We didn’t go

Ever plan for something, work everything else around the plans, then not do it?

We planned to go to see a film today.  Partner saw it with friends, really liked it, wants me to see it, and although it’s almost unheard of she is willing to see it again.

So we settled on today.  Why?  Because on Tuesdays she gets a discount.  The film is at the end of its run, so it’s only showing once a day.  We’ve waited a pretty long time already, because there were other things happening on Tuesdays.  And the rest of the day was set up around the movie plans.

I was at the cinema on Sunday, came out of a meeting nearby and had some time to kill while kid had a meeting of her own, so I went and saw a different film.  Not the one we planned to see together, that wouldn’t be fair.  In hindsight, it may have been a wiser choice.

And then today it started to storm.  And the dog freaked out with the thunder, cowering and shivering and hiding.  Refusing to do her business outside, pulling away and running back upstairs instead.  We thought that we could still go, if kid would stay and soothe the pup while we’re gone.  But the dog was suffering so.  We don’t remember her reacting this way last winter.  She mostly hides in the bathroom, no idea why, and only comes out with a lot of encouragement (and a treat).

And then kid started not feeling well.  We started waffling – go or not go?

We didn’t go.

Stayed home, all snuggled up in blankets, with the wind and the rain battering the windows.   Soothing both dog and kid.

Maybe the film will still be shown a little longer.  Maybe we’ll work out a different time to go.

Oh well.

Sitting in the dark

Literally.

The electricity crashed.  Not just our flat, not just our building.  The whole street as far as we could see, and the surrounding streets as well.  No street lights, and the traffic lights out too.  Total darkness outside, except for the cars driving by.  The intersection without the traffic lights was scary to watch from the window…

We lit a few candles and scattered them around.  Flashlight at hand.

Laptop battery was at 53% when the power went.  I had to use the portable modem, as obviously the wifi was out.  I was a little worried about not being able to charge the phones if necessary.

Amazing how dependent we are.

We finally got through to a recorded message on the Electric Company’s emergency line – they were aware of the “problem” in our city and were “working on it”.  They estimated another 1-2 hours without electricity.    In reality it was 40 minutes.  Not bad.  Could have been much worse.

At one point I sent kidlet to eat the rest of the ice cream.

Kidlet was complaining about no TV.  I was much more concerned about not enough light to knit brioche.  Dammit, I was on a roll, had managed quite a few rows before poof! – no light.

So happy it’s back.  What an annoying little interruption.

Let there be light.

And now back to the brioche.

 

The ballad of the stove

I’ve hoped.  I’ve rejoiced.  I’ve stewed.  I’ve fumed.  I’ve waited.  I’ve threatened.  Now I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

I promised to keep you updated.  Well gather round, children, and I’ll tell you a tale of customer  service.

Cue the acoustic guitar… (Throw a dulcimer in there too.)

I chose a new stove after careful consideration of all the features I wanted, right?   Remember how excited I was?

Paid for stove, delivery (and taking the old one away), and hookup to the gas line.  The latter two tasks kept me sitting and waiting for days.  The actual delivery was scheduled for between 8 and 12 and the guy arrived at 3.  It took two more days to get a technician from the gas company out to hook it up.  They really need to get their automated call waiting fixed.  On the first call I was told I had a wait of five minutes, I waited twelve.  When they transferred me to someone else, I was told one minute and waited ten.  Fix your clocks, people.  Or something.  Anyway, the guy was scheduled for between 8am and 4pm, got here at 3:30.  Another full day trapped at home.

After the stove had been unwrapped and hooked up, I discovered that there was no storage drawer.  There had definitely been a drawer on the stove in the store, and it was an important feature for me.  Called the store.  They told me there had to be a drawer, maybe it was just stuck.  The guy from the gas company was still here, so we both tried to figure out how to open it.  But it was just a metal plate fastened onto the front.  The guy helped me pick up the whole thing to look underneath.  Vast empty space underneath the oven part, no drawer at all.

Chorus:  And it’s the stove ballad, the ballad of the stove….

Over the next three days, many conversations with the staff at the store.  Lots of different theories, one of which was I didn’t know what I was talking about.  Check if there’s a strip of metal on the sides.  Maybe the wrong model was delivered, check the company and model number.  I kept insisting that there was simply nothing there under the oven.  Finally the folks at the store got hold of the company agent and were amazed to learn for the first time that the company had decided to change the same model to a new one without storage, as there had been some complaints about the drawers.  They hadn’t bothered to let anyone know, not even the stores selling the damn things.  They had simply taken my order and sent me the brand new model.  Sans drawer.

When the folks at the store called me to tell me this, I said, sorry, I want the storage.  What can be done?  (I have to say that the store staff had been working on this non-stop, and they were terrific.)  They said they had no old models in stock.  I asked about the one on display, and was told they couldn’t give me that one.  They said a company representative would phone me.

Chorus:  And it’s the stove ballad, the ballad of the stove….

A rep called.  A week later.  She explained that the manufacturer had changed the model, and that’s all they had available.  She offered to extend the warranty on the stove I received.  I told her not interested, I wanted a stove with storage.  I asked her how to replace the stove that had been delivered, or how to return it.  She got a little huffy, and said if I had used the stove at all I couldn’t return it.  I said I hadn’t used it, the only thing that had been done was the gas guy had turned on all the burners to check if they worked.  She again warned me that if I used it they wouldn’t take it back.  I repeated that I hadn’t and wouldn’t use it.  She said an agent would call me.

Chorus:  And it’s the stove ballad, the ballad of the stove….

No agent called, leaving me with an electric hot plate and a toaster oven to cook a holiday dinner.  We moved the dinner eslewhere.

After two weeks, still no word from an agent.  Granted, there had been a long holiday weekend in there, but still…  I wrote it all down, and marched into the store again.  Demanded to speak with the manager, but he wasn’t there and the shift manager agreed to sit with me.  I told her the whole story.  With all the documentation.  I truly believe that the fault lies with the manufacturer, not the store, but hey, I bought the thing at this store and they need to work it out with the company, and I shouldn’t be the one to have to suffer.  I told her I really didn’t know what my next step should be:  try to talk to the company again, call a lawyer, the Better Business Bureau, or a TV show that helps consumers who are being screwed over.  She assured me that none of those were necessary.  We discussed alternatives.  I said I would either accept an older version of the model – with storage – at no additional expense (including hookup), or a full refund including all the expenses directly connected with operating the stove.  She tried to call the agent.  Busy.  After ten minutes of busy signals, she promised to get back to me.  I left.

Chorus:  And it’s the stove ballad, the ballad of the stove….

She called an hour later.  They would replace the stove with the one on display in the store, since it was the only one they could locate with a drawer, including at their other branches.  (Yes, I know that usually a display item is cheaper, and I did mention that, but I decided not to quibble.  Choose your battles wisely.)  She said it could be delivered the next day, but that I would have to pay for delivery and taking away the other one.  I said nope, I already paid once in good faith for that, I’m not paying twice.  It wasn’t my mistake, so I wouldn’t pay for fixing the mistake.  She said the delivery company had to be paid.  I said not by me, and that she was leaving me no choice but to call a lawyer.  She said she’d get back to me.

Another hour went by, another phone call from the store.  She told me that they would deliver the stove the next day, at no charge to me.  I thanked her for all her efforts.  Then I asked her about the gas hookup.  Which has to be done either by the manufacturer or by the gas company.  She got upset and said there was nothing she could possibly do about that, I would have to pay for it again with the new stove or talk to the manufacturer myself.  I said what, I can get the stove tomorrow and then waste another week or another month trying to get the company to hook me up again?  She said she would get me a specific name and number.

Another hour, another call.  She said that the manufacturer would provide the gas hookup for free.  I thanked her profusely.  She told me that the stove would be delivered the next day.  The guy would call before he came.  (This time, no hours were mentioned and I decided that given the circumstances I wouldn’t push it…)

Chorus:  And it’s the stove ballad, the ballad of the stove….

The following day it wasn’t so bad.  The delivery guys came at around 10am.  Only one teensy weensy problem.  Somehow in the communication it hadn’t been made quite clear to them that I was to get the stove that was on display in the store, so they had brought me a brand new one from the warehouse.

Without a drawer.  I made them check.

Um, no.   Take it back, fellas.

After more conversations all together with the delivery people in my kitchen and the people at the store, they took the newer new stove away and promised to bring the one from the store first thing the next morning.

Chorus:  And it’s the stove ballad, the ballad of the stove….

A little while after they took the wrong stove away,  a rep from the company called and confirmed that as soon as I have a new stove in place, they will send someone to hook it up at no charge.  She  gave me her name and a direct phone number.  I like her better than the first rep who called.  I dont like the elusive agent at all.

Things were lining up.  I became cautiously optimistic.  Emphasis on the cautious.

Chorus:  And it’s the stove ballad, the ballad of the stove….

True to their word, the delivery guys phoned at 6:45 am the next morning, and the stove was in my kitchen by 8.  And…it has a storage drawer.  The electric thingabob to light the gas is slightly different as well, which I didn’t remember, but it’s fine.  Being as it was a short day and before a holiday, I couldn’t call the company for the hookup, but waited until after the weekend.

Added bonus:  The store didn’t use the usual styrofoam to pack the stove back up.  I now have kilometers of  bubble wrap to play with.  I am easily amused.

Chorus:  And it’s the stove ballad, the ballad of the stove….

Due to the holidays and weekend, it was a few days before I could get back to the company rep.  And all of a sudden, she had no recollection of our conversation, and of course she would be happy to send someone to hook me up, for the full regular fee.  I began to shout.  (Kind of scared the kid.)  She told me there was nothing in her records, and that was it.  I don’t like her any more.  At all.

I called the store.  Got put through to the shift manager.  She, at least, does remember me.  Gave her the name of the company rep I spoke to, and she said she would get back to me.  She called back a little later to tell me there was no higher-up at the company she could talk to that day, they were out of the office.  She apologised and said because of the next holiday and the weekend, it may be several days to get it taken care of, but she assured me it would be done as soon as possible.

I wished her a happy holiday, and contemplated another few days still using the hot plate.  Piffle.

Chorus:  And it’s the stove ballad, the ballad of the stove….

Holiday and weekend over, the shift manager called from the store, and said finally everyone was answering their phones, and that I would get a call the same day to arrange a time for gas hookup.

True enough, the company called later in the day and told me someone would be out to me the next afternoon.  Again one of those 12-4 windows with a notice 1/2 hour before arrival (which hadn’t happened in reality yet).  A four hour wait is better than an eight hour one.

Chorus:  And it’s the stove ballad, the ballad of the stove….

Ha.  And he phoned at 11am, arrived at noon.  In, out.  Hooked the stove up, tested it, gave me a lesson in using the stove in 25 words or less, and have a nice day.  It was almost an anticlimax.

I have a working stove.  The one I wanted.

39 days.  Not a huge length of time in the grand scheme of things, but way too much time for cooking meals on a hot plate.

I may, of course, regret the whole fuss if the drawer gives me trouble…  But you know what?

At this point, I don’t care.

And the sun has come out after the storm.

 

A little off the side, please…

And it’s the city planning committee at its best. Years ago, they planted trees along the edge of the sidewalk on our street.

Unfortunately, there are also power cables strung along there. I guess when they planted the trees they didn’t think they would actually grow? (I picture a startled and perplexed paper-pushing bureaucrat in my mind…)

So now, when the trees start to get too high, the gardening crew comes along, like they did this week, and cuts down the branches interfering with the power lines. Leaving the trees looking very lopsided and miserable.

Did a shoddy job, too.  Some of the cut branches are still dangling there. Poor trees.

Of course, this is the same department that spends a fortune of our municipal tax money to plant blooming flowering plants at intersections and street islands all over the city, then when the plants stop blooming they send a crew around to dig them all up and plant others that are still in bloom.  Tossing hundreds of perfectly good plants into the garbage.  Several times a year.

One would think they should know better.  Or maybe not.

The October sky this morning perfectly suited my mood.  Even if I’m incapable of putting it into words, nature did a spot-on job.

 

Well done, nature.  Still treating us to such beauty even after we abuse you the way we do.  I can understand your anger, though.  I just wish folks would pay more attention to it.

Have an amazing day, peeps.

Baffled by Belgian Beer

The weekly grocery shopping trip.  Done after planning the menus for the week, doing a cupboard-and-fridge inventory and making a detailed list.  Asking kidlet for her list.   Hopefully finding and checking the coupons that I never seem to have with me at the right time.

Arrive at the market, check out the current specials and bargains.  Rejoice if one of the specials actually corresponds with something on the list.

OK.  I have a confession to make.  I’m one of those very annoying people who has to go through every aisle and look at every shelf.   Even when I have a specific list and nothing on it is on a particular shelf or in a particular aisle, I will still check out that shelf or that aisle.  Not only in the grocery store, I do it everywhere – bookshops, department stores, drugstores, hardware stores, you name it.  (We won’t even mention yarn shops…)  I have found some of the most amazing things and some of my greatest inspirations that way, but it drives partner absolutely bonkers.  She is more of the “go in-get what you need-get out” sort of person.

We try not to shop together.

(Except in IKEA.  She likes checking out everything there too.  Just at a different pace than me, but never mind..) And we can have lunch in the middle of it all.)

Anyway, today at the grocery store they were having an international beer fest, featuring ales and lagers from all over the world.  I didn’t have beer on my list, but I enjoyed perusing all the unfamiliar brands, wondering what they all taste like.   Then the Belgian shelf stopped me cold.

The St. Bernardus beers seem simple enough, prior and abt (abbot?) are appropriate names for the brand picture.  The first one I’m not sure about…a beer called “Wit” ?  I suppose that’s what you think you have after drinking one or two or more bottles of this ale…   Hm?

Then we get to Delirium Nocturnum.  Really?  Night terrors/dementia?  As the name of a beer?  With a scared-looking pink baby elephant on the bottle?  (Pink elephant?  Hey, I get it!  head::desk)  Humour aside, my jaw dropped.  My gob has been smacked.  I suppose that it’s better than Delirium Tremens down at the end of the shelf.  Why in the blue blazes would you name a beer that?  Delirium tremens = the DTs = severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome.  Yeah, just what I want to think about when I’m having a brew.  Can you imagine ordering it?  “Yeah, I’ll have a Delirium Tremens!”

The medical definition of delirium is acute brain failure.  This may be taking truth in advertising a little too far.

And then there’s the one between the two deliriums (deliria?).  La Guillotine.  With a picture of one and an open, waiting box beside it.

OK, I don’t even want to think about the rationale behind that name.

This may be a cultural difference kind of thing.  This company board or whoever simply may have a really dark sense of humour.  I’m sure they’re terrific beers.  And I like dark humour and good beer.

I didn’t buy any, though.

Would you?

What lurks behind your stove…

Hopefully, nothing.  Still, scary.

I live in a rented flat, with an elevator because of my silly hip.  (Mine’s rented out to other tenants.)  It’s a big flat, with an awful lot of advantages (including said elevator and reserved parking space), but the landlord really hates to invest anything in it, so most of the plumbing and wiring and built-in stuff like cupboards are old and somewhat falling apart.  We manage.  Although kidlet is desperate to change the closets in her room.

The kitchen is really in need of some care, but landlord and I have different ideas about that.  So I do what I can with what I have.

And then there’s the stove.  When we moved in, landlord wasn’t sure if the oven worked.  It didn’t.  So I used it as extra storage space and did my baking, etc. in a toaster oven.   The gas burners were weak, but two of the four were ok to cook on for the first couple of years.  Then they just kind of gave up.

I called the gas company to come and check if there was a problem with the hookup.  The fellow who came discovered a bad gas leak in the stove itself.  Not his problem.  Oh, and the gas valve in the wall was way out of date, the company couldn’t approve its use.   So he turned the gas off, and unhooked my stove completely.   Even took the gas hose with him – I guess so I wouldn’t be tempted?  By what, if there isn’t any gas being supplied??  It’s a mystery.  But… I digress.  I had a couple of countertop electric burners to use in the meantime.   I figured I would just buy a new stove myself, instead of arguing with the landlord about it, then if/when I move out I take it with me.  The only discussion I had with landlord was getting his permission to toss the old stove out.  He waffled about it, but finally agreed.

Partner wanted to buy a new stove for my birthday, so we did some searching online then headed for the shops.  We also had to make sure that the folks who deliver the stove will take the old one away.  Found just what I wanted!  With quick delivery, within 3 days.  And that only because of the weekend.

Back at home, with some trepidation, I moved the old stove away from the wall to clean the whole space in readiness for the new stove.  And found a sticky mess.  Old grease.  Walls and floor.  Hey, I had never bothered to move the thing before, what with tubes and hoses and wires and stuff.  And I have no idea who cleaned it before me and when.   I always cleaned around it as best I could, but when I moved it, ew.  Hey, be honest, how often do you clean behind and under your stove?  Got out the super cleanser, buckets and scrubs, and started in, tile by tile.  I also attacked the grease that had spilled down the side of the fridge in between the stove and fridge.  (Luckily, that wasn’t nearly as bad.)  Kidlet did help by scrubbing one of the wall tiles clean.  Leaving the remaining 30-some for me.  She claimed it was impossible with her manicure.  Tell me about it, the cleanser ate half my nail polish and dulled the rest…

Many a scotch brite died in the battle.

(This is an after picture, I would put a before picture but it’s just too embarrassing.)

The delivery guys were supposed to come yesterday between 8am and noon.  The salesman at the store had recommended I call the gas company and have a technician come out and inspect/turn on the gas after 1:00, so I could get service all in one day and begin using the stove.  Yeah, right.  Fortunately I listended to my gut and waited to call the gas company.  The delivery guy called at 2:15, said he was 10-15 minutes away.  I waited at the window so I could hit the remote to open the parking gate.  He got here at 3:00.  By the time I finally could call the gas company, their offices were closed.

But I have a stove.

I’ll keep you updated.

Oh, and I met the deadline and finished 20% of the Curiouser shawl.  New goal:  40% by next Sunday.

WIPs, KALs, and Tests

I’m finding this working-at-home gig pretty interesting.  On the plus side:  flexible hours that can fit around other committments, business meetings at nice cafés, “working” clothes that often incude slippers, interesting networking channels and finding contacts, learning lots of new and widely varied things on different projects, being reasonably available when “mom” is needed, more time to pay attention and take care of the house.  Oh, and no boss.   On the minus side:  all responsibility on me, including networking, accounting, reporting, taxes, etc. , making nice to customers (most are very pleasant), chasing after those who take their time paying,  occasional distractions at home.  And my blog has suffered.  Back on the plus side, I’m actually getting my work and my housework done, which hasn’t happened in years.

Granted, the business is still very new, I’m still busting my butt to find customers, and I’m not yet breaking even.  Business is picking up slowly. For now marketing is taking the most time.  Natural.  Full steam ahead, and all that.  I have some excellent advisors, and support when I need it.  I’m trying to discipline myself properly.

Yet another plus is being able to schedule some knitting time.  Whereas before I could knit (or sleep) during my commute to and from work, now I can schedule knitting whenever I have time to take a break.  And before, I had to use the weekend to catch up on all the housework and errands that there was no time for during the work week, but now, I can do all that during the week and use the weekend to REST.  And read.  And knit.

Bliss.

The Curious Collective shawl KAL is over – a wonderful textured shawl that was the result of over 2000 knitters voting.  For my Collectively Curious I mixed Indigodragonfly Merino Silk in the colourway Not your regular heart medication with Indigodragonfly Merino in the colourway Ruxpinosferatu:

 

I also did a test knit for Laurie Beardsley of LaurieBea Knitting – a long crescent shawl/scarf called Still Got the Blues.  It will be part of a series based on classic rock.  One of the best parts of the pattern?  Links to videos of the song – I loved Eric Clapton’s acoustic version, and listened to it the entire time I was knitting.

I used Indigodragonfly Twisty Tweed Sock in the colourway Grrr…..Argh.

 

Indigodragonfly held a summer KAL/CAL, the “Accessoregatta” – any and all accessories knitted with Indigodragonfly yarn or patterns written by Kim.  Both of the above projects counted in the KAL, and I started the Mayflower socks as well.  Didn’t finish them by the deadline, but they’re a fun knit and I’m almost through with the first sock.  This is before the cables go wacko:

Knitted up a Smart-Ass club pattern, for the Selfish Knitters and Crocheters group’s Palate Cleansing COWL K/ CAL – the Lonicera Cowl by the Sexy Knitter – with Indigodragonfly Filament o’ Squid in the colourway Squalor Amongst the Ankles.

Wonderfully soft and drapey!!

I also finally finished the scarves for the grand-nephews!  Had to force myself – the acrylic yarn actually squeaked while being knitted, and it was not very nice to work with.  But it was so worth it.

Added the boys’ names with duplicate stitch, so they wouldn’t get them mixed up (or taken by some jealous fan).

Yes, it seems like all I’ve been doing is knitting, but hey, I haven’t posted in a long time.  And there’s more.  But that’s for another day, another post.

Now… back to work.  ‘Tis time for some more networking…

The Matrix in your shower

VADO is a well-known British company that designs, develops and manufactures bathroom fixtures and products, for both the local and international markets.  Their latest catalogue (p. 252) shows this “Sculpture” shower head.

Doesn’t it look like one of the Sentinels from the Matrix??  Or maybe you see Medusa instead?  Showering by snake or tentacle?

This can be affixed to the wall or the ceiling according to your preference.  The individual shower heads can be twisted and adjusted any way you want, making it a challenge to see if you can shower every part of your body at once.  (Or maybe that’s just me.)

It could make showering with a friend a little less awkward, as far as maneuvering…  But I don’t think I want to go there…

This would probably wreak havoc with my water pressure, and the thought of cleaning it doesn’t make me happy at all – although it would be fun to yarn-bomb the tentacles, maybe with cotton?   But never mind.  At an average price of $1500, I don’t think I’ll be adding this fixture to my home.

It is kinda cool, though.

My kind of furniture

Meet the Bibliochaise.  And the Bibliopouf.

 

The chair holds 5 metres of books.   It comes in three versions, laquered in black or white, with other colours possible on request.  The cushions are cotton, leather, or furry leather with removable/washable covers in a wide range of colours.

 

That’s a whole lot of books.

The pouf holds 1.4 metres of books, and comes in the same design range.  It can go with the chair or stand alone.

 

Both are products of the .nobody&co. design studio in Milan, established by Alisée Matta and Giovanni Gennari, who began working together as an advertising team before they turned to design.  They have a bunch of other stuff in their catalog, including odd storage solutions, chairs with missing parts and an intriguing looking thing called a scroll table.   Next month, in May 2013,  they are presenting a new line – The Rainbow Circle – in a prestigious exhibition in London.

But they are best known for the biblio set.

What a brilliant solution to having a large stash of  books!  I would probably have to get rid of a few other chairs (or other things) to fit this in, but it would be worth it, no?

Should I add it to my wish list?  Or perhaps my bucket list?   I would have to check if it’s comfy first….  OK, so who wants to buy one for themselves so I can try it out?

Now if I can just find another chair that would hold all my knitting projects, I would be all set.  The ultimate home furnishings.

A New Toy! Um… Tool!

I am typing this post with my brand new computer.  Sitting in a café while waiting to pick up kidlet from where she’s visiting friends out of town.

Now, you’re going to laugh, but for all the years I have been online I have only had desktop computers.  This is my very first laptop, and I’m busy learning everything.  (Once I got through the rather embarassing moments of trying to open the wrong side.  But you didn’t hear that, right?)  Ahem, yes.  Learning everything.  Including trying to figure out Windows 8 after having worked for years with nothing newer than xp on my old dinosaur that died.

I do enjoy a challenge.

I did pick up a little mouse for the laptop, but right now it’s put away, I want to get the feel for this without the old familiar toys.  The shop threw in a nice headset and a computer bag, which was nice.  I also got the newest Office, which will take some getting used to as well.  And there are miscellaneous ports and burners and card readers and all that fun stuff.  Yes.

Oh my, I do like the portability.

I have great plans for this new acquisition.  But first I’m having a whale of a time setting things up to my satisfaction.  Is it silly to be so tickled about it?

Now to keep kidlet’s paws off of it.