Input/Output

Today at Chick-fil-A, a lot of people looked for and at me. Because Mal had a lot of energy and kept running into the play area by himself. We couldn't sit close to the play area because the restaurant was busy. But I did watch him walk away, and kept an eye out for when he was coming back.

At one point, I realized that a table in the back corner was available, so I started packing up our food to move back there while he played. In the meantime, he ran back into the play area, and the table next to the door had four people giving me the eye.

Then I got my tray back in the corner and the people at another table asked, "Did you lose one?" I said, "Oh, no. I was just moving." I heard the woman say something to the man about how she didn't have the energy something something something. 

Sigh.

Well, anyway, after he played for a while, he was really ready to go. So I packed up our stuff and we had a couple of books, which fit into my purse, then Mal's left-over food, and my soda. In other words, my hands were full. I asked Mal to stay with me, and he seemed like he was good for it.

By the way: Our Chick-fil-A is closed for remodeling, and the one where I went was so busy, I ended up parking in the strip mall parking lot behind it, so I had to walk across a parking lot thoroughfare, and then all the way around the building to get inside. So we had to walk all of that to get back to the car.

My kid can be a spaz. He really can. He can not listen to me, he can do his own thing with no regard to his own safety. But today, hd was great. Today, he stood to my left and we walked at the same speed all the way through to the car. I was on the outside, and we were chatting the whole way to the car.

As we got to the last traffic lane we'd have to cross, we walked through it, and a lady drove by and roller her window down. I looked at her, expecting... Well, I don't know what I was expecting, but I was smiling and was thinking pleasant thoughts.

Instead, she angrily said, "You need to hold that child's hand, that's what it is." I just smiled and nodded as she rolled up her window and drove away.

What the? Why? He was really good! I'm sorry if a free-range kid walking nicely through the parking lot makes YOU nervous. Then drive slowly and be cautious. You should, anyway. My kid did nothing. I did nothing. Why would you criticize my parenting because you have an imagination that got spooked?

Sigh.

And then, here we go with the fact that I'm a super hypocrite! Beacuse I mentally advised a parent at the gym. It was none of my business, but I had an opinion. I don't think I'm any better than the lady who told me to hold my kid's hand, either. I was pretty judgy.

At the gym today, a guy had a son who was probably about 3 or 4. He was asking his kid to sing the alphabet, which he did. Even as they ran around and played. Then he asked him to say another alphabet. I didn't hear what he called it, but his kid started with, "Alpha! Bravo!..." and so on. He had to be prompted every once in a while. Kind of funny to hear a preschooler pipe up in the quietness,
"Whiskey!"

After that, the dad asked him to say "Ah, bay, say..." which I'm guessing was French. Why, Dad? Just why? But that wasn't all. Later, the kid wanted the dad to help him jump "to the sky" on the trampoline. The dad said, "Okay, let's count, then I will." So the kid counted to 10, broken, with help, and really just gasping for air because he was getting a lot of exercise.

The dad helped him once, then said he'd help him again if he counted again. "Uno, dos..." I was freaking EXHAUSTED listening to the "lessons." Why can't the kid just play? Why does every second have to be an "enrichment" exercise? What is the point of making your kid learn to recite the alphabet at all, let alone in other languages? Counting I get, because I like to know how many M&Ms I'm consuming.

That's a joke, but only slightly.

My friend Justin said today, "Everyone is a parenting expert when it comes to other people's kids." Yeah. Same.

Meanwhile, my kid was just exhausted and nursed a good 15 minutes when we got there. No one has ever said anything about it to me, even though at this point I'm sure he looks like he's 6.

Oh, goodness, he was so tired that yesterday I let him take a "little" nap at 4. It lasted until 7:30, and he was awake until after 11. So even though he slept in a bit this morning, he was just a mess. So was I. He took a nap today closer to 3, and I'm hoping he wakes up soon so we don't have a repeat of last night. If that dog downstairs keeps barking, he just might.

I Ain't Even Mad (and I'm tired of people who are trying to sustain anger)

So, guys, whew. That election, amirite?! SNL was funny this weekend. Russell Brand had an interestingly insightful video about the whole thing. I'm not posting links, because I'm lazy and I'm sure we're all tired.

Now, first, if you want to know the truth, I did not vote for our President-elect. Second, I was surprised watcing the results unfold (again, you should really watch that one SNL skit about people "like me" on eleciton night. Good good stuff). But very quickly, I saw something so hopeful happening: I saw folks mobilizing to make sure marginalized people weren't going to slip through the cracks, be bullied, or have their rights trampled on.

I'm a member of several groups that have recently sprung up on Facebook to facilitate interracial understanding, to reach out to political leaders to make sure the will of the people is known, and to step out of comfort zones to make a real difference in the lives of people whose civil rights are important to "us" (meaning those with any kind of privilege, almost all of which I have: white, fully-"abled," Christian, straight... pretty much all of it except "male."

Seeing these random acts of kindness, seeing how taking a look at ourselves has made us more empathetic and more motivated to reach out... that's been affirming and beautiful. I want more of it! I want to be a part of it. I want to be part of a revolution that has as its goal to love actively. This is awesome.

But.

OMG, people.

The "but"s.

I get it: some of us were surprised and disappointed and scared for ourselves, or friends, or family members, or society at large. Some of us were happy and aren't thrilled with the way the "others" are looking at us right now and we don't understand their outrage and find their morality high horse consescending. I get those things.

But I'm tired of...

You know what? I'm not tired of the angry. I get the angry. I have felt the angry.

I'm tired of the vitriol. I'm tired of the darkness and the cursing and the wishing ill. I'm tired of the all caps and the yelling and the aspersions.

Examples: People calling Trump voters (who might not necessarily be "supporters," in the strictest sense of the word) racists and hillbillies and misogynists, etc. Conservatives telling "whiny liberals" to stop crying, etc. Big sigh.

I've seen families literally have to spend time apart because they are antagonizing each other. Oh my goodness, peoples, why?! You do not need to make that family member "see the light." I promise. We all have our viewpoints, and if you actually act in an uncivil manner toward someone or do something illegal or shady or whatever, I might call you on it, but otherwise, I'm going to assume you have well-thought-out reasons for voting the way you do... and it's supposed to be secret, anyway.

So maybe a little 1990s "don't ask/don't tell" is in order, if only to keep the family and/or neighborhood and/or reading club peace.

Now. There are a few things that have made me unfollow those groups I purposefully joined recently.

I was going to justify what I'm about to say by explaining my political position, but I decided not to. I don't need to justify this. It's true regardless of my opinions about the election. But let's just say that the criticisms I'm going to voice are of stances coming from what could conceivably be "my" side this election.

First, there's this whole safety pin thing, where allies (or "safe" people) wear a safety pin to indicate that they're willing to stand up for people of color, the LGBT community, refugees, immigrants, etc. Well, now there are people mad about THAT because they say white people don't get to "assuage guilt" by something dumb like wearing a pin. Um. That's not why I was doing it. I don't feel guilty.

Second, someone suggested not buying Christmas presents this year to hit the economy so "the stores" would take notice. "The stores" didn't vote for anyone. If you want to rachet down the commercialism of the holiday, great. Make stuff, do a gift swap with friends and used toys, etc. But to purposefully tank the economy just to prove a point? Hey, guess what? I live in this economy. So does everyone else, including people making minimum wage working at big box stores. And those people have families. The "notice" the stores might take if not performing up to expectations is likely to bear itself out in cutting hours or positions.

I am all for political statements, but I'm not participating in any "scorched earth" scenario, so no thanks.

Third, and probably last, because I really don't want to be vitriolic. I don't. But the #notmypresident thing? Well, it's been done, so it's already tired. However, not to put on a Captain Obvious cape or anything, but unless you defect to another country or you die between now and the new year, Donald Trump will, in actual fact, be your President. You don't have to love him. You are welcome to your embarrassment and horror that he has been elected. But as long as you're a US citizen, he'll be every bit as much your President as Barack Obama has been all of the denial declaimers' from 2008 and 2012.

That might just be semantics to you, but we've just spent weeks and weeks arguing that words are important. Do we mean it? Or do we just mean it for "them"?

Especially if you voted. If you voted, you cast an implied vote of confidence in the system that got Donald Trump elected. (If you didn't vote, you have more of a "right" to say "None of 'em are my President; I ain't part of that system," though you'd still be factually in error.) You would have accepted the outcome happily (more or less) if "your" candidate had won... So you can unhappily accept this outcome, but you really have no choice (except, again, expatriating yourself) but to accept it, since it's reality.

The absolute final thing I don't understand, anger-wise, is most of the people I know who are just ticked off about the past eight years and can't wait for a change in administration. Now, I do know that there are people who are genuinely struggling, financially or otherwise... but most of the people I know are firmly entrenched in the middle (even if lower middle) class, and their lives are not in peril or constant jeopardy, so I don't get the utter relief that this Presidency is closing out.

Also, many of the same ones calling "liberals" "whiny" or "sore losers" or whatever are the same people who have "charming" nicknames for our current President, which I will not repeat here because I don't want to give any of them credibility, nor call anyone out specifically for being rude.

But if you're a little affronted because you've done any of the above things? I'm not trying to hurt anyone's pride or feelings. I just want the ugliness to stop. We're all on the same side. We all want our country to be its best. I think most of us want that not to be at anyone else's expense, too.

So I appreciate the friends I've seen who are channeling their very strong feelings into action. Thank you for being such great examples of how to proactively combat feelings in order to stave off resentment and complacency. I want to be just like you guys when I grow up.

"You have to take care of yourself first"

I get that moms need a break now and then. I mean, I understand it AND I feel it. The bathroom is not a place of solace, so breaks usually involve getting out of the house (because when you have a
"still-nurse-to-sleep"er, even nap and bed times aren't "get out of jail free" cards). Today, I ran to the grocery store while James played with Mal. It wasn't exactly the spa or a night out with the ladies, but it was a lot easier than trying to get the stuff I needed to get while also trying to make sure Mal doesn't stand in the cart, or doesn't wander off in the .78 seconds it takes me to decide between the colby jack cheese or the mozzarella, or doesn't put anything in his mouth, or doesn't meander into the path of an oncoming cart, or doesn't try to commandeer a cash register.

Before that, though, Mal and I had gotten out to meet with a group of over-40 moms, exactly one of whom (besides myself) showed up. Her little was in school, so it was just us. And Mal. We got to talk, but it feels weird being the one with the kid, and she might have felt weird being the one without the kid at a park where there were a lot of parents and kids.

Anyway, while we chatted, she mentioned that it'd be neat to do a non-play-date get-together, and this is where I start drifting off mentally to some other place, because, frankly, the idea of organizing a bunch of people to meet at a place where you're going to eat or hang out over wine or whatever... That thought is EXHAUSTING to me.

I have limited "free" time. I don't have a babysitter. Mal will only stay with select family members, and I try not to overuse that. And if I'm calling in any favors, honestly, just going somewhere with my husband or my sister and hanging out and talking in actual full sentences is preferable to me at this stage in my life than trying to get to know other people.

Plus, I don't think this is just in Austin, but I think it's maybe worse in Austin than some other places, there's this whole, "We should TOTALLY do something!" excitement that happens in the early planning stages of get-togethers, that, by the end, turns out to be only 1 or 2 people actually following through.

Or no one. That happened about a year ago, when I tried to host this same group in my home, after we'd met at Central Market and I hadn't really gotten to chat with anyone because my then-not-quite-1-year-old would not play on the playground like all of the other kids did. He ran all over the patio, and kept going inside. Finally, I just gave up and went shopping. 

Wasn't he a bald little dude?

Thus, we decided to have it at my house the next time. Lots of people were excited, but in the end, I think only 1 said for sure she'd be there. And then she wasn't. She never contacted me, just flaked. About half an hour after it was supposed to start, Mal and I went somewhere else. I was just kind of waiting for someone to message me with, "I'm here, but you're not answering your door." No one did. Nothing. Like ever. No one followed up.

So now, a year later, the group tries to get together again, and it's just the two of us. She is a lovely person. She thinks we should meet without the kids since "especially during the school year, all of the kids are in school." Well, mine's not. And he probably won't ever be. And the truth is that I don't want to spend my precious "no kid" time just hanging out with random other older moms. Maybe if we got to know each other well enough that we became friends. But we're not. We're barely socially thoughtful of each other, at this point. And it's been two years since I've been in this very loose group.

Maybe some day. Maybe when it's easier. For now, I think we're doing okay the way we're doing it.

Time Travel Day, Hormonal Parent Version

Hey, I forgot to tell you about something I saw yesterday. For real. In a person's house. This is a button on a real microwave. Maybe you have one, but I'd never seen this before.

"Is it done?" "Nope." "How much longer?" "I don't know. I just need to cook it a bit more." Beep.

Okay, so we "fell back" in the wee hours of this morning. It meant nothing, of course, to my younger child, who was up at 6:10 AM. I'm just glad it wasn't earlier. Last week, he was waking up that early on Daylight Saving Time, so I was scared today would be a 5 AM start. Grateful we dodged that bullet.

We had some breakfast and I was trying to make sure James got to sleep in, so we took off pretty early. We usually go to the later church service, but we were too early even for early service, so I stopped by the office to get something out of the mail hold, and Mal played in the on-demand yoga room. (Yeah, I know. Fancy.)

Then we went to early church, and I got to look through the left-overs from the holiday bazaar I missed yesterday becasue we were out having adventures. We made it through about 2/3 of the service before Mal was walking out the door (literally), so we got to the gym just as it was opening.

By the way, until you've lived with this kid for, oh, two years or so, let's not talk to me about "What do you mean, he just left church? You make him stay. You're the parent." Tell you what, YOU make him stay, and I'll be super grateful.

Anyhoo, he played at the gym for an hour and a half, and I had to keep forcing him to take breaks because he was crazy tired, wearing himself out, and having an absolute ball, but I was afraid he was going to hurt himself.

When we got home, I was tired and I had some chores I needed to get done (vacuuming up, cleaning out the litter boxes, and getting the trash ready for pick-up). Also, I was exhausted. So I did what any sane person would do and pulled out of the closet the four legs and giant, heavy, solid wood top of the amazing Crate and Barrell dining room table someone gave us several months ago. Hyper toddler and a chance of rain? Seemed like a perfect time to spray-paint stuff out on the patio, right?

My sweet husband jumped right in, trading spray-painting with kid-wrangling, and we got two coats on that puppy, then brought it in, put the legs on, and I got one coat of the chalkboard paint put on the top of it. It's supposed to dry for 4 hours before I put a second (and final) coat of the chalkboard paint, but I just read that that time is based on 50% humidity, and it's 95% humidity here now, so I have to wait until tomorrow. When James isn't here.

Oh, and we have a giant dining room table (leaf inserted, because we have to paint the whole thing, of course) in our entry way. Like, we have to crawl under it to get out of the apartment. I'll probably move it into the dining area (we don't use as a dining area) when I'm confident it's dry, after moving Mal's slide out onto the patio with the Sit-and-Spin, the sand box, and the water table.

Ugh.

But did I mention that the table was free?

Okay, so here's the deal. I need some inspiration or something. I've been doing this "monitoring caloric intake" since my birthday week, or just over 2 months. I know I've lost weight because my clothes fit better and some other personal stuff I'm not telling you. I don't have a scale. I don't care about that.

What I'm finding, though, is that I'm bored with counting the calories, and I'm eating very weird because of it. Like I typically have all of my calories taken by about 4 PM (which was 3 PM today). It's stupid. Once I can't have any more food, I can tell myself, "Sorry, you're done," and not eat. Mostly. But when I think, "I only have 350 calories left? But I'm hungry and that's not a lot of food! What can I eat? Oh. I'll eat this thing. Ugh. I'm just going to eat it now and get it over with so I can stop thinking about it."

That sounds ridiculous, but it's what I'm doing. I hate this whole thing, but I don't want to lose the progress I've made, and I wouldn't mind losing a bit more. But I am slowly eating more because I feel like I have to or I'm just grumpy and blehh. And I don't like how I'm obsessing over when I can eat next, and what I can fit in. I hate this being an on and off companion in my life, big time.

Finally, here's another thing. Most of today's mania was brought on by hormones. I forgot to mention that I did vacuum, including putting on the pet attachment and going after a bunch of chairs. And the cat condo. Plus the trash, litter box, sweeping, etc. Also my lethargy about and resentment of the calorie-counting. I really hope I'm about to go through menopause because this is getting exhausting. I have this thing now where I kind of start my "girl time" three days before I *really* start it, but that results in ten days of... dealing with this garbage. And this time, it's like I did the "get ready" start, then the real thing, then it tapered off, and now today it's a second real start, so who knows how long it will last (today makes it a week so far). Ugh.

Um. Hope you all had a great Sunday.

An Adventure Missed

This afternoon, James and Mal walked outside to get a left-over sucker from the car. About 45 minutes later, James texted me that he thought The Natural Gardener was having some kind of party.

Apparently, he and Mal had wandered around the parking lot, following music that kept getting louder as they walked toward the back of the complex, and finally across the street. As it turns out, they were having a customer appreciation day. There was music, snacks, and free beer. Seriously.

They walked around a lot, they swung, and it sounds like a blast. I'm sorry I missed it. I kind of wanted to walk over and join them. But I get adventures with Mal all of the time, so this one was special, for him and his dad.

And, just as a bonus, here's another picture from our threesome adventure earlier today. Highly recommend the Seafood Shack at Hudson Bend.

Tales of Customer UnService

Dispense with introduction, start with the easiest:

ME: (via "contact" link) There isn't anywhere overt to sign in with the app. Where is the login?

THEM: Thank you for contacting us! For information on how to join, please visit http://xxxxx. I’d be happy to send you a one-month no-obligation free trial. If you’re interested, please let me know if you’ll be using it at home or in a classroom, so I can send the correct level to try.

ME: We have joined. I can't figure out how to log into the app on our phone.

THEM: You can download the Free app through the App Store. There's a link on our website. Do you have an Android or Apple tablet? I can send you a direct link to your app store.

ME: I have the app! I do not see where to log in, so we cannot access the whole thing.

THEM: At the top of the main app page (which is green) you should see the "Authorize Device" option. If you do not see that, please send me a screenshot of your app homepage so I can help point you in the right direction.

...And there was a name and phone number with that one. FINALLY! Why couldn't we have just started there?!

That was an easy one. Here are two more.

I love Lenny & Larry's. LOVE their stuff. So as I was ordering on their website, I noticed you can sign up as an ambassador and get 10% when people order from your page. "Why not?" I thought. I wanted to make sure everything was as good as the stuff I'd tried first, though, so I ordered a bit of everything and when it came time to check out, clicked on the "Paypal" link. It ended up clearing out my cart and going back to the home page. When I tried a second time, my new customer discount code wouldn't work as it said it had already been used.

I emailed them and received this:
Thu 9/29, 11:03 AM
Hi Laura, Welcome to the team! Sorry you’re having trouble completing your order. Please click on this link to complete your payment: https://www.lennylarry.com/account/orderxxxxx. It should take you to your My Account page where you can view your order and complete payment. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. Thanks.

I tried that, and the same thing happened. I let them know.

Thu 9/29, 11:21 AM
Hi Laura, We’re looking into this issue right now with our technical team. Will get back to you asap. Thanks for your patience!! Thanks, xxxxx Making the world a better place, one cookie at a time.

Then:

Thu 9/29, 1:17 PM
Hi Laura, Can you confirm that this is what you would like to order: ORDER AND TOTAL. Please confirm and we can try to process this a different way for you. Best, Lenny & Larry’s Team

THEN:

Thu 9/29, 4:41 PM Hi Laura, The issue had to do with not having a Phone Number listed in your account that PayPal needs for verification. Please try to complete your payment once again and you will be directed to input your phone number. Please let us know if you have any other issues. J Thanks, xxxxx Making the world a better place, one cookie at a time.

So I did. Guess what? This time, it didn't even give me an option to pay, only to cancel my order. So I took a screenshot and sent it to them.

Fri 9/30, 2:36 PM Hi Laura, We’ve sent a PayPal request for the total of $xx. Upon payment, we will manually process your order for you to get you your goodies! Thanks, xxxxx Making the world a better place, one cookie at a time.

Well, okay, great. I paid that day.

Then on October 10, I started wondering where my stuff was. I couldn't find a way to contact them that would include the order number except though filing a Paypal dispute. I did and apologized, but asked if they knew the status of my order.

Tue 10/11, 2:37 PM Hi Laura, Sorry for any confusion. We didn’t receive any notice from PayPal that you submitted payment until this morning. We have put in your order (#49242) and you should receive a confirmation email shortly. Enjoy, xxxxx Making the world a better place, one cookie at a time.

OH. MY. GOSH. I was leaving for Dallas two days later, so told her that unless she could have the product to me the next day, I didn't want it shipped until we got back. I told her I'd planned to take it on our road trip and was pretty disappointed, plus there was no way I was going to be able to recommend people buy off of their website given my experience.

But guess what?

Tue 10/11, 4:39 PM Shipment Notification Hello Laura Gatannah, Good news! Your order has been shipped!

Grrr.

Well. We went on vacation and got back and there was nothing from them anywhere (mailbox, office Parcel Pending wall, or at our apartment itself). I looked online and they'd dropped it on our porch the Friday we were gone, so someone had stolen it before we got back on Monday. This is super shady, because we don't have a next-door neighbor, so no one has any business being up on our landing except to be a jerk.

I informed them of this, and they refunded my money, which was pretty stand-up of them. So I guess I'll never try the muffins, as I've never seen them in stores. My closest H-E-B only sells the cookies, but another one fairly nearby also sells the brownies.

I'll tell you this: This stuff is awesome, vegan, gluten free, and will keep you full a long time! But even if this whole thing hadn't happened, I still wouldn't ask you to buy through my site, because the cookies are over $2 a piece online, and they're only $1.50 at H-E-B. I wouldn't buy them online, and you shouldn't, either.

Final one, and the most potentially expensive and frustrating!

My daughter has the Cintiq13HD drawing tablet from Wacom. Pretty much any digital artists we know use Wacom products; they're an industry leader. We'd only had her Cintiq since October 15, 2015, when, on August 11, I emailed Wacom to tell them that there were several pencil-eraser-sized "hot spots" on the screen, and the corner was fading a bit.

From: support@wacom.com
Subject: RE: Your Case #CAS-355923-N8W0Y2 | WACOM
Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2016 20:13:52
Dear Laura,
Thank you for contacting Wacom customer support, I am sorry to hear about your issue, I will do my best to assist you Please email me a picture of the tablet with a blue, red and yellow background Along with the proof of purchase, shipping information and your phone number,
Anthony
Customer Support Team

Well, shipping and the phone number were included in the information I'd sent through their webpage, and, in fact, was below his message in the body of the email he sent, which contained everything I'd already written.

But I did what they said.

Tue 8/16, 12:17 PM
Dear Laura,
Thank you for your reply, I was checking with our repair team and the repair would be out of warranty and the cost would be between $360 and $428 depending in your location, If you want to proceed please provide me with your billing information and your phone number.
Anthony
Customer Support Team

First of all, OMG, YOU HAVE MY PHONE NUMBER. Secondly, the tablet costs $800, so we're looking at half the original cost to repair it?! Thirdly, I am 100% sure my daughter did nothing to damage it (all the same, we bought a lap desk, just in case her using it on her lap could cause any damage, which seems would be more knee-shaped than fingertip-shaped, but whatever). But she needs it for her life, so we agreed to that and I asked what the next step would be.

They emailed me back and asked for: shipping/billing info, verification of model and serial number, and my phone number. ALL OF WHICH THEY ALREADY HAD MULTIPLE TIMES.

But I returned the information. AGAIN. Even though we'd been emailing as quickly as texting, it took several days before I received an RMA number and instructions. I followed those, mailing the tablet Priority Mail with $800 insurance, so it cost more than thirty bucks to send to them.

I watched in horror as the USPS routed this package from Texas to Washington state via Hawaii. Not Wacom's fault. But I was nervous and wanted to make sure the package wasn't damaged or anything. I received shipping notice that it had been received at the "front desk," but didn't get anything from Wacom. I expected something, even automated, to the tune of: "We have received your tablet and will be in contact regarding blah blah blah."

Since I didn't get that, I emailed them.

Laura Gatannah
Fri 8/26, 9:59 PM
Due to the USPS routing the tablet through Hawaii first, you received it Thursday. Can you please let me know the status of the repair, or at least acknowledge that it was received? The only thing I've gotten is the USPS's notification that it was delivered. RMA Zxxxxx3. Thanks. Laura

Mon, Aug 29, 2016 8:39
Dear Laura, Thank you for your reply, Please provide me with the tracking number of the tablet you sent to us. Thank you,
Anthony
Customer Support Team

So I did.

8/29/2016 7:03 AM
Dear Laura,
Thank you for your reply, Checking the delivery date I need to remind you that the repair will take 10-15 days depending on our repair queue. I would recommend you to check again by the end of the week in case the tablet was repaired and released before that time frame you will be notified and you will receive an email with a tracking number. If you need any further assistance, please let me know Have a nice day!
Anthony
Customer Support Team

No duh. I know how long it's supposed to take. All I wanted was a "yep, we got it." But nope, they couldn't even do that.

On September 9, I'd still heard nothing, so I asked for a status update. I didn't think that was unreasonable, even though in the back of my mind, I felt like no one had even cracked open the package and it was just sitting in a corner somewhere.

Fri, Sep 9, 2016 4:07 PM
Dear Laura,
Thank you for your reply, It will take 10-15 days to get the tablet repaired and we are on our second week due to the previous holidays. You should be receiving an email with the shipping information within next week. If you need any further assistance, please let me know Have a nice day!
Anthony
Customer Support Team

In my brain, I throttled him. In real life, I waited until the fifteenth day, and:

Laura Gatannah
Thu 9/15, 7:29 AM
It's been 15 business days now, so I can expect the shipping info today, right? Thanks.

Thu, Sep 15, 2016, 8:19 AM
Dear Laura,
Thank you for your reply, Have you received any updates on this case? Did you receive your shipping information?
Anthony
Customer Support Team

I'm going to be honest with you here. I thought a LOT of cuss words. OF COURSE I HADN'T GOTTEN ANY UPDATES OR SHIPPING INFORMATION. Did he mean ever? Or in the hour since I'd messaged him? Instead, I opted for brevity and just said, "No. I have heard nothing since I sent it in, in terms repair status or shipping."

Later in the day, I sent this:
Since sending this in and learning that you have received it, I have not gotten any notification of anything at all. At the very minimum, it would have been professional to get an automatically-generated "we have received your tablet" email, but that did not happen. No updates, nothing unless I've contacted you, and you have given me no information other than that it's 10-15 days, which I understand. It's been 15 days now, and clearly I have NOT received any shipping information or I would not have contacted you. I believe that my daughter's tablet hasn't been seen by anyone, frankly, and I'm very disappointed by the lack of communication by way of receipt notifications and status updates. I need to know for sure where her tablet is, if the repairs have been made, and when I can expect it back. Thank you for getting this information to me as soon as possible. Laura

From: support@wacom.com
Subject: RE: Your Case
Dear Laura,
Thank you for your reply, You will be emailed as soon as we ship it, from ups with the tracking number Right now we are on the 14th business day. We are a bit behind than normal due to the repair center move and holiday. but within our quote. If you need any further assistance, please let me know Have a nice day!
Anthony
Customer Support Team

Laura Gatannah
Sat 9/17, 1:33 PM
 ...And now you're out of the quote. I would like a detailed update, including the status of the repair and when we can expect the tablet's return. Anything less than this, and I will file a complaint with the BBB. I have read through past cases and it seems that this level of non-communication is pretty much par for the course for Wacom. My daughter draws for hours per day, and it's been over a month now that she has been unable to use her tablet fully. Thank you for understanding and responding. Laura

From: support@wacom.com
Mon, Sep 19, 2016 9:53 AM
Subject: RE: Your Case
Dear Laura,
Thank you for your reply, I apologize for the inconvenience, I wanted to let you know the package is being prepared now and it should ship today or tomorrow.
Anthony
Customer Support Team

Well, the joke was on him, and you want to know why?

Because we'd already received a tablet before we got this email. Problem was, it wasn't a Cintiq13HD. It was a Companion. Now, understand, the Companion is a "nicer" tablet, with more features. It runs Windows and costs about 3 times what D's tablet cost. But it's not hers. It's not what she wanted. She researched and picked the tablet she wanted, and they sent us something that wasn't what we sent them.

The Companion has a processor, so it heats up when in use, like a computer. That did not appeal to her. Plus, the first generaion Companion has a known power supply issue, in that sometimes it just permanently stopped charging, resulting in the same kind of run-around we had with people sending their units in for refurbishment and having these long, drawn-out issues. Also, the power supply was known to overhead. I think they fixed that in the second generation, but, again... not what the customer chose.

I asked for an explanation of what happened.

Mon, Sep 19, 2016, 3:21 PM
Dear Laura,
Thank you for your reply, I apologize for the inconvenience, Could you send me a picture of the tablet you received and the RMA number please?
Anthony
Customer Support Team

No. No, I can't. I responded that the RMA was in the body of the email and she got a Companion. I was done doing busy work so they could put off doing stuff while they waited for me to respond.

Laura Gatannah
Tue 9/20, 3:26 PM
Since it has been 24 hours since our last communication and you have offered no explanation or remedy, I'm going to tell you what needs to happen to make this right. 1) You will send us a fully-functional 13HD. This can be a new unit or refurbished, as long as it looks new and is in perfect working order. 2) You will send me a pre-paid shipping label so that I can return the Companion you sent me. My daughter researched long and hard before purchasing the 13HD, and that's the model she wants. She does not want a Companion. I will not send the Companion in until I receive the 13HD. This all needs to be handled and I need shipping confirmation no later than 9/21/16 by 5:00 PM CDT or I will be filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Please do not respond with an apology or request for more information from me. The ball is in YOUR court, and you need to make this right.
Laura

I gave them two days. Then I filed a report. Within four hours, a guy from their main HQ in Portland was on the phone with me. He apologized profusely, and thanked me for filing the report because he said otherwise, he'd not have known what was going on. He reminded me that the tablet we had was considerably more expensive than the one we sent in, and I assured him that mattered not one iota to my child. He said he'd send me an RMA for the Companion, and they'd send me the Cintiq as soon as they received it.

I explained to him that I had trust issues with them, and I intended to hold the Companion until I received a functional Cintiq. He said he understood, thanked me for not yelling at him, and released the tablet for shipping.

The good news is that we didn't have to pay the $400ish to get it fixed/get a refurbished one. Also, D had only sent in her tablet, but they sent us a full set, which includes a pen worth about $100. So we were $40 ahead, including the shipping we paid, except for the frustration.

We really hope this tablet works forever.

A Word About My Husband (after a bunch more words)

It has been more than fifteen-and-a-half years since I published my first "blog" post, just a couple of years after the Diaryland site started, and just as the word "blog" (a shortened version of "weblog") was starting to be used. I called it an "online journal." If you're interested, here's the March 30, 2001 entry in all of its glory.

I started the blog because I wasn't ready to share the news of my first pregnancy with anyone else, but wanted a record. Then I knew that some people would want to stay updated (like my mom, and far-away friends), but I didn't want to be "that guy" sending out group emails every week. I figured an online journal was a good place to put info that people could check at their leisure, or ignore altogether.

I can't imagine how many words I've written since then. It's been a lot.

I've never had more than a core few dozen readers, and often many fewer than that. I think I took a two-year break when D was 7 or so because Facebook updates were faster and easier. Since then, obviously, I've started blogging more regularly... But the format is different now. I tend to write when I have what I think are bigger stories, or experiences or products to share.

Of all time, my most popular blog post has been the one several months ago where I made a bunch of weird food from a kid's video, and the company shared my link with their followers. The post that is visited as a result of the most searches is my review of the steak, egg, and cheese bagel from McDonald's. Yeah, that kind of insults the rest of my life. Whatever.

I've made it a point to write as honestly as I can, trying to be aware of the privacy of others. I've had to go back and remove some posts and edit some things after I've gotten feedback (times that also clued me in that maybe more people read my journal than I thought, back before they had counters standard on blog services).

I never want to make anyone look or feel bad. And I hope we can agree that, although I'm strongly opinionated and voice that often, I can also be brutal to myself.

Where am I going with this?

Oh, yeah...

Several years ago, I was divorced. When it came up, I tried to keep it classy. I actually ran into some trouble with the church I attended; it was communicated to me that my posts could be "divisive" to people reading but not getting all sides. I tried to rein all of that in; I really did. But I wanted people to know what I was going through, too.

Consequently, over the years, several women have messaged me privately to confide things like, "After XYZ years of emotional abuse, I have left my husband..." Now, I never think that the dissolution of a marriage is to be celebrated. And these women didn't want congratulations or praise or a party. They reached out because they learned, like I did, that when you elect to initiate divorce proceedings and your life gets really messy, you lose people. I think it's just a lot of drama, even if you try to keep it to a minimum, and it's hard. And some people don't have the emotional energy to deal with it.

So, in those cases, I'm so glad that I put my stuff "out there." I'm so glad that a few people knew they weren't the first, or the only. I'm glad I felt like a safe person.

Today, someone reached out to ask me a question that has had me ruminating over it for some time. It involved how you live functionally when the person who's supposed to love you the most actively and visibly resents and detests you.

Here's the truth, no finger-pointing, just reality: My older child's dad did not like many things about me, and he did not try to hide his disdain (or he wasn't good at it, if he did). I think that we got married so fast, he might have thought I had some quirks that weren't his favorite, but that the good stuff outweighed that. As the years passed, I think it just got to be too much for him. I felt "too much" a lot. Too big, too loud, too immature, too crazy, too excited. Embarrassing. On so many levels.

Now.

Here's what I want to tell you about my husband. If you're a guy, this is important. Actually, it's important no matter your gender. My husband is amazing at this. I still need to practice mindfulness about it.

Before we got married, James told me that he loved me, including the hard/bad stuff. Now, it's not because my annoying/wrong stuff is so adorable that he just can't help it. He was letting me know that he was making a choice to love ALL of me.

In fact, recently, we kind of butted heads and I said, "I'm a bitch sometimes, huh? Just a bossy little bitch." He didn't sugar-coat it and deny that. He nodded his head. And a bit later, he said, "I love that about you, too. Because it IS a part of who you are, and I love you."

Now, there's no way he's saying that when I have a bee in my bonnet that he's enjoying it big-time. What he's saying is not that we're lucky my "good stuff" outweighs my "bad stuff." He's saying it's all me, and he loves and accepts ME.

Maybe other people have this kind of thing and it's normal, but I feel like it's revolutionary. There is such a freedom to admit mistakes and talk about weaknesses and get things out in the open when you're not afraid you're going to disappoint someone out of loving you.

He's my role-model with this, because I want him to feel that same security and surety, and I want my kids to bask in it, as well.

Jackpot hit, friends.