"The Good Wife"

I am still in denial and shocked over Will’s death in the “The Good Wife” that aired last Sunday (March 23, 2014). I’ve been in mourning for the past week about the death of a character in a T.V. show. How pathetic is that?  

‘The Good Wife’ runs on Sunday nights and I record it on DVR and I watch it on Tuesday evening when Mary’s at class. So for the first 48 hours after the show’s airing, I was not aware of the death of one of the show’s main characters. Ignorance is bliss. But the past few hours I’ve been walking around the house doing chores and saying “They killed off Will” and “Will is dead.”

The co-creators of “The Good Wife” were in a dilemma when one of their original actors, Josh Charles, who plays Will, decided to leave the show for greener pastures. Will’s sudden and unexpected demise during the last 20 minutes of the episode, caught loyal viewers completely off guard. These outraged fans went online to voice their hurt over the loss of Will.  And their continuing outrage caused the co-creators of the show to write an open letter to the fans explaining why killing Will off was the best option for their continuing story line.

When the series started in 2009, Alicia’s husband, Peter, who just happens to be the District Attorney at the time, cheats on her by sleeping with a prostitute.  So the first show of the series has Alicia standing by her husband during the press conference portraying “The Good Wife.” Alicia needs a job since she has left Peter and ends up at Will’s firm. While working together, the chemistry between Alicia and Will grows into a very complicated relationship. By the way, did I mention that Will is Alicia’s boss?

This season, Alicia leaves the law firm and starts her own. Will views this as a form of betrayal and he goes after Alicia and does all he can do to make her new firm fail. So begins their cat and mouse game of proving who is the better lawyer using all sorts of underhanded tricks. But when Will dies, everything changes for Alicia.

On Sunday night, one of Will’s clients loses it in the court room, grabs an officer’s gun and randomly shoots people. Will is hit by a stray bullet and bleeds out. One of the sadder moments is when his client is seen sitting nearby with the gun under his chin clicking the trigger over and over again because he has run out of bullets. The other sad moment was a shot of someone’s foot with a brown shoe and the other with just a sock on it and a trail of blood (which was Will’s).  I watched the ending of the show twice to understand that his character was gone forever.

The good news is Will is reappearing in some flashbacks for the next couple of episodes. When I think of Alicia paired with someone, it will always be Will. I can’t image anyone else.

I always envisioned that when the series finally ends there would be a scene where Alicia and Will are walking hand in hand into the sunset and they live happily ever after. We all know that only happens in T.V. or the movies. Alicia and I are both heartbroken and it will take some time for us to realize that Will is never coming back to be her friend, lover, or even her adversary. And, Will was my all time favorite "bad boy."

Where Has All the Customer Service Gone?

Mary and I joined the 21^st century when we recently decided to get wi-fi through Xfinity . While reading the instructions, it mentioned that a backup battery should be installed. We didn’t see the battery and we spent a lot of time looking for it in the box, and looking for it in the trash as well, and just couldn’t find it. Mary called them. They informed her that the battery did not come with the wi-fi box and that we would have to purchase it for a mere $45 through the Xfinity Voice Battery Backup line.

Mary goes ahead and orders the battery. When it arrived, she installed it and nothing happened. The battery just wouldn’t charge. The green battery light never appeared as mentioned in the instructions. Two months fly by and I finally get around to calling Xfinity Customer Service.

After making three phone calls and speaking to four individuals, I truly believe that Comcast’s customer support staff originated from the spawn of Beelzebub!

In my first phone call, I explained about the battery situation and that the green light was not appearing on the front of the box which meant that the battery was not charging properly. At this point, the Customer Service Rep would not continue the conversation until I gave her the serial number. She told me it was located on the front of the box. Wrong. It was on the back of the box, and due to the short cables, it was hard for me to turn it around to read the numbers. I had to move both a chair and a lamp and then scoot the desk out from the wall to get to the back of the box.

I finally read off a long series of numbers to her and then she asks me why I was calling. This is when I had a true Juan Pablo moment - he’s the rude guy on The Bachelor who chided the host for interrupting him. I interrupted her and said, “You are not listening to me. I told you in the beginning of this conversation what the problem was.” She said, “Sorry...I can’t hear you and you should call back to the Xfinity Voice Battery Backup line” and then she hung up on me.

I immediately called back and person #2 kept me on the phone for a total of 12 minutes with many minutes of silence between each question he asked me. I had to say on two occasions “Are you still there?” because all I could hear was background noise of people talking. He finally came back on the line and said, “We will send out a new battery.” Yeah!!! I was then informed that I would have to personally return the first battery to the nearest Comcast store. For us, the closest one to us is 45 minutes away which does not make me jump up and down with joy about returning it.

My third call of the day…I’m looking at my notes and I realize that the battery is called the “voice battery backup” and I wanted to be sure that I really needed a battery for the wi-fi since I wasn’t using the phone jack on it for our phone service. Person #3 told me the battery was only for the phone and that it wasn’t meant as a backup for the wi-fi if the power goes out. At this point I’m so frustrated that I’m making strange sounds instead of intelligible words (I was envisioning practicing my high dive off the nearest cliff). Then she said, “I’m transferring you to our technical service department.”  

This is just getting better by the minute. I spoke to person #4 and explained the entire battery situation again and that the woman I just spoke to informed me that the battery was only for the phone service and not for our wi-fi if we lost power. Person #4 said the battery was for both the phone and wi-fi t if here is a power outage. Why didn’t the previous person know that? Aren’t they given any training???

His next comment was priceless - he informed me that we must have installed the battery incorrectly. I took a very deep breath and said, “Well if this second battery that is being mailed to us doesn’t work, I will call back for instructions about how to install a battery.” Because at that point all I wanted to do was scream at the top of my lungs at this individual that I felt that the entire Xfinity Voice Battery Backup staff was a bunch of untrained idiots, but for a change I kept my mouth shut. I thanked him politely for his helpful assistance and wished him a nice night and hung up.

I now have bruises on my forehead from hitting my head repeatedly on the kitchen table after this last conversation. All I can say is that second battery better work or mayhem will ensue.

Until the next time…

Update: The second battery was the wrong size. The only reason I cared about having a battery was the instructions said to “install the backup battery.” Word to the wise – don’t always rely on instructions as whoever is writing them may not know what they are talking about.

My Morning so Far

My morning as of 8:15 a.m. 

·        Walked around the house and opened all the curtains

·        Made the bed

·        Made my coffee

·        Emptied the dishwasher of clean dishes. And, tried to find room for all of our coffee mugs. Why do we have this many mugs? Is it really necessary? I had to stack them on top of each other which I know is frown upon by management.

·        Ate a bowl of yogurt with some cereal thrown in for fiber

·        Folded a load of laundry

·        Put on a wash of towels

·        Put that load of towels in the dryer to dry

·        Emptied out the kitchen compost container into the container we take to our local dump on Saturdays.

·        Finally, drank my coffee

·        Emptied four wastepaper baskets into the kitchen trash can and took it to the outside trash can. Why do we have four wastepaper baskets plus the kitchen trash can?

·        Did poop patrol in the back and front yards. Some of it had frozen in the snow and I had to use a shovel to dig it out.

·        Put a 12-foot plastic flex-drain on one of the down spouts in case it rains today. Too much snow close up to the house so I wanted the water to drain away from the house and not into the house.

·        Fed the bunny – he got a large carrot (no greens because this wasn’t an organic carrot) and slices of cabbage. To put his food in the spot we normally put it, I had to move a lot of the hay that Mary had placed there. She was told that the bunny would use it in his nest and eat some of it as well. From what I can tell he is not a fan of hay.

·        And, now off to earning a living. I'm exhausted all ready and my day has only begun.

More Fast Eddie Adventures!

This positing was written in December, 2008. Eddie had just turned two the past October and was still very much a puppy. Five years later he still has not graduated out of Puppy 101. Eddie is a goof ball and that is quite obvious when you meet him. There are many more stories about him coming up that will make you smile and laugh. This October he will turn eight, in his early years, I never thought he would live past the age of five because of all the things he ate. But thankfully, he has a cast-iron tummy!

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Of Fast Eddie’s nine emergency visits so far, three have been related to cuts to his paws while running off leash at the Old Hospital Grounds here in Northampton. The first one was rather minor he cut himself running on an icy path. I had no idea that dogs can get injured on ice obviously I haven’t had any Iditarod experience with dogs in icy conditions. That incident resulted in a couple of stitches and no park visits for a week.

The next one was a little bit more serious. Eddie was running around at the park and went into the woods where he sliced open the toe pad of his paw. With several stitches and orders to keep him from jumping or running around for two weeks, we went home. The vet’s concern was if this didn’t heal properly, his toe pad might have to be removed. We knew we couldn’t keep him from not being a Mexican jumping bean, but we did try. With that said, several days later he leaped off of the three-foot high retaining wall in our backyard and split open the stitches. In spite of his dare devil leap, his toe pad finally healed but it is now a very odd shape. Well, there goes the idea of using Eddie as a paw model to pay off his vet expenses!

The most expensive incident so far, again at the park, and with only seconds to go before getting Eddie back into the car, he ran off into the woods and came out limbing and bleeding heavily. Poor Mary brought him home and just wanted to wash all the blood off of him. I took one look and knew that he had cut tendons. We quickly headed up (on a Sunday morning, no less) to the Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital in South Deerfield near Yankee Candle.

The vet, Dr. L. knew Fast Eddie from previous park experiences. She knew Mary’s ex-partner and when she found Eddie running around the park one day with no adult supervision, she called her to get Mary's number. At the time, Mary was madly searching for the elusive Eddie at the park. Dr. L. also knew of some of Eddie’s previous exploits with the snake and the mouse (that will be explained in a future posting).

Well, the diagnosis was that his tendon had been cut, probably from a broken bottle of which many litter the woods. Thank you, you moonlight booze-hounds for throwing your bottles around and leaving dangerous broken glass that can injure humans and animals! He had minor surgery with internal and external stitches needed to repair the damage. They wrapped him in a huge cast-like bandage with splints to protect his limb. Dr. L. cleverly created a pumpkin “iron-on patch” for the bandage since it was so close to Halloween.

We were told he had to wear a cone (Elizabethan collar) for his entire recovery period of four weeks or more, and he would need to get the bandage changed on a weekly basis with our local vet. And thus began the tug of war with his bandage. Eddie and Chancey (our third dog) love to play tug of war, but this was the first time Eddie could do it all by himself.

 He didn't like the cone so we didn't make it a priority for him to wear it. Big mistake on our part. So he just kept pulling and chewing on his bandage which resulted in a total of eight bandages! Oh, did I mention that at some point he broke the splints and had to get them replaced too. Isn’t he special!

The idea that one could keep Eddie from doing something he‘s not supposed to do is rather humorous. That boy lives to chew and destroy. It’s his mission in life…one he does quite well.

Eddie is still recovering even though the splints and bandages are now off. He still favors the leg and when outside hops around on three legs. Once he’s fully recovered he will return to his daily walks at the park which really turn out to be flat out sprints. 

Another Day..and the Saga Continues

This posting was originally written and posted in January 2009. I wrote this when Mary's friend, was temporary camping out with us until her new condo became available. Her dog, Tyler, and her African Gray Parrot, Justice, were staying with us as well.

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At this moment in our lives, we have three women, four dogs, and a handicapped African Gray Parrot living in 1,197 square feet of house. And, it is working out much better than the three of us had ever hoped for. But, there are days when it is a freaking zoo around here!

Take yesterday for example. I was taking a break after getting home from my Saturday job. Two of the dogs started barking because they heard something out on the road. I look out and it is the furniture delivery truck arriving 2 ½ hours sooner than we had expected!

Thankfully, Mary and Lisa had spent time in the basement that morning re-arranging all of Lisa's boxes so there was a cleared area. But, we had planned for the delivery to go through our outside cellar doors and we hadn’t cleared off the snow. Lisa went out in her house slippers and cleared it off while the truck was backing into our driveway. With Mary’s help, they both moved garbage cans and shoveled a walkway from our driveway to the cellar doors. This is with four dogs loudly barking and running back and forth wanting to go outside and poor me wishing for ear plugs and trying to calm them all down.

Fast forward - the furniture has made it to the basement with only minor drama. But now someone is knocking on the kitchen door and the dogs go berserk, again! I squeezed past four dogs to see who it was. It was the delivery driver wanting me to sign paperwork. I explained to him that one of our dogs doesn’t like strangers and that was why I was making every effort to keep her from them.

In the meanwhile, I couldn’t figure out where Mary and Lisa were, but I went ahead and signed the paperwork. As the driver headed toward his truck, I asked him if Mary had given him his tip. He said “No” just as Mary barreled around the corner of the house. She’s yelling, “You locked the basement door and we couldn’t come up through the house!” So I ran back into the house trying to keep the dogs from pushing their way out and I unlocked the basement door. I find Lisa standing on the steps saying “there is a missing table leaf,” while I am handing her the signed paperwork! She squeezes through the mass of fur and goes out to talk to the driver.

It was decided that the driver needed to come in to the house to look at the table in the basement. But thanks to my earlier statement about Chloe, he didn’t want to. So, I had to get a collar on Chloe, walk her to the other end of our house, and hang out in the study with her. She wasn’t a happy camper, but with lots of encouragement and a few dog treats, we made it through this latest hurdle. Come to find out, the table only has one leaf, so all is right in furniture land.

So this is my life right now: four dogs barking, one handicapped parrot talking a mile a minute, and three women all living under the same roof. Life is good.

Until the next time...

My Red Cowboy Boots

Years ago, I would never have imaged a woman as my soul mate, nor would I have imagined being ruled by three dogs, and definitely not the owner of red cowboy boots. I was raised in Nebraska but in the city of Lincoln, cowboy boots were not normal apparel.

A couple of years ago, I was reading a book, cannot remember the title and the main character, a woman, had wanted red cowboy boots before she was sixty. How interesting. I thought that’s cool and added them onto my “bucket list of what I want in my lifetime.”

Well, in November of 2012, they came into my life during “Bag Day.” It is a yearly shopping event held in Northampton and you can get a 20% discount at any of the stores listed on the bag. I’m the type of woman who salivates when she hears the word “sale.” So I’m walking around and end up at Strada Shoes. Oops! They carry expensive brands of shoes and boots which are well worth the investment. Over the years, I have made several purchases from them and have never regretted the cost since the quality of the brands they carry is excellent. Guess what? They had the most beautiful pair of red cowboy boots. Here’s the clincher they had them in my size and I could use the 20% Bag Day offer. Sold!!!

They became the most comfortable foot covering I’ve had in years. A month later, for my birthday present, Mary purchased the tan version!  Next came the brown suede, on sale of course. Then there are the wild black zipper studded ones, on sale at Kohl’s for $28. Latest purchase a pair of burgundy ankle boots on sale, of course!  Boot collection is now up to seven! Running out of room in my closet, so one pair is now residing in the living room coat closet.

I had an errand to do yesterday and I stopped at Faces (a store which a friend of Mary’s describes as “Pier 1 on Crack”), “to browse”.  I found, and purchased, a cute little sign that is now proudly displayed on my office desk.
                                                                                                                              

GIVE A GIRL

THE RIGHT BOOTS

AND SHE CAN

CONQUER THE WORLD 

Amen, sister! 

Flash back Friday's entry is about three women, four dogs, one handicapped African Gray Parrot living in 1,097 square foot house. What can I say?

Until then, cheers!

Mary said “Yes”

So for all of you who read my Valentine’s Day posting, you know what “yes” means. For those of you who have not, go read it!

The two of us are excited about having this ceremony that will honor our ten years of being legally married in the state of Massachusetts. Plus, it is a great reason to have a “kick-ass party!” which is really what this is all about.

Wedding outfits - do we tell each other what we are wearing before the ceremony? Mary says it’s “too hetero,” her new term for not following the traditional marriage ceremonial rights. That maintaining the tradition of what dress the bride will wear as a secret would be difficult especially since there are two brides. She does have a point. Our house is small and hiding our outfits would be difficult. Plus, my keeping what I’m wearing a secret is going to be extremely difficult. When I find the right dress, I’m going to want to tell everyone!

Party favors - when I mentioned a glass mug (design: small mason jar with glass handle), with our names and the date of the service, Mary just rolled her eyes and shook her head! Not a positive response. I looked into it; great idea, but very pricey. I could get plastic cups and write our names and the date on them instead!

Music - we have a number of friends who are talented and might want to participate in the music portion of our “kick-ass party”. Mary is thinking “boom box.”

Food – we have agreed that it will be catered. When Mary mentioned making a couple of dishes as well, I gave her that “oh you are not” look. We have agreed that this portion of the venue is her “thing” as long as she orders out, so I have agreed to stay out of the food planning.

Decorations – my department. The church will still be beautifully decorated from the holidays, so that is one less thing on the “to-do list” to have to think about. I will get to have the fun of decorating Kidder Hall where the “kick-ass party” will be held. And, I have already picked out the colors for the table linens.

Guest List – well after only 48 hours we have 128 names! I’ve already started a spreadsheet with the names and addresses. We are going to send out two waves of announcements. The first will be “save the date.” Mary checked on the Internet and found that piece should be sent out four to six months before the event. To be safe - I’m already telling people to mark it on their calendar! The second wave will be the “official invitation” and Mary knew that should be about six weeks before the ceremony.

So this is just the start, and we do have ten months and 12 days to make this all work. My concern is this enough time for me to find the “perfect dress” to wear to this shindig?