Silence

I turned the TV off tonight.  There is nothing I want to watch. I have not started playing any music.  It is close to bed time, and I do not think I want to listen to anything, even anything soothing.

I am getting ready to wind down to go to bed.  It helps me to be very sleepy or nodding off before I lay down to go to sleep.  Just the way I am wired. Although certain music does not interfere with my getting sleepy, sometimes, I am not interested in it.  This is one of those nights.

The silence is pleasant.

I am going to move from the computer to the sofa, read, and get ready to nod off.  Good night.

So What is This Smell

So I am sitting at the computer tonight doing odds and ends computer things.   After work, I changed out of my work clothes into a set of comfortable sweat pants and turtleneck jersey. This is clothing I had previously worn, but only a time or two, and did not feel it was ready for the laundry bin.  A few minutes ago, I rubbed my hands along the thigh of my pants and the  odor of kerosene  became obvious to me.

How can this be?  I do not have kerosene lamps or fluid in or around the house. I am not concerned for my safety, because I have no cause to have an open flame near this clothing.   And the more I rub, the more the smell dissipates.

But this is too creepy. The cloth feels oily and the odor is present if not strident. I think, when I disrobe tonight, I will put this garment in the shower, and soak it down, when I take my morning shower.  It is a little disconcerting. 

Snow Day!

Snow Day!  I was going to take the day off anyway, so it did not impact me too much.

When I went to bed, late, Sunday night, the ground was wet and the wind was blowing, but no snow.  At 5:45 AM  Monday morning, Tech sent out an alert that the Health Science Center clinics and classes were closed.  Which meant, that for the prison, social workers did not have to report (nurses did, they are essential.) So, my day off was a snow day!

I was able to get pretty much everything I had planned, except I did not run the errands I could not run on the weekend.

Sake and Haiku did not seem too interested in my presence.  A couple of times, Sake went into the garage, and came right back into the house.  Haiku cried to be held several times.  I think she may have been cold, but she has plenty of places to curl  up and be warm.

Taki seemed excited to have company.  She frequently played with my feet, and when I  moved from room to room, she followed and often asked for a treat when it was not treat time.  I think she sensed something was different.

The house was grey for much of the day, due to the cloud cover, and , to a lesser extent, the blowing snow.  About 2 PM the snow stopped. I went outside to shovel, which took about an hour (I have to have a lot of rests because it bothers my back.)  Before I was done shoveling, the sun came out brightly.  There was quite a bit of melting, as the temperature was in the low 40s, but the wind strong continued while I was shoveling, and continues. 

I think the wind kept Sake and Taki stirred up. I know Sake does not like the wind.

It will freeze tonight, so Tech delayed morning opening by 2.5 hours. I will go in on my time, when I am ready.  And, leave before it freezes, but most of the roads should be okay by tomorrow.

Blizzard!

This afternoon, the National Weather Service http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lub/ issued a blizzard warning for an extensive area of the South Plains, until Monday.  I usually am prepared for whatever.  I had planned to have Monday off, but was intending to run some errands, although I could have done some today.  I did decide to run to the grocery store for a few items, and went about 5:30 PM.

The grocery clerk acknowledged that business had picked up after the National Weather Service announced the possible blizzard.

I was just looking at the radar, and the precipitation seems to be tracking to the northeast, and not east enough to impact us, but that could change. 

We are also expecting cold and high winds.  We shall see what the weather has in store for us.

We shall see what happens.

Changing Social Ideas

I am watching Guess Who's Coming to Dinner http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061735/.   I think maybe every time I watch Guess Who's Coming to Dinner I blog, but maybe not.  It was a very brave, heroic, and dramatic topic to address in 1967.  It tells a great story, has great actors and actresses, and gives us hope for the future.

I went to a workshop today. Slightly off the topic, but making a comment about social values, the presenter mentioned that 30 years ago, Iceland elected the first woman president of the world.  So, a generation of Icelandic people have grown up knowing that women can do anything they want to do .  She added that the Nordic people have no concept of racism, sexism, (and something else.)

The point is, she talked about the social change that can occur because of events in our lives.  We cannot legislate changes in emotions and ideas, but we can legislate changes in behavior, and those behavior changes can lead to changes in ideas and emotions.  

I have seen so many changes in my life time. I am so grateful that so many changes have occurred. I am so grateful that we have made so many strides for a more just and fair and equitable world.  I know we have a long way to go.  But I am glad to be living in these times.

I mean, we have an African American President, Barak Obama.  He was elected for a second term, so we know that his election was not a fluke.  He was elected a second time, so his biggest accomplishment during his first term, the Affordable Health Care Act, was not abhorred to the extent he could not get re-elected.

I am getting ready to watch Schindler's List http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108052/.  I had no idea that is was made 20 years ago.  It is a heart wrenching and moving movie, and another movie that addresses social change. Only this was horrible, wretched social change: the genocide of Jews in Germany during World War II.  And, the way one man defied the authorities.

There are other movies about saving the enemies of Germany in Europe during World War II.  One of my favorites is The Scarlet and The Black http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086251/, about a Roman Catholic priest who saves prisoners of war, downed pilots and Italians from the Germans. 

Recently, I read an article about South Pacific http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108052/.  The article said that when it played in Atlanta, Georgia, the reaction to the song "You've Got to Be Taught" was so outraged and negative that there were many who wanted it outlawed in Georgia. 

It is Oscar season.  This is the time of year when the TV channels show wonderful past Oscar winner movies. I really appreciate the movies that are about social change.

Gregorian Chants

I can not tell you how long I have enjoyed Gregorian chants.  I loved the Easter liturgy services because of the Gregorian Chants, when I was growing up.  I can only tell you how stupid I was not to search out recordings of Gregorian Chants to listen to.  That changed a couple of years ago.  By chance, I was in Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ and happened upon a CD of Gregorian Chants Salve Regina by the Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of Saint  Maurice and Saint Maur, Clervaux http://www.amazon.com/Salve-Regina-Gregorian-Chant/dp/B0000040ZC. 

I have really enjoyed that CD. 

Last fall, I obtained another CD: Gregorian Melodies, Popular Chants.

Most recently, I obtained The Gregorian Book of Silos.

I really enjoy listening to Gregorian Chants.

I frequently play these CDs when I am computering. But I also play them when I am reading.  I do not play them when I am doing housework. When I am doing housework, I need vigorous, rapid paced music to help me to be active.

But, I use the Gregorian chants to help me to be calm, soothe my soul, and in general help me to relax and refresh.

Russia is Really Watching Over Me

I like to look at the stats for my blog and am not sure exactly what it all means.  But recently the map has indicated that Russia has been looking at my blog more than anywhere else, and the only other place anyone looks at my blog is in the United States.

I have no followers, although I know a friend reads my blog regularly.  I receive very few comments.

With all of the news about the hacking of US accounts by the Chinese, I wonder if these Russian viewers are reading my blog to see if it is worth hacking.   And, of course, if you are reading my blog, you know it is much drivel about nothing, and not worth hacking.

I am, however, very concerned about the outcome of the hacking by the Chinese, on US government and business.  I think we can not feel safe, if we are being invaded by the cybernet.  But, I do not know the answer. It is kind of like having worms crawl over you, but not knowing what to do with them.

I have to hope my government is doing a good job of deflecting these hackers. But I am not optimistic. 

Habits

Taki has a couple of strange habits.  Like Haiku, she likes to chew on things, including pencil erasers (yuck!). 

But more interesting, she cries when I sneeze.  For some reason, when I sneeze, she runs to my side and mewls.  It is a really interesting and strange phenomenon.  I do not get it.

Another habit Taki has is to race to the computer room when I am going there to clean the litter box.  I have to think she knows what I am going to do because she sees the scoop in my hand. She does not worry about the other litter boxes, just the one in the computer room.  I do not get this, either.

Haiku used to, and is less obsessive about this than she used to be, use the litter box almost immediately after I scooped it out. And the one she used the most was in the small bathroom.  Since Taki has arrived, Haiku seems to be less obsessive about this.

Sake wants to be on the dining table when I am eating dinner.  I often read a book or do a double crosstic puzzle when I eat at the dining table. Sake purposefully sits on top of whatever I am using, book or puzzle.

Sake likes to spend just a few minutes in the morning in the garage.  But she comes into the house before or when I tell her to do so, so she retains that privilege.

Taki likes to dig through the trash.  I have put a covered trash can in the bathroom.  Taki digs through the trash in the computer room, but not in the living room.  I keep the kitchen trash in the cabinet under the sink.  If there is something that appeals to Sake in the trash, especially chicken or turkey bones, she opens the cabinet and digs through the trash.

We all have habits. Some are obviously meaningful to us, and make sense.  Some develop out of a fluke of circumstance. Some make no sense at all!  But, we are what we are!

My Other Job

I belong to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) http://www.naswdc.org/.  When I joined the local leadership was tightly held, almost secretive and closed.  I was not happy about this, and because of my angry comments, I was included in the leadership circle. I started trying to work for the local branch, including trying to do recruiting activities. 

But, then, I got on the committee that produced the yearly workshop.  That was a niche I really liked.  I have been engaged in that activity since the early 1990's. I have seen this committee morph over the years: We did workshops with other agencies in town. We did workshops with a large committee doing the planning . We did workshops with two or three of us doing the planning.

The last few years, two of us have done most of the work, except for contacting the speakers and getting their presentations approved. I have even helped with that, but only by default.

Some 10 or so years ago, I took over the job of sending out the monthly meeting announcements.  These have morphed, over the years from a newsletter (before my tenure), to a postcard. I told the steering committee I could do the postcards, and not need labels, but print the addresses on the postcards. From their we started collecting emails and have converted to sending out emails about our meetings to those for whom we have emails addresses.

And from our monthly meetings, and annual workshops, we have collected email addresses, and added those to our email list.  I now have an email list for members, non-members, and other interested professionals (marketers, non-social workers) depending upon what the message is. 

We send out monthly meeting announcements, job openings, community resource information, and requests for help for clients by email.  Usually, we do not send out political information, and marketing or fundraiser information.  If something is questionable, I consult the steering committee, people who are thoughtful about what we should send out and how I should use my time. If there is a request from an NASW member outside of the usual, the steering committee helps to determine the appropriateness of the request.

I also review the licensure list once a year to find new names for our mailing list, for our annual workshop.

Keeping up with the email addresses, and mailing addresses of people is a lot of work.  I do "group emails" sent bcc.  Many get returned, sometimes because they are treated as SPAM, sometimes because I have entered the email incorrectly, sometimes because people change their emails.  I tell new members to the list  to add the email address I use for NASW: naswlbbnews@suddenlink.net to their contact list, so the group emails are not treated as SPAM. I try to keep up with who is being added and removed from the email list. Recently, my email provider has started suspending my email account, if I get too many returns, so I have to edit those right away.

This is all very time consuming. Added to that, I try to make sure that not only the people for whom we do not have emails are on the snail mail mailing list, and anyone for whom we do not have a valid email is also on the mailing list.

For most of the year, this takes a few hours every month. But in the beginning of the calendar year, things get busy.  March is Social Work Month.  We send out ballots to nominate people for Social Worker of the Year, Citizen of the Year, Agency of the Year, and Elected Official of the Year.  We then send out a ballot to elect the nominees. And an invitation to the dinner we host to honor these people.

And, in the spring, we do our annual workshop. So, the brochure gets emailed to those folks for whom we have valid emails.  And, this is the time of year I cull our snail mail addresses, add to them for those for whom the email address we have is invalid, and search the licensure list (if I have time.)  And, then we print labels for brochures for the annual workshop.

So, this is my other job.   I enjoy working on the computer.   I enjoy having something to do as I watch TV.   This is the beginning of NASCAR season, and it is too cold to be outside playing unless I am doing vigorous yard work. So, the fit is good, as I can watch the races and work on NASW activities.

This is my other job.  I am not allowed to do this at work because of security reasons: concern about viruses and such.  But the truth be known, if I did this on work time, it would severely impinge upon my work duties, as it is very time consuming. And, the truth be known, I do not mind doing this at home, in my comfortable clothes, in comfortable surroundings watching TV or listening to music.

.

Television

If you asked me about television shows from the late 50's until the mid 80's, I knew all about what was on television. I watched a LOT of television. The first year I lived in Lubbock, I did not own a television, but I had a subscription to Newsweek http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek.html and my home town newspaper, The Greenfield Recorder, http://www.recorder.com/ both of which kept me apprised of television news.

As television expanded beyond the three, then four major networks and PBS http://www.pbs.org/, and cable/satellite came along, I could not keep up with all of the television shows, even the ones that were so popular.  Partly because I did not want to watch that much television. Partly because I preferred The Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/ and sports to series, sit-coms and the reality TV shows. And partly because I did not subscribe to premium channels.

So, when people talk about current TV shows, I am frequently at a loss in regards to what they are discussing.  I want to keep up but most of the TV shows are not worth it, and I just do not care.

I find that I am more and more interested in the programming on PBS.  I also like The History Channel http://www.history.com/, although the quality of its programming has vastly diminished.

I used to sometimes turn on the TV for the background noise.  I grew up in a home with 4 siblings, two parents, and for a while, a very quiet uncle. But, because of the number of people in the house, there was lots of background noise.

As I have aged, I find I like the silence, and sometimes, I prefer the silence to the background noise. I find I prefer music to the chatter of TV.  I listen to classical music, easy listening music, bagpipes, or Gregorian chants instead of the chatter of TV.

I am blessed at being able to make these choices about watching TV or listening to the radio or music.

So, I am no longer the television guru that I was 30 years ago. But I think that is good.

News and Newspaper

As I am adjusting to my new lifestyle without a hardcopy daily newspaper, but more TV and online news, I am finding that in some ways, it is easier:  I can have the TV news fed to me while I am doing other things, such as getting ready for work, feeding cats, doing computer chores. 

In some ways, it is more difficult. I have to go to several web sites to get the information I want, and I am not sure I am hitting all the categories, especially in regards to local news, activities and events.

However, as I ate dinner with the book club members tonight, I realized that I had much more information about several current events than most of the members had. So, that was re-enforcing regarding my efforts.  This is an adjustment, and I feel as if I am juggling several balls in an effort to stay abreast of local, national and international information. 

Bagpipes and Melancholia

I have a wonderful CD of bagpipe music, The Spirit of the Glen http://www.discogs.com/Royal-Scots-Dragoon-Guards-Spirit-Of-The-Glen/release/3808222.  When I listen to it, I have such nostalgic feelings.  Some of the songs make me feel nostalgic for the Appalachians. When I drive through them, there is so much mist, mystery and wonderment, and the music evokes that in me.  The song "The Last of the Mahicans" evokes such aching, and nostalgia. I can not explain this well.  Driving East, going through the mountains of Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, I have such aching and longing. Even going through the mountains of Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina and North Carolina, that same aching and longing persists. It is as if I am called to the mountains, the wilderness, the isolation, the separateness that the fog and mist creates. 

Jumping With Regard For Consequences

Until lately, Taki has always just jumped without regard for who or what might be in her way.   Except for the unfortunate high jump from a shelf near the ceiling of the garage, which resulted in her moving stuff on the shelf, losing her balance and tumbling to the floor, most of her jumps are about 3 feet in height. She does not jump on the kitchen counter, the washer, the freestanding kitchen cabinet, the dresser or its extension, the chest of drawers, or the roll top desk.  She does get on the TV tray and makes her way to the computer desk, and gets on the dining table chairs, and makes her way to the table top. She will jump down from the table, but not up onto the table. She does jump onto the bed. She jumps onto the sofa, and then the sofa back.

I am not sure what happened, but the last couple of weeks, she has been more cautious about jumping onto the bed or sofa: she used to just jump.  But I think Sake must have said something to her, because Taki would often land very close to a reclining Sake, who was not happy to have her space invaded. This has been going on for a while, but most recently, before Taki jumps, you can see she reconnoiters and decides where she wants to jump.  This is especially obvious when she wants to get on the bed and Sake is on it.  I have given her suggestions a couple of times, which she has taken, to avoid Sake.

I actually think this is not only a result of a rebuke from Sake, but a maturing process in Taki.  She is reaching 2 years old.

I think we all sometimes jump without regard for the consequences. Hopefully as we mature, we consider the consequences.

Ash Wednesday

I am not a practicing Roman Catholic, but last year I made a sacrifice for Lent.  I did not really think about it this year, but last night decided to do a meatless Ash Wednesday.  I am not a big meat eater, but the course of my usual day often includes chicken soup for breakfast (hot, aromatic, noodles or dumplings).  I frequently eat in the chow hall at the prison where I work, and the vegetables choices are sometimes slim and none, but there is usually a meat selection, but sometimes fish.

However, I have been bringing salad to work, and usually have some on hand.  I opted for boiled eggs for breakfast, cheese and salad for lunch.  I did not strictly fast: I had cookies for snacks a couple of times today.

So, tonight, I need to plan a dinner.  I have lots of non-meat options available, including seafood, or fish (Fish is not seafood.  Fish is fish.  Seafood is clams, scallops, lobsters, shrimp, squid, octopus, crab, etc. But not fish.) and cheese, including cottage cheese.

The problem is, I can not decide what I want to eat, and then, when I am really hungry, I fix something fast but not necessarily nutritionally appropriate. I have been trying to cook ahead (mostly on the weekend) so I have food readily and quickly available when I get hungry.

But, I will figure this out.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the season in preparation of celebrating the Easter miracles for the Roman Catholic Church.  The Orthodox and Coptic Catholic churches have slightly different schedules, but parallel closely to the Roman Catholic Church.  Yesterday was Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, which is a big deal in many parts of the world:  a last hurrah before Lent. New Orleans and Rio De Janero are two places renowned for their Mardi Gras celebrations. 

It is significant that Pope Benedict XVI decided the Monday before Ash Wednesday to announce his abdication, February 28,2013, from the papacy due to physical and spiritual health problems. The papal succession can and will occur during Lent. I wonder if the pomp and circumstance of the ordination of the new Pope might be curtailed during Lent, or if the new Pope will be elected, and prevail but not ordained until after Lent.

Any way, the Roman Catholic Church has a 2000 year history with mostly peaceful succession of leadership.  A much longer history the United States.  But the truth be known, there have been periods of upheaval and Popes in contention with each other in the Roman Catholic Church.  Also there was the breach which created the Church of England and the other Anglican Churches.  Close to Roman Catholic but not. And, there are the Greek Orthodox Churches and the Russian Orthodox Churches. And the Coptic Churches.

Many of the traditions and symbolisms exist in the Orthodox, Coptic and Anglican Churches, as well as the Roman Churches.  But each has it variations. 

These variations do not diminish the message of Ash Wednesday: a day of humbleness, humility, sacrifice, and preparation for cleansing and preparation for the Easter miracles. 

Too Tired To Think

It was a long day at work today.  Some days, even long days at work are not trying, because, although my time is spent in record reviewing, the time is not emotionally taxing.

Today, I did what I best like to do at work: interact with patients. I had a long list of patients to interview, and I did.  But, these interactions are emotionally taxing. So, by the time the interviews were completed, I was tired.

I was too tired to think. But I did what I needed to do. And, tonight, I am too tired to think. But I still maintain.

A New Lifestyle

I have had a newspaper subscription to the Lubbock Avalanche Journal  http://lubbockonline.com/ since I do not know when.  I had a subscription when it was an AM and PM newspaper. One of the things that I found so endearing about Lisenby was that he read the newspaper, front to back, and when it was an AM and PM newspaper, he did that twice a day.

Last year, when I received my subscription renewal notice, I was hesitant to renew:  The cost per year had increased by about $16.  Not bad, but the newspaper quality had so decreased I was not sure it was worth it:  the spell checking and proof reading was bad, the information was sometimes inaccurate, and the sports reporting was frequently inaccurate, including about sports game time and location information. I am a big sports fan, and relied on the newspaper for information about event times and broadcast information.  Sometimes, the announcements they printed about community events were confusing (this week, next week, when?).

But, I renewed.  Because, among other reasons, I used the newspaper as liner under three kitty litter pans, and also under the cat food and water dishes in the kitchen.  Well, I have decided I could purchase lined table clothes, cut them to size, and use them for the same purpose. Because, when I received the invoice for the renewal of the subscription for the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, the price went up from about $130 a year to about $180 a year.  This was much more than I thought the yearly subscription was worth.

I did not renew.  I continued to receive the newspaper.  I received a second renewal invoice, and I did not renew, but I continued to receive the newspaper.  Finally, I called the newspaper and told them I was not going to renew, but they were continuing to send me the newspaper.  I suppose I could have indefinitely received the newspaper, had I not called them. But I felt as if I was receiving the newspaper under false pretenses. 

So, now, I am having to develop a new lifestyle:  I do access the Lubbock Avalanche Journal on line.  I am watching more TV news, especially local news programs. I am accessing daily puzzles on line vs. in the newspaper. I am having to search and research community activities and events.

In the morning, as get ready for work, I am feeling unsettled.  I do not have a newspaper to flip through. Some mornings, I do get on line and check some things out. Some mornings, I do not. 

So, I am a creature of habit, and my habit has been drastically disrupted.  I am having to find a new equilibrium for my new lifestyle.

Winter Storm Nemo

I have said before that I like The Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/.  In fact, The Weather Channel and sports are the two reasons I have cable TV. And, one of the reasons I do not want to switch to satellite TV, is the last time I had satellite TV, we did not get "Local on the 8's" forecasts.

I like it that The Weather Channel has started naming winter storms.  I wonder what the expectation was when they decided to do that. By that, I mean, how many storms they thought they would name each winter season. Well, this year, they have gotten well into the alphabet, with winter storm Orko being talked about in the mid west today.

So I was pretty much glued to The Weather Channel during Super storm Sandy. I am as not involved with watching Nemo.  I have heard from some of the family in the Northeast.  Most, so far, are okay, but with this much snow and wind, power outages could occur at any time, and that would be the biggest concern for my family members, I think.

Earlier this year, in fact, one week ago today, on Ground Hog Day, Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring.  That, notwithstanding Nemo, could still happen.  But, we shall see.

The thing about a snow storm, and today's weather casting resources, people can prepare: People could fill their gas tanks, buy food, leave work early, or go to work early.  Although the affected states and areas have or have had travel bans, people can still walk, ski, or snowshoe through the snow.

Snow removal becomes a priority, especially because that is required before electric power crews can get in and restore downed lines and systems. 

Snow storms effect the economy: businesses shut down, snow removal workers get paid overtime, winter sports sites are not easily accessible until after the snow removal has been accomplished.  Those are some of the obvious effects. 

So, now to winter storm Orko.

Boston Celtics Basketball

I am an intermittent fan of the Boston Celtics http://www.nba.com/celtics/. The biggest reason I am an intermittent fan is because living in Lubbock, Texas, I get to view so few of their games. Because they are not winning well this year, I am seeing fewer games than I have seen when they were doing well. I never stop cheering for the Boston Celtics. I just do not get to see them play much.

Last night, I watched them play against the Los Angeles Lakers http://www.nba.com/lakers/. 
The announcers of the game were extremely complimentary of the Celtics, especially because Rajon Rondo http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/player/rajon-rondo/410839?q=rajon-rondo was not playing, and the other players had to step up and fill his spot. Well, I am a big Rajon Rondo fan, but a bigger Celtics fan.

Really, though, tonight, given the wonderfully complimentary comments of the announcers last night during the game, I wanted to look at the Celtics results for this year.  When I went to the website, this is what I got http://www.nba.com/celtics/schedule/results/2012-13-results.html.  I could never figure out how to get to the results that I wanted. I wanted a composite summary, not a game by game listing. There was this listing that also gave results, but not in a form I am accustomed to: http://espn.go.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/Bos/boston-celtics. Well, maybe I need to be more flexible.

However, I think the Boston Celtics exist in a tech-no rich part of the world, and whoever has designed their website, has designed it out of the reach of untechno savvy fans like me.  Boo. Hiss.

I Am a Bad Suddenlink Customer

Okay, so if you have been reading my blogs about my problems with Suddenlink  http://home.suddenlink.net/email,  you will know I have been a very unhappy customer. But little did I know that I was my own worst enemy. I should have known, though I did not realize it, but the problem was that because I was sending out mass emails, with multiple returns, I was creating  my own problems. Evidently, if a certain percentage of returns occur, the account is suspended. I feel so bad that I have been upset with Suddenlink, because I was creating my own problems.  I hope my problems are now resolved.

So, this is the problem.  For years, I have sent out emails to the South Plains social work and social service community about continuing education, resources, job opportunities, and other social service issues. Many of those emails were returned as undeliverable, but I was hesitant to delete them, because I had individual correspondence with those same people.

When Suddenlink had a problem recently with its email platform, the email account that I use for this kind of communication was affected drastically.  

Multiple times, the email naswlbbnews@suddenlink.net account was suspended. When I called in to complain, the service technicians had varying responses, from immediately referring the account to a supervisor, to be being rude, obnoxious and not very helpful. After I complained about that kind of response, I have received excellent service.

So, last night, I sent out another mass mailing.  And tonight, the account was suspended again.  I called Suddenlink, and received excellent service from Lawrence, until my phone cut out (which was weird, because it was plugged in, to keep it charged but was my bad again.) 

Anyway, in the course of my conversation with Lawrence, who was very complimentary of the technician I interacted with earlier this week, I realized I was creating my own problems because of the returned emails I was receiving for my professional group. So Lawrence was very helpful, and tried to restore service.  It was intermittently restored, which was weird. And when I called back, the person I spoke with was also great, took care of the problem, and was very nice. So, when I called back, and waited for a while,  I received help from someone who immediately identified the problem and fixed it. 

I hope I have fixed my part of the problem.

I hope Suddenlink is not too upset with me for my contribution to the problem.

Well, we shall see what happens. 

My New Best Friend?

I wonder if Suddenlink is my new best friend. I have certainly spent a LOT of time on the phone with their Internet service technicians lately.  Tonight, I received something that looked like SPAM, supposedly from Suddenlink.  I called, and the technician agreed it was SPAM. 

Well, at least I have them on speed dial.

Mindless TV

A co-worker and I were talking about going home very tired.  And not doing as much as we used to.  She began telling me about the mindless TV she watches.  I told her I do not watch reality TV, most sit-coms, and most series.  But I watch a lot of sports because it is kind of mindless, and I can do something else while I watch TV:  do computer things, knit, play word games, and even housework.  She commented that that was probably why her husband also watched so much sports, and she never thought about it before.  I hope that helped.

Comments

I blog for myself.  I would love to develop an audience, but I am realistic that I blog for myself, and if anyone else reads my blog, so be it. I look at the statistics that reflect site views and from where the traffic generates.  Lately, most of my traffic has been from China and the United States.  For a while, Russia was a big source.

I was surprised when I received a comment from someone who identified themself as from Suddenlink.  That was nice. This person apologized for my problems, and said they would forward the kudos to the representative who helped me the most. So, this makes me wonder if Suddenlink pays someone to troll the Internet to see what is being said about them, and maybe their competition? I can believe a company that is high technology will do that.  That must be an interesting job. 

I think my comments about Suddenlink are fair. 

Doing Business

When I left work today, I knew I had many business activities for my personal life that I needed to work on tonight:  I had bills to pay, correspondence to which I needed to respond, and NASW correspondence to complete.

I do not mind taking on these chores, but sometimes, taking on these chores, I feel overwhelmed and exhausted.  Like I have a second job.  But, that is transitory.

More Computer Problems

Once again, last night, my secondary email account was not working.  I contacted Suddenlink http://home.suddenlink.net/ again and got a very nice technician.  He spent hours helping me to fix the problem, but in the mean time, tried to convince me to set up a gmail account instead of using what I had.  He said it was because Outlook Express 6 was outdated, but that made no sense, because if I set up a gmail account to load onto my computer, it would be to Outlook Express 6...

Anyway, he basically routed my secondary account through my primary account, taking a very long time to do so ( a couple of hours.  I was so tired, I could hardly stay awake.)  When I explained that the secondary account was for communication with my professional association, and I did not want all that email on my primary account, he took about 20 minutes to fix the secondary account! 

Tonight, when I was using my emails, I realized the secondary account could send email, but the replies to the secondary account went to my primary account.  It took me a while, but I fixed it.

I hope this is the end of the email saga.

Email, Suddenlink and Customer Service

My Internet Service Provider (ISP) is Suddenlink http://home.suddenlink.net/, which changed from Cox Cable about 5 or 6 years ago.  Except for the increasing prices, I have generally been more pleased with Suddenlink than Cox, with whom I had had running battles for years. 

With Cox, I battled misleading advertising, poor service, rude customer service and  untimely service.  Suddenlink has done better. But not by much.

Most of the time my internet and cable TV service has been pretty good. I have learned to refresh the TV cable boxes and the internet connection modem and routers without having to contact Suddenlink.

Generally, when I have a problem, customer service is pleasant. When I had to have someone come to my home, that person was nice. The last time that happened, the technician told me my modem was outdated. I wrote to Suddenlink, and told them I could have had restored service sooner, if their online staff could have told me the same thing. They were very nice. That was a while back.

At the end of November 2012, Suddenlink had a serious problem with it's email platform.   I realized this because not only could I not access email on my computer, I could not access email from their website. Suddenlink acknowledged the problems with their email platform. It took a couple of weeks to resolve, but it was resolved.  My main email account was less affected than a secondary account I have. (I have a third account that I no longer use at all.) 

Since Suddenlink acknowledged this problem, they gave credit to my account (and I assume, the account of others) for the problem.

However, since then, I have had intermittent problems with my secondary account.  A few weeks ago,  I could not access my secondary account because the password was rejected. It was a night when I really needed to use the account.  I called Suddenlink  for technical assistance, and talked to a very nice technician. We reviewed the connections, and she decided that the problem needed to be referred to an engineer.  She said it might be 2-3 days to correct, and if was not corrected, to call again. The next night, the secondary email account was working.

Friday 2-1-13, I experienced the same problem.  I called it in to Suddenlink and after reviewing my connections, the technician said the server was down, and connectivity should be restored after a few hours.  (I told the technician of my previous problem, and how it had been resolved by referral to an engineer. He said in this case, since the server was down, there was no need. He acnowledged that if the problem did not resolve in a couple of hours, I needed to call back and have the problem referred to an engineer, and he would note that on my account.)

It was late, I was tired, and went to bed.   Saturday 2-2-13, the secondary account still did not work. 

I called in agan for help. The technician I talked to did not want to hear about the history of my problem. More than once, after giving me instructions, he said the problem was fixed when it was not. At one point, he told me it was a Microsoft problem, but I refused to accept that answer.  When he realized the account was suspended, he told me to run my anti-virus and call back. He totally refused to accept that the problem should be referred to a supervisor or engineer. 

I did run the anitvirus. To no avail. When I called back to Suddenlink,  I told the technician the entire history of my problem, including the fact that I was so upset with the attitude of the prior technician that I was ready to leave Suddenlink.  I insisted that this technician listen to every prior report of  my problem and my story. When we went through the technical problems, and she realized that I had run the anit-virus and was still having problems of having my email account suspended, she immediately said she would refer it to a supervisor. She told me it would take 20-30 minutes, gave me her name and extension.  She said she would call me if they needed to talk to me about something else. She said I could call and ask for her extension, if I needed to talk about something else.

About 30 minutes later, the email program started to work approriately. I waited an hour and did not hear from the technician. I called and asked for her, but was told she was away from her desk. I told the technician I was talking to that she did not need to call back, but could he tell her I was calling to thank her.

I also sent a complaint to Suddenlink.  They agreed that my Saturday morning experience was inappropriate and would be addressed.  I hope they give kudos to the technician who helped me, but that was not part of the email I recieved.

The Columbia Exhibit at The Silent Wings Museum

I have written about the Silent Wings Museum before.  On February 1, 2013, there was a remembrance reception at the Silent Wings Museum, opening the Columbia Exhibit http://www.silentwingsmuseum.com/specEvents/allSpecEvents.aspx.  Because my Friday afternoons at work have become somewhat inflexible, I did not have the opportunity to attend this reception, although I would have liked to do so. 

However, today, I went to see the Columbia Exhibit.  It was subdued but gave information about Willie McCool and Rick Husband, both of whom have Lubbock ties, and both of whom perished in the Columbia disintegration.

Willie McCool graduated from Coronado High School.  There is a statue of him in Huneke Park http://parks.ci.lubbock.tx.us/pk/willieMcCool.aspx  in Lubbock Texas.  http://today.ttu.edu/2013/02/a-fathers-pride-remembering-the-columbia-tragedy/ .  A few years ago, on Memorial Day, I went to a Memorial Day service at the Lubbock War Memorial http://parks.ci.lubbock.tx.us/pk/specialParks.aspx.  I walked over to the Willie McCool statue, and someone there told me the gentleman walking to his car was Willie McCool's father. I walked up to him, offered him condolences, and thanked him for his sacrifice. (I may have written about this before.)

Rich Husband http://sts107.com/crew/Husband/Husband.htm graduated from Texas Tech University. The exhibit at the Silent Wings Museum shows him doing a "guns up" pose in a shuttle photograph.

It is sad that Lubbock is blessed to have ties to two of the astronauts who perished in the Columbia tragedy 10 years ago.   Sad.

May I Join You?

Sake really does not like her territory invaded by Haiku or Taki.  I get it. She was here first.  She is not longer the only center of attention.  And Taki can get so excited she jumps without regard for where she is landing.

Saki likes to lay on the bed, and to knead the afghan at the foot of the bed, or curl up in the middle of it.  Haiku and Taki like to snack in the other corner.  For the longest, when Haiku and Taki got on the bed asking for a snack, Sake immediately left.  Finally, a few weeks, ago, I caught her and gave her some snacks before she left, and she stayed.  I have continue to try to do this regularly, although sometimes, she just leaves.

This morning, Taki got on the bed asking for snacks, while Sake was laying on the other end.  Sake got up and sniff and nosed her way to the snack towel.  I called Haiku, and all three of them got snacks. 

This afternoon, Sake was laying in bed, and Taki almost jumped on her end of the bed.  I cautioned her to be careful where she jumped, and Taki came to the other end of the bed and got on the bed. Sake stayed where she was, rather than being disturbed by Taki on the other end of the bed.  Maybe we are getting it.

Cleaning House

Okay, I admit it.  I am a pack rat. I do not think I belong to the hoarder category yet, but I could easily fall into the category.

I used to joke that I had a genetic trait that did not allow me to throw things away. My parents used to keep everything. Until, later in life, when they decided they had an obligation to their children to ready their home for sale when they died. They upgraded, remodeled, and cleaned out what they could in preparation for their deaths and when we would need to sell the old home.

But, they were not as wise as they should have been. One example, the baseball cards. We had a bunch of baseball cards in a shoe box, and they went away.  My sister married someone who was a baseball card collector and my parents realized those cards that went away may or may not have been of value.

But after that, my father threw out a lot of other stuff, including our Erector Set http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erector_Set  and electric trains http://www.lionelstore.com/?gclid=CIfguI7alrUCFcyiPAodDnUAWw.

My parents had our record collection. It included music from my parent's era, and music we collected as pre-teens and teenagers. The record collection survived. Some of the siblings took their choices. Rather then let my mother dispose of it, I took everything no one had expressed interest in. This record collection included the clay 78s, the 45s, and 33s (vinyl) recordings.

Some of those records have no meaning for me. But many do. Slowly, I am recording them on CDs so that I can preserve them, and share them with others. But, I am keeping them all, whether or not they have any meaning for me. 

I have a lot of things that I do not need.  But it is difficult for me to clean house and get rid of them.   

Trash and Tissue, Have We Been Here Before?

Yes we have!

I have turned most of the tissue boxes upside down.  Usually the toilet tissue is sequestered in a wicker basket with a cover on it, on top of the toilet tank ( My mother sent two of these to me, little did she know how helpful they would be.)  Sometimes, that cover gets opened and the tissue gets rolled through the house, bitten and otherwise shredded.

Because these circumstances have limited other access, I assume, the bathroom trash was being strewn through the house.  It was mostly used tissue, q-tips, and wrappers for the chocolate Vitamin D and Calcium  supplement I take. The bathroom trash can started off on the floor, but when the strewing started, I wedged it between the sink and the commode. That slowed the strewing down, for a while. But it is happening in full force, again.

Well, it is time to try other solutions.  I have been looking on line, and I am going to get a small, covered (but not motion sensor detected) trash can for the bathroom.

Lesson in life: With flexibility, creativity, and open mindedness, we can adjust, accommodate, and overcome.