It's always the little things...

Mar 25, 2007

So exactly what was irritating me so much last week?

The continuing idleness at Le Job
This has been irritating since November (incidentally, my first Thursday 13 was started the week before I began Le Job. I was so glad to have something to do on Thursdays. Holidailies also kept me sane, because I had things to write and read every day in December.) I thought that surely, as they approached the major milestone coming up next month, that they’d have things that needed doing — and there I’d be, able to code, check content, fix HTML, do graphics or CSS, even just copy and paste content from the old framework to the new framework. Nope. Not the case. The code freeze was this past Monday, and my big excitement for the week was changing file extensions (which I did manually, rather than via batch job, just so that I’d have something to do.) I was hoping to be able to learn something while on this gig. Sadly, while I have learned things (I studied PHP and MySQL while I was sitting idle), I haven’t been a part of the overhaul process. I didn’t get to re-learn any of my old skills, and I didn’t even learn more procedures or methods. And I manage to learn those at nearly every web gig I’ve ever had. This was bothering me, also, because of my pay rate. If I had actually been doing what I’d originally been hired to do, the pay rate would have been quite in line. Any job has days where you scramble, and days where you sit idle; I knew that going in. What I didn’t expect was the months of sitting idle. There’s only so much I could take before I began to feel like I was stealing from the company (or, technically, helping the recruiting agency steal from the company.)

The water being off for a day
Vandals apparently came and cut the complex’s water backflow system midnight Monday...for the copper in the pipes. They stole the entire assembly to resell. First the water shutoff was acting weirdly (because apparently someone was on some interesting drugs when they put the original system in, back in the 70s, so it was anything but straightforward). Then the replacement pipes were the wrong size, so a new backflow system had to be ordered. Then the city inspector wasn’t available to come out and sign off, so that water could be restored. It was 4 pm Tuesday before we were able to renew our acquaintance with the joy of indoor plumbing. While speaking with the complex manager on Wednesday, I mentioned that it we could run a mild electric current through the newly-installed fence around the pipes — even if that thought was a bit evil-tempered. Said the manager, without missing a beat: “We’re doing just that.”

The lack of progress on the job front
I’ve been searching for a new job since late February, in varying degrees of urgency. I’ve met with two other recruiters, and turned down three jobs that were of the “just-come-in-for-a-week” variety. I’m saving up for a somewhat major move next spring, I want to build up my savings...and I don’t love the process of self-marketing, so I’d rather not take a gig where I’ve got to start all over in a few days. Still, though, I just hadn’t heard anything positive beyond the ever-vague “We’ve got a few leads coming up next week”. On Friday, I applied to six other positions. I hope to hear something back this coming Monday or Tuesday...but it might not happen. I’m overqualified for some of the positions; but lack the skills for others I’ve seen. Either there are no mid-level jobs being posted, or I’m not interpreting these listings correctly.

My friend not calling me after their grand opening
This friend recently moved to the west coast, and opened an art gallery. They’ve got a lot of stuff going on - not the least of which is househunting. That’s always fun (NOT). But still, I felt a bit of a letdown. We used to have time to chat once every week, or every other week, but since the move that hasn’t really happened. They’re busy. I’ve spoken to the friend’s spouse a few times, and know what’s going on in their life (things are looking up, even with the hideous commute), but haven’t really gotten to touch base with my friend very much.

A client not paying their (large, overdue) bill
Annoying as sin...but this client has been with me for some time, and has paid about 20% of their bills on time. I’ve charged late fees (as per the terms of service), and suspended accounts on a few occasions (again, completely in line with the terms of service, and after emailing 24- or 48-hour notices), yet the client continues to pay late. I’ve been generating invoices 15 days before the due date, and sending reminder-notices on the due date and one day after the due date...but maybe that’s too long? Still, if this client was really not okay with paying the late fees and reconnection charges, they’d either find another provider or pay their bills on time. I stopped feeling too badly about the repeated late fees after two years of this folderol. (But - yeah - it’s annoying. For a while there, I’d get all wound up when this client’s billing time arrived. Now, I just sit, wait, send the notices, and charge the late fees. I’ve even stopped wondering if I’m a bad person. Hell, I’m a business person. Clients either pay their bills, have extraordinary circumstances [like being in the midst of Hurricane Katrina, for instance], pay the stipulated late fees, or find another provider. This client seems content to pay. Okay…

The neighbors’ loud party last Sunday
This complex may have been a vandals’ target, but it’s green, it’s clean, and it’s usually fairly quiet. The walls are thick enough that we don’t hear each other breathing, and while people have barbecues on their patios and kids play in the pool, this doesn’t happen until 3 in the morning. I’ve been here over a year, and this was the first time I could remember someone having a party that ran past 6pm or so, even on New Year’s - something about this complex inspires people to keep things serene. Makes for a nice place to live. I later found out that not only was this a celebration due to their long, drawn-out, ugly divorce being finalized, but the person was moving out the following week. (I didn’t ask how they celebrated, or why it was so loud. Don’t people usually celebrate such events by hitting a bar or a really nice restaurant with their buddies or an equally nice companion? And no, the celebratory noise did not sound like practise sessions for Olympic-event sex. Maybe the music was to cover those sounds...? *shrug*)

My back going into spasm last Saturday
I’m the only person in my immediate family who hasn’t had back surgery; so I kind of figure that it’s just a matter of time until I’m on the table for a laminectomy or something else equally fun. Until then, I have to deal with the occasional problems with back pain. It happens about once every two or three years, and it’s usually tied to stress. This time around, I’m fairly sure the job situation triggered the initial problem. Everything else just made it worse.

A show I enjoy watching is being pre-empted
...and for Survivor Fiji, no less. Hasn’t the popularity of that franchise waned yet? At any rate, the show’s already had a hiatus; and there have been cancellation rumors floating about on the web (of course, how many of those rumors are spawned by people bawling pre-emptively, I have no idea...but when shows are pre-empted for anything but a State of the Union address or a major sporting event, I worry. It’s a pattern I’ve seen before.) The list of upcoming episodes hadn’t been updated, so I was really concerned...but this week’s episode is on at the usual time, and two additional episode titles and synopses have been revealed on the main site. It appears that they’ll at least finish out the first season.

My list of passwords went missing
While this was irritating as hell, I’m the admin on my two servers and I didn’t lose those passwords - so I had quick, easy access to make most of the changes. I also don’t have accounts on Blogger, LiveJournal, MySpace, Facebook, Xanga, or any of the social networking sites except Technorati, so I had a minimum of “lost password” dances to do. It was just irritating. I write down logins and passwords, but I don’t write down URLs or even “reference” words like site names...so someone who found the list would have to know all the various URLs and applications I log into, and then start going through the list one by one to get inside. Still...better safe than sorry. As soon as I realized that I couldn’t find the list, I set about changing all my passwords...which also meant changing my FTP client, updating my SQL settings on a few applications, and purging my home computer’s browser memory. I tend to pick passwords that a sci-fi aficionado might figure out if they have a few clues, so it’s slightly possible that I could have gotten away with not resetting anything. But - why gamble? (Now watch. Two weeks from now that list will innocently appear in a pile of papers, inside my apartment, where nary a soul could have seen its contents except the cats. That’s the way my life seems to work. Carry an umbrella, it won’t rain. Forget it, and the skies open. *sigh*...)

I spent an hour on ‘ignore’ with my insurance, and still don’t know how to mail-order my prescription
This really irritates me. It’s offered as an option on the prescription plan, it should be easier to find the directions. I pay almost as much for one three-month supply as I would for three one-month supplies, so what’s the big secret? Blue Cross’ site doesn’t even list this in its search results.

An order arrived, and 2/3 of the items have to be sent back because they don’t fit / the style isn’t right
I halfway expected this, because I was taking a chance with some of the items. The pictures looked okay, and everything was on clearance sale; but when the items arrived, the sleeves turned out to look like 3/4 sleeves that had been lengthened by the manufacturer adding an extra 3-4 inches of fabric onto the end of the sleeve. (For some reason, this was a kickin’ style last season. I think it looks stupid.) The shirts were also too small across the chest, despite my ordering XL. Then again, most of the clothes made by this manufacturer are made for tiny, thin women with no chest. I am neither tiny nor thin, and I definitely have a chest. (The name of my ideal bra would be “get in place and stay out of my way, goddammit”.) Thus, most of the things from this manufacturer look good on the models and look like DIY slut-gear on me. Surprisingly, the sweaters all fit just fine. $20 for an all-cotton sweater, and in good basic colors (black, dark brown, winter white). Hard to beat that.

I found that my naproxen is almost past its expiry date
When you have back problems, you want a muscle relaxant. Yes, it’s possible to double up on the Aleve and get nearly the same effect...but “nearly” is not “the same”. Besides, I paid for that prescription. It irritates me that I wasn’t able to use it all before its potency leached away.

I did some calculations and found that I can’t afford to go see Lisa Gerrard when her concert tour comes through here in May
I was really looking forward to seeing Lisa Gerrard in concert. However, the nearest she’ll be appearing to where I live is about two hours’ drive away. If the concert starts at 8 and gets out at (probably) 10, I’d vastly prefer to get a hotel in the city and stay overnight rather than try and drive home. A Super-8 in a non-scary area would cost about $75 for one night. Then there’s the cost of gas driving up and back (figure $50). Add in the concert ticket ($60) and some kind of food-like substance (probably drive-through Wendy’s, I just need food, not a fancy restaurant meal) and we’re still looking at $200. With the other travelling I plan on doing this summer, I can’t justify $200, even to see Lisa Gerrard perform live. (Dammit, though!!!)

So that’s what was bugging the whey out of me. And in the final analysis, I am really griped that I won’t be able to see Lisa Gerrard in concert. I’ve liked her music since the 80s. I’ve missed her twice. This will make it a third time. And, dammit, I really can’t justify the total cost!!!! Of everything that happened last week, this was the thing that finally sent me headlong into a funk. (And yes, I know that there are people who will pay $200 for a concert ticket alone, and so are wondering why I’m snivelling. Because I’m not a $200-per-concert type of person, and because I already have three trips planned for this summer, and because I’m trying to save up for a major move, that’s why.)

(But there’s nothing that says I can’t have a good sulk.)

Related entry: The straw that broke my back
Keywords: | whingeing |
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