Well, after I calmed down for a minute, I wrote a letter describing what had happened and explaining that I understood that it was an accident and that I was not trying to get out of paying my rent, but that I was not going to be responsible for a late fee that I did not legitimately incur. I even enclosed a check for the amount of rent owed (and will watch my bank account like a hawk to make sure they don't end up finding the other one and cashing BOTH checks!) because I didn't want her to come back in 2 days and say that we now owed legal fees, even though she was the one who told me to wait a few more days--after our encounter, I wasn't taking that chance. I also printed a copy of my letter, a photocopy of my check, and a photocopy of my late notice (with the words "Delinquent amounts only" highlighted) to send to the corporate office. I placed everything for the manager in an envelope and walked downstairs and into her office and handed it directly to her (no boxes, no assistants, no excuses!).
About 5 minutes after I got back up to my apartment, she called and sked me to come down so we could talk. Jeff came with me, not only as moral support, but also because his name is on the lease, too. We sat in her office and listened to her explain how 2 people check the envelopes another 7 times and how she can't just let anyone who claims they submitted a check NOT pay the late fee because then everyone would be saying that all the time even if they really just didn't pay their rent. I kept saying I understood, but that we had never been so much as a day late before, had never caused any problems, had never complained about anything, etc., and that I was NOT trying to get out of paying. She kept giving us the runaround, and I was trying so hard not to cry in my frustration--biting my tongue, pinching my hand--but the tears spilled over, and then all of a sudden she was like, "oh, I see from your account that you're good tenants, and I'll go ahead and waive that late fee for you. I was going to do it all along, but I wanted to talk to you about it first." Yeah, total BS, since she just spent a good 20 minutes telling us we still owed the fee. I hated that I cried, but I guess it worked
Jen, when we turn in the rent, there's usually someone at the front desk (it's supposed to be manned 24/7, but they've been having some "staffing issues" lately). There's a locked safe on the desk for checks. If you hand it to the person, then they put it in the box. Otherwise, you just put it in the box yourself. I don't think it was a matter of them not getting the envelope at all since they had Jeff's check; I think they just accidentally threw mine out with the envelope (or maybe it slipped out somewhere or got ripped when they opened the envelope--who knows). In any case, the manager even said that envelopes cause more problems than loose checks because of things like this, so I told her that maybe they should tell people not to put them in envelopes, and she said she couldn't do that Ugh, whatever...
Kimberley, it sure does go on faster than it comes off! I'm right there with you--scale said 279.5 this morning. Man, it seems like just yesterday I was all excited about seeing a number below 270 But we'll get back there! Howie's back at work, and I'm settled into my new job, so we'll both fall back into our good routines
Aimee, was it a surprise visit from Josh? Those are the best. Regardless, I'm glad you're feeling better today (well, yesterday now, since it's now 5:35am ).
Howie's back at work, and I'm settled into my new job, so we'll both fall back into our good routines
Howie?? Did Jeff change his name, or are you involved with Howie from afar?
Yeah Jill, those places are truly heartless. When the fire happened, four apartments plus the one in the fire were affected. SUPPOSEDLY, they only had two apartments available to relocate people. Basically they said to us and to another couple "Sorry, we have nowhere to put you." When we approached them with paying less rent for the time we were displaced, they said "No, we expect you to pay the full rent." Absolutely heartless! And they were less than compassionate to the couple who lost everything in the fire as well.
Okay, enough about that--we are moving out in a matter of days now!!
Howie?? Did Jeff change his name, or are you involved with Howie from afar?
hahaha, nono...by "we," I meant Kimberley and I would get back into our routines now that Howie is back at work (for her) and I'm settled into my new job (for me) I knew what I meant, but I guess it didn't quite come out the same on-screen!
I'm swamped with work and trip stuff, so I'm to have to make this short. Have a great Easter for anyone here who celebrates it. I'm off early tomorrow and will be back on the PC probably Monday. I'm really looking forward to this trip (of course I'm getting my TOM sheesh!).
Jill - thats pretty crappy of that lady, I do find that colder people have a hard time dealing with emotions, and if I cry.. they tend to try to do anything to make it better. I just cry when I get frustrated, I have a hard time not getting emotional like that. But good that you held your ground and don't have to pay that 100 dollars, that would have been really crappy of that lady. Josh decided to come here on Saturday, and then he worked Sunday and drove out here. It was sorta last minute, but not a suprise. Which is a good thing, because we had to borrow a blow up bed!
Kimberley - good to hear Howie's transition into work went smoothly. Is it a little nice to have some time alone? I know I enjoy Josh's company, but when he's not around I tend to do more. Especially on the cleaning side of things.
Marge - have a GREAT weekend, enjoy the time off
Jen - it's amazing how I can somehow convince myself that 4 pounds is "nothing", yet in reality thats pretty darn good. I think it's because I know exactly how many pounds I have to lose, so it's a little frustrating knowing this is going to take time.. and I'm into instant gratification. Training for this 10km has been my saving grace!
Josh and I are off to walk 100 minutes, I am still not sure how I feel about walking for this amount of time.. but I've got to prepare my body for this 10k thats coming up pretty quickly. We measured yesterday and I am going about 5.5 km's, I've got to increase my distance and lower my time if I plan to finish in 70 minutes. Well I am off... ttyl!
Jill, I didn't see your post about the rent check until today. Man, that would burn my biscuits, too. I'm glad the woman finally waived the fee for you!
Yes, I have to admit I am enjoying myself...I miss Howie, but it's kinda nice being able to loiter at Caribou or putter around without feeling like Howie's having to wait on me. And I can put off going to the grocery for *hours* (like today, eh heh) and he's not all antsy saying "ready to go to the store, hon?". But I do miss having him around.
Well, that said, I do need to get to the grocery store.
Well, grocery shopping's done. It's a terribly exciting life I have some days. Actually, I passed by a lot of junk food which screamed for me to buy it and eat it on the way home.
I ran into a friend while at Wal-Mart and she was surprised to learn the store matches competitor prices on groceries. A lot of people around here don't seem to know that, so I decided just to write a blog entry and just share the joy with everyone.
I passed by a lot of junk food which screamed for me to buy it and eat it on the way home.
Ugh, I have a HORRIBLE habit of doing that! It's almost like, well, if I eat it in the car and no one sees me, then I don't have to record it, and it doesn't really count That's why I usually only go grocery shopping on the weekends when Jeff can go with me. Going alone can be quite detrimental to my weight loss efforts
I soooo wish we had a Super Wal-mart wround here, but the closest one is a good 30 miles away (and 30 miles in DC traffic takes a good 45 minutes or more on the highway at most times ).
Marge--Hope you LOVE your stay in DC! I would have wanted to meet up with you this weekend if we could sometime, but we have to spend the weekend at Jeff's mother's out in the boonies for Easter (about 2 hours away)
I made muffins last night for Jeff (he likes them for breakfast). I used 2 cups self-rising flour, 2 cups butter pecan ice cream (no sugar added), a splash of egg whites, some cinnamon, some nutmeg, and 2 mashed bananas--they are GOOD! Can't have anymore, though--about 100 calories a pop (if not a bit more), and they're not very big.
Other than "testing" one of each type of muffin (I also made blueberry), I did very well on plan yesterday. Each day on plan seems to make it a little easier to conquer the next
Kimberley: You won't believe this, but there are THREE Super Wal-marts within a 10 mile radius of my apartment, including a Wal-Mart Neighborhood market, which has everything a regular grocer would have, but at Wal-mart prices. It is a nice alternative to going to one of the supers. If I only have a few items, I'd rather go there because I can be in and out in no time.
Jill: I think I am the QUEEN of secret eating! That is why I try hard to not be out by myself.
My birthday is this Saturday...and since my friend Linda won't be able to spend it with me, she gave me my present early! Here it is: http://lanebryant.charmingshoppes.co...9200009&nav=L9
I saw this when we went shopping and thought it was so pretty! I was probably going to buy it with birthday money, but this is great! I'm going to wear it to work, but can't decide what to wear it with--jeans or black dress pants!
Those muffins sound wonderful. Yum. On the plus side, I didn't buy any of the junk food. On the minus, we ate too much at dinner. At least it was not unhealthy food, but calories are calories.
Jen - I love that top! Lane Bryant has such gorgeous clothes. It's probably a good thing I have to drive an hour to get to the closest store. I doubt I'd buy anything except Venezia jeans online because I like trying other stuff on first.
I'm reformatting our desktop computer and reinstalling XP and a bunch of stuff on it in preparation for it going to a new home.
Since I got my laptop in December 2004, the desktop has pretty much served as an answering machine (with talking caller ID) and a storage device for our network. It's kinda silly having it take up so much space when we don't use it. The monitor's big, but not very good anymore and an external 250GB hard drive would serve us much better than this one's 60GB drive.
Our friend's computer is woefully out of date and is dying a slow death; for the price of a nice big external drive for us, the desktop's theirs.
So...It's a geeky kind of day for me. I should do some laundry and clean a bit in between tasks here at the desk.
Last night, we charcoal roasted a chicken Spice Rubbed Beer Can Chicken. It was *incredible*, so juicy and tender. It's a keeper. Yes, account for the skin and oil and do it anyway - it's so good.
This morning, I found the temperature probe from our digital thermometer beneath the dining room table. That's Snoopy's cave and treasure trove. I'd put all the dinner dishes in the dishwasher, but left that one thing in the sink. She and Hattie had been loitering in the kitchen all night, trying to sneak up on the counter to sample the bird while it awaited grill-time. Naughty things!
I'm eyeing the wood computer armoire now that it will stand empty, thinking it might be better than my drafting table as a place to do my scrapbooking. With this, there is a wide pull-out keyboard/mouse board and I could just shut everything up in it when I was done. That way, certain cats could not steal things and stow them under the dining room table or in the dark, seldom-explored recesses of our home. The cabinet's dark, but I could put in an electric strip light and make it more than serviceable. It's a large cabinet, and nice stained pine. Hmmmmmm.
Last edited by Gardenwife; 04-12-2006 at 01:50 PM.
Hey! I am in a pretty down mood today, I don't really know why exactly. I guess a bunch of factors.. I ate too much bread yesterday and just feel SO gross this morning, and with TOM wanting to come.. I got on the scale, and was up 2 pounds. I know if I eat right today, they should be off by tomorrow or the next day. But that leads to the why the HECK am I here? Here being Seattle. I left my friends, boyfriend, job, life.. to come here and "lose weight" and try to gain some perspective on my future. According to the scale i've lost 4 pounds in 4 weeks, I really thought it would be more, and I still have no idea about my future. I'm going back to my same stupid job, which I will change.. ugh, I dunno. Is it wrong that I never want to go back?
Alright, I'm gonna try and dig my way out of this hole I'm in..
Jill - those muffins do sound yummy, someone once told me how bad muffins can be and since then I haven't had one. I used to have one for breakfast everyday... mmm.. muffins! heh.
Kimberley - I used to work at wal-mart, although not a super one, I remember people always wanting things cheaper. Although I was in the photo lab, so it was always film. I think most big box stores in Canada price match, you always have to verify it though. I haven't willingly entered a wal-mart since I left there.. heh... They did pay pretty good, I will definitely give them that.
Jen - how nice of your friend!! It's a very pretty shirt, looks your style.. dunno how I know this.. just seems so. I'm weird. heh.
Aimee--I know it's been said before, but if you can't deal with the fluctuations of weighing every day, then maybe you shouldn't You said yourself TOM is approaching, so you KNOW you're likely retaining water!
Jen--I like that top, too, and it looked so familiar, but I couldn't figure out where I'd seen it before. Then I was browsing around 3FC, and I saw it in the vertical banner ad on the right side of my screen I think you could go either way--black pants or jeans with it. I think black pants would look really cute, though, so that'd be my pick, whereas jeans could dress it down a bit.
Kimberley--congrats on having the patience to do things like reformat the computer. I make Jeff do all that stuff for me. Anything that takes more than about 30 seconds to complete, I haven't got the attention span to do. Wow, how 5-years-old am I
I've been doing well this week. I eat a little more than I'd like some evenings, but I don't think I've gone over 1700 calories at all. I know that being back on plan, some of my loss this week will just be water, but I've got my fingers crossed that the TOPS scale tonight will reflect that same 2.5-pound loss I saw on my home scale! I won't feel like I'm where I should be until I'm back down to 270 (home scale said 279 this morning, 281.5 last Thursday morning). THEN I can really start making progress again
Aimee: Jill's right--you may want to only weigh two or three days a week and avoid the scale around your TOM anyway.
Jill: I've decided to go with wearing jeans with the top. I had considered wearing black gauchos, but I'm wearing them today instead! And yes Aimee, it IS my style! I am all for pretty and feminine. I don't want anyone to mistake me for anything other than a woman (not that I have a problem with that, since I have my 44DD's LOL)
Diet wise, I learned a valuable lesson: I CANNOT go to a buffet!!! I have zero control. We went on Monday, and I started out great--eating totally within plan. Then I started getting a bite of this or that, and the next thing you know I have five different desserts on my plate!!.....HOWEVAH....last night our friends wanted to go to another buffet, but Alan spoke up for us and said "Can we go somewhere else? We're having a hard time with control at buffets." They had no problem understanding, since one of them is a recovering alchoholic that knows all about addiction.
Kimberley: You are a better geek than I....there's no way I could reformat a computer!! Although I DID install a new floppy drive in my work computer (my other one bit the dust).
Goodmorning, Sorry about yesterday's post. I totally didn't articulate what I was feeling, and it just came out all wrong. My weight isn't the ENTIRE issue, nor is getting on the scale. I was having a bad day, for MANY reason's, my getting on the scale wasn't a huge deal.. a wake up call for reminding me why I don't eat bread. I was feeling sad, depressed, whatever, not really to do with weight, mostly because I have to go back to work, and I don't feel ready. I also think MOST people would be upset at only losing 4 pounds in 4 weeks, I'm sure I've even seen a few posts in 100lb club about the same thing. Anyways, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to seem like I was having a bad day because of a scale when that wasn't my really what I meant. Again, sorry.
Jill - good luck at TOPS tonight!
Jen - buffet's can totally be evil, good for Alan speaking up for the two of you!
Right now, I'd be thrilled with a pound a week. But I've not been exercising my patootie off and eating right, either.
We went to -- you guessed it -- a buffet. A lot of times we're able to do that and be just fine. Mainly it's when they have crab legs since they take so long to eat and have so few calories. But tonight there was just all the other goodness available. We went with friends, too, and just caved. *urp*
Did I tell you guys Howie has a job interview Tuesday? =)
Ugh, whatever...
But we'll get back there! Howie's back at work, and I'm settled into my new job, so we'll both fall back into our good routines 
Actually, I passed by a lot of junk food which screamed for me to buy it and eat it on the way home. 
That's why I usually only go grocery shopping on the weekends when Jeff can go with me. Going alone can be quite detrimental to my weight loss efforts 
