Saturday, January 24, 2009

Lines

Don't you just love waiting in lines? Me too. I just spent 45 minutes in a trash line. Pretty long wait to throw something away, don't you think. *laughing* Let me explain.

The city where I live does a periodic 'get rid of your old electronics' on a Saturday morning, and you can dump old computers, TVs, DVDs, etc, etc, etc. They hold it in a big parking lot. It opened this morning at 9:00. I got there at 9:13 and there were already more than 50 cars in line. Sugoi deshou. I waited because it took some effort to lift that old TV into my car, and I wasn't going to lift it out again! I pulled out of that parking lot at 10:00 and there were still more than 50 cars waiting in 4 lines behind me. We Americans dispose of a LOT of old electronics ... which isn't really surprising given that most electronic devices are obsolete about the time you walk out of the store with them. I know that for a fact since nobody in my city still carries batteries for my cell phone. I have to order them on-line, and the phone is only a couple of years old. Everyone wants to upgrade me ... usually to a flimsy, disposable phone that isn't as good as the one I have. And .... here I'm showing my old-fashioned, out-of-touch-ness ... my phone doesn't have a touch screen and a billion features. It's a two-year-old flip phone. *sigh* *laughing* What's the point of trying to keep up with the newest electronics when it's obsolete when you buy it? I like my phone, with the features it has, so I suppose I'll upgrade when no-one in the world carries batteries for it.

*smiling* Isn't the internet wonderful? I have the whole world to search for what I need. I wonder if it's a contradiction to be denigrating fast-moving electronic developments and adoring the internet in one breath.

Citibank made a tactical error. Well, yes, this one's relatively mild compared to most of the ones they've made with me lately. They actually sent me a survey asking how I felt about their service. At the end of it, they asked if I'd like a Manager level person to call me since I was quite obviously not happy with their service. I said 'yes' so I'll be interested to see what they say when they call. If they call.

Let's see, I started this blog about lines. The other line I stood in this morning was at the Post Office. What was notable about that line was the lack of it. I have never been in that Post Office shorter than 20 minutes due to the line, and the average wait I've experienced there is over 30 minutes. This morning, I was the third person in line!! That's just amazing. I mailed my first international package, and I'll probably mail all of them on Saturday mornings. Maybe that's just a better time. I usually go after 4:00 in the afternoon on weekdays. Or I could have gotten lucky this morning. Anyway I had my first experience filling out a customs declaration. I'm going to have to start using larger boxes to ship stuff in. By the time we got the declaration and the mailing info pasted to the outside of the box, it was completely covered. Hopefully it won't take forever to get there.

I had to stop for gas on the way home (45 minutes idling in a slowly creeping line), and it's COLD outside. Or anyway 35 degrees with strong wind feels frigid after our last two days in the 80s. I dragged my poor aloe vera back into my garage. They're looking a little the worse for wear. Luckily it's nearly impossible to kill them. None of them bloomed this year. Usually I have one bloom during the winter. Yeah, it's weird. I didn't know they bloomed either until the first year one did it. I think I have a picture. Yup. See one stalk grows up and
then a 'blossom' of sorts blooms on the end. At first I thought something was growing in the pot along with the aloe vera. I have nine pots of these
plants, which is why I say you can't kill them. Usually plants stand no chance at all that I'll manage to keep them alive. All my plants came from a single plant my sister gave me when I moved into this house.
Tomorrow I'm going to a going away get-together for one of my colleagues. Another potluck, but I'm not breaking any cardinal rules for this one. I'll just take a veggie tray and dip. Even I can cut up veggies. This colleague has taken a job at Texas Children's in Houston. I hope we keep in touch. Her office is three steps down the hall from mine and I'll miss her.
I guess that's all for today.

2 comments:

  1. ^_^ Is the package for me? *excited* I hope it's for me!

    I wish Dr.R the best as well!

    The aloe vera are zombies I tell you! Zooommmbies! One day they will rise up and take over! We'll be defenseless from the horde of ravening zombie aloe vera who will squirt soothing gel on us until we submit! AHHHHH!! RUN!

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  2. Yup, it's for you. It should be there in under a week, I hope. I sent it Express Mail. It's not much, so don't expect too much. I keep thinking of things I'd like to send, but then I remember that you'd have to haul them home.

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