Soledad's Journal

Or One, as they call themselves since they swallowed DigiTV, aka the competition. Anyway, they contacted me today as it was time to renew my contract (of course it will be somewhat more expensive from now on, like everything else). I specifically asked if the new package will contain my German-speaking channels, which are important for me to keep my vocabulary alive. They assured me that it will. And what happened? Barely had I hung up on them, German RTL simply vanished mid-sentence. All other foreign-language channels (like the oh-so-important Chinese one) where still there. Just not the channel we used to watch on a daily basis (Richterin Barbara Salesch anyone?).

I called Customer Service, and a helpful young man (at least his voice sounded young) tried his best to help me - to no end. That particular channel simply wasn't in the new package. I wouldn't be this angry if I hadn't specifically asked, but here we are. *is really mad*

That was enough to ruin my whole day. I can watch old episodes on YouTube, but Mum preferred the new ones with the Irish wolfhound - well, no Piri for her anymore. I really don't understand why can't we simply choose which channels we want to have - I'd certainly throw out all the stupid sports channels and MTV and the likes - since we pay a batch of money for our telly!

Anyway, other than that I did some writing, starting to flesh out a fairly alternate version of the ST:TOS episode "Plato's Stepchildren" and took out the elephant plushie again. It has now both ears and both eyes and I'm working on its accessoires in the hope to finish it during the weekend. Or not. We'll see.

The one I made yesterday but didn't get around to take a pic. Here he is - actually a pencil holder, but one with a personality, methinks:



The light wasn't the best, his coat is actually a much darker, brighter red, but with today's weather it couldn't be helped.

Aside from my pitiful attempts as a photographer, I cooked for two days in advance (the next two days promise to be brutal) and cleaned and rearranged my pantry. Which, in our case, consists of only four shelves mounted on the wall in an otherwise completely useless niche. The architect planning these ten-storey concrete monstrosities clearly was a man who never had to cook. Imagine hundreds, no, thousands of flats without a pantry...

Now that the front pages are finished (see yesterday's entry), I've switched to the back covers. They were partially done already; that means, I had the floor, the sky and a tree sewn on for each and a cloud for each made but not fixed yet. I've been hesitating between adding a dog house or a bird house next, and today I decided that it would be a bird house.
( Read more... )

Aside from the crafting progress, I also did the grocery shopping in the morning, and we had Apfelstrudel again. The Alpenfest version is so good, as long as Lidl has it I'll probably buy it once a week; all I have to do with it is to put it into the oven, which is the easiest way of baking I can imagine.

Speaking of baking, I'm mildly frustrated that I couldn't actually get to it for effing weeks. There are at least half a dozen recipes that I'm dying to try, but first it was so very hot, then there was so much housework, culminating in the carpet cleaning this week, and now that the weather behaves, I still have to put everything back in place. Including all the china Mum has insisted of washing up for the last three days - and it still isn't finished! I wish I could do things that I'd like to do at least from time to time before I get mad out of sheer frustration.

Meaning Mum's medical appointment. To give you a quick background, we've asked for one back in January. Got one for early June. Then the ambulance called that the doctor won't be in that day, after all, and postponed our appointment for today. So far so annoying.

I ordered private patient transport on Saturday. The dispatcher promised they'll come between 11.10am and 11.15am today. So we went down and waited in front of the building by 11.am. Guess what? The transport came at 12.30 - fifteen minutes after we ought to have appeared at the ambulance. It wasn't their fault, they got stuck with another patient at a different hospital, but that didn't change the fact that Mum had to wait 75 minutes in front of the house. Halfway that time I ran up to the flat and brought down a stool, but she couldn't sit on that very long, either. So, it was no fun.

The procedure itself lasted about seven minutes, tops. Then they brought us back home, for which we paid an indecent amount of money (their prices went up by 50% or so since last year), but at least we're good for another year. The pacemaker's battery is at 90%, meaning that only 10% were used up in a year and a half, so it will probably last as long as Mum does. When she gets 104 or so we'll see.

Next time I'll simply call a cab, now that I've seen the place and know that Mum won't have to walk more than about five metres and there are no stairs to climb. But I didn't dare to go to a previously unknown medical institution on my own at the first time.

Anyway, that was the first half of our day. Getting home, we had a huge portion of ice cream and then an extended nap. Friends and family called in the afternoon to ask how things were going, which was nice. We were simply too drained to do anything for the rest of the day.

Today, I was busy again. First, Mum and I made our weekly trip to the corner café. It took longer than usual because her knee was acting up, but we managed it nonetheless. We wouldn't miss this for the world, as long as the weather cooperates.

After that, I made some more cellophane bags. 16 pieces in just under two hours, to be accurate. I'm really getting the hang on this. 32 done, the other 32 to go - then I'll run out of cellophane. *g*

I didn't need to cook today (bought some goodies at the café and only made a Tütensuppe to go before them), so I gave one of the spicy apple jam with raisins recipes noadvertising suggested a try. Well, it was a bastardized version of the recipe by someone called Marion, as I replaced the orangeat with aromatised orange zests and left out the almonds completely, but so far the little jars look great. I just hope the lids will remain sealed after they have cooled down. *fingers crossed*

That about took care of the rest of the day. We also watched some telly, and are now lazing around - with all windows closed, unfortunately, to wear off an unexpected attack of huge Nachtfalter - no idea what they are called in English and why have they suddenly decided to invade our home, but I don't want the disgusting creatures around us. Annoying, though; it is the evening hours when we can actually air the flat, as we get direct sunshine all afternoon. *sigh*

I was all over the district the whole morning. First I did some grocery shopping. Then I tried to fetch Mum's medicine; the one for osteoporosis. Guess what? The thing was nowhere to be found. Again. At one pharmacy they said they might get some next week. I certainly hope so, as Mum ought to take it on May 1 - it is the kind of thing she needs to take once a month.

It is partially our own fault, of course. We know the thing - Ossica it's called - periodically vanishes from the market, no-one knows why. So we should have had the new dosis prescribed at least a month ago; Mum just thought she still had one last pill. She was mistaken. Hunting down somebody - anybody - at the clinic was a two-hour-act in itself; her own rheumatologist simply didn't answer the phone. Then I cruised between various pharmacies in vain. Ah, well, we've (hopefully) learned our lesson.

On my Ossica-hunting cruise I also dropped by at Kik and bought some acrylic paint to replace all the pots I had to throw out recently. Only a few basic colours and only because I had a bon that allowed me a 15% price reduction for everything I bought. So there came some good out of the whole thing, after all.

The afternoon was socially active. First, I called H. and we chatted amiably for a while. Then two of my friends/ex-colleagues called, and we did the same. Consequently, there was no time left for a much-needed nap, and I could only finish one pincushion. But it was worth it.

... should be forbidden. No, seriously. Let me list today's endless 'joys' to prove it.

( The long list of woes )

After the big cleaning, and things were barely back in their place, my young colleague Adrienne called to ask me a favour. Long story short, she forgot a bag with all the scripts for our school's cultural event in a supermarket, where she bought some rolls for a kid who nearly topped over because of an empty stomach. She had to take the kids back to school, where they still had lessons (including her), but I live two corners away from this particular supermarket, so I went to fetch the bag for her, of course. Fortunately, it was still there.

When I had to get dressed anyway, I decided to do the grocery shopping and take out the selective rubbish in one fell sweep. That way I won't have to go to the supermarket (a different one) tomorrow and can sleep in. I bought a Vienetta ice cream cake to compensate us both for our pains. I think we deserved it.

Or still. It's a matter of perspective, I guess. And the cloudy, rainy day doesn't help; it's hell on the aging joints.

Still, at least I've boxed the finished lamb biscuits, so there's that. We also had laundry day, and I've finished another short scene in the ongoing WIP. But that was basically all I did today. I feel as if I'd been made of jelly or whatnot.

Tomorrow we'll have to rearrange the flat again for the big cleaning frenzy on Monday. I just hope the new cleaning lady will show up. I'm really not up to do the whole thing on my own, although I will do it, of course, if I have to.

And this is the point when I once again remember why I hate housework so much: it is dirty, time-consuming and absolutely pointless, as the results never last longer than a day or two.

I really don't know whether I should laugh or swear. The insurance woman (at this point I refuse to refer to her as a lady) has cancelled the appointment for the third time. So I'll have to work our daily schedule around her - supposed - appearance for a fourth time! *what I'd like to say won't tolerate the print, but I guess you know anyway what it would be*

The chiropodist lady did show up, though; she might talk without a break, but at least she's reliable. And actually very friendly, too, she'd just need a "Sound off" taste. At least one thing got dealt with for the next month.

She also brought some slices from the corner café, since we always offer her coffee and she wanted us to have something sweet with it. Of course we couldn't eat the whole thing at once, so we saved the lunch leftovers from yesterday for tomorrow and ate soup with the rest of the slices. Not very healthy but good for the frayed nerves. Sweet things always are.

I did a bit of crafting in the afternoon: finished one sachet and applied the lace trimmings to another one. Then I took a nice, long nap; again, good for the frayed nerves. And it is evening again. We've watched the Australian and Canadian Bake-Off, I printed out the new notes for tomorrow's choir practice and I think the day is basically over.

My very first, 16+-year-old mobile phone died on me today. I went to Telekom to have my account modified, and after the nice young man put in the new Sim card, the phone couldn't be switched on again. It's most likely the on/off button that is broken (I couldn't really use it for at least half a year, so the phone had been on continually), and while it's just such a small part, no-one has the ersatz parts or knows how to mend it anymore. Granted, the battery had been weakening for some time, too, but... well, it can't be helped. I'm really sad, though. That phone had gone through so much with me, and I really loved it.

So, right now the Sim card resides in Mum's old phone (inherited from H. about four years ago), until I can get myself a newer model. Also a button-operated one, mind you, I prefer those for simple phone calls. Not to mention that if Mum got to the hospital again (which I hope to avoid in the future, but one can never know) she won't be able to deal with my way-too-smart phone, so yeah. Fortunately, my friend Elise, whom I asked where to find such an old-fashioned phone, told me that she had bought one for her father who didn't like it and never used it. So, she'll bring me the phone next week, we'll try it out, and if it works for me, I'll buy it off her. It would spare me the necessity of running all over town like a headless chicken and trying to find one.

The phone drama cost me half the day. Fortunately, we had cooked in advance yesterday, so no slave labour was necessary. I started on the third elephant instead, mostly to calm down a bit (elwenlj would agree that hand-sewing is very good for that) and even finished it to about 80 per cent. She's very... floral, and I think I'll call her Ellie (very original, I know). I've got more of the same fabric (Granny's old gown) to make a similar one. Then I'll probably declare the elephant herd complete.

I also talked to my friend Evie in the evening. That was very soothing for my nerves, too. Friends are a gift one can't value enough.