Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Scared Spitless and then Some Snow

It is a cold, snowy blustery day here in Houston. OK, I only get to write that like once every 4 or 5 years. We are crazy over a few flakes. Cheryl is probably shaking her head thinking we are crazy over something that she sees ever winter. Guess we get that way about the heat in the summer when someone says it's 90 degrees and we go into our stories of the hottest summer or April days we ever experienced.

So, I pulled out my official tea pot. And I am making hot tea in the official way I know. Instead of just sticking a tea bag in some microwaved water, I boiled water, poured it into the tea pot and let it sit for a bit. Poured it out and added fresh hot water, put tea into the basket, added a couple of lemon drops (I don't have any lemons) and it is steeping. I am going to sip it out of a china cup complete with saucer. I am celebrating the snow, the cold and the settling in for the night feeling. If only I didn't have to get up for work tomorrow.... be patient Nancy you will soon be on vacation next week.

The catalogues, they just keep coming. I must be on every mailing list in the country. I am getting catalogues from companies I have never heard of. Some clothing catalogues, that I will never fit into their size 0 clothes and reminding me this might be my last catalogue unless I order something from them soon. Gee, I am thinking about dressing up my thighs in twin outfits. Now there is something you don't see everyday. Probably, I don't think my thighs will fit in the sub zero sizing range. Today we received a Dog and Cat catalogue. Looking through it there is about 3 pages dedicated to cats, all the rest is stuff for dogs. I can buy this polish for Buddy's claws. All I have to do is trace Buddy's paw on the order form... uh, she isn't going to sit still for that to happen. Then upon receiving the polish they tell you how to put it on and it will last 6 weeks. It will take 6 weeks to get polish on Buddy's nails. I am not going to do that, but really, why???

Oh, I forgot to tell you why I was scared today. I had a courtsey call from Bank of America. Now right there you know it isn't a call to find out about me or how I am feeling or dealing with the stress of the holidays. I got out the copy of the check...no I don't pay online too much. Anyway, I had underpaid the amountowed by $4.28. I misread the bill and they were charging me $15.00 to take the payment over the phone and a $39.00 late fee. On the inside I was freaking out and I was trying to remain cool, calm, you know collected upon. I apologized. I am thinking, they think I am a deadbeat who doesn't pay my bills, $4.28. Since I so graciously said they could deduct that amount from the checking account and then I said, what is the amount I owe for this month, go ahead I am paying early, they sympathetically told me they were waving the $15.00 and the $40.00. For that I am all too happy and gushed my thank you's to the customer service representative. They must hear a million different stories and excuses in a day and I was hoping she knew I wasn't just making up some story, I misread the amount. In fact I said something to her about that and she said mam, your voice and the fact you have apologized over the $4.28 a thousand times lets me know you aren't pulling some fake story out of the bag.

The tea is so good. I am going to go get my book, light my Christmas tree fragrance candle and settle in wrapped up on the couch, drink tea and wait for Roy to get home. Maybe he'll make the evening complete and bring home dinner.

2 comments:

Amanda said...

Ooh, the tea sounds nice. I traded in my afternoon tea for hot chocoloate today. That is insane about what those people want you to do with Buddy's paws. No cat I ever owned would put up with that without a huge fight that I would lose.

Ali said...

Yep, that's the traditional Irish way to make tea. Or to dunk a teabag in a mug of hot water. Whichever floats yer boat!