11-154 -- (2/6/24) -- Grayness

The day was grey, cold and rainy. I did very little around the house but watched a couple seasons of a favourite tv drama while I rested and snoozed a bit. That helped me feel less yucky, too. So, it was a 'do nothing' day. Several of the items on my to do list aren't easy to do right now due to vision issues. I have some bits of mending that need attention, but I can't thread a needle. Somewhere I have a needle with a larger hole -- like a quilting needle -- that I might be able to manage. I will hunt for that another day. Reading isn't easy right now either, so I can do some of the needed reading for projects, but again it is a challenge. The reading glasses from the drug store work for some short tasks, but won't work for lengthier reading or the sewing stuff. I will be able to get prescription glasses, but not for a few more weeks when final procedure and that healing are completed. On-screen reading is also impaired, so the blogs are taking longer to polish up for posting. <sigh> 

It has been sort of a gray day all around. That brought some songs to mind, but I settled on one. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Shades of Gray -- Billy Joel  

11-153 (1/6/24) -- Calendar Flipping Day

June begins. The day felt colder but forecasts are for very warm weather by the end of the week. It is 'calendar flipping day'  -- a phrase borrowed from a friend of mine. I love calendars and have several in the house. I used to have one in every room, but with the open concept of the new place there are fewer.  I have one perpetual calendar that has wooden tiles that I change monthly. There is another one that has blocks that are changed daily, but that is still in a box in the front room. It has always been in my guest room, so will be in this one, too, along with a wall calendar as has been the trend over the years. 

A silly song seemed to fit my love of calendars. I hope you find it amusing. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Calendar Song -- Boney M. 

 

11-152 (31/5/24) -- Friends Who Do Lunch

The highlight of the day was lunch with former colleagues. We had lots of fun conversations. We thought back to the isolation of early pandemic days. Many lockdowns and practices that separated us all to help contain outbreaks. A very strange time to live through, and one we need to revisit often to remember how we managed and survived. The event reminded me of having lunch with two of the people very often when we were all still teaching. 

On a different note, I headed to the bank today to get them to explain the change to my account that was wholly unclear in the form letter I received. The teller explained things to me and asked to make a copy of the letter (where she blacked out my personal information). She wanted to escalate my complaint about the lack of clear writing in the letter. She had several other people in to ask questions, but hadn't seen the letter until I brought mine with me. This was another great customer service to untangle a messy example of customer (mis)communications. 

 A song came to mind that hit the best part of the day -- lunch with friends. It made me laugh, just like we did at lunch today. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Girls Just Want to have Lunch -- Weird 'Al' Yankovic

11-151 (30/5/24) -- Raining Weirdness

The day began with a very early call from the dental office changing my appointment again. The person on the phone was less than pleasant. It sound like the hygienist I have seen for years may not be returning to the office now that the former dentist retired. I may need to find a new practice to join. 

I went downtown to run a couple of errands. As I was backing out of the parking spot, a person behind me decided to pull out without looking in their mirrors. I leaned on the horn and moved as far to the side as possible. Luckily, they stopped with the horn sound. The mail brought a couple things that were frustrating. One was about my bank accounts and some change that would take effect in July. It wasn't clear which account would be affected or how it would be affected. I'll need to go to the local branch and get this clarified. The other noted that my application for the federal seniors dental care plan could not be processed since I hadn't submitted my 2023 taxes. Well, I did and the notice of assessment crossed in the mail with this notice. I will get that straightened out when I'm downtown tomorrow. 

The day was filled with little things that require me to sort them out. I felt frustrated by the number of weird things that just landed around me today. I thought through each item and decided on actions that were less onerous than I'd expected at the beginning. That reminded me of a song that has a calming sound and lyrics. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

O-o-h Child -- The Five Stairsteps

11-150 (29/5/24) -- Not Done Yet

Today was the 6 week post surgery eye check. The upshot was some good news and some slightly less good news. A second procedure is needed and then another 6 week recovery time before we can get glasses that will help me to see well to read, work on the laptop, read a label and thread a needle. Even with readers from the drug store, things aren't clear enough in both eyes to do up close work. Distance vision isn't a problem, so I can drive and travel around without difficulty. The 'fix' is easy and is done in the office on a laser clinic day. 

After I received this news, I went grocery shopping and then home. A dear friend stopped by for tea in the afternoon. She helped me focus on the positives with the new vision issue. I have access to a super surgeon and that in the grand scheme, another 6 to 8 weeks is quite doable. I'm not sure when the next appointment might be booked, but it shouldn't be very long. The report from my optometrist to the ophthalmologist will go out tomorrow. I will call early next week to leave a message about the disruption in research work and ask that I get in as soon as possible. 

So, again I find myself waiting for a medical appointment. The chorus of a song seemed to fit my feeling today.  Keep safe. Enjoy! 

The Waiting -- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

 

11-149 (28/5/24) -- Great Customer Care

I encountered exceptional customer service today. I meant to place an online order yesterday, but didn't get to it so I tried this morning. Firstly, I couldn't login as it wouldn't accept my password. I attempted to order as a 'guest' and wasn't able to navigate the screen well. The "how did we do?" bot button sat right over the left menu for ordering. Sorting for specific items was impossible. So, I called customer care. The person on the phone was very calm and let me know that they launched their new website today. Yay me <sigh>. They requested that people reset their password and try again. If things didn't work, I was to wait a bit and try again. Well, it didn't work so I waited until early evening. When I tried again, if anything, the navigation had become worse and no buttons worked to search  or change password. I took a deep breath and called the customer help folks again. The woman on the other end of the call was amazing! She suggested a couple of things to try and then put in a request that the tech issues be escalated to those in the know. She then checked the inventory of the local store to discover they had both items in stock -- for one item they had a single one in stock and for the second item, they had almost as much as I would have ordered. She asked them to hold the items for me to pick up tomorrow. She called me back to let me know what had transpired with the local store. I was blown away by the problem solving steps she was empowered to use. Then she told me that there would be a $25 gift card at the store when I picked up the order. I was stunned and almost speechless -- almost<grin>. I had a few tears after that revelation.  I've always been pleased with the support from their care team, but today hit a new high. 

It was good to know that the training of care team members seems to address that they have no idea what else is going on in a customer's life on the day that they phone with an issue. I did tell this woman that she made my day. A song came to mind that spoke of the work involved in keeping businesses up and running. I share that one here today. Keep safe. Enjoy! 

Takin' Care of Business -- Bachman- Turner Overdrive

11-148 (27/5/24) -- Useful Writing Tool

We had a long meeting for final editing of a lengthy document for submission. Lots of work involved but lots of laughter made the work feel positive. I do enjoy writing, but at times things can feel weighty. Taking a brief break to focus attention elsewhere can help as can laughing. This works when writing solo or co-writing. I like finding the absurdities in major projects that can help me to relieve tension through laughter. Laughter is a great writing assistant. 

A happy song about laughter was chosen to share. Who knew that so many songs about laughter were in fact not upbeat songs? The one that came to mind was from childhood -- so not a new song in any way. <smile> Take care. Enjoy!  

I Love to Laugh -- from Mary Poppins (Ed Wynn, Dick van Dyck, Julie Andrews)