Directory listing redux...

In response to my fire-breathing letter, sent via certified mail with return receipt requested, demanding proof of our having ordered a listing in some phone directory or other, I have received a note via regular mail cancelling the order and crediting our account for the full amount "due."

I come to find out the listing was for a national toll-free directory, by the way.

What is particularly, um, interesting about this particular piece of intelligence is that we don't have a toll-free number.

I have now another "bill" (except this one is addressed to my personal P.O. Box, in the store's name) demanding $250 for a publication that I have never received (but 8 issues of which have been sent, according to the publisher).

Ah, well. I suppose I shall take my victories one small (very small) step at a time.

Cheers...

Winding...down?

My former employer called with an editing job, and before I could think about it, I'd said I'd do it. Almost like a knee-jerk reaction. So much for short-term resolutions. On the other hand, the job is an editing assignment and the translator is someone who basically knows his stuff, so maybe I haven't stepped too deeply into it.

* * *Talking about resolutions, one of the first things to do while I'm down in Houston with some "spare" time on my hands is to sit down and assess how January went as far as the resolutions I made at the beginning of the year are concerned. I already know that I've... not so much "backslid" on some of them as "haven't done a thing about them."

I am within a hair's breadth of finishing the 1099s, which would be a Good Thing, especially as they are due to be filed by the 31st.

* * *I tried a couple of new things, lens-wise: Primo, I tried sleeping with the right lens still in. I woke up with fuzzy vision that cleared up after I put some generic eye drops in the eye. At this juncture, I am not a big fan of sleeping with an installed lens.

Segundo, I've found a method for installing the confounded things that seems fairly consistent and quick: look to the side and apply the lens to the white of the eye. I did this with the new lens the doc gave me for my left eye, and went through the day corrected for distance, which made close-up work a trying experience, glasses notwithstanding.

Tercero, I've graduated to one-handed removal of lenses, thanks mainly to the "lesson" the doc demonstrated when he took out my left lens the other day. I think I am well and truly over that hurdle.

The doc mentioned, by the way, that there are apparently people who can't get the hang of installing contacts even after a two-hour session. "They wash out, of course," he added, with a smile.

* * *It's hard to be philosophical or introspective, especially when you're under time pressure. As far as I've gotten so far is this: such a circumstance may be one of the basic rules of this universe.

* * *Drew reported yesterday that when he got home, the dogs (a.k.a. "The Pack") zoomed out of the front door when he opened it and vectored off to parts unknown. They still had not returned by the time Galina and I came home, and remained gone until we went to sleep, and afterward, as well.

I felt really bad, because this place is not terribly hospitable toward canines. Some of the locals (though not in the immediate area) have been known to shoot strange dogs they find on their property. Some of the wildlife (e.g., bobcats) consider dogs fair game. Some folks around here (as is the case anywhere) do not brake for animals.

But last night, the worst aspect to not knowing where Sasha and Ming were was the incessant howling of the wind that hooted me awake several times during the night. When I awoke, I'd make my way to the front door and open it, hoping the dogs had found their way home and were huddling near the entrance. Every time I did that, I was greeted by a face-slapping, bone-chilling cold that stung like a driven nail.

This morning, thank goodness, the local Humane Society gave us a call and told us that both mutts were in custody and safe. Drew went by and picked them up.

* * *I am playing around with the idea of taking Sasha to Houston with me. After all, Sasha is Lee's dog, and when left alone, she has a tendency to want to chew anything and everything. (The dog, natch... not Lee.) The factors against the move can be described in one word: fleas. Houston is flea heaven, and there is hardly anything you can do (short of poisoning the environment for both you and the dog) that can effectively control the critters.

I shall have to give the plan some thought. I could just take the animal down with me and bring it back at the end of the assignment. At least that way, Lee could visit with Sasha for some time, and we could spare the homestead up here from some needless wear and tear in the chewing department.

Anyway... I've got to go see what material has been sent to me for editing.

Cheers...