It's been that kind of day

[dancinghorse]

A publisher is three months late with a payment. This is reaching the critical stage. I am having "sell the horses and move into an apartment" thoughts again. Even knowing how awful that would be (not just for my quality of life but for my karma), the thoughts persist.

Taminy-cat had a miserable day. Then his abscess burst. Yucko-gross. YICK. (Though this is good. It means he should start to get better finally. And without spending another $200 I don't have at the vet's--which option was proposed over the phone by vet this morning.)

We shall not mention the various stress reactions in the body politic.

The dog's license renewal came back as "Because your payment was sent in two weeks early, you are entitled to pay twice the amount billed." (Don't. Even. Ask.)

All outgoing mail through my ISP tonight has bounced back with spamcop warnings. At first I thought it was just AOL. Nope. The whole damned smtp server is flagged. My mailbox server uses my ISP's smtp server. Killing off both my main addy and my backup addy. Good thing I have a backup for the backup.

And speaking of stealth grief...maybe it's the phase of the moon, but I've been getting blindsided, too.

And no Pages were written, because of all the other nonsense. And it is now past midnight. And I will wake up at 5:30, because this is The Country and that is what one does.

On the bright side, I had enough energy late in the day to saddle up ze keed, always my best bud on bad days, and go for a trail ride down off the mesa, past Bree (yes, there is a house labeled Bree down there), and back up the hill to the higher country. Keed was a Prancing Pony here and there: couple of spookbolts, one at a Rottweiler throwing itself against a rather flimsy fence, and one at who knows what but it sure was impressive. I was too spazzed to be further fazed by equine explosions. It was, spookbolts and all, quite a pretty ride through some beautiful desert--still in full bloom--on a lovely, quite warm but not unbearable evening.

And I did not watch the stupid Friends finale. Not a sitcom fan anyway, and never did get this one. At all. I was subjected to a piece of it when I tried to record ER, which messed up the recording, snarl, but that was it. Mostly I stuck with movie channels and odd bits of things. (On TCM now: The Vikings, wonderfully dorky Kirk Douglas vehicle with Real Fjord Ponies. Not Real Icelandics, but hey. Even still. I love Fjord ponies. They're the punk rockers of the horse world.)

Comments

[maryosmanski.livejournal.com]

Hugs on all the sh!t.

Did Marty ever tell you about the Fjord pony we saw at the horse fair in Sarlat, France?

[janni.livejournal.com]

And speaking of stealth grief...maybe it's the phase of the moon, but I've been getting blindsided, too.

Something's in the air. I nearly posted some fairly brutal things in my journal earlier in the day, myself.

Hugs.

Can't Get There From Here--Better Today?

[lynnesite.livejournal.com]

The last two days (particularly Wed) were horrible-computer-days/communication in general for many (as the support calls I fielded exposed.) And sad times for a friend who had two animals put down within a day of each other--glad Taminy is getting better.

What do the mares say? Here's something to cheer you up. I was filling water buckets this morning (with Twix's help, and got to introduce her to drinking water and water play). Once on the other side of the mesh-fence doing Q's she wanted to hang out some more. She would take a drink and then demonstrate she is her *father's daughter*. Think about Pooky-things with tongues. Uh, huh. But off to the right (isn't Pook's proclivity to the left?)

Re: Can't Get There From Here--Better Today?

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Awwwww. I trust you will get Piccies? The Tongue is a Pluto trait, you know. Not invariable but crops up now and then. (note orientation of Dad's Tongue in icon--he's ambi-tongue-strous)

Thanks--better today, yes, though my (now former) ISP was so rude about last night's spam-blockage attacks that I activated the free earthlink account that came with the puter. Wow! Fast! Zzzziiipppp!

I think I've gone a little bananas with backups. Two sff.net boxes, dear little smoe, and two ISP's, one of which I will cancel when the month runs out.

So sorry for your friend. How awful. As for the Ladies, Carrma said No! to the prospect of going to another home, which was one of the things I was considering along with running away to sea and other such delights. She's staying here. Ho-kay. Whatever you say, O Great One.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

No, do tell!

Hugs much appreciated.

Much. And backatcha. You look to need a few, too.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Indeed. Pollen? Orgone? Cosmic rays?

[janni.livejournal.com]

At the very least pollen, judging by my allergies!

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

That's for sure. I'm not bothered a lot--just a low-grade headache--but the depression may be related. Who knows?

I'm having fun right now with ISP's. Mine got on spamcop's radar last night, and AOL was blocking it even before that. I forwarded the blocked messages. One came back with a courteous, "We're working on it." The other I had attached with, "My Inbox is bouncing like mad. I'll have to get another ISP if this can't be fixed." In reply I got a very rude scolding from one of their reps. When I responded to it that I was simply stating a fact, I got more rudeness and scolding. Obviously they don't care to keep customers--or to maintain a reputation for service.

This is now my former ISP. dakotacom.net. I've switched to another one that so far is running at least twice as fast, and I know it has decent customer service. And it's free. Six months of it came with the puter.

Something sure is in the air. War vibes?

[janni.livejournal.com]

FWIW, my allergist agreed that this has been a nasty pollen season. For me it's headache and tiredness.

dakotacom is holding up so far for me--but I'll be on the lookout!

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Similar symptoms here, but I'm wondering if the depression isn't triggered by some side effect of the allergens, as well.

Though it has been a bad period for a lot of people--lots of crap raining down.

dakotacom was fine until I had a complaint. For some reason, some guy who claims to be in tech support (not customer service) decided to take me to task for the tone of my complaint. I had forwarded a bounced message with a one-liner: "My Inbox is bouncing like ping-pong balls. I may have to change ISP's." His response was, "Threatening to leave fixes nothing," followed by a patronizing "explanation" of how it wasn't really a problem and would fix itself, and "spam happens, live with it." When I replied that I was stating a fact--I must have working e-mail and must have an ISP that supplies it--and answered his "solution" with "I will be using another ISP for outgoing mail in future," I got another blast in return, all about my nasty tone and what a bad person I am.

Fine. I'll take my badness elsewhere. This guy broke rule one of customer service, which is never lose your cool no matter how hot under the collar the customer gets. He needs my business if he wants to keep his job. I don't need him. I signed up immediately for another ISP, and there's a lengthy list of others available if that one doesn't pan out. Meanwhile I will be sure to spread the word that this ISP's customer service stinks.

Maybe it's the phase of the moon. Yesterday I was told I had to pay double the dog's registration because I sent the thing in early. There was nothing anywhere on the bill that said there was a 100% penalty for early payment. I'm damned if I'm going to pay it. I'm not even sure it's legal--though gummint agencies seem to be able to get away with whatever they damned well feel like.

At this point I'm opting for Constructive Denial, or, the Scarlett Approach Revised: "Next week is another week."

[janni.livejournal.com]

Well, I know asthma has a depression component--my major go-around with depression was when I had issues with same--so it somehow makes sense allergies might, too.

Or maybe it's just that feeling awful makes one, well, feel awful.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

That could well be. Could be hormonal in my case, as well. Or a combination of situation, hormonal, and environmental.

Whatever it is, it's pretty strong.

Maybe the full moon isn't going to be good to us this month....

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

Sympathies on the piles of publisher and computer c**p. Money worries color everything else, and solving the mystery of why some writers strike it big while others (usually much better writers, but occasionally quality strikes it big, too) cannot rise out of stealth mode is ongoing.

Someone quite seriously suggested to me that she thought I was cursed to invisibility, and told me she would pray for me. (I thanked her gravely, believing that prayer from friends and well-intentioned folks can only strengthen the Chi in my direction.) Perhaps you are cursed by an inventive daemon?

The book biz hasn't done squat for me since the "praying to relieve curse" phase--but after years of being patted on the head and told I drew the Bad Genetic Card, I have a diagnosis for my condition and have begun treatment. I hope this means writing again (thinking clearly again? Oh, novelty!)

I deeply hope that nothing threatens your Farm--those horses are not only your friends, they are your Heart--and save you big $$$ on therapy, expensive vacations and blingbling (true horse people probably can't afford much blingbling, if I understand the concept correctly.)

This year the Universe is even saving me attending any more conventions, it looks like.

Tonight, I think I will write about MY exciting week--contractors, disappearing lead times and patterns, nonprofit stuff driving me nuts that I can't dump-- Ah, journal fodder!

Re: Maybe the full moon isn't going to be good to us this month....

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

A psychic at a con told me once that I was preventing myself from succeeding--putting a whammy on it somehow. If that's the case, hey, I'm ready to stop now.

Thanks so much--and I'm so glad you finally got diagnosis. Sympathies on the Excitement.

The farm is going to stay. Every time I try to bail out, something happens to keep me here. I'm in a spring funk is all, and there's a lot of assorted nonsense going on, which naturally feeds the funk.

[badgermirlacca.livejournal.com]

If there's a 100% penalty for early payment, stop payment on the check. It'll be cheaper than paying twice. (Wonder if they think this is last year's payment, and you still owe this year's...)

Could the depression hitting everybody at once because a little time has passed, and the initial shock and numbness has had time to recede? (Plus the general crap decorating the ether?)

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

No, it's a dog license. They want last year's rate even though they billed me for this year's and provided no information anywhere in the bill that I would owe double if I paid early. I don't think that's legal.

It's now past the "deadline" so I'm going to write a new check and tell them to stuff it.

Re. the depression, that well could be. Plus all the assorted crap.

And in further news

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

...got a profound apology from the supervisor at dakotacom, who tried to phone me but that's not an option. Which was nice of him. Apparently Heads Did Roll.

I'm not un-cancelling my account, I don't think. I've got the new one free for six months, and it connects a lot faster. Plus I'd as soon not deal with any more garbage from random quarters. I've had enough of that lately.

Re: Maybe the full moon isn't going to be good to us this month....

[starfall42.livejournal.com]

I don't think virtual hugs are going to do it -- I'm going to have to come down and hug you in person.