Day 4-BA4 and BA5 are on the rise
Air conditioner is still broken…
6/25/22. Saturday
8:00-9:30-Vacation starts in two days and I have several errands to run and tasks to complete in a short amount of time. I go downstairs to say good morning to the animal and she’s awake and waiting for me at the foot of the stairs. We go straight to the backyard and I stand around while she goes potty. Return inside and cheese for her, coffee for me. I report to my office.
-I listen to my Chapter 1-Audio Lecture on double speed and note one edit that L. needs to splice. Bullet journal.
-I start packing my suitcase. Then, I get dressed. Light make-up.
After months of thought, I’ve decided to switch my “style title” from Sexy Librarian to Garden Society Member, per my curated closet project. Sexy Librarian connotes images of pencil skirts and stiletto heels, both of which are NOT me. I never dress like that, even when I’m teaching; stilettos aren’t practical. Rather, I fancy myself a socialite, a member of an elite Garden Society chapter, even if I was actually born in the ghetto AV and have no money to speak of. I don’t have to actually BE a Garden Society member…I just have to PRETEND to be one. Or at least my version of what a Garden Society member looks like.
Today, I’m wearing a long, flowing, skirt with two of my primary curated closet colors - salmon, and jade - and a new, white, sleeveless, frilly blouse that I purchased at Runway.
9:40-10:00-Driving and I eat a few pieces of chocolate.
10:00-10:30 - Therapy and I discuss my fear of flying and traveling during a pandemic with my therapist. She’s heard it all from me before and she says the same thing every time, i.e., planes fly every day, they don’t crash, this fear is irrational, take Covid precautions (that’s all that you can do), but live in the now and try not to catastrophize. Even though she’s made the same comments before most of my trips, it’s reassuring to hear them again.
10:30-10:45-I drive to Kohl’s.
11:00-11:15-I update my bullet journal in the parking lot.
11:15-11:35-I’m running low on underwear and purchase more with my Kohl’s coupon.
11:30-12:00-Return home and I start a load of laundry.
12:00-2:00-I have some of my turkey meatballs, then I cut the reel of chain I purchased yesterday into 12 strands, and hang them, one-by-one, to extend the chain curtain in the Art Studio. While I’m working on this project, I call First American and put the phone on speaker. I’m on hold for 40 minutes, but at least I’m working on something while I wait.
I’m hanging the last few pieces of chain when “Gabby” picks up. Although I mailed my letter to the corporate office, I also posted it in the Comments section of my online First American account. Gabby starts off the conversation saying what they all say - “Sorry for the inconvenience…we can’t seem to reach AC/Clinic…we’ve contacted our Complaints Dept. we’re forwarding this for resolution…” I ask Gabby if she can access my letter in the Comments section. She pulls it up and says, “Yes…Ms. C., we’re definitely looking into this and…” I stop her right there and DEMAND that she read the last paragraph of my letter ALOUD, to me, right now. Recall that this is the LAST paragraph of my letter:
“I’m sure that whoever is reading this is thinking, “Boo hoo. You haven’t had air conditioning for several weeks. Get over it. Stop whining”, but please take a moment and think about it for a minute. My child lives with me. We have pets. The past two days, the temperature in our bedrooms was 95 degrees; it was 90 degrees in the rest of the house. If this was happening to YOU, it would be intolerable.
Please help us.”
After Gabby reads it, she pauses…”You haven’t had air conditioning this entire month?”, she asks. No. (give or take). Gabby calls A/C Clinic while I have her on speaker and while I’m nailing the last piece of chain to the soffit. As usual, there is no response at A/C Clinic because the only employee is “Nick” and he’s on a job. Gabby takes pity on me and gives me her personal extension, saying she will definitely follow up with me, but it will have to be on Tuesday, because she is off on Sunday and Monday. Spoiler Alert: I never hear from Gabby again.
2:30-4:30–I spend the next two hours trying to dig three holes to plant three vines where my beautiful grape vine used to be. Recall that the tree trimmers decimated it - I’m not so sure it was an accident. It’s sweltering out here and the ground is very hard in this location but, ultimately, I’m successful, and I plant the ivy - I hope it takes. I add the ivy to the Watering Schedule that I left for T. Then, I sweep the patio and water all of my plants.
4:30-5:45-I drive to my community pool and lay out.
5:45-6:00-Drive home.
6:00-10:00-B. arrives with burritos for him, chicken tacos for me, and we eat in the kitchen. The chicken tacos are incredible. Eventually, it’s too hot to remain in the kitchen so we move to my office (the coolest room in the house) because there’s a circulating fan in there. Unfortunately, we’re cramped on the love seat. It’s cooler outside than it is inside, so we move to my backyard where I get bit by several mosquitos. B. leaves
10:00-11:00-It is stifling in the house. More packing and more lists.
11:00-12:30-Blog posts.
12:30-1:00-Kitchen duty and I ready my lunch bag for tomorrow.
1:00-2:00-Nighttime routine. Bed