Dear So and So

the thig that was so frustrating about that 10 day interval was that the street behind us, school street had electricity and so did route 2 and the auto action on the other side. For some reason we were lost in balck hole because the power grid map didn't show our local transformer as being off line. I'm sll for campingout and roughing it in controlled conditions but that was the pits. How bad was it? The first thingmy husband told the realtor we absolutely had to have in our house in Houston was a fireplace!

even in mid winter, the most I wear is socks and a light sweatshirt.

la how times have changed.

sounds like your son is doing well. Good news that. Nice to think that Philips was a good influence on him.

Dear self-
What in the world were you thinking? Putting your phone on top of a counter in a small bathroom? Next to ... yup.... the toilet. Now you have an expensive paperweight. And a lot of missing phone numbers. And stuff like that. And it was handy that the DH had a spare phone but it's just not the same....

Sandy was really a SuperStrom!
I didn't get hit much by Sandy until yesterday morning. I 'm supposed to have program up and running by Tues night to distrubute money to 500K Folks in NYC who lost their food, with more to come, as the inital batch is folks who already on TANF(Welfare) and Food Stamps. And we're supposed to start HEAP(Heating assitance) soon - Hopefully I can get my bent out one day this weekend, as this looks to be the last good one this year (Maybe I shoud rent a bike in Memphis next time I'm down there Xmas)

I heard it might snow on Wednesday.
Of course. The day I take my exam.

We had snow on Tuesday. But not much, not really enough to affect the roads at all. Hope that's all you get. Good luck on your exam. I know you'll do fine.

to whom it may concern; NJ needs more electricians!

A friend of mine in NJ STILL has a live wire laying in her driveway!!!!

The good news: we only have to issue 350,000 checks by Tuesday!
The bad news: More checks to come, and yours truly gets to write the program, which needs to be ready by Tuesday. Had it ready to go yest afternoon, but we had a last minute change of specs- which means work instead of riding this weekend (no good place to store bike) Maybe i'll walk over.
Mimi- I imagine the situation in NJ is bad, too. We're working on Food Stamps - the idea being is that initial batch will be for people to feed themselves, and my program will distribute money to replace stoves. fridges, etc. hey -i'm working and the money should pay for my rental car next time i'm in Memphis(unless I get lucky and land a job there!)

Silly Girl thinking you should take the green machine to the Dr so you could throw the purse in the basket. All well and fine until the return trip with the fire department blowing out/checking hydrants and you without fenders. Now to go change socks and pants...

Dear self-centered coworker:

I know that my conversation with K. about work-related computer stuff was not important to you and that your conversation about your out-of-town guests was important to you. But that does not give you the right to interrupt my conversation and force me out of K's office. K, I'm not real happy with you either...considering that you never stand up to this self-centered coworker.

Luv,
Angry

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sky King

Silly Girl thinking you should take the green machine to the Dr so you could throw the purse in the basket. All well and fine until the return trip with the fire department blowing out/checking hydrants and you without fenders. Now to go change socks and pants...

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Sky King, that's funny. Hope you're now warm and dry. :)

Dear Family

Just because the holidays are coming, there is no reason to open the gates and let the crazy flood out.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by malkin

Dear Family

Just because the holidays are coming, there is no reason to open the gates and let the crazy flood out.

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Dear Malkin:

Sadly, this lack of inhibition seems to affect all families this time of year. Please do what you need to to take care of yourself (and I'll keep reminding myself to do the same!).

Good luck:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by azfiddle

Dear self-
What in the world were you thinking? Putting your phone on top of a counter in a small bathroom? Next to ... yup.... the toilet. Now you have an expensive paperweight. And a lot of missing phone numbers. And stuff like that. And it was handy that the DH had a spare phone but it's just not the same....

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Did you try the rice trick? You can save electronics that got wet by doing the following:
Put it in an open bag of (uncooked) white rice for several days. I have save $100 electronic key fobs, ipods, and digital cameras. I know of people that have saved cell phones, too.

I've saved an iPod that went through the washing machine this way. I left it in the bag of rice for 2 weeks - probably overkill but it worked. It's not been quite the same since then but it works.

Dear waitress,

I feel very strongly about workers in service industries and tipped employees in particular. I'm determined to singlehandedly :p bust the stereotype about women dining alone that you so obviously held. I understand that a table for one is almost as much work as a table for two. And frankly, I was doing some stereotyping myself about the tipping habits of the women at the next table (granted that stereotype was based as much on their conversation about the price of juice at three different grocery stores, as it was on their age and hairstyles :rolleyes:).

So I hope you were slightly pleasantly surprised that your rudeness didn't make me stiff you. But the next time I walk around the corner to "your" restaurant - alone or with others - I'm going to expect better service.

Dear owner of the red car that was parked in front of my driveway Saturday morning,

I hope you read the note I left on your windshield. To reiterate: what were you thinking? and you are damn lucky I didn't have you towed. But I was planning on going on bike Saturday, weather permitting, so I didn't need to get my car out of the driveway. Also, I figured you didn't need to have to pay the $200 or so it would cost to get your car back; if you are the person I think, you don't have it to spare. And it's not like the car would have been towed before I needed to leave at 8 am anyway.

(The new bike rack at the cathedral Saturday morning was pretty full, and I'm glad that I kept pestering people to get one. We consecrated a new bishop, and parking is tight there. 6 of the 900ish people came by bike, and that's something!)

Dear Daughter, I am so proud of you.
Good job on calling security to remove the PIA woman complaining loudly about having to pay $15 for her Oxycodone while you are on the phone taking a Cancer Doctor's credit card number to pay for the $500 worth of Chemo drugs for the little kid that was sitting there puking while his mom has tears running down her face because she has no way to pay for the drugs. You handled it way better than I would have. Sending positive thoughts to the universe that the little kid recovers and thank god their are compassionate people in this world.

Dear neck,
Stop hurting.

Dear body,
Stop working on your laptop from the rocking chair.
love, your neck.

Dear Itty Bitty Kitty, we'll miss you bunches. Be good for your new humans, but you'll always have a home with us if it doesn't work out.

Dear body - stop falling apart, m'kay? I really don't want more surgery.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snapdragen

Dear body - stop falling apart, m'kay? I really don't want more surgery.

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I hope you are feeling better soon Snap - with no new surgery!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by indysteel

Dear Itty Bitty Kitty, we'll miss you bunches. Be good for your new humans, but you'll always have a home with us if it doesn't work out.

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I hope this works out for Itty Bitty Kitty Indysteel, but it is great that she has a fall-back if it doesn't work out. It is so hard sometimes to know the best choices for our furry babies!

Malkin - I hear you! My neck tends to make similar unreasonable demands...

Heading out to my family for Christmas, and there is a fair number of mountains between here and there. They are forecasting 6 inches of snow here on the day I need to return...hopefully they are wrong.

Dear family - looking forward greatly to seeing you, let's have a stress-free Christmas, ok? This will be the first time in decades (literally) that I've been home for the holiday. I don't want it to be my last...

Wishing all here a very happy holiday!

Snap - sure hoping you can be comfortable without more surgery.

Catrin - safe travels and well-behaved family. :)

May as well say Merry Christmas now, since Hanukkah and Solstice are already past. Hope everyone had/will have a happy winter holiday, whatever you celebrate!

Dear DS,
We actually had a good visit... I am very proud of you. And, I actually saw some glimpses of the irreverent kid I used to know. When I really think about it, you've been in a controlled environment for almost nine years. So, welcome back to the civilian world. I am not worried about you.
Just don't ask me for any help with that calculus or Chinese.

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Originally Posted by Crankin

...
Just don't ask me for any help with that calculus or Chinese...

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The subjects are different here, but I certainly know that feeling!

Here's a very rare picture of both of my kids and their spouses.
Together.

Looks like a good time!

Great picture, Crankin.

Not-dear ETS,
You charged my credit card twice (that extra $50 is a lot of money for a grad student, you know!), and you tell me that "Sorry, we can't refund it." You lot are a bunch of a________s.
Hopefully this is the last time I ever have to deal with you.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Owlie

Great picture, Crankin.

Not-dear ETS,
You charged my credit card twice (that extra $50 is a lot of money for a grad student, you know!), and you tell me that "Sorry, we can't refund it." You lot are a bunch of a________s.
Hopefully this is the last time I ever have to deal with you.

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Owlie, I'm not sure what ETS is, but I'd take the issue to your credit card company and dispute the charge that way.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by indysteel

Owlie, I'm not sure what ETS is, but I'd take the issue to your credit card company and dispute the charge that way.

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ETS is the lovely (hah) company that brought to you the SAT, the GRE, etc.

Dear Bike - I miss you! We should hang out more. If it's not so windy today, wanna go do something?

I hear you Tangentgirl!

Dear eyeglass chain who will remain unnamed,

I've been bringing in these frames for almost a solid year. I look at them and they warp. I turn my back, and one of the lens will fall out. Every 2-3 weeks they need adjusting, or tightening, or the lenses pop out or... It has been very frustrating for both of us.

Today I went into one of your other locations when, once again, the frames decided to go out of true again for no apparent reason - and they were just adjusted 6 days ago. I am very careful with my glasses, I don't sleep in them, or sit on them, or drive over them. I take them on and off with both hands, and it has been frustrating. They weren't cheap either. Anyway, your OTHER location had a bright idea after hearing my tale of woe as she worked to adjust them. She is ordering me new frames since they are still under warranty. She wonders if there was a problem with them from the very beginning before I even got them, and why didn't you think of that and offer to replace them to see if the problem is ME or the actual frames? I certainly didn't think of that. She also explained to me why I've had such problems actually SEEING with this particular type of progressive lens and that you should have told me what it would be like to move from digital lenses back to traditional progressives (apparently for a lot of people this move doesn't work well).

Before I walked out of the door I scheduled my annual exam with them, and, hopefully, the new replacement frames will workout better so that I don't have to pay for new frames a year early as my insurance won't cover frames until 2014. I am sure you will breathe a sigh of relief that I won't return to your store.

Dear Personality-challenged guy at the not-so-LBS,

Let's just say, for the sake of argument, that anyone who has ever helped me with a bike is a complete and utter idiot, and wouldn't know a seat tube from a derailleur. Let's assume that you are God's gift to the cycling world, and the only person who ever properly fit someone to a bike. Let's also assume that you are correct that if the standover height works, nothing else matters and you can fit anyone to anything. Do you really think, even on the slim-to-none chance that you are correct, that you're doing yourself any favors by going off like that about a bike that's already been bought, and one that I am completely, utterly happy with? Do you really think that's going to endear us to you and the chain you represent, when we plunk down another $2K on dh's bike?

Thought not.

Dear Clueless Woman in Polaris,

Obviously your eye roll and stating to your husband that "They don't have any idea where they're going" when my DH and I on bikes turned into the gravel road to the large, not-yet-built subdivision here was said loudly enough that it was meant more for our benefit than for his. But really, I'd like to educate you:

1. Yes we did know where we were going.
2. We ride there all the time; it's one of the best roads on the entire island.
3. We live here so we actually aren't nearly as clueless as you obviously are.
4. All bike rides don't have to have a destination.
5. Riding for fitness and recreation can be an end in itself.
6. You should get off your lazy azz and try it sometime.

Sheesh! :mad:

I like number 6 on your list, Emily! Lol!

They sound like super azzholes to me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Crankin

They sound like super azzholes to me.

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Yep - and she obviously didn't expect you to respond to her. Not that anything good would have come out of that...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Catrin

Yep - and she obviously didn't expect you to respond to her. Not that anything good would have come out of that...

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Exactly. As I rode away shaking my head I said (under my breath). "Yes we do, B*TCH." Not loud enough for her to hear, but I have to admit, it did bother me for the first half of the ride, for some reason. I realized I shouldn't give a rat's azz what a clueless loser like her thought, so I moved on to more productive thinking for the rest of the ride, while filing the experience away to add to this thread later. :D

Ignorant people who think they know it all just irk the he** out of me, though. Thanks for the support, friends!

Dear Weather Gods,

More snow, seriously? Just stop it.

Thanks,

Ready for summer

(I somehow posted this in the meals thread, unsure how that happened, so am moving it here where it belonged)

It is sad to lose two special women in a week's time. Both are in my church, and indeed I was present when they were formally brought into the Orthodox Church, both were over 70 at the time. These ladies were like my surrogate mom and aunt, and one of them just remarried less than a year ago! One was buried last Friday, the other died that same day and her funeral was yesterday. They will be sorely missed, two classy ladies with a kind word and generous heart for everyone they met and were more alive and vibrant than many half their age. I aspire to be like them should I live so long!