GRRR and ARRGH - It Was That Kind of a Day

So, the communication Gods and Goddesses have joined forces to stand against me. Why they would bother to rally against one small older white woman is beyond my ability to comprehend, yet I am dealing with those Gods and Goddesses and they apparently are not very happy with me. 

My father was a scholar who adored Greek mythology. So, 
when it came to naming me, he picked an obscure Grecian 
demi-goddess' name. Mom agreed, bur also insisted that 
I have a more common name for my middle name. Thank 
goodness for Mom's common sense, since that "middle" 
name has been my primary name since I was 12. 

First of all - the land line phone. No, we still don't have a working phone line. I was on "chat" with a customer service representative of CenturyLink yesterday afternoon, who apparently contacted the assigned tech and got a confirmation that we were indeed on his list of assigned stops. All good and fine. But ... 6:30 pm came and went, and 7:30 pm came and went, and the daylight came and went, and the tech didn't show up and when I checked my account, it was still saying he/she/it would show up by the end of the day. Now, when I check my repair status, it's telling me 6:30 pm Monday (meaning sometime before 6:30 pm). Hmmm ... where have I heard that song and dance before? 

Keeping everything straight is turning into 
a real juggling act. Adding yet another song 
and dance routine to the act is turning into 
a total PITA. 

Of course, I wouldn't have a land line at all, except DH wants one. But, we certainly DON'T have one now, and I'm NOT happy about it. 

The upgrade was supposed to only last until 6:30 am 
my time zone, so I'll check that out once more before I 
wrap this up and head to the shop. Just one more thing. ARGH

The next thing is paying my gasoline bill. Usually paying my gas bill is a simple matter of logging on, printing out the invoice, and taking it to the shop to be paid. EXCEPT, the website is undergoing maintenance and I can't access my account right now. ARGH! I'll try again before I leave for the shop in an hour or so, but really ... it's just one more aggravating thing. 

Of course, since I was stuck at home waiting for the invisible phone tech to show up all day yesterday, I didn't get a chance to get to my bank for a replacement card for my personal checking/savings account. That's not really a problem, I can easily do that next week. I don't actively use the card often, I do almost all of my transactions on-line, not needing the physical card. I just want to know that my account won't be compromised since I can't locate my card right now. 

Although I could get my Real ID under my given name, 
that's not the name I use, nor have I used it since 1966. 
So, I now have more hoops I get to jump through. Whoopie! 

Oh ... and to top everything else off, I went to get my Driver's License renewed yesterday. I wanted to get the "Real ID" type so that I could easily travel - after all, I have New York coming up in August (if they ever get their act together and name a hotel). So ... I brought all of the appropriate documentation - birth certificate, naturalization papers, etc,  - the things that I keep together in a specific location of my house to grab in case of a tornado. BUT, I never use my first name - I haven't used it since the fall of 1966. When I had to use that name, I always shifted it to be a middle name, not my "given" name. Apparently, to get a Real ID (or a Passport, for that matter), I will have to go through the court system and get an official Name Change, which involves filling out a lot of forms, scheduling a court date, and having two witnesses present at the hearing. Just one more thing on my plate. 

I can still fly with the standard driver's license until 2025, and I will do that when I go to New York (if that actually happens), but I would like, and actually do need, a valid and current passport. I did find my original birth certificate, however, and if I want, I actually do qualify for a second passport from Germany since I'm German by birth. That opens some doors of possibility to me. But ... first things first. Time to get my name formally changed after having used it for more than 50 years. 

My friend who suggested looking into dual citizenship and 
dual passports to me, said he had looked into it because 
traveling with a German passport seemed to be a bit easier 
in some respects than traveling with a US one. It's 
certainly something to consider, even though I'm quite 
certain my birth mother is deceased. 

The excitement is overwhelming - such a life! LOL There are certainly times when my life is a piece of dog doo doo, for sure! LOL. However, it's a Saturday, I've got a nice hot cup of tea, and it's time for breakfast. I've got to enjoy that. I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend and I'll be back on Monday, ready to climb back onto the wheel of service hell once again. Slava Ukraini. 

Voodoo or Anubis? What Do You Think? Please Let Me Know

Today's "day off" consists of a lot of the normal stuff - several loads of laundry, grocery shopping, putting the garbage cans at the curb for pickup, and some housecleaning, and my regular convo with Aearwen - but also I need to fine tune some stuff on the new laptop and maybe even set up and do some knitting. Wow - it suddenly looks like a really full day - LOL. 

I'm thinking about Voodoo as one name for the new laptop, but 
I also know that it is an active spiritual belief system, like 
Wicca or other "pagan" beliefs, and I don't want to be 
disrespectful. Maybe Anubis will be the better choice 
to avoid problems and remain respectful of alternative 
pathways. 

I've bounced two names off my friends and family here - Voodoo and Anubis. Although I love Voodoo, I don't want to be disrespectful either, and it is an active religious pathway for people. Anubis is probably less likely to potentially bother people, but I don't like it quite as much as Voodoo. I'm a bit torn. What do you think? Would I be disrespectful to name my laptop Voodoo? The last thing I want to do is make light of a serious spiritual pathway. Opinions and thoughts please? 

Anubis is one of my favorite Egyptian Gods. He is 
the God of mummification and the afterlife, and 
also the God of lost souls and the helpless. He's 
been a spiritual guide of mine for a long time. He 
might get a laugh out of having my laptop named 
after him. 

I heard that Mike Lindell of "My Pillow" fame is making a total ass of himself about the recent election and the defeat of Trump. He's determined that the election was stolen from the former President, and is saying so at every opportunity. Bed, Bath and Beyond as well as Kohl's have discontinued carrying his products, and I certainly won't be buying any more of them. I have to say that I use a "My Pillow" on my bed and actually like it a lot, but I won't buy a replacement. I'll live with the one I've had for several years and buy a different brand when I need a new pillow. 

Anubis and Namo (from Tolkien, for my non-Tolkien 
friends) have so much in common and they often 
merge in my thoughts and images. They're both 
rather frightening, yet have aspects of kindness 
and care as well. I could do worse than naming 
my new computer "Anubis". 

On that note, I need to get moving on today's long list of errands and chores. Oh, I probably should add cleaning the shower to my task list for today. At least that doesn't take long - just spray and let the spray work for a while before giving the walls a quick scrub. Yeah - I think I can sandwich that in too. So, have a wonderful day - be kind, stay safe and please wear your mask. I'll be back tomorrow as we head into a deep freeze later this week and all of next. Time to really bundle up with sub-zero temps for a while. Ick!