yappity yap a productive day.

still have streaks of paint on me......not quite done painting, but great strides have been made! yahaha!

a feeling of triumph.......painted black legs white......they need one more coat. (it's an outside table on the front porch)

the dvd shelves have gotten two coats everywhere.......hopefully when all is dry it will be a done deal.

the little brown table got the first coat of white.  humming along........good old music is a great encourager. 

a pocket full of energy is a gift.  along the way i felt frimpity freaky, so i sat down in the comfy blue chair.......my heart was over thumping.....that funny thump when you sleep during the day, but i hadn't slept yet.  weird.....i listened to telly with me lids down, covered with kittums.  rio on my lap and annie on my arm.......odd combo, but that was us during today's nap time.  when i woke i was ready to do more painting.......i'm totally writing stuff out of order here, ohhh welll.  forgive me please.

the phone bill call was tough.  the first girl kept repeating at&t phrasing rhetoric which helps not at all.  finally after many minutes i asked for their special customer service team.  i had to ask her four times.......round one sent my blood pressure up.  practiced breathing and finally got to talk to the special team ......this guy was a very cold fish who told me that whoever i spoke to last month had led me to an unrealistic expectation.  that no one at any time should have told me to call in seeking special rates in care of my budget..........RUDEMUCH?!  he had a cool distant tone.......unengaged, a regular do not care bear.  it made it even worse.......

the deal last month was to secure a good rate within my budget for another 12 months.  at the end i wrote on my notes that the total for internet & a landline would remain around $70 total.  the monthly rate would be around $57-$59 monthly plus taxes.......but cold fish guy told me that was incorrect.  it would be $69 pre tax, so my average bill would be $79 monthly.  i realize this is only ten dollars, but ten dollars is another $120 annually and i need that for another bill.  i was crying for most of this call.......it was awful because now the situation had disintegrated for me.  i couldn't find my poise.  i think if the guy had said things like," don't worry, we'll figure this out"...or I'm not completely sure how this happened but I would be happy to help you meet your budget".......or to even just be kind and say we can't completely meet that dollar amount but i bet we can get real close..." something encouraging, but that never happened. he just left me out there hanging ......which led to embarrassment on my part.  i have been with at&t for a really really long time and in truth i don't want to change, i just want consistent customer service......not cold fish guy knocking the people who gave me faith in that company. 

i started to think that this guy didn't have a mother, he'd probably been hatched on a rock out in the dessert, after which he promptly slithered away........now here's the funny thing, i had told him earlier that i make few outbound calls, that i receive very limited inbound calls..........so after a lot of dillydallying and me crying cause i couldn't get a handle on it.  i don't know what it's like for you when you cry, but i need a bit of privacy to blow my nose, wash my face, and regain my composure.  and a bit of human understanding goes a LONG LONG WAY. 

but finally he says there is a solution, they can take ten dollars off my bill if i agree to a limited number of outbound minutes monthly.......200 minutes to be exact.  i say that works, that solves it.  i did ask a couple of questions in there to make sure i understood.  for example like what happens should i exceed the minutes......they charge 7 cents a minute for each min over the 200.  this applies to inbound calls only, so if i receive a call i can talk til my tongue falls out without penalty.  cold fish guy took a long long time, he was in the business of laying out what he believes to be the facts.  he is and isn't right.........again a human touch goes a long way with people.

when i got done, i had secured the necessary rates for my budget, but i also felt like AT&T didn't want my business anymore.  that i was an old hanger on user needy girl........and that hurts.  most companies offer ways for people to obtain senior and or senior disabled discounts but they don't......and as long as i can stay around $70 I'm cool.......which is more or less a senior rate within their pricing.  a regular bill would be $89.  am i cognizant of this great rate?  YESSSS!  am i appreciative?  yessssss!  the company i worked for offered long time members special discounts as seniors and or disabled members.  and i think all companies should.  that's just me, i think this because i believe we need to value our elders even when it is we who become elderly.......value people.

i looked for a number for their corporate office in dallas and dialled........i got edward.  edward and i had a talk.  a very good productive talk.  edward assured me that they do value my business, that they do want to work with customers at every price point.......that they want to provide the human element, an air of understanding and kindness between their employees and the public and or their customers.  he said he would talk to Pearl Ann and to Kevin........I was much calmer when i first spoke to him but when i started talking about Kevin I started crying all over again.........I HATE CRYING.  it wipes me out so hard.......puffy red eyes......blotchy skin......rudolph nose.  not a pretty crier, never do i ever look like a tragicaly beautiful heroine in an austin novel.......nay nay.  i cry for cartoon central........

edward helped me feel whole again, now to some this may sound odd, but i believe in the golden rule.  i believe in treating others with kindness, tact....respect.  i was respectful of both of those employees despite their mess......never raised my voice, never got ugly........but kevin in particular made me feel so awful.  i don't expect companies to hold my hand, or take me on their laps and rock me to sleep..........i do expect decency and understanding.  kevin knows what he knows, but he has a lot to learn about people, my daddy used to tell me that to work with people you have to learn to "bend at the knees".......meaning  you have to be flexible, put yourself in their shoes.........take that extra minute and be nice. 

i've vented about customer service before i know, but it never ceases to be important.  customer care is to value others......not leave them in a puddle of tears.  edward apologised very nicely and i felt a lot better afterwards.  he also wanted me to know that they are happy to work with customers with budgetary needs, to find those special discounts and that i am welcome to make that call next spring to lock in a good rate for 2018. 

bruce is coming tomorrow to mow........and repair the living room wall.  a hole from when the shelves fell down. he helped me with something today and i sent him off with a turkey.  i got the turkey cause the kids like turkey, but i don't......so there i was with this big Jennie-O turkey with cajun seasonings.......it's a no thaw turkey that cooks from the frozen position.  bruce was delighted to get an unexpected turkey.  his mother in law is coming in two weeks and they can have a nice turkey dinner with leftover turkey sandwiches!  yay!!!!!!!

sara & derian are too busy to get together here for dinner........sam is going to a buddy's lake place near Milledgeville, Ga......Lake Sinclair ........not sure if it's this or next week end.  then on the 17th he's going to Hawaii.  whooooweeeee!  the other day after the movie and eating he had enough time for us to hit target.  he picked up a few grocery items and while we were there he got some clothes for his trips.  he hasn't purchased any new clothes since before his estonia trip two years ago.  that child of mine is so frugal on some things........bless him for being good with his money, but it's ok to spend some of that money he earns on clothes every now and again. 

he got two pairs of swim trunks........one pair is red, white and blue with stars......i thought they were cool.....he did too!  the other pair doubles as both shorts and trunks.  neato........and he got several shirts.  the only thing he wished that they had were lighter colors.  you'd think with it being summer they'd have more light colors......well they did, but not in this champion style he likes.  but they are very nice looking casual shirts.......

i enjoyed shopping with him for guy stuff!  target has these fruit strips made of apples, they are so good!  sam shared some with me before, they have flavors that taste so much better to me than the other brands.  they have apricot which i realllllly like.  i may be the only one, but they are so yummy!  i also got a big jar of mixed nuts, no peanuts at all.  they will last me a really long time..........and they are delicious!  sam also regales me with all the health bennies of nuts too!

time to stop yapping i guess.  i learned something new today, duct tape won't stop garden hose leaks, but self fusing repair tape will..........good to know.  put it on the list for the next time i go out.........just noticed some little streaks of paint on my blue cardigan.  if i go rinse it out now it should come out........later y'all.

has anyone talked to or heard from darla lately?  seems like a long time since she checked in or replied to anything.......praying for her, for you, for all of us........just want to make sure she's alright.  hugs!