The Kvetch Thread

So, my water access went crazy about a month ago. A guy came to my door early one morning, rang the bell. I never answer that stuff, too much history.

Not long later I got a call from the city water folk, I was losing 500 gallons an hour.

Fuckallura.

I called them, and another guy showed up and shut it off. He told me - after some, ah, chat, but my telling him I knew about irrigation and I knew the piping in this neighborhood, subject to lawsuit - him telling me as a by the way about a relative who was helped by the red cross. I'd heard something similar a while ago by an a2k friend.

So started fifteen days without water and it has been hot here.

I soon got a bill, $2100 plus. Now up to 2200 plus.

Took me a long time to connect to the red cross, much frustration, as I didn't just get it that their home repair help was not there at the phones all the time. Dumb of me, but the website had this 24/7 stuff, at least that I understood then. Long holiday weekend. I finally caught on. By then I was buying gallon water jugs from Walgreens and sometime later, Diane helped me fill them with her faucet. I got a shower, ran a small bit of laundry.

I talked with my neighbors, one especially helpful, the other not obviously helpful at first but then that was only from a note I left on one of their cars. But they turned out helpful too.

Meantime, I freaked. I needed, finally getting an appointment, to get to the red cross, and I'm glad beyond belief that Diane drove, as it is a dilemma that even perplexed some workers there, how to not drive past the site and thus have do drive another set of routes. I was already in high anxiety. I don't often get there, only remember once before, going overboard with anxiety.

I'll leave this for follow up.

Schvitzing is bad.

Oy! Sorry. I did not realize that you did not have a/c. Anyhow, over here, it is like a schvitz bath. Problem is, that in Florida, summer runs from late May-October. I went for a walk, and some kind neighbor offered to take me where I wanted to go in her golf cart.

A couple of days ago, I also was walking. I know every cable box in town, and use them for resting purposes. Anyhow, some lady that I don't even know stopped, as I was sitting on one of the boxes, and asked me if I was o.k.

I find that these kinds of things are happening more and more often to me. I must really be starting to look like an old fart!

Phoenix, I 've been getting that kind of reaction from people for a few years. People were falling all over themselves to help me the last time I was out in the snow. When I'm at the hospital and there are no seats, some sickly soul gives me a seat.

I don't mind looking old, and I'm thrilled to be looking feeble. I get unsolicited help. And a seat!!

Feh and pooh.

I saw the doctor about my knee. Now it's worse.

It took me four months to work up the courage to make a phone call I didn't want to make. I made the call. I was told to make a worse phone call. Not my idea of help. Gonna barf.

I'm gonna have to sell something to pay my bills this month. I hate this.

Snarling, growling, and fehing all over the Upper East Side. Otherwise, everything is peachy.

Just remember this 'Boita -- it could always be worse. You've actually got a knee. Think about it.

Hey, Andy. I've got two knees. BFD.

The pain in my knee moved down to my calf. Every step I take still hurts, but it's easier to walk. So now I can see how I can't breathe. Too busy with pain before to think about COPD. Sigh.

After two hours of sleep, I woke up. My stomach is acting up. Hey, gut. Behave yourself. Sigh.

Finally fell back to sleep. Then the doorman buzzed me to tell me my prescriptions have arrived. A goil needs her rest. Also her scrips. Sigh.

No money. Well, $27. My rent is more than that. Sigh.

Going to see the neurosurgeons on Tuesday. Gotta get my brain checked. Not entirely complaint free on that score. Don't know what I'll do if the tumor is back. SIGH.

Hope I don't hyperventilate from all this sighing.

Oh my. I was going to kvetch about the bakery spelling the name wrong on the b'day cake I ordered (she had ONE job), but seems rather insignificant, compared.

Sending mucho white light your way

Irish, A misspelled name on a birthday cake is nothing to sneeze at. I'd be in a state if I were you. Kvetch away.

Nah. Emilie laughed about it. Not their fault she spells her name funny. The cake was delicious.

The cake looks beyond delicious. Glad Emilie laughed. And I wish her a wonderful birthday.

kvetch and cake - go together

More cake = less kvetch

Eggs and tuna fish. Tuna fish and eggs. More eggs. Less tuna fish. Still more eggs.

Eggs are a versatile food. Boiled, fried, scrambled, poached, etc. Tuna fish from a can. Not so versatile.

I had no money and couldn't buy food. I ate what was here. Emptied the freezer and then went to eggs and tuna fish. Sick of eggs. Sick of tuna fish.

Finally got some money. Bought some food. So what am I kvetching about (aside from the eggs and tuna fish)? Nearly fainted dead away in the supermarket when I had to pay for the food. I didn't buy anything extravagant. Chicken, ground beef, sliced ham (for a samwich), and other stuff. Nothing special. I'm not prepared to thud in the supermarket.

Before I left the house, I looked out the window. No umbrellas. Not raining. I headed for the drugstore. Three drops hit me. Came out, and there was a deluge. I waited a while and then said, "**** it. It's only water." I went to the bakery. I hadn't had a steenkin' brownie in weeks. I was very wet. Then I went to the supermarket. Drenched. Hair wet. Glasses wet. Shoes wet. Clothes wet. Underwear wet. In short, I was wet.

Got home. Did I have time to dry off before the delivery guy arrived? Didn't care. Got out of all the wet stuff. But on dry stuff. Then the delivery guy arrived. Before I put the groceries away, I dried my hair.

All I wanted was some food that wasn't an egg or tuna fish. Oh, yes, and the brownies.

Does everything have to be a megillah? An ordeal. Expensive?

Didn't have eggs or tuna fish last night. A happy ending.

The deposition was not the end of it. The driver of car#1 decided to proceed with the suit and wanted his day in court. The attorney representing K sent her a written summary of her deposition and asked her to sign it so that they could file for her being dismissed from the case based on her written testimony. She later heard that she did not have to go to court on the trial date but there was a chance that she'd still have to appear in relation to the case.

Today we r'cd a letter stating that the suit against her was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can't be reopened at a later date, and we can now put this to bed.

Amen and hallelujah!

J, Tempted to post the Hallelujah chorus, but decided against it. I'd shout hallelujah, if I could shout. Glad the damned thing is over. Sighing for you.

Thank you. I'll take it.

1. I saw the neurosurgeons a week ago. They couldn't tell me anything without seeing inside my head. I gotta have an MRI. They told me I'd hear from the hospital about an appointment. I got a call. They want me to come in this Saturday. Saturday! says I. Yup. They're very busy and are taking patients on Saturday. I said sure. All days look alike to me except for what's on TV.

What's my kvetch? Gotta wait for the results. Noivous making.

2. I haven't had much work for a while. Decided to send out one of my "looking for work" e-mails. I hate sending them. Makes me uncomfortable. I sent them anyway. Within ten minutes I had an editing job. Now I've got a proofreading job as well.

So you're saying to yourself, what's her kvetch. She should be smiling. This should be on the what made you smile today thread.

This is a mixed kvetch. (I'm getting very sophisticated.) Despite a temporary sense of relief, now I gotta do the steenkin' work. Blech on the editing job, and semiblech on the proofreading.

NOISE!!!!I'm a city kid. A native Noo Yawker. I don't notice crowds or noise unless something extraordinary is going on. For the past six months or so, something(s) extraordinary has been going on.

First they were fixing the brick work on my building. Not only was the sound overwhelming, but something was hitting the building with such force that everything shook. Unbelievable noise. Impossible to sleep. Not only were the noise and the hitting a pain in the ass, but the dog next door was barking all the time. I sympathized with his angst, but wished he would shut up. And people were walking and talking directly outside my window. I'm on the eighth floor. The first time was more than a little disconcerting.

They finished fixing the building.

Now the city is fixing some kinda water sewer problem directly beneath my window. Drilling every morning. LOUD drilling. Banging, smashing, thumping, clanking all day long. And when the sewer people aren't at work, they put down metal slabs over the holes they made. Every time a car drives over one of these slabs, it makes a loud thud/bang noise. Every steenkin' time.

Peace, please. I pine for the days when all I could hear was roaring traffic and the suppliers for the supermarket underneath my building thudding heavy boxes and raising and lowering truck panel doors.

Help. I'm fading fast.