Dear General Motors,
Why does my steering wheel have chrome on it?
Sincerely,
A freshly blistered Texan
Categories
Category: general complaints
things that kinda stink
The cable guys arrived late to their 5-6 pm install, which was unfortunate, as I had wanted to touch base with one of the husband’s friends after the install was over. Suffice it to say, that didn’t happen.
The cable guys were in and out of the house, and even up in the attic, so I didn’t think anything of it when it got hotter and hotter in the house. I just figured it the A/C couldn’t keep up with all the open doors.
The cable guys left just after 10 pm (with partially installed cable … but at least there’s internet!), and the thermostat said it was 80 degrees in the house. I was a little worried, but hoped that it would cool down as the night went on.
I woke up at 2 am, still to a too warm house. I checked the breakers in the garage, they were all on, but none of them were labeled A/C. Not having a flashlight – and not wanting to be mistaken for a hoodlum – I opted to not check the outside breakers in the middle of the night. I turned the A/C off, in case I had managed to freeze up the air conditioner during the cable install.
In the morning, I turned the A/C back on, and checked on the outdoor unit. It wasn’t running. So I checked the outdoor breakers, and sure enough, the A/C breaker was off. So I turned it back on. And then I heard an awful buzzing noise. Coming from the A/C unit. Which still didn’t have a running fan. So off went the A/C again.
So, here I am, waiting for the A/C guy, as well as the cable guy (again), in a sweltering house. It just started pouring down rain, so hopefully that will cool things down. And not, um, keep the A/C guy from his job of making me a happy camper again.
I dropped the sister off at the airport in the morning, giving her plenty of time to make it through any amped up 9/11 security. And then I had the day to myself, to accomplish one thing: buy hoses, a vent, and a power cord for the washer and dryer that were being delivered the next day.
The first Best Buy I stopped at had none of the things I needed, but they directed me to a store that would have them. I put in a major shopping effort at the Target next door (I bought at least one of everything), and unloaded it all at home before venturing out again.
I found the next Best Buy, but all they had was the dryer vent. So I bought that. And then they directed me to another Best Buy.
I had asked the husband to research me a microwave, and he found one. I passed a Sears before I found the next Best Buy, so I stopped in and picked up the microwave. And also washing machine hoses, since they had them in stock.
I found the Best Buy, and they had 4-prong power cords, so I picked one up. And also washer hoses, just to be on the safe side. In case Best Buy hoses are different than Sears hoses.
Mission accomplished! Or so I thought …
Categories
the best part of waking up …
Is cat vomit on the granite kitchen countertop! Catchy jingle, no? Hmm, well one of the holy terrors sure thought so.
There are not enough clorox wipes in the world. Also, I think my pancake batter station will be on the other side of the stove now.
So the husband and I went in for our allergy testing this morning. While he is no doubt more allergic than I, I do experience some spring-time misery. I spend minimal time outside in the spring to avoid the crushing sinus headache that always hits once I’ve hit my limit; in bad tree-pollen years, such as we had a few years back, just walking to and from the car is enough to do the damage.
Turns out, after 52 scratch tests and 7 injection tests, that I am allergic to nothing. nada. There was no swelling or itching, just cute little pink dots at each of the test sites.
On the other hand, after 52 scratch tests and 3 injections tests, the husband is allergic to EVERYTHING. Trees, grass, weeds, mold, dust mites, and cats. Yeah, cats – like the two little darlings that sleep in the room with us every night, and who are unlikely to be banished anytime soon due to the husband’s general, um, pushover nature when it comes to the cats.
So the husband will soon be starting his allergy shot regimen, going in weekly for the next 6 months, to hopefully be desensitized to all of the ‘poisons’ that are currently plaguing him. After 6 months, he has 4 and a half years of monthly visits to look forward to. After a year, though, he should see a significant reduction in his allergies, and should be able to tone down the meds he needs to take.
I, on the other hand, suffer from a malady known as ‘non-allergic rhinitis.’ Which basically means I have all the same symptoms – runny nose, itchy throat, congestion, sinus headache – but not for the same reason. My nose is extra-sensitive, and anything sets it off. Like, say, huge amounts of tree pollen floating through the air. Or the dust in my office – my coworkers have given up on the ‘bless-yous’, seeing as I’m just a fit of sneezes all day long.
My treatment involves a lifetime of nasal sprays and neti-pots. There is no way to train my nose to give it up already. [sigh] Though, at least now I know I can give up the anti-histamines, seeing as I don’t seem to be having a histamine response. [achoo!] Excuse me.
So I just plugged all our numbers into some of that fancy tax software, and the results are, well, enough to make me want to stop working so hard. Or at all.
The husband and I had slightly more taxable income in 2008 than 2007. For that we are grateful, especially in this time of financial distress for so many. But our owed tax is significantly more expensive in 2008 than 2007. Thanks to the AMT, 58% of our increase is owed as taxes. That’s MORE THAN HALF of our increase!
So why do I work so hard again?
Categories
it’s 10 pm …
Do you know where your boy band is? Mine’s next door, practicing their drums. /sigh
Categories
nobody wants to bail me out
3 years ago, the husband and I took the plunge and bought a house. It was 2005, and housing was booming. Lenders were willing to loan ridiculous amounts of money. In fact, they scoffed at the “modest” amount of money the husband and I requested. They offered to loan us twice as much, but we declined; we knew how much money we made, we knew how much other debt we had, and we knew what kind of lifestyle we wanted to maintain.
And so we got a loan we could afford. We took a risk with an ARM, but even in a worst-case scenario, we knew we’d be able to afford the payments.
Silly us! If we had over-extended ourselves, we’d be able to renegotiate our loan terms. Instead of being stuck with a loan for twice as much as what our foreclosing neighbor is selling her house for, we might be able to get our principal reduced. Or get our ARM converted to a standard loan.
But, alas, we were responsible. And so there is no help for us.
Categories
wait – you’re joking, right?
The other day, the husband and I noticed that our new next-door neighbors had put rock in their flowerbed. It’s a lovely rock, nice marble chips – but it is, nonetheless, banned. By our over-protective HOA.
I finally caught one of the neighbors outside, and let him know the error of his ways. He looked at me with a blank look when I told him rocks in landscaping were against HOA rules. As I explained to him my HOA struggles, he suddenly registered what I was saying, and he stopped me with a flabbergasted, ‘Wait – you’re joking, right?’
I assured him that I was indeed being truthful, and I just wanted to warn them that the HOA may, at some future date, send them a nasty letter.
I still don’t think he believed me. Here’s hoping he’s spared the fate of dealing with the HOA.
Categories
letter to obama
Dear Obama,
I was thinking about maybe voting for you. And then you sent 17 people to my house in the last two weeks to convince me to vote for you.
I don’t talk to my family that often. I don’t talk to my friends that often. I don’t talk to my coworkers that often. I barely talk to my husband that often.
So, consider me to be harassed into voting for someone else.
Sincerely,
considering hermitage