After seeing the much repeated ads. for Starbucks new instant coffee, this morning I decided to actually go there and try it out. I was running late and got that to go along with a peppermint mocha w/whipped cream.
I got in the car, put my mint mocha in the cup holder while i was sipping my instant brew made for me by this barista that put me in the mind of Marge Simpson's sister - Zelda. Lovely woman, this barista - delightful. lol.
Once in the car and trying to navigate morning traffic it became apparent that delightful, gravel voiced barista had not secured the lid to the cup and i was drenched in the new instant brew as was the steering wheel. as i was trying to grab some napkins to soak up as much as i could i was not looking at the road and at the last minute saw a gargantuon pot hole that i swerved to miss at the last second, sending my mint mocha in the cup holder tumbling over and spilling that all over the console.
SO - what was to have been a pleasant outing to Starbucks to start the day off turned into a big, giant, coffee soaked mess.
In other news....i have been having a terrible time since renting my Michigan house in April upon my departure. While the renter maintains the house in nice fashion, he seems to have an aversion to paying the rent promptly - or at all for that matter.
He refuses to accept or return my phone calls. I have had to resort to calling his family members to get word to him, dispatching my friends, parents and even former next door neighbors to 'encourage' him to pay the rent.
The utilities are pretty much the same thing - he won't pay them until there is a shut-off notice. In an attempt to cover all bases I send him notices in the mail of all these things ahead of time knowing he checks his mail every day. When I was lucky enough to talk with him one time to ask if he had received my written correspondence he replied in the negative. "How can that be?!" i asked frustradedly bewildered. His reply "I screwed your mailbox shut so i couldn't get any mail at the house.". OMG.
Other excuses for non payment have been: "Oh - you didn't call so i thought you didn't want me to pay the rent.". And he was serious!
Now he tells me that he will be renting the house for 6 more months. WHile the rent will be handy to cover the mortgage on that place, I would have been happy not having the headaches of being a long distance landlord with this trying tenant.
The agency I had contracted with for PR work continues to refuse to pay me the remainder of what they owe me despite the fact that i reminded them by sending them a copy of the contract we signed. I am a reasonable fellow but this is really pissing me off at how unprofessionally they are conducting themselves.
Christmas plans have materialized. I have been invited by my grandmother's 94 year old aunt in New Mexico to spend the holiday on her property there in the guest house. I have written letters back and forth to this woman for 20 years and never met her. Her brother's 94 year old widow I have also never met and will look forward to meeting her as well. In addition to enjoying the company of distant, elderly relatives I will be able to get some much needed skiing in as well. It will be a fantastic holiday and I am looking forward to it.
SO, other than the Starbucks soaked start to my day, dealing with with the idiot renter from afar, the annoyingly non-paying agency, things are great. lol.
I got in the car, put my mint mocha in the cup holder while i was sipping my instant brew made for me by this barista that put me in the mind of Marge Simpson's sister - Zelda. Lovely woman, this barista - delightful. lol.
Once in the car and trying to navigate morning traffic it became apparent that delightful, gravel voiced barista had not secured the lid to the cup and i was drenched in the new instant brew as was the steering wheel. as i was trying to grab some napkins to soak up as much as i could i was not looking at the road and at the last minute saw a gargantuon pot hole that i swerved to miss at the last second, sending my mint mocha in the cup holder tumbling over and spilling that all over the console.
SO - what was to have been a pleasant outing to Starbucks to start the day off turned into a big, giant, coffee soaked mess.
In other news....i have been having a terrible time since renting my Michigan house in April upon my departure. While the renter maintains the house in nice fashion, he seems to have an aversion to paying the rent promptly - or at all for that matter.
He refuses to accept or return my phone calls. I have had to resort to calling his family members to get word to him, dispatching my friends, parents and even former next door neighbors to 'encourage' him to pay the rent.
The utilities are pretty much the same thing - he won't pay them until there is a shut-off notice. In an attempt to cover all bases I send him notices in the mail of all these things ahead of time knowing he checks his mail every day. When I was lucky enough to talk with him one time to ask if he had received my written correspondence he replied in the negative. "How can that be?!" i asked frustradedly bewildered. His reply "I screwed your mailbox shut so i couldn't get any mail at the house.". OMG.
Other excuses for non payment have been: "Oh - you didn't call so i thought you didn't want me to pay the rent.". And he was serious!
Now he tells me that he will be renting the house for 6 more months. WHile the rent will be handy to cover the mortgage on that place, I would have been happy not having the headaches of being a long distance landlord with this trying tenant.
The agency I had contracted with for PR work continues to refuse to pay me the remainder of what they owe me despite the fact that i reminded them by sending them a copy of the contract we signed. I am a reasonable fellow but this is really pissing me off at how unprofessionally they are conducting themselves.
Christmas plans have materialized. I have been invited by my grandmother's 94 year old aunt in New Mexico to spend the holiday on her property there in the guest house. I have written letters back and forth to this woman for 20 years and never met her. Her brother's 94 year old widow I have also never met and will look forward to meeting her as well. In addition to enjoying the company of distant, elderly relatives I will be able to get some much needed skiing in as well. It will be a fantastic holiday and I am looking forward to it.
SO, other than the Starbucks soaked start to my day, dealing with with the idiot renter from afar, the annoyingly non-paying agency, things are great. lol.
