. The gal I talked to was very nice. Overall, I have enjoyed T-mobile and I've been a customer since way before they were even T-mobile. But I don't understand why they don't just change the due date if they intend to take the money early. That's a really shitty policy. And because it's their policy, I'm the one who's going to have to pay all the fees to dig my account out of all the overdrafts. And I look like the person who's flighty and bounces checks.

All that pisses me off. If I had a business, I would never let that happen to my customers.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Agghhh, Tuesday!

Today is one of my busy days. I got up at 6:30 to be downtown by 8 for work. Then it's straight to my other job. That should be interesting, because I'm sure they want me to stand up and I am having some sort of back pain. It's gotten better after a round of eating Aleve like candy, but it still hurts very much to walk and/or stand. But I am so poor right now that I can't afford to call in sick even for a 3 1/2 hour shift. Have I mentioned yet today how frustrating my life is right now?

It's looking like my checking account is a tad bit overdrawn, which is bad. Thank goodness that my roommate lent me $20 so that I could get my car out of the parking garage. I'm not sure why there is a $0 available balance on my checking account, but I will investigate tomorrow. I know I deposited my paycheck a little later than usual this week, so I'm guessing I will just be very broke until everything gets deposited on Thursday. I think it's just holds against my account not actual payments, so perhaps I won't get overdraft fees. I wonder if there is some sort of automatic payment that went out that I don't know about. Part of the problem was my insurance being taken out on a different day than usual, but I'm going to email them again and tell them I'm switching back mailing my check in until I get everything in order. I'm trying to be responsible and keep my bills paid on time, but right now that requires a lot of manuevering.

So, that brings me to a topic that I'm sure will be discussed if I manage to find time this week. I am not sure what I'm going to do about next weekend (again!). I am supposed to be responsible for getting Kay to Amy's house, and I'm supposed to go meet up with Jenn in Chicago, but at this point it's looking like I might just have to take a loss on the tickets rather than spend the gas money to go up there. I hate to even think about it, but I'm not sure what else to do. When all of this was planned I didn't realize that gas would be more than $3/gallon. I also thought that I'd have a job. Basically, I don't want to disappoint people, including me. But at the same time, I need to act like a grown-up. There is the issue of Kay being stranded, which isn't a good thing either.

The whole thing's disaster. I'm not sure what's supposed to happen. Even though I wouldn't get paid next week if I got a new job, if I knew steady income were on its way, I could justify the trip. I just don't want to let down my blog friends I'm supposed to meet. I don't want Kay to have to hitch-hike.

Just venting. Must leave now. Time to go out for Round 2.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Dammit! I forgot the title!

The next two days are busy days. I've got two more days at the temp job that I've loved, but I don't have e-mail access there, so when I'm online at home, it'll be time for job-hunting and catching up on e-mail. I have been able to blog there -- a little bit -- but I don't want to push it. They've been so good to me. You'd be surprised how many companies with very strict Internet usage policies allow people to access blogs. I was surprised I could get on it there, since the system was so restrictive, but I know from my sitemeter that lots of companies you'd suspect wouldn't allow it have folks visiting here all the time.

Which reminds me, one of my bloggity-blog-blog friends has a bit of a 'Net stalker. So I may be updating the blogroll if she lets me. She may not, as her stalker has stopped here before. I tried to give her a little counseling about not letting the blog stalkers win by shutting down her site and starting a new one, but I guess this person has wreaked a lot of havoc on her life. I'm not telling you the specifics; I don't want to give anyone any ideas.

I have been on a fried-green tomatoes kick lately, and I think I've developed a recipe that could win at even the most competitive county fair. Not that I'm going to try, but they are delish. Now, if I could only get the guy at my produce store to understand that he should keep a few green tomatoes around for my cravings...They'll ripen up soon enough if I never come to get them.

I had a song of the day, but I forgot it. Things at the part-time job were not terrible today, but I need to find something a little more dependable soon enough or I just might have a nervous breakdown. I had a lot of great leads, and I am still networking, so soon enough I am sure something will materialize. If I could get a second part-time job, I'd be able to do both through the holidays and stay afloat. I like my part-time job and it really is in my field; they just can't pay me what I'm worth. At all.

I'd love to be less vague about it, but I don't know that they want me to blog about it. I'm still working that out.

Sometime this week I'd like to get a little time to work on my book. I did a few chapters in long-hand the week that I was at the shitty temp job without a computer. And I haven't written any at my current place because I figured with their computers that they have a key-tracker and frankly it's got some porn elements to it... I didn't mean for it to be dirty, but I keep getting inspired. I think I am manifesting my pent-up energy or something.

I'm working on the pent-up energy. Unfortunately for y'all, I think I'm going to be vague about that for now too... and I'm just not positive that some things are supposed to be blogged about, you know?

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Oh, the Jon Benet Ramsey thing...

I have been following this Jon Benet Ramsey thing (now that the Perry March trial's over), and I don't think this suspect did it.

Yeah, he's creepy. Yeah, he's probably a child molester. But I don't think he killed that little girl.

First of all, his ex-wife (who really has no reason to protect him from what I've seen) says he was at home in Alabama the day Jon Benet died in Colorado.

He moved to California and tried to contact Polly Klaas' father. We KNOW he didn't kill Polly. So, is it a shocker he moved to Georgia and tried to make contact with the Ramseys?

I've seen people study something and become so engrossed in it that it becomes their reality. They tell you stories that would convince you that they were there. But eventually they trip themselves up by missing some little obvious detail. Why do they do it? Maybe they're a little crazy. Wouldn't you have to be? Maybe they want attention? Maybe they're pathological liars and don't even realize they do it? Most likely a combination of all three.

So, I don't think this guy is guilty of killing Jon Benet, even though he is a bad guy and needs to be locked up somewhere. But, of course, first we have to go through another media circus while he's living the life of riley on our dime.

They should've let him try his chances in Thailand's legal system...

An odd day

I've been exhausted from all the working I've been doing lately. I went to bed at 10:30 p.m. last night (after taking a mid-afternoon nap) and stayed asleep until 10 a.m. I got ready for church and headed over to St. Ann's.

I really needed to get back to church. I'm glad I went. The homily was a big monologue on how people don't act properly in church, which needed to be said but didn't really change anything. People still almost plowed Father over to be the first out the door. Luckily the choir was very good about singing songs that reminded me that God hears me, He is in charge, and I'm going to be fine.

God had an interesting sense of humor today. I can't really tell the whole story in mixed company, but I think he gave me some signs that I needed today. And I was issued a challenge, and everyone knows I like a good challenge. That'll help. (The challenge came from a friend, not God, but I'm not positive they are not co-conspirators!)

I ended up heading to the Second Fiddle after church to catch up with my little singing man. I've been so busy working that I haven't seen him in ages. As always, we had lots of fun. Then I came home, ate lunch, took a nap, hang out with my roommates and went to Kroger.

I live a riveting life, I tell ya.

Anyhow, life is still insane. I need to get some stability in my life. I am working on it.

Song of the day: "Want To" by Sugarland.

Yes, it disturbs me that I like this song so much. A few people know why it's today's song. It's actually quite good. I like to pretend Jennifer Nettles doesn't sing it.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Lou-lou-ville Part Deux

So I headed to Louisville last night after work. I left an hour early with the intentions of getting to Louisville in time for the free Craig Morgan concert on 4th Street.

Well, you know what they say about the best-laid plans...

I went to leave my normal parking garage and reached in my purse to grab $5 out of my wallet to pay the nice man who helps me everyday.

But yesterday was different. Mostly because my wallet was missing.

I've never actually accidentally stiffed the parking garage attendant before, so I wasn't sure what to do at that point. Luckily, he said he knew me and I parked there everyday and to just to pay double tomorrow.

So at that point I'm out of the garage, but my wallet is missing and I have nowhere to park to go looking for it Downtown. I called my roommate, called the office and retraced my steps. No sign of my wallet anywhere.

I decided to head home to find it, hoping that it was at my house and then I could be on my way. I battled traffic and was on the exit to my house when I decided to look in the console of my car (which I NEVER use for anything).

And there it was. I spun around on the exit, called Toma and headed North to Louisville.

I arrived toward the tail-end of the Craig Morgan concert, but I got to hear a couple of good songs and fantasize a little about running my hands through his curls. Then we headed back to the hotel. It was pretty crowded, but I enjoyed what little of the show I saw.

Toma was staying at the Galt House in Downtown Louisville. It brands itself as the "only luxury hotel on the banks of the Ohio River in Louisville." And that it is.

I had seen the Galt House many times on my adventures in Louisville. It's a very beautiful place. I'd always imagined that perhaps The Pretty Princess met his secret girlfriend there for a rendezvous or two. But then I remembered that she's so secret he doesn't even know about her.

Regardless, it's a hotel fit for a princess, Pretty or not. If I ever found myself in Louisville for some reason, I'd probably stay there if I wanted to splurge. The room was big and beautiful, the staff was nice, and I'm not sure you can really put a price on the view.

I just needed to get away, even if it was only for an evening. I very much appreciated the opportunity to be completely out-of-pocket for a night. I just caught up with Toma and enjoyed some pizza and drinks. We just hung out, and I didn't really worry about anything for a night. It was nice to watch Law & Order (at the "right" time) and veg.

But then morning came (much too early, I might add!), and it was time to get back to reality. My journey back to Nashville was long and tedious. A little-known fact about me: I get car-sick when I drive sometimes. My doctor says other people have this happen to them too. Unfortunately, most motion-sickness medicine makes you drowsy, so it's not good for driving. Anyhow, what a pain to deal with. And then 65 was closed in both directions in Nowheresville, Ky., so I went on a little detour. I finally made it to work 30 minutes late, only to find out downtown Nashville has no parking at 8:30. Oops. But I finally made it, and here I am.

Interesting side note while I have your attention: CMT has replaced the "CMT Loves Fanatics" billboard on Commerce with a new one that advertises their "Sure Thing Friday Night" line-up. It's got Jeff Foxworthy, the Dukes, something else...

How's about a sure thing on CMT would be if they actually placed some country music? That is still what the C and the M stand for, right?

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Lou-lou-ville

I love Louisville. I used to be there about once a month, and I had lots of happy times there.

I miss it.

I also miss Miss Toma. Sooooo, I am thinking that maybe -- just maybe -- I might head up to Lou-lou-ville and see her tomorrow night.

Maybe.

Gas costs money. I am working way too hard and need sleep. And my house is a mess. And it got late on me again.

But it's cheaper than going to California to see her. (Although like I get to do that anytime soon, anyway...)

We'll see. I'll keep you posted.

Monday, August 14, 2006

A little break in the action...

So, I have some great job leads. We'll see what pans out. Hopefully I'll find something very soon. Yay, jobs!

In the meantime, I am still working my ass off just to make ends meet. Wow, it can be stressful.

My former employer got some great national media exposure. Unfortunately, they never updated their web site so they're not even reaching their full potential. Of course, it's probably still my fault that people don't give them money. I'm not going to dog them, but it just couldn't work out there. One of my friends explained finding a great job like finding the perfect pair of pants. Sometimes it's just not a good fit. It wasn't really anyone's fault; I just should've never gone there. Oh well, too late now. At least for the first time in my life I am doing what I want to do, even if it might kill me.

I had a teeny, tiny fender-bender tonight. The cop was pissed the other girl called him out there to file a report because there was less than $400 damage to both cars, which means she didn't have to file a report. But it was my fault and she wants my insurance to pay. She was a bitch, really. We were driving by the golf course and the carts cross the road. A cart crossed in front of a row of cars and I didn't get entirely stopped. I didn't get a ticket or anything, which was cool. Just an inconvenience, mostly.

Internal pep talk of the day: You must not go to Atlanta.

Other than that, it's time for bed. More to follow.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Jury duty and the best breakfast

I am an odd bird. I have always wanted to get called for jury duty. It's my civic duty. I was pre-law in college; I believe the system works and I would love to be a part of it.

So, my mom calls me today. I've been called not only for jury duty, but to sit on the grand jury. That's even more fun!

Unfortunately, I am 443 miles away from the court. So I can get out of it if I want to.

Everyone else would be super-excited to have a very easy reason to avoid jury duty. Not me. I'm pissed that I have to miss it. There's just no way I can swing it because they don't give me a date to report, so I don't know if I can adjust my travel/work schedule to accommodate it.

Today I had to work at 7 a.m. I hate mornings. I am not particularly pleasant before about 8:55, for those keeping score at home. Coffee helps, though.

When you go to work at 7 a.m., you get to go to lunch at 10 a.m. So really it's breakfast.

There's a Wild Oats next door to work, so I went over there to see what I could wrangle up. (I mistakenly thought that it'd be cheaper than a restaurant. Ha ha.)

I changed my mind 20 million times, but it was made up when I found my absolute favorite breakfast food ever: a chocolate croissant.

When I was in France, I didn't speak any French. I was on my own during the days a lot and responsible for finding my own meals. I quickly learned "pain au chocolate" or "chocolate bread." So I found a bakery in every small town and ordered my chocolate croissant. I quickly fell in love with them, although they aren't particularly easy to find here in The States.

Will I be buying them at Wild Oats? Well, they cost $2.49 each, which is a bit steep. And aside from being remarkably fresh, it wasn't one of the better ones I had. Really, I got a better one at the bakery at a BP station once.

But it's nice to know where to find one when I want one.

And seriously if someone ever wanted to impress me, they could just show up with a chocolate croissant and a cup of coffee, and I'd be happy forever.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

What pisses me off...

Well, I have a long list, but this is just what I'm thinking of right now. I hate when you get a note about a job -- for which you are highly qualified, btw -- that says they do not believe that you are qualified and they won't be hiring you. Best of luck, blah, blah... AND THEN -- this is the good part, folks -- they repost the fucking job.

That's special. That's them saying:

We think you suck so much that we'd rather start over with our hiring process than even talk to you.

Classy.

Talent, folks. I have talent.

I am going to bed now. Just a quick update for y'all before I do.

The interview Monday went well. She told me I'd know next week. The temp job people really love me. So, I'm not completely defective.

I had another great interview today. He really seemed to like me. It'd be a great opportunity. BUT if I stay with the job long-term, I would most likely have to leave Nashville in two years to stay with the company. So, that's something to consider. And really we don't know what's going to happen in two years. I also have to call tomorrow to schedule another interview with the same company but in a different location. It's kind of funny.

At least this week I don't feel defective. That's a plus.

I have a few other things in the hopper. I am getting hours at my other part-time job too, but I hate leaving my house at 7:30 and getting home at 10:30 every night. It is starting to get old.

But at least I will be able to pay my bills and my rent.

Saturday, August 05, 2006

A little update...

There are lots of things running through my mind, but honestly by the time I get 15 seconds to write and sit down, I can't remember what they are. I am working like crazy lately, and I'm not sure how that's going to work out for me.

I guess what I'm really trying to let you all know is that if I don't post here, don't worry about me. I'm still alive. I'm just working way too many hours trying to make ends meet. I'm still looking for a job, but it's still not going well. I'm really starting to wonder if I'm in the right career, but I can't honestly think of anything else I'm even remotely qualified to do. I'm totally pigeon-holed professionally, and to be honest I've made some career choices that just didn't really fit. So I'm a little behind where I need to be on my professional skills, which sucks. I can't get a good, steady temp job because I'm completely overqualified and my shitty temp agency refuses to send me on interviews for positions for which I'm qualified. The real problem is that I don't want to do anything else. I write. I love PR. It's what I do. I don't know how to do anything else, and even if I did I wouldn't want to.

So what's next?

I'm supposed to have two interviews next week. The first one would be something different, but it'd be fun. And it's a lot of money and that'd help right now. I could also quit my part-time job, which might not be a bad thing because I think we're going to have a showdown regarding my schedule tomorrow. I can't just do that right now. If they don't get it, then I'm sure I can find another retail job somewhere to help make ends meet. I kind of backed into this job anyhow. I'd said I was going to go to a clothing store so that if I ever had enough money to buy clothing, I could utilize the employee discount. But when this was offered, I didn't want to turn anything down.

Anyhow, I'd like to believe that I'm going to be getting a job soon, but mostly I wonder why I'm so defective that people talk with me on the phone or interview me and I never hear from them again. Especially the guy that I finally heard back from today (when I asked him why I hadn't heard back from him) who told me I was definitely getting a second interview and then he tells me today that he found other people who were more qualified.

I don't know what the problem is. I don't know what to do about it. I'm just not sure what to do next in life. Working 70 hours a week is going to kill me, and it's the only way I can make ends meet. It's not like I can go home; there aren't any jobs there.

I can't think of anything else I'm good at it. I can't think of any other career I'd like to have. Yet apparently other people do not think I am as good at my job as I do.

I don't know what's next in life. I'm scared. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. And I know I'm supposed to be positive, but I just don't feel positive today. I'm sure it's not a long-term thing. I'm just having a shitty day. Or maybe it's a shitty week. Or the way I'm feeling lately, it's probably going to be shitty for quite a while.

I'm just going to stop whining now. You don't want to hear it anyhow. And since all I do lately is work, sit in my car, sleep and occasionally whine, maybe for now I shouldn't be blogging so much.

And also because according to most of Greater Nashville I'm not a writer anyhow.

Friday, August 04, 2006

I lied!

I worked 14 hours today and 13 hours yesterday. I'm trying to make this all work somehow.

I'm going to bed now and getting up in 6 hours to tidy the house in case my mother would like to come see it. We were supposed to go to The Opry because mom's cousin was going to be there tomorrow night, but I guess she's gone and cancelled. It's funny because I call her mom's cousin and people think it's some up-and-coming artist. No, my mom's cousin is Connie Smith. She was looking forward to it, although they haven't talked since Connie left to go to Nashville and because famous. I'm sure she will be disappointed, but we'll still have fun tomorrow. I just want them all to see that I'm doing OK.

I want this job on Monday. I can't wait for the interview. They are going to love me. Hopefully I'll have more good news soon. My temp job now is OK, but I can see that things are going to be hard maneuvering with my part-time job. We'll see how it all works out. I have my fingers crossed because I'm not making enough to give up either. I love my part-time job.

I have another interview next week. I'm still mulling it over. It's hard to maneuver around my temp schedule, so I'll have to work on that...

Thursday, August 03, 2006

World's worst blogger is back!

I have a migraine. I need to be up in less than 6 hours and I haven't gone to bed yet. I do have updates. I suck.

I promise Thursday evening I will write something.

But at some point I have to clean my room because my mama is coming on Saturday!!!!