So Weeum and I went to Las Vegas on Sunday, marking our fourth trip together to Sin City. We had two free vouchers from Southwest to use before the end of August, and our hotel at New York-New York was about $60/night.

We had a great time visiting old haunts like the Lions Den at MGM Grand and M&M World, as well as trying new things such as Emeril's at MGM Grand, and going to see The Price is Right Stage Show at Bally's. However, I definitely had an unexpected surprise on Wednesday, our final night.

Wednesday night Weeum and I went to see Tom Jones, and while it was surprising to see a near 70 year old man grab his crotch on stage, that was not what was surprising. After the Tom Jones show we took a cab to the Bellagio to see the fountain show...

And that is where he proposed. :)

No date yet - we're still working out details of where we want to have it. I still want to go to Vegas, but part of me starts to feel bad that not everyone who will want to come to the wedding will be able to and thinks maybe we should have a small gathering with a JP. We'll see - I am so indecisive! But that's my big news. And with that I'm going to attempt to get back to the Eastern time zone.

My response from LL Bean:

-----Original Message-----
From: customerservice@llbean.com [mailto:customerservice@llbean.com]
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2009 11:12 PM
To: kamoore@gmail.com
Subject: RE: eCARE Web Form: My Account [T200902240055S010Z6815892]

Dear Ms. Moore,


We appreciate your email to L.L.Bean concerning the recent identity mix up.

I am truly sorry for all of the stress and frustration that this has caused you.

I have researched your account information and you are no longer in our system.

I can only imagine what you have been through. I understand your concerns.

If in the future you receive a telephone call from a stranger stating that they have a package of yours sent to them by mistake, wether it be from L.L.Bean or any other Company or individual, for your own safety please, please, please do not go and retrieve it simply because this stranger insists on it.

If you did not order something, from L.L.Bean anyway, we can handle this for you without you putting yourself in danger.

I have sent another request to our Customer File Maintenance department to remove your email address as well.

If we can be of further assistance, please call L.L.Bean Customer Service at 1-800-341-4341. We are available 24 hours.

Again, I am truly sorry for this.

Sincerely,
Christopher L
CSR2 Team 9A
L.L.Bean Customer Service
1-800-341-4341


My reply?


Christopher,

While I am not normally in the practice of going to the residence of someone I do not know, the fact that this person had my phone number and who knows what other information made me really not want to piss them off. Had the first representative from LL Bean, a woman I might add, informed that there were alternate ways of handling this situation, I can assure that I would have sought a different resolution. However, not only did they not inform me what options were available to me given that it was from a sender I did not recognize, they also were unable to tell me how my information was obtained, and further what information that person had access to. My concern was someone showing up at my current doorstep for a confrontation. Given how well LL Bean safeguards my information I am not inclined to believe that my current address was not already provided to them in some capacity, or wasn't simply a phone call away. The fact remains that in every instance save for tonight your representatives did not in any way truly assist me and passed along conflicting and negligent information. I appreciate you deleting my information from your records. Rest assured that while I previously championed LL Bean's service and return policies to friends, I will begin a vigilant campaign to warn future customers of how their private information can potentially be compromised based on inept hiring and training.


Regards,
Kelly

I do not think that I posted about this in the past, but around the holidays I received a phone call from a gentleman who identified himself as being the current occupant of Weeum's old house. He told me that I had a package that was delivered to this address by LL Bean and that I had to pick it up. Given that it was around the holidays I thought it could be a possibility and told him I would be there around 5:30 to pick it up. Really the only person who had that address was my mother, and I called her after work to find out if she had sent anything. She said that she had not sent anything, and I became concerned. I called LL Bean's customer service and was told that this was a phone order sent to me. They did provide me the name of the person who placed the order, and I told them I didn't know who that was. The customer service representative told me that I should call back the person that it was sent to in an effort to see if they would mail it back or leave it for pickup. And they made me feel as if someone was responsible for sending this back. The representative was unable to tell me whether or not I had been charged for this item, and even further could not tell me what other personal information was on the packing slip. I called back the current owner of the residence and explained who had sent the package, and asked if they knew them. He was slightly rude and annoyed, told me that he didn't know that person. When I asked if he would be able to leave the item for pickup or mail it back he told me, "I've already called you for your package and that is the most I'm willing to do. Just pick it up." So at night I went by myself to the residence of a man I did not know to pick up a package that I knew wasn't mine. I was exceptionally uncomfortable about this, and the only reason why I went was that I was concerned that he already had my phone number, and I wasn't sure what other information he had or could obtain from LL Bean if he called them. So I called back LL Bean, got another representative, and insisted that they were picking up the order at my current address as I wasn't about to be further inconvenienced by attempting to return an item I never misdirected. In addition, the customer service representative reviewed my account information and listed the addresses they had on file for me -- my parent's house, Weeum's old house, and an address in Raymond, NH I had never lived at. They assured me that evening that they would no longer associate that address with my account information. And I was happy about the way it was resolved.

Until tonight that is when I received an email confirmation of an order that was to ship to that address in Raymond, NH. I was pissed, and concerned that my card had been charged. I was assured my card had not been, and further assured that they had removed that address with my account information.

I have just written a scathing letter to LL Bean. I will never shop there again. I cannot in any way confirm the safety with which my information is being maintained.


To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to you to express my extreme frustration and disappointment in my most recent experiences with LL Bean.

A couple of months ago I received a phone call from someone who now lives at my old address ____________. They called to inform me that I had a package that needed to be picked up. I had not ordered anything, but it was around the holidays and I thought perhaps that it was possible something had been sent from my mother, even though it was a long shot. On my way to my old address I called my mother who insisted she did not send anything to me. Concerned I attempted calling LL Bean. The customer service person I spoke with was mostly helpful, but told me that I should call back the person to whom this package was sent to see if they could send back the package or leave it for pickup. The man was unwilling to do so, and insisted upon me picking this item up. Truthfully I was nervous - I was a single female going to a the residence of someone I did not know at night because I was made to feel as if the only option was that someone needed to send back this package. I had absolutely no idea what information was available to this person since they called my cell phone number, a number I do not disclose readily.

I picked up the package and called Customer Service back, only to find out that someone had phoned in an order and somehow someone associated my information with this order. To this day I still do not understand how this occurred. They confirmed my information, listing my first residence of _________; my second address of _________; and a third address I did not recognize: _________. I informed the representative that I had never lived at the last address and asked that it be removed. I was assured that such information would be removed from my profile.

I have received an email this evening in regards to order number _________ confirming a shipment to the address _________. I called customer service, and again I was assured by a representative that such information was no longer associated with my profile.

I am thoroughly appalled at how your customer service department has so callously disregarded my private information. I realize that I am somewhat lucky in the sense that my credit card information was not charged, but previously your representatives made me feel as if I had no choice but to put myself in a dangerous situation to recover a package that at that moment I had no idea whether or not I was charged for. The information contained within that shipping label is still unknown to me, other than it contained my personal cell phone number. Given that my information was somehow associated with another person over the phone, I have no way of confirming that my current information will not be disclosed again, or somehow associated with someone who is not me. I am truly disgusted by this. While I realize that there are limited restrictions placed on businesses with regards to what constitutes private information, I cannot believe that you have treated my information with reckless abandon.

The purpose of this correspondence is to not only inform you of my frustration over this situation, but to ask that all records of my information with respect to mailings from LL Bean and customer account information be inactivated by your service. I have absolutely no faith in your ability to safeguard this information, and I do not trust that my information and potential credit card number will not be associated with this same person's future orders. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

So in short LL Bean can suck it.

OK, I'm curious... if you were going to buy an engagement ring, where should you go if you don't want to break your budget? I'm talking either a national chain or potentially things in the area. Where are the good deals? Are there good deals to be had with these sorts of things?

I cannot believe how fast this year has gone by already. It feels like just the other day I was ringing in New Year's with Weeum and watching a friend of ours bawl his eyes out because his wife was leaving him. How the time flies by. Everything in my life right now (Weeum's layoff aside) have actually been great. My parents and I have a good relationship, my job is amazing and I love it, and I'm really happy. I know I don't update, and I think part of it is due to the fact that for a long while my journal was full of my rants or issues about things bothering me. My life is where I want it to be and it seems strange to go on and on about that at times.

Although I will share a funny story of how my day started out on Friday. My parents got me a really cool container for transporting cereal to work:




So you put the container in the freezer before bed, and in the morning put the milk in the bottom section and cereal in the top. As you can see it comes apart and stores back up as one unit. Very cool! Anyway, I was very focused on making sure that the trash got out in time for the collection that was probably going to happen within 10 minutes of me being ready and dressed for work. So I didn't notice that Weeum had put the bottom part of the container in the freezer for me, and thus I thought I didn't have it for breakfast. I decided instead that I would go to Dunkins and get coffee and breakfast there.

Once at Dunkins I ordered a medium Iced Coffee Regular, and a muffin. One girl gets my coffee, another woman rings me up and gets my muffin. So the girl who makes my coffee puts a SMIDGE of cream in it, to the point where it looks as if it iced tea. That is not a regular. Now in the past when I went to Dunkins regularly I barely spoke up when things were made wrong. I don't know why, I just never could do it. Oh wait, that's not true. I do know why. As a child the few times my grandmother would come to visit, she and my grandfather were FAMOUS for bitching about EVERYTHING when we went to eat. To the point where I don't know how they managed not to live in a perpetual state of wonder as to whether someone had spit in their food based on their rudeness. As a result in situations of food and drink I will never send anything back. Weeum can attest to this I'm sure.

But today I said something. And really I rationalized it by saying that their coffee is overpriced and I should get my money's worth. So I said to the girl, "Can I please have more cream than that?" She takes the coffee back. The woman rings me up, and my change is supposed to be $16.44 because I had paid with a $20. The woman hands me back $16 and goes to get my muffin. So I stand at the counter saying, "No, I didn't want to have the right change today. That would be too easy." By this point I'm annoyed. When she gets back to the counter I say loudly "Do you think I could get ALL of my change back?"

"What?"

"My change. Could I please have all of it? Because the $0.44 you kept in your drawer was not a tip. Your coffee is pricey enough without me throwing it away."

So she rings up the next customer, and when the drawer opens practically throws the $0.44 at me saying, "Yeah, have a great day."

"Thanks. It will improve now that I don't have to deal with your attitude over your own incompetence."

I should also add that I had a Nashua police officer next to me the whole time. I hope I provided some entertainment since he has to deal with the public sector.

I get to work, taste my coffee and realize that the delicate genius didn't put sugar in it. So I go to the kitchen, pour sugar into a cup, and get back to my desk. I open the cover and see coffee grounds. Grr! As if playing the game Operation, I begin to delicately pick out each freaking coffee ground that was floating in what looked like a cesspool of coffee. As I'm picking out the grounds I come to the conclusion that douchebag still didn't put enough cream in it. Back to the kitchen I go and I get a cup of restaurant creamers. When I'm back at my desk, I decide to dump out the cup of creamers so that I can throw the empty ones back in the cup and throw the whole cup away. This was the end result:




Yup, dumped the sugar on my desk. Brilliant! Then I'm trying to scoop it off after moving my keyboard, and all I could think was that it looked like I was doing lines. Thankfully no one came by at that point. Only me!

So yeah, other than that my life is pretty boring.

So I typically don't post anything about the things that I knit, but I'm actually super excited about how this came out.

I decided to knit a diagonal scarf, and I used a really cool yarn that was multi-colored. The end result? Well, see for yourself:





I'm not sure if anyone on my friends list knits, but if this is something you want to knit you can find the pattern here. And I used Nashua Wooly Stripes in Blackened Jade.

So I've subscribed to Jenna Fisher's MySpace updates, and overnight was another post about a pet bowl she's designed and autographed for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles. And although I wouldn't bid on this, it made me wonder who else donated items. I check out their listing and come across this one:



You are bidding on a ceramic pet bowl, hand painted by fine artist Melissa Barrett. “With nothing left to lose, I began to experiment freely,” says Ms. Barrett. “Oils, pencils, pastels, rust, anything I could get my hands on, I put on paper. I felt free to present these strange illusions in my head without constraint and create a style and vision which I can truthfully say is all my own,” concludes Ms. Barrett. Bowl’s base diameter is 8.5 inches. The bowl is for decorative purposes, and washing is not recommended because the paint may bleed or fade. This item comes with a certificate of authenticity. Proceeds from this auction benefit the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA).

She's an artist? A fine artist?? I don't mean to sound like Maddox but I could design something better! I'm sorry, but if I'm bidding on something designed by a fine artist, I don't want it to look like something I'd purchase at an airport giftshop or that my 10-year-old niece wouldn't make in a ceramics class. This is ridiculous!

I realize that at this point someone is totally fucking with me, and yet I get a little bit excited when I have a new email about a rehearsal dinner. I totally admit it - I am secretly giddy inside. Why? Because I get to screw with people, which on a somewhat anonymous level is highly entertaining. There's a certain not-so-secret rush that comes with crafting a really witty reply. And I say not-so-secret because with each reply Weeum has typically been sitting at his desk with tears in his eyes as he's read the replies and I basque in my ingenuity.

And so I bring you Part Deux.

From: philjoykelly@insertemailproviderhere.com
Date: Mon, Dec 15, 2008 at 9:41 PM
Subject: Re: Barbeque sauce
To: Kelly

Kelly,

Hope you all are well.

We really liked the barbeque sauce from your rehearsal dinner. Can you bring a couple bottles up with you? We will pay you back when we see you over the holidays. Have safe travels and God Bless.

Thanks!

Love,

Uncle Phil and Auntie Joy



From: Kelly
Date: Mon, Dec 15, 2008 at 10:27 PM
Subject: Re: Barbeque sauce
To: philjoykelly@insertemailproviderhere.com

I'm doing well, thank you for asking. Yes, that barbecue sauce was good, wasn't it? Although you weren't able to use it this way at the rehearsal dinner, that sauce is actually really great for Kama Sutra! Josh absolutely loves it when I spread it on his balls - I'm sure that's right up your alley, Uncle Phil. Can't wait to see you guys again!

Yes. I'm going to hell.

As the holidays approach I am reminded of one very important fact: I am so grateful I do not live with my parents.

You've probably all heard that New England, particularly Southern NH, was hit by a major ice storm and a State of Emergency was declared. Thousands are still without power since Thursday night/Friday morning. My parents are included in that 191,000 people without power. When I spoke with them on Friday night they were considering a hotel because of the dogs and the fact that the temps are in the low teens overnight.

So I called them today, and as my father picked the phone up I could tell he was already angry. I told him I was calling to see how they were doing and he goes, "Well Jesus, Kelly, it's about time. We've only been without power since Thursday."

"Yes, and the phone works both ways."

"Well you know it would have been nice if you called. Your mother and I could have been dead."

"I spoke with you on Friday and you were considering a hotel. But the phone works both ways, you could have called just as easily."

Ahhh, the holidays. A time when people bitch at those closest to them and take out their general misery on loved ones. So apparently they're going to my uncle's down the road because he has power, and allegedly they're going to call when they're settled. I don't think they will, or if they do it will be my mother calling who will sound disappointed.

God I'm glad I don't live with them.

First let me start off by wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone is able to spend it in a way that makes them happy, whether it is with family or friends, or by yourself.

But for me this year Thanksgiving is a bit different for many reasons. The first is that I am spending it with Weeum's family in Georgia. We had wanted to make the trip to Atlanta last year but it was not in our abilities to do so. The second, and more important reason, that today is different is that it marks my two-year anniversary with Weeum. In honor of that day I have actually made public and unedited entry about my first date. Here is my update about meeting Weeum.

I am so incredibly grateful to have met him. He is exceptionally wonderful, kind, caring, giving, intelligent, comforting, funny and sarcastic. He makes it so easy to love him, and I am so thankful to have him in my life. I truly cannot remember what it was like before we met, and how I managed to get through each day, because I know that I would be incomplete without him.

So this year, perhaps more than any other, I am truly thankful on this Thanksgiving. I have a wonderful boyfriend, fabulous friends, and a great family - both mine and Weeum's. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

So I didn't mention this in my last post, but our TV is broken. Our 52" DLP TV. Weeum has been effectively mourning the loss of our child this week based on his strong connection with the TV. Me? I'm doing all right. The TV broke on Monday, and Weeum called Best Buy because he purchased a 4-year warranty. They couldn't find his information and insisted that he needed the sales receipt to be able to find the warranty info. He looked through every box that we have and couldn't find it. He then posted about it on Twitter. That night someone from a Best Buy community on Twitter saw his post and replied offering assistance! So Weeum emailed him and he was able to find our service number. He also populated the database so that other people in Best Buy could find the info. When Weeum had purchased his TV 3 years ago, it was broken when it came to him. So he went to Best Buy in Manchester and they replaced it with a better TV. However, something went wrong with how they updated his sale and not everything was updated. But now we have a service call on December 3rd, so hopefully we won't be without a TV for Christmas.

We went to my parents Thursday night before my heart issues started and got their 13" HDTV. I think it is an LCD? Anyway, Weeum is slumming it right now attempting to watch this. I feel bad about the size, but at least we have something and it was free! Other people offered up TVs but my concern was lugging them up the stairs to the third floor of the house and then all the way back down when the TV was fixed.

Tonight I'm making hot ham water baked ham for dinner with cinnamon apples and mashed potatoes. YUM! I'm also attempting to come up with a Christmas list. I truly do not want or need anything. The only thing I necessarily need are knitting supplies, but I wouldn't be able to come up with an effective list for people to use so that doesn't do any good. Ugh, how do you pick out Christmas gifts for yourself when there's really nothing you need or want?

I'm still occasionally feeling my heart palpitations, but I feel like they happen less frequently and aren't as noticeable when they occur. It makes me wonder if I've always had them and just not noticed. But I have an appointment with Dr. Fitzpatrick on the 2nd, and I'm looking forward to getting some answers. In the meantime I'm completely cutting out caffeine. Well, except chocolate. I just can't give that up.

OK, time to get dressed and do some knitting.

So the other day in honor of the upcoming episode of America's Next Top Model, Weeum and I had a photoshoot. He would yell out things such as "Give me despair!" "Give me hopeful!"

One of the things he yelled out was "Give me angry black woman!" And while I wasn't willing to be all Angela Bassett throwing a match on a pile of my husbands clothes to demonstrate this, I think that what I came up with was pretty good. So Weeum snapped a picture, and when I saw it on his camera phone I laughed. Never did I think this sort of hilarity would ensue. And so with that intro I give to you Weeum's Sunday morning project:

Allow me to rant for a moment. It's my birthday and I'm entitled. Hell its my journal and I'm entitled.

I will announce right now that I voted for John McCain. It wasn't with a sense of pride that I did this as I was absolutely against the selection of Sarah Palin. My first pick was Romney. I was actually really proud to vote in the Primary because it was the first time that I felt there was a candidate whose views closely matched mine. But sadly his didn't match most of the Republican party and McCain got the nod. I hoped that McCain would have picked Romney as a running mate. If he had I would have proudly voted for him because I would have been casting my vote for Romney. But we got the candidates we got.

I realize that yesterday was a historic election no matter which way you look at this. Do I care that a woman would have been elected VP? Or that a black man in America might be President? Truth be told, no. Because I've always felt that the most compelling story isn't necessarily the first time something happens with respect to an election, but rather when a nation continues forward with an elected leader they feel confident in and feel good having voted for.

I cast my vote somewhat dimly against Obama. For reasons I won't get into here since this isn't the point of my post, Obama scares me. I feel that Obama is hell bent on taking my money away, redistributing it to those who are too poor, too lazy, or too incompetent to better themselves (spare me the lecture on how some don't have the opportunity - I once spewed those liberal ideas until I actually WORKED for what I have). So I get a little bit flustered when people turn to this election and build it into something that is going to shape where America is presently. As if it could redefine what this country is. That this entire election could be built into a racial issue.

I have people on my various social networking sites who have posted comments that echo the statements of Michelle Obama - that for the first time they're proud to be an American.

Really? Really?

You live in the comfort of a country that affords you the opportunity to have the right to speak, a gift that our ancestors thought so valuable that they indoctrinated it into the foundation of this country. You live in the comfort of a country whose very foundation fosters in everyone the belief of independence and personal freedom. You live in the comfort of a country that allows your women to walk with you and not behind you, and who have an equal ability to advance. And presuming you're a bleeding heart feminist, you live in the comfort of a country where you can identify a glass ceiling and work to bust through its barricade. And only now you're proud?

I am disgusted. I am disgusted that people like you live in this country because you cannot recognize the opportunity you've been given and the privileged life you've lead. Shame on you for calling yourself an American. I have never been filled with more sorrow for the state of our country, and it has nothing to do with Barack Obama's race, but rather the ideals held by his followers who actually feel as if they can now diem themselves an American. Being an American doesn't happen overnight. It is not like converting to Judaism. It is the sense of pride you feel when thinking about how your life is now. Forget the recession, the rising price of gas, the entertainment you cut back on as a result of the poor economy. Think about the basics - the ability to have free speech, bear arms, and be an individual. Think about what our forefathers fought for, and what our children continue to fight to instill in other countries. That is what it means to be an American.

So I'm not sure about anyone else, but I truly love when people send emails to the wrong addresses. You find out the most interesting things. A few weeks ago someone by the name of Debbie sent an email to my personal address as follows:

Subject: Rehearsal Dinner Invite
From: Debbie Howe
Sent: Fri 10/17/2008 9:49 AM
To: Kimberly

Hi Kimberly,

I assume you know that Kevin, myself and Jared will be attending your rehearsal dinner, but now it will be official. Could you please let me what the dress code is for the evening?

Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow so I can get all the details. Sounds like you have everything under control.

Welcome to the family. I can vouch for Petersen clan – they are wonderful; you couldn’t do better. Congratulations. Hope you and Josh will be happy together.

Debbie

ps: Loved the invitation!!


Now in most situations I have typically emailed the person to tell them that they have the wrong email address and perhaps they should direct their email to someone else. Do you think that one of those bastards ever sends me an email back for being kind and courteous? Nope. And do you know why? Because people suck. So in light of that revelation I have decided that since the majority of people do not take the time to email me back and thank me for my benevolency, I am going to fuck with them. Case in point, my reply to Debbie:

Subject: Re: Rehearsal Dinner Invite
From: Kelly
Sent: Fri 10/17/2008 10:12 AM
To: Debbie Howe

Hi Debbie,

The dress code for the rehearsal dinner is dashikis. Traditionally purple orblue is worn, so if you're able to find something with those colors that wouldbe great. See you tomorrow!

I know what you're thinking. This story ends here.

No it most certainly does not! When I didn't hear back from Debbie I figured one of two things had happened. My first guess was that someone spoofed email headers in an effort to test valid email addresses to send SPAM to. My second guess was that Debbie realized I was fucking with her. But this was not the case! Just the other day I once again heard from Debbie, and let me tell you that she really isn't all that bright.

Subject: Rehearsal Dinner
From: Debbie Howe
Sent: Thu 10/30/2008 1:34 PM
To: kamoore@insertemailproviderhere.com

Hi Kimberly,

We were just wondering if Josh got Kevin’s message about the Hors D’oeuvres. I think it was one Coconut Chicken, one regular Chicken Strip (if they can since many may not like coconut, especially kids), one crab cake and one Cheese & Fruit. Does that sound OK? We weren’t sure if you needed to order these ahead of time or not.

Only two weeks to go!!! See you then.

Thank you,

Debbie Howe
AP Specialist

And right now you're thinking, "No, you couldn't possibly fuck with her again." Yes. Yes I did.

Subject: Re: Rehearsal Dinner
From: Kelly
Sent: Thu 10/30/2008 3:04 PM
To: Debbie Howe

Hi Debbie,

That sounds like a horrible idea. I'm not sure if you received my last message or not, but I've actually decided to make a few changes to the Rehearsal Dinner. I think it would be really fun to have a traditional pig roast. I have just about everything set up with a few minor details. Do you think that you and Kevin might be able to come the night before to help us dig the pit? I think we have enough shovels, but you may want to bring a couple extra just in case. Let me know so I can plan.


Thanks,
Kimberly

Although it was funny to think there was the slightest possibility that I might convince someone a rehearsal dinner had turned into a pig roast, the idea that I might actually get people to show up a day early with shovels in hand had me absolutely dying. I could barely contain myself. I found myself laughing at my desk for no apparent reason.

But alas the fun ends there folks. Debbie not only responded but admitted she had the wrong address. Although I tell you that her reason for sending it to me in the first place was completely ridiculous.

Subject: Re: Rehearsal Dinner
From: Debbie Howe
Sent: Thu 10/30/2008 3:24 PM
To: kamoore@insertemailproviderhere.com

Ooops, I forgot I had the wrong address in my file. If people wouldn’t use funky fonts I would be able to tell a 1 from an l. Glad someone still has a sense of humor in this world of stress.

Today I received an interesting email from a woman I emailed back in June last year. When I was supposed to move in with Rachel I was looking for furniture to put in the apartment. I didn't want to buy a brand new set of furniture, and this woman Andrea posted about a couch and loveseat that had to be moved that weekend and she was asking $500. I couldn't fit both in the living room, but I truly loved the pieces and wanted to purchase one so I emailed her to ask if she'd entertain the idea of selling them separate since she was desparate to unload them. She never emailed me back. I gave her my cell phone number and ask that she call me to let me know. Nothing. What do I get today in my mailbox?

Subject: Re: Sealy couches 2 years old-Great condition - $500
From: Andrea
Sent: Fri 10/31/2008 2:08 PM
To: kamoore@insertemailproviderhere.com

a while back , you responded to my ad for a sealy couch and love seat and bought it from me, in Hollis NH. You had some interest in some twin beds i had in storage that are brand new 2 years old. They were only slept on at my parents beach house in summers and well taken care of...
we have to get rid of them asap, do to not being able to afford our storage any longer, do you have any interest in them still?
We also have the headboard set with the draws underneath in light oak, and two other twin headboards that are not as modern, they were my grandmothers.
Let me know.
Andrea

Really Andrea? Really? And by the way, I didn't buy her couches because that would have required her to give me the courtesy of an email or phonecall. So I think I was pretty blunt in my reply:

Subject: Re: Sealy couches 2 years old-Great condition - $500
From: Kelly
Sent: Fri 10/31/2008 2:08 PM
To: Andrea

Andrea,

You actually never responded to me about these couches, so I doubt highly that I bought them from you. Good luck finding the person you were actually kind enough to respond to.

What the hell is wrong with people? If not for this lovely economy I might actually think the general population was facing a growing struggle with cocaine or other narcotics addiction. People are insane!

So the other day I was driving to work and I noticed a Smart Car. I had never seen one of these before. I've heard of them, but never seen one. For those who do not know what these look like, allow me to help you out:



And no, I didn't shrink the image in any way. The car truly is that fucking tiny. And what made this car noteworthy wasn't the fact that it was small, but rather that it had the license plate "PEZ." I found it ironic since the car looked to be about the size of a Pez. It reminded me of when I was a kid and I'd stay home from school because I was sick and I watched "The Price is Right." Every once in awhile was a delightful game called "The Money Game." I know, original. Anyway, contestants typically tried to guess the full price of the car. There were a series of cards that had two numbers on them, and contestants would try to guess the price by picking a card that displayed what they thought would be the first two digits in the car's price, and the last two digits in the car's price. You knew you were correct if an image of half a car appeared behind the number. Well this is what the Smart car reminds me of - the half car image behind the cards Bob Barker would pull up to see if contestants had guessed correctly. Don't believe me?



Tell me that doesn't scream Smart car.

OK, I thought it was weird when I saw my neighbor walking riding his dog on a Segway. That pales in comparison to what I've seen today.

I went to get my nails done, and after was going to stop by my parents and visit and cook them dinner. While driving the backroads through Chester to get to their house, I had my window open and I started to hear bagpipes. That was when I came upon it.

There was a man sitting in his driveway playing the bagpipes. This isn't what made this random. What made it random was the fact that there was a SHEEP next to him in the driveway.

WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!

And my parents don't even live that remotely. But I think I have now seen it all.

To me there is nothing worse than being awoken on a weekend by other people that don't live in your household. It is even worse when you are woken up by children. Now I'm not talking about young children that are excited to show you something new or cool and they can't wait any longer for you to be up. I've been woken up that way before and it is actually entertaining. I am talking newborns that are crying. And perhaps part of my anger is due to the two hours I spent yesterday afternoon listening to one or more of them crying at work at any given point in time within that two hours. So being awoken that way? Yeah, it sucks. It is even more annoying that when you finally get past the point that the child has finally stopped screaming and you can commit yourself to going back to bed, your fucking landlord plays music with a driving bass line that makes its way through your fucking floorboards and permeates every part of your brain in such a way that you cannot fucking go back to bed.

Have I mentioned it is Saturday and I'm awake?

Yes, I realize that sleeping past 9 on a Saturday should be considered a luxury. In most cases I'd agree with you there. But I did not sleep very well at all last night, had another night where I couldn't fall asleep, and all I wanted was to sleep past the point that I normally do. And while I historically am up no later than 9 on any given weekend day and one could argue that my body was probably ready to wake up, I am still going to bitch about the manner in which I was awoken.

Goddamn children. Goddamn parents. Goddamn loud music.

I should be a delightful person to encounter today.

First, let me say I'm in a Patty Griffin mood. So presently I'm sitting at home and singing along to Patty Griffin. Here's hoping the landlords don't hear me downstairs. Not that I sing obnoxiously, but one of them listens solely to classical and he may not appreciate my rendition of Patty Griffin as much I do. Speaking of music, next week Weeum and I are going to see Brendan James at the Tupelo. I don't own any of his music. But I've enjoyed so many performers that have come to Tupelo that I fully trust the owner's judgement and will see acts based on the fact that he's booked them. That reminds me that I should download the album.

Work is starting to get to be a little busy for a few reasons. As an Accountant it always seems that you're busier at the end of the month, and surely this is no exception. But in addition a coworker is going to be leaving. Apparently she is picking up and moving to North Carolina. Here's the thing with people just picking up and moving: I'm inclined to believe there really is a reason why people do this. I get that people will say that they want to have a fresh start or that it is something they've always wanted to do. And I believe that to some degree this can happen. But I also believe there is something that happens or exists in your present life that makes it seem as if now is a viable time to do that. And I feel that is the case with her. She is married and has one daughter who looks to be about 3. Anyway, I had heard rumors from my old supervisor that this girl was having an affair with a guy in our department even though she was married and he had a girlfriend. It was confirmed for me today from someone else that they had seen some things. So it is my belief that this is why she is leaving. I believe she is going to try to make things work with her husband, and perhaps she feels she isn't able to do that here. Or it could be other issues entirely - I'm purely speculating at this point.

So this week we've been conducting interviews, and they have gone horribly overall. The first woman had her Masters in Accounting and didn't understand anything Accounting related. I had asked her if she had any experience with accruals, and she didn't even know what these were. Yeah, that's not going to work out. Then I had an interview with Wolverine a Jamaican woman who had REALLY long acrylic nails that I actually thought were going to pop off and stab me in the jugular. But she wouldn't answer specifics, she'd just say she did it all, and she wanted to preach to me. She kept saying things like "In this business it is all about accuracy and timeliness." I felt like saying that I was interviewing her and not the other way around, but I didn't. The best part of this was that after her interview she dropped off letters to me and my boss... and she spelled the name of the company wrong! Oh, and we both got identical letters. We cracked up about that.

Weeum is in Colorado which makes me sad. I had a really hard time sleeping last night. And while I historically don't sleep well when he isn't here, it somehow is worse in this new apartment. Although our neighborhood seems unaffected by the crime taking over the city, I truly don't feel safe in this house by myself. At one point last night I heard some sort of noise, I'm not even sure what it was, and I could not get my heart to stop racing like it was going to beat out of my chest and I was laying there absolutely panicked. I didn't get to sleep until about 1am, and then I woked up about forty minutes later because I heard something else. The rest of the night was a mixture of sleeping and waking up scared to death in a sweat. Sunday cannot come soon enough.

Tomorrow I'm getting my nails done, and then I'm stopping by my parents. They mentioned that my dog, Rusty, hurt his paw jumping off the bed and he seems to be nursing it. Mom isn't sure if he's milking it or still in pain, so I figured I'd go over to see how he was and perk him up a bit. I also promised to cook dinner for Dad. It's funny how much better our relationship is now that I only see them every once in awhile.

Last night I managed to watch most of the new season of Celebrity Rehab except for the last 15 minutes because I was exhausted. I am telling you that those people are nuts! And who else thinks that Gary Bussey has had some really bad plastic surgery? He looks like an escaped mental patient. You must all watch. Speaking of other things I watched last night I thought that The Office was one of the best episodes I've watched in quite some time. Not that any are bad, but this one was particularly good, and I found myself crying from laughter in spots.

Today at work we had a trick or treating event, and it was horrible. It wasn't actually horrible - they decorated it well and lots of people brought their kids. But when I was talking with Jen, who also doesn't have kids and doesn't want kids, we both felt exceptionally uncomfortable because we don't do well around kids. It was nice to find someone to commiserate with because I'm surrounded by baby people. I like kids, I just like them in small batches. And I was surrounded by lots of screaming kids. It was too much. I ducked out of work 15 minutes early because I couldn't take it any longer.

OK, that's all I've got. I'm going to watch the rest of Weeds that I found online.

OK, so I was feeling inspired... and I had a bit of a craving. I wanted a piece of cake. But I didn't want to go to the store, nor did I feel like buying an entire cake or making one since it was about 8pm. So I found this recipe online where you could make a cake in a mug.

So I added all of the ingredients, stirred, and put it in the microwave. With about a minute left it started to rise. When the three minutes were done I took it out and it had deflated like a soufflé. But I thought there might still be potential...

Until I took it out. It looked really congealed and slightly... well, jiggly. Almost like Jell-O. Except this was supposed to be cake. Then I cut in. It looked sort of normal on the inside, or at least more promising. Then I took a bite.

If Jell-O were to make cake it would be like this. Aside from the texture, which is very Jell-O like for a cake, it had no taste. And yet when I tasted the batter left on the spoon it had a taste. I don't know where it went horribly wrong. Oh wait, probably when I decided to microwave this.

Don't try this at home, kids.

On the upside the gloves I started to knit for Dad on Thursday night are just about done. I got a glove done today given what I accomplished between finishing one and starting the other. I'll have to post pictures of them. I also got some cool yarn to make gloves for my Mom, and really I think that is why I've been flying through Dad's gloves at breakneck speed.

OK, off to bed. I'm going to pretend I didn't see the Pats get ridden like rented mules by the Chargers.

I think I've mentioned this before, but I'm not really a morning person. Granted, I've historically gotten up earlier than anyone in my household, but that doesn't mean I handle it well. This morning was no exception.

I decided that I would get up at 6:00 and try to make it in to the office for 8. This allowed me plenty of time to get ready and ease in to the morning. Again, since I'm not a morning person I don't actually need an hour and a half to get ready. I just move tremendously slow because I'm not awake and so I allow myself a buffer in case something should go horribly wrong. Anyway, I showered, dried off and put the towel around me. I then went to wash my hands with my anti-bacterial soap, which I've been trying to be good about using before putting in/taking out my contacts. So I wash my hands, grab the hand towel off the rack and start drying. I feel what I think is a rogue hair that landed on the towel. I look down.

So not a hair.

A fucking spider.

And not just any spider, but this brown, outdoors-y, fat-bodied spider. I throw the towel on the ground as I scream. I then realize I have nothing with which to squish said spider. I don't actually like to squish them under my hands. I'm convinced that I can feel the crunch of their bodies no matter how much toilet paper I wad into a ball to scoop them. So I run downstairs, throw on sneakers, and proceed to stomp all over this towel. And I won't lie - I stomped with force. Did I mention it was 6:20 by this point and our landlords live below us? But honestly I didn't care. Although I would have apologized profusely for waking them up, I would not have felt bad if it kept that little fucker from running across the bathroom floor into obscurity as I struggled with the "Oh fuck, oh fuck" thoughts that would populate my head. So I lifted the towel and the dead spider fell out. Funny, his limp, crushed body on the ground looked like a far more formidable opponent in its fattened and imposing state while clinging to my hand towel. Crisis averted, but let me tell you I woke up quickly.

I was able to get out of work today at 1:00, and that was a nice treat. I got home to find that Weeum was working the afternoon from home. So I played some Rockband 2 on XBox, and did some knitting. Weeum and I saw the worst movie ever, "An American Carol," tonight. I don't recommend this. I'm a Conservative and I hated this movie, although I truly don't think it was aimed at me. I'm still struggling with who the intended viewer was. Ah well.

My mom's birthday is today, and I wished her a happy one this morning. She told me not to get her anything for her birthday, and then under further pressure and durress she said that I could go buy toys for the dogs since she couldn't go to the pet store (it's the one where she fell and broke her elbow). So tomorrow I'm going to make a trip to the store and get stuff.

Speaking of stores, I died and went to knitting heaven the other day. They had so many different yarns, and they helped me figure out a yarn that would work for women's gloves for the cable pattern I used for Weeum's gloves last winter. I can't wait to knit those. But for now I'm focusing on a pair of gloves for dad first. I should finish up with those relatively soon. The only problem with the new knitting store is that they're pricey. So what I might do is experiment with the yarns I have and if I like them see if they're cheaper online.

And while I'm on the subject of things that are pricey, I'd like to thank my mom for my inability to like anything that is cheap. I have these pair of earrings that my parents bought as an Easter gift to me when I was... maybe 10? So they're at least twenty years old at this point. Anyway, earlier that year they had purchased some diamond studs for me. Keep in mind the only earrings I wear are studs. I hate, hate, hate dangly earrings because they stretch out my lobes. So earlier this summer the diamond fell out of my earring. I was devastated for several reasons. First, I was nostalgic for the day that I got my first grown-up girl earrings. I know, cheesy. But also I was pissed because I have a hard time finding earrings I like. So now the only ones I have left are the ones I got at Easter, and I have a feeling those will soon break because the posts that secure the tiny gemstone are so loose. I know I need to retire them, but in order to do that I need to find earrings to replace them. And given that I've tried similar styless that are fairly inexpensive and they don't last very long, I decided to check out Overstock.com and Amazon for their earring selection. This is where I curse my mother. The types of earrings I like are typically $100/pair. Why can't I just like crappy styles of earrings? Oh wait, I know why. Because I've already bought $15-20 earrings from Wal-Mart and they've been crap. I should have just saved my money and now I wouldn't be bitching about wanting these. Oh well, we're soon to be in a recession (although the Wall Street Journal I think already declared that we're in one the other day) and so as a result I truly shouldn't shop for earrings right now. Instead maybe I'll purchase an automated marshmallow turner. The Spinmallow. Really? A Spinmallow, REALLY? Oh come on. Are people this freaking lazy? Wait, I take that back. People really are this lazy apparently.

OK, Weeum is in bed, and since I hate going to bed I'm not subjecting him to that. Especially since he'll be leaving early for the radio show and I won't really get to spend much time snuggling in the morning. So Imma go get my snuggle on. Nighty night!

Do not drink flavored water, or put lemon/orange/lime in your water.

About a year ago Weeum and I got a Sam's Club membership and fell in love with the Fruit2O water. I've never been a big fan of plain water, and I liked the Fruit2O water because it gave it some flavor without appearing heavy, carbonated, or overly sweet.

Fast forward a year later when I'm sitting in the dentist's office for one filling and being told I need two more. My dentist said these are horrible for your teeth, as is lemon and other citrus fruits that restaurants put in your beverages. So let me be a lesson to you. :)

My parents found out that their motor home was going to be totalled by the insurance company. My parents have a motor home for vacationing, which they haven't used in three years for a variety of reasons - unable to get time off, other unexpected bills that took precedence over vacation, and more recently the rising fuel costs. So instead my parents have continued to make payments each month of $400+ for this motor home that sits in the driveway. Oh, and it also needed work done to it so that you could drive it, but it was a huge repair bill. So anyway, my dad went out last month to get something out of the motor home and discovered that a tree branch had fallen on the motor home and ripped a huge gash in the roof. As a result of our rainiest season ever, the motor home sustained significant water damage. It seeped in behind the wall, behind all of the cabinets, etc. There was mold, mildew, the list goes on and on. So he submitted a claim to the insurance company, and given the extent of the damage and all of the things that would need to be replaced (including the roof because it was rubber) they decided to total it. The funny thing about this was that the insurance company were having difficulty finding an accurate value, and my parents were concerned that they would end up owing money to pay it off after the settlement. So ninja that I am, I went onto the NADA website and walked my parents through a series of options and got them a valid retail price. Turns out the insurance company settled for $2400 more than what they owed, so they're psyched. And I'm just glad that they're no longer throwing that money out the window. Because of the economy and gas prices there was no way they were going to be able to unload the thing.

OH! I work with a girl who opens the stall door to the bathroom before she flushes. Is it just me or is this weird? And yesterday she opened the door, flushed the toilet, and came out brushing her teeth. Strange!