You Might Be Surprised

Would you be surprised if I told you that the word "unlimited" means "you have definite limits and you need to watch out closely to keep within those limits".   That's not what you thought it meant??? As it happens, until last Friday, I too, was confused.  I am clear on the new and improved definition of "unlimited".  So as a PSA, let me clear things up for you as well.

A little side note: Did I happen to mention that Witchy Cheryl is back and undergoing some type of transformation?  I have noticed that my witchy persona turns more green as I get more aggravated IE more witchy.

The reason I bring up Witchy Cheryl is that last Friday, I got a text message from my cellular service provider.  (I use the term "service" loosely, in this scenario) and it brought out the worst in my alter ego.

The text said:  You have currently used 4 times your allotment of roaming.  You need to call us IMMEDIATELY, to resolve this.  (something to the effect..1-800-URN-TRBL)

HUH???? Roaming???? Allotment?????

I have no roaming constraints (or so I thought) from the company I have been doing business with for the past 16 years. I hesitate to name them at this point, but I have mentioned them plenty of other times, so I am pretty sure  you can figure it out, if you would be so inclined. This particular company offers an "UNLIMITED ONE RATE PLAN".   On top of the "unlimited one rate plan" (which refers to cellular phone calls) I also have "unlimited media" and "unlimited texting".  All of this "no need to ever worry because it is unlimited" usage comes with a price.   $$$$$$....indeed a hefty price that we have been paying  for quite a long time. 

So...imagine my surprise that I went over my allotment of "unlimited".


This little debacle started when  I was coming out of the gym, and I noticed the offending text. Needless to say, I drove directly to the store where I bought my latest incarnation of the IPhone (hint, hint) and asked Stuart,  the guy that hubby and I bought our phones from, "Hey, how is it possible that I am 4 times over my allotment??? AND .... How much is this going to cost me???? 

Stuart looked puzzled.  Partly, I suppose because of my deepening green coloring and partly because he too thought "unlimited" meant "unlimited".  (poor delusional Stuart) So, Stuart tells me that I have a one rate plan and as far as he knows they can't charge me but he thinks to be on the safe side I had better call the 1-800 number that was contained in the text message.

Another surprising twist to this...last week when all my service  (phones, Internet, and TV) was on the fritz, I had to wait my turn for about 30 minutes each time on the dozen or so calls that it took to get the problem resolved.  Now that I am hogging media bytes, I go right to the front of the line. 

I explain to the CSR that I was under the impression that the "unlimited one rate  plan" meant I could use it unlimitedly.   That is not the case. As it happens, we haven't abused the number of phone calls or the number of text messages.  We have, however, been abusing the "connecting or trying to connect to the Internet".   Because, hubby is working in  the dead zone of Nebraska (remember last week I was talking about having "next to no" connection to service in Nebraska) he is using the tower of another company (well...to be totally accurate on that point..hubby is TRYING to use the tower of another company) So, it is hubby that is racking up media useage because his smartphone has a Facebook app that is constantly trying to update. Whether it is successful isn't the point.  It is TRYING all  the time.  So CRS person says, turn off the apps, ESPECIALLY FACEBOOK,  set the fetch setting to manual, and turn the WIFI on so that if we are brazen enough to try to use the Internet on our phones in Nebraska, we had better be in a hot spot to latch on to someone else's server.  Turning off the phone isn't the answer, in case you are wondering.  The apps work even when the phone is off.

Also, it turns out that because they can't charge us for our excessive use, they have told us that we need to make the aforementioned changes and if not...they will cancel us. 

REEEEAAAALLYYY....We have been paying them on time every month for 16 years....mega dollars a month and because hubby is working in a state that they don't have coverage, they are threatening us with suspension or cancellation.  From what I understood we have 30 days to repent and mend our ways.

The one question, I forgot to ask CRS person is "if they cancel us...is there a cancellation fee????"  I know if I cancel them it is $325.00 per phone (2 phones in our case)  but if they cancel us do we get a fee from them for $650.00. 

As for me not having their company name splashed all over this post.....I noticed when I was talking to the CRS person, they seem to know a lot about our Internet usage.  I probably don't want to tick them off any more than I already have by them seeing me bitch about their company.  (although, maybe another person reading my blog would be a good thing)

 Currently they are just mad because we have been using our smart phones (now that the apps are turned off they technically they are dumb phones) to access the Internet.  I better not give them additional reasons to text me.  But of course, in Nebraska, I probably wouldn't receive it.

It May Have Been Free But They Paid a Price

I am on the road again.  If you have been following my blog, you might remember that my husband is working in Nebraska for about 3 months on an assignment that takes him into a lot of smaller towns.  I have a history of following him on his various assignments but tend to show a real "enthusiasm" for his job when it lands him in Manhattan, NY or San Francisco, CA. I have been known to selflessly keep him company for weeks at a time in West Palm Beach, Fl.  Currently, I am visiting Nebraska for the Memorial Day weekend.

It's not that I don't appreciate this part of the country.  In fact, I do.  The people here are so nice. I am going to charge them the cost of Weight Watchers when my husband returns to Kansas City in 6 weeks, though. They seem insistent on feeding him.  Some of the locals are baking pies and cookies for him to take to his hotel.  As neither of those items appear on the menu at our house, he had better make the best of it while he can.

So...as far as this trip, I did go to the  National Homestead Monument  outside of Beatrice, Nebraska for the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Homestead Act.  Abraham Lincoln signed the act into law on May 20th 1862. 

The key points to this act:

The law required three steps: file an application, improve the land, and file for deed of title. Anyone who had never taken up arms against the U.S. government, including freed slaves,  could file an application to claim a federal land grant. The occupant had to be 21 or older or the head of a family, live on the land for five years and show evidence of having made improvements. (BTW...this included women that were head of their households)

Here on the site of the National Homestead Monument is part of the first homestead claim  filed in America.by Daniel Freeman, a physician from Ottawa, Illinois. He claimed his 160 acres and full filled the requirements to get title to the land.  He lived 45 years on the property before his death. His grave is on the site of the monument.





A few of the facts concerning the Homestead Act:

1.  More than 270 Million acres were claimed under the Homestead Act.
2. 1.6 Million people filed claims
3. 93 Million Americans are descendants of a Homesteader
4. 40 percent of the people that filed claims couldn't make a go of it and weren't able to meet the requirements to gain title to their property.
5. The Homestead Act was in effect from 1863-1986.  Alaska was the last state to allow people to claim land under the Act. The last man to file a claim was Kenneth Deardorff, a Viet Nam vet from California that filed a claim for 80 acres on the Snake River in Alaska. 

Here in Beatrice, NE, the actual Homestead Museum isn't what I would have thought a museum about the Homestead Act would look like.  I guess, it wouldn't of made sense to build a huge log hut but this felt uber modern compared to the subject matter being about America's pioneers.  It wasn't until after I visited the museum that I learned that the building is an artistic representation of a plow...well actually a plow shear.






a plow in the center of a prairie





going into the visitor's center there is a wall with the shapes
of the 30 states that participated in the Homestead Act.

 



 





A little one room school house that was used from 1875 to 1967.

 



One of the longest running one-room schools in Nebraska.





After leaving the Museum, you can go over a prairie trail (just a little over 3/4 of
a mile to the Educational Center.





The Homestead National Monument Educational Center



Ultimately, what I learned at the Museum and the Educational Center, is I probably would have been one of the 40 percent that didn't make it through the 5 years it took to get the deed. I will tell you why I came to this conclusion tomorrow.

CONTINUED.....

Before I sign off for today...I am sorry for the early launch of this post. As previously mentioned the last time I was in Nebraska, I am struggling with my Internet connection.

Traveling the Back Roads

In yesterday's post, you had to listen to me whine about the lack of Internet access and the inability to have a working cell phone but still...I did enjoy my trip to Nebraska.

My husband's company requires that he travel throughout the country so I have had a lot of opportunities to  "go  along for the ride". The big cities are always fun to visit as they offer a lot of things to do but there is a certain charm to the rural areas as well.

There might of been a time that just riding around looking at the countryside would not have been interesting to me.  That would of definitely been true if I had small children in the car (the very thought of it makes me jittery) but as an empty-nester, I love looking around at things, stopping to check out the sites and "flavor" of the little towns that make up America. There is always some cute little business, or a great little diner just down the road.




Thought Number One....Cedar Creek Pottery

This used to be a church but now is a potter's studio

Just 7 miles outside of Beatrice, Nebraska sits a old Lutheran church that was built in 1895. 
This would seem to be an unlikely place for a pottery studio...yet it is.  An unusual studio to be sure.

Hubby and I were driving along a country highway, when we spotted the sign and turned onto a gravel road.  After a few miles we saw the church and thought we needed to investigate. Upon walking up to the door you are greeted by a sign:

We let ourselves in, turned on the lights as instructed and looked around.  

After a few minutes the potter, Ervin Dixon came in.  Ervin is a very quiet man, or at least he was while we were there.  He is known around the area as the "country potter".

Dixon was an art student in the 60's and 70's who initially wanted to create welded sculptures. After earning a MFA from Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia, he started a teaching career at the University of Miami. A few years later he moved back to the area where he grew up near Beatrice, Nebraska. For more than 30 years, Dixon has created his art and embraced his small town roots.

At the beginning of each year he starts with around 9000 pounds of clay and by October he has formed and fired all of it. He holds an annual sale to show and sell his pottery although anyone can drive up to the church and let themselves in.  Be sure to turn on the lights.  Ervin will come over in a few minutes.

Thought Number Two--Did I See What I Thought I Saw?

As we were driving to Cedar Creek Pottery, we saw a boat sitting in a pasture.  This probably wouldn't be worth noting if there had been any water around...any at all...but no...no lakes, rivers, not even a pond.  Yet, here it was a small boat in the middle of a pasture.



Nothing around it for miles...nothing



Then there was this.... Someone felt the need to point out the fact that the road was a "dirt" road.

Perhaps, the sign maker should have elaborated and said "Dirt or Mud Road" depending on the weather. Clearly someone didn't figure that out.




I have seen the signs on roads to point out possible deer in the area but I hadn't seen signs that pointed out duel inhabitants before.





It's like a game of chance...which one
will I hit today?

To be continued....what is waiting for me back in Kansas






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The Internet and Insanity

Did anyone happen miss me last week???? .... No??? Really??? You didn't notice my prolonged absences???  Pardon me while I cry for a minute...

OK...I have composed myself, so let me tell you about why you may not have had as many (or any) comments from me over the last 7 days. 

I went on a road trip.  That, in itself isn't all that unusual.  My husband's job requires him to travel a lot and I often go to visit wherever he may be.  What was a little unusual about this trip was that my IPhone was unable to get any type of signal most of the time.  No cellular network or media connection available.

Now at the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, for those of you that are at this moment remembering my post about wanting to simplify titled The Simple Life....I can explain myself.

First of all...for those of you that don't remember the post verbatim and  let me assume for a minute that you all know all  of my posts by heart...I said I wanted a cabin in the woods. Yes, a cabin, away from the hustle and bustle of a city but to be clear,  I wanted it with a cute functional kitchen, a rock fireplace and I may or may not of failed to mention ...and for the sake of being totally accurate ...I want blazing-fast high speed Internet.  I am nothing if not self-aware.  After 5 days of not having easy access to the Internet, I can not over-emphasize that this is a must-have.

I can equate the total deprivation of access to the Internet with the following analogy:

Let's say you are a prostitute. (Men don't think this analogy doesn't apply to men..yes there are men sluts too) Then let's pretend, that you have been hooking up a lot...a whole lot...for the last ten years.


Then, let's say that you wake up one morning and you are a nun.(again men...if you are feeling left out...you can be a monk)


A nun with a chastity belt.(oh, really guys, just pretend your thing isn't working...at all.)


OK, you are now wearing a chastity belt with a lock and there is no key available.

This is how I felt without Internet.  I have been banking, bill paying communicating, reading, writing, getting my news etc. and then all of a sudden....NOTHING.

Now, I know you must be thinking I went to some 3rd world country if I was not even able to use an IPhone.  NO, I drove to Nebraska.  Do I need to point out where Nebraska is?  I am not trying to be indelicate here in terms of your IQ, but when I lived in Nebraska, people (mostly people that don't live in Nebraska) would ask me where exactly where  is Nebraska located?

So to just clear up the "where is Nebraska" issue...it is located north of Kansas. 



In my effort to give you an effective visual, here is a map that covers
Kansas and Nebraska AND shows AT&T coverage.

Do you see those diagonal lines???  According to the map legend those diagonal lines mean:

The areas shown as an orange stripped pattern represent the coverage of unaffiliated carriers and should have sufficient signal strength for on-street or in-the-open coverage, but may not have it for in-vehicle coverage or in-building coverage. Excessive use of Partner coverage may subject your service to early termination, in accordance with your service terms. Data services may not be available.

(NOTE* I copied this, word for word, from AT&T coverage disclosure.)


There are several things I can tell you concerning this map

A.  AT&T doesn't know how to spell striped.

B. When they mean "in the open" they mean standing on a rooftop...on a clear day...dressed in an aluminum body suit...with a satellite dish attached to your noggin.

C. The line about "excessive" use of Partner coverage makes no sense.  My contract is with AT&T.  If I am in Cellular One territory and they give me the honor of using one of their towers, they can't terminate my service for excessive use.  Additionally, since they choose not to let me use their towers, thereby not letting me have a workable cell phone or computer...it is moot.  I can't OVER-use what I can't use.

D. The line about "data services may not be available" should read "there is absolutely not a chance in HELL that your data services will work. NO WAY...NEVER...EVER.

E.  Those blank areas on the map are dead zones. Nebraska (for the most part) is a dead zone for AT&T, Verizon and Sprint. 

So for those of you that noticed my absence, I am alive and well.  I will tell you a couple of things I saw on my trip in another post. For now, I will  try to get caught up with my reading and commenting on the Internet.


TO BE CONTINUED....

Fat Bigot

The title of today's little foray into my "life is good, no it's not", conflicted mind, I am not talking about a bigot that is fat. I am talking about all the bigots out there that have biases, intolerance, and pure disgust for people that are fat.

Weight issues are the BIG daddy of all my conflicted theories.

I have been firmly planted on both sides of the fence in regards to being overweight.
In yesterday's blog post, I was talking about things that offend people (or not) and I can't think of anything that pushes people's hot buttons more that discussions of body size.

A little background to get the ball rolling....In the past (say 15 years ago or so) I put on some weight. I really have no idea how much as I decided denial was the first way to fight it. I simply quit weighing myself. That worked out pretty well for a while. We were living in Nebraska (that period is 4 homes,3 moves ago, for those keeping track) when the pounds starting accumulating.

Before all you Nebraskans out there take offense at the NE to fat correlation, let me tell you up front that I really liked living in Nebraska BUT...it turned out I started living my life from a very "comfort" oriented point of view and all ideas of staying fit went by the (Nebraskan) wayside. Our dear friends also were eating all the comfortable homey goodies. I was fitting into the granny looking, cookie making, pie baking, environment nicely. The big flaw with looking like someone's rotund little cookie making grandma is that my two kids were barely college age at that point. I was not to be a grandma for another 16 years. Another ex-Nebraskan, had her own interesting theory.  She said she thinks that there is a subliminal need to pack on layers of fat (much akin to a bear getting ready to hibernate) to survive the winters there.  As soon as she moved south, she too took off a whole lotta layers of fat. Her theory not mine but it fits.  HMMM what should we call that theory???  How about the Hefty Husker Theory.  To be fair we should also have the Dakotas' Dowdy Theory or the Wisconsin Packer-onners Theory and given enough time to think about other cold places, I am sure there are other theories to be formulated.

Our home was situated in a community that had a private restaurant called the Saddle Club. The Saddle Club had themes to each night's meals. There were Italian Nights, Mexican Fiesta Night, Texas BBQ, and hundreds of other creative food themed meals. I can't tell you all of them as I was way too busy eating to notice.

As we made our way through the various foody themes, we made great friends. Really great friends!!! With great friends we started having our own little get togethers which all revolved around food.  Turns out you just can't have to many pot luck suppers. 

One of the most notable was once a month, hubby and I would have an adult slumber party. (you with the dirty minds out there...we are talking G rated slumber parties) We would pick a movie and a matching meal. One example is we had the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" Our meal had among other things, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, cream gravy, lemon meringue pie, and the fried green tomatoes.

We ate, we watched movies, and anyone that was tired was welcome to spend the night. (Everyone brought their sleeping bags or pillows and blankets in the event they chose to stay). The bonus of staying would mean they could stick around for more eating in the morning.

Sooo, after 6 years of eating my time away in Nebraska, I had packed on a lot of weight. I do know that I was 10 dress sizes bigger then than I am today. Not sure what that is in pounds but it is a LOT.

Here are a few facts, I know.

1. On my body fat looks bad. I see attractive people all the time that probably weigh at least the same or more than I have weighed and they look fine. I did not. No matter how nice of clothes I bought, nothing fit nicely. I was uncomfortable. My blood pressure went up.  A slogan that applies to my situation..You can put lipstick on a pig but it is still a pig.  For me this could be words to live by.

2. When I got fat, my self esteem went down. I was disgusted with myself and my lack of willpower.

3. I learned a lot about myself and I learned a lot about tolerance and lack thereof.

It turns out, (some) people treat others differently depending on body image. I noticed a very obvious difference in how people related to me depending on my size. Of course, this depends on the size of the person you are dealing with. Fat people treat other fat people in one way, thin people in another. AND VICE VERSA  Some thin people treat fat people like a whore at a church picnic.

 Funny, now that I am my thin self, I am HYPER- aware of all  the nasty comments being made behind fat peoples backs. Well, actually it isn't always behind their target's back.  RUDE and HURTFUL. 

By the time we moved to Texas (refer to post about the "Didn't know it could get that HOT") I had to lose the weight or lose my mind.

Here's the thing. I know how to eat right. I had gained and lost smaller amounts of weight prior to my fat period. With all the voracious reading I do, I have read 100's of books about proper nutrition. I totally KNOW about healthy eating. I had to start actually putting into practice all this knowledge.

Oh, yeah, the other component, EXERCISE. UGH. Kill me now!!!! I was probably 90 pounds overweight (again, not sure) and it was 110 degrees. SHIT!!!! I was miserable. The good news is, once I started eating correctly like real people are supposed to do, I dropped weight pretty quickly.

Six months or so later, when I actually waddled onto a scale, I figured out that I had about 40 some pound left to go. As luck would have it I met Texas pal and we have walked nearly every morning together since March of 1999.

Additional things I know...

1. I don't mind exercise anymore. I walk every morning. I joined a gym and get there 3 times a week without fail. I meet with a trainer from time to time to go over where I am and where I need to be.

2. I feel better being thin. Not just physically but emotionally.

3. And the thing I am most sure of, is that there is some serious discrimination and bigotry against fat people.

Looking at this subject from the Good Cop, Bad Cop mentality. I hate to see the sneering, jeering behavior that makes people rude and insufferable in their treatment of an overweight person BUT I also, think any person carrying excess lbs. to the point it impacts their life negatively in any way, needs to take some personal responsibility.

First step....Get off your plump posterior and educated yourself. Read a book about nutrition. Don't starve yourself, just start eating correctly.

Second step....Start moving...Exercise is the key.

Third step...If you can't do first and second step on your own, get help.  Find a pal, a dietitian, a personal trainer, a gym or anyone else that can motivate you. Also, a visit to your doctor is a must. My doc wasn't too harsh with me but  the numbers weren't good on things like cholesterol and BP. (when the weight came off the numbers became impressive)

My first step in TX was to go to a local university that offered a free assessment and the use of a workout room that was so cheap that just about anybody could use it.  Because it was staffed by grad students as part of their course work in  phys ed, hiring a personal trainer also was dirt cheap.  Pilate classes were free. (GREAT PRICE=FREE)

Since this blog is all about my conflicts and observations in life, I am including this topic. For a lot of years, I continue to try to eat healthy and live a healthy lifestyle. I have relapses and have to start again. Never ending battle....


The Good....Feeling proud of yourself for moving in the right direction.  Setting a goal and working toward that goal is really rewarding.

The Bad....Rude people that treat others badly.  Why do the narcissistic personalities out there seem to think they are better than anyone else???    Remember my mind game "Bus Headed for a Cliff".  Some of these rude asses are on board.  On a future post I will discuss the folks that have earned a permanent bus pass.


The Weird---An observation of mine!!!!  The RUDER THAN RUDE person seems to always be the one that seems to have the biggest most obvious flaws.  In my opinion, we can all have opinions regarding other people but we still should  be civil to each other. (at least in person, you can always have an imaginary bus)