one december. . .

Carry the one root canal

Somebody from Windstream left a note on my door that said my house is outside the 3 mbps area and I won't be able to receive that speed.

Of course.

The heat/air guy stopped by tonight to go over his estimate. What I thought would take 20 minutes took twice that because he was determined to be thorough in explaining the load calculation, cost savings according to the gas company and the unit options, including a couple of add-ons (humidifier and a filter upgrade) that I had already said I wasn't interested in.

Tammy had offered to bring Chinese food and Cooper over, and because I incorrectly estimated how long the presentation would take, they arrived while the guy was still here. She had Cooper on a leash and kept him from getting to me in the dining room, but I could see him pulling to get closer and wagging his tail. He isn't a big wagger -- not like a lot of dogs anyway; maybe it's because his tail curls and is therefore less waggable -- so it was extra cute and I had to force myself not to look at him so I wouldn't laugh. I love that little dog.

I've done the math now, and this estimate is the lowest but only by $500.

Hmm. . . $500. . .I wonder if that's the cost of a root canal.

Of course

Now it's wisdom teeth removal and a root canal.

Dragging on

I didn't receive an estimate from the guy that was here last Monday, so this morning I called to find out about it. Apparently their policy is to hand deliver and go over the estimate in person, so he's coming by tomorrow evening. How convenient.

This company came recommended by someone at work, and I've been enthusiastic about them until now. The delay with the estimate has me thinking they don't want the job or they aren't going to be reliable. I don't know how to judge it. The last time I had similar reservations about a company was when I got my roof done, and in the end I would have been better off if I'd followed my instincts. I guess I'll keep that in mind.

I'm not crazy about the amount of stress I'm feeling and would just as soon get rid of this portion of it.

Less for more

A guy came yesterday to collect information for what I hope is the last estimate for furnace/air.

Last Friday we had a department meeting where we were told that major changes are coming next spring, none of which I can get into. The bottom line is that a number of people will lose their jobs. Based on the description given, I'd say I have a 40 percent chance of staying.

I decided to go ahead and enroll in the associates degree program. I do believe it will help me in the long run, and although this isn't the time when I want to spend a lot of extra money, I have to get going if I'm to get any benefit from it when I need it most. And yet no matter how beneficial I believe it will be, I can't help but feeling I'm going backwards.

I'm looking for ways to trim expenses to help offset the expense. I started with DSL because I'm paying a lot, in fact according to Windstream's website I'm paying for 12 mbps. I knew that wasn't the plan I signed up for so I called to find out just what I'm getting. 1.5 mpbs. For the price of 12.

Sweet.

Apparently they decrease the price of the plans sometimes but unless you figure it out for yourself, they'll continue to charge you at the rate you began at for as long as they can. This is only one of the reasons I love Windstream and enjoy being their customer. The other reason was that time it took me three months to get my account straightened out after they overcharged me by several hundred dollars.

So I upgraded from 1.5 to 3 and saved $10/month. Ridiculous. And then the woman told me she could bundle that with local and long distance, which will drop my overall bill by $31.

Less money is all well and good, but I've just spent an hour trying to update my modem through their website and it isn't working. This is very nearly the final (stress) straw. I very much need something to go right.

It's best that I don't call about it tonight. I want to watch that NYC prep school show anyway.

I picked up my car tonight! No more walking to the bus stop in 108 degree heat!

Sam replaced the overflow tank and the fan motor, which seems to have solved the overheating and air conditioner problems. It is very strange to come upon a red light and not have to reach over and shut off the air conditioner. I'll have to relearn to drive normally and not constantly try to adjust my speed to avoid having to stop at lights.

Now it's back to air/furnace estimates.

June ends in seven days. Hoping this run of bad luck does too.