Friday, October 30, 2009

Don't Ask If You Don't Want To Know

I just got off the phone. (Those of you who know me, and you all do, know where this is going.) We apparently have a new insurance guy. I've never met the man, but he's called a few times before and left messages. The only reason I answered the phone is because we're expecting a call. Here's the Reader's Digest version of how the call played out:

Me: Hello
Annoying Guy (AG): Hi, Wontar? This is Annoying Guy from your insurance place! How are you today?
Me: Fine.
AG: Have you met your new representative Connie Whatshername yet?
Me: No.
AG: Well, I'd like to set up an appointment so you could meet with her and go over your insurance needs.
Me: Is that absolutely necessary?
AG: (blink) Well, no. It's just a courtesy.
Me: Then I don't think we'll be doing that.

I have to admit that I was impressed that he didn't press the issue. I mean... strike one for calling in the first place. Strike two for asking me to leave the apartment in order to talk with someone. I already spat venom at the last insurance idiot who called me in response to an e-mail I sent. If I send an e-mail and I ask for an e-mail reply, how mad do you expect me to get when you call? I'm sorry if writing a semi-grammatically correct sentence hurts. Not my problem.

In unrelated news, we are both the proud owners of ergonomic keyboards. You'd think that two people who spend 20 or 30 hours per day on the things, we would have done it sooner. You'd be wrong. Still getting used to them, but I have to say that they're comfy as all get out. Next up: ergonomic mice! Good luck finding ones that aren't cordless.

Oh. Here's something for the family: it was 37 here when I woke up yesterday. I think it was 39 this morning. I know those are your highs right now, but take some small pleasure in the thought of me wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants and being cold at those temperatures. Don't gloat too much, though. Saturday's high: 80.

Saturday, October 03, 2009

Results Inconclusive

I got a message from the brain place on Friday. There's another study of some sort, and they want to know if I'm interested. I'm assuming it's for migraines. Could be for hair loss, but I doubt it. I'll find out more on Monday, but here's hoping there's more experimental drugs and minimal side effects in my future!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Hoover? Damn!

We recently purchased a carpet steamer/shampooer/cleanifier thingy. I've never been so simultaneously delighted and horrified with a purchase. Put aside for the moment the fact that the thing is cheaply made, with cheap toy-grade plastic, by our dear, dear friendly neighbors in Mexico. Disregard the fact that the instructions do not actually show how to attach the hose to the device. Overlook the Hoover brand name no longer means diddly, and that there's no way in hell this machine is going to last 20 years. Observe instead the horrors that are coming up out of the carpet. Ick. Arizona is a filthy, filthy state. Despite its shoddy construction, the cleaner seems to work well. The carpet feels better.

Sunday, September 06, 2009

I Want To Be An Electric Eel

We went out to lunch the other day. To my right was a table full of cackling hens of varying ages who were extremely excited about their recent/upcoming trip to China. I know this because they wouldn't shut up about the two young girls learning Chinese. At the table. Over, and over, and over again. Now, I fully support the idea that those who are going to visit a foreign land have at least a passing familiarity with the language. I do not support you screaming Chinese while I'm trying to eat. The exception being that I'm in a Chinese restaurant, and some buffet buffalo just stomped on the foot of a waiter.

Behind me sat a family with an infant and a small child. The infant started out in a high chair, but cried so much they moved him/her/it to a seat with one of the parents. At more than one point during my meal, the baby kept touching my back. Now, many people will go "awww, how cute!" This is why I don't get along with most people. Up until that point, I had no idea the baby was immediately behind me. While I'm not the most massive person around, I guarantee you that my mass is more than enough to harm the baby had I leaned back, sneeze, or whatever. Tiny baby fingers will lose out every time. And in that scenario, I would be the bad guy. Because the goddamn parents aren't watching their friggin' infant. At home, where they should be until he/she/it is old enough to vote.

I'm waiting for some entrepreneur in Tucson to open a restaurant that only serves adults. They will get 100% of my business. Except on Screamin' Mandarin Tuesday.

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Yep, Still Breathing

You know you're working hard when you get an e-mail from your parents that say they never hear from you. Then you check your blog and see you haven't posted in a month and a half. Wow. We've been a bit busy. Moreso than usual since the online empire took a severe kick to the groinular region. We're cranking out new shops, new blogs, and basically scrambling to lessen the impact of it all. Hey, it still beats waking up to an alarm clock and going through the day with homicidal thoughts. Plus, we're learning at an almost constant rate. Scary, perhaps, but true.

Sunday marks our sixth wedding anniversary for those of you keeping score at home. It seems that the traditional gifts for year six are candy and iron. Don't get those confused. The modern gift is wood. We'll take the candy, thank you.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Western Tanager

Nothing really blogworthy going on. The most interesting non-work-related thing to happen was two-fold: it rained, and during the rainstorm we were lucky enough to see a pair of amazingly colorful birds out of our sliding glass door. Glowingly bright yellow body, orange head, and black wings on the male, and yellow and grey on the female. I later learned that it was a pair of Western Tanagers (not teenagers, though some of those are colorful). They made for a nice splash of color on what we've come to term a "grey New York kind of day".

Other than that, not much. Working. Go figure. We're exciting like that.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Red Rock, Sedona, and Trains


The weather was darn near perfect. The above was taken at Red Rock State Park, where we walked several miles of trails. The train ride was downright nifty, even though there were far, far more people on the train than I had expected. ("Any" counts as far more people than I expected.)

It was a cloudy couple of days, which in any place other than Arizona would be bad. In Arizona, clouds are welcome. They add greatly to photographs, and cut down the blasting bleaching badness of the big hot thing in the sky.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

My Brain Hurts. Or It Will.

I got a call today from the migraine study place. They're cancelling the study. She said it was because the company felt they weren't getting the results they wanted, but I find that hard to believe. So that means that early next month I go in for my last appointment. We'll see how many days it takes until I start getting migraines again. It was a nice vacation. Maybe they'll be nice and give me a going away present of a few metric tons of pills.

Friday, February 06, 2009

The Last of the Thirties

I turned 39 a few minutes ago. At least as far as the calendar is concerned. If you want to be a stickler about it, it won't be for another 18 hours or so. I don't remember the exact time. I didn't have a digital watch then. (Or now, for that matter.) It's the last year I can be 30-something. I'm OK with that, because that was a crappy show. Deb has already made her famous chocolate chip cookies in honor of the event, so our plans for the day will involve cookies, lunch out somewhere, and more cookies. Sounds pretty darn perfect to me!

Next year at this time, I'll be cursing at turning 40. Because it just sounds old. And in 2012 when the Mayans come back from the dead and their gods kill us all, I'll be 42. Assuming they wait a couple months before they snuff out all existence. If you're a Douglas Adams fan, that age is significant. If you're not, then it isn't.

Saturday, January 03, 2009

It's A Tradition

Whilst taking down some Christmas decorations outside today, I heard something that really put me in the mind of Christmases (or Christmasi) gone by back on the hill. As I was outside in my T-shirt, taking down garland and tending my peppers (yes, they're still growing), I heard the lilting notes of an ice cream truck. Not the engine, but the plinking music. It's just what one would expect to hear on the second of January, no?