Thoughts by Richard Bleil
What a frustrating day. Although my frustrations are not something that I necessarily think you’ll be concerned about, it’s hard to focus on much of anything else at the moment so, on we go.
My Pampered Chef Launch Party has begun (by the time this posts it will be nearing its end, but if you want to join you can still play along on Facebook; just look for “Richard Bleil’s CONSULTANT LAUNCH Pampered Chef Party”). I’m supposed to have this all lined up for posts automatically going out on a strict schedule through another business. Unfortunately, I get the same error message every time I click on “Add App” in the advanced settings feature. It’s not that this particular company isn’t listed. The error message is that the “add app” service isn’t available. I’ve reached out both to this external company (with whom I’ve purchased an account) and FB, but to no resolve. All I get back is “oh, just click ADD APP here…”). Well, yes, I’ve done that. It doesn’t work. Period. VERY frustrating, and until I can figure out how to get it to work, I’m forced to manually add these posts, at fixed points in time, throughout the next week including at the Ren Fair. Yeah, this is frustrating. More so when the people answering my inquiries insist it’s just this easy. Yeah, no, it’s not.
My shed is a nightmare. Twice already I’ve been asked to send them sketches of what it is I want to do. I’m not working with the city directly, but rather through the company that is supposed to be installing it. Today I received a call saying the city wants more sketches. For a third time. I am not an architect, and I’m not an artist, and this is becoming very frustrating. I’ve sent what I can, I’ve tried to follow the instructions they sent, but I’m ready to cancel it altogether. If this company installing it was paying attention, they should be hearing the mounting frustration in my voice. Why don’t they just come and do whatever it is that needs to be done? In fact, in the contract I signed, procuring the building permit is their responsibility, not mine. The shed is supposed to be 10’ by 10’, which apparently is just the size that requires the permit, so at this point I’m probably going to cancel it altogether and hire somebody else to build a 9’ x 9’ shed that doesn’t need a permit. I don’t think anybody will be happy then, but it’s probably what I’ll have to do.
The thing is, I don’t like to give up. I’ve been through too much in my life to let these frustrations really bother me for very long. In Facebook, yes, I’m posting by hand. It’s a lot harder and takes more time than this service that is supposed to be automated (that I’ll cancel and ask for a refund if it fails for my second party) but I’m doing it. I won’t let either FB or this company derail me. And the shed? I can live without the shed. I’m doing it already. If I cancel it, then I can get a slightly smaller one and we’ll be good.
Okay, enough of this nonsense. I’m just venting because of my frustration. But here’s something a little bit happier. Today, I got my Covid booster. As my regular readers know, back in late August and Early September, I got my Covid vaccinations as part of a clinical trial (and it’s been revealed to me that I was not in the placebo group). This same company (whose stock I bought because of this study and has been doing unbelievably well) is now starting the clinical trials for its booster. So, yes, I signed up. I’ve been told by different people that there is no placebo group, so I don’t know what to believe. If it is the real booster, though, they’ve added the new African variant as well.
After getting the booster, and before running a few more errands, I opted to stop by a national pizza chain for lunch. I tried, for the first time, Stromboli. And, yes, I would recommend it. Across the ways from me, a woman was having lunch with a young woman, looking very much like a grandmother and granddaughter. So, as I sent my card back into the back to disappear so people can do anything they want with it including writing down the information so they can fraudulently charge it, I asked my waiter to add their bill to mine. Unfortunately, he told them that I was the one who paid their tab (usually I like to do this kind of thing anonymously), so, of course, she stopped me on my way out to thank me. She told me that she had never had anybody do that for her before. It seems sad to me. I’m glad I could be her first.
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