La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
DO YOU REMEMBER THE FILM “Dog Day Afternoon”? Well, this is nothing like that. It’s just some photos of the boys in the morning and the afternoon. Because they’re cute. I have photos to share from the day I’m about to describe, but I’m not in the mood. So, just the one above of one of the mail slots outside the post office.
We’ve been mailing books around the globe. Well, to Norway and the United States, but they’re getting around. We were at the Post Office yesterday to mail another 15. The Postal Service has a website that, in theory, makes it possible to do all the labels online. You then go to the post office with the individual documents and they can print the labels. San Geraldo tried for a while Thursday and began swearing. I offered to give it a go and had apparent success with all 15 books. I followed the step-by-step process and paid online.
We hauled 90 pounds / 41 kilos of books to the main post office and waited for Isabel, the wonderful woman who entered all the information manually for the first six books we shipped on Wednesday. I gave her the first form. She asked where the form with the barcode was. I felt my stomach twist into a knot. Isabel got help from the equally kind and professional director. I won’t share all the details.
Bottom line: I was not supposed to pay online (a glitch of the website, which had me follow those steps). Using the reference codes they didn’t recognize, they could find absolutely no record of anything I had done, and SG and I couldn’t remember his password to be able to show them. So, rather than leave it all with them and return at 8:30 p.m. to see if they managed to process a refund, we let Isabel enter the info again and said we would deal with the bank and the refund for the first non-shipments. The director gave me a number to call if we had any problems.
Last night, SG mentioned what he thought might be a problem with getting the bank to stop the payments. I’m still not coping particularly well with the mundane annoyances of life and I imploded (which, for anyone else involved, is much better than exploding). This morning I’m attempting to dig myself out of the rubble that doubles as my mind.
We at least had a very pleasant lunch at a place called La Galeria directly across the street from the post office. An airy, contemporary food court with a myriad of options. We chose the Mexican kiosk. Better food and more abundant servings than we had the last time (click here), and at only one-third the price. We’ll figure out the refund for the double payment Monday. And maybe I’ll share some food porn.
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¿RECUERDAS LA PELÍCULA “TARDE DE perros”? Bueno, esto no es nada de eso. Son solo algunas fotos de los chicos en la mañana y en la tarde. Porque son lindos. Tengo fotos para compartir del día que estoy a punto de describir, pero no estoy de humor. Entonces, solo el que está arriba de una de las ranuras de correo fuera de la oficina de correos.
Hemos estado enviando libros por todo el mundo. Bueno, a Noruega y Estados Unidos, pero se están moviendo. Ayer estuvimos en Correos para enviar otras 15. Correos tiene un sitio web que, en teoría, permite hacer todas las etiquetas en línea. Luego va a la oficina de correos con los documentos individuales y ellos pueden imprimir las etiquetas. San Geraldo lo intentó por un tiempo y comenzó a maldecir. Me ofrecí a intentarlo y tuve un éxito aparente con los 15 libros. Seguí el proceso paso a paso y pagué en línea.
Transportamos 41 kilos / 90 libras de libros a la oficina principal de correos y esperamos a Isabel, la maravillosa mujer que ingresó toda la información manualmente para los primeros seis libros que enviamos el miércoles. Le di el primer formulario. Ella preguntó dónde estaba el formulario con el código de barras. Sentí que mi estómago se retorcía en un nudo. Isabel recibió ayuda del director igualmente amable y profesional. No compartiré todos los detalles.
En pocas palabras: se suponía que no debía pagar en línea (una falla del sitio web, que me hizo seguir esos pasos). Usando los códigos de referencia que no reconocieron, no pudieron encontrar absolutamente ningún registro de nada de lo que había hecho, y SG y yo no pudimos recordar su contraseña para poder mostrárselos. Entonces, en lugar de dejarlo todo con ellos y regresar a las 8:30 p.m. a ver si conseguían tramitar la devolución, dejamos que Isabel volviera a introducir los datos y dijimos que tramitaríamos con el banco y la devolución los primeros no envíos. El director me dio un número para llamar si teníamos algún problema.
Anoche, SG mencionó lo que pensó que podría ser un problema para lograr que el banco detuviera los pagos. Todavía no estoy lidiando particularmente bien con las molestias mundanas de la vida y me derrumbé (que, para cualquier otra persona involucrada, es mucho mejor que explotar). Esta mañana estoy tratando de sacarme de los escombros que funcionan como mi mente.
Al menos tuvimos un almuerzo muy agradable en un lugar llamado La Galeria justo al otro lado de la calle de la oficina de correos. Un patio de comidas aireado y contemporáneo con una gran variedad de opciones. Elegimos el quiosco mexicano. Mejor comida y raciones más abundantes que la última vez (haz clic aquí), y a solo un tercio del precio. Calcularemos el reembolso por el pago doble el lunes. Y tal vez compartiré algo de comida porno.
• Materiales de embalaje innecesarios en el fondo, que están en su camino.
• “Duerme la siesta conmigo. Traje un juguete.”
• Dudo, olfateando los pájaros.
• El guardia de turno.
Such sweet boys, when all else fails cuddle the cats. I limit how much energy I will put into a refund, based on the toll on my well being and time. Sometime it is better to just move on.
David:
We’re the same when it comes to refunds, but at over €60 a book, we can’t let this one go. I’m sure it won’t be a problem.
What a conundrum! Sounds though that it may be resolved eventually….?
Your precious Moose and Dudo.
Jim:
I don’t think the refunds will be a problem. There’s no shipment to go with any of them.
Such a “long time, no see” for me to re-acquaint with your dynamic duo and, as far as I can make out (albeit severely limited,) they’ve lost not one iota of their allure. Glad to have confirmed that they’re still keeping you in shape and on your toes.
Raybeard:
So great to see you here! The boys grow sweeter by the week… and more bossy.
Love the guard duty!!!!
Where are all the books being mailed to? Other family members?
Mistress Borghese:
So far, all to family in the US and Norway. Soon to a number of libraries and history archives in both countries as well.
I hope you get your money back! How annoying. “But this too shall pass,” as they say. The boys are looking extra cute in these photos!
Debra:
I’m sure we’ll get the refund. The boys are adorable. Moose is out on guard duty again right now.
Sometimes I can cope with shit like and sometimes I can’t. Good luck and thanks for sharing more of the cats. I particularly the caption on the photo of Dudo waiting for a nap.
Wilma:
Dudo loves new toys and he uses them to attract my attention. I can be washing dishes when I’ll feel a tap on my ankle or will hear a little meow. I look down and there’s Dudo sitting erect with the toy at his feet.
Argh! Bureaucracy! I’m sorry all that happened — but the fact that the website prompted you to pay sounds like more than a “glitch.” That’s a big ol’ problem and it’s THEIR FAULT! I wouldn’t think you’d have too much trouble getting your money back, if it comes to that. Hopefully.
Steve:
Yep, definitely not just a little glitch. I don’t think it will at all be a problem to get it back. Just a minor annoyance.
I can relate to your frustration. On days when I can’t take one more store line-up or one more lousy driver who thinks that using their turn signal is giving away information to the enemy, I just turn around and go home! Have you heard about Mr. Bones, the internet prognosticating pug? If you have, then you’ll understand that I’m having a “no bones” day myself!
Tundra Bunny:
I had never heard of Mr. Bones, so I checked him out. Hilarious. I hope today is a bones day.
Nothing I loathe more than bureaucracy. Carlos and I went through a similar thing with our bank this week, and went round and round on the phone with someone to ‘help,’ before I exploded: “You aren’t helping. Goodbye!”
I love the boys on Guard Duty, keeping an eye on all sides!
Bob:
The birds keep the boys entertained. I’m not expecting trouble tomorrow in getting the refund. I hope I’m right.
Oh, gee, I realize that I never read the Cupcake post, showing the book the first time! Cute that Magdalena commented 🙂
Judy C:
Wasn’t that great? I hope we’ll be able to enjoy a drink with Cupcake some time soon.
Cats are good therapy. Until they’re not. Bert woke us up at three this morning. His stomach was growling. I could hear it one floor up. I resisted the urge to feed him and he climbed back up the stairs and onto the bed. His stomach kept growling. We got up at four to feed him (and Tasha, too). I went back to bed.
Walt the Fourth:
I don’t think I’ve ever heard our cats’ stomachs growling.
I swear at technology and get very frustrated with internet crap like portals for health care/hospitals etc. and having to enter that same info twelve times … but thankfully we’ve never lost a barrel of money. As for imploding/exploding, I do both. Someday, I’ll write about it.
Frank:
Sorry you implode/explode, too. Lately, I mostly implode. I don’t think it’s healthier but my explosions used to REALLY make me feel ashamed. Will have to see about the refund now. You’re right. It IS a barrel of money. However, I know it’s not lost. Just double-billed … for now.