Be the pig!

Next month will mark the last 365 days of my 99 list, and there are some BIG TICKET items I've come to realize I just may not achieve. Such as: go sky diving or bungee jumping, donate blood (will probably [hopefully] not gain the 15 pounds needed to be eligible within the next year), rent a mountain house, or travel outside the US.  But who knows, maybe I will decide I have little to lose and will jump out of a plane, realize how fragile life is and self-indulge til I'm 115 lb, and win the lottery with my one ticket that I buy (#93) and spend the money to travel outside of the US AND rent a mountain house with friends.  Likely story!


I have marked off some from my list in the past month though: Stephen and I finished the Charleston sprint tri in record time (personal records that is), I've added a few new beers, learned how to play poker, and I'm currently working my way through 3 books.  I finished my summer classes with good grades (but not without a price, and I'll get to that in a minute) and have just started my LAST semester of actual classes before I can start my practicum and internship!  I'm super excited to start, and especially for next month when I start taking sign language classes!  Not only will this mark another goal off of my list, but will open up the option of working with deaf services for my internship.

So my summer classes really opened my eyes as to the type of person I am.  I've been feeling quite apathetic about school since January and haven't really been putting much effort into my classes.  I've been getting A's by turning in sub-par work, and seeing little incentive to put forth much more effort than that.  Even though I'm making A's in pretty much everything, I was just not "feelin' it" or enjoying the program.  So it raised the question, "What type of person are you when no one's looking?" I was asked the question, "Why put effort in at work and not in school? When no one's watching at work, do I start to slack off?" And my answer was, "There's always someone watching."

Is there?

At 3am when no one's watching, are you the type to stand at an elevator door and push the down button once? Or are you pushing that button 10 times? Are you the type of person who has the self discipline to do the same thing while people are watching, when people aren't?

Well, if there's no one looking, I am that person that's jabbing the button til the elevator door opens! And apparently, I will only perform when there's people watching or when I see an obvious incentive. What happens to me when there's no one to keep after me? No one to jab me in the side to get to work?  At this stage of the game, it's hard to see why I need all the classes I'm taking, therefore hard to see the incentive in absorbing information.  I see now, after a lengthy conference with the faculty that there is a purpose and very good reason for each class I have. I may not see it now, but I will come next year.

My professors told me, "At breakfast, the chicken contributes but the pig commits." Made little sense then, but after mulling on it for a week, I realize that this is my last semester of classes, and I need to BE THE PIG!

Charleston Sprint Triathlon

Stephen and I competed in the Charleston Sprint triathlon this past weekend!

This was Stephen's first, and my second tri. Since Stephen had trained with me every step of the way for Tri Latta, it only seemed right for him to show the fruits of his labor. I was in the transition area before Stephen's wave even began the swim, so I never saw Stephen again until I was finishing up the bike and he was just leaving. I'm glad I didn't see what happened to him during the swim...

Apparently, Stephen's goggles fogged up, and he lost his bearings in the water. Instead of following the colored caps of other people, he followed the buoys. But in doing so, I completely skipped a buoy and swam to the finish line! No one in a kayak stopped him or told him he was going the wrong way, so he made it all the way to the finish before someone told him he had to swim ALL the way back to the last buoy then back to the finish if he didn't want to be disqualified!

So he was dead last out of the water :-/ 

Luckily, this gave him some anger motivation and he was able to pass one person on the bike, and several during the run.  Turns out...his final time was 2 minutes faster than mine!!

my family makes signs for everything :-)

15 months left!

It sounds like a long time, but with as many goals as I still have to mark off the list, the clock is ticking!!

I've sold almost all 40 of my cookbooks, I found my abs again, I am currently reading Diary by Pallanuk and Folly Beach by Dorothea B. Frank, I completed my first Summer course, and I still haven't gone 30 days without drinking!

I competed in the Tri Latta Sprint triathlon about two weeks ago in Charlotte (for pictures, check out my facebook) and I think I did pretty well! I was hoping for under 2 hours, but I came in at 2:11:13. Which is really great for my first tri- and I had (not once) ran a 5k during my training. To be honest, I've never even ran more than 2 miles at one time :-/ So to have ran the whole 5k at the end of swimming 750meters and biking 17 miles is a huge accomplishment in and of itself.

Call me crazy. I am competing in ANOTHER tri July 31 in Charleston with Stephen! 

Time Warner Cable sucks

Saturday, May 26: Called TWC and ask they transfer services from old house to new house with no changes to current service (basic cable and internet). Installation at new house is scheduled for Monday, May 28- tech to arrive between 1-3pm. Informed rep that previous owners had TWC and cable line remains, so it should be an easy hook-up.

Monday, May 28: Tech arrives and says cable line needs to be buried underground. He leaves and says a burial will be scheduled in the next 7-10 days. "Then will I have service?" No, after the burial is completed, then a tech will come back out to install service.
Called a rep later that day to have a tech come back out talk to me so that I could personally show him that the cable does not need to be buried, and that it already runs underneath the house. Rep is confused and says someone who can answer my predicament will call me in the next few minutes. 5 hours later: no call. Called TWC back to check on status of our.. "predicament"..Rep schedules a tech to return to the house Wednesday so that I could talk with him, and that they will arrive between 9am - 8pm. As a "courtesy," they will call me 20 minutes before his arrival.

Wednesday, May 30: No call from any tech. At 6pm, I arrive home to find existing cable line has been cut in half and is dangling from the side of the house.  Called rep to remind them the purpose of this visit was specifically to show a tech that the cable runs underneath the house and does not need to be buried. She insists a burial is needed, and that they will come in the next 7-10 days, no more specific than that, it could be 7 days, it could be 10. "OK- so there's going to be an exposed cable dangling from the side of my house for the next 7-10 days?" "No (silly), they won't just leave it like that, they'll come out to remove it."

Monday, June 4: Exposed cable is still dangling from side of house and has weathered numerous lightning storms in the past 5 days. Called TWC to discuss with a rep when the cable can be removed. She says there is no scheduled appointment to cut the line, only to come talk to you.
"So he came out and cut the line unauthorized?"
"It's the tech's call what needs to be done. If he cut it, it was his call."
(I fume) "Give me the name of the tech who came on the 30th to vandalize my property"
"We can't provide that information. Our jobs are contracted out, and it doesn't show us a name of a specific tech."
"So how are the tech's held accountable if something goes wrong?"
*silence* "Someone can come out tomorrow to remove it, and also, it looks like the burial will happen tomorrow as well between 9am - 8pm."
"Will I receive a call? Because I was told last week I'd receive a call before the tech came, but that never happened."
"No- generally for these 'all day' appointments, they don't call ahead of time."
"Fine."

Tuesday, June 5: No call, no show.

Wednesday, June 6: Called TWC to remind them an exposed cable has now been dangling from the side of my house for a week, and that yesterday's appointment was a no call, no show. She says there is no record of an appointment scheduled for yesterday (I fume), but that there is an appointment for tomorrow to do the burial. Rep says a tech will come by between 1pm-3pm today to remove the exposed cable, and that I would receive a call before he came. 

Tech calls at 12:30pm- "Hi, I'm on my way to remove the cable."

"Wonderful, it's right at the front left window of the house. Dangling. You can't miss it."

(I'm at work so I miss his next call at 1:45) "Hi, me again. I'm ringing the doorbell at your house. No one is answering the door so please call to reschedule this appointment."

(5 minutes after message was left, I call him back to return to the house and just remove the cable. There's no need for me to be there, the cable is on the outside of the house and he has full access to it)

I call TWC again to explain what has just happened.

"Let me speak with a supervisor please." 

Denise- TWC supervisor: I explain that last week, I asked a tech be sent to my house so that I could talk with him and show him that a burial didn't need to happen, that it was already running through the basement of the house. Instead of receiving a call before he came, I received no call, and they took it upon themselves to cut the existing cable from the house. And that now, a burial really did need to happen. Now that someone has come out to remove said cable, he came and because I was not home (I'm at work), he left without removing the cable.

"Well, when a tech is requested to come out, someone has to be at the house to answer the service call."

*moment of puzzled thought* "But last week, I requested someone to come out, and I wasn't home, and they cut my cable in half UNAUTHORIZED." again I probe for the name of the tech who came out last week. She repeats this information can not be provided, and that the techs themselves don't even get assigned jobs until that morning.
"So the techs show up to work in the morning and don't know where they're going til they get there?!"
....

"It looks like the burial occurred on May 30th."

*even more moments of puzzled thought* "The same day the cable was cut in half?"

*exasperated supervisor* "Yes"

"Really? Because I've spoke to a number of reps since then, and you're the first person who's told me the burial has already happened. 2 reps have told me it was happening on Tuesday, and then tomorrow..."

"It's right here. May 30th- burial completed. It looks like you've called several times and spoke to several reps and you must have gotten them confused cus it says it right here."

sounds like I'm being accused and she's trying to elicit an apology out of me, "Ok....well the rep I just spoke to says there's an appointment to do the burial tomorrow."

"Ma'am, it looks like you didn't believe a burial had been done, so the rep must not have seen that it was already done, and scheduled it again for tomorrow." 

"Well...yea..cus, no one told me it was completed. And it doesn't really look like anyone's been in the yard to d.." 

*raised voice*"Ma'am, someone will be out between 5-7pm tonight to remove the exposed cable AND they'll come out tomorrow to double check and make sure the burial was completed on the 30th."
"Ok, wha.."
"And someone will come back out to get it hooked up on Saturday between 1pm-3pm. OK?"

"Umm, Ok..thank you?" *click* ..don't suppose I'll get a call before they come then.

Thursday, June 7: No call, no show ? But who really knows, they were coming by to simply "double check" my paranoia that the burial had not occurred. At least someone came to remove the exposed cable yesterday. They came before the appointment so I was not home when they got there...how come the first guy who came yesterday couldn't do it when I wasn't home? Whatever. It's sitting in my trash can.

Saturday, June 9: Tech arrives on time to install cable. After a few minutes in the backyard, he knocks on the door to inform me that it doesn't look like the burial had been done.

thinks, "Of course not." says, "OK, let me call TWC. Don't go anywhere."

"I need to speak with a supervisor."

Richard- TWC supervisor answers. I explained the entire situation..again..and gave the name of the supervisor (Denise) who stated the burial had been done, and that someone was supposed to come by Thurs. to double check it but, "I don't even know if they came. I never get a phone call."

"I see that the appointment Thursday was scheduled to check and make sure burial had been done... But it doesn't look like anyone came by to do that."

*no shit* 

"...and I also do not see that a tech signed off on that burial on the 30th."

*very long pause, as I take the time to control my anger and steadily rising blood pressure* I will not yell. I will not yell. I will not yell.

yells, "So the supervisor...Denise..lied to me?"

"I can't tell you what she said."-sounding truly apologetic

Tech pops in to say he could do the burial AND hook up the cable today

"I can have the burial scheduled for the 13th a.." 

"No, forget it. The tech here says he can bury the cable and hook it up today."

"Well, perfect!"

..as if the problem has been solved, and all wrong-doings are absolved

"Wait"

Richard reads my mind and promises that installation fees and next month's bill will be waived. 

Tech finishes installing internet and we're signing the last few papers when I ask Stephen to check and make sure the TV works too. Tech says, "TV? The order was to just install internet."

*recalls conversation from exactly 2 weeks ago* "No, there should have been no changes to our previous service...cable and internet."

"OK, I'll climb back up and get that hooked up for you."

Minutes later, tech says should be good to go. I click the TV back on and scroll up, only to find we have only 13 channels. 

"Uhh"

"No?"

"No. Previous services were 78 channels. Basic cable. ..And internet."

"Ok....*sweat pouring down his face* I'll climb back up and fix that for you. But they might charge you for that extra installation."

murmurs, "They're not gonna be charging me a damn thing."

At this point, I feel bad for the poor tech. He's gone above and beyond his call of duty. Anybody else would've left after saying the cable had not been buried.
He'd buried the cable himself, and climbed up in the heat twice already. I go out to give him a glass of water but still feel indebted to him. This man deserves food.

He finishes up, we have working cable, and working internet. Good man. I ask if he likes brownies. He looks up, grins, and shakes his head eagerly. I give him some brownies to take on the road.

I call Richard, the supervisor back, and let him know we have internet and basic cable, and we come to an agreement that all fees will be waived. I will receive a credit, and the bill will arrive June 30th with my credits applied.

Let's see if TWC can fuck something else up. 

...to be continued

Big update!

I can't believe it's been two months since my last post! Minutes after I posted that last one, you could say sh*t hit the fan!  So here's my 2 month update in as short a post as I can make it:

I started sending out emails that night to chefs in Charleston letting them know I had an idea to put together a fundraising cookbook.  It has been so hard doing everything myself. Between driving down to Charleston to meet with chefs, keeping in touch with chefs each week, designing and editing the book, marketing it, getting the pictures together, and hardest of all...keeping up after the chefs during Charleston's 2 busiest months, I am glad hard part's over! One chef in particular was super nice, and prepared 3 dishes for me to photograph..and much to my surprise, eat! DELICIOUS!! Thank you Chef Frank at Hank's seafood!!!

Now 2 months later, I am sitting with the final product in my hands! And boy does it feel good! To purchase yours: click here!!


On top of cookbook publishing, I'm training for my triathlon, seeing a chiropractor 3 days a week (I have xrays of my very crooked spine to show you if you're truly interested), and finishing up my 3rd semester of grad school. BUSY BUSY BUSY!

I participated in a practice tri to get my feet wet a few weeks ago and it was so much fun. I learned the hardest part of the whole race would be transitioning from bike to run...luckily I have 2 more months til my race.  Confidence booster was completing the swim in good time, and finishing the race first of the novice group. Can't wait to do an open water practice tri next month!

I also participated in the cooper river bridge run with Stephen again, and I beat my time last year by 18 minutes! Stephen beat his time by 40 minutes! It's crazy how much quicker you get to the finish line when you run ;-)

Let's see, what else?  I'm giving up soda this year for lent...not as difficult as giving up fast food last year, that's for sure.  I'm also giving up alcohol for 30 days since it's still on my list of "incomplete goals"--I'm on day 11. Ugh.


So there you have it folks. That's all the important stuff I've neglected to post! Hopefully I won't be so busy this month and will be able to update again soon!