Ordered the Bissell Momentum vacuum from Wal-Mart on January 12.  Highly recommended, but on-line only.  

Received an email on January 13th saying it'd shipped.  Except it turns out that was just a shipping label being issued...FedEx didn't actually take possession of it until the 17th.

On the 19th I watched the tracking site, eagerly waiting for it to arrive.  Six cats without a working vacuum?  Not good.

To my dismay, that evening the tracking showed "delivery exception."  Oops.  I'd made a mistake when entering the shipping address, omitting a numeral.  Okay, that's my fault.  The next morning I called early and they got it on the truck with the correct shipping address.  Watched and waited.  No delivery.

The next day it showed "On vehicle for delivery."  Watched and waited.  No show.

On Monday morning (yesterday) I called, a trifle perturbed.  The representative (and don't even get me started on how difficult it was to convince the stupid automated answering thingummy...Don sold 'em but personally hated 'em...to give me over to an actual human being) couldn't really figure out why it hadn't been delivered earlier, but assured me it'd be on the truck today.  Call early to make sure, though.  So I did.  Yes, it was on the truck.  A few minutes before 5 p.m. I was getting anxious, called the 800 number and browbeat the computer into letting me talk to a person, and was told it was for sure on the truck.  They had until 8 p.m. to get it to me.

At 7:25...fine, I'm impatient...I checked the computer tracking site to see "delivery exception:  no one home or business closed".  Called the 800 number, snarled at the computer, then started in on the guy who answered.  While on the phone with him, Joe came into the bedroom carrying a whacking big brown box.

Oh.  Um, it arrived.  Sorry.  Thanks.  Felt like a moron.

Opened the box to discover pieces of the vacuum cleaner had been dumped into it and brown paper added for bulk.  No instructions.  No packing slip.  Nothing.  According to the label it had come from Bentonville, Arkansas, so this was how it was shipped to me.  Grimly and angrily I took a photo, closed it, printed off a proof of purchase from the net, then hauled it out to the car.  Dmitry said Joe was careful to stay out of the way, I was so mad.  Drove to the Wal-Mart and shoved the box along the ground and into the store, whereupon the greeter greeted me rather nervously.  Smoke was doubtless emanating from my ears.  When she scanned the bar code on the box she was nonplussed, muttering it made no sense.  "Sweet candy?"  she said, puzzled.  I pointed out someone in Bentonville had clearly taken an empty box that had held candy and dumped the pieces of the vacuum into it.  She affixed a sticker on it, offered a buggy (which I refused, as my mood called for kicking the box along), and pointed me to customer service.

The woman working the desk, named Twana, was a sensible person.  The supervisor she nabbed was, regrettably, not.  That woman  - okay, to be fair she had her purse hooked over her shoulder, so must have been on her way out, but back when I was manager I delayed my leaving many, many times to take care of problems such as this -  poked at the contents and inquired whether or not it worked.  I told her with some exasperation I really had no idea, as I closed the box right after I opened it.  She wanted the packing slip.  Irritably I told her there was no packing slip, or any papers of any kind inside the box.  "This is not acceptable," I firmly stated.

Ms. Useless blithely advised Twana to get the serial number, then left, leaving us both staring after her in astonishment and annoyance.  How the deuce Twana was supposed to do that, considering the fact the shipping people in Arkansas had neglected to include any information that would have such a number, we couldn't imagine.  Then it turned out I had left home in such a rushed fury I'd forgotten to get my AmEx, which was how I'd paid for it.  Oops.

Twana went ahead and gave me a gift card for the amount I'd paid, though from what she said to a newbie next to her, I don't think she was actually supposed to.  She requested to be allowed to keep the papers I'd printed out, which I graciously allowed, seeing as how I can easily print them out again, if needful.

Then I went to the vacuum department, chose another one, and purchased it.  It's okay, I guess, but it's not a Dyson, that's for sure.  Still, I emptied the container three times when vacuuming the living room and my bedroom.  Barring bones and skin, I swear I vacuumed up the equivalent of a cat.

If Wal-Mart thinks it's heard the last of this, it's sorely mistaken.  I cannot imagine what buffoon thought it'd be a good idea to take pieces of a vacuum cleaner, toss them in an empty box with some wadded up brown paper, not bother with instructions or a packing slip, then send it on its way.  Talk about a lose-lose situation, as now a local Wal-Mart is stuck with a vacuum it doesn't carry (it was only available on-line, remember), with no documentation or anything, plus it had to deal with an irate customer.  Not to mention a less-than-stellar performance by a supervisor.  Twana was the sole bright spot, and I fully intend to let Wal-Mart know that.

I also think I may crab a bit more at FedEx.  Fine, it's my fault it wasn't delivered on the 19th, but that doesn't excuse it's not showing on Thursday or Friday, when it was said to be on the truck for delivery.

Mercy Maud, what a foul-up this was!  Argh!  

Better late than never, as they say, and goodness knows, they should know.  

It was a great holiday season!  Wonderful Thanksgiving, terrific Ivy Carolfest, Christmas day at Jeanne's, a quiet New Year's Eve, THE FROGS WON THE ROSE BOWL, and the Ivy celebration on January 2d, which was also Matt's birthday.  Good times, and I thank the LORD most sincerely for them.

Last night I began to take the Career Solutions workshop, for I need to find a job.  Well, what I need is moolah which pretty much comes from having a job.  Keep wishing I could think of characters and a plot and be the next Agatha Christie or Debbie Macomber but, alas...there is no story within me striving to get out.  Most annoying.  

Right now I'm trying to decide whether to go for a Career or just a job.  I'd rather like to be a receptionist someplace, but almost always get stumped by the qualifications required these days.  This is lifted from a position I found at Monster.com:  "Must have knowledge of a variety of computer software applications in word processing, spreadsheets and presentation software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe, Photoshop)."

To be fair, at least this place merely requests "knowledge of", which I do have.  I know they exist.  I've even piddled around with them, and gone so far as to take a course in Excel.

Most employers want you to be really, really good at those programs, unfortunately.  No one ever requires someone who can piddle around on Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.  If I could find a position needing a piddler in those programs, I'd be golden.  

A physician friend has suggested medical coding as a career path.  It would require training, which would be okay, but I'm concerned that even were I trained no one would be anxious to hire someone crowding 60 years old.

Another area I've thought of is hospice care.  Not having a nursing degree...and absolutely no intention whatever of getting one, just so we're clear...I'm not sure where I'd fit in, though.  One thing I've learned since Don died is that I'm drawn to those who are grieving over the death of their spouse.  Having been blessed to be present when Don and Dad died, I can truly say deathbeds hold no terror for me.  Not a bit.

Boomers are aging and let's face it...there are going to be a whole lot more widows (and widowers) over the next decade or two.  I've been urging CCBC to start a ministry to newly widowed people.  Not grief counseling, as the church has that already, but where someone who has been through it calls and comes by and is just there.  

Ah well, things will sort themselves out eventually.  They always do, don't they?

Right now I'm going to head to North Richland Hills to pick up Brianna from school, then go get Bridgette from her day care, and take them to visit Elaine and her girls for a little bit.  Jessica's working and Charles doesn't get home till 7 p.m.

There might possibly be a picture or two.  ;^)