17:55 - 11/10/2009
beyond the veil
I usually post the first very rough draft of my stories to you, dear diary, then return after a break to check links and to add to or edit material I've already written. Followed that procedure last post to you. It was quite late at night when I finished that first draft. Made some tea, cuddled the cats and checked my youngest to see how he was feeling - still quite sick with the flu, he was. Half an hour later I tried to log back into our host to carry on editing the post. Not only could I not get into my account - I wasn't even allowed into the portal to the site. Kept getting a message stating that my blog had been reported as a spammer and would never be allowed on the site again. After several attempts to get onto the site from several different portals, so I could e-mail the support team, I gave up. I remembered the email address for the gentleman who heads up the service and sent him a plea to be allowed back to play. He responded within half an hour apologizing profusely. He said that there had been around 300 reported spammers that day and that 99% of them were found to be abusing the system. My blog had just been given a cursory glance aand was punted along with the others. He had already reinstated me before responding to my email. Such a great guy - made me happy. I returned to my editing with a greater appreciation of how much this site means to me, as well as how much I respect those who keep it running so smoothly for us.
Next morning another kind of e-challenge. This one a little more disturbing, since it was a very sophisticated attempt to phish my bank information - very official looking. After thinking it over, I left a voicemail with my banker explaining what had been sent to me. He responded quickly with instructions of how to have it investigated. When I checked in later it was obvious that my account was now being monitored very closely. Another great service provider confirmed all within a day.
That next day was Hallowe'en. I still wasn't feeling very well and it was really windy, but it was the last day I could carry out five remaining quality assurance assignments. Headed out for the bus feeling a bit sorry for myself. A gentleman standing waiting at the stop asked if I knew how to get to the hospital in the far south of our city. I asked why he was being sent that far away when there were two facilites much closer. He hesitated, then said his brother had just called him and told him he needed to get to that one hospital quickly. His mother was there being treated for cancer. Owww. He said he had just arrived in town and really had no idea how to get around. It was obvious too that he was very low on funds. So much for my little inconveniences, eh? I couldn't help him out with bus tickets since I was down to my last one, but I pulled out my city bus map and helped find the easiest sequence of busses so he wouldn't have that worry to deal with. Gave him the map to keep, so he find his way wherever he needed to go. A young mom was listening in about the hospital and asked whether we were getting flu shots and if she should have her son innoculated. I'm guessing she just wanted to help this gentleman focus on something other than the end of his
I hopped off the bus a community away and then did two of my assignments before meeting A+ at his home. He had volunteered to travel with me because I wasn't certain how well I was going to function trying to complete all five assignments feeling the way I did. Remember, I had lost my voice the last time I tried. Not completing the assignments that day wasn't an option. We headed off downtown where the next three sites were and managed to complete them fairly quickly. Even out-walked a bus we could have taken between two of the sites. As it was I was wiped out by the end of the work and was very grateful that A+ had been kind enough to help me out. We parted at his station, each going to our own homes. I had hoped we would be able to spend some cuddle time together, but I didn't want to make him sick and I was having trouble not being crabby even though I was trying hard to control it.
I blame it on the dragon I think. You see, when I had had those odd dreams the other nights, one was of a dragon's egg being lodged just at the back at the base of my skull. It hatched and it felt like forever while the teeny thing worked its way out of my head through the eustachian tube. Smarted a bit, that did. It seemed as though that dragon was merging with me, becoming part of my personality. What I noticed was that it was rather fiery tempered and cranky too. Took offense easily. I had to explain a number of times that those feelings were ok, but that expressing them vigourously in polite company was not. Being a "virtual infant" it wasn't all that receptive, bursting out in little tirades at the state of the world every so often. Guess I was still hallucinating a bit from time to time, eh? Well yes, the state of the world is enough to make anyone cranky. Blogging is a good way to cope with those feelings - most of the time. Anyway I found that the more fatigued I became, the less self control that little dragon had. And the less able I was to control it's acting out through me. Yes I know, blowing smoke, I am, but it's as good an excuse as any. "The Dragon made me do it". I was answering on-line surveys during some of those cranky times, so I would guess that some of the pollsters are wondering what hit them. Oh well, they wanted my opinion. Yoga does calm the little critter down, so I have additional motivation to do more now. Always a silver lining, I guess.
Spent the next full day back in bed with a full return of those flu symptoms. Bleagh. All the things I had planned to do - the data entry, raking leaves and job hunting all on the back burner while I thought my stomach muscles were about to rupture from the force of the coughing. Did make me vomit, much to the cats' displeasure. Well, now they know how I feel about hairballs, right? I know too much information, sorry dear diary. My youngest was too sick to go to work, so I spent time looking after him as well. He was going through the high fever phase making me very worried for a bit. He was upset because he wasn't going to be paid for the sick days, but the company also made it clear they didn't want staff back until they had fully recovered. Understandable, but brutal where the budget is concerned. The one positive thing was that there were no little trick-or-treaters about on our street the evening before. Some of my Facebook friends and some of the news sources were reporting the same phenomenon across the city. Guess everyone is really spooked by germs this year, although there were large groups of costumed young adults wandering around the downtown core while A+ and I were attending to my quality assurance assignments. Quite creative some of those young people. Maybe dressing like zombies keeps the germs away?.
Managed to rake up about two thirds of my front yard on Tuesday. Eight very large yard bags full. Two hours of non-stop raking. I felt really ill by the end of the work, but I'm certain my neighbours had been complaining about the leaves blowing into their yards. Not that they mind parking under my sundance tree all summer where it is much cooler though. Bet they don't complain about the protection from the sun that my tree affords their homes and the reduction in their hvac bills either though. Environmentally, trees are the lungs of our communities. Small inconveniences like leaves shouldn't be such an issue. Besides they also make great compost. Anyway another day spent recuperating while my lungs felt as though they were on fire - again. That little dragon has a lot to answer for. Hmmmm.
On Facebook another friend losing their parent that week. Seems to be part of the cycle right now. Interesting how the social networking sites encompass and embrace all the challenges of life. The community that enfolds him has been providing comfort through the progressive phases as he posts about the processes he is having to go through in the physical sense, as well as the emotional and psychological.
One sister going through a work crisis as well. She called last night to vent after I sent her an account of a dream about her job I had had that morning not knowing anything about the real circumstances. It is Scorpio time in the zodiac and deep transformational and hidden emotions tend to rise to the surface, oh yeah. Hmmm too. Other things hidden coming to light as well.
My oldest son's work hours were cut, because of the time of year, so he often arrives in the early morning after he has done his work to sift through job postings on-line. Last Wednesday night the internet died just about the time he walked in the door. I made him dinner while he chatted on the phone with the support technician from my internet provider. Around 2 in the am the tech had been able to "hot wire" the connection enough so my son could continue searching, but the connection was so unstable that often his applications bounced back. Oi. By the time mid-morning rolled round the connection was completely dead. My youngest took on the second round of talking with the tech as my oldest son headed off to get his children off to school and I prepared my youngest's uniform and lunch for his day at work. The tech allowed that it seemed to be a problem from outside the house - they couldn't get a connection at all beyond their own setup. That rather frustrated me because that has happeneded before. When I've called them about it, they always state that if they decide that the problem is generated at my end of the line then I will have to pay for the repairs. When they discussed the identical issues with my sons, however, they had no problem promising to have a technician out to the house next day - no charge and no quibbling. Grumble. The technician arrived the next day as promised about fifteen minutes after my youngest left for work. He went through every single possible problem that could have been located within the set up in my home. Took half an hour. Normally my cats would have been hiding under the bed or in their favourite hidey holes, but they liked this man - a lot. He kept pulling the big furniture away from the walls so they could retrieve their lost toys, you see. I think they were discussing adopting him for alternate worship when my youngest and I fell out of favour, when he finally declared that he was going to have to visit the "box" that contains the conduits for this part of the community.
I sat at the computer, phone by my side, waiting for him to call and give me whatever news he could. The connection came back to life about half an hour later. That was a relief, because once the tech had opened that box, my phone line had gone dead too - same provider, of course. Once the internet connection fired up, the phone came back to life too. Sounded as though the tech was quite relieved he had been able to deal with whatever the problem was. I asked him to explain it to me "Lucy", but he really didn't seem to want to expand on the cause. Next morning there was a rather long voicemail left by the company the provides my communications services apologizing for the problems, as well as the length of time it took to have a tech come out to fix it. Given the attitude I have encountered in previous discussions, I was wondering if the world was, indeed, going to end. I don't know what changed their attitude, but may it continue.
Interestingly enough though on Tuesday, as I was raking leaves, the landlord who owns the other half of my duplex had emerged from the back yard of that property. Turns out he had installed a satellite dish. I asked the tech if the landlord might have accidentally unhooked my connection while installing his. No, was the response, but yesterday, the first working day since the tech's visit, I looked outside and noticed one of the service provider's vans parked out front of that neighbour's home - traffic cones in place. Those techs were there for quite a while. Later that afternoon, two more of the company's vans cruised by slowly then headed off to nearby homes as well. Hmmm. I went out to finish raking the leaves while my oldest worked away on his job hunt. An hour later I was preparing supper, when I noticed a police car parked out front. My oldest had just left for his night's work, so I was bit edgy wondering if something had happened to him, being that he has been having flare ups from those injuries he received in that hit and run accident a year ago. I was worried that the police might have come to visit me about my son encountering health problems while on transit. As it turned out, the car sat there empty for a long time. Finally two officers emerged from the other half of my duplex. One went to the trunk and tossed something in, that was contained in a plastic bag. The two officers sat in the car for quite some time talking and writing, then returned to the neighbour's home. Another half hour elapsed before they returned to the car, then pulled away. Hmmm three. This morning, as my youngest was heading off to work, one of the internet provider's vans pulled up in front of the neighbour's home again, then pulled away. Shortly after that, two more vans were outside again - the same ones that had visitied the street the day before. Wonder what they found? Wonder if any of the pieces of drama are connected or if they are all discrete issues all on their own. There was a lot of banging going on out in the neighbour's backyard this morning, as well as during the wee hours of the morning. Not really restful sleep. As a result, my sunken eyes make me look as though I'm still dressed for Hallowe'en myself. Bleagh.
Threaded through all the home based excitement, I have continued to do my quality assurance assignments. Met A+ at one mall the other day, after finishing up one assignment at another site. The second assignment was in that mall, thankfully, since the wind was really messing with my ability to breathe again. We spent over two hours just wandering. Sight-seeing though the different stores after I'd finished the second job. During that time he treated me to a bowl of Thai noodle soup, yum, then we headed out to the electronics store he likes the best. What interested me most was the preparations the mall operator was making for the Christmas rush. Outside the giant Christmas tree stood towering way over my head. Guy wires all around holding the bow at the top of the tree in place. Inside, Santa's castle was set up, complete with playground, waiting for the gentleman elf's arrival. I don't really celebrate Chirstmas much anymore now that the boys are grown, but I still enjoy the sights and sounds - the music. Calmed that little dragon right down for a bit after he had been roaring with displeasure over the damage the wind had inflicted on my lungs again. A+ and I cuddled a bit while we were eating our soup and wandering through the electronics store then it was time to head off home again. Time for me to go start dinner for my youngest as well. Thanks for listening dear diary, I'm glad we're friends again.
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