What I've been doing for last coupla days ...

Pictures!

I've made 2 baby blankets - they're only about 18" X 14" but they're perfect for little dolls. Quick time killers.

And then yesterday I went to this little bead show here in Ptld. and bought these. Let's go l-r: green flower inside glass on string. I'm allergic to most metals except for gold and platinum so this is a perfect little inexpensive pendant. The upper right is "New Jade" (whatever that means). There are 50 on a string, 3 strings. I got them to go inside and around the little beads in the middle, also new jade. They are carved in a cute little pattern, sorta twisty but cute. (blow up the pic, they're kinda cool to look at) I got 20 of these. The big green squares are some sort of stone, cut and polished. I got these to make a bracelet, there is enough on the string for 2. And finally a big purple cabachon. For ... whatever.

Other than that, just working. Busy for the next 2 or so weeks with holiday parties and then New Years. Then it's gonna be slow until about end of March. Gotta love the winter months. :o)

Only 7 days til Christmas. :o)

EDIT: a few hours later for a RANT!!

God d*(k, motherf'n QWEST!! Those bast*$ds. Oooooh. I called earlier to set up (again) my direct tv, hm phone (because you have to have home phone to get tivo thru dtv :-\) and dsl. Because I've had it before, I LIKE it and I HATE Comcast. ptui. (the X has 'net and cable thru them here at my place, he's finally getting out so I need my own)

SO ... They tell me I have an unpaid bill from late last year. "Bull" says I. I dig in the bottom of the closet for the "2005 receipts" box and pull out the Qwest envelope. On the last bill, it says "Paid in full". Argue argue argue. "But ma'am, you never paid for you service at all."

"Pssht. I had service for 5 years at this same address until I switched to Comcast last November. You're telling me you let me have service for 5 YEARS without paying? I want THAT service plan again." :o)

"Well ma'am. We have people all the time telling us that they didn't have service, didn't order service, and Oh yeah, in a falsetto voice 'it wasn't me' and try to convince me that someone stole their name, service, etc. Is that what you're ALso trying to tell me?"

"Listen up you snotty little shit, I AM telling you I have had service for 5 years and it is paid in full. And I can prove it, with credit card receipts as I paid the damned thing via direct pay and ..."

"Excuse me ma'am, you have no reason to be abusive to me and ..."

"WHAT? 'NO reason'??? Put your supvr on the phone we'll see about that."

"We can work out ..."

"NO. We can't. Get your supvr on the phone. NOW."

"One moment, please."

I wait about 7 minutes. Supv comes on the phone and starts out by saying:

"Miss B? I have spoken with the operator you just insulted and I am telling you that we don't put up with that here at Qwest. Now if you would like me to help you I need you to apologize to the operator here first."

"I'm assuming that since you've had me on hold for 7 minutes that you have listened to the conversation that polite young man and I just had. I mean, that IS why you record the conversations and what all supvr's are taught to do at Qwest before they confront the customer as you just have, right? Or are you just assuming I was a raging bitch and he is automatically telling you the truth?"

"..."

"That's what I thought. I am more than willing to wait another 7 minutes while you check the recording."

"..."

"Or if you like, you can just help me get to the bottom of my problem and we can all go about our holiday business."

"Certainly Ms. B. I have looked at your account and you're saying that you paid you bill in full, is that correct?"

"Yes, and I can bring in to a local office the copies of ..."

"ExCUSE me, but are you saying that this $211.+ bill from last November is not yours?"

"Yes, as I was saying I have the ..."

"Yes, yes, now we need to ..."

"If you don't stop interrupting me I am going to come down to the Ptld office and have a nice long chat and throw a big enough fit that someone is going to find your superior. NOW. Let's talk like adults. Whatchasay?"

"Yes. Certainly. You said Portland? As in Oregon?"

"Yes. Certainly. Portland, as in Oregon. Where I've had service for the last 5 years."

"But I'm showing this bill is from Casper, Wyoming."

"..." this is me, speechless, for the first time since I had that hermaphrodite hit on me. Cab story.

"Um. There must be some mistake here."

"Apparently. Here is my last phone number, punch it in, lets see what you get for an address hey?"

UPSHOT: Someone set up service, in my name, with my SSN in Casper WY at the same time that I had service here in Ptld. "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't know why we don't check across state lines when we set up service." "No, I'm sorry but we don't check for current phone #'s if you're calling for new service." "No, we don't check for in-use SSN's either." "No, we don't report to the credit bureaus, that's why nothing was on there." "No. We don't usually check the credit bureau when we set up service, that's why we didn't see that you have a fraud alert on your bureau to check with you before setting up any service in your name."

ARRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!! And my favorite "I'm sorry, but there is no longer anyone here tonight you can speak with about this. The best person to talk to is the fraud dept and they will be calling you back next Monday after they look into your claim.No, there is not a direct line ot reach them at in the morning." Bastards.

Sheesh.