whiny wednesday

SOooo... Austin sends me a text around 2pm yesterday letting me know his flipflop had broken and they were making him go home since he was basically walking around barefoot.

Now... I would argue that he's basically barefoot even with the flipflops but ... whatever. I figure if he's there - even if it's in flipflops and pj pants - here's there.

To keep him out of trouble and prevent him from having to walk our rough gravel road home from the bus stop barefoot, I left work to go get him.

At 2:30 he sent me a text saying, "they won't let you check me out past 2:40" I still had a little ways to go. I texted back and said, "we'll just see about that...."

I got to the school at 2:35 but because of early release traffic, it took until 2:41 for me to get to the attendance office. Some amazon sized girl and her mother were blocking the window so the office staff couldn't see me at first... I waved my arms... and the secretary (or whoever) came to the window. I told her my child needed to be picked up because his shoe was broken.

She said, "it's two minutes past the check out deadline".
I said, "Well. I'm here. He can't ride the bus barefoot. He can't walk home from the bus stop barefoot. What do you suggest we do?"
She said, "you can wait until his normal dismissal time" (I have no idea what his normal dismissal time is... but I am fairly certain we were at least a half hour away from it).
I said, "Do you really think that is our best option?"
Through clenched teeth she said, "what's your child's last name?"
I told her.
She called him to the office.
We went home.
I mean... it would have been different if I had planned a doctors appointment at that time and just expected them to work with my schedule.
It would have been different if they hadn't told him to call someone to get him.
It would have been different if I hadn't gotten there RIGHT AT the cut off and if not for amazon girl and her mother, they would have been able to see me.
Heck, I could argue that their new check out window discriminates against parents who are under 5'8.

It was a little after three by the time I got him home and settled. I planned to go back to the office but had a really bad case of the "don't want to's"... and to be honest... I felt like I had hit a brick wall. I thought it was the stress of dealing with the Gargoyle at the Gate... and then I thought it was the stress of the mad dash. And then I thought it was because my back was so jacked up.

BUT then... I was up all night tossing and turning with fever... I thought maybe it was hot flashes and I was just being "blessed" with that stage of life... but then I woke up with a painful sore throat and realized... nope, I'm sick. Feels like strep. And now I'm faced with the darned if you do/darned if you don't decision about going to work. If I wasn't running a fever I'd write it off as one of those fall allergy things. If I wasn't running a fever and having chills I would put on my big girl panties and deal with it. Mercy... I have toughed out many many work days this year. I've also been sent home before when I was potentially contagious and I feel that odds are very good that I'm contagious. Glands swollen too.

I don't know. I have been on a roll at work. I hate to miss.

Whiny Wednesday anyone?

I've got a big old mug full of whine and there's plenty to go around.

Have I told you the story about Dish Network yet? When we moved over the summer I thought we were not going to need Windstream (our phone/internet and satellite provider) since I was told that internet was available (naive me, I didn't realize that it was available through hijacking, which I wouldn't do). So initially I got DISH (the satellite provider) started here separately. THEN... a few scant days later when I realized I would, in fact, need an internet provider, I called and arranged for the bundled services again with the phone, internet and satellite all together. Then I started getting double billed for the service independently and also as a bundled service. I called last month and re-explained the situation... had a little run in with a cheeky girl who told me I had agreed to a two year contract with DISH and Windstream and would have to pay the double bill for two years. I begged to differ... got a supervisor... got it straightened out and then... got another bill from DISH. Um. No. So yesterday I went through the whole deal again and once again they were very sorry about the confusion and would get it straightened out but FOR NOW, they said, I needed to pay both bills. For the same service. And they would refund me. So I said, "let me get this straight... I'm supposed to give you an interest free loan and trust you to get something corrected that in two months you haven't been able to sort out?"

Sometimes I think you just have to mirror back to people the logic - or lack thereof - that they're presenting to you. I know that in customer service (because I'm in customer service) there are certain word tracks and guidelines to follow. I also know that the reason there are humans answering those phones instead of a computerized voice is so that we (the humans) can interject logic and rationalization to the situation.

I managed to get the clothes tagged for the consignment sale. Austin and I deliver those today. I can attend the preview sale tomorrow night and plan to try to find some things that Austin and I may need for the winter. I'm also supposed to do a sleep study tomorrow night and I can tell you that it's not looking likely. Have to call them today to cancel.

Time to wake my sleeping boy so that he can roll out of bed in whatever he slept in and go to school. I've lost track of days but we seem to be on track for graduation. He currently has a solid B average.

Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday! love and hugs!