My Weblog

Don't buy an HP printer!

Do you remember my horrific customer service experience with their offshore customer service back on 8/6/2011?  Well, the final part of that experience was the customer support person promising me that "the warranty verification department" would be contacting me.  Well, of course, I've never been contacted by anyone.  So, tonight I called back.  Fought my way through their telephone answering system.  Oh, lucky me, I got another offshore support agent.  This person tells me that the warranty on my printer expired just today and therefore it cannot be replaced.  Now isn't that a likely story, particularly since I have a perfectly valid receipt dated February 3, 2011.  I really want to choke something.

After the first round with customer support in early August, I still had tax returns I needed to print.  So, I went to Office whatever and picked up the cheapest printer they had.  Sadly, that happened to be an HP printer also.  I've printed less than 200 sheets on it and guess what?  It too has a bad paper sensor, the same exact problem as the more expensive all-in-one printer HP claims went out of warranty today.  THIS one, though, I put an extended warranty on when I bought it.  So, I can get it replaced or my money back on it.  I want it replaced with a product NOT manufactured by HP.  Can you understand why?

Well, I've worked some on the new kit.  Had to quit that when the pain in my right shoulder got to be more than I wanted to struggle through.  And I've vacuumed a major portion of the house, even moving furniture in the process.  And I've cleaned the kitchen.  And I've filled a trash can with excess paper from my desk.  And I've paid some bills.  And I've fought with HP.  And I've taken care of some business with HSN.  And, I drug my rusty butt outside and closed the gate properly because, once again the yard guys did not do so.  And I tried for the second day in a row to get the bathroom mirror clean to the point that it isn't streaked.  Mark that one a fail.  Now I have to go figure out something to wear tomorrow because I also contacted the folks at the Day Care where I'm trying to get a job as their accountant and I'm to be there, looking professional, of course, at 9AM tomorrow.  Somehow at the end of every day, I am disappointed that I didn't accomplish more, but I'm grateful for what I DID accomplish.  Now I'm off to look in my closet........  I'm so used to hanging out in shorts and tee shirts, there's no telling what I might find in there........  Goodnight!

New Day, New Week........

Well, here we are--Monday again.  I have no clue what I did right, but I have arrived at this point without a headache!  Yeay me!  This means I might be productive before 10AM!  I hardly know what to say about that.

I actually slept well last night.  I still got up during the night, but my sleep was in 3 hour blocks which is a wonderful thing.  So between good rest and no headache, I am a new woman!

I don't think I mentioned it here but I got a super deal on a fresh stock of Potassium.  I ended up getting 1500 caplets with free shipping for $21.99.  It was actually a buy one-get two free deal.  And each caplet contains the maximum legal amount of potassium.  So I am happy about that. 

I will work on designing elements for the new kit.  I have about 5 specialized themey elements designed but it's time for the more "generic" ones....flowers, ribbons, frames, that sort of thing.  This kit has actually come along very quckly.  That is always fun.  Much easier than laboring over the same kit for days and days and days. 

And, today, with a good night's sleep behind me and no headache, I look forward to accomplishing something in this house as well. 

I'm not going to linger here as I want to get the day started.  But, I DO have some new eye candy for you with the Mr. Cool kit. 

I think this page is gorgeous.  That large photo is a really good quality photo.  I love how Callum's hair ties in with the background paper she has used.  Also, his blue shirt and blue eyes really pop on that orange background as well.  And, of course, her layering and clusters are primo.  Love this.  If you think she did a great job, please leave Nancy some love here.

Gotta go.  I want to take advantage of feeling well today!  You be blessed!

Productive Day.......

Well I now have 14 print papers, 13 solids, and 5 elements for the desert kit I'm working on.  It's looking pretty good (and bright, LOL).  I found a gorgeous photo of a desert sunset.  I used it to colorpick the color scheme.

Isn't that some sunset?  Wow!

The kitchen is clean as a whistle, with the exception of the stuff I pulled out to make dinner.  I sat here and considered what I'd eat for dinner for quite a while.  Finally, I decided on French Toast.  After all I still have some of that bread that I'd frozen that turned out all funky--dry on the bottom and "wet" on top.  I've been able to make it work for toast, for grilled cheese sandwiches, and now for French Toast.  Since I was eating funky bread, I splurged and opened a small bottle of real maple syrup I've had for a while.  That was quite a treat--have you priced that stuff in the stores lately? 

Speaking of high prices, here's a story for you.  It seems that the Obama Administration is ordering that all generic, over the counter asthma inhalers must be withdrawn from the market by the end of this year.  It seems they are propelled by fluorocarbons so we're taking them off the market to protect the ozone layer.  The major problem here is that the Over The Counter meds cost around $20 while the prescription stuff costs $60 and up.  Further the prescription stuff contains steroids which not everyone can take.  So, I guess the asthmatics who can't use steroids will just wheeze themselves to death.

I didn't mention here that Punkin actually came to bed with me last night.  I don't know what spooked her but it took her a while to go to sleep.  Unlike her usual habit, she did not lie at the foot of the bed.  Instead, she was right up at the top of the bed, looking for reassurance.  I surely don't want her spooked, but it was a joy to have her with me.  Maybe one day it will become a habit again.

I'm out of here.  I'm headed for bed, at least for a while.  I have decided to accept the way things have been going and just get up for a while if I can't sleep.  It seems to make more sense to me than to lie there and fight for it, particularly since the fight seems to be largely unsuccessful.  G'night.

 

Sunday, all day......

Well, it's Sunday.  It has not started well.  In fact I got out of bed, not because I had rested well but rather because eventually it would make the sinus headache better.  Thank God, it worked.  But I forecast a nap in my near future.........

I'm back watching Band of Brothers.  Just finished watching Episode 5 which means I'm halfway through.  Easy company has just moved in to face the Germans in the Ardennes Forest with insufficient food, winter clothing, and ammunition.  They battled hunger, frostbite, Germans and at times did it all with no more than one round of ammunition per man.  It is in the next episode where Guarnier and Joe Toy each lose a leg and Doc Roe nearly goes under with a case of battle fatigue (new name:  PTSD).  Yes, I was researching PTSD a few weeks ago and read that the "PTSD" we hear so much about now with returned soldiers is the equivalent of WWII battle fatigue.  This causes me to wonder.  WWII guys were notorious for not talking about their experiences, for just coming home and getting on with their lives.  They may have had multiple medals pinned on their jackets, but their wives, children and grandchildren rarely heard how they got them.  They knew they had survived war in Europe or war in the Pacific and could survive whatever readjustment was necessary for them to move on.  Now we tell people to see a psychiatrist, to take meds, etc.  I think sometimes that we handicap people by allowing them to focus on their problems rather than focusing on progress toward normalcy.

Well, I will continue working on the new desert kit.  I would love to pare the color scheme down some.  But everytime I look at it I think I need all the colors.  Oh well, marching on.......  Solids are made and I've made two print papers and three elements.  It's not much but it's progress.  Mostly I've been doing a lot of research........

Okay, today I do need to do some work in this house or move out.  I'm sick of looking at the mess.  Of course, there's not much I can do about the mess since everything is packed up in the hope that one day there will be someone in here doing my floors.  

We have some eye candy with the new kit, You Can Call Me Mr. Cool. 

 This layout is by Karla, one of the newest members of my CT.  I think it's adorable.  Just goes to show you we can have all the high-tech toys in the world, but a boy will play with a plain old cardboard box for hours!  I love how Karla has layered the solids in the background  and the layered print papers under the photo.  Very cute layout.  You can leave her some love here.

Later.........  I have to get it in gear.  Be blessed today and remember it's the Lord's day.  Spend some time with Him!

 

 

 

NOT one of my better days!

I seem to have shot myself in the foot as far as enjoying this day is concerned in multiple ways.  First, I decided to watch Band of Brothers again.  Joe and I watched it over and over, but I think I've only watched it once this year.  And every time a certain part of the background music comes on, in my mind, I hear Joe say "There's that music again".  He enjoyed the series immensely as do I, but he was really drawn to the music.  I refuse to stop watching it, but.........I would be happy if I could remove the soundtrack.

I decided to work on a desert kit.  That's a desert kit, not a dessert kit.  I've been looking for public access photos from which I can extract items that pertain to the desert.  I came across all these photos of food.  Had me mystified for a while til I figured out it was all about folks not being able to spell! 

Anyway, about this desert kit.  When I first moved to this area, I was quite sure I'd never seen anything more barren and desolate and downright ugly as the desert.  The only beauty I could find was in the irrigated golf courses.  But, after living here for decades, I've found things about the desert that are beautiful.  Together, Joe and I toured some desert areas including Zion National Park, Valley of Fire and so on.  We drove through the Arizona desert on our trips to Mexico and had driven through the Joshua Tree National Park between here and California.  And, so, whether it's a Joshua tree, or red rock mountains or saguaro cacti or...........  It all takes me back to trips I made with Joe or trips we hoped one day to take. 

Then I start wondering when I'll ever be able to afford to go to any of those places again or to see any of the places we'd planned on.  I'd love to do a photo tour of the western part of Route 66.  We crossed it and saw a few places on our way to Mexico.  But, I wouldn't consider spending the money for the gasoline to get there.

So, all in all, I've done quite a number on myself today!

I had the three kids this morning.  Plan A was that they would arrive at 8AM and leave at 1PM.  Plan B, after a call from Jen, was that they would arrive at 8:30AM and leave at 1PM.  Plan C turned out to be more like arrive at 9:20AM and leave around 2:30PM.  I had gotten up very early, around 5, so I could get my uploads done before they got here.  I was done right at 8AM, and was very sad I couldn't go back to bed for a while. 

Two of the three were in bad moods.  I don't know what had the boys going, but they were unhappy campers today and not happy with each other either.  Will did pretty well with Bitsy, but Atticus did NOT.  Will and Bitsy had a bowl of Shredded Wheat for snack.  The good part of that is that it's now all gone and I don't have to force myself to eat any more of it.  Atticus had grapes.  When lunch time rolled around, Bitsy wanted a "sammich".  William wanted a bagel.  I fixed William's bagel which he then refused to eat because it was an onion bagel.  So, I have that zipped up neatly in my fridge.  I fixed grilled cheese sandwiches for Bitsy and I.  Bitsy ate half of hers and then tore the other half up into little pieces.  I guess that will turn into cheese flavored treats for the dogs.  I fixed Ramen for Atticus.  About the time I got Atticus's ramen ready, Jen arrived to pick them up.  William was supposed to write some thank you notes for his birthday presents.  I gave him paper, gave him a pencil and reminded him repeatedly.  I did not understand what he said to his mother about it but my feeling from their exchange was that he hadn't done it or at least hadn't done all he was supposed to do.  It took Bitsy about an hour and a half to warm up to me.  In fact, she wanted nothing to do with me til she pooped her panties and needed cleaned up.  Suddenly, then, my stock in her little world went up in value and she was my buddy for the rest of the day. 

Jen managed to get her door fixed today.  Someone gave her a door.  Someone else went and got the door for her and brought it to her house.  And today someone she knew from the Law School came and hung it in place of the one she'd had to take a hammer to when Bitsy locked herself in her mama's bedroom.  The guy we were using for a handyman has moved or is moving to Oregon.  Unfortunately that leaves me with any number of small jobs undone or unfinished.  So, I guess I'll have to be looking for someone else...........

For the two years prior to his death, Joe drove a cab here in Las Vegas.  (Before the "crash", he was a loan officer.)  You might think he'd meet a few celebrities along the way but that just didn't happen.  Except once.  At the time he was sworn to secrecy, but he told me with the understanding that I had to keep quiet.  The ONE celebrity he met was Herman Cain.  And at the time, he had no idea who Herman Cain even was.  Of course, we now know that he just won a straw poll in Florida with regard to the Republican nomination for President.  Mr. Cain even posed for a photo with Joe the cab driver:

That's a really poor quality camera photo with bad lighting.  And, I had to mess with it and make it lighter just so you could see Mr. Cain's face.  But, there's the proof--Joe's one encounter with a celeb.

I am really wondering what is going on with Punkin tonight.  She has avoided me for more than 8 months.  Tonight for some reason she is right up wedged under my feet.  In the past, she might have laid under the desk, but she's NEVER done this.  And, she walks through the house on full alert, as though she's spooked by something.  She wants to walk right with me..........  I don't get it.  I like it, except for the weird position of my feet, but I don't get it. 

Okay, that's it for today.  Tomorrow is another day, or so Scarlett O'Hara said.........  Goodnight.

Just another ibuprofen morning!

Oh yeah.  Sinus headache extraordinaire!  What would I do without my wonderful Ibuprofen from Mexico?  Well, come to think about it, I suppose I'd buy more Ibuprofen from Wal-mart and just take more pills.  But it would cost me a lot more money.......

I have spent nearly 3 hours at it, but I've gotten everything for the week uploaded to the ACOT store, even the CT stuff.  It went pretty well til the very last file.  I guess it must have had a circuit overload or something.  Anyway, while uploading the CT stuff, it timed out before it uploaded the last file.  However, I went back and got that added and all is well with the world. 

I worked on that fall kit some yesterday afternoon and evening.  I got the previews made except for the alpha preview.  I have one alpha made.  If I can, I like to provide one alpha in each major color in the kit, but, honestly, this kit is more about stand alone colors, 7 of them.  I am NOT doing 7 aphas!  So, I'll do two or 3 more and call it done.  Then it's the apha preview and details and it's done!

Would you believe I already have ideas spinning in my head for Christmas kits?  I know it sounds crazy but you kinda have to get this stuff in the stores about a month ahead of time or everyone else beats you to it.  So, I have one more boy kit I'm going to design, and then it's on to Christmas.  I haven't taken time to research yet to see if I'm going to be able to do tax season this year.  If so, I need to have a good inventory of kits built up before February rolls around.  So far, I'm covered up through the end of November.  Last year, of course, with Joe's totally unexpected death, I was pretty undone and not very creative.  I kept the kits coming but every one of them was a struggle.  This year, my only obstacle will be the people who are in and out of my house.  Still, I want to be prepared.

So, the kids are arriving sometime this morning.  The original plan called for an 8AM arrival, but about 7:50, Jen called to tell me they would be later than that.  Plan B was for an 8:45 arrival.  I haven't heard what plan C is but I'm dressed and my uploads are done and my Ibuprofen has worked its magic and I'm ready for whatever comes.  It will be the threesome, so with big brother Will around, things are always easier.  I am convinced that Will is the best big brother in the world.

So maybe we will start the morning by discussing with Bitsy all about how it is not good to touch the little button in the center of the doorknob.  After last week's lockdown, I'd hate to go through that again.

Well, having taken my Ibuprofen for the morning, I am feeling decent.  Perhaps this means I can get something done around here.  I sure hope so!  I've gotta move it on out.  You be blessed today!

Saturday, New Release Day!

I love new release day in general, but this week I am particularly proud of this kit.  It is all about my grandson, Will.  Will is a child of the 21st century.  He has a smart phone, he has an Ipod, he has a Wii, he has a gameboy.  He is one cool kid.  So, this kit is for him!

Last fall we took Will and his little brother for a weekend in Southern Utah which we think has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.  Will had his IPOD with him.  Everytime we looked at him, he was "plugged in".  We couldn't get over it.  Here we were showing him mountains and 90 ft pine trees and lakes and fall color and historic old buildings built in the shape of an upside-down ship, and he was ignoring it all, listening to whatever he had playing on his IPOD.........  It was more or less impossible to socialize with him because he was tuned out to us and tuned in to that electronic "toy".

The kit, the frame clusters, and the stacked papers are available at both Sunshine Studio Scraps and A Cherry on Top.  Or, everything here is available at ACOT.  You cannot get the element pack, paper pack, or alpha pack separately at SUN.  Everything at SUN is on introductory sale (30% off) for Saturday and Sunday.  Everything at ACOT is on sale at 30% off for the week.  You'll notice there are 4 alphas to choose from.  There's nothing skimpy about this kit!

 

Literal Mind..........

There is something my DD hasn't learned about me yet.  I have a VERY literal mind.  So, when she calls and asks me if I can take care of the kids for "a couple of hours", I think two hours.  That's the definition of "couple"--two.  Then I ask what times and she says 8AM-1PM.  I used to feel like I'd been sandbagged.  I said yes to two and it turns out to be 5.  I'm getting used to it now; in fact, this morning, I laughed.  I don't think she saw the joke. 

When you have a literal mind like mine, you take people at their word.  You figure you considered what you were going to say before you said it and phrased it in a manner that would give the greatest possible clarity and correctness.  You figure other people operate that way too.  It is not that I'm naive.  I'm just.........literal.  If someone says "a couple of hours", I hear 2 and that is what I think I'm making a commitment to.  If someone says I need you here by 8AM, I am convinced I need to be there by 8AM, on the dot.  Not 8:30, not 9, not 9:30.  Not even 8:01 if at all possible.  And, if it's going to be 8:05, I call, explain and apologize.  See--literal. 

Of course, having this kind of mind does make communication difficult with people whose speech is less precise.  I hear what they say, not what they mean.  And, really, I can't imagine being able to hear it any other way.  It sure is a pain in the butt..........

So far this morning, I have more or less triumphed over my headache and written my weekly e-mail for my CT.  Oh, and I've cleaned out a bunch of stuff from my e-mail.  That's about it.  I'm not very productive when my head hurts as much as it did this morning.  Hopefully the afternoon will go better.

The miserable one........

Darn sinus headache again!  I worked on a kit last night til very late.  But it was another every-2-hour-foot-cramp night.  When 6:30 ish rolled around I'd fought for sleep for long enough.  So I got up and I got up with a sinus headache.  But I sat here for an hour and the headache faded and I was still zombie-like from lack of sleep.  I finally decided to lie back down again.  Now I'm up with a brand new sinus headache and another 2 hours of sleep.  Well part of that is beneficial--the additional 2 hours of sleep.  As to the sinus headache, I used the massager on my face, sneezed like crazy, and it still hasn't cleared, but being vertical always helps so I expect it will be better soon.

So, it was one of those fall kits that needed finishing on which I worked til the wee hours of the morning.  It is jam packed with ellies now though I am thinking of adding some swirly strings yet.  I don't know.  In years past I have loved every fall kit I've made.  LOVED the colors, for starts.  This year, I am having a hard time.  Is it possible I no longer like fall colors?  I don't know.  Anyway, this thing is done, all but the shouting, and I'm happy.  I will work on alphas and previews and details today and by tonight I should have it finished. 

Around here, it is the usual.  More work on the floors--but this time with the vacuum cleaner. 

Facebook rolled out changes day before yesterday and everyone has been unhappy about it.  I have finally found one thing to love about it.........I can block all the game related crapo that hits my screen.  Of course, I have to do that one person at a time, but not everyone on there plays games, so I'm making progress with it.  I don't have time to play those games and I don't really want to read about everyone's requests for something to use in Farmville. 

Jennifer apparently found a bakery in LV that creates gluten free baked goods.  From what I can figure out about it, they're pricey.  I suppose that makes sense since what goes into their products is specialty stuff.  I mean the market for wheat flour is much much broader than the market for rice flour or bean flour or almond flour.  So, since they have to pay more for their ingredients, it makes sense that what they create would cost more.  But, it's just nice to know people are starting to take such considerations into account.  Of course, they've opened on my side of town.  Hopefully that means she'll stop by for a visit on her way past my house!

Alright.  I really need coffee.  And ibuprofen.  You be blessed today!

Oh my Lord!

The Power Company has people out installing digital meters.  Yesterday I got a phone call telling me that sometime in the next 5 days, someone would be here to do just that.  What was I supposed to do, turn the computer off and leave it that way for 5 days?  And at 8:55 this morning, one of these goobers rang my doorbell to tell me he was going to turn the power off, "but only for about 10 seconds".  Holy Mary!  I kept trying to tell him he couldn't do that til he gave me time to save everything that was open on my computer.  And, over and over, he kept telling me he was only going to turn it off for about 10 seconds.  Are they sending these guys out without telling them how much havoc they can do by creating a power outage????????????????????  I still lost stuff--no time to save it all, but at least I didn't have to do a system restore to get the thing restarted like I did with Monday's outage!