Chaotic

It's been intermittently raining heavily here, and the people are moving slowly. My daughter groggily asked to sleep another ten minutes, and I gave her twenty, driving her in (and following the school bus just about all the way, too). My wife decided she would take a shower while we were gone; I returned to find her still in bed, though she staggered out a little bit later.

While we were eating breakfast, she handed me a check that I'd sent to the local hospital, which had returned it with a note to the effect that this had already been paid. Which it had, but since I'm not in the habit of just sending them money, this means that they sent me two bills, and, like the well-trained doobie I am, I just paid them, no questions asked. Nice work if you can get it.

Interesting New York Times article about the slow death of voice mail systems. Ask not for whom the beep tolls....enter your code...press pound sign.....

Damned Blogger spell checker is being coy again - drops down, blip, gone again. Whereas the 'hide' taskbar in XP isn't -- you have to tap it to get it to go away again.

My left knee occasionally hurts. I am trying not to be paranoid about it. Good luck with that.

Not thrilled with the 'Obama bowing to the Saudi king' deal. I thought we didn't do stuff like that.

I was dismayed by the comments yesterday regarding Verizon's customer service level. Not surprised in the least -- when was the last time that a large company cared about that? -- but dismayed. I suppose it's the Reagan view of customer service -- that customer service is best which is invoked the least. And if you make it sufficiently awful, people will avoid it. After all, there are so many alternatives to the big boys in the telecommunications market.

An article in yesterday's Washington Post mentioned that the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel had offered the opinion that legislation granting DC a voting seat in the House of Representatives was unconstitutional -- whereupon the Attorney General asked the Solicitor General's office for their opinion. They obliged by saying that it could probably be successfully defended in court. If Bush had done that, I'd be outraged. As it is, I'm just mildly disappointed -- guys, is this acting ethically?

This morning I get to go see the oral surgeon. I assume he'll nod and smile, right up to when I ask when I can start wearing - and eating with - the interim dental appliance again. Then it'll be frowny face time.....