Catching Up

Back again. Been a little busy and a tad under the weather.

I've just signed up to a volunteer enforcer of sorts for the town. (Can't say what but it should be fun and it's a good cause.)

Teenager is doing fine, about to get her first chance to fence for her school.

I continue to be impressed by our school district--very responsive to questions. Even if I don't get what I want, at least I usually get an answer. Met several of her teachers the other night and all went well. The best part was discovering that her account of how things were going in the classroom was quite similar to that of her teachers. After meeting the teacher in her toughest subject, I sought out the bubbly elective-course one, just for balance. (Not that the first teacher was nasty or anything at all but we're talking hardnosed teacher and not great, great grades to moving over to artsy, effervescent life-is-wonderful, your-daughter-is-a-star! instructor.) Those teachers and administrators pulled some mighty long hours that day/night.

My Lab is still out of control; her latest stunt is trying to leap, joyfully, on the LIPA meter reader, so now I have to call in meter readings. That's not as bad as when she chewed the fuel sensor under the car and cost me $500; or ate the cable on the side of the house or broke the neighbor's door, or chewed through the cord to the steam iron or...well, what can I say? She's a Lab.

The front end of the car appears ready to fall off (loose bolt, bad workmanship). I need Jeano! (he's the car-repair master at the Getty station on Pulaski Road.)

Why People Hate LIPA, Part II

They didn't shut my power off yesterday; they rolled back into the neighborhood today, two hours earlier than yesterday. They pulled up and blocked my driveway and went around knocking on doors, announcing they were about to shut off the power. I jumped into the shower, got ready for work, went out and asked them to move the truck so I could pull out of the driveway, finished getting ready, went outside again and the driveway was still blocked. I yelled over to the first to ask him again to move the truck. A second guy came along and apparently misunderstood and told me to leave the van on the street (It was in the garage) and added, "we have to do our jobs!" Yes, and I have to GET to mine and you don't have to block my driveway. God. Where is LIPA's customer service?

Why People Hate LIPA

So I go out this morning to get something from my car and run into a LIPA guy walking across the lawn. On the street are four gigantic LIPA trucks. He says casually that LIPA is going to be rewiring my street and the power is going to go out. Roughly, here's how the conversation goes:
Me: Out? When?
Him: Now. For a couple of hours.
Me: What? Why doesn't LIPA give us some warning?
Him: I just did.

He then says the power might go out soon or maybe in a couple of hours because they're behind schedule. He doesn't know, he can't tell me. I note that I'm working at home, won't have a phone because it's a Cablevision phone dependent on power. I don't mention that I'd put a piece of beef in the crockpot a couple of hours earlier and that will now be lost.

I retreat to the house, cursing. I do a few things around the house, take a shower, notify my tenant that the power will be out, tell her that I'll give her a ride somewhere, get ready to leave and notice that the truck is still running in front of my house but the workers are several houses down the street. Another LIPA guy walks over, I ask him if he can turn the truck off and he says, "Why? Aren't you leaving?" And I say, yes, but it's stinking up the neighborhood.
Then I get in my car and leave because absolutely nothing good will come from this conversation continuing.