Game night

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Today was better than yesterday, that’s for sure.  Work was okay, I had a nice relaxing lunch with Christina (pho – delicious), and we’re going to spend the evening at Will and Christina’s for our first (hopefully weekly) Game Night!  It’ll be fun, it’ll be relaxing, and I will be doing my best not to be nervous about Saturday’s Big Event.  Tomorrow is the day I finally FINALLY cut my hair and color it.

If I like it, you can have pictures.  If I’m a crying mess because WHAT HAVE I DONE AND WHY WOULD I DO THIS TO MYSELF, there will be no pictures.  Wish me luck!

Can’t win

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I went to a Sprint store today to switch my number to the new phone.  The guy got on the phone to I-don’t-know-who at Sprint, and I read my book.  Half an hour later, he told me that my new phone uses the wrong frequencies for the Sprint network.  It can’t be used for Sprint.  I didn’t even know that was a thing.  Apparently, Verizon and Sprint use one set of frequencies and AT&T and T-Mobile use another.  This phone can be added to AT&T or T-Mobile’s network, but not Sprint or Verizon.  Phones can work for one, the other, or both, and I just happened to get one that works with the wrong frequency.

So what are my options?

  1. Stick with Sprint and spend the $400 at Best Buy to get the phone I want.  Return my new phone.
  2. Switch to AT&T or T-Mobile with my new phone.  Will John’s phone (which works on Sprint) work on their network?  I’m pretty sure it would cost more to have us on two different carriers.  His phone works fine, and he’s not ready to give it up.
  3. Switch to Verizon and get a new phone that isn’t a Nexus (and return the one I just got).  Not cheaper than spending $400 at Best Buy in the long run.  Also, why would I do that?
  4. Switch to AT&T or T-Mobile and get a new phone that isn’t a Nexus (and return the one I just got).  Same issues with John’s phone, and also still not cheaper than spending $400 at Best Buy in the long run.  And nonsensical for now.

Are there other options?  I’m too close to it at the moment and SO ANNOYED.  I could insist we both leave Sprint, but we have unlimited data with them, and that seems impossible to get anywhere else (without also getting DirectTV or whatever with AT&T – not interested in that).

UGH.

It’s here!

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My new phone came today!

The good:

  • It’s here!
  • It’s a day early!
  • It turns on!
  • It holds a charge!

The bad:

  • It’s not new, as advertised.  It’s refurbished.
  • It’s not 32GB, as advertised.  It’s 16GB (which is what I have now).

The ugly:

  • I called Sprint to swap my service from my old phone to my new phone (which is what the online chat person told me to do the other day), and the Sprint person the phone told me I can’t do it over the phone or online because I didn’t buy it from a Sprint store.  I have to GO to a Sprint store because only the physical stores have the software needed to enter an individual phone into their system.  I can’t use it until I do that.  UGH.

The fantastic customer service (not from Sprint):

Several days ago, Woot emailed me to say that they’d heard that this shipment of phones included some 16GB phones, and it’s possible I might get one of those instead of the 32GB.  If that were to happen, I should email them and they’ll refund me $40 if I want to keep the phone or the whole amount if I want to return the phone since it’s not what I ordered.  All of that before I even got the phone, just in case it wasn’t right when it arrived.

Today, I got two emails from Woot.  The first was to tell me they’ve already refunded me $75.  The second was to tell me why they refunded me $75: the phone is refurbished, not new, and it’s 16GB.  They got the phones from T-Mobile, and apparently, the shipment details were not correct at the time of the sale.  I can still return it for a full refund AND a $40 credit towards another purchase, if I don’t want this phone.

I have not contacted Woot AT ALL yet.  They have done this all preemptively.  Woot is wonderful.  This is how you run a business.

Is it here yet?

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Package tracking is such a tease.  My new phone is being shipped all the way from Long Island.  It hopped over to New Jersey, and then it landed in Ohio, then Iowa, and as of Saturday evening, it was in Nebraska.  Where next?  Why isn’t there an update after Saturday?  Is it still in Nebraska?  We drove here faster than my little phone is moving.  The worst is when you can your package stuck in a post office one town over…and now I’ve jinxed myself.  That is going to happen to me.

I want it now!  Yup, me and Veruca, best buds.

Love/hate relationship with my phone (mostly love)

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I LOVE my phone.  I’ve said this before, and I’m sure I’ll say it again.  It’s a Google Nexus 5: it’s the right size, and it doesn’t have any Samsung or Sprint or Verizon or any other crap on it.  I can be as minimal as I want with apps.  It’s pretty, and I like the way it works.

BUT.

It’s getting old, and it’s not working as well as it used to.  It had that battery problem.  Well, the battery problem is slowly coming back.  It sometimes sends calls straight to voicemail, no ringing.  I only find out I missed a call when I get the voicemail notification.  Sometimes it won’t let me send texts.  Often (like most of the time), when I’m not on wi-fi, I can’t connect to the cellular network for data AT ALL (but I can still make calls).

Well, it’s old, and I should cut it some slack, right?  I wouldn’t (and didn’t) yell at my old dogs when they couldn’t walk as fast as they used to or when I had to carry them outside.

I do love my phone, but when it starts acting up, I treat it badly.  I get so frustrated.  Sometimes I yell.  (I’m so ashamed of myself right now.)  Worst of all, I think about replacing it.  The thing is, I want this phone.  There’s a Google Nexus 6, but it’s bigger.   I don’t want bigger.  There’s a Google Nexus 5x, which is the newer model, but I’m not ready to invest $400 in it yet.  I’ve used the Samsung Galaxy phones for work for years now, and I really don’t like them (although the newest one, the S7, is kind of okay).

Luckily, Woot came to my rescue last week.  There was a day they were selling new (NEW!) Google Nexus 5s for $150.  I bought one, and it should arrive this Thursday.  Replacing my phone with its twin should be okay, right?  It’s not the new model, I’m not giving up on it, I’m just…trading sideways.  I feel a little bad, but I’m also pinning all my hopes on this new phone.  PLEASE ring instead of sending calls to voicemail.  PLEASE let me use my data plan when I’m not on wi-fi.  PLEASE let me send texts normally and receive group texts in real time.  Please?

Wrong people are wrong

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Whoever told me that Oregonions Oregonians no, i’m keeping Oregonions never use umbrellas didn’t know what he was talking about.  I was out in the rain today (mostly not on purpose), and I saw four people using umbrellas to keep dry.  The other twenty people were probably just trying to impress somebody.  Or they took the same chance I did and bet wrong.  It was a little bit invigorating to speed along the empty trail with rain pouring down and my favorite songs playing.  I got plenty dirty (bikes kick up a lot of mud in the rain), but I’d do it again.

Then I came home, cleaned up, made scrambled eggs (ALMOST as good as Mel’s), and watched TV.  It was an okay Sunday.  I barely spent any time dreading work tomorrow.  That’s an improvement.

Cozy

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Today was a reading day.  I got up, made my (decaf) coffee, and sat in a chair for nearly two hours reading.  We went out, ran a couple of errands, and when we came back, I tucked myself back into my chair for another few hours to read.

It was wonderful.

John spent most of the day doing computer-y things.  Pleasant, very quiet, and it was raining for the first half of the day and overcast for the rest, so really, the perfect day to stay in and read.  Would have been nicer if our gas fireplace put out any heat, but I guess you can’t have everything.  (Honestly, I didn’t even remember we had one until just now, so I didn’t miss it.)

Maybe I’ll get to do it again tomorrow.

Bad news about our shows

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Last night, Will told us the truly terrible news about Agent Carter, one of my favorite shows: it’s been canceled after two seasons.  I’m very sad.  Today, John found out that two characters who left Agents of Shield (we were very unhappy they left) were supposed to get their own show (yay!), but now that’s not happening, either (boo).  Maybe they’ll come back to Shield.

Castle (which we don’t watch anymore, but still – Nathan Fillion) has been canceled, The Muppet Show has been canceled, and The Grinder has been canceled, which is much sadder than the other two.  The Grinder is hilarious.

Galavant, a show I’ve been meaning to watch, has also been canceled.

Networks suck.  Maybe Netflix will pick some of these up.  At least Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Shield, Elementary, and Supernatural will be back.  And it’s not like we don’t have enough TV to watch already, plus a LONG list of shows to add.  Just…I love Agent Carter.

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Funny tidbit

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You know how when you call a business from your cell phone, your screen shows you information about that business, like their number, maybe their hours, and their address?  I never pay much attention to it because I’m ON the phone and that info is pressed against my cheek.  Today, I called the Massage Envy I used to go to in Virginia because I needed to update my credit card information, and I used my headset so the phone was on the desk.  As I hung up, I noticed that it told me how far away the Massage Envy is from me.  Right now.  Like I needed to know that Massage Envy is 2335 miles away.  Maybe it’s so if I make an appointment I’ll give myself plenty of time to get there.

2335 miles doesn’t seem far enough…aaaaaannnnd it’s not.  Google Maps says it’s 2800 miles away.  You’d think my phone would use Google Maps.  It IS a Google Android phone.  Maybe I read the screen wrong.  Anyway, I’m tickled.

Rose garden, but without the roses

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John and I went for a walk the other day (the one I could barely walk back from), and I took a bunch of pictures of this really nice public rose garden.  Today, though, I’m not showing you any roses.  Sorry.

First this sort of sweet, sort of really strange bench.  Does it want to hug you?  Squeeze the life out of you?  Feel you up inappropriately?  Hard to say.

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Then, this tree.  It’s some sort of cherry tree that was planted in 1847, and now it needs cables to keep it together.  No climbing allowed, sadly.

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It was a really nice morning.

It’s not that easy

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Yesterday, the podiatrist seemed to think that the way he wrapped my foot would bring instant relief, even after I remove the wrap.  He said I could even go for a test run that night.  That was a bit too optimistic.  I rode my bike out to a soft trail (cedar chips, no asphalt), locked up the bike, took three excruciating steps on the trail, turned around, and got right back on my bike.  That was way worse than before.  When not running, it didn’t hurt, so part of what he said was true.

I followed his directions.  I bought supportive insoles for my shoes, wore my running shoes (with insoles) around the house all day (as instructed – no barefoot walking for me), put them on again first thing this morning, and then went for a walk.  The first half of the walk was fine.  Second half, painful.  (Not debilitating, just not normal.)

So.  I’m doing what the doctor said.  I still feel pain, but not all the time.  Do I need a follow-up?  Do I need more time to rest it?  Should I be biking?  Swimming?  Yoga?  Nothing?  If I can’t run when he thought I’d be able to, is something more serious going on?  Can I work myself into a frenzy without the use of Google or WebMD to tell me I’m dying?

I’m scheduling a follow-up.

I’m like a mountain goat

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I saw a podiatrist today, and while discussing what is wrong with my foot, he referred to my deformity.  Apparently, I am deformed.  Really.  (Mildly, but really.)  The doctor pointed out (although I will be getting it checked out for real) that my right leg is longer than my left leg by enough (no measuring occurred), and that I have been overcompensating for it when I run (he can see by the callus pattern that I roll outwards on my left foot and inwards on my right), and that overcompensation finally caught up with me.  The pain I’ve been feeling is a spasm.  He taped up my foot to help relieve the spasm, and he says I can go back to running pretty much immediately, as long as I ease into it.  If it still hurts by the end of this week, or if it changes how it hurts, I should come back, but there’s no sign of a stress fracture right now.

YAY!!

He also gave me a lift for my left shoe to help make up the difference, and I should wear supportive shoes (like my running shoes) or get supports to put in my other shoes (like my Chucks, which have ZERO support), and only wear shoes like that for the next 6-8 weeks.  I should stay away from flats, sandals, flip-flops, slippers, and any other shoe without support until the spasm is all better.  Oh, and I shouldn’t even wander the house barefoot, so I’ll be wearing supportive shoes ALL the time for a couple of months.

Blah.  But treatable!  So blah is okay.  But now I’m all concerned about how I’ve never noticed I’m uneven.  I have a regular doctor’s appointment in two and a half weeks, so I will be asking about that FOR SURE.

I never knew I looked this:

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Either of these would be okay, though:

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GOATLING!

Hey, it DOES rain in Oregon!

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We had a late night last night (great gig with the band, and I swear I’ll give everyone a good band update soon, with pictures), so we slept until about 10:30 this morning.  I think that’s the first time we’ve slept that late since we got here.  We had no plans, no obligations – the only thing we both wanted to do with go for a long bike ride.

It was overcast and gloomy, but Weather Underground said there was a 0% chance of rain, so we got up, got dressed for a chilly workout, and went out onto the deck to get our bikes.  I thought it was drizzling, but Weather Underground said it wasn’t, so I must have been mistaken.  And that water on my sunglasses obscuring my vision?  That couldn’t have been raindrops.  Must have been sweat condensing into raindrop-like droplets on the outside of the lenses.

Once we got over the chill (cold fingers, cold ears), our ride was pretty pleasant, not-drizzle notwithstanding, and we needed the 13 miles behind us to make up for the burgers we grilled on our brand new (cheap) charcoal grill yesterday (and the leftover potato salad we’re going to eat tonight).  Yesterday was beautiful, sunny, and 80 degrees.  Today, 53 degrees and cloudy, but not raining.  Of course.  It’s sunny now, now that we’re in for the evening and about to watch MCU movies to prep for seeing Civil War next weekend.  SO excited for that!

Derby Day!

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I tried the 14 Hands red blend today because they had a Kentucky Derby label, and since today was Derby Day, how could I resist?  It wasn’t half-bad, actually.  Not my favorite, but totally drinkable.

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I picked Whitmore as my winner.  BAD choice, guys.  He came in LAST.  I would say second to last, but the actual last horse didn’t even finish, so technically, my guy was last.   I switched to Whitmore at the last minute because of the jockey (Victor Espinoza, who rode Triple Crown winner American Pharoah last year).  My original choice was Oscar Nominated, who only finished two ahead of Whitmore, so I wouldn’t have won anything no matter what.  Not a good day for the betting version of me.  Luckily, the betting version of me doesn’t see much action.  She’s not lucky.

Happy dogs, happy me

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May 4th, Star Wars Day (“May the Fourth be with you”), is not a great day for us.  It’s the anniversary of Roxy’s death (three years this year), and that just sucks (and ruins what could otherwise be a fun, geeky day).  But it’s not all sadness and tears.  Yesterday, we were biking along the path, and we passed a couple walking what must have been the happiest dog alive.  How do I know this dog is the happiest dog alive?  He was soaking wet and carrying a very large stick in his mouth.

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(Not this dog, but you get the idea.)  Google “dogs carrying big sticks”.  It’s awfully cute.  Puppy pictures make everything better.

Foot Update

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By Sunday afternoon, my foot didn’t hurt anymore (I didn’t run on it – that helped), so I bought the shoes I said I wasn’t going to buy.  Then I took Monday off entirely (because my foot hurt while I was testing the shoes at the store) and biked Tuesday – still no running.  Wednesday, my foot didn’t hurt all day, so I figured I’d test it out.  It was not a good test.  I didn’t even make it half a mile before I could feel the discomfort coming back, so I walked back home and called my new doctor (who I haven’t actually met yet – I have an appointment for late May).  They have after-hours appointments with PAs, and they had one for that night at 6:45, so I went.

Inconclusive, of course, but the PA said he didn’t think it was a stress fracture (which was my worst case scenario, according to Google) because it doesn’t hurt ALL the time and I can stand on it without pain (after the pain from running has receded).  Basically, I should use ibuprofen and see if it goes away.  He said I could run if I can handle it, and if it doesn’t go away in another week or two, I should see a podiatrist and maybe get a bone scan.

Eugene is TrackTown, USA.  I must run.

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Regressing

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I finally put a basket on my bike!  I’ve been meaning to do that since I bought the bike years ago.  We biked over to the bike store, bought the basket, attached it to the bike, and then biked to Trader Joe’s for bread, milk, and flowers.

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I swear I didn’t just buy the flowers so I could bike home with them peeking out of my new basket.  Now I need a light and a bell.  And possibly a rack to go over the rear wheel.  I can’t wait to bike to the library!  Yes, I’m a grown-up.  I’m a grown-up in Eugene, where EVERYone has a bike.

More mildly strange, but closer to home this time

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Our house is on a pretty quiet street.  One side of the house (the side my office is on) is on an alley that slices through the block and is shared by at least 8 other houses.  There’s plenty of room, but it gets used as a shortcut pretty often, sometimes by residents (I think) and sometimes by random people (I think).  Yesterday, I was startled by someone singing.  It was so loud, I thought someone was in the room with me, even though there’s basically no space behind my chair, so that’s impossible.  I froze for a second, freaked out a bit, and then looked out the window.  There was this woman with headphones and a discman* very slowly walking down the alley by our house, singing her heart out.  Then she stopped, right under my window (I don’t think on purpose – she wasn’t looking at the house).  It was weird.  I hid from her.  I’m aware that that is also weird.

*The dream of the 90s is alive.  I know that’s Portland, but based on my experiences this past month, it applies to Eugene, too.  There is a real, honest-to-god, working pay phone (that takes COINS!) in town (maybe more than one, but I’ve only seen one), and I saw a woman wearing basically this outfit last week.

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If that doesn’t scream “I can’t leave the 90s behind”, I don’t know what does.

I am a failing failure who fails

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Shoot, I missed a day.  For those of you keeping track at home, yesterday is the first day I have missed since November 22nd.  And….now I’ll just have to give up.  Missing one day is the same as screwing up whole lives, right?  I’d better lock my doors.  The scary witch who lives in the woods at the top of the hill might be after me now.

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This is about two blocks from our house.  Maybe three.  And sadly for the scary witch,  her view out the front door (and down the hill) is of railroad tracks.  Not so scenic.  I should stop giving her reasons to come after me, since she’s obviously a dedicated reader (because who isn’t?), and I have let her down by skipping yesterday.

(Really, I am annoyed.  I could keep it up during a cross-country move but I can’t remember to blog on a normal Sunday? I am disappoint.)