This week I wanted to talk about fitting in things that have to be done now and then. One can set up a routine for the week to help one get the house cleaning and other tasks done, but every now and then (more now than then it seems) other things have to be done. Some are planned, some just pop up. Some are fun, but some are just things to be done - some even are things one dreads doing.
I have on numerous times mentioned our RV. The weather is getting cold. Before the weather gets freezing we have to winterize it. If you live in an area which gets cold in winter you probably know that if water freezes in your pipes they will split and you will have a problem. This is more likely to happen if the house or the area of the house where the pipe is located is not heated. (With the huge snow storms here the past few years this has happened to people who lost their electric power and had no heat. Husband worried about in our basement as some of the pipes are attached to the inside of the exterior walls as it was much colder than normal here and ran an electric heater in the basement to keep the pipes warm.) Winterizing the RV is, basically, getting all of the water out of the pipes, valves, etc. and replacing it with non-toxic anti-freeze. Sounds simple. It is not as that simple and there is an entire process that needs to be followed to do it - we have it written down, but still manage to always forget something. Today we winterized the RV.
My husband has started weaving on a loom this year. So, every week or so I help him do what is called “warping the loom”. This is putting the threads on the loom to weave through. It is a relatively tedious process. He needs my help to bring the warp threads out to a dowel to measure them out and then when all the threads are on the dowel, I bring the dowel to the loom - v e r y s l o w l y - and I keep tension on the threads, as he winds them onto the loom. When he finishes weaving a piece I know that he will soon be looking to warp the loom again. So, when he finished a piece, I knew that he would be looking to warp the loom. After we finished winterizing the RV - which took most of the afternoon, I saw him walk into the living room (where the loom is) and look around and sort of sigh. I knew what was going on. He wanted to warp the loom, but did not want to ask me to do so after spending the afternoon with the RV. I made the offer and we spent most of the rest of the time before dinner warping the loom.
So this afternoon was mostly used up with these two chores. I managed to check my email and that was about it. (I am writing this at night after dinner.)
I have worked as an accountant most of my life. (I started helping my dad add up columns of numbers when I was 12, so I do mean most of my life.) I have reached a point now where I have a couple of regular clients for whom I do their books on a regular basis and a handful of income tax clients. Unfortunately there is no exemption by IRS for a practice this small and I have to take annual classes and exams as the same as if I worked full time and actually made money doing this. While I can take the classes and exams as home study, it still is something else which must be fit into my time and takes about 20 hours in total. I get nervous every year about fitting time to take the exams into my schedule. I managed to do some of the smaller classes last night, which helped me get a bit less nervous. I still have some more of the smaller classes to do. I also have a large class and a 3 hour exam I have to take which I have not taken before. This scares the heck out of me. Not only do I have to do well on the exam to keep working - I also have to find a 3 hour block of time to take the exam. Somehow, I know I will do so - special things always manage to somehow be fit into one’s schedule.
Then I know that later this month the other big special things to do will start - Christmas decorating. Somehow no matter how busy we all are, we somehow manage to fit in decorating the house and the tree and buying and wrapping gifts. And then somehow, when it is all over, we find the time to take it all down and store it away. Okay - our decorations tend to stay up longer than they should - but the year they stayed up until April, it really was only because it was a freezing winter and our garage door froze to the ground and we could not get out the storage boxes to store the ornaments. So rather than take off the ornaments and leave them about, the tree stayed up. But for now, let us just think of the fun of decorating and how nice everything will look - if we can just find the time to decorate.
So, in between the normal daily, weekly, monthly tasks we all somehow manage to fit in these other tasks. How we do it varies from person to person and time to time. I just “found some time” I hope to keep available to get things done. On Monday nights I read comics online. Mostly I was reading the entire week of each comic’s strips. Some (most) weeks this reading ran over to Tuesday. Two weeks ago I decided it takes too much time. I looked through the strips as I read them. I dropped one strip. Five others I decided I will only read the Sunday strips. I like the characters, but can do with just a quick visit to them. (Sunday strips generally have nothing to do with weekday strips so I won’t be missing any “plot”.) Over time I may drop some of these strips, but I will see what I decide. The remaining strips are ones which I like the most and want to keep reading. This has cut out over an hour of time that I spent reading my comics and I now seem to be able to able to finish them on Monday night, leaving Tuesday night free for whatever else I need to do. (Hence, why I was able to take part of the classes I need to take last night.)
How do you fit in things which need to be done to your busy schedule? Do you need to fit in making Thanksgiving dinner next week?
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Thursday, November 10, 2016
HOW CAN SOME WEEKS BE SHORTER THAN OTHERS?
Wow, another week gone by already? It seems too soon. Again I did not write tonight’s post in advance - the election yesterday took up my attention last night. No opinion being published on same. This will be, again, a short post as a result.
I managed to finish unloading the RV. We let the remaining water in it out (there is a valve on the bottom with a cap - remove the cap and the water runs out and down the driveway - it is clean water so this is not a problem). I went in and stripped the bed and disassembled it back into 2 seating benches as I need to clean the bedding, as well as we will be going in and winterizing and will need access under one side of the bed to the water pump.
I dealt with the mail from our short trip - it being the end and beginning of the month there was not much from the 3 days.
We dealt with a telephone problem. We still have copper wire phone service at our house. We have a cordless phone with an answering machine in the kitchen. The last 2 times I talked to my mom on it (and we can go for hours) the battery ran out within an hour. Husband looked to buy new batteries - discontinued and therefore very expensive. So a new phone was needed. Telephones have changed dramatically since we last bought one. We have an additional problem that the phone hangs on the wall - so we need a wall phone - and the basement door is located across from the phone so it has to be able to open past the phone, and most of the few wall phones with answering machines we found would not allow this. Luckily we found one, but the cordless phone sits in a separate charger elsewhere in the kitchen. So far it seems to work well. I will have to have mom call me - when I call her I use my cell phone. So a lot of time this week was spent shopping for the new phone and then installing and testing it.
The reason we need one with an answering machine is that we screen our calls. We tell everyone we know who might call us about this - “When you call me back about this problem, you will get our answering machine. Leave a message for us; if we are home we will pick up when we hear you or we will call back if we are not home.” This is a bit of organizing. Our telephone number is rather similar to a Domino’s pizza (actually several of them, but one more than others), an optician, and a doctor’s office. In all these cases the last 4 digits are the same and the 3 digits before them are similar when one looks at them and reads the numbers wrong. Add to the wrong numbers for all of these (This is Mrs. Jones, I want a cheese pie - I am timing you. This is Mrs. Smith don’t tint my eyeglasses. - would be nice if they left a call back number or an address to deliver the pie) the robocalls and other spam calls we all get and it is a major time saver not to be dealing with the phone calls. We have 3 answering machines on the same line. The one in the bedroom answers on the 3rd ring and is always on. The ones in the office and kitchen are individually turned on and off depending on where we are and answer on the 2nd ring. This way we can screen the calls in any of the 3 places in the house we generally are.
Managed to finally reach the person at our doctor’s office, so hopefully the problem we are having with the billing on our lab work - last June - will not need more attention.
Ah, yes, managed to finally convince my husband that the shoes he actually wears should be on his closet shoe rack (on back of door) and the ones on the rack which he does not wear and keeps only because he wears such a hard size to find, in case he ever needs them, should be stored away. I actually only needed to store away one pair of the shoes on the rack to fit all but the shoes he is wearing and his slippers on it. This is a discussion which has gone on for years. Now I can actually clean the floor in the bedroom as I no longer would have to move all the shoes. Did I clean it? No - it was a short week. But I will and will do so more regularly.
Had to spend some time on my embroidery group this week. I missed the meeting due to our trip last week and had to do some followup on business I missed as a result.
So, the week seems much shorter than it was. I am now catching up the laundry, which of course, I decided not to do for the part of the week last Wednesday (I do the laundry Wednesday and Thursday nights) so I am doing lots of loads this week.
Hopefully this will be a more organized week and I will get more done. Don’t you hate short weeks?
I managed to finish unloading the RV. We let the remaining water in it out (there is a valve on the bottom with a cap - remove the cap and the water runs out and down the driveway - it is clean water so this is not a problem). I went in and stripped the bed and disassembled it back into 2 seating benches as I need to clean the bedding, as well as we will be going in and winterizing and will need access under one side of the bed to the water pump.
I dealt with the mail from our short trip - it being the end and beginning of the month there was not much from the 3 days.
We dealt with a telephone problem. We still have copper wire phone service at our house. We have a cordless phone with an answering machine in the kitchen. The last 2 times I talked to my mom on it (and we can go for hours) the battery ran out within an hour. Husband looked to buy new batteries - discontinued and therefore very expensive. So a new phone was needed. Telephones have changed dramatically since we last bought one. We have an additional problem that the phone hangs on the wall - so we need a wall phone - and the basement door is located across from the phone so it has to be able to open past the phone, and most of the few wall phones with answering machines we found would not allow this. Luckily we found one, but the cordless phone sits in a separate charger elsewhere in the kitchen. So far it seems to work well. I will have to have mom call me - when I call her I use my cell phone. So a lot of time this week was spent shopping for the new phone and then installing and testing it.
The reason we need one with an answering machine is that we screen our calls. We tell everyone we know who might call us about this - “When you call me back about this problem, you will get our answering machine. Leave a message for us; if we are home we will pick up when we hear you or we will call back if we are not home.” This is a bit of organizing. Our telephone number is rather similar to a Domino’s pizza (actually several of them, but one more than others), an optician, and a doctor’s office. In all these cases the last 4 digits are the same and the 3 digits before them are similar when one looks at them and reads the numbers wrong. Add to the wrong numbers for all of these (This is Mrs. Jones, I want a cheese pie - I am timing you. This is Mrs. Smith don’t tint my eyeglasses. - would be nice if they left a call back number or an address to deliver the pie) the robocalls and other spam calls we all get and it is a major time saver not to be dealing with the phone calls. We have 3 answering machines on the same line. The one in the bedroom answers on the 3rd ring and is always on. The ones in the office and kitchen are individually turned on and off depending on where we are and answer on the 2nd ring. This way we can screen the calls in any of the 3 places in the house we generally are.
Managed to finally reach the person at our doctor’s office, so hopefully the problem we are having with the billing on our lab work - last June - will not need more attention.
Ah, yes, managed to finally convince my husband that the shoes he actually wears should be on his closet shoe rack (on back of door) and the ones on the rack which he does not wear and keeps only because he wears such a hard size to find, in case he ever needs them, should be stored away. I actually only needed to store away one pair of the shoes on the rack to fit all but the shoes he is wearing and his slippers on it. This is a discussion which has gone on for years. Now I can actually clean the floor in the bedroom as I no longer would have to move all the shoes. Did I clean it? No - it was a short week. But I will and will do so more regularly.
Had to spend some time on my embroidery group this week. I missed the meeting due to our trip last week and had to do some followup on business I missed as a result.
So, the week seems much shorter than it was. I am now catching up the laundry, which of course, I decided not to do for the part of the week last Wednesday (I do the laundry Wednesday and Thursday nights) so I am doing lots of loads this week.
Hopefully this will be a more organized week and I will get more done. Don’t you hate short weeks?
Thursday, November 3, 2016
RV WATER AND FRIDGE PROBLEMS
This will be a shorter post than normal. I am writing it on my old Palm Centro phone, which I carry as a PDA on trips. We are driving home from a trip. We planned on staying 2 more days so I planned to write today’s post on my laptop tonight & then post it, both in our RV, which technically I am doing, but I am writing while riding at 65 mph on the Pennsylvania Turnpike! (Obviously husband is driving,) From this we learn in terms of organizing, not to put things off to the last minute.
Everything on our trips takes organizing, even more than at home. Going home 2 days early (on a 4 night trip) changes lots of plans. We carry at the start of a trip 25 gallons of water with us in 2 tanks, We know from experience that we can easily get by on same if we conserve water for 4 nights. We learned on a recent trip that if we are very careful, we can make it through 5 nights. Now on the other hand, we need to fill the outgoing tanks at least 75% or they will not dump properly. See the organization needed to manage the water. Uh oh!!!
Back again, drive needed my attention. Road construction & the cones were in our lane making it rather narrow. About 10% of them were knocked down by vehicles ahead of us. Glad we are not in an 18 wheeler. Needed to help husband avoid them.
So since we used so little water as we expected to need it to be used over 4 nights, we had to add enough water - gallons and gallons - to the outgoing tanks so each had enough to dump them before we did so.
This was our last trip of the year with running water. We will be winterizing the RV soon so that there will be as close to no water in its systems as possible so there will be no damage from water freezing in pipes, valves, tanks, etc. If we travel again this year we will get a space near the bath house. But that is a story for another time.
We had a problem this trip with our refrigerator. It is a small one about the size of a dorm fridge. It is different than same, however, as it can run on regular household current or 12 volt car battery current - it switches on its own. It is harder to keep it at the correct temperature than the refrigerator in the house. It is affected more by the temperature outside, as well as also by the temperature in the RV. I can usually get it to the range I want - about 38 or 39 degrees Fahrenheit and then I work at keeping it at same. Sometimes it behaves and stays in range, other times it can take days of playing with it until it is correct - and even then it can need an adjustment. I have been known to jump into the back to play with it when stop for gas if it is going too far off.
This time it was going too low. I raised the temperature and it was too high and would not get lower no matter how low I turned the thermostat in the fridge. We have an electronic thermometer which reads the temperature in the fridge and sends it to a device outside the fridge so we don’t have to open it to read it. I also have a mechanical thermometer in it. When I looked at same it was about the correct temperature. The problem was the electronic thermometer, not the fridge - good thing as it is much cheaper and easier to buy a new thermometer. We took out the batteries and played with it and eventually it was working, seemingly, correct again. We will have to keep an eye on it. Thank goodness I had kept the original mechanical thermometer in the fridge just in case.
Please remember if you are in the US where there is daylight savings time to "fall back" an hour this Sunday (Nov. 6) and VOTE TUES - whether you vote for the same candidate as me or not - Vote!
Everything on our trips takes organizing, even more than at home. Going home 2 days early (on a 4 night trip) changes lots of plans. We carry at the start of a trip 25 gallons of water with us in 2 tanks, We know from experience that we can easily get by on same if we conserve water for 4 nights. We learned on a recent trip that if we are very careful, we can make it through 5 nights. Now on the other hand, we need to fill the outgoing tanks at least 75% or they will not dump properly. See the organization needed to manage the water. Uh oh!!!
Back again, drive needed my attention. Road construction & the cones were in our lane making it rather narrow. About 10% of them were knocked down by vehicles ahead of us. Glad we are not in an 18 wheeler. Needed to help husband avoid them.
So since we used so little water as we expected to need it to be used over 4 nights, we had to add enough water - gallons and gallons - to the outgoing tanks so each had enough to dump them before we did so.
This was our last trip of the year with running water. We will be winterizing the RV soon so that there will be as close to no water in its systems as possible so there will be no damage from water freezing in pipes, valves, tanks, etc. If we travel again this year we will get a space near the bath house. But that is a story for another time.
We had a problem this trip with our refrigerator. It is a small one about the size of a dorm fridge. It is different than same, however, as it can run on regular household current or 12 volt car battery current - it switches on its own. It is harder to keep it at the correct temperature than the refrigerator in the house. It is affected more by the temperature outside, as well as also by the temperature in the RV. I can usually get it to the range I want - about 38 or 39 degrees Fahrenheit and then I work at keeping it at same. Sometimes it behaves and stays in range, other times it can take days of playing with it until it is correct - and even then it can need an adjustment. I have been known to jump into the back to play with it when stop for gas if it is going too far off.
This time it was going too low. I raised the temperature and it was too high and would not get lower no matter how low I turned the thermostat in the fridge. We have an electronic thermometer which reads the temperature in the fridge and sends it to a device outside the fridge so we don’t have to open it to read it. I also have a mechanical thermometer in it. When I looked at same it was about the correct temperature. The problem was the electronic thermometer, not the fridge - good thing as it is much cheaper and easier to buy a new thermometer. We took out the batteries and played with it and eventually it was working, seemingly, correct again. We will have to keep an eye on it. Thank goodness I had kept the original mechanical thermometer in the fridge just in case.
Please remember if you are in the US where there is daylight savings time to "fall back" an hour this Sunday (Nov. 6) and VOTE TUES - whether you vote for the same candidate as me or not - Vote!
Thursday, October 27, 2016
SCANNERS AND PRINTERS - AND HOW TO USE THEM TO ORGANIZE
There are several people I have been speaking with who do not have a scanner or a printer for their computer. This amazes me - as well as makes problems for them. My scanner and printers are vital to me. They are very useful for getting things done quickly and great for helping deal with keeping paper information without needing as much file space or time to file and look for files.
The first person I heard this from is my mom. Mom has used a computer for decades including back when she worked. Mom is also an accountant. (Ok, fair notice - dad was also and one of my sisters also has a degree in it and works as a bookkeeper.) Mom is 87. Mom had a printer and a scanner - I know this because we bought it for her. She has had another printer since, but has been told that she can no longer get the ink for it and/or the heads would be bad by now. (The latter makes no sense as in an ink jet printer the heads are replaced each time the cartridge is replaced.) Mom goes out and prints or copies things at the library when she needs to.
Another person I just heard this from is a friend in a club I belong to. I just made up revised membership lists as we had a group of new members. I told her I would email everyone the new membership list. She told me to print some and bring to the meeting in case others, beside her, cannot print the list out.
I have heard this idea also from others and, as I said, I am amazed.
Printers - I have never been sure of the value of a computer without a printer. Yes, I know we all email everything to everyone, but we don’t (well, I don’t) really.
I find that I still need to write actual letters. Not all businesses respond to email - no, don’t laugh, it is true. In addition actual mail stands out when received differently than email. I am not sure if I have mentioned this, but I do not do anything financial online. Okay, you may think me old fashioned or laugh - but when my bank was hacked it was their online accounts which were hacked and mine was not. I started working with main frame computers in the early 1970's and there are two things I know about computing which are absolute - “It is not a question of if, but when, a hard drive will crash.” (hence my need to backup and keep data off the hard drive) and “There is no such thing as a secure website.”
I had to write a letter to the bank we have our RV loan from about a problem we were having. I had been trying to telephone the bank for some time with no luck. I actually went to their Facebook page and posted, anonymously, about needing a way to reach them - no luck. Letter to the CEO of the bank - received the information I wanted and needed. There is no way that the CEO would ever had have read my email, but a letter to him - even if he did not actually see it, his staff took care of the matter. Letters work.
Have you ever had to mail something or other to a company? A cover letter explaining what is enclosed and why - and what you want done about it - makes sure the recipient understand what is being sent and why.
I can also fill in forms which have to be done on paper (yes, they still exist) or are more convenient to do on paper and print them out. My handwriting is terrible, but even if yours is lovely, printed information tends to be easier to read and read correctly than hand written information.
A printed letter, like the typed letter that existed before it, is much more presentable than a hand written letter (other than personal letters to friends and family) and is more likely to be taken seriously. I have a client who hand writes her business letters as she does not use a computer - it looks terribly unbusinesslike. When I can I write them for her while there.
Oh, I almost forgot - envelopes! You can print envelopes when sending something by mail - and even add the computer coding for the address. Less chance of the envelope and its contents going to the wrong place if the address can be easily read and even more if the sorting computers can read the address coding on the envelope!
Scanners - One of the best things ever invented. In terms of organizing - one can scan in all manner of papers which take up room in the house, get lost, or get confused and get some space back.
I need to mention here as I have received several of these, taking a photo of a document is not the same as scanning it into a computer and is a major problem for the recipient to use, in addition to making a HUGE picture of the document which is hard to deal with it.
When I do tax returns - for myself or clients - I scan in the form after I do it. Yes, I use a computer to prepare the returns, but an error can result in accidently changing something on a page after the fact, if I only have the returns in the program they are prepared in, as well as there are always added schedules (pages) not prepared by the tax program. I scan in the return after it prepared and save that as a separate pdf file and I have an exact duplicate of the return as filed. I also scan in any of the notes, etc. I used to prepare the return. I also scan in copies (front and back) of the checks I sent to pay the taxes - estimates as well as the final payment - and of any documents which show amounts withheld for taxes (W2s, 1099s, etc.) I actually keep a hard copy of the return until after the following year’s return is filed, as it is easier not to have to go back and forth on the computer, but have the hard copy for reference while preparing the next year’s return.
If I fill in a form I scan it into the computer to have a copy - less room than keeping a paper copy and it will not get lost. If you prefer to keep a paper copy you can scan it in and print it out - or often just use the scanner as a copier. More on this idea later. For example, I take the membership forms received from members of our reenactment unit and scan them in, then (after backing up the data) shred them and throw them out - no need to keep another 30 pieces of paper a year in a file drawer.
I think I mentioned in a past post about a project to scan in the most instruction booklets from the assorted things in our house. If there is a large instruction book I am keeping it, but small instructions of say 15 or less pages I am scanning. Remember one does not need to scan in the instructions in other languages, only those in one’s own. I then (after backing up the data) put the booklets with the recycling. So far I have gotten rid of 3 file folders of instructions. Similarly I plan to scan in the paperwork from some car accidents we had in the past and the receipts from items returned to our cable company. (I can just imagine one day leaving them and being told that I never returned a cable box I was given in 2001 and the charge will be $500 for it not being returned, so I have kept the receipts for returned equipment.)
Now there are papers I do not do this with. I don’t scan in all our credit card receipts - too much work and they are stored away in a year. Anything you need an original for - you can scan a copy, but the original must be kept (marriage& birth records, titles to car and house and so on).
What papers could you scan into your computer instead of keeping them and having to store them?
Now combine the two - scanning plus printing. Even better. Scan in a form and use software to fill it in and then print it out. (See software below.) Again, my handwriting being terrible it is a great way to make sure that what you fill in on a form can easily be read.
One can buy an ink jet “all in one” unit for around $50. This will let you scan in items and print out pages. One can usually use the machine directly as a copying machine, but if not one can use it as same as one can scan in an item and then print it out. Today after starting to write this post yesterday we were in a major discount chain store. They had 4 all in ones which print and scan from $50 to $60. Sometimes the all in ones are also a fax machine - yes, one sometimes still needs to fax something. At least one of them said that it was ready to be used with tablets and cell phones, solving the problem of printing with them.
Yes, one can go to the library, Kinkos (Fed Ex these days), Staples, OfficeMax/Depot (if you still have one near you - all the ones in our county were closed, nearest one now an hour away), work, etc. and make a copy if you need one. Did you know that when you do so the copier/printer keeps your document in its memory and that when the machine is disposed of, often that information is still in the machine? Who knows what happens to the machines after they are disposed of - and who has access to them. Copy something with your Social Security number or bank account information and it will stay in the copy machine - much safer to make copies at home.
The scanner will generally come with software to do scanning. You will need software though. If you already have word processing software you can, of course use it with the printer. There are freeware programs to make the printer/scanner do even more. While I have nothing to do with the following programs and have no responsibility for them or how they work, I have found them to be very useful. (I must give credit, husband told me about them and to use them.) In addition I am running Windows computers and the software may not be made for other computers or for tablets.
Foxit PDF - this allows one to scan in documents and forms as pdf files and work with them. One can use the “Type” function to fill in blanks on forms. One can attach notes to the documents. There are assortment of other features which I have not even gotten to yet. There is a freeware version of the program and that is the one I use. One can print the pdf files made.
Cute PDF and Primo PDF are two of several programs which allow one to print what one has written directly to a pdf file. They are will show up (at least in Windows computers) as alternate printers when you go to print and you select them and print the pdf - without needing to print the document out and then scan it in. This lets you write a document and then email it to others who might not have the same word processing software to open a written document. For example, I like to use Wordperfect instead of the standard Word program. I either must save the file as an rtf file (rich texture format - can open with many, if not all or most word processing programs) or I print it with one of these programs and send it as a pdf. The only problem I have had doing this some of the tax forms generated when one files online in my state for some reason will not print this way (sales tax, employment taxes). For these forms I need to physically print them out and then scan them in to keep a pdf copy of them.
LibreOffice can be used instead of Microsoft Office. It is free. By the way, if you have an older version of Word and can’t afford to upgrade and people keep sending you docx files - this will open them. According to my husband this program will work on all “platforms” meaning it will also work with Mac computers, Ipads, tablets, Linux, etc.
Open Office is similar to LibreOffice, but husband says that LibreOffice is better. Open Office will work only on Windows computers.
Now there is one problem I don’t know about. (Yes, despite the fact that my friends think I am a “know it all” I don’t.) Generally printing with a computer is not a problem. However tablets and related use a different way to print as they do not attach or use wifi to work with printers. This involves “cloud printing”. I asked husband how this is done in anticipation of writing this article. After looking up how to cloud print I got dizzy reading as it seems to vary for each device being used and each company that one has their cloud account with. He looked it up and could not figure it out either. I know there is a way to do it. If you must print this way, check with your cloud server to find out how. Unfortunately it seems to sometimes require you to have a computer also.
The first person I heard this from is my mom. Mom has used a computer for decades including back when she worked. Mom is also an accountant. (Ok, fair notice - dad was also and one of my sisters also has a degree in it and works as a bookkeeper.) Mom is 87. Mom had a printer and a scanner - I know this because we bought it for her. She has had another printer since, but has been told that she can no longer get the ink for it and/or the heads would be bad by now. (The latter makes no sense as in an ink jet printer the heads are replaced each time the cartridge is replaced.) Mom goes out and prints or copies things at the library when she needs to.
Another person I just heard this from is a friend in a club I belong to. I just made up revised membership lists as we had a group of new members. I told her I would email everyone the new membership list. She told me to print some and bring to the meeting in case others, beside her, cannot print the list out.
I have heard this idea also from others and, as I said, I am amazed.
Printers - I have never been sure of the value of a computer without a printer. Yes, I know we all email everything to everyone, but we don’t (well, I don’t) really.
I find that I still need to write actual letters. Not all businesses respond to email - no, don’t laugh, it is true. In addition actual mail stands out when received differently than email. I am not sure if I have mentioned this, but I do not do anything financial online. Okay, you may think me old fashioned or laugh - but when my bank was hacked it was their online accounts which were hacked and mine was not. I started working with main frame computers in the early 1970's and there are two things I know about computing which are absolute - “It is not a question of if, but when, a hard drive will crash.” (hence my need to backup and keep data off the hard drive) and “There is no such thing as a secure website.”
I had to write a letter to the bank we have our RV loan from about a problem we were having. I had been trying to telephone the bank for some time with no luck. I actually went to their Facebook page and posted, anonymously, about needing a way to reach them - no luck. Letter to the CEO of the bank - received the information I wanted and needed. There is no way that the CEO would ever had have read my email, but a letter to him - even if he did not actually see it, his staff took care of the matter. Letters work.
Have you ever had to mail something or other to a company? A cover letter explaining what is enclosed and why - and what you want done about it - makes sure the recipient understand what is being sent and why.
I can also fill in forms which have to be done on paper (yes, they still exist) or are more convenient to do on paper and print them out. My handwriting is terrible, but even if yours is lovely, printed information tends to be easier to read and read correctly than hand written information.
A printed letter, like the typed letter that existed before it, is much more presentable than a hand written letter (other than personal letters to friends and family) and is more likely to be taken seriously. I have a client who hand writes her business letters as she does not use a computer - it looks terribly unbusinesslike. When I can I write them for her while there.
Oh, I almost forgot - envelopes! You can print envelopes when sending something by mail - and even add the computer coding for the address. Less chance of the envelope and its contents going to the wrong place if the address can be easily read and even more if the sorting computers can read the address coding on the envelope!
Scanners - One of the best things ever invented. In terms of organizing - one can scan in all manner of papers which take up room in the house, get lost, or get confused and get some space back.
I need to mention here as I have received several of these, taking a photo of a document is not the same as scanning it into a computer and is a major problem for the recipient to use, in addition to making a HUGE picture of the document which is hard to deal with it.
When I do tax returns - for myself or clients - I scan in the form after I do it. Yes, I use a computer to prepare the returns, but an error can result in accidently changing something on a page after the fact, if I only have the returns in the program they are prepared in, as well as there are always added schedules (pages) not prepared by the tax program. I scan in the return after it prepared and save that as a separate pdf file and I have an exact duplicate of the return as filed. I also scan in any of the notes, etc. I used to prepare the return. I also scan in copies (front and back) of the checks I sent to pay the taxes - estimates as well as the final payment - and of any documents which show amounts withheld for taxes (W2s, 1099s, etc.) I actually keep a hard copy of the return until after the following year’s return is filed, as it is easier not to have to go back and forth on the computer, but have the hard copy for reference while preparing the next year’s return.
If I fill in a form I scan it into the computer to have a copy - less room than keeping a paper copy and it will not get lost. If you prefer to keep a paper copy you can scan it in and print it out - or often just use the scanner as a copier. More on this idea later. For example, I take the membership forms received from members of our reenactment unit and scan them in, then (after backing up the data) shred them and throw them out - no need to keep another 30 pieces of paper a year in a file drawer.
I think I mentioned in a past post about a project to scan in the most instruction booklets from the assorted things in our house. If there is a large instruction book I am keeping it, but small instructions of say 15 or less pages I am scanning. Remember one does not need to scan in the instructions in other languages, only those in one’s own. I then (after backing up the data) put the booklets with the recycling. So far I have gotten rid of 3 file folders of instructions. Similarly I plan to scan in the paperwork from some car accidents we had in the past and the receipts from items returned to our cable company. (I can just imagine one day leaving them and being told that I never returned a cable box I was given in 2001 and the charge will be $500 for it not being returned, so I have kept the receipts for returned equipment.)
Now there are papers I do not do this with. I don’t scan in all our credit card receipts - too much work and they are stored away in a year. Anything you need an original for - you can scan a copy, but the original must be kept (marriage& birth records, titles to car and house and so on).
What papers could you scan into your computer instead of keeping them and having to store them?
Now combine the two - scanning plus printing. Even better. Scan in a form and use software to fill it in and then print it out. (See software below.) Again, my handwriting being terrible it is a great way to make sure that what you fill in on a form can easily be read.
One can buy an ink jet “all in one” unit for around $50. This will let you scan in items and print out pages. One can usually use the machine directly as a copying machine, but if not one can use it as same as one can scan in an item and then print it out. Today after starting to write this post yesterday we were in a major discount chain store. They had 4 all in ones which print and scan from $50 to $60. Sometimes the all in ones are also a fax machine - yes, one sometimes still needs to fax something. At least one of them said that it was ready to be used with tablets and cell phones, solving the problem of printing with them.
Yes, one can go to the library, Kinkos (Fed Ex these days), Staples, OfficeMax/Depot (if you still have one near you - all the ones in our county were closed, nearest one now an hour away), work, etc. and make a copy if you need one. Did you know that when you do so the copier/printer keeps your document in its memory and that when the machine is disposed of, often that information is still in the machine? Who knows what happens to the machines after they are disposed of - and who has access to them. Copy something with your Social Security number or bank account information and it will stay in the copy machine - much safer to make copies at home.
The scanner will generally come with software to do scanning. You will need software though. If you already have word processing software you can, of course use it with the printer. There are freeware programs to make the printer/scanner do even more. While I have nothing to do with the following programs and have no responsibility for them or how they work, I have found them to be very useful. (I must give credit, husband told me about them and to use them.) In addition I am running Windows computers and the software may not be made for other computers or for tablets.
Foxit PDF - this allows one to scan in documents and forms as pdf files and work with them. One can use the “Type” function to fill in blanks on forms. One can attach notes to the documents. There are assortment of other features which I have not even gotten to yet. There is a freeware version of the program and that is the one I use. One can print the pdf files made.
Cute PDF and Primo PDF are two of several programs which allow one to print what one has written directly to a pdf file. They are will show up (at least in Windows computers) as alternate printers when you go to print and you select them and print the pdf - without needing to print the document out and then scan it in. This lets you write a document and then email it to others who might not have the same word processing software to open a written document. For example, I like to use Wordperfect instead of the standard Word program. I either must save the file as an rtf file (rich texture format - can open with many, if not all or most word processing programs) or I print it with one of these programs and send it as a pdf. The only problem I have had doing this some of the tax forms generated when one files online in my state for some reason will not print this way (sales tax, employment taxes). For these forms I need to physically print them out and then scan them in to keep a pdf copy of them.
LibreOffice can be used instead of Microsoft Office. It is free. By the way, if you have an older version of Word and can’t afford to upgrade and people keep sending you docx files - this will open them. According to my husband this program will work on all “platforms” meaning it will also work with Mac computers, Ipads, tablets, Linux, etc.
Open Office is similar to LibreOffice, but husband says that LibreOffice is better. Open Office will work only on Windows computers.
Now there is one problem I don’t know about. (Yes, despite the fact that my friends think I am a “know it all” I don’t.) Generally printing with a computer is not a problem. However tablets and related use a different way to print as they do not attach or use wifi to work with printers. This involves “cloud printing”. I asked husband how this is done in anticipation of writing this article. After looking up how to cloud print I got dizzy reading as it seems to vary for each device being used and each company that one has their cloud account with. He looked it up and could not figure it out either. I know there is a way to do it. If you must print this way, check with your cloud server to find out how. Unfortunately it seems to sometimes require you to have a computer also.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
ONGOING PROBLEMS RESOLVING, WELL, PROBLEMS
I have been dealing with something I find terribly annoying. Contacting someone and not hearing back to resolve the situation. I seem to get into periods in which I have several of these situations at once. I am in one of those periods now.
First, a serious problem is one for a club I am in. We decided to do a craft project and want to get kits for those members interested in the project. Unfortunately the kits for this type of project are not sold in the U.S. We found someone in Australia who makes the kits. I have been in contact with the designer several times by email. I made sure at first that there would be no problem shipping them to the U.S. I checked what method of payment would be accepted. I followed up a month ago with a partial list of the kits we want, pending hearing from a few last members. The designer has been extremely nice. Over a week ago I sent an email with a final listing of which kits we want and asked for an estimate of the shipping and kit costs - (and asked about insurance because it is comes to about $500 - and I mean U.S. dollars). I mentioned that I need an estimate as one of our members is letting us use her Paypal account and I have to deposit an approximate amount towards the charge in her bank account so she can transfer it to Paypal and pay for the kits. I have not heard back from the designer. I sent out a second email today, just in case the first one went astray - while also acknowledging that she might be busy and hoped that all was well with her. Now I wait.
Second, back in June my husband and I had blood work taken at our doctor. The doctor’s office forwarded the blood to the lab. Now, the past 2 years we have had a problem with our medical insurance due to the doctor using the wrong lab. In 2014 we had blood work done and our insurance company denied the claim from the lab the doctor sent the blood to and we received bills for the full amount of the lab work. It was rejected by our insurance as it was not an approved lab. We checked, the lab was on their list. I telephone and the insurance employee agreed with me that it was a covered lab. After several months it was resolved and the lab was paid in full. In 2015 we went to the same doctor and again blood work was done. It was sent to the same lab and again it was rejected. That time we were told that the lab was not on their plan and that it was not on their plan in 2014, but since it was mistakenly on their list then it had been covered and, despite never being told this in 2014, we should have known this and not gone to that lab. I was confused by this as we had not gone to the lab. Apparently because we go to the doctor for the blood work a week before we see the doctor, the insurance company thinks that we are going to the lab itself for the blood draw. Managed to get that fixed also. Both years the blood work was covered in full.
So now that we knew the story, before we went to the doctor this year for our blood work, I called the insurance company first and got the list of approved labs. I then called the doctor’s office and found out which one on the list they deal with. When we went for the blood work I wrote a note that our blood work had to go to this lab. It apparently did. Now we have been billed for a copay, which did not exist last year. I telephoned the insurance company and spoke with a pleasant fellow who actually tried to be helpful. He told me that was our copay. I pointed out that the past 2 years we did not pay anything. He said that we have a different plan this year - well, technically yes, but really no. I cannot find the copay in the plan book. The closest copay I can find is for $20 (each) less than we are being asked for. I pointed this out to him. He insisted we have the copays. Blood work is only covered if it is for preventative reasons. Huh? Well, I explained why we had the tests. They are covered and he was going to call the doctor’s office and tell them to resend with a corrected code. I thanked him. After I hung up I realized that he was probably not going to tell the doctor’s office to do this for my husband’s work, just mine.
I have trouble making telephone calls as we live off schedule from everyone else - we get up around noon and go to sleep at 4 am. I tried calling the doctor’s office the next day to check if they had been contacted and make sure they knew about husband’s lab work also. I found out that the office closes at 4 pm, not 5 pm. It was about a week before I had a chance to call again. It was again late in the day. I was told that I had to speak to “A” who handles the lab billing and she would not be in until the next morning. I was put through to the lab line and left a message explaining the situation and asking to be called. The next day at 1:30 in the afternoon I called the lab line again as I had not heard back and left another message.
Yesterday I tried calling again - left another message on the lab line. This morning I got up early (for us) and tried calling as “A” seems to only be there in the morning and I hoped to catch her in, but no, I got the machine, so I left another message. I also called this afternoon at 4:30 when the office staff had left so I could leave a message in the general “mail box” so someone else would know what is going on. Hopefully that will get me a call back.
Yesterday I wrote a letter to the lab explaining what is going on and asking them to take no further action until the matter is resolved with the doctor and insurance, just to cover us as the bill due date is coming up.
At the same time I received another mailing from the lab asking for a copy of my insurance card as a followup test was done and the info they were given was incorrect. That was also sent, but somehow I know when it is processed I will have the same problem as I am having with the other lab work.
Third, we have several problems with our supermarket. I finally had enough and wrote, online, to the corporate office. I did not contact the store management as the problems are not within the store problems, but, as they say, “above the manager’s pay grade” and based on decisions by corporate. Last Sunday I had a message on our answering machine from someone who identified himself as the manager of the store and he said he would call back on Monday. No one called Monday or Tuesday. Yesterday (Wednesday) I received an email from corporate saying that the manager had tried, but could not reach me and I should call him.
I replied. I explained that I had contacted corporate not the store management as the problems come from them - not the store management. They redid their self-service registers so that they hard to use in terms of accessing them, there are arguments among customers as to if there is one line or two for same and their software in same (I am not using an unacceptable word which comes to mind) is terrible. I pointed out that store management had tried to resolve one of the problems caused by the changes from management by putting up a small handwritten sign explaining there was one line for all 4 registers which no one sees. I have had to go to the service desk on several occasions to get a “rain check” for items in their circular that they do not have - generally the same item, they should know by now to ship more of it to the store if it always runs out right away when there is a sale. Despite numerous people in line waiting for help, the one employee (and the person varies depending on the day) at the service desk takes people who have just walked up to the counter to buy, check or redeem lottery tickets first. I am not talking one or two tickets - I am talking 20 minutes worth of purchasing, checking or redeeming tickets - and then if the lottery ticket person has a purchase - that is rung up for them while the rest of us wait. It is bad enough for someone who has decided to return something, but I am (as I explained) on the line because they did not have in stock what they advertised for sale. Lastly, we get a weekly circular delivered to us for this store which is for a different store in the chain. When I last asked why this was true, someone at corporate mailed the correct circular to me for about a month and that was the total resolution of my question.
At the same time I have emailed several printing companies about orders and they emailed back the next day with the information requested. How come they can do this for a stranger, but the others don’t contact back a customer?
So I am dealing with all 3 situations, while dealing with everything else life needs to have dealt with. I am so aggravated from not being contacted back.
Does not being contacted back bother you also?
First, a serious problem is one for a club I am in. We decided to do a craft project and want to get kits for those members interested in the project. Unfortunately the kits for this type of project are not sold in the U.S. We found someone in Australia who makes the kits. I have been in contact with the designer several times by email. I made sure at first that there would be no problem shipping them to the U.S. I checked what method of payment would be accepted. I followed up a month ago with a partial list of the kits we want, pending hearing from a few last members. The designer has been extremely nice. Over a week ago I sent an email with a final listing of which kits we want and asked for an estimate of the shipping and kit costs - (and asked about insurance because it is comes to about $500 - and I mean U.S. dollars). I mentioned that I need an estimate as one of our members is letting us use her Paypal account and I have to deposit an approximate amount towards the charge in her bank account so she can transfer it to Paypal and pay for the kits. I have not heard back from the designer. I sent out a second email today, just in case the first one went astray - while also acknowledging that she might be busy and hoped that all was well with her. Now I wait.
Second, back in June my husband and I had blood work taken at our doctor. The doctor’s office forwarded the blood to the lab. Now, the past 2 years we have had a problem with our medical insurance due to the doctor using the wrong lab. In 2014 we had blood work done and our insurance company denied the claim from the lab the doctor sent the blood to and we received bills for the full amount of the lab work. It was rejected by our insurance as it was not an approved lab. We checked, the lab was on their list. I telephone and the insurance employee agreed with me that it was a covered lab. After several months it was resolved and the lab was paid in full. In 2015 we went to the same doctor and again blood work was done. It was sent to the same lab and again it was rejected. That time we were told that the lab was not on their plan and that it was not on their plan in 2014, but since it was mistakenly on their list then it had been covered and, despite never being told this in 2014, we should have known this and not gone to that lab. I was confused by this as we had not gone to the lab. Apparently because we go to the doctor for the blood work a week before we see the doctor, the insurance company thinks that we are going to the lab itself for the blood draw. Managed to get that fixed also. Both years the blood work was covered in full.
So now that we knew the story, before we went to the doctor this year for our blood work, I called the insurance company first and got the list of approved labs. I then called the doctor’s office and found out which one on the list they deal with. When we went for the blood work I wrote a note that our blood work had to go to this lab. It apparently did. Now we have been billed for a copay, which did not exist last year. I telephoned the insurance company and spoke with a pleasant fellow who actually tried to be helpful. He told me that was our copay. I pointed out that the past 2 years we did not pay anything. He said that we have a different plan this year - well, technically yes, but really no. I cannot find the copay in the plan book. The closest copay I can find is for $20 (each) less than we are being asked for. I pointed this out to him. He insisted we have the copays. Blood work is only covered if it is for preventative reasons. Huh? Well, I explained why we had the tests. They are covered and he was going to call the doctor’s office and tell them to resend with a corrected code. I thanked him. After I hung up I realized that he was probably not going to tell the doctor’s office to do this for my husband’s work, just mine.
I have trouble making telephone calls as we live off schedule from everyone else - we get up around noon and go to sleep at 4 am. I tried calling the doctor’s office the next day to check if they had been contacted and make sure they knew about husband’s lab work also. I found out that the office closes at 4 pm, not 5 pm. It was about a week before I had a chance to call again. It was again late in the day. I was told that I had to speak to “A” who handles the lab billing and she would not be in until the next morning. I was put through to the lab line and left a message explaining the situation and asking to be called. The next day at 1:30 in the afternoon I called the lab line again as I had not heard back and left another message.
Yesterday I tried calling again - left another message on the lab line. This morning I got up early (for us) and tried calling as “A” seems to only be there in the morning and I hoped to catch her in, but no, I got the machine, so I left another message. I also called this afternoon at 4:30 when the office staff had left so I could leave a message in the general “mail box” so someone else would know what is going on. Hopefully that will get me a call back.
Yesterday I wrote a letter to the lab explaining what is going on and asking them to take no further action until the matter is resolved with the doctor and insurance, just to cover us as the bill due date is coming up.
At the same time I received another mailing from the lab asking for a copy of my insurance card as a followup test was done and the info they were given was incorrect. That was also sent, but somehow I know when it is processed I will have the same problem as I am having with the other lab work.
Third, we have several problems with our supermarket. I finally had enough and wrote, online, to the corporate office. I did not contact the store management as the problems are not within the store problems, but, as they say, “above the manager’s pay grade” and based on decisions by corporate. Last Sunday I had a message on our answering machine from someone who identified himself as the manager of the store and he said he would call back on Monday. No one called Monday or Tuesday. Yesterday (Wednesday) I received an email from corporate saying that the manager had tried, but could not reach me and I should call him.
I replied. I explained that I had contacted corporate not the store management as the problems come from them - not the store management. They redid their self-service registers so that they hard to use in terms of accessing them, there are arguments among customers as to if there is one line or two for same and their software in same (I am not using an unacceptable word which comes to mind) is terrible. I pointed out that store management had tried to resolve one of the problems caused by the changes from management by putting up a small handwritten sign explaining there was one line for all 4 registers which no one sees. I have had to go to the service desk on several occasions to get a “rain check” for items in their circular that they do not have - generally the same item, they should know by now to ship more of it to the store if it always runs out right away when there is a sale. Despite numerous people in line waiting for help, the one employee (and the person varies depending on the day) at the service desk takes people who have just walked up to the counter to buy, check or redeem lottery tickets first. I am not talking one or two tickets - I am talking 20 minutes worth of purchasing, checking or redeeming tickets - and then if the lottery ticket person has a purchase - that is rung up for them while the rest of us wait. It is bad enough for someone who has decided to return something, but I am (as I explained) on the line because they did not have in stock what they advertised for sale. Lastly, we get a weekly circular delivered to us for this store which is for a different store in the chain. When I last asked why this was true, someone at corporate mailed the correct circular to me for about a month and that was the total resolution of my question.
At the same time I have emailed several printing companies about orders and they emailed back the next day with the information requested. How come they can do this for a stranger, but the others don’t contact back a customer?
So I am dealing with all 3 situations, while dealing with everything else life needs to have dealt with. I am so aggravated from not being contacted back.
Does not being contacted back bother you also?
Thursday, October 13, 2016
A New Year?
Today was Yom Kippur - this is the holiest day of the Jewish calender. 10 days ago this holiday period started with Rosh Hashanah - which means “head of the year” and is generally referred to as “Jewish New Year”.
Okay, so I am vamping a bit as I don’t have anything written. Monday was Columbus Day, We went to the eye doctor last week on Friday and husband’s niece’s birthday party on Sunday so I have had a busy week.
Last night I normally would have written my post for this week, but could not as Jewish holidays start the night before the day of the holiday. (There is a biblical reason for this, but I am not teaching bible class here - feel free to post back and ask if you want to know.) We have a huge lists of things we cannot due on Jewish holidays, most of the time I tend to ignore the list and do the things if they arise, but I try to set these two holidays - Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur apart from other days due to their significance, so here I am, with no idea of what to write at the last minute (sound familiar to you).
As I mulled this over tonight I thought the significance of this period - the two holidays and the time between them are a period of reflection and its relation to becoming more organized and less cluttered.
Huh? This was the time of year when Jews take the time to think about the past year - what they did wrong, what they would like to change, how they could have improved their life and the lives of others. One is suppose to apologize for wrongs they have done in the past year to those to whom the wrongs have been done - whether spouse, child, boss, employee, friend, foe, the annoying teller at the bank, the sales girl who was too slow, the customer who could not give you their order properly, the neighbor who thinks you play your guitar too loud, your dog - you forgot to walk him, and God. By making these apologies one is clearing up the past and getting ready for the future.
We also think about the coming year - what can we do to make the coming year better for us and those around us. Sort of like regular New Year’s resolutions but not exactly. I will call my mother more often. I will be more generous to charity. (This period is to Jewish charities similar to what Christmas is to general charities, people are more generous and several of the charities have their donation campaigns during this period.) I will try to get my blog posts written ahead of time and have them make more sense. I will try not to annoy my husband with stupid things so often. I won’t lie (as much?). I will actually clean the house when it is on my to do schedule. And so on.
I offer you this holiday period (albeit after it has ended - another thought for next year, offer it when it is about to occur) to help you.
Take the time to apologize to anyone you have wronged. They will probably be surprised and will feel better about you. You will feel better because instead of thinking “I wish I hadn’t told John he shouldn’t eat so much and I wish I can take it back” you will know that you have let the John know you are sorry you said that. Do this even with someone who has passed on if you feel you have wronged them. It will clear your mind and your heart of past errors and let you start over.
Do this with your self also. Apologize to yourself for what you have done to yourself. Don’t be angry with yourself any longer for things left undone or things done incorrectly or things you have done wrong. Let it go - forgive yourself. This will also clear your mind and heart and let you start over.
Set aside time and think about what you would like to do in the coming year. I am talking not only in terms of organizing and decluttering, but in general. Try to sort out your thoughts and ideas. Try to make some sense of them.
I have not made a New Year’s resolution - secular or Jewish New Year - in decades. My last one was not to make resolutions - I have kept it. I do try to get some idea of what I would like to do in the coming year and try to make some plans towards doing same. It is a general plan - I might have some specific ideas, but I never think “I will” or “I must”, I think “I will try to”.
When I was a child I could not understand what the big deal was about the New Year (either one). Every day starts a new year. I could not understand what made one starting point more important than another one. Try letting go of what has happened in the past year and think about the year to come. If today is not good - then tomorrow or next week - because every day is the start of a new year.
Okay, so I am vamping a bit as I don’t have anything written. Monday was Columbus Day, We went to the eye doctor last week on Friday and husband’s niece’s birthday party on Sunday so I have had a busy week.
Last night I normally would have written my post for this week, but could not as Jewish holidays start the night before the day of the holiday. (There is a biblical reason for this, but I am not teaching bible class here - feel free to post back and ask if you want to know.) We have a huge lists of things we cannot due on Jewish holidays, most of the time I tend to ignore the list and do the things if they arise, but I try to set these two holidays - Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur apart from other days due to their significance, so here I am, with no idea of what to write at the last minute (sound familiar to you).
As I mulled this over tonight I thought the significance of this period - the two holidays and the time between them are a period of reflection and its relation to becoming more organized and less cluttered.
Huh? This was the time of year when Jews take the time to think about the past year - what they did wrong, what they would like to change, how they could have improved their life and the lives of others. One is suppose to apologize for wrongs they have done in the past year to those to whom the wrongs have been done - whether spouse, child, boss, employee, friend, foe, the annoying teller at the bank, the sales girl who was too slow, the customer who could not give you their order properly, the neighbor who thinks you play your guitar too loud, your dog - you forgot to walk him, and God. By making these apologies one is clearing up the past and getting ready for the future.
We also think about the coming year - what can we do to make the coming year better for us and those around us. Sort of like regular New Year’s resolutions but not exactly. I will call my mother more often. I will be more generous to charity. (This period is to Jewish charities similar to what Christmas is to general charities, people are more generous and several of the charities have their donation campaigns during this period.) I will try to get my blog posts written ahead of time and have them make more sense. I will try not to annoy my husband with stupid things so often. I won’t lie (as much?). I will actually clean the house when it is on my to do schedule. And so on.
I offer you this holiday period (albeit after it has ended - another thought for next year, offer it when it is about to occur) to help you.
Take the time to apologize to anyone you have wronged. They will probably be surprised and will feel better about you. You will feel better because instead of thinking “I wish I hadn’t told John he shouldn’t eat so much and I wish I can take it back” you will know that you have let the John know you are sorry you said that. Do this even with someone who has passed on if you feel you have wronged them. It will clear your mind and your heart of past errors and let you start over.
Do this with your self also. Apologize to yourself for what you have done to yourself. Don’t be angry with yourself any longer for things left undone or things done incorrectly or things you have done wrong. Let it go - forgive yourself. This will also clear your mind and heart and let you start over.
Set aside time and think about what you would like to do in the coming year. I am talking not only in terms of organizing and decluttering, but in general. Try to sort out your thoughts and ideas. Try to make some sense of them.
I have not made a New Year’s resolution - secular or Jewish New Year - in decades. My last one was not to make resolutions - I have kept it. I do try to get some idea of what I would like to do in the coming year and try to make some plans towards doing same. It is a general plan - I might have some specific ideas, but I never think “I will” or “I must”, I think “I will try to”.
When I was a child I could not understand what the big deal was about the New Year (either one). Every day starts a new year. I could not understand what made one starting point more important than another one. Try letting go of what has happened in the past year and think about the year to come. If today is not good - then tomorrow or next week - because every day is the start of a new year.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER SEEING THE PAST WEEK GO BY!
Well, another week has gone by. Have I caught up on what I wanted to catch up on? Nooo! It was another of those “time is going by and nothing is getting done” weeks.
Well, technically this is not true. I did catch up some things which were waiting and I did do things during the week. It just feels like I did nothing.
Last Friday I met with a client to get his tax return information to prepare his return. Of course to do this I had to move my “Friday errands” to Thursday. So between the two, that took most of the two days.
On Saturday one of the other members of my embroidery chapter and I and my husband were at the same local Fair which I mentioned entering in an earlier post. We had a table in the Exhibition Hall (a recreation of the 19th century building where the art, crafts, needlework, flowers, children and culinary entries are displayed) to demonstrate embroidery and talk about our chapter. We had a number of ladies stop - we always do - as well as men and children. Some take the information about our chapter, but then we never hear from them. In addition to showing the larger community of the Island that we exist, having fun working on our needlework, talking to people about something we love to do (and I love to talk also), our National organization wants the local chapters to do outreach and this is outreach. So that took up Saturday.
Sunday we went out for our normal day - lunch at Costco and then walk around and look - despite people on TV and friends claiming it is impossible to go to Costco and leave without spending hundreds of dollars, we only buy items we need and generally they are planned purchases. Then we went to Bjs (a similar type of store) for gas - we needed to buy a food item there and went in for it first as they were giving 5 cents a gallon off if one made a purchase first - I think we saved something like 50 cents. Then a stop in the Walmart out in this area (as opposed to the ones we go to almost every day near us). We wasted a bit of time there as we then went after the Fair closed for the day (last day) so we could pick up my entries. Sunday night started one of the major Jewish religious holidays. I had cooked a stew for dinner for it over Friday and Saturday night so I just had to heat it up as I knew we would be home on the late side to cook dinner. I watched religious services on television.
Monday was the main day of the Jewish holiday and it is a day when one is not suppose to be doing normal things - one should go to the synagogue and pray during the holiday. I spend the day reading a contemplative book and praying at home. I again watched religious services on television. While the holiday lasts through Tuesday afternoon, I observe one day of it so Monday night I had a bit of a chance to catch up on what was not done that would normally be done over the weekend and on Monday - like check email.
This brings us to Tuesday - feel the week rushing past? Tuesday we stopped at the Walmart supermarket near us to buy some grocery items not available at the other general Walmarts near us. I am not sure if I have I mentioned that we do not have huge Walmarts as are elsewhere. Our stores have small food sections, not supermarkets and even this specialized supermarket is greatly lacking compared to the supermarket sections in regular Walmarts. No bread or hamburger rolls in stock - this seems to happen a lot at this store. I caught up on paperwork waiting to be done - and laundry waiting to be folded from last week. I paid bills for one of the organizations I am treasurer of. I prepared for the meeting today of my embroidery chapter - packing the supplies needed for the project to be done at the meeting, making up Treasurer’s report, etc. I also got some errands ready to be done as the first Wednesday of the month is my day out alone. After the meeting I do things husband hates - like return soda bottles.
And lastly, today. I went to my embroidery chapter meeting which took a good (fun) chunk of the day. I then had lunch out alone and ran the errands. I returned the soda bottles to Walmart and went in with the slips from the soda bottle machines (whopping 95 cents) to buy bread and hamburger rolls, figuring to use the deposit returns towards it. There was none there either. Perhaps the possibility of the hurricane which may be heading this way - although probably not - has caused a run on bread? The stores did not seem crowded enough for hurricane panic, so perhaps they did not get deliveries?
When I came home I prepared the tax return for the client whose information I picked up last week. That took until dinner - and dinner was late. After dinner I went back upstairs to the office (instead of immediately sitting down and writing to you nice people who read this) to pay bills and figure out how much I have to transfer to cover bills until next Friday. This would normally be done tomorrow night for the errands to be run this Friday, but we are going to eye doctor on Friday, so we will go tomorrow to the bank.
In between this the meals were cooked, the dishes washed, the laundry done - I am doing the laundry as I write this. I am dealing with putting together an order for my embroidery chapter for an education project - making sure members have paid their share of their kit, following up on new members paying their dues, making arrangements to deposit funds to the bank account of one our board members who will pay for it with her Paypal account, contacting the woman - in Australia - who designs the kits and we have to order them from, about the coming order, figuring out who we are going to have the order sent to... So I know I did things - it just does not feel as if I did. I tend to look at the outgoing mail during the week and the filing to be done on Friday and if there is little of either I feel as if I have not done anything, if there is a lot of both, then I feel as if I got a lot accomplished. There is little of both.
What makes you feel as if you have accomplished things during the week? Do you also feel as if you got nothing done, when you also actually did a lot of things?
Well, technically this is not true. I did catch up some things which were waiting and I did do things during the week. It just feels like I did nothing.
Last Friday I met with a client to get his tax return information to prepare his return. Of course to do this I had to move my “Friday errands” to Thursday. So between the two, that took most of the two days.
On Saturday one of the other members of my embroidery chapter and I and my husband were at the same local Fair which I mentioned entering in an earlier post. We had a table in the Exhibition Hall (a recreation of the 19th century building where the art, crafts, needlework, flowers, children and culinary entries are displayed) to demonstrate embroidery and talk about our chapter. We had a number of ladies stop - we always do - as well as men and children. Some take the information about our chapter, but then we never hear from them. In addition to showing the larger community of the Island that we exist, having fun working on our needlework, talking to people about something we love to do (and I love to talk also), our National organization wants the local chapters to do outreach and this is outreach. So that took up Saturday.
Sunday we went out for our normal day - lunch at Costco and then walk around and look - despite people on TV and friends claiming it is impossible to go to Costco and leave without spending hundreds of dollars, we only buy items we need and generally they are planned purchases. Then we went to Bjs (a similar type of store) for gas - we needed to buy a food item there and went in for it first as they were giving 5 cents a gallon off if one made a purchase first - I think we saved something like 50 cents. Then a stop in the Walmart out in this area (as opposed to the ones we go to almost every day near us). We wasted a bit of time there as we then went after the Fair closed for the day (last day) so we could pick up my entries. Sunday night started one of the major Jewish religious holidays. I had cooked a stew for dinner for it over Friday and Saturday night so I just had to heat it up as I knew we would be home on the late side to cook dinner. I watched religious services on television.
Monday was the main day of the Jewish holiday and it is a day when one is not suppose to be doing normal things - one should go to the synagogue and pray during the holiday. I spend the day reading a contemplative book and praying at home. I again watched religious services on television. While the holiday lasts through Tuesday afternoon, I observe one day of it so Monday night I had a bit of a chance to catch up on what was not done that would normally be done over the weekend and on Monday - like check email.
This brings us to Tuesday - feel the week rushing past? Tuesday we stopped at the Walmart supermarket near us to buy some grocery items not available at the other general Walmarts near us. I am not sure if I have I mentioned that we do not have huge Walmarts as are elsewhere. Our stores have small food sections, not supermarkets and even this specialized supermarket is greatly lacking compared to the supermarket sections in regular Walmarts. No bread or hamburger rolls in stock - this seems to happen a lot at this store. I caught up on paperwork waiting to be done - and laundry waiting to be folded from last week. I paid bills for one of the organizations I am treasurer of. I prepared for the meeting today of my embroidery chapter - packing the supplies needed for the project to be done at the meeting, making up Treasurer’s report, etc. I also got some errands ready to be done as the first Wednesday of the month is my day out alone. After the meeting I do things husband hates - like return soda bottles.
And lastly, today. I went to my embroidery chapter meeting which took a good (fun) chunk of the day. I then had lunch out alone and ran the errands. I returned the soda bottles to Walmart and went in with the slips from the soda bottle machines (whopping 95 cents) to buy bread and hamburger rolls, figuring to use the deposit returns towards it. There was none there either. Perhaps the possibility of the hurricane which may be heading this way - although probably not - has caused a run on bread? The stores did not seem crowded enough for hurricane panic, so perhaps they did not get deliveries?
When I came home I prepared the tax return for the client whose information I picked up last week. That took until dinner - and dinner was late. After dinner I went back upstairs to the office (instead of immediately sitting down and writing to you nice people who read this) to pay bills and figure out how much I have to transfer to cover bills until next Friday. This would normally be done tomorrow night for the errands to be run this Friday, but we are going to eye doctor on Friday, so we will go tomorrow to the bank.
In between this the meals were cooked, the dishes washed, the laundry done - I am doing the laundry as I write this. I am dealing with putting together an order for my embroidery chapter for an education project - making sure members have paid their share of their kit, following up on new members paying their dues, making arrangements to deposit funds to the bank account of one our board members who will pay for it with her Paypal account, contacting the woman - in Australia - who designs the kits and we have to order them from, about the coming order, figuring out who we are going to have the order sent to... So I know I did things - it just does not feel as if I did. I tend to look at the outgoing mail during the week and the filing to be done on Friday and if there is little of either I feel as if I have not done anything, if there is a lot of both, then I feel as if I got a lot accomplished. There is little of both.
What makes you feel as if you have accomplished things during the week? Do you also feel as if you got nothing done, when you also actually did a lot of things?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)