Boy, did I have a bad night's sleep! I watched a funny movie, Krystal, but then right before I went to bed, I watch the first episode of the Young Wallander. Was that ever a mistake! There was an example of a cruel killing, followed by having an innocent black boy fingered for the crime. I couldn't get the images out of my mind. I spent the night thinking of every disappointment or problem I have had to face in the last couple of weeks. They're mounting.
Of course, there's Progressive. I have to refine my notes to form clear questions. These poor people at the end of the phone. They have no more information as to why Progressive did something than I do. I think all they have to work with is the same documentation I have. I want to go through each item, even though it's grueling for them and for me. Progressive is either employing the most incompetent people or deliberately robbing people, hoping they won't notice.
Then there's what is going on with my Microsoft customer support company. I have always been a little suspicious. This latest transaction puts it somewhat over the top. The guy actually added a full year to my professional suite when I told him I might be able to get the date Mike bought the tablet. That scared him. As it wound up when I texted Mike's son and grandson if they could remember when he bought it, they were able to send me a dated photograph of August explaining how the tablet worked to Mike.
Here's the problem. If this company is conning me, they're doing it to other people, and they need to be stopped. If they offer me something else 'free' when I call them on a false charge, their goose will be cooked.
Then there's the fun and games with the ceiling insulation. Tom, at Acoustical Surfaces, was so happy to share information. I ordered the clips. They arrived the other day; Scott opened the package today. He said, "Where are the other parts" Now, I can't remember what they're called. They're like rails that get hooked into the clips. Then the drywall gets attached to the rails. But no rails.
Scott realized there was going to be a problem; the ceiling was going to be too low. He called Tom to clarify. Indeed, the ceiling will be dropped by two and a half inches. There's a fan in that ceiling. Yvette is 5'11," and Josh is somewhat taller. A lowered fan is not going to work. Well, after all this, I will have to return the clips. I will have to pay for the return shipping and the restocking.
I think Tom was not forthcoming with his information. He assumed we had to ask the questions. When Scott explained the situation to him, Tom immediately saw that it wouldn't work in our case.
I think Tom's responsibility is to be clear about how this system differs from the standard drywall. I imagined that the new drywall would be at the same height as the old. I had no reason to think otherwise. I am going to write him a letter instructing him on his obligation to inform instead of assuming people know what he knows.
Ah, then there is the problem I'm having with my criminal background check. There is a space for an ORI number on the fingerprint form. Someone filled it in with the wrong number. I was told today by Laura at the Step-Up program that I would have to get another fingerprint card. I asked Laura to send me a photo of the card I sent her with the wrong ORI number. I sure as hell didn't fill it in. I wanted to find out who did. No word from Laura yet, but it took several days before she responded to my question. I am concerned that they just shredded the one I sent them. This organization is run by kids under thirty. They're flying by the seat of their pants. I think shredding the card without my permission may be illegal. I sent it to them for the sole purpose of having it sent on the FBI. It was not theirs to do with as they pleased. I'm spending a lot of time banging my head against the wall.
Yvette and Scott were through with their special yoga classes and back to morning driveway yoga. The yoga helped calm me somewhat. After yoga, Elise tried to help me set up Movie Time to record the phonemic awareness audio recording. You can't do the audio file directly into Movie Time separately from the video. Or maybe more to the point, you use Movie Time to download material that has been prepared elsewhere. She was able to help me set up Photo Booth. I want to record my conversation with the Progressive agents and the folks from the Microsoft customer service.
I worked with a young student today, who is very unhappy with his current school situation. I knew he was smart, but he is way ahead of his grade level. He is in first grade, and he knows his multiplication table, a third-grade math skill. His reading is at least the end of first grade. He is bored.
I had a zoom meeting with him. For the first fifteen minutes, he hid. I waited. I was prepared to wait like this through several sessions. I took him about ten minutes of playing something close to peek-a-boo with me before being ready to communicate with me directly. Things went pretty well after that.
I asked him why he didn't like schoolwork. He said he didn't like the teacher. Why? Because she didn't pay attention to him. The class is twelve to fifteen students in a zoom meeting. I told him that I was hearing that the teachers felt sad too.
What did he think would help? Would it help if the teacher started each class saying hello to each student? He said he didn't know, maybe.
I told him that he had a problem; he was very smart. Being either way behind the curve or way ahead are both problems. I told him I would help him figure it out. We would do it together. He would use his intelligence to help solve this problem.
At the end of the session, he read all of Green Eggs and Ham to me. He really did a great job. It was close to a dramatic reading. He is going to be fun to work with.
I did some work on cleaning my screens. But I didn't get to do any vacuuming. At 3:30, I had to get ready to take Elsa to the vet for a regular check-up.
The vet said that her ears were bad again. The vet said the long-haired dogs have a particular problem with the hair growing densely in their ears. I haven't figured out how to get it out. The hair plugs the ears and causes infections. The vet also addressed her skin problems. I told her I was giving her the medication they gave me twice a day, where I had been giving it only once. She told me that I shouldn't continue the double dose too long. It compromises the immune system.
With human medication, you get a printout telling you how to use the medicine and how not to and the adverse effects. You don't get that information from the vet. You're on your own. One of the vets had told me that I could double her meds without telling me there could be problems.
I told her I have been using the medicated shampoo on Elsa. What I didn't tell her that I had been using it once every two weeks or so. Elsa hates to be bathed. She hates that she has to sit there with soap on for ten minutes. She told me that I'm supposed to bathe her with the soap two or three times a week. I was too tired to tell her the truth. She proposed giving her an antibiotic to help with the infections. I think her skin is getting better right now. I'll wait. She told me to get her ears plucked and then come back for a particular treatment. Shit! This is all too much.
When I got home, I took a nap. I had been exhausted all day. As I woke up, Judy was at my front door, delivering a coffee cake she made. Earlier in the day, Scott came up to deliver a dish of noodles, turkey meat, and corn. He had shot the turkey himself. Am I lucky, or am I lucky?
Another project on the table is installing the solar fan. I decided I wanted it installed on the south side, leaving the hardwired one on the north side. It winds up there is no gable vent on the south side of the house. What? How does the airflow? The hardwired fan does what? If there is no air coming it, what is it blowing out? We're thinking that putting the second gable vent in may be enough. If we're without electricity, the air can flow through the attic from one vent to another with the Hawaiian breezes help. Scott told me to pick out a vent from the Home Dept site. So many to pick from, I had no idea what is best.
I called Sandor to tell him I had information on the acoustic insulation. He doesn't need it now. No reason to involve him in my drama; he has more than enough in his own life. He says he plans to stop by on Friday to help me work on the library, picking out books to mail to the seminary.
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