Uh, Colonel?

I'm not talking about hairballs.

My gmail account got hacked. And this happens just a few weeks after Google initiates their new privacy policy. Pbbbbt! Gee whiz Google, you're really impressing me here.

Anyway, spammy crap got sent to the few folks on my contact list. Shame on me for keeping a list on gmail. I have deleted all entries from my online list and I'll be sending out apologies, from my Frontier account, to all involved.

Well I've been offline for what I'm guessing is "forever" in terms of internet time. No excuses. I think being offline just got easier for me every day. The idea of getting further and further behind on everything eventually got overwhelming.

Honestly? I'm feeling like I'm back at Day One of internet socializing. I'm so far behind right now that I have no hope of catching up. So maybe I'm safe to just jump back into the thick of it all?

Curious thing here on LJ. I have a message in my inbox but I'm "not authorized to view this comment." Really? But it's in my inbox! Why am I not be allowed to see it?  The message is from 4 weeks ago. All I can think is that maybe it's from someone who was once a mutual friend but no longer is? Or maybe a spammer that got deleted? Oh well, I'm not going to worry about it.

You've all heard me making fun of or complaining about living in "Green Acres" now, right?  Well I have another complaint. Out here we have one option for decent internet service and that is Frontier Communications. They provide my landline phone and DSL. Now, back in 2008 when we were moving here, we had to get the phone in order to get the DSL. Since then the company decided to offer DSL-only but only to new customers.  Well that's not my beef, sorry.  My beef is that the other day we got a letter from them informing us that they have issue with our phone usage. See, we got their unlimited local and long-distance calling package. But apparently Frontier has their own definition for "unlimited" minutes. Allow me to quote some of the letter here...
I don't know what pisses me off more: them putting a limit on the unlimited minutes or them lying about my phone usage.  Do they think I'm stupid?  Maybe they do since they bolded those first two parts I'm guessing they figure I can't multiply.  And they also must think that I can't add. But I can. And I know how to go out to my account on the web and get the itemized calls list and add up the minutes.  Guess what?  None of the past three months exceeded 3,500 minutes. Okay, the last month was close at 3422 but the two before that were 1888 and 1400. Guess what Frontier? I can divide too! The average of the past three months is 2237.

So yesterday I was hollering and cussing and throwing things. Seriously, that entire second paragraph is absolutely and completely absurd!  Hubby and son did their best to get me to calm down.

So I spent today digging up the old bills and all of the notes about our phone calls to them regarding billing discrepancies and internet downtime. This company is so totally messed up. None of our bills are the same amount. The first 12 months we called them every other month and they would tweak the bill. Then Frontier lucked out when I got sick last winter. As it is now, the bill has gotten to be $20 more than we signed up for. But even that isn't consistent. A few months ago the bill was $35 less than the previous month and then it went back up the next.

Not to worry. I've been given strict instructions from Hubby that I won't be calling the company. He will.  I will be as far away as possible and out of earshot. I've typed up a list of my "bitching points" that he will use at his own discretion.

Hubby is the absolute best thing ever to happen to me. The only reason we bother keeping Frontier's crappy less-than-3-Mbps-which-we-pay-for-and-more-like-1-Mbps-if-yer-lucky DSL because our son plays online games.  The things parents do for their kids, eh? Does this mean I'm spoiling my son? I hope not. I'm against spoiling kids. I'm a firm believer that they should suffer just like we did. I'm kidding. I completely turn to mush at "cause you love me, Mom."

If it was just me, I'd be signing up with the satellite company for their mega-laggy internet.  I'm okay with lag. Gives me time to think. Really. I stink at one-on-one conversations.

I never liked cooking on an electric stove. And I hate cooking on an electric, glass-top stove.

The house we've moved into came with this stove. It's fancy and pretty and the burners do some sort of heat regulating/radiating thing; they repeatedly glow red then go dark, red, dark, red.

My food still burns even on the lowest setting. I hate electric stoves.

I figured it's all my fault since I've been cooking with gas for over 20 years. LOL! I've always loved saying “cooking with gas” metaphorically but it's even more fun literally!

So I decided to hunt the web and see what I need to do in order to cook well with electric. It only got worse.
( Read more... )

Electric stoves SUCK!!!

And that was just more video announcements.   So when was my last real update? 

Today I think I stirred up the hot coals at the Gateworld S/J shipper family thread.  If I pissed you off, I'm sorry.  Truly I am. I have no intention of angering folks.  Confrontations are bad for my blood pressure anyway.   So here I am backing down. 

About the blood pressure, it's up and so is my med dose.  As is the depression (or would that be down?) from the PMDD so that med dose is up too.  My cholesterol is up.  My weight is up.  I'm really not doing good with this middle-aged stuff.  My advice?  Don't get old.  Stay young. 

My cat is nuts.  He likes one type of toy and insists on shoving it under or behind or in something then immediately forgets where.  I end up crawling around with a flashlight while he sits there watching me with anticipation of getting his favorite toy back. (who's the nut?) I'd buy him a hundred of the damn things but I can't find them anywhere.  We're down to two almost-fuzzyless fuzzy balls and I can't find either one right now.  The brat sits there staring at me wanting me to go find them.  STOP IT! 

Makes a body shiver, don’t it? The buzz is on. Just heard it today. The catch? Get new jobs in-house and the WFR won’t come around our division. Huh?!?! Am I going completely insane? I have enough work for two, no three of me and now they’re telling me we need more work or some of us is gonna get the axe. Did I not just say something about the bosses being out of touch with the real world? God, please swing that axe my way! Please? Because I don’t have enough sense to tender my own resignation.

I’m in a catch-22. I need two more years at my job so I can keep my son in the same school with the kids he’s grown to love his whole life. I don’t want to uproot him. I had it done to me; I became a fracking hermit. I did it to my daughter; she keeps a safe distance with all things emotional right now. I don’t want to be responsible for ruining another young heart. So I put up with the poop-ola I get every day at work. Because I only have to put up with it for two more years. (Gina, go ahead and yell at me to practice what I preach, I love you hon, I can take it.) Responsibilities and Sacrifices. A very fine line. And if that axe does swing my way, I’ll find a solution because I have to.