Whatever - Target and little mailboxes

I haven't recorded any whatever posts in awhile, so here's one.

I went to Target today to buy some of their darling little $1 mailboxes for Valentine's Day at Master's Kids. I had been to a couple of Targets recently, scooping them up, trying to gather the remainder of the 64 that we need, and at each store I've only been able to score a dozen at the most. Well, today I hit the mother lode at a Target in Pasadena, where I came upon about 100 of the little gems. I made a quick decision to stock up for the next couple of years, grabbed around 75 of them and headed for the checkout. I knew that I looked totally ridiculous with a cartload of little pink, red and white mailboxes, but I didn't care. I knew someone would ask "What are you doing with those?" For a fleeting moment, I thought of telling a funny story, like I wanted to be a mail carrier but I got rejected by the USPS, so I was going to set up all the mailboxes in my living room and deliver pretend mail to them. Then I decided that might not be the best idea. So, when the lady behind me asked, I simply stated the truth, "They're for a preschool," to which she gushed "Oh, that is SOOOO cute!!" I then couldn't resist making it even more exciting for her, and answered back, "Yes, and we're EVEN going to put the kids' NAMES on them!!" She gushed again, and I'm pretty sure I made her day.

When it was my turn, I began methodically placing the mailboxes on the conveyer belt, in neat rows so I could use multiplication to count them, when the checker said, "how MANY of these do you have?" I answered that I wasn't exactly sure, but that I was counting them. He said that wouldn't be necessary because he had to ring them up ONE AT A TIME anyway (seriously?) and then proceeded to ask me if I left any back on the shelf. Pardon me? Not sure why he asked, nevertheless I answered that yes, indeed there were approximately 40-50 left. The next thing I hear is him calling on the intercom for a manager. What? Did I do something wrong? I didn't even tell my USPS story, but I still felt guilty.

The manager then appears, and asks me the same questions - how many did I have, how many were left on the shelf.... blah blah blah....then the checker and manager talked together for a moment in a hushed tone. Every so often they would glance over at me and I felt like a convict. The manager then said (rather reluctantly) "OK, she can buy them."

I was just stunned. I can BUY them? I thought I could buy ANYTHING in the store. I'm sorry, but isn't it ALL for sale? I wasn't aware there was a maximum amount of an item that you could buy. I don't know about you, but I've never brought 3 packages of toilet paper up to the checkout and been asked "How many more packages did you leave on the shelf? We here at Target want to make sure everyone has enough toilet paper." Or, "How many Burt's Bees lip balms are left? It's our deepest desire that everyone has soft lips and your purchase of sixteen tubes is sure a hindrance." (Yes, I am kind of addicted to the stuff, but that's besides the point.) To think, that after all these years as a shopper, I falsely assumed that retailers like Target wanted me to buy as many things as possible. But apparently I have come to realize that I don't quite understand their strategy after all.

So, anyways....after I was cleared (phew!) and the checker rang the mailboxes up one by one (and of course bagged them one by one) I made my way back to my car, completely baffled. I was happy that I had my 3 year supply of mailboxes, but I was left with only one response: whatever.

P.S. If you're thinking of scoring some of these mailboxes, you might want to try a Target other than Glendale, Burbank, and both of the Pasadena locations on Colorado Blvd. :-) Just a tip.

Whatever - the Public Library

Well, it's been awhile since I've had a "whatever" post. Not that my life isn't full of "whatevers"... I just don't always write about them! So, here's one for you.

Yesterday, I stopped at the public library to pick up a book that I had reserved. It was a profound work of literature, of course (well, honestly it was the Pioneer Woman's new book). I realized that Emma had the library card with her so I approached the librarian.

Me: Hello, I would like to check out this book but I don't have my library card with me. Might you be able to look it up for me?

Librarian: Yes, what is the name?

Me: Harasick.

Librarian: (searching her computer) Emma Harasick?

Me: Yes. (the card is in her name)

Librarian: Are YOU Emma Harasick?

Me: Why... no, that's my daughter ... it's kind of our family's library card ...

Librarian: I'm sorry, I can't let you check out the book since you're not Emma Harasick.

Me: YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!! DO YOU THINK SOMEONE ELSE WOULD COME IN, KNOWING THAT EMMA HARASICK HAD THIS BOOK ON HOLD, AND TRY TO COME SNATCH THE BOOK SHE RESERVED SO SHE COULDN'T HAVE IT??? IS THIS A CRIME THAT HAPPENS OFTEN HERE?? HELLO, I AM HER MOTHER. DO YOU NEED TO SEE ID? HOW MANY HARASICKS DO YOU THINK THERE ARE IN THIS AREA? OR IN THE WORLD FOR THAT MATTER?

No, I didn't actually say that. I just thought it.

Me: So, I really can't check out the book because Emma isn't present? (can you detect a slight attitude?) Even though I'm her mother?

Librarian: That is correct. But, the hold on the book is good until the 15th, Emma can come and get it.

Me: That's OK. Don't worry about it (I'm thinking that it's not worth Emma's time).

Librarian: So you don't want the book to stay on hold?

Me: No, you can just put it back in circulation.

Librarian: OK (puts the book on the cart of books to be shelved).

So, I left. And then I got to thinking....how is it that I can't check out the book that is under Emma's name, but I can make decisions about the book that is in Emma's name?? Hmmm. What if Emma came in tomorrow looking for the book and it wasn't on hold? Did she THINK of that? I mean, she went to such great lengths to ensure nobody took Emma's book.

In retrospect, what I should have done is walked back in, gotten the freshly shelved book that I wanted, applied for a new library card in my name (with a different librarian of course), checked out the book, and been on my merry way. But I didn’t think of it.

Whatever.

The mystique of pickles

Remember these?

I just couldn't resist in a post awhile ago, making fun of the title of these.

I was pretty certain these were pickles when I saw them at the store. I was rather amused by the fact that Ralph's just couldn't say the word "pickle," leaving many of us to ponder "sweet whole" what? But, I brought them home and tasted them, and folks, they are indeed pickles!

But I have come to find out, it isn't just Ralph's that tries to keep this product a mystery. No, Albertson's feels the need to conceal that terrible word pickle as well. However, theirs are not merely called "sweet whole."

Check it out! To up the mystique, Albertson's calls theirs "sweet wholes."

But, they can't fool me. I could tell by looking into the glass jar that these were indeed "sweet whole."

Whatever - Costco {again}

OK, so why do all my "whatevers" happen at Costco?

Yesterday, I was checking out with Drew, and I told the checker that I had two separate orders. I buy supplies for the Juniors ministry at Grace, and have to submit the original receipt for reimbursement. So, that means I need to get a separate receipt to turn in. More often than not when I am at Costco I have my (giant) load along with a smaller order that contains cookies, candy, and paper goods for the ministry. And, until this day it had never been a problem.

When I told the checker that I had two separate orders, she replied, "Oh, we no longer allow members to do that. We will only ring one order on the same membership card."

Seriously?

OK, so here's what the pop-off in me would have said: "You're kidding! You really won't ring up two orders? You want me to not buy the second order. You actually want me to put it all back on the shelf and you don't want my money? What if I leave my second order here, go out the door and leave, and then come back in, would that be considered a new order and not a second order?"

Thankfully, the spirit-filled side of me took over and kept that response from leaving my mouth.

Instead, I conversed with the checker in a nice tone of voice about the reason why I needed two receipts. She called over her supervisor who looked at my membership card. I'm thinking, I'm an "executive" member, she's gonna say that it's no problem. But instead, she gave me the same answer. "Sorry, we can only ring one order."

I plead a little more, telling her I do it all the time, telling her there is no one behind me in line to hold up, and can't she just ring up the two items I have in the second order? (Excuse me, but am I mistaken, or is it that I'm trying to give them money.) She just won't budge. Then I have no choice but to say, "I guess I'll just have to do my shopping for my church supplies elsewhere, if you really won't let me buy this second order."

That did it. The manager then reluctantly said, "Well, I can let you do it just this one time." But next time, she said, it would be NO (assuming I get her again at the checkout, or was she going to warn everyone about me and my tactics?).

So I won. Sort of.

Now I have to decide if I want to have this conversation every time I go to Costco, or just stop by Smart and Final instead. Smart and Final is looking good to me.

OH, but wait, there's more!!

I had a couple of coupons I had forgotten to use the last time I went to Costco, so I brought them in with my receipt so I could get an adjustment. When it was my turn in the customer service line, the girl looked at my receipt in a puzzled way and said, "What Costco did you buy this stuff at?" (Nevermind that the top of the receipt clearly said "Costco Burbank"). Then she proceeds to tell me that she cannot do the adjustment because I have to take the coupons to the Costco I purchased the items at (I was at the Santa Clarita one last night). She mumbled something about 'inventory' problems and how she couldn't do it. Puleez! I have returned things to different locations of companies and never had a problem. And essentially that is what you are doing to get an adjustment - you are returning the item and buying it back with the coupon. What a scam!!! Costco is a corporation, for crying out loud. She just didn't want to take a loss on her books, that's all. I've worked retail, and I know that it isn't fun to take a loss when someone returns an item to you that they bought at another branch of your store, but you gotta do it. The customer is entitled to it. I complied, but once I thought about it, I realized that she was giving me a line.

But what can you do when Costco won't give you money you're entitled to, or take your money to buy something they are selling?

You can only say....

Whatever.

***UPDATE 2/19***

So, I went to Costco Santa Clarita again this afternoon to pick up Drew's new glasses and decided to get a few items while I was there. It just so happened that I needed to buy snacks for Juniors at church, so being my feisty self I decided to see what would happen if I tried to do separate orders again. Rich was with me, and I promised him it would be no trouble because he was with me (what is it about a woman alone that is sure prey?). So, a guy is checking, and I say to him, "I have two separate orders." His reply, "Do you have a divider between them?" "Yes." End of story. No "this isn't our policy..." No "Let me get the manager for you...." Nothing. He checked me out with both orders and told me to have a nice day. I was thinking I should probably nark on him for violating policy, but then I figured that probably wasn't in my best interest.

Whatever.

Whatever - Sirus Satellite Radio

Here's a little whatever post about Sirius Satellite Radio...

It all began when we received a year of free Sirius radio with the purchase of my car two years ago. We renewed it the second year, but this year's renewal offer in the mail was $180 for a year, so we decided to ditch it.

So, I called Sirius to cancel my service. The lady asked me why, to which I simply replied that we just didn't want to spend that much money for Satellite radio. She immediately offered me a significantly lower price, but I still declined (it was almost insulting to know they could go lower but they tried to sucker me first.) So, I canceled.

A few weeks later I got a bill in the mail from Sirius. It was for $80. I thought, wow, that's an even better price than we had been offered on the phone, but we had already made up our mind that we really didn't need it. So, I tossed the offer.

A few weeks later, I got a message on my answering machine from Sirius. It was a reminder to "pay my bill." What bill? Then, I remembered the $80 bill I had tossed in the trash earlier. I decided I had better get to the bottom of this - so I called. They explained the $80 charge - it wasn't an offer for renewal - it was a CANCELATION FEE!

You have GOT to be kidding. So you're telling me it's just slightly more to renew than cancel? And who has ever heard of a 'cancelation' fee? We had no contract to fulfill. Ridiculous!

So, I asked to speak to a manager and politely expressed my disdain over said "cancelation charges." I finally persuaded him to waive the fee and he acted like he did me a BIG favor.

So, I thought it was over.

But the funny thing is, guess who is still getting Sirius radio in their car two months after canceling? That's right. I'm still rockin' to the tunes of the 70's and 80's and hearing the the same 4 songs and "uplifting" messages from the Spirit channel (their cheesy Christian station). They said it would be shut off some time in July, but it's still going and here we are late September.

So, today I got an email from Sirius. It was actually very amusing. The email stated that they "miss us" (how tender- they miss ME, not my money), would like us "back" and offered us 5 months for $19.99! Wow, that's a far cry from $180 a year they tried to stick me with in their first offer! But, here's the question now: Why would I pay for a service that I am getting for free?

Oh, don't worry. I do know it's wrong to be getting a service for free that I should be paying for, so I'll give them a couple more weeks, and if they don't turn my service off, I will have to call Sirius yet again, to try and find someone who knows what they are doing. It won't be easy.

Whatever.

Whatever - the dude at Corner Bakery

OK, so I'm at Corner Bakery. I'm actually there right now (they have free wi-fi). Emma is at ESCAPE tonight, and Rich and I like to hang out here while she is in practice.

Rich didn't want anything, but I decided to get a coffee and a cinnamon roll. For those of you who don't know me, I have never yet been able to resist a single cinnamon roll that I have come into contact with. I just love cinnamon rolls, and I'm very unapologetic about it (I also love donuts too. A lot.)

So, I step up to the counter and this dude asks to help me. So, I order my coffee and cinnamon roll - and he says the total is $2.72. I'm thinking, the cinnamon roll says $2.50, so how could a cinnamon roll and a coffee total so little? Something doesn't quite add up. So I ask.

This was one I'd never heard before.

He explained that he was in a hurry ringing me up, so left the coffee off intentionally. Then he voluntarily shared why he was in such a hurry.

He had to use the bathroom.

Um, TMI, OK?

Anyways, so he gives me my coffee cup (it's self serve here), and says to me (I kid you not) "I will get your cinnamon roll after I go to the bathroom. I have to go really bad."

I stand there, half stunned, half amused. I had to chuckle as he briskly headed towards the restroom.

So I stand there for awhile. I'm thinking that it's going to be rather awkward when he comes back. I mean, do you know how hard it would be for a pop-off like me to resist saying something, like "well, how did it turn out for you?"

But when he finally returns, all I'm really thinking is, I hope he washed his hands.

But, then he puts on a fresh pair of gloves, gets my cinnamon roll and sheepishly apologizes for the wait.

It's a good thing I really, really like cinnamon rolls, or I might have lost my appetite.

Whatever.

Whatever - the post office

So, today I had to go to the post office to mail something I sold on eBay. It is definitely not my favorite thing to do!

I got inside to see a line about 18 people deep and ONE window open out of eight. Typical, so I just took a deep breath and settled in for the wait. I could hear the drill of the clerk with each customer - is this perishable? is this hazardous? is this liquid? do you need delivery confirmation? do you need stamps? and on and on it went with every customer in front of me.

So, when I got to the counter, I cut right to the chase. I said, "This is a book. I want to send it plain media mail please."

Of course, you know what the next question will be.

"Is it liquid?" the clerk routinely asked.

"No, it's a book," I simply replied.

"Is it perishable?"

You have got to be kidding me. It's a BOOK! Is he even listening? Is this a person, or a robot?

I try one more time.

"No, it's not perishable. It's actually... a book."

You guessed what's next.

"Is it hazardous?"

Well, I guess you could find someone who might consider Drew's college Geography book hazardous (there was some mention of evolution, after all). But I decided I'd better be conservative.

"No, it's not."

"Do you need delivery confirmation, insurance.....blah blah blah...."

"No, thank you, nothing else."

Then, this one that really made me laugh.

"Do you need any stamps or passports today?"

Passports?

That's not exactly a "tack-on-the-end-of-your-order" item, in my opinion.

I was truly tempted to say, "Oh, yes, I just remembered! I'm going to Bora Bora today and I haven't gotten a passport yet. Yeah, go ahead and throw in a passport with that."

I really, really wanted to be a pop-off, but I didn't.

"No, thanks, I don't need any stamps...or any passports today."

Whatever.

Whatever - new laws

There are two things I traditionally do on New Year's Day. One is falling asleep enjoying watching the Rose Parade on TV, and the other is reading about all the ridiculous sensible new laws that come out each year. Here are a few of my favorites for 2009:

Alternative fuel: Allows drivers who run their vehicles on restaurant kitchen grease to skip most of a $300 fee previously required of anyone who hauled used vegetable oil or other grease away from an eatery.

Do people actually run their cars on KFC trans fats? Ewww.

Carpool lanes: Makes it a crime to forge, counterfeit, or falsify a clean air sticker issued by the DMV to certain low-emmission vehicles, allowing them to be driven in high occupancy carpool lanes.

So, just in case you thought you'd slap one on your Prius, beware. I bet these are the same people who had fake ID's for underage drinking. They're just faking "going green" now.

GPS devices: Allows a global positioning system device to be mounted on the windshield of a motor vehicle only in the 7-inch square in the lower corner farthest from the driver or in the 5-inch square in the lower corner nearest the driver.

Hmmm, let me think about it, do I want my GPS the farthest or closest from me? Maybe they can make cup holder laws too. If they put them far away, you can't reach them. I think this would cut back on accidents.

Human trafficking: Voids any provision of a contract that purports to allow a deduction from a person's wages for the cost of the person imigrating and being transported to the United States.

But, we will give them a driver's license and free medical care if they are illegal.

Meat Safety: Makes it a misdemeanor to buy, sell, or butcher sick and some disabled animals for human consumption.

So, if you own chickens, remember NOT to butcher the limping one. It's illegal.
I can just see the menus....free range chicken, disabled chicken....

And of course, everyone's favorite:

Text Messaging: Writing, sending, or reading a text-based communication while driving will be against the law for all drivers in California.

We needed a law for this?

Don't worry, ladies, applying make up is still perfectly legal. And as far as I know, you can paint your toenails, too.

Whatever.


Scroll down for my other New Year's Day blog...

Whatever: Costco - Again!

Wow, who would believe that I could get two good whatevers on back to back Costco visits.

Today, I needed to go to pick up some "Happy Birthday Jesus" cakes for the Juniors' Christmas party tomorrow. I spyed three big cakes in Red & Green motif that already said "Happy Birthday" and all I had to do was ask the girl to add "Jesus" on them (beats pre-ordering!). It was kind of funny when I picked them up- the guy next to me saw them and exclaimed, "Wow, there must be a big party!" Hee hee. I forgot "Jesus" is a popular hispanic name as well.

So, I decided to get some fresh produce while I was there, as we were down to just three cuties tangerines at home. I wanted to get a bag of pears, but the two boxes on top had a lot of smooshed and spoiled ones. I knew I would need some help getting some from the boxes below. There was a produce guy nearby, and here's how the encounter went:

Me: Excuse me, but these pears are not good - could you remove the top boxes so I can get some from below?

Him: (looks at pears and then at boxes). In a very monotone voice, "No, the boxes are too heavy."

He then walks away.

I kid you not.

Me: Excuse me - I would really like to buy some of your pears (guess I didn't make that clear enough before). Is there a way I can get some?

Him: Comes back, sighs very loudly, then grabs the top box and throws it violently to the floor. (Other customers are stopping and looking). He then grabs the second box, and throws it to the floor as well. He then walks away again, but this time he was sure to give me a look to let me know he was very unpleased with me.

Which leaves me to wonder: Why I am so doggone irritating to people at Costco?

I know! Maybe people are irritated because all those wonderful samples are everywhere and they can't have any. You think?

And while on the subject of samples, I must admit that today I ate a bite of pork tamale and chicken ravioli. But, I assure you I did NOT block the aisle taking my sample.

Whatever.

Whatever - Costco at the holidays

I can think of no greater joy than visiting Costco at this time of year. If you want to get into the holiday spirit, this is the place for you.

First, there's the crowded and full parking lot where you encounter rude, obstinate drivers that have absolutely no idea who has the right of way. I actually saw two people yell at others over parking. At one point while looking for a spot, I had the right of way and 4 people blew through a stop sign to get ahead of me. It's a miracle if you can get in, get a spot, and avoid getting hit. Or yelled at.

Then, there are the sample tables. In full swing for the holidays. Don't you love how people stop in the middle of the aisle, cart fully blocking everyone's way, for a sample of food? Maybe I'm just bah humbug, but I guess I'm just one of the rare Costco shoppers actually on a mission to get my shopping done in a timely fashion. It drives me nuts when I see the sample tables because I know it's going to slow me way down. And it is really bizarre what people will do for a free 1/8th of a taquito. My personal favorite though was the table offering a sample of the jarred 3-bean salad. Mmm, let me pick up a jar of that to serve with my prime rib for Christmas. Everyone will go crazy over it.

Finally, here's a doozy I encountered last week. I was in line waiting to check out, when the middle aged woman in front of me told me to go ahead of her because she was waiting for her friend to come. So, I proceeded to unload my groceries when suddenly I felt a tug on my sleeve. The woman said to me quite curtly (and I kid you not) "My friend is back. I will go first now. Remove your groceries."

Seriously, that really happened.

Whatever.

Whatever - another appliance bites the dust

If you follow my blog, you are well aware that appliances have a vendetta against me. In the past few months, I've lamented about barely five year old refrigerators, washers and dryers keeling over. Well, just when we thought we had the whole appliance thing taken care of, we were dead wrong.

So last night, we returned about 10:00 pm from a few days in the desert. It was a lot of fun hanging out with four other families and letting the kids (and the dads, too) enjoy some fun dirt bike riding. We spent two nights sleeping in the trailer in gusty winds which made us feel like we were in an earthquake simulator all night long. So, on the trek home, I dozed off in the car. When we pulled into the driveway, I was groggy and planned to just kind of stumble into bed without waking myself up too much.

It wasn't going to happen.

As I entered the house through the laundry room, my foot hit the floor and water splashed. I was then very alarmed to see WATER everywhere! Quite a bit of water. Sometimes when we've been gone a few days, the cats have a heydey and spill some water and food on the floor, but this was way too much water for that. I then looked into the kitchen, and there was more water. Then I heard the disturbing sound of trickling water. I began screaming for Rich...and then ran down to the dining room and was relieved to find that the water had not made its way there yet. I checked the wood floors in the hallway - dry. I breathed a sigh of relief that the water was contained somewhat.

Rich immediately identified the problem as the water heater in the laundry room. Yes, sometime while we were gone, that sneaky little water heater decided to spring a leak and begin flooding the house. We came in the nick of time before it got to the carpet and wood floors. Thankfully we have tile in the laundry room and kitchen.

Rich quickly stopped the water and grabbed the shop vac - he sucked up gallon after gallon of water. He then had to move the washer, dryer, and stove to get the water that had seeped into there. Of course, now we had no hot water and had just returned from camping in the dirty desert...thankfully we all got a decent shower out in the trailer!

So, today we got the pleasure of going to Lowe's for a new water heater. It was a very unpleasant deja vu. It was kind of funny though, when the checker asked us if we wanted to buy the extended warranty for 9 years. The water heater we bought had a built in warranty of 12 years. She wasn't too amused when Rich pointed that out to her. I also probably snickered a little which didn't help.

So, the insurance has been called, and a crew is here as I write making tiny holes in places and inserting fans to dry everything out (to avoid mold). Tomorrow someone else is coming to go under the house and dry that area (some water dripped there somehow). The fans will be here for 3 days- what fun! Then the adjuster comes and decides if anything needs to be replaced. Hopefully, just the baseboards will have to be replaced, and not all the cabinetry in the laundry room. I am not in the mood for a laundry room remodel right now. I'm really not. The house is in the middle of being painted, and the porch is in its final weeks of getting finished. I'm quite done.

Well, my friends, after this, victory should be in sight. We will be left with only one more possible culprit - the stove. It came with the house and is 11 years old...I joked with my sister that it will probably catch on fire someday and burn the whole house down!! I guess that is probably really not that funny.

Whatever.

Update on the washer...

(see my post below if this seems confusing...)

Scary! There wasn't a thing wrong with my new dryer - it was the ducting. It was not working properly and is a MAJOR fire hazard. The repairman told me that 90% of house fires are caused by my ducting situation. So, PRAISE THE LORD! I'm sorry that it's something my husband will have to climb under the house and fix this Saturday....but I am so thankful that our house didn't burn down! WOW.

The repairman was very helpful...he told me not to use Costco "he" (high efficiency) laundry detergent - that it's not really "he" and it can break your washer (may have explained my last washer problem - I've been using that brand for years.) . He told me to use All brand instead. So, if you have a front loader, take heed. He also told me the importance of using those little cleaning tablets once a month- you can get them at Sears - otherwise your "he" detergent doesn't get broken down and can cause major problems. This man repairs these machines and seems to know what helps them have less breakdowns. Lastly, he told me to get the longest warranty I can get my hands on - so many things can break and the cheapest thing to fix would be over $200.

He also told me, based on what he repairs, his opinion on the best brands for appliances.

Dishwasher: Whirlpool and some Maytags (because Whirlpool makes Maytag now)
Refrigerator: Frigidare
Stove/Microwave: GE Profile
Washer/Dryer: Whirlpool

Well, they just don't "make 'em like they used to." These new appliances sure can look stylish, but as we all know, looks aren't everything!

The appliance curse continues...

They may look swanky, but looks are deceiving

You might remember a few months ago there was a whatever post about my washing machine. My only four year old washing machine, that is. It was making super loud noises so I had called a repairman. For his fee of $75, he informed me it would be over $900 to fix the pitiful machine. So, I decided to live with the noise. He predicted the washer would die in the very near future and he was absolutely right. Did I have the extended warranty? Of course not.

So, we bought a new set - this time not Sears, but Maytag. They arrived and I started on the piles of accumulated laundry. I couldn't quite figure out the dryer. No matter what setting I tried, the loads were not drying in under 2 hours. On top of that, there is a "sensor" screen that is supposed to tell you how much time remains until the clothes are dry. I was noticing it would either say 8 or 99 minutes. Unbelievable- my new dryer was already on the fritz!! This would only happen to me. I don't know what it is with me and appliances - I am so nice to them and they do not reciprocate!!

So, today I am waiting for the Maytag repairman, who is supposed to be here between 1-5 pm. Anyone want to guess what time he'll show up? I'll update then and let everyone know what the verdict was. I know this is incredibly important to everyone and you'll be checking all afternoon for an update on my blog.

Whatever!

Whatever - this is strange...

I found the following on someone's blog:

"Has anyone noticed how few letters it takes to change the Obama/Biden ticket to spell Osama bin Laden?

I'm not saying it was a conspiracy by Osama bin Laden to get someone into office (because that would be really dumb to have a name so close to his) but I thought it was really uncanny how close it is. Politics aside, this guy really has the name game going against him. Barack Hussein Obama? Not sure about anyone else, but the name "Hussein" just doesn't fill me with emotions of joy and admiration."

I don't know about you, but when I first saw the Obama Biden bumper stickers the first thing I thought was how close those names were to each other. Did Obama even realize it, I wonder? I didn't even think about how his middle name reminds us of Saddam Hussein either. That's icky.

Sorry for the political post- I just thought this was so strange... whatever!

Whatever: Now it's a "Kitty" Upper Respiratory Infection

OK, so it just keeps getting more ridiculous. After getting over his so-called "anxiety attack," Fi-Fi developed a sniffly nose and began sneezing up a storm. When he sneezes it sounds like a person, it is so loud. And you can just hear the snot flying out of his nose. You do not want to be remotely close to this cat when he sneezes.

So, I waited about 3 days, then I started to get concerned so I checked the internet and found out that with his symptoms he could have an infection. So, I took him in to the vet today. Sure enough, he had a 103.5 fever, and was diagnosed with an "upper respiratory infection." Now, I get the pleasure of giving him antihistimine pills and liquid Amoxiccillin twice a day for 10 SOLID DAYS. Ugh. I'm not even going to mention how much this cost.

Incidentally, if you're curious as to how a cat would catch such an infection, let me inform you. Why, my research tells me that the usual cause is germs that they pick up after a visit to the vet's office. Nice.

Or, shall I say, whatever.

Whatever: "Kitty" Anxiety Attack

He looks relaxed, but behind those sultry eyes is a very dysfunctional being.

Fiyero, known as Fi-Fi or Confit, our somewhat large Maine Coon cat, went in to the vet Wednesday afternoon for some routine vaccinations. Later that evening after returning from dinner out, we noticed something was very wrong with him. He was breathing very shallow and quick, his back was experiencing spasms, he was licking his paws profusely, and was extremely irritated. He would lay down in one spot for 30 seconds and then meow and move to a new position, as if he couldn't get comfortable. He wouldn't let anyone come near him and was even hissing. I immediately thought of our dog, Olive, who had a bad reaction to a rabies shot once, and thought that this must be the case. We gave Olive a benadryl hidden in a chunk of cheese and she was good as new, but how do you administer a benadryl to a freaked out cat? I really didn't want to drive a half hour to the after-hours pet hospital at 10:30 pm, so, we just let him be. When I checked him in the middle of the night, he seemed slightly better. In the morning I decided to call the vet and have a look-see.

The vet said it was highly unlikely that he was having a reaction to the vaccines, since these were all boosters of vaccines he had already had with no reaction. After thoroughly checking Fi-Fi out, he concluded that he basically had an anxiety attack from going to the vet. I tried hard not to laugh as he seriously described his condition. An anxiety attack. OK, so I spent $30 to find out that my cat has anxiety. What do you do with that?

Whatever.

Whatever- My Washing Machine

R.I.P. , Front Loader

For awhile now, my washing machine has been making LOUD noise during the spin cycle. I put up with it for awhile, not wanting to incur repair expense. Last week though, a load was still running while we were eating dinner in the kitchen, preventing us from having any conversation, unless we were willing to scream at each other. So Rich asked me to get it fixed.

Today, the Sears Repairman paid us a visit. Why is it that when they say they will come between 1-5 they come at 4:45? Logic dictates that somebody must get the 1:00 visit - I wonder why it is never me.

So, I told the repairman the problem, and he spent a little time on his computer punching in some kind of information. He then gave me a print out of my repair quote...$980! WHAT A JOKE!!! All I could do was laugh, though it really wasn't very funny at all. I mean, c'mon, the washer only cost $750 so I was obviously not going to repair it. So I thanked him for the sad diagnosis and asked him how long he thought my washer would last in the condition it is in. He said, once it starts making that noise, it may make it another 2 weeks or so (incidentally, it's been making that noise for 6 months and working just fine. It's just LOUD.)

After he left, I looked up my paperwork on the purchase of the washer. We bought it in early 2004. Yes, do the math - it is 4 years old. Nice. I had my last washer 16 years and I only replaced it because the dryer went out and decided to get a new and updated "matching set." It never had a single repair and I ditched it! So now, my 4 year old washer needs to be replaced. Beautiful.

Incidentally, the repairman told me that he repairs front loading washers ALL THE TIME. He said they are a piece of junk compared to top loaders. He said he rarely repairs the top loaders. So, my front loader, which I bought because it was easy on my back, and conserves energy, water, and laundry soap is just about history. And one more thing - I had to pay the Sears guy $65 for his kind visit.

Whatever.

Whatever - Hand Washing Help

I kid you not; this sign is displayed on the wall above the sink inside the ladies' restroom at Disneyland:

It's a good thing they put that there. Washing your hands is a really confusing three-step process and it's hard to remember what order to do it in. I really hate it when I wet my hands after drying them. They really should make these signs mandatory in all restrooms to help us out.

Whatever - Store Security

Welcome to my new, reoccuring series entitled "Whatever." Rich encouraged me to share some of my experiences out in the world and call them that. It seems whenever I tell him something dumb that happened, we both look at each other and say "Whatever!" So here is the first entry: Store Security.

You know those nifty theft detection devices they put in stores? You know, the kind that beep annoyingly when you leave the store with an item that is supposedly stolen? Well, it happens to me wherever I go. I've begun to wonder if it's my dental fillings because I never rip anything off. Yesterday, Rich and I went to Best Buy. As we were leaving with our purchase, the device went off - BEEP BEEP BEEP. Here's the routine: I stop in my tracks and look around. You would think some security person should materialize and check your bag. Nope. I stand there. No one comes. Not even one checker turns their head around to look at me. So I leave. Whatever.

During Christmas time, Emma and I went to the Burbank mall. Everytime I entered or exited a store with my purchases, you guessed it, BEEP BEEP BEEP. EVERY store. No one came. Once in awhile a salesperson from across the store would wave to me as to not worry about it. Whatever.

So, I ask, what are these devices for? If the salespeople don't pay any attention when they go off, what is the point in having them? My guess is that they are more annoying than effective and salespeople have just written them off.

Speaking of high security, what about Costco? You get stopped at the door with your cart where they are supposedly checking that nothing in your cart was stolen. You hand over the receipt to a bored looking attendant. I love the 2 second obligatory glance at the cart and then the highlighter streak on your receipt. Real thorough. Sometimes I play a little game with them. If I have two receipts (which I often do as I buy supplies for Childrens' ministry at church), I put one away. I see if they are able to detect that I have no receipt for selected items. Have they ever noticed? Of course not. I walk away, chuckling to myself about their high tech methods. I know, it doesn't take much to amuse me.

Whatever.