Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
DAILY DISAPPOINTMENT
This installment of Daily Disappointment deals with a disappointment I am confronted with on a yearly basis. It tends to start right around Memorial Day, when we open up camp in Vermont and generally lasts throughout the first part of the summer. The only reason it doesn't last longer is because I have learned to "let go let God".
Every year I endeavor to find a cleaner who can come to our camp after one of my family members have spent some time there. Generally speaking we are looking for someone to come about every 2 weeks for a 2-3 month period...at best. I remember fondly the year we had an ex olympic skiier cleaning our place - she was awesome. I think that was in the late 80's. Let me tell you about this years attempts....understand that this is extremely typical of any occasion in which we have tried to hire any sort of help in VT.
Of course at first I foolheartedly called last year's cleaner thinking she would be the best bet for this year (as she indicated at the end of last year she would be eager to pick up some extra cash this summer as well). I left a voicemail on her home phone and her cell phone. Not so much as a return phone call. And I know her Mother-in-law pretty well, so it's not like she can just drop off the face of the earth. AND, might I note - she pretty much sucked....last year she cleaned all the windows in the house with witch hazel. I AM NOT KIDDING. This isn't a matter of a few smears, she USED WITCH HAZEL on every window. You could not see through the grease. When I pointed this out to her upon entering the camp she couldn't agree more, it was horrible, she was at a loss as to what I was going to do about it. I suspect she smoked a lot of pot. Just so you understand, I was willing, eager even, to hire her back again this year. that's how desperate I am.
Okay, so, on to plan B. Ask everyone I come across if they know a cleaner. Finally, our neighbors the Martells have a cleaner, she is awesome, very flexible, cleans their camp ABOUT 50 YARDS AWAY every week. I call her on July 6th as soon as I get back to MA. She calls me back, we review dates, she is quite confident that she can help us out, she'll call me back when she gets home and checks her schedule. Don't hear from her. I call her on Monday July 11th - did you check your schedule? 'Oh yeah, I did, I can totally do it' (no mention that she never called me back). Great - did you want to stop by the camp sometime between tue 12th and sat 16th and meet with one of us Jackmans just to walk through, see where cleaning supplies are, expectations, etc. Yes, she agrees that is a very good idea, I gave her my sister-in-law Donna's cell as they were at camp that week and the cleaner indicated that wed-fri would work out better. Donna calls on Friday - 'no word, I'm going to clean today before we leave on Sun'. Tom and I get up there with Maeve and friends on Sat...we leave on Tuesday, still no word from the cleaner, so we have to assume she isn't going to clean..so we clean.
As it is apparent to Tom and I that this cleaner is not reliable - we find someone that is advertising on the wall at the Whippi-Dip and we call her on Monday morning. This is a NEW flyer mind you because I have been looking every time I have been up there and it wasn't there July 4th weekend. As you probably have already guessed, it's been a couple weeks, she never calls.
I call the Martell's cleaner again, one last time - what's going on, can you do it or not (I act like I have some leverage, which is funny, because as you my reader know, I have no leverage, nor do I have any dignity at this point). She calls back on Tuesday the 19th - she is 'TERRIBLY sorry, her father went into the hospittal on Friday, it's been crazy, she really really feels bad - she can DEFINITELY clean on Friday before Al/Chris go up on the 23rd'. We talk about where the key is, what I want done. Did I mention that she feels TERRIBLE and this has been totally out of character for her and she is very reliable?
Okay....you know where I am going with this don't you? Do I have to tell you what Christine told me when I asked her if the cleaner had been there? Of cousrse I don't, you know, as well as I do, that she was a no show. I just left her another voicemail. At this point I'm just playing the game to the end.
I used to find humor in the tongue-in-cheek slogan the folks at our Camp gave to the Lake Morey Inn:
"It's The LEAST We Can Do".
Apparently, that slogan applies to the entire state of Vermont.
Every year I endeavor to find a cleaner who can come to our camp after one of my family members have spent some time there. Generally speaking we are looking for someone to come about every 2 weeks for a 2-3 month period...at best. I remember fondly the year we had an ex olympic skiier cleaning our place - she was awesome. I think that was in the late 80's. Let me tell you about this years attempts....understand that this is extremely typical of any occasion in which we have tried to hire any sort of help in VT.
Of course at first I foolheartedly called last year's cleaner thinking she would be the best bet for this year (as she indicated at the end of last year she would be eager to pick up some extra cash this summer as well). I left a voicemail on her home phone and her cell phone. Not so much as a return phone call. And I know her Mother-in-law pretty well, so it's not like she can just drop off the face of the earth. AND, might I note - she pretty much sucked....last year she cleaned all the windows in the house with witch hazel. I AM NOT KIDDING. This isn't a matter of a few smears, she USED WITCH HAZEL on every window. You could not see through the grease. When I pointed this out to her upon entering the camp she couldn't agree more, it was horrible, she was at a loss as to what I was going to do about it. I suspect she smoked a lot of pot. Just so you understand, I was willing, eager even, to hire her back again this year. that's how desperate I am.
Okay, so, on to plan B. Ask everyone I come across if they know a cleaner. Finally, our neighbors the Martells have a cleaner, she is awesome, very flexible, cleans their camp ABOUT 50 YARDS AWAY every week. I call her on July 6th as soon as I get back to MA. She calls me back, we review dates, she is quite confident that she can help us out, she'll call me back when she gets home and checks her schedule. Don't hear from her. I call her on Monday July 11th - did you check your schedule? 'Oh yeah, I did, I can totally do it' (no mention that she never called me back). Great - did you want to stop by the camp sometime between tue 12th and sat 16th and meet with one of us Jackmans just to walk through, see where cleaning supplies are, expectations, etc. Yes, she agrees that is a very good idea, I gave her my sister-in-law Donna's cell as they were at camp that week and the cleaner indicated that wed-fri would work out better. Donna calls on Friday - 'no word, I'm going to clean today before we leave on Sun'. Tom and I get up there with Maeve and friends on Sat...we leave on Tuesday, still no word from the cleaner, so we have to assume she isn't going to clean..so we clean.
As it is apparent to Tom and I that this cleaner is not reliable - we find someone that is advertising on the wall at the Whippi-Dip and we call her on Monday morning. This is a NEW flyer mind you because I have been looking every time I have been up there and it wasn't there July 4th weekend. As you probably have already guessed, it's been a couple weeks, she never calls.
I call the Martell's cleaner again, one last time - what's going on, can you do it or not (I act like I have some leverage, which is funny, because as you my reader know, I have no leverage, nor do I have any dignity at this point). She calls back on Tuesday the 19th - she is 'TERRIBLY sorry, her father went into the hospittal on Friday, it's been crazy, she really really feels bad - she can DEFINITELY clean on Friday before Al/Chris go up on the 23rd'. We talk about where the key is, what I want done. Did I mention that she feels TERRIBLE and this has been totally out of character for her and she is very reliable?
Okay....you know where I am going with this don't you? Do I have to tell you what Christine told me when I asked her if the cleaner had been there? Of cousrse I don't, you know, as well as I do, that she was a no show. I just left her another voicemail. At this point I'm just playing the game to the end.
I used to find humor in the tongue-in-cheek slogan the folks at our Camp gave to the Lake Morey Inn:
"It's The LEAST We Can Do".
Apparently, that slogan applies to the entire state of Vermont.
WHERE DAT RINGO BE AT?
I am sure you have all learned by now of the untimely death of the British singer Amy Winehouse. Most believe that Amy's long running battle/love affair with alcohol and drugs is to blame for her death at the age of 27. Ironically, Amy rose to fame with the 2007 hit "Rehab".
What you may not have known is that Ringo took the loss particularly hard. Tom and I were aware of Ringo's increasing concern regarding Amy's downward spiraling behavior as it related to her drug and alcohol use (Ringo was sometimes too distracted to poop while out on walks). Ringo's concern seemed to heighten when he learned of her disasterous "performance" in Belgrade just a month ago in which she was booed off the stage. So I reacted with minimal surprise when I saw this picture on the UK's Daily Mail website this morning. That answers the question that Tom was asking this morning when he got up to take the dogs for a walk: "Where Dat Ringo Be At"?
What you may not have known is that Ringo took the loss particularly hard. Tom and I were aware of Ringo's increasing concern regarding Amy's downward spiraling behavior as it related to her drug and alcohol use (Ringo was sometimes too distracted to poop while out on walks). Ringo's concern seemed to heighten when he learned of her disasterous "performance" in Belgrade just a month ago in which she was booed off the stage. So I reacted with minimal surprise when I saw this picture on the UK's Daily Mail website this morning. That answers the question that Tom was asking this morning when he got up to take the dogs for a walk: "Where Dat Ringo Be At"?
Thursday, July 21, 2011
DAILY DISAPPOINTMENT
The theme for the 5th wedding anniversary is wood (I know, easy joke there). In honor of that theme, I got my husband Tom a Quaking Aspen sapling. This is the very same tree that hangs over our dock in Vermont, the very SAME dock that we got married on. Sweet, right?
This is what a Quacking Aspen is SUPPOSED to look like:
As Tom and I approach our SEVENTH anniversary, this is what our 2 year old
Quaking Aspen looks like:
I am chalking this up as another one of my life's many disappointments vs. an omen regarding the health of my marriage.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
BUSTER MOVE!
Buster had to go to the vet last Friday. It looks to me like he was hiding Friday night lest someone find him and take him to the vet again.
NEW FEATURE!
Okay, my multitude of fans have spoken - they want RINGO! So, below is the first of a feature titled:
Where Dat Ringo Be At?
Most people think Ringo just lays around the house all day with Buster - but you would be wrong. Ringo leads a rich and fulfilling life both intellectually and spiritually. This series will allow me (and Ringo) to share with you, our devoted fans, Ringo's experiences as he travels near and far.
Case in point, there is a special art exhibition that Ringo wanted to see, so he hopped on the Red Line to visit the Peabody Museum in Cambridge .
Wiyohpiyata: Lakota Images of the Contested West
Where Dat Ringo Be At?
Most people think Ringo just lays around the house all day with Buster - but you would be wrong. Ringo leads a rich and fulfilling life both intellectually and spiritually. This series will allow me (and Ringo) to share with you, our devoted fans, Ringo's experiences as he travels near and far.
Case in point, there is a special art exhibition that Ringo wanted to see, so he hopped on the Red Line to visit the Peabody Museum in Cambridge .
Wiyohpiyata: Lakota Images of the Contested West
Co-curators Castle McLaughlin and Lakota artist Butch Thunder Hawk use ambient sound, motion, scent, and historic and contemporary Plains art to animate nineteenth century Lakota drawings from a warrior’s ledger collected at the Little Bighorn battlefield. This exhibit presents Lakota perspectives on westward expansion while exploring culturally-shaped relationships between words, objects, and images.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
NEW FEATURE!
TITLED: THE DAILY DISAPPOINTMENT
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They say that if you do what you love, then the money will follow. So I thought I would practice that mantra right here on my blog. I love to complain, and am disappointed on a regular basis, so the combination of being disappointed and sharing those disappointments with you, my large audience, was undeniable. Plus, this gives me yet another opportunity to have a feature on my blog that doesn’t actually require me to write anything clever…I let the photos do most of the work for me.
As you are confronted with what I have to contend with on a daily basis, you will surely feel my pain, and in doing so, will want to help/support me in some way. That is why I have setup a fund that you can contribute to; this is important for 2 reasons. First, it will help alleviate your guilt over having a life that is not riddled with disappointments. Second, it will help me bring full circle the 'do what you love and the money will follow' philosophy.
Send check or money order to:
WOW! YOUR LIFE DOES SUCK FUND
79 Union Street
Holliston, MA 01746
Today’s disappointment is in my cleaner. This could actually be a biweekly disappointment as she comes every 2 weeks. So yesterday I was excited to get home as it’s always nice to enter your house after the cleaner has been there, that pine fresh scent, etc. Not so much with our cleaner, it smells the same as when I left. Not bad, just not freshly cleaned. Then, when I went to the sink and looked out the window to enjoy our gardens in the backyard, I was disgusted (or, should I say DISAPPOINTED) to see a number of dead flies/bugs in the window sills! GROSS! I suppose I don’t expect the cleaner to clean ALL our window sills, but you would think that the brand new windows that are right above the kitchen counter/sink would be the 3 sills you DO clean. I’m thinking I need to get a new cleaner. (I should also mention that on her 2nd visit she knocked over a brand new oil painting, smashing the frame, will cost us about $300 to replace….and another time she forgot to finish the bathroom….).
FINAL NOTE: Even though this is called “Daily Disappointment”, don’t expect to see a daily submission. I’m using what’s called creative license in the title.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
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