Random Bits

I've lived in my house for eleven years. For eleven years this has been my address. For eleven years I've had the same land line phone number.

Previous to my living in this house it was owned by a pair of elderly women - either a woman and her mother, or a woman and her mother-in-law - I was never clear on that. We'll call them Mrs. and Mrs. F. Previous to my having the phone number I have had for the past eleven years it was owned by a doctor and her husband - who lived in my town, just not at this address. We'll call them Dr. and Mr. R.

Now I get calls for the Rs all the damn time. Wanting to buy "my" timeshare. Wanting to discuss an order. Just wanting the Rs. I have to keep telling people this has not been the Rs phone number in over a decade, and I don't *have* a timeshare, or made any order or can give them either R to talk to. I don't know what happened to the Rs. I don't know if they moved from the area, or sold the house they lived in, or divorced. I don't know them at all, and only the area code and exchange tell me that at some point prior to eleven years ago they lived *somewhere* in my town.

So the Fs. The Fs were both elderly, one more so than the other (and by elderly I mean they had elderly points of view - the younger of the women was probably younger than my parents, but I would not describe either of my parents as "elderly" because they have young points of view). And the husband/son/son-in-law part of the equation had died, leaving the two women alone. They were alone for a good number of years, so I'm told, and they were the stereotypically nosy old ladies of the neighborhood. They died about eight months before I bought the house within about a week of each other (so I'm told). I know there is (or was) a daughter in Florida who sold the house to me, and I had to wait for the probate courts to okay the sale and all, so I don't believe they died with their things in order (I also think it was the man who owned the house and the women inherited it from him so it was a bit of a muddle). I never met the daughter.

I get mail for the Fs occasionally (a postcard mentioning it has be x number of years since their last physical, AARP stuff, etc.). Junk mail I discard as soon as it comes. The Fs have left this plane of existence, I don't think I can forward their mail.

Today was a real disconnect. I just got a phone call for the Fs. At least one of the Fs. Um. What? This phone number was never associated with the Fs in ANY way.

What's next? Mail for the Rs?

Sometime in the last two weeks my landline stopped working. It hasn't actually rung for ages - and the last call I made on it was May 20 - so last two weeks.

In order to check that the issue is outside the house they request you go to the junction box and plug in a line to test it. My junction box is attached to the side of the house about fifteen feet off the ground.

I can get to it by getting up onto the roof of the oil tank shed (climb ladder up to six feet or so, transfer to roof, stand and walk up incline to reach box), and standing on it, avoiding all the other scary wires that attach to the house, use a screwdriver to open the box, and figure out how to plug in a line (not as easy as it sounds).

I started that project about forty minutes before I was supposed to be on a conference call today. The conference call I took on my cell phone.

Nothing from the junction box.

After my conference call I called (also from my cell) my phone company, and the automated help pinged my line, confirmed what I thought that the problem is between the house and the street - or elsewhere in the neighborhood. Likely something blew in the big storm about a week and a half ago. They will come fix it. By 6pm tomorrow.

I have my major conference call tomorrow - at 11:30am. I may crash my parent's house tomorrow morning after I've printed my stuff out with phone, laptop and wireless router in hand just so I can do the call.

Technology sucks. If it had been my Internet connection I'd have known it was wonky within seconds. But who the heck uses a landline anymore? I only use mine for business - and only when I am on conference calls.

ANNOYEDANNOYEDANNOYEDANNOYED

Saturday I ran about doing lots and lots of errands - one of which was a three dollar solution to a fifty dollar problem for gwendolyngrace. We are crafty! But I also went to Lowes to research some things for the shop.

Sunday I went into the shop and helped out with display. My mom was "big picture-ing" it - she was moving large items hanging on the walls around and making the shop look really good. LLC set me on "little picturing" it - I was relegated to clearing off and re displaying one shelf of jewelry in one of the cases, and making a list of the designs the shop had sold out of. I really enjoy the time I spend in the shop - it gets me out of the house and talking to people. I love the ladies who meet for Sunday morning display work. They're pretty fun and entertaining. Plus DL, the leather worker at the shop has given me three large bags of leather she no longer uses. There are some full skins as well as some pieces she's cut things out of. All of it will be fairly useful in costuming, for items or trims. Maybe a patchwork vest. I've never worked in leather, so I am looking forward to it. Interestingly, for health reasons DL has been vegan (celieac-casin? Something to do with gluten allergy and other animal protein, maybe?). She is no longer strictly vegan, but she is on a limited diet.

My dad came in with the dog while I was there to get everyone tea and coffee from Starbucks. I got a chai tea - which was a mistake, as Starbucks has changed their tea. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious, but man, I was shaking with the caffeine hit an hour later. Starbucks tea did not used to do that to me. But now, with the new "full leafed tea" and the tea bags are about twice as big as they used to be, it is also three times as strong. Guess I won't be getting any caffeinated tea from Starbucks anymore (bastards).

Then Mom and I went home for lunch with my dad. And after lunch my dad turned on the football game and my mom and I sat and chatted in the living room while I cut up a pattern I was thinking of using, and she covered a couple of pillows with some soft rugs she got at the discount shop for less than two dollars each. The pillows look fabulous.

Monday began benignly enough, and sort of went down hill from there. But it did end with a dinner date with my dad, so it wasn't all bad (mom was at the monthly meeting for the store, so dad was at loose ends). Today began with email from my client who hadn't received my email from Friday testing a new tool. So it looked as if I blew him off. I did not. So I resent my Friday email, and followed it up with an IM. ARGH!

Hopefully the rest of the week goes a little smoother. In other, better news, it looks like I am vacationing in Delaware this summer. Beach House! I can't wait. I wonder how hard it is to make a kite?