(no subject)
When I got over to J's yesterday, a friend of hers had dropped by (complete with whiny offspring), so I got to sit around for a while trying to keep a cheerful smile stapled to my cheeks while they talked about paperwork and someone who's a thief and some DVD J is borrowing and on and on.
Then the interlopers departed, and J wantedv to talk about tomorrow's event---except by then, I was in the grip of the notorious 4PM fade and my brain was temporarily offline. Basically, what to wear, when to be there, pack a lunch, yawn....
After an hour of that, we finally got on to the subject of my finances...which is not a happy subject. However, she *did* perpetrate a couple of techno miracles. First and foremost was setting things up so that I can access my FPL (electric) bill online. FPL has been a nightmare; because the account is still in my late father's name (dead since 1985, btw), the phone reps won't talk to me and I can't change it into my name, because they want a deposit that would choke a horse.
To add to the epic WTFness of the situation, when she got into it, we found out that an online account had already been set up. I was astonished when I saw the info: the email address belonged to HWSNBN. Considering how long ago that must have happened---he moved out in 2003---I'm still gaping like a codfish. Looking at the history of late payments, I wonder if he's been getting notices every time. And if he has, why the hell he never mentioned it back when he kept coming back here every weekend? IDEK.
So that's done, and then we did the same with BrightHouse (cable/net/phone). That was none too satisfactory. Their CSRs keep contradicting each other, and the one I got yesterday claims that I cannot possibly reduce my bill. That with the promo I have, if I turn in my DVR and converter and reduce the number of channels, I'll wind up paying $40 MORE a month.
I have a past-due balance, for which I got an extension til the 30th of this month. After that, it looks like I'm going to be relying on my PAYGo cell phone, digital converter box and other people's wireless. Which is going to be hideous, but my benefits are fixing to run out, and it's all I can do to keep my insurance paid and the utilities on for the next little while.
By the time we got through with all that, I was wrung out. J popped for pizza, and we watched some more Trauma. We've been working our way through that series, which I seriously miss---at this point, we're 7/23rds into it.
This morning, I had a workshop sponsored by AARP, which gives you tests of things like basic math skills, general computer knowledge and interpersonal teamwork skills. (I got 100% on the math portion, which floored me.) There's a pantheon of tests one can take, and I figure the more I can accumulate, the more secure I'll feel claiming the skills on resumes and in interviews.
The gal who ran it was cool. At one point, she did a demo on how to create an account for the system, and used the pseudonym "Nora Charles", which made me smirk---and I don't usually smirk at 9AM. She said she wondered if anyone would get the "Thin Man" reference. Told her I'm a huge Myrna Loy fan, and she mentioned that she's reading the books and picturing Myrna and William Powell. (Although in the books, Asta was a schnauzer. Just a little canine trivia....) She also admired my little blue shoes, worn with the blue and brown print skirt and cream colored top, and my glasses frames. She had on some lovely peridot earrings and a darling crochetted shrug. It's always an extra boost to get a compliment from someone who is herself well-dressed. It carries more weight, somehow.
Nearly 9---I'm gonna go enjoy my cable while I've got it.
.
Then the interlopers departed, and J wantedv to talk about tomorrow's event---except by then, I was in the grip of the notorious 4PM fade and my brain was temporarily offline. Basically, what to wear, when to be there, pack a lunch, yawn....
After an hour of that, we finally got on to the subject of my finances...which is not a happy subject. However, she *did* perpetrate a couple of techno miracles. First and foremost was setting things up so that I can access my FPL (electric) bill online. FPL has been a nightmare; because the account is still in my late father's name (dead since 1985, btw), the phone reps won't talk to me and I can't change it into my name, because they want a deposit that would choke a horse.
To add to the epic WTFness of the situation, when she got into it, we found out that an online account had already been set up. I was astonished when I saw the info: the email address belonged to HWSNBN. Considering how long ago that must have happened---he moved out in 2003---I'm still gaping like a codfish. Looking at the history of late payments, I wonder if he's been getting notices every time. And if he has, why the hell he never mentioned it back when he kept coming back here every weekend? IDEK.
So that's done, and then we did the same with BrightHouse (cable/net/phone). That was none too satisfactory. Their CSRs keep contradicting each other, and the one I got yesterday claims that I cannot possibly reduce my bill. That with the promo I have, if I turn in my DVR and converter and reduce the number of channels, I'll wind up paying $40 MORE a month.
I have a past-due balance, for which I got an extension til the 30th of this month. After that, it looks like I'm going to be relying on my PAYGo cell phone, digital converter box and other people's wireless. Which is going to be hideous, but my benefits are fixing to run out, and it's all I can do to keep my insurance paid and the utilities on for the next little while.
By the time we got through with all that, I was wrung out. J popped for pizza, and we watched some more Trauma. We've been working our way through that series, which I seriously miss---at this point, we're 7/23rds into it.
This morning, I had a workshop sponsored by AARP, which gives you tests of things like basic math skills, general computer knowledge and interpersonal teamwork skills. (I got 100% on the math portion, which floored me.) There's a pantheon of tests one can take, and I figure the more I can accumulate, the more secure I'll feel claiming the skills on resumes and in interviews.
The gal who ran it was cool. At one point, she did a demo on how to create an account for the system, and used the pseudonym "Nora Charles", which made me smirk---and I don't usually smirk at 9AM. She said she wondered if anyone would get the "Thin Man" reference. Told her I'm a huge Myrna Loy fan, and she mentioned that she's reading the books and picturing Myrna and William Powell. (Although in the books, Asta was a schnauzer. Just a little canine trivia....) She also admired my little blue shoes, worn with the blue and brown print skirt and cream colored top, and my glasses frames. She had on some lovely peridot earrings and a darling crochetted shrug. It's always an extra boost to get a compliment from someone who is herself well-dressed. It carries more weight, somehow.
Nearly 9---I'm gonna go enjoy my cable while I've got it.
.