jesirose

My teflon cutting strip came yesterday, along with the carrier sheets I needed - now I can finally do some major cutting! I should have bought some blades too, but I has no more monies. I installed the strip so I will try to cut some stuff later.

Here’s the thing.

The BACK of the machine says:
24V — 1.875A

Yet the power adapter reads
24V — 2.0A

While it might seem like no big deal to round 1.875 to 2.0, I was always told not to use an adapter that is NOT the same. So when I checked the cord that I THOUGHT was my CR cord and saw the numbers were wrong, that is when I started looking for the right one. Having not found it after a month, I decided to buy a new one. After all the trouble I went through I get the new cord and plug it in and find out I had the freaking thing the whole time, but since the two are labeled differently that whole ordeal cost me $50 not to mention all the phone calls and emails. I realize I could have just tried the cord that I thought went with it, but I didn’t want to risk damaging it by using the incorrect ampage. Why the heck are they not the SAME like every other electronic device known to man?

I sent the above back to the company because I was seriously pissed about this. The reply I got:

“Sorry you had so much trouble. I hope all goes well now.”

*sigh*

It’s been a while since I updated, work and life has been really busy. I started priming the ceiling for the den a while back and haven’t finished.

Today Sadie and I did a nice training session where we walked all around the house and backyard and practiced what she knows. She did 90% perfect. Her biggest problem was she would not come down the stairs outside to the pool when I called her. So I shortened it and just got her to come TO the stairs instead of running in circles when I call her. She did do some very cute zooming though.

She is also becoming very good at being a watch dog. Today the pool guy came by and when she saw him in the yard she barked and ran all over the house. To me this is perfect because she A. set off her alarm to let me know someone was here, B. Ran AWAY from them and not AT them. I don’t want an attack dog! I want a WATCH dog.

When the UPS truck stopped in front of the house we were in the office and she was just chillin. All the sudden she started barking, ran to the door, then ran into the living room and barked until I came in. I think it was cool that she could tell the difference between a truck driving BY and one stopping at the HOUSE. Amazing.

The problem in the past was that she wouldn’t stop barking until they were gone - but today, both times, she stopped when I got to the door. I’m not sure if it’s a coincindence or a real improvement. We’ll have to see.

The girls got baths today and got to meet the new babies! All went well!

One Soggy Mink Ratlet

Another Soggy Mink Ratlet

Cameron actually climbs in on her own!

I didn’t push her in, I swear!

How’s My Hair?

What’s going on down there?

All Seven Girls!

Fresh Air…You’re Doin It Wrong

I’m Queen Of The World!

No…me!

More random photos…

My power cord arrived yesterday.

But not the teflon cutting strip I also ordered.

On Saturday I drove from Plano, TX to Little Rock, AR to pick up two rats and bring them back to Plano. They were picked up today for the next leg of the trip down to Houston. They started in St. Louis, MO.

We left at about 7am, to meet Kendra in Little Rock. I outfitted the front seat with towels to make it Sadie-proof so she could come along, and set out.

For the first 50 miles out of Plano, there were state troopers EVERYWHERE! I saw at least 6 tractor trailers pulled over. I think I counted 12 trooper cars.

Once we hit 1-30, we passed a ton of tractor trailers. Every time a loud one would go by, Sadie would wake up and watch them.

We met up with Kendra in Little Rock around 12:30. The boys were adorable, but very hot and sleepy. I put the jar of ice water Kendra gave me in the cage with them and they snuggled up next to it. I decided after 5 and a half hours on the road I really needed a bathroom break! (Sadie had gotten a few on the way up but I didn’t want to leave her in the car alone too long)I found a McDonalds and parked as close to the door as I could, ran inside, ran out and blasted the air back on. It was HOT out there! I hardly ever eat at McDonalds but since it was a road trip I figured I’d splurge. I pulled into the drive through behind a couple in a little car, and while we were stopped, the guy got out and dumped THREE huge McDonalds bags in the trash. Three. Holy cow. How often do you eat McDonalds that you have three bags in your car and you’re going back for more? At least spice it up with some Burger King, geez.

Anyway, we headed back and Sadie fell right back to sleep.

We got home around 6:00pm and were all very tired. The next morning I cleaned out the cage for the next person in the train and made the boys a makeshift hammock - and they knew just what to do!

I handed them over at 10am on Sunday, and they got to their new owner later that day.

On another note, Bailey is up to 125g and Kahlua is 94g. They are such little sweethearts. I’m going to move them into the bottom of the FN tomorrow!

How cute are these babies? This is Kahlua

Cameron:

I love Cameron’s paws in this one

The always photogenic Sophie:

Below is a letter I sent out to my friends and family, edited for the web. I have started training for the walk (yes, it’s only 3 miles but I’m out of shape). Plus, the walks in the morning REALLY tire out the little white monster fluffball. The park near us is almost exactly 1/3 mile. To get there and back is .3 as well. So the other day we did one lap, so we went .6 miles. Today we did TWO laps and we even ran for about 1/4 of the last lap. So we got up to almost a mile. We should be ready to go by the time the walk comes! (Sadie won’t be walking with me in the Walk, but she helps get me out of the house to walk since she needs the walk just as much as I do.)

Dear Friends and Family,

I am writing you today to tell you about an upcoming event that I am participating in that is both very important and very exciting to me. It is NAMIWalks for the Mind of America, NAMI’s signature walkathon event that is being held in Austin, TX at Auditorium Shores on October 4, 2008.

Some of you may already know that my mother and I will both be walking for this event. (She will be walking in Virginia and I in Texas) I chose to participate to support my mother who recently became more open about her struggles with bipolar disorder. This led to me seeking help as well and being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADD, which has completely changed my life. By being able to accept the fact that I have this condition to live with I was able to take the steps I need to live better in both mental and physical health. It has helped me get back on track with my work and develop better relationships with my friends and family.

I would like to ask you to come and walk with me or to donate to support my participation in this great event. Visit my personal walker page to sign up: http://www.nami.org/namiwalks08/TEX/jessicagrady. There is also a link so you can donate directly to me online. Donating online is fast and secure, and I’ll get immediate notification via e-mail of your donation. [If you'd prefer to donate offline, please leave a comment and I will email you with instructions]

NAMI, the Nation’s Voice on Mental Illness, formerly the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, is the largest education, support and advocacy organization that serves the needs of all those whose lives are touched by these illnesses. This includes persons with mental illness, their families, friends, employers, the law enforcement community and policy makers. The NAMI organization is composed of approximately 1100 local affiliates, 50 state offices and a national office.

The goals of the NAMIWalks program are: to fight the stigma that surrounds mental illness, to build awareness of the fact that the mental health system in this country needs to be improved and to raise funds for NAMI so that they can continue their mission.

NAMI is a 501(c)3 charity and any donation you make to support my participation in this event is tax deductible. NAMI has been rated by Worth magazine as among the top 100 charities “most likely to save the world” and has been given an “A+” rating by The American Institute of Philanthropy for efficient and effective use of charitable dollars. NAMI has also been given 4 out of 4 stars by The Charity Navigator for short-term spending practices and long-term sustainability. For more information on NAMI please visit http://www.nami.org/

Thank you in advance for your support.

Sincerely,
Jessica Grady

We just have no luck with the electricity in this house.

Back when we painted the office, Colin replace the outlets. Somewhere along the way, a wire got missed and the guest bedroom lost power and we couldn’t figure it out. It’s been that way since then.

Then the drywall contractors messed up the power into the bedroom, and THAT lost power. Luckily they fixed it right away.

I had an electrician come out on Tuesday and he fixed the guest bedroom in two minutes!

So, around 4:00 on Tuesday, the power started going off and on. After it had been off completely for about 20 minutes, I called Colin to get the number for Reliant Energy (or is it Relient?) and called them. They directed me to Encore Electric Supply or something like that. The number they gave me was completely automated. Pressing 0 disconnected it. No options led to a person. So I used the automated line to report the outage, and it said they knew about it and it would be back up by 5.

I waited until around 4:45 to call back again. Not having power in our house is insanely frustrating. Not only can I not work with no computers and internet, but I also can’t watch TV or play video games, use the dishwasher or vacuum, sew, do laundry, or even DRIVE THE CAR OUT. Yes, I was unable to open the garage door. I’m weak. I couldn’t find the handle and it got stuck. Fire hazard? When Colin got home he fixed it and showed me how to open it.

Anyway I called Reliant back and explained that the lack of power disrupted my business, since I could not do any work during business hours, from my office. They again told me to call Encore - I explained that the line was automated, and I wanted to talk to an actual person about why the power was out, and if it was a planned outage, compensation for the trouble. They gave me another line to call, and by that time it was after 5pm. Guess who closes their office at 5pm? Encore. Right.

I called Reliant AGAIN and had a very lengthy discussion with them which summarizes to this:

Me: I want to talk to a person about the outage.
Reliant: You can call Encore and report it.
M: I already reported it, I want to talk to a PERSON. The computerized phone line is not actually managing the problem. I am unable to do business from my home office and I want to find out about being compensated.
R: We can’t compensate you because we only bill for electricity you use. While it’s out you’re not using anything.
M: That makes sense, but we pay each month with the expectation that we’ll have power the next one! Having no power with no notice for so long is a major inconvenience and I just want to find out if this was a planned outage for repairs or such, so I want to talk to a person. When we have planned outages in the past that take this long, we got notified.
R: Try this other line.
M: It’s closed, it’s after 5pm. The recording said it’d be back up before 5 and it’s 5:15. Someone has to be there fixing the problem, and you guys should have a way to get ahold of them.
R: We don’t have a way to contact Encore.
M: I don’t understand this. What do you and encore do?
R: Encore is the utility company, we are customer service.
M: Neither of you is serving your customers very well! I don’t buy the argument that the company that bills me has no way to contact the company that delivers the electricity. What customer service are you providing if you can’t even find out why I have no power?
R: We don’t have a way to contact them.
M: BS! Keep sending me up to supervisors or whoever until someone has a phone number.
R: Hold. (at this point she did not actually put me on hold, but just put the phone down as I could hear typing for a while. I yelled to pick up the phone and she said she would connect me soon.)

5:30 - suddenly the power comes back on. I’d been on hold for 10 minutes so I hung up. I went to go open the garage door and the electric opener had gotten broken by me trying to open it manually! Cripes!

Colin got home and fixed it. Around 7:30 the power went out again. I was in the office typing and the computer just shut off. I screamed an obscenity and Colin laughed. It came right back on, but sheesh. It was like they were saying “haha, we still hate you.”

So it gets better. After the drywall guys had left, I had tried to run the dishwasher - woops, no power!!! The dishwasher thing is very weird - it is hooked up to the light above the sink. There were two switches, one to turn on and off the light, and one to turn on and off the dishwasher. I don’t mean turn it on as it run it, but supply it with power. Seriously? You want to cut off power to the dishwasher? I know unplugging appliances can save money but that’s just weird. I’ve never seen that before.

So Colin removed the switch and set it to always on. But after this weekend, the light AND dishwasher wouldn’t turn on. So I called the same electrician company and they came out Wednesday morning.

After poking around for a few minutes he hit the GFCI switch on the outlet next to these switches, and turned everything back on.

*headdesk*

Wait, there’s more. After they left - I LOST INTERNET SERVICE. Colin walked me through rebooting everything, and it was still down. So I went out to Hobby Lobby. After an hour I called him back and all I had to do was turn the server back on - apparently when I turned it on the FIRST time it didn’t stick.

I’m so fing tired of electronics and phones.

I hope my Craft Robo power cord gets here soon so I can plug it into the outlets that may not work, hope we have power at all, and then print and cut designs off the internet which I may be able to access.

I sewed some hammocks for a rat themed swap, and had some leftovers - the little ratlets quickly figured out how to use this hanging cuddle pocket after I put them in it a few times. Then they loved it!

I love this one - “We can too both fit in here! See?”

I got more hooks today at Hobby Lobby to replace the safety pins.

Also, Sadie went to the groomers! She needed her nails cut and I’m not comfortable doing it myself - maybe someday I will learn. But I don’t mind taking her over to a good place. We went to Pat’s Pet Grooming in the Canine Commissary - we were lucky, she was booked till next week but I guess while we were browsing in the Commissary something opened up! Check out this adorable bandana.

I have a Craft Robo. It cuts paper. Sounds exciting right? Well, the cool thing is that I plug it into the computer, and can cut any shape, font, whatever I can draw in Visio, etc. Sounds more exciting now, right? It has some downsides. The blades don’t last that long, and if you run paper through without the carrier sheet just once, the cutting mat gets ruined. It also doesn’t cut cardstock that’s actually CARDSTOCK, but just thicker paper.

I used it pretty heavily for a while, then needed new blades and a mat and didn’t replace them for a while. So we painted the office a while back. Moved everything out, and back in. For weeks the Craft Robo was sitting on my desk, with a USB cable and power adapter next to it. I go to plug it in about a month ago, and low and behold - that power cord was NOT for the Robo!! No biggie, I go to look in the closet where Colin has drawers FULL of nothing but power cords. Not a single one was it! It uses some funky volt numbers and my robo power cord has dissappeared into thin air.

I figured surely I can’t be the first person to lose the power cord, somewhere in the corners of the Web there must be a store with some. Since Graphtec (the makers of the CR) don’t have an online store, you have to go through retailers. Nope, no stores had a power cord.

Now, Graphtec has more websites than I do. The actual Robo site’s support section has no contact info. So I went to the main site and found some options. When I found the list of numbers for American Sales, I also found another site.

I emailed them a few times with no response. I called them and left a message. A week later I hadn’t gotten a call back, so I called and got the machine again. I called the next day, same thing. Repeat. 6 messages. I didn’t get a call back until today, when I had called this morning and left a message that must have contained the F word a few times. The person I spoke to said their phones and email were having problems and was very apologetic. So I said okay, I just needed to get this part. He transferred me to their receptionist who couldn’t find the part number, and she sent me to tech support. Which went to voicemail. I left a message and called right back, and got the same people. They sent me BACK to the voicemail. I called back AGAIN and explained that since THEY called me back in the first place, I didn’t want to leave any more messages. It’s not like I wanted something for free, or needed to fix the machine. I just wanted to buy a part.

They finally got the part from tech support, and took my payment info. Hopefully it will get here soon. The tech support guy said he’s worked there 20 years and never had someone need to order a power cord. I find that hard to believe - someone else HAS to have lost their power cord - I guess they all just bought a new machine. I considered buying the new model but I really can’t afford to pay $300 because I lost a $40 part. (Also, the machine isn’t 20 years old, so it’s not like he’s been doing support for the CR 20 years.)

When the freaking thing finally gets here I’ll go nuts on cutting and post stuff for my lovely readers to see just why I really wanted the stupid cord.