just a few thoughts

i have been incredibly bad at finding things to write about and draw crappy pictures about. So I figure I'll just post a few thoughts of the day.

A very successful mosquito hunt took place in my class of 1st graders today. They got extra points if they killed one and showed it me. (I insist on a visual inspection because an older class got the great idea to look in the window sill for old bugs and try to claim points)

the other day one of the directors of our whole area stopped by the new building to see how the opening was going. I happend to be wearing my aweseome duck/beaver/platypus shirt. She took one look and said something to me. I didn't quite hear her, so I said 'what?' and she said, 'angry duck!' I assume she was referring to my shirt but I still have no idea what she was talking about.

hmmm. I don't get asian people as well as I thought I did.

Body Worlds 全新人體奧妙生命循環展

Second time's a charm! Who wouldn't want to see people stripped of skin and preserved in random poses again!

Body Worlds 全新人體奧妙生命循環展

love hate relationship

so tragedy struck my life not too long ago. I was heartbroken, devastated, and yes...even shed a few tears. I killed it. I killed my Kindle. My connection to the English written word (at reasonable and sometimes discounted prices) was ripped away from me with an heart rending crack.

And that was the end.

Until I cried to Chi and he bought me a new one and had it shipped to Taiwan.

 

so then I email Amazon to see what can be done with broken Kindle.  They email back that I have to call them, because dealing with people internationally over the phone always solves problems. 

So because Taiwan isn't on their list of 'we'll call you' country's I have to call them. So I call them and talked to someone with an accent. Of course they could still have been in America, but I'm guessing not. So 'Sebastian' said they would replace the broken one for $65 and they could ship it here. Awesome! He had to fill out some forms and had me wait on hold for 10 mins.

So I re confirmed the shipping address, and billing address. But I guess it wasn't enough. I get an email from 'Maneh' that my Kindle had been shipped, and I would be charged $168. They said I'd get a $86 refund leaving me to pay $82. Not awesome. 

So there's no way to 'reply' to their email, there's only a 'did I answer your question yes or no' button. So I said ' no' and politely said I'm not paying a $53 'service fee' and whatever extra charges they feel I have incurred. I said I'd pay for shipping, but this was ridiculous.

I got another email back from 'Mehnaaz' that said they 'reviewed previous correspondence' and that I would only be charged $65. Mega Awesome! 

Only then did I notice the billing address was wrong, like way wrong. Like it was in Chi's name and the address in Taiwan. Ultra not awesome. 

Again, 'no, my question wasn't answered' and another polite message explaining that there was a 'misunderstanding' and what the correct billing address should be. 

I got an email from Mohhamet or whatever saying they were really sorry and that it was kinda already sent out, so there wasn't anything they could do, and that unless my bank actually checks it was all good. 

hmmm.

So in the end...Ultra Mega Awesome!

Until UPS Taiwan stepped in and I get all these 'non government customs hold' and 'waiting for clearance' and have fax three different documents because the first two times they sent the wrong forms for me to sign and they gave me like five different fax numbers.  Here are they things I had to fax over to three different numbers.

So I my bank and amazon are cool because they do what they say they're going to do and get back to me quickly. 

UPS sucks because they can't get their story straight whether it be in Chinese or English. And I will have two Kindles. When it finally arrives. If some clearing house lets it get through Taiwan's stringent electronic embargo or whatever the hell is going on in their heads. 

customer service huh?

Nothing much has been happening. I mean, if something interesting had happened worth drawing a crappy photoshop picture of....like maybe this....

(pic of nanny holding kid up to take a shit by the pond, oh yeah, this really happened yesterday in front of me)


then I would have found the motivation to not go to the gym and sit around watching old seasons of The Office and spend hours photoshopping stuff. 


but something I did do was look for jobs. And I was surprised. For all the economic downturn I've been hearing about and all the reluctance to go back to the states I saw a lot of places hiring. Nothing that I'm qualified for but there are still jobs out there. 


As I looked in the field where I now (unfortunately) have the most experience I found something interesting. 


There are some educational jobs out there that don't require any kind of degree in education, all you need is to pass a background check and have a card that says you remember how to do cpr. Or, in some cases involving 'at risk adolecent girls' you need neither of those things.


I happen to like this one: 


Virginia Miler House has immediate openings on GRAVEYARD shift for high energy, enthusiastic, bright and engaging individuals to add to our committed team of professionals.

Those who have the most success with VMH have an optimistic attitude towards learning, good inter-personal skills, patience, thick skin, and a strong desire to model appropriate behavior. 

(apparently my desire is good enough)
 
Positions are (up to 40 hours per week)Swing, graveyard, and on call as Residential Counselors
 
Virginia Miller House is a 24 hour Staffed Residential Program that serves at-risk adolescent girls.

BA degree or higher (May consider 2+ years experience)  (experience in dealing with teenage girls who might be in serious need of professional counseling...who needs a degree for that?) 

Provide direct care and supervision to adolescents in residential setting. Must have effective written and verbal communication skills, reliable, excellent driving record, resident of Washington State for 3 plus years, and flexibility to work nights, weekends, birthdays & holidays. 

So as long as you have no other family, and no one else to spend your birthday with...you're a fit...kinda.
 

in case you hadn't heard, I said 'probably'

I'll be taking questions and comments now.

i'm really trying

I can't let Chi get all thin and healthy and leave me all behind and thick thighed. So I'm really going to try and do it this time. I even went to the gym. Once. Have to start somewhere. Shouldn't have over done it. 

That much working out requires a lot of ice cream covered in caramel and nuts and bananas. 

3g's?

I have a class on Saturday mornings that I don't mind teaching so much, they're older but still not quite awkward although its getting there fast. five junior high boys and one girl so in order to actually get them talking (it's a conversation class) I have to talk about things that aren't necessarily from the magazine articles we discuss.


There was one article about some cooking show on natgeo channel that led to the discussion question "What food turns your stomach?"


I got this answer from one of the more enthusiastic students about a Chinese dish, although for the life of me I couldn't understand what the name of this dish was because this kid has a hell of a lisp.


oh, I looked it up. It's 三吱兒, san zhi or three squeaks (or sound a door makes)


It involves pink baby mice. It's not very appetizing.

i was totally going to write something

sometimes i get what seem like great ideas randomly (usually while making fun of someone in my head) and since I'm not 3g wired in all the time i have a little notebook that i scribble in and make myself look cool while on the bus or subway. 

Only, because i'm writing while on the bus i can usually count on not being able to read my writing after getting off the bus or I'm  looking at it a month later and have no idea what I was talking about. 

Here are some of the things I wrote that I'm not really able to account for. 

1/11/11- Wow, how often does that happen? I hope I'll be around for the next one! (i figured out later that was because the date was so cool) 

1/13/11- Lavender flavored gum: not as unpleasant as it sounds but still a bad idea. it really is like chewing on that powder you sprinkle on the carpet to make it smell good 


1:30 PM- ripped purse pocket on hook in pillar on sidewalk. Lame. There really is a hook just randomly sticking out of some pillar. I have proof.

?- SWEATERFED, i could write a song that no one would figure out and everyone would sing it! I guess that's the name of my yet to be written mystery song

?- vegetarian stanach

2/11/11- I know I wrote that but i have no idea what it means, stomach? starch? staunch? really? seriously? Referring to the previous vegetarian something entry.

Total proof

 

i'm sick of being sick

This will be the second time in two weeks I've lost my voice. It's like, you know in your dreams you can never run fast enough, its like that only this sucks in real life.

No amount of tea/honey/warm water is helping. Although I always wished this would happen when I had a big test in school or Spanish class or square dancing in PE class, it's quite a nuisance now that i get paid to talk.

How not being able to talk in pe would stop me from having to square dance or play flag football i don't know.
Now that I think about it I didn't play flag football anyways! Go me!