I really don't know where to start with the suckfest that is businesses who provide services.

Let's start with my cell phone, how's that?

I have had AT&T wireless for frickin' ever. Then the whole Cingular thing happened. I was still chugging along in my oblivious world. Checking the mail one day, I happened upon a envelope that had a "Welcome" type of message on it. The return address was Alltel. Who dat? Dunno. So I open it. Surprise! My cell service had been moved to Alltel. Heh? Who dat? Dunno. I RECEIVED NO ADVANCE NOTICE FROM EITHER AT&T OR CINGULAR ABOUT THIS MOVE! Hello? Cingular? YOU SUCK! Throw us a bone, will you? I have been getting letters from Alltel from time to time saying the time is coming and they are making million dollar upgrades and just wait. Someone complained to one of the "In Your Corner" guys at the TV station about this and he looked into it. Evidently, we were supposed to be getting a packet telling us we could cancel our service with them and not get charged the penalty. Um...when was I gonna hear about this? Meanwhile, the service has been sucking big green ones. You could be in the middle of a conversation and, boom, your call would be dropped. Nice. Then, the Hubby drops his phone and jams the antennae up into it. I call the Alltel folk and they tell me to take it to the store and swap our AT&T phones for Alltel phones for free. I head over there yesterday and repeat what I was told and, get ready, that's not quite true. Sure I could get an Alltel phone, but guess what? I had to sign a new contract with them. I explained that my contract, which they bought, expired in March and aren't they gonna honor that? Nope. I have until the end of August to sign with them or I get charged for breaking the contract. WTF? You people are breaking the contract. They give me a packet of their services to look over. Currently I am paying $39.99 for my phone and $9.99 for Hubby's line. To get a second line for $9.99 with Alltel, you have to have at least a $59.99 plan. Ex-squeeze me? Or you can have the lower cost plans, but then you have to pay $20.00 for the second line. I don't think so.

Long story even longer, I went to T-Mobile, got two (free) phones and 300 more minutes for $49.99. I was feeling generous so I got a third (free) phone for Matt for an extra $9.99. Go me. My and Matt's phones have cameras, still and video! I took a photo of the Big Lots! delivery truck in front of me this morning. (Very excited about the Big Lots! opening here. Now if we could just get a Target instead of a SECOND Wal-Mart Superstore.)

I called the Alltel number and told the guy to shut off my services. He was very understanding about it. (Which shocked me.)

Whew. So that's done.

Let's talk now about the place that is servicing our old lawn mower. A couple of months ago, we took it in and had new pulleys and belts and a new battery put in. A few weeks after we got it out of the shop, Hubby started it up and took off mowing. All of a sudden, the blades quit turning. The engine was fine, but no blades. He carted in into the shop and then left town. I had to deal with the place then. The shop manager told me the battery was bad. I told David what I was told and he said the battery was a new battery and it was running fine when he unloaded it off of the trailer when he dropped it off. I called the shop back and told them that. He said maybe they left the key on or something. He went to get the work order for it, came back and read that the engine wasn't working and the blades weren't turning. I told him that they had worked on it a couple of months ago and replaced the pulleys and belts and put in a new battery. ARE YOU SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT MOWER? Yep. Well, you better check it again. They checked it again and by now Hubby was back home. He was told that the alternator was jacked up and it drained the battery and that's why things weren't working and the battery was under warranty and they would have it done and you can pick it up on Friday. Hubby went down a little bit ago to get it. He paid for it and went around to the garage to get it loaded up. They wheeled it out and THAT'S NOT MY MOWER! (I wasn't there, but I can imagine the frick and frack that spewed from his mouth.) He was irate to say the least. He called and I actually laughed 'cause it was pretty funny if you ask me. He said when he calmed down he was going to call them and tell them to fix it and not charge us to deliver it. I think they shouldn't charge us period. Or give us a honkin' discount. Fools.

Sigh. Why is everyone not perfect like us?

This morning when I was dropping the boy off at day care, this dad was bringing his four year old son in. The boy was obviously trying not to cry. {sniff, sniff} The dad was explaining that he would have two days off this weekend and he just needed to get through today. {sniff, sniff} Be brave! Be brave! Shake it off! Shake it off! WHAT?! You just told your four year old son who was crying because you were leaving him a day care to SHAKE IT OFF? You don't shake that off. You can be brave, but please, really? Shake it off? I kissed my boy bye and he told me, like he does every day, "Don't let the ants bite. Have a good day at work." I told him, like every day, "Don't let the sharks bite. Have a good day at school." The other little boy is still {sniffing} and his dad starts walking away. Then he turns back around and hugs his son and repeats "Be strong! Be strong! Shake it off! Shake it off!" It was all I could do to keep the belly laugh from exploding out of me. Maybe the dad was the one who needed to shake it off. Lord, you people are funny.

It made me think of this. I found it somewhere a year or so ago.

Are you only four?
Are you still just a little kid,
And I am so hard on you,
Expecting you to be so grown up?

Makes you think, doesn't it?

You kids have a good weekend. And don't take candy from strangers.