Saturday, January 29, 2005

Customer Service

OK I promise to rave about this once. I hate calling any company whether it be utility, credit cards and my personal favorite medical insurance. I hate the automated phone menus that are confusing, take forever and usually do not give you the specific choice you need. And I definitely hate the new voice menus where you have to say your choice instead of pressing. It makes me feel like an idiot especially in public on a cell. Then you explain the problem to whoever you get, they transfer you because it is not their "department" and then you have to tell your story all over again.

This evening Steven and I had some difficulty with Alltel/Cingular(whoever they are now). We were on the phone with them for an hour and a half. We have a joint cell phone account and are past due by one month. We sort forgot because they did not send me a bill. Anyway we got one of those nasty letters saying they were going to shut the phones off and it would be $25 for each phone reconnection. Not to mention the past due amount they had us owe was really high. So Steven called and was polite for about 45 minutes and then was a bit agitated. They had charged us double for our second line and also charged us for text messaging and emode which I cancelled in Nov. Those charges were removed and we were happy. We were given a one week extension to pay and that was fabulous. Mind you it took us three departments to get that settled. Then we were transferred to billing and it was all downhill from there.

Billing argued that we owed the past due plus the next payment due now. The extension was fine but that did not guarantee our phones would not be shut off. So of course Steve argued this because the nice man we had just talked to said something different. Arguing became yelling and Steven was pulling at his hair. We moved on to the Resolutions dept and things got worse. Leanne was very rude. Suprisingly rude, not only for customer service for for a professional in general. She yelled, threatened to hang up and went into two minute silent pauses with us going "hello, hello?". We were agitated but polite and not yelling. We just wanted our questions answered. No more "that's just our policy" with no explanation. We asked to speak to someone else. We were told it would be up to 30 minuted before someone was available. That added to our irritation. Steve asked her to stop yelling and she told him to turn down his phone. Anyway we waited literally 30 minutes on hold, timed by our phone I might add, until I spoke with the final representative.

By this time Steve was on the floor pulling at his hair. The man was polite and so was I. He told me that they had no control over phones getting shut off. It was run solely on a computer system that they could not access. When the computer noticed a red flag it shut off phones. And it is different for everyone with no basis. Sometimes they are shut off after 15 days past due and on up to 90 days. He told me that the extension doesn't mean anything because they cannot prevent the phones from being shut off. Is that not insane? Why offer an extension in the first place? Then he also told what the nice and apparently stupid man told me about payment. The past due was due now BUT the current bill was due on 2/20/05. Leanne and the man before her were wrong.

PLEASE OH PLEASE STOP THE INSANITY! I am a reasonable women. I know those people probably don't love their jobs. But to explain our situation to 6 different people, be on hold for a half hour, being told different amounts for what we actually owed, not to mention the particularly unpleasant Leanne, the double charges and the services that I cancelled two months ago...and let's not forget the magical computer that no one has access to...CAN YOU BLAME PEOPLE FOR FREAKING OUT? How about the fact that there is no basis for when the computer will shut off someone's phone? Anywhere from 15-90 days? What?

These are the reasons why perfectly good, normal people take guns to schoolyards. I think of the movie Falling Down with Michael Douglas. I can completely relate. They waste our time and take hours off our life with the circles they take us in. Sometimes it feels like a conspiracy to keep us focused on ridiculous nonsense so we won't really see what is going on in the world. I blame George Bush and all his frat boy friends.

I will admit that I once screamed at my medical insurance company. I told them they were murderers and that they would burn in hell for their sins. I was really pissed because they did not cover a medication I needed. I have definitely made improvements.

Thursday, January 27, 2005

Dirty GREs

So I have to take the dirty GREs to apply to grad school. EEEEWWW. Besides the fact that I have not done math above adding since I was twenty, the thought of a standardized test makes me want to vomit. I am sure it will all be fine but I might puke anyway.

Gotti Part Two

Ok so I was looking up Gotti stuff on the web and no Gotti son is going to Harvard. Apparently Victoria got a little ahead of herself when she made that comment. I apologize.

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Gotti

So I must admit that I watch at least 50% of the reality shows out there. Maybe not every single episode but enough that I could hold a conversation on just about any show. Even though they are usually incredibly stupid and probably coached I just can't help it. Anyway Growing Up Gotti is one of my favorite shows eventhough it is a bit ridiculous. Here is this incredibly rich woman with a mafia father and most likely a mafia ex whose is in prison and denying that she knows of any illegal activities. OK. So here are these 3 sons with everything imaginable, the oldest calls her to ask if he could buy a chinchilla fur coat for $1900 and she says she is sure it is a scam but do what you want. Of course it is fake and so she sends her assisstant to return it and he loses the receipt. She is angry with him understandably but states that her son has no fault in it at all. Then proceeds to buy all 3 of her sons $5000ish fur coats. The whole thing is just goofy. She seems to want to protray being very motherly and laying down the law for her kids but for gods sake. I mean who cares really? I just am completely amazed sometimes that there are people out there with no boundaries and a have a bottomless pit of money. And many of them are younger than me. Of course her older son is going to attend Harvard. Now not to be judgemental but does this kid really have the grades and test scores? I really doubt it. Plus you know he walks around saying "Where are all my ballers? and Drop it like it's hot!" That just irritates me. But I will continue to watch the show and ounish myself on a weekly basis. Thank you for your support.


Some of this bitterness may come from the fact that my freaking SUV needs $1000 of work before it will pass inspection. Prostitution may not be the worst idea.

Thursday, January 20, 2005

Razzle Dazzle

I have discovered a renewed passion for Razzles while see Meet The Fockers at the quaint movie theater in Meadville. Razzles...not just a candy but also a gum!

Monday, January 17, 2005

Plaque and Employment and Islands

Plaque: I went to the dentist today. I have four cavities. Three littles and one biggie. He did the biggie today which was almost my entire tooth. I have not had a cavity in 9 years. I blame it on pregnancy. I could noy brush my teeth properly for 5 months because I puked like a frat boy. S I would like to thank the divine plan for pregancy for rotting my teeth along with ruining my girlish firgure.

Employment: I have two interviews tomorrow. Both are jobs that I do not really want. But we need some more income since we are paying for half of our wedding. One interviewer is requiring that I bring an official copy of my college transcript(no photo copies), a copy of my original diploma, car insurance, car registration, act 33 and 34 clearances, SS card and "any other" certificates of achievement that might be relevant. This is a freakin TSS job. Complete waste of the state's money and 80% waste for my client. Not to mention shitty pay. Before I run around trying to come up with all this nonsense shouldn't I know whether or not they are hiring me or whether or not I even want the job? I can not take all the crap sometimes.

Islands: I choose to live on my own island.

Thursday, January 13, 2005

Mr. Gynecology

So today I went to my new ob/gyn for the first time. I would like to mention that Meadville Ob/GYN has been voted one of the best in the nation...so all the commercials and funny fallic looking awards claim. My grievances:
1) It was so damn hot I was sweating my ass off.
2) I had to wait over a half hour to be seen.
3) My doctor was a small foreign male. I generally prefer females but there is only one ob/gyn in a 45 minute radius so I have no choice for convenience sake. I do not like incredibly tiny people because I am not incredibly tiny. Foreign is no problem as long as I can completely understand what they are saying . In this case I could.
4) I spoke with the doctor before undressing. He asked me to get undressed and he would be in in a minute. It is customary to knock before entering especially when you know a person may be nude. I was ,shall we say, partially nude.
5) He shouted "You must cover up!" and threw a sheet over me.
6) When checked my breathing with his cold stethoscope he made me pull my gown out from under my ass so he did not have to listen through my paper thin gown. I know this is not necessary.
7) When he did my breast exam he jiggled them about. I have been visiting the ob/gyn since I was 16. This is over ten years of experience and I remember no jiggling.
8)THIS IS THE BIG ONE. I needed to have a routine pap smear. For those whose are not familiar, the doc puts a cold speculum into your vagina and uses the speculum to spread your vaginal walls wider so he can use an extremely large cu-tip to swab your cervix. Normally an extremely uncomfortable slightly painful proceadure for myself. However it never takes more than 30 seconds. This doc to way over 5 minutes and had to use four different speculums. While he was doing this he mumbled unpleasant things about my uterus. The nurse kept asking if she could help and at one point he said(loudly and sharply) "I need more light!). I did receive a small apology from both of them.

Now I do not think this doc was a perv because it just didn't seem so. One because the nurse was staring at him the whole time and two because I watch a shitload of Lifetime movies and know what signs to look for. But I have to say this is my third worst experience at the ob/gyn. The first being going to Planned Parenthood at 16 using the bathroom after the exam and seeing several speculums on the back of the toilet. The second being my unltrasound when I was twenty weeks pregnant...I had to drink sooo much water and they made me wait forever.

It should be noted that the doc was very knowledgable and this should not in any way dissuade someone from going to the Meadville ob/gyn.

Monday, January 10, 2005

You Must Have a Theme

OK so all the wedding stuff I have been reading says that you simply must have a theme whether it be daisies on everything or Medeviel costumes. This is just rough. I am not very themey, I guess, but of course I don't want a cookie cutter affair. Yuck I wish I was rich so I could hire all kinds of fab wedding peeps with fab wedding items in fab wedding colors with fab wedding sparklies...yeah.

Saturday, January 08, 2005

Big Hair Bad Makeup

I was checking my email and my usual "keep me company station" changed to a hair band show. I remember loving Skid Row, Warrant and the like when I was 11 or 12 and thinking their songs especially the ballads were so heartfelt. What a little freak I was. Their lyrics are so icky and bad but of course I still secretly love few. Sometimes I think about digging out tapered black Jordashe jeans with a black Tshirt and big gold hoops. I was really hot.

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

Social Work

Since I can no longer handle being a stay at home mother I have sent 21 fabulous resumes so I can again rejoin the lovely world of social work. I have worked in the field for four years prior to having ava. It was quite sucky. Of course I thought that I would save children and better the world. What a load of crap! No money, constantly understaffed and generally dealing with the darker side of humans...and not to mention I was paid dick and had to have a second job. Actually I did not completely hate social work. I still would like to be in a helping profession. I especially would like to be a relief worker that helps displaced persons and the like. That way I could travel, help people and see real life in other countries not just Sandals resorts. Of course I am now limited to a point because of my one year old. Would it scar her for life if I went to another country for a month, would it scar my relationship with her father and would I miss them too much? And of course in my freak out mind...would I weirdly be killed or get a nasty disease? Then I would not fulfill my responsibility to my family. So meanwhile I will apply to graduate school to get an MSW. Something I wanted to do anyway but relationships, depression and a kid got in the way. I have to get into the adult world again. All this time to ponder is making me batty.

Saturday, January 01, 2005

The Insanity Has Begun

So of course people are beginning to find out about my engagement and the questions are flooding in. I remember this part form last time. then I was excited and wanted to discuss wedding plans with anyone who would listen. Now I am just annoyed. I have no clue, this time we have no money and I have a bit of PTSD I am dealing with. Not to mention after I called off the wedding last time I realized how much of a racket the whole wedding industry is. It is dog eat dog. They will sell you anything and tell you you need everything. And you will stress about it until you become ill. Making the whole process crazy until you are just desperate for it to be over.