Good Planning Tuesday

[Elizabeth]

Good morning! There is still snow on the ground and it is cold here, but the roads are ok, so I am back at the office. I get more done here than at home. However, working from home yesterday afternoon did give me a chance to cook a dinner rather than go out. DD is staying with me yesterday and tonight. Tonight is also Girls Night Out. Last night I determined that the ATM card for my new account does, in fact, work. I finished laundry for travel, recorded checks in Quicken (and forgot to note the total!), wrote instructions for the cat sitter and put out all she will need, and remembered to give XDH his Christmas gifts from DD9. XDH separated out our finances, but forgote one check that I am entitled to half of. I realized today that since he was the one who wanted the divorce, I should have stuck him with the cost of it, too late now. He is finding things a lot more expensive post-divorce than he had thought. My sympathy is negligible.

My good plan: wear things that I am not taking to Alabama so that I don't have last minute laundry panic.

[Harriet]

Harmony to dd1: "Honey, I need to ask you to give me some flexibility for Christmas this year. I don't want to miss seeing you all, but I can't be sure yet when we can be there. Can you hold out some casual hospitality for us after all?

Harmony to Harmony: ♫"Don't worry, be happy."♫

I was thinking this morning before breakfast that I do 1,000 things before breakfast. I mean down to the flipped switches, unlocked doors, glasses turned to drain, petting needy cat, not tripping over HUNGRY cat while getting dish, this pill, that water, each item in EXACT order for my ddad's breakfast, he wants newspaper, trash might as well go out when paper comes in, etc., etc. What a training program it would take to replace morning me.

Does everyone but me already have their (practical) calendars ready for 2012? I haven't decided. A hanging one beside my desk would be an option I haven't used in a while. I wonder how much trouble it would be to get an electrician to rewire this lightswitch so it won't be in my way to audition a calendar here.... ...maybe not.

Fielded a call and diffused some gossip. No, our neighbor is certainly NOT living with a man. Well, (third person) didn't KNOW, but he saw a man doing some carpentry work. Hmmm, maybe it was a CARPENTER.

Glad you could check in, Norma.

Happy trails to Cowinkie and Elizabeth.

[bittersweet]

I had a pretty good plan yesterday.....until work called Although DH and DS took the bottles back, and the trash out (I think...haven't actually gone downstairs to check), I'll have to try and get some of yesterday's things done today.

First, I need to get dressed and take the two furboys to the vet for their "snip". Then it's back home to get the foster room cleaned up, and some presents wrapped. With any luck, I'll get the rest of this batch of kittycat pads finished today. 13 are trimmed and turned right side out, 8 more need to be sewn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And off I went to catch kittens to take to the vet. The post sat here through that, a quick trip to pick up a last Christmas gift, then a trip to F*ture Shop (ended up buying our new TV today since it was on sale, back home, out for breakfast.....you get the picture, I'm sure. At least I didn't get called into work!

Now I'm going to listen to my audio book, sew up the last kittycat pads, trim and flip them, and then head upstairs to work on cleaning the foster room.

[Nancy]

I've swept the hall kit. & dining room.
vacuum living room x
Granny duty is underway now.
Lunch is done & I've rinsed the dishes from lunch.
Journal, food log, & ex. bike x
Mail has been processed.

[Indiana]

When I read the subject for the day my brain takes off thinking about it. I of course keyed in on planning - today is a good one to make a list of what must be done and then one of it would be nice. But then the quote Twins sent me in another direction on perfectionism. I am guilty of wanting things perfect and hit the mark often enough to expect it as the norm. I need to change my thinking on that one.

I placed 3 orders on line this morning for some things I needed that were on sale with free shipping. Because of the holiday shipping one order comes each day before Christmas. I was expecting them after Christmas.

[Elizabeth]

I am still upgrading scripts. I found one I don't know how to fix, but it is one that has not been used much. I am going back to the ones that are in constant use. Tonight I need to make sure I feed my car, empty kitchen trash, and put cans to the curb. There are probably a thousand more things I need to do, but I have a list at home. I finally connected with a friend and we have lunch plans tomorrow. It is coming down to the wire on travel readiness.

[OKay]

~~~~waving Hi to all~~~~

<Very skippable rant!!!!>
AFter receiving a letter from medical billing company saying the was FINAL NOTICE before they sent us to collections, I got T-tolly ticked off at the ridiculous of how much time and effort I have spent on getting them straighten up their billing system.....over $8.72!!! I have check they cashed paying them in October, but they say I never paid. I am frustrated and have started being an impossible customer. Yes, impossible. I want them to want me to GO AWAY. So, I politely but continually told them -
** No, I do not want to be sent to the supervisor voice message system AGAIN. She never returns my calls.
** NO, I do not want you to refer me to a Post Office Box again I've already sent letter & full payment there and it did me no good.
** NO, I will not go away. Your company is the one saying they are sending me to collections because there has been "no response". I have called you 4 times this month in an effort to get this matter cleared up. I will continue to call you HOURLY if necessary until you get your act together.
** NO, I do not want to wait another week while you do more research on the matter. I have waited 2 months and your company has not done anything.

What I want is a name and an physical address. I am going to overnight you ANOTHER copy of the cancelled check that proves this account has been paid. I want a human being at your company to sign for this piece of paper and be responsible enough to straighten up your database and remove my name from the collection list. NOW!

She put me on hold and left me there.....................................................sigh

But I called back and got the supervisor who assured me she would research the matter and call me back within an hour.

That was 3 hours ago. So now I'm going to put my "impossible customer that NEEDS to go away" hat on and call them again.

I hate being impossible customer.

</rant stopped>

[Harriet]

HRH would be so proud of OKay right now.

The final 3 cards went in the mail today - really, I'm finished this time!!! I've completed all the notations on the form I made for card list 2011, and filed that away. Another good thing is that I am truly OUT of Christmas cards, which I like, so that life is simplified the next year with no puzzlement over who should get which card.

I have 2 more gifts ready to wrap and am falling further behind with plans for our 3 older children's gifts. Now I wish I'd bought exactly the same for each one, worried one or another will feel slighted.

IKWYM Indiana. Striving for perfection can waste my time, while making me think I'm being virtuous!

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I've had a very, very, good day.

Unlike OKay I am not dealing with medical billing departments. You Go Girl!!!!

My volunteering was cut short because they were all going out for their Christmas lunch so I had to leave at 11:45. No problem, I was given a defined task and got it done in time.

Leaving a little early, got me to fast food lunch before the crowds so no line-up and no problem getting a seat.

I did my planning over lunch, then walked across the parking lot for my first stop at an 'everything' store. Got a couple of things there but obvious stuff, like a yoga mat, weren't to be found.

At 1:05 I left the parking lot to get dh's present in downtown (I was still in the suburbs at this point.) Found the place, parked a few blocks away, walked over, found the item, bought it, walked back and was driving away at 1:35.

Headed off to a suburban mall where, with more wondering around, over a longer time frame, I found equal success and finished up. I left the city at 3:20. Got home at 3:45 and dh and I headed out for our walk. It is cold so we walked fast and I've had time to cuop since getting home.

I still have the last of the cards to make up and deliver by hand, more nuts and bolts to make, wrapping to do and getting the tree up with lights and garland by Friday. Hair cuts are on Thursday and grocery shopping is Friday but I'll just be doing that near here so won't have to battle crowds in the city. Dd arrives after midnight on Friday night. Ds will be sleeping here from then on as well.

Despite being up a pound this morning on the scale, because the shopping is done (specifically, dh, both birthday and Christmas) I feel lighter than I have in a long time!

[OKay]

This must be the day for it....

<2nd skippable rant>
Today a crew has been working at MPB tearing up part of the concrete parking lot and pouring new concrete. They have the area they are working on completely surrounded by trailers, cones, barriers, wheelbarrows, pickups, etc. etc. There was also a concrete truck stuck up to its axles in grassy area nearby (the driver thought the grassy ground would support the concrete truck....wrong). So there was all kinds of men, equipment and barriers up and at least 8 people standing/working in the area.....HOWEVER it wasn't enough to stop a lady from driving her car directly into/through the freshly poured concrete!!

She was talking on the cell phone.....she never stopped and just kept going. I wonder when/if she will notice the concrete on her vehicle?

</rant>