Lately I've been trying to save money, which means a lot of boring nights at home not doing much of anything. I got the chance to go Frisbee golfing today though, and then afterwards was able to do a little Christmas shopping. I'm actually almost done and it's not even officially December yet! When I got home I ate dinner and then a wave of exhaustion hit me like a dump truck. Next thing I know I'm laying down on my couch watching a movie that eventually lulled me to sleep. I won't say which one, it was a documentary, but the talking in documentaries, tone of voice and everything, helps me relax sometimes.
I woke to the sounds of children playing in the hallway. This isn't abnormal noise for my apartment, but since it was so late I was confused as to what was going on. My neighbor must have moved out, and a new one must have moved in (I didn't recognize either person in the hallway), because there was furniture all throughout the hallway. After a little while, I heard this exchange:
Tenant 1: Hey! You! Do you have keys for the storage room?
Tenant 2: What?
Tenant 1: We need to get into the storage room upstairs...
Tenant 1's kid: Yea, our keys are locked in there
Tenant 2: Well, no, my keys don't get me in there, you should have separate keys for your apartment though.
Tenant 1: Yea, I do, they are on the floor in there, we were putting stuff in there and I accidentally left my keys on the floor of the storage room.
Tenant 2: I don't have a key, you should try calling management, that would probably be best. Or a locksmith
Tenant 1: We did, they want to charge us $60 for a new key. $60!
Tenant 2: Well there probably are others that have a key, but I don't
Tenant 1: There are! Every locker in that storage room had a lock on it. We just can't find anyone with a key.
I was sitting on my couch, fairly far away from my door when this exchange happened. Further proof that the walls in this apartment are made of paper mache. You would think someone with a key would have heard them and wanted to help out. If I would have had a key I probably would have. I decided to go to the grocery store, since I was out of ginger ale and my stomach has been bothering me a lot lately. As I was leaving one of the kids apologized for the noise. I've noticed that the kids in this apartment building have pretty good manners.
When I got back a truck was pulling up with a trailer attached. In the trailer was a man standing up, just standing there while the truck rolled into the parking lot. Just when I thought my night couldn't get any more surreal. I looked towards one of the doors and there was furniture strewn all the way out the door. They started loading up the furniture, which I thought was kind of weird, since if they were moving out they would have had to be out by noon. This means their furniture was sitting outside their door for almost twelve hours.
Disclaimer: I did not have all the facts, but I can only deduce from what I heard and saw that this person was trying to move out, and had to sit with her furniture while waiting for a moving truck/trailer to show up. At first I thought maybe she locked herself out of her apartment too, but that would be pretty hard to do since you need a key to lock the apartment. Plus, I saw the kid going in there shortly before I left. And even if they lost their keys, they could always lock the door from the inside. Oh well, just another crazy Saturday night over here. Nothing special. The only thing that made it different was that there were no cops.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Day 96: Moving Day - Take 2
This post is a little late, mainly because I just got all my furniture back together. As I posted in a previous blog, my neighbors have a "No Entry" sign on their door, saying their apartment is unfit for human occupancy. A week later we all received a notice to move all of our furniture a foot away from the wall and strip our bedsheets. They were going to spray the place for bedbugs, which they tried to say was something that they normally do twice a year. I have never been in a place that had a problem with bedbugs. I can almost guarantee it's the neighbors. So I sent out an SOS to facebook for anyone, anyone at all, that could help me move furniture. I have a lot of furniture! I only received one response for help from none other than my mom.
She came over that night and helped me pull my couch out, and then pull all of my dvds out of the china cabinet so that could be more easily moved. Then I had to unplug the tv and everything else and move that towards the couch. When we were done it looked as if I had just moved in, minus the boxes. My bedroom got the same treatment, although I'm lucky it's hardwood floors because I was able to just slide the bookcase across the floor without emptying the shelves. My computer was pretty much unusable though, hence the late posts. I had to beg for help moving everything back, too, because I got no response back the second time around other than people wondering why I was moving furniture. In my mind if a friend says, "I need help," you help first, ask questions later.
The loneliness still gets to me sometimes, everybody is going into hibernation mode, which I'm sure is no short trip. I've actually been watching a lot of movies. Ever since I started juicing I've been getting sick every once in awhile. The other day I ended up in urgent care with symptoms of the stomach flu. I doubt the juices are entirely to blame, but it is a little inconvenient.
Since I always tell everyone my job is always good for a story (I work with dementia patients), I will tell one. Today I was doing a mini celebration/discussion group on Thanksgivakkuh. Basically, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah land on the same day, which hasn't happened ever and will probably never happen again, or at least another 79,000 years. In the past when I have done a Hanukkah celebration I had a lot of people not wanting to come, claiming that they weren't Jewish so they didn't want to partake in that group, even if it was just a discussion. This year was significantly different. Nobody expressed not wanting to partake for lack of religion, and most were eager to hear about this "jubilee year" festival.
It's amazing how, because they fall on the same day, these holidays can bring people together. It also got me to thinking how someone Jewish must feel when they are forced to watch yet another Christmas movie, or hear a lecture in school about the holiday season. I've always believed in the belief that all religions are different, not the widely accepted belief that all religions are wrong, except mine. There's a lot of talk about religious tolerance these days, how people shove religion down other's throats, which I have never tried to do. If asked about what I believe I will tell you, I'm not going to be afraid of offending anyone, because it's my beliefs, not theirs. It seems like so many people are ashamed to say that they are Christian, for fear of retribution from a society that perceives us as "bible thumpers." Back to my previous statement about Jewish holidays, I think that people should be more tolerant of different festivals going on around them. This is why, even I have just one person of a certain faith, I strive to celebrate or honor all the holidays that are represented. It's the least I can do since I will be singing Christmas carols for the next four weeks for them.
She came over that night and helped me pull my couch out, and then pull all of my dvds out of the china cabinet so that could be more easily moved. Then I had to unplug the tv and everything else and move that towards the couch. When we were done it looked as if I had just moved in, minus the boxes. My bedroom got the same treatment, although I'm lucky it's hardwood floors because I was able to just slide the bookcase across the floor without emptying the shelves. My computer was pretty much unusable though, hence the late posts. I had to beg for help moving everything back, too, because I got no response back the second time around other than people wondering why I was moving furniture. In my mind if a friend says, "I need help," you help first, ask questions later.
The loneliness still gets to me sometimes, everybody is going into hibernation mode, which I'm sure is no short trip. I've actually been watching a lot of movies. Ever since I started juicing I've been getting sick every once in awhile. The other day I ended up in urgent care with symptoms of the stomach flu. I doubt the juices are entirely to blame, but it is a little inconvenient.
Since I always tell everyone my job is always good for a story (I work with dementia patients), I will tell one. Today I was doing a mini celebration/discussion group on Thanksgivakkuh. Basically, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah land on the same day, which hasn't happened ever and will probably never happen again, or at least another 79,000 years. In the past when I have done a Hanukkah celebration I had a lot of people not wanting to come, claiming that they weren't Jewish so they didn't want to partake in that group, even if it was just a discussion. This year was significantly different. Nobody expressed not wanting to partake for lack of religion, and most were eager to hear about this "jubilee year" festival.
It's amazing how, because they fall on the same day, these holidays can bring people together. It also got me to thinking how someone Jewish must feel when they are forced to watch yet another Christmas movie, or hear a lecture in school about the holiday season. I've always believed in the belief that all religions are different, not the widely accepted belief that all religions are wrong, except mine. There's a lot of talk about religious tolerance these days, how people shove religion down other's throats, which I have never tried to do. If asked about what I believe I will tell you, I'm not going to be afraid of offending anyone, because it's my beliefs, not theirs. It seems like so many people are ashamed to say that they are Christian, for fear of retribution from a society that perceives us as "bible thumpers." Back to my previous statement about Jewish holidays, I think that people should be more tolerant of different festivals going on around them. This is why, even I have just one person of a certain faith, I strive to celebrate or honor all the holidays that are represented. It's the least I can do since I will be singing Christmas carols for the next four weeks for them.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Day 86: It's On!
After living here for almost three months I am ready to move! I was watching tv earlier today, while doing some housework, when I got a knock on my door. I asked who it was, and the person said they were my downstairs neighbor. I have never met this person, so I kept my phone within reach in case I needed to make a call to the police. I opened the door just a crack, wishing that I had one of those chains across the door. As soon as I opened the door he said, "Do you have to walk around so heavy?" I was taken back, since I had hardly been walking around my apartment much today, and I don't consider myself to be a heavy walker. A million responses came to my head, many of them just as rude as his proposed question, but instead I took the high road. I stated that I don't think I walk heavy, and had been sitting on my couch watching tv for the last hour or so. He then proceeded to say, "Well, then there must be a ghost walking around up here, because it's so loud, I can hear every step downstairs. Especially last night, and most nights, after 10:30 at night." I could see I wasn't going to get anywhere by arguing with this guy, nor did I want to start a feud with a neighbor that had the potential to make my life a living hell. So, instead of telling him off, and that I can walk around my apartment at any time I want, I apologized and told him I would try to be more mindful of my walking.
This is the kind of Mickey Mouse stuff that makes me want to move so bad. I have noisy neighbors, but they aren't noisy on purpose. It's just that apartment walls aren't made very thick or soundproof. It's like living in a big house, you are going to hear what's going on beyond the walls and ceilings. At least once I have my own place I won't have to worry about being heavyfooted or staying up until (God fobid) 10:30! He's gong to have to deal with it tomorrow, because the apartment building has asked everyone to move their furniture a foot away from the wall to spray for bugs. I don't even want people coming in here, but now I have to try to find a way to move all of this furniture. I'm not too worried about most of it, but some of it is very heavy, such as bookshelves and china cabinets, so hopefully I can find someone to help me. If my neighbor comes and complains to me about me moving this stuff, though, I'm going to go to the office myself and file a harassment charge, because I felt very bullied by this person. Rather than trying to work things out, he came roaring up to my door, taking out his frustrations on a situation that isn't my fault. Work with me, not against me.
On the positive side, so this isn't just a rant, I have started a budget for myself, and am trying best I can to follow it. My goal was to put away $1000 every month, so far I've only done this once, and this month isn't looking too good either. It's mainly doctor bills that got me so far in debt. If I can just stay healthy enough to not have to go to the doctor I can move out of here in (hopefully) six months. That is the goal for starting to look, sometime in March/April. If I get out of here by July I will be so happy. I will not be renewing my lease, however, I am not impressed with management or the neighbors I have had to deal with. It makes it feel like I've lived here for a year. I can't even remember what it was like living at my old place anymore.
My favorite holiday is coming up, Thanksgiving, and I'm learning to appreciate the little things. Rather than going out and buying stuff all the time, I'm taking time to enjoy the stuff that I have bought that has sat on my shelf for years unused. I have at least fifty books that I have never read. I have at least ten unopened dvds. I have started playing a game with my cds, where I pick out a couple random ones I haven't listened to in awhile and playing them in my car. If I listen to it, and no longer like it, I try to sell or donate it. I've also tried connecting with my family more. I've tried with my friends, even if I don't get a response it's nice to send a message or just say hi.
This is the kind of Mickey Mouse stuff that makes me want to move so bad. I have noisy neighbors, but they aren't noisy on purpose. It's just that apartment walls aren't made very thick or soundproof. It's like living in a big house, you are going to hear what's going on beyond the walls and ceilings. At least once I have my own place I won't have to worry about being heavyfooted or staying up until (God fobid) 10:30! He's gong to have to deal with it tomorrow, because the apartment building has asked everyone to move their furniture a foot away from the wall to spray for bugs. I don't even want people coming in here, but now I have to try to find a way to move all of this furniture. I'm not too worried about most of it, but some of it is very heavy, such as bookshelves and china cabinets, so hopefully I can find someone to help me. If my neighbor comes and complains to me about me moving this stuff, though, I'm going to go to the office myself and file a harassment charge, because I felt very bullied by this person. Rather than trying to work things out, he came roaring up to my door, taking out his frustrations on a situation that isn't my fault. Work with me, not against me.
On the positive side, so this isn't just a rant, I have started a budget for myself, and am trying best I can to follow it. My goal was to put away $1000 every month, so far I've only done this once, and this month isn't looking too good either. It's mainly doctor bills that got me so far in debt. If I can just stay healthy enough to not have to go to the doctor I can move out of here in (hopefully) six months. That is the goal for starting to look, sometime in March/April. If I get out of here by July I will be so happy. I will not be renewing my lease, however, I am not impressed with management or the neighbors I have had to deal with. It makes it feel like I've lived here for a year. I can't even remember what it was like living at my old place anymore.
My favorite holiday is coming up, Thanksgiving, and I'm learning to appreciate the little things. Rather than going out and buying stuff all the time, I'm taking time to enjoy the stuff that I have bought that has sat on my shelf for years unused. I have at least fifty books that I have never read. I have at least ten unopened dvds. I have started playing a game with my cds, where I pick out a couple random ones I haven't listened to in awhile and playing them in my car. If I listen to it, and no longer like it, I try to sell or donate it. I've also tried connecting with my family more. I've tried with my friends, even if I don't get a response it's nice to send a message or just say hi.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Day 82: Trouble in the 'Hood
This has been one of the longest weeks (mentally). I just found out today that I'm going to a conference next Monday, though, so I have the option of taking this Saturday off. I might do that, otherwise I have a six day week next week. I'm considering just going back to regular Monday through Friday scheduling, this is getting confusing.
I got home today, feeling much more tired than usual, and walked up the stairs to my apartment. I saw a notice on my neighbor's door. At first I thought it was an eviction notice, it was not. It was a notice from the Police and Fire Department stating that the unit was unfit to live in, with the words "No Entry" written in big letters. Part of me really wants to know why it's unfit to live in, because if it's bugs or mice who's to say they won't get in my apartment. Part of me doesn't want to know, though, and just live blindly with whatever is going on beyond the foot of wall separating me from them. I swear someone just moved in there too.
I must have bad luck with neighbors, because last week three cops showed up knocking on the door on the other side of me. I know the people in the apartments on either side of me, so it makes me wonder what is going on while I'm not here. If someone got evicted I would imagine there would be lots of yelling and screaming. I don't know what's going on. I just have to keep my eyes on the prize of moving out and, hopefully, buying a nice house/townhome.
I got home today, feeling much more tired than usual, and walked up the stairs to my apartment. I saw a notice on my neighbor's door. At first I thought it was an eviction notice, it was not. It was a notice from the Police and Fire Department stating that the unit was unfit to live in, with the words "No Entry" written in big letters. Part of me really wants to know why it's unfit to live in, because if it's bugs or mice who's to say they won't get in my apartment. Part of me doesn't want to know, though, and just live blindly with whatever is going on beyond the foot of wall separating me from them. I swear someone just moved in there too.
I must have bad luck with neighbors, because last week three cops showed up knocking on the door on the other side of me. I know the people in the apartments on either side of me, so it makes me wonder what is going on while I'm not here. If someone got evicted I would imagine there would be lots of yelling and screaming. I don't know what's going on. I just have to keep my eyes on the prize of moving out and, hopefully, buying a nice house/townhome.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Day 80: Life Changes, Sometimes We Stand Still
A lot of things have been changing in my life over the last couple months. The move was a big step, I knew that would change a lot of things. I was responsible for all the bills, no reminder other than my ipod. I knew that my brother and I would probably not be as close either, as he is a newlywed. He once told me that couples don't hang out with single people. I'm starting to realize why...but I never expected this change to happen so fast.
All my friends are in relationships, which is hard sometimes, but I usually am good at not letting it get to me too much. Anyone who has ever been the third wheel of the group knows exactly what I'm talking about. It sucks when you go out to dinner and the waitress goes around the table asking who is with who, to split the check, and then you have to announce that you are alone. Luckily I've been close to the friends in my group, so I am able to voice some of these concerns and talk through them. Lately though I feel like everybody wants to take off the training wheels and leave them in the ditch.
I have struggled with friendships my whole life, having been diagnosed with Asperger's disease, which really made it hard to make, much less keep, friends. I never had any friends in grade school, I had a friend that stole money from me in junior high, friends in high school that barely lasted through graduation, and friends in college that gradually grew into distant acquaintances on facebook. So when my brother introduced me into his circle of friends I was grateful, finally I had found some people I could relate to and get along with. These are the longest friendships I have had.
I'm not going to go into specifics, but I have felt very avoided over the last couple months. I don't even know if that's a word, but neglected feels too harsh. I guess ignored, but unintentionally, maybe. I went from the shy girl that couldn't make friends and didn't really care to have any, to someone who was hanging out almost every week, making plans, and building relationships. Then everything stopped. Right after I moved I noticed people stopped coming around, much less communicating. After trying to hang out a couple times, and failing, I thought maybe everyone was busy. Then I would find out that people were hanging out without me, or talking amongst themselves, but excluding me.
I've been going into panic mode the last couple weeks, I have no idea why no one will talk to me, or I guess why no one wants to talk to me. I am having flashbacks to high school when I would hear everyone talking about the awesome weekend they had, but when I would go over to ask about it, they would ignore me. I guess I might have to start over at square one, not sure where else to go from here. I might even try a change of scenery, anything to get over this sick feeling of being excluded and rejected.
I know from my post it might look like my friends aren't really friends, but at one time we were so close that there wasn't a second thought as to whether we were hanging out or not. Every Saturday and/or Sunday we would meet up somewhere, saying no wasn't an option. There were absolutely no secrets because everybody talked about everything. Now I'm lucky if I can get a hello. I've also been wondering if these are one sided friendships lately. Lately I've been the one that always initiates conversation and says hello. No one ever does that with me. Maybe none of them want to be friends with me but don't have the heart to tell me.
By the way, if any of you (people mentioned in post) are reading this, please don't take offense. I'm not mad, I'm just confused. If anybody reading this has been in this position and has some advice, or just encouragement, feel free to reply to this thread. I could use all the advice/encouragement I can stand.
I chose the title for this post because that's what life feels like when we are resistant to change. I like to think about my life 20 years from now and ask the following question: If my life was like this 20 years from now would I be satisfied? Most of us would say no, so why be resistant to the change that is inevitable. I know most friendships don't last more than four or five years on average, and if they do you most likely have made a friend for life. So don't be afraid of change, I'm embracing it a lot these days.
All my friends are in relationships, which is hard sometimes, but I usually am good at not letting it get to me too much. Anyone who has ever been the third wheel of the group knows exactly what I'm talking about. It sucks when you go out to dinner and the waitress goes around the table asking who is with who, to split the check, and then you have to announce that you are alone. Luckily I've been close to the friends in my group, so I am able to voice some of these concerns and talk through them. Lately though I feel like everybody wants to take off the training wheels and leave them in the ditch.
I have struggled with friendships my whole life, having been diagnosed with Asperger's disease, which really made it hard to make, much less keep, friends. I never had any friends in grade school, I had a friend that stole money from me in junior high, friends in high school that barely lasted through graduation, and friends in college that gradually grew into distant acquaintances on facebook. So when my brother introduced me into his circle of friends I was grateful, finally I had found some people I could relate to and get along with. These are the longest friendships I have had.
I'm not going to go into specifics, but I have felt very avoided over the last couple months. I don't even know if that's a word, but neglected feels too harsh. I guess ignored, but unintentionally, maybe. I went from the shy girl that couldn't make friends and didn't really care to have any, to someone who was hanging out almost every week, making plans, and building relationships. Then everything stopped. Right after I moved I noticed people stopped coming around, much less communicating. After trying to hang out a couple times, and failing, I thought maybe everyone was busy. Then I would find out that people were hanging out without me, or talking amongst themselves, but excluding me.
I've been going into panic mode the last couple weeks, I have no idea why no one will talk to me, or I guess why no one wants to talk to me. I am having flashbacks to high school when I would hear everyone talking about the awesome weekend they had, but when I would go over to ask about it, they would ignore me. I guess I might have to start over at square one, not sure where else to go from here. I might even try a change of scenery, anything to get over this sick feeling of being excluded and rejected.
I know from my post it might look like my friends aren't really friends, but at one time we were so close that there wasn't a second thought as to whether we were hanging out or not. Every Saturday and/or Sunday we would meet up somewhere, saying no wasn't an option. There were absolutely no secrets because everybody talked about everything. Now I'm lucky if I can get a hello. I've also been wondering if these are one sided friendships lately. Lately I've been the one that always initiates conversation and says hello. No one ever does that with me. Maybe none of them want to be friends with me but don't have the heart to tell me.
By the way, if any of you (people mentioned in post) are reading this, please don't take offense. I'm not mad, I'm just confused. If anybody reading this has been in this position and has some advice, or just encouragement, feel free to reply to this thread. I could use all the advice/encouragement I can stand.
I chose the title for this post because that's what life feels like when we are resistant to change. I like to think about my life 20 years from now and ask the following question: If my life was like this 20 years from now would I be satisfied? Most of us would say no, so why be resistant to the change that is inevitable. I know most friendships don't last more than four or five years on average, and if they do you most likely have made a friend for life. So don't be afraid of change, I'm embracing it a lot these days.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Day 76: How Did You Get My Number?
Over the course of the last few days I have had terrible insomnia. I can't get to bed early, which is nothing new, but then I wake up way too early and can't fall back asleep. Tuesday night was one of the worst nights for trying to sleep apparently. I tossed and turned for hours, finally getting to sleep sometime around 3 in the morning. Recently I bought a cell phone, so it was my second day adjusting to my new alarm. When it went off, I snoozed it because it seemed a little dark outside and it felt too comfortable in my bed. I later learned it wasn't my alarm...
Around 7:30 that morning I received a missed call from an unknown number, but I thought it was my alarm. I looked at my phone after my alarm went off and read the time. That's weird, why would my alarm go off so early? All of a sudden I heard some loud banging, like the sound of furniture being moved and handled not so carefully. Who would do such a thing as move furniture loudly at 7 in the morning? I decided I wasn't getting any more sleep and dragged myself out of bed to get ready for work. I had to get up in an hour anyways, so another hour after this wake up call would have just made me more tired.
After getting ready I laid down on my bed and played on my nook, just to get a little down time before heading out the door, relax a little. That's when the neighbor's dog started howling. Constantly. This went on for a good half hour at least, so I figured it wasn't good for my mental health to sit in my apartment, getting more and more agitated as the morning went on. To add to my misery my birds had chose this moment to squawk their brains out, and I still had a blanket over them. You should have heard them when I pulled the blanket off to feed them, it was like a high pitched car alarm.
I left for work, deciding that my annoyance level was so bad I needed to remove myself from the apartment before it affected my day too much. When you work in healthcare, especially mental health, you have to make sure to take care of your own mental health before anyone else's. I kept thinking about that missed phone call, deciding on my break to google it, it just looked so familiar. I found out why: it was the number for the city police and fire department! I was kind of scared at this point, there must have been an emergency in my building that morning, why else would they call. So I called the number, all the while playing dumb that it was a missed call and I had NO idea who I was calling. They didn't give me any details, but apparently they had called everyone in that building because there was an incident that morning. They were calling me to make sure I stayed indoors to keep safe. What if I had been on my way to work? I don't even want to think about what was going on, but that must have been what all that banging upstairs was.
The police are actually out here a lot, I don't know if that makes me feel more or less safe. I guess it means they respond quickly. I remember when I lived up the street from where I am now, I had to call the police a couple times and they were always out there in minutes. It makes me feel safe because they must patrol this area regularly, but also a little unsafe because they must have a reason for patrolling this area. Oh well, only nine more months to go...
Around 7:30 that morning I received a missed call from an unknown number, but I thought it was my alarm. I looked at my phone after my alarm went off and read the time. That's weird, why would my alarm go off so early? All of a sudden I heard some loud banging, like the sound of furniture being moved and handled not so carefully. Who would do such a thing as move furniture loudly at 7 in the morning? I decided I wasn't getting any more sleep and dragged myself out of bed to get ready for work. I had to get up in an hour anyways, so another hour after this wake up call would have just made me more tired.
After getting ready I laid down on my bed and played on my nook, just to get a little down time before heading out the door, relax a little. That's when the neighbor's dog started howling. Constantly. This went on for a good half hour at least, so I figured it wasn't good for my mental health to sit in my apartment, getting more and more agitated as the morning went on. To add to my misery my birds had chose this moment to squawk their brains out, and I still had a blanket over them. You should have heard them when I pulled the blanket off to feed them, it was like a high pitched car alarm.
I left for work, deciding that my annoyance level was so bad I needed to remove myself from the apartment before it affected my day too much. When you work in healthcare, especially mental health, you have to make sure to take care of your own mental health before anyone else's. I kept thinking about that missed phone call, deciding on my break to google it, it just looked so familiar. I found out why: it was the number for the city police and fire department! I was kind of scared at this point, there must have been an emergency in my building that morning, why else would they call. So I called the number, all the while playing dumb that it was a missed call and I had NO idea who I was calling. They didn't give me any details, but apparently they had called everyone in that building because there was an incident that morning. They were calling me to make sure I stayed indoors to keep safe. What if I had been on my way to work? I don't even want to think about what was going on, but that must have been what all that banging upstairs was.
The police are actually out here a lot, I don't know if that makes me feel more or less safe. I guess it means they respond quickly. I remember when I lived up the street from where I am now, I had to call the police a couple times and they were always out there in minutes. It makes me feel safe because they must patrol this area regularly, but also a little unsafe because they must have a reason for patrolling this area. Oh well, only nine more months to go...
Monday, November 4, 2013
Day 73: I Still Hate Cell Phones
Warning: This is a rant. If I don't get my frustrations out on paper, then it gets built up inside of me and comes out in the form of screaming at the television when the sound isn't working or throwing my keys on the floor because they refuse to hang the right way on their hook. Harmless, but should be avoided. If you do not like rants, do not read any further. I am grateful for what I have in my life, but, like I said, just need to get this out of my system.
About a month ago my cell phone plan changed, and with it came more data, because this is the future of how people spend their free time with their friends. Using data on their phones to look at unrelated, unimportant data on social networking sites. But I digress...
I tried ordering one from Amazon, only to have them come in the middle of the day trying to deliver. Of course it needed a signature, so they came back again the next day, around 4:30, and I answered my phone asking him if I had any other options for getting the package delivered because I don't get home until later in the day. He said to sign the delivery notice and he would leave it with the office the next day. When I got home there was no slip. I decided to leave work a little early to try to catch the delivery guy the next day, only to have him not show up. I called UPS and they said that they did three delivery attempts and, since I was unable to sign for it, it was being sent back to the seller. After looking online I discovered that only two delivery attempts had been made before being sent back. That night, after UPS left my building claiming they left a slip, they logged an action at 9:21pm: package being sent back to shipper. After three frustrating phone calls I finally got my money back. So I headed into the stores today, since online shopping was frustrating me beyond belief...
First I headed to T-Mobile. I told them the phones I was considering, and they told me that, because I was not an authorized user (I'm on a family plan), that I could not purchase a phone without that person's permission. They said it was to protect everybody from accessing my account, but if I walk in ready to pay top dollar for a phone I would have thought it wouldn't matter. Needless to say, thanked the person, and walked out. I decided Best Buy might have a deal. Nope. They said they had nothing for T-Mobile except for some no-contract phones that I wasn't interested in. So I then journeyed to Target. The person told me the same thing as Best Buy, but they have something else called Bright Spot, where it's a no contract phone, but it works if you put your SIM card in. They had none in stock, and referred me to a different Target.
By this point I was frustrated, fed up, but really wanted that phone. Luckily the store wasn't very far away. I went straight back to electronics, and tried pulling it off the shelf. No luck, it was locked. Three employees were all standing around at the kiosk discussing some sort of store policies and ignoring the flood of customers that were milling about in their department. Finally one of them asked if I needed any help, and I told him that I wanted to buy a cell phone. He unlocked it, and then handed it to one of the other ladies, and told her to ring me up. She kept talking, and talking, holding the cell phone that I wanted and ignoring me for what seemed like forever (ok, it was probably only 20 seconds at best). She finally told the other employee that she had to interrupt their conversation to ring me up. Well, sorry if I'm interrupting you to buy an item that's hundreds of dollars that will help keep your job secure so you can continue to ignore customers! Like I said, this is a rant.
She held out a card for insurance and said that she would insure it for $45, not even bothering to say what it covered, because clearly she was in a hurry. I said no thank you. She kept trying to convince me that it was a good idea, so I said, ever so quietly, "Fine. I'll take it." I took the bag and went out to my car to try the phone out. I have learned from experience always open electronics in the parking lot to make sure all parts are there, saves me a lot of trips. What do you know, my SIM card did not fit. I put everything back into the box and went back in. I went to customer service, receipt in hand.....and of course the same person that rung me up was not in guest services. I walked up, she of course looked very concerned, and I told her the SIM card didn't fit. She asked to see my SIM card, because no one ever believes a word I say. This isn't just her fault. This is an everyday thing with everyone I know. She took it back to electronics and had them look at it. It still wasn't fitting, and they don't accept returns on cell phones that have been opened. She recommended going to T-Mobile to get my SIM card cut to fit. She told me they had a kit for cutting it but it was expensive, to which I'm thinking, if you had better customer service you would offer this so that people wouldn't have to return $400 phones.
Off I went to T-Mobile, but of course I couldn't go to the same one, mainly because I was afraid the guy would say that he wouldn't help me because I didn't have permission to change things. I went into the store, luckily I was the only one in there, and he promptly processed a mini SIM card for me that worked. I thanked him and left, only to hear I was leaving, and another customer (Asian) was entering, "Hey, can you help the Asian guy?" Customer service really does suck these days. I know times have changed, but thirty years ago T-Mobile would have helped me find a solution rather than telling me I needed permission. Best Buy would have asked about ordering a phone, or offering a discount on a new phone if I didn't do a contract. Target would have asked if I wanted help setting the phone up, making sure everything works, or giving me a number to call if I had any problems. They also would have explained their return policy up front. The only thing that hasn't changed is the racism. That really angered me, it was the cherry on top. It wasn't so much the customer service that sucked everywhere, but just the lack of compassion for the customer. No one values business anymore. Even when I was at the customer service desk at Target they were talking about unrelated, non work stuff while helping customers. I used to work at Byerly's and if I ever did this while helping customers I would get talked to.
Anyways, the only problem with a new SIM card was that the old one no longer worked. I had no cell phone for the whole afternoon today, which wasn't so bad because I hardly get any calls. I mainly have a cell phone for calls, texts, and social networking, so I can fit in with the crowd. Seriously, though, I did need an upgrade, it was just frustrating that I had to go to five different stores to get it done. I do feel a lot better after getting this out of my system. One more thing, I also went to Taco Bell for "happy hour." I know it isn't the best place to judge, but when I asked about flavors of something that they offered, she wordlessly pointed to a sign and then walked away. I weep for the future of businesses. I will end with a quote from my grandpa, who was a successful entrepreneur himself:
"The business opportunities in this world are not golden, they are platinum. You can sell anything if you have the right approach."
About a month ago my cell phone plan changed, and with it came more data, because this is the future of how people spend their free time with their friends. Using data on their phones to look at unrelated, unimportant data on social networking sites. But I digress...
I tried ordering one from Amazon, only to have them come in the middle of the day trying to deliver. Of course it needed a signature, so they came back again the next day, around 4:30, and I answered my phone asking him if I had any other options for getting the package delivered because I don't get home until later in the day. He said to sign the delivery notice and he would leave it with the office the next day. When I got home there was no slip. I decided to leave work a little early to try to catch the delivery guy the next day, only to have him not show up. I called UPS and they said that they did three delivery attempts and, since I was unable to sign for it, it was being sent back to the seller. After looking online I discovered that only two delivery attempts had been made before being sent back. That night, after UPS left my building claiming they left a slip, they logged an action at 9:21pm: package being sent back to shipper. After three frustrating phone calls I finally got my money back. So I headed into the stores today, since online shopping was frustrating me beyond belief...
First I headed to T-Mobile. I told them the phones I was considering, and they told me that, because I was not an authorized user (I'm on a family plan), that I could not purchase a phone without that person's permission. They said it was to protect everybody from accessing my account, but if I walk in ready to pay top dollar for a phone I would have thought it wouldn't matter. Needless to say, thanked the person, and walked out. I decided Best Buy might have a deal. Nope. They said they had nothing for T-Mobile except for some no-contract phones that I wasn't interested in. So I then journeyed to Target. The person told me the same thing as Best Buy, but they have something else called Bright Spot, where it's a no contract phone, but it works if you put your SIM card in. They had none in stock, and referred me to a different Target.
By this point I was frustrated, fed up, but really wanted that phone. Luckily the store wasn't very far away. I went straight back to electronics, and tried pulling it off the shelf. No luck, it was locked. Three employees were all standing around at the kiosk discussing some sort of store policies and ignoring the flood of customers that were milling about in their department. Finally one of them asked if I needed any help, and I told him that I wanted to buy a cell phone. He unlocked it, and then handed it to one of the other ladies, and told her to ring me up. She kept talking, and talking, holding the cell phone that I wanted and ignoring me for what seemed like forever (ok, it was probably only 20 seconds at best). She finally told the other employee that she had to interrupt their conversation to ring me up. Well, sorry if I'm interrupting you to buy an item that's hundreds of dollars that will help keep your job secure so you can continue to ignore customers! Like I said, this is a rant.
She held out a card for insurance and said that she would insure it for $45, not even bothering to say what it covered, because clearly she was in a hurry. I said no thank you. She kept trying to convince me that it was a good idea, so I said, ever so quietly, "Fine. I'll take it." I took the bag and went out to my car to try the phone out. I have learned from experience always open electronics in the parking lot to make sure all parts are there, saves me a lot of trips. What do you know, my SIM card did not fit. I put everything back into the box and went back in. I went to customer service, receipt in hand.....and of course the same person that rung me up was not in guest services. I walked up, she of course looked very concerned, and I told her the SIM card didn't fit. She asked to see my SIM card, because no one ever believes a word I say. This isn't just her fault. This is an everyday thing with everyone I know. She took it back to electronics and had them look at it. It still wasn't fitting, and they don't accept returns on cell phones that have been opened. She recommended going to T-Mobile to get my SIM card cut to fit. She told me they had a kit for cutting it but it was expensive, to which I'm thinking, if you had better customer service you would offer this so that people wouldn't have to return $400 phones.
Off I went to T-Mobile, but of course I couldn't go to the same one, mainly because I was afraid the guy would say that he wouldn't help me because I didn't have permission to change things. I went into the store, luckily I was the only one in there, and he promptly processed a mini SIM card for me that worked. I thanked him and left, only to hear I was leaving, and another customer (Asian) was entering, "Hey, can you help the Asian guy?" Customer service really does suck these days. I know times have changed, but thirty years ago T-Mobile would have helped me find a solution rather than telling me I needed permission. Best Buy would have asked about ordering a phone, or offering a discount on a new phone if I didn't do a contract. Target would have asked if I wanted help setting the phone up, making sure everything works, or giving me a number to call if I had any problems. They also would have explained their return policy up front. The only thing that hasn't changed is the racism. That really angered me, it was the cherry on top. It wasn't so much the customer service that sucked everywhere, but just the lack of compassion for the customer. No one values business anymore. Even when I was at the customer service desk at Target they were talking about unrelated, non work stuff while helping customers. I used to work at Byerly's and if I ever did this while helping customers I would get talked to.
Anyways, the only problem with a new SIM card was that the old one no longer worked. I had no cell phone for the whole afternoon today, which wasn't so bad because I hardly get any calls. I mainly have a cell phone for calls, texts, and social networking, so I can fit in with the crowd. Seriously, though, I did need an upgrade, it was just frustrating that I had to go to five different stores to get it done. I do feel a lot better after getting this out of my system. One more thing, I also went to Taco Bell for "happy hour." I know it isn't the best place to judge, but when I asked about flavors of something that they offered, she wordlessly pointed to a sign and then walked away. I weep for the future of businesses. I will end with a quote from my grandpa, who was a successful entrepreneur himself:
"The business opportunities in this world are not golden, they are platinum. You can sell anything if you have the right approach."
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