. . . after I posted my letter to DirecTV, I lost service - for a week! I called for repair on Monday morning and was told no one could get here before Friday afternoon. Stranger things have happened. Serviceman couldn't find anything wrong, but after 45 minutes the satellite came back on. Go figure!
Just thinking!
Belle
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Teen of the Sixties continued
All men are created equal. That is the one statement that has brought about more changes than any other. As teens of the sixties we were smart. We had studied, we had learned, we knew. But did we know the consequences?
We had grown up with parents that had lived through the great depression, World War II, the Korean conflict and we were in the middle of the Cold War. The end was coming soon. We were raised in an atmosphere of doom and gloom. The depression slowly - oh so slowly - ended and suddenly America was the land of plenty. So many worries and fears had been overcome. There was even a vaccine for smallpox, measles and polio. Man had conquered. But did we know the consequences?
Fashion, once only viewed in magazines, was foremost in the minds of the ladies. These ladies had made dresses from flour sacks or worn remakes for years and now wanted real clothes. Then fashion changed and the focus of the world changed with it. The dress shops could not keep enough dresses on the racks - from mini to midi. Then came the department stores - they carried not only dresses, but shoes, handbags, hats, scarves and so much more and not just for women, but for the whole family. If Sears could do it in a catalog, why couldn't it be done in a store? But did we know the consequences?
Elvis hit the stage and girls went wild. The Beatles followed and music was changed forever. How could we have known that this change would lead to Lady Gaga or Mr. Lambert? Children were no longer taught to say please, thank you, yes ma'am, and no sir. I heard one woman tell me her children were not subserviant to anyone and were not allowed to use those phrases. Respect was thrown out the window and with the loss of respect for others, self respect disappeared. But did we know the consequences?
And now we pine for what was - what could have been. Is it too late to redirect the paths of humanity? Can we restore respect for self, others, and our world? Have we destroyed too much? Are there enough of the "old ones" left to reach out?
Just thinking.
Belle
We had grown up with parents that had lived through the great depression, World War II, the Korean conflict and we were in the middle of the Cold War. The end was coming soon. We were raised in an atmosphere of doom and gloom. The depression slowly - oh so slowly - ended and suddenly America was the land of plenty. So many worries and fears had been overcome. There was even a vaccine for smallpox, measles and polio. Man had conquered. But did we know the consequences?
Fashion, once only viewed in magazines, was foremost in the minds of the ladies. These ladies had made dresses from flour sacks or worn remakes for years and now wanted real clothes. Then fashion changed and the focus of the world changed with it. The dress shops could not keep enough dresses on the racks - from mini to midi. Then came the department stores - they carried not only dresses, but shoes, handbags, hats, scarves and so much more and not just for women, but for the whole family. If Sears could do it in a catalog, why couldn't it be done in a store? But did we know the consequences?
Elvis hit the stage and girls went wild. The Beatles followed and music was changed forever. How could we have known that this change would lead to Lady Gaga or Mr. Lambert? Children were no longer taught to say please, thank you, yes ma'am, and no sir. I heard one woman tell me her children were not subserviant to anyone and were not allowed to use those phrases. Respect was thrown out the window and with the loss of respect for others, self respect disappeared. But did we know the consequences?
And now we pine for what was - what could have been. Is it too late to redirect the paths of humanity? Can we restore respect for self, others, and our world? Have we destroyed too much? Are there enough of the "old ones" left to reach out?
Just thinking.
Belle
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Teen of the Sixties
The teens of the sixties were responsible for more cultural change than any other generation. I can say that so definitively because I was a teen of the sixties. There was no limit to our imagination or the lines we would cross. We experimented with life like no other dared. If there was a rule, we broke it. Protocol meant nothing. We would support any cause that made half way sense even if it couldn't be justified. We were so smart and brave and forward thinking. It was the Era of Rebellion.
We were the generation that changed music as quickly as we did fashion. Drugs came out of the closet. Sexual taboos were abolished. Community living rather than family living was the way to go.
Women no longer stayed at home and provided the stability and security so needed for family growth and success. Women could definitely run a company and would one day rule the world. Anyone can take care of a child. Hire someone to clean the house and do the laundry. Restaurants provide plenty of food. Why should women stay at home when they had so much to offer to the rest of the world?
And now we pine for the way it was. We changed the world! What in the world were we thinking?
Belle
We were the generation that changed music as quickly as we did fashion. Drugs came out of the closet. Sexual taboos were abolished. Community living rather than family living was the way to go.
Women no longer stayed at home and provided the stability and security so needed for family growth and success. Women could definitely run a company and would one day rule the world. Anyone can take care of a child. Hire someone to clean the house and do the laundry. Restaurants provide plenty of food. Why should women stay at home when they had so much to offer to the rest of the world?
And now we pine for the way it was. We changed the world! What in the world were we thinking?
Belle
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Unemployment
As most of you know, I have been unemployed for a little over a year. Manipulation has been the key to survival for hubby and I for the past year. I am constantly teased as a tight wad - I prefer to think I am most frugal. It matters not as in the long run the unemployment has been uncomfortable without being unbearable. I am cooking more and eating out less, which doesn't mean we are eating less at all. ...and this smoking thing, I am down to half a pack a day \, but it is sure a struggle. (My goal for next week is 5 cigs a day - that should really save some money, but hubby is going to have a heck of a time paying my therapy bill.)
It has become somewhat of a game with us to see where we are spending and not getting a return. It is surprising the add-ons we will pay for and never use. By cancelling unused subscriptions and services, I have manged to cut our monthly spending by close to $500 a month without giving up one thing that was being used. When you have the extra to spend, it doesn't seem worth the effort to cancel or change your service package, but when your income is eliminated, it is a huge difference. So, when I wrote the article (letter) to DirecTV, I was just venting against their interference in my savings game. It still irritates me as I now view them as an adversary rather than a service provider.
I made one of my periodic trips to the unemployment office yesterday. The lines are much longer than one year ago and the desparation in the faces of the clients was really a sad thing to see. For every one person served, three more walked in the door, the line never ending. The employment situation is getting worse for our area. From the conversation around me most of the customers had been layed off from skilled jobs. Hopefully some phase of manufacturing will see Griffin as a "Great and Growing" city.
I would like to interject a huge "Thank You" to the staff of the Griffin Career Center. These people were fantastic in their handling of the people requesting assistance. Pleasant, efficient, precise in their directions, they waited on customer after customer without the first break in their demeanor. Even the rudest and most demanding of customers received the same greeting and service as the most well mannered customer. Even though the 20 minute task took almost two hours, it was through no fault of the personnel at the center. There were around 30 people in line on my entering the Center and there were probably 40 when I left. The system for handling the claims was the most efficient I have seen.
Meanwhile, I will keep reading and writing and somewhere, someone will pick up my manuscript and say "This is just what I was looking for!" and I will get a call. Until then,
Happy reading!
Belle
It has become somewhat of a game with us to see where we are spending and not getting a return. It is surprising the add-ons we will pay for and never use. By cancelling unused subscriptions and services, I have manged to cut our monthly spending by close to $500 a month without giving up one thing that was being used. When you have the extra to spend, it doesn't seem worth the effort to cancel or change your service package, but when your income is eliminated, it is a huge difference. So, when I wrote the article (letter) to DirecTV, I was just venting against their interference in my savings game. It still irritates me as I now view them as an adversary rather than a service provider.
I made one of my periodic trips to the unemployment office yesterday. The lines are much longer than one year ago and the desparation in the faces of the clients was really a sad thing to see. For every one person served, three more walked in the door, the line never ending. The employment situation is getting worse for our area. From the conversation around me most of the customers had been layed off from skilled jobs. Hopefully some phase of manufacturing will see Griffin as a "Great and Growing" city.
I would like to interject a huge "Thank You" to the staff of the Griffin Career Center. These people were fantastic in their handling of the people requesting assistance. Pleasant, efficient, precise in their directions, they waited on customer after customer without the first break in their demeanor. Even the rudest and most demanding of customers received the same greeting and service as the most well mannered customer. Even though the 20 minute task took almost two hours, it was through no fault of the personnel at the center. There were around 30 people in line on my entering the Center and there were probably 40 when I left. The system for handling the claims was the most efficient I have seen.
Meanwhile, I will keep reading and writing and somewhere, someone will pick up my manuscript and say "This is just what I was looking for!" and I will get a call. Until then,
Happy reading!
Belle
Friday, January 22, 2010
Dear DirectTV
I thought you had more scruples than this!
Last month we cancelled our Starz movie package - we don't watch movies so that was an easy decision in our efforts to cut our budget. Good move since the cancellation knocked $12.99 plus tax per month off our bill. No problem. Then this month we receive notice that our base package cost will be increased by $10.00 plus tax per month.
Shame on you! You are already getting lamblasted by Dish TV for your higher rates and now you raise them even more. Now I will once again go through the process of researching the service and terms of your competitors and find the best deal for me and my family. Before I get started, I find that you are a loser.
Greed cost!
Last month we cancelled our Starz movie package - we don't watch movies so that was an easy decision in our efforts to cut our budget. Good move since the cancellation knocked $12.99 plus tax per month off our bill. No problem. Then this month we receive notice that our base package cost will be increased by $10.00 plus tax per month.
Shame on you! You are already getting lamblasted by Dish TV for your higher rates and now you raise them even more. Now I will once again go through the process of researching the service and terms of your competitors and find the best deal for me and my family. Before I get started, I find that you are a loser.
Greed cost!
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