My slump of the other day is gone, replaced by near full-capacity joie de vivre, a swing that is absolutely typical and must be absolutely exhausting to live with—something I think we should all keep in mind when I am complaining about how Paul cleans bathroom floors (unnecessarily thick wad of paper towels attached to Swiffer, using a method that shoves all the dirt on the floor up against the edges; skips area around toilet; skips molding).
The other day when I was feeling so thwarted, I thought that what I should do to shake myself out of it is try to Accomplish Some Things—ANY things, even if they weren’t Top Priority Things. But also that what I should try to do if possible is accomplish some of the Most Oppressive Things. So yesterday I organized the tax paperwork which, as those of you who organize your tax paperwork know, can be about 75% of doing taxes. But our taxes have become challenging to the point where that percentage no longer holds, and I was enormously stressed every year and didn’t feel I could accurately do them anymore, and so now I take great satisfaction that my years of doing them myself mean that I Know How To Organize Our Tax Paperwork Nicely—but then I drop it off for someone with knowledge and expertise to take it from there. And I DID that. It’s DONE. And I wish I’d done it EVEN SOONER (I feel like tax customers who drop off their forms in February are the ones who get the biggest gold stars), but I did not, and March 2nd is better than March 3rd or March 4th or March 5th or March 31st, so I will try not to fret. And I emailed the tax accountant to tell her I’d dropped off the packet, so that she’d know to look for it and would tell me if it wasn’t there, so that I wouldn’t get into a Worry Loop about not having heard from her about it and start concocting ridiculous ideas of how it could have gone astray, like maybe RACCOONS could have squeezed through the mail slot and gotten it.
I also made a fresh batch of coleslaw, and I know that doesn’t sound like much, but for some reason it’s a hurdle, and having a new batch in the fridge is restorative and happy.
And I wrapped gifts for a birthday. I don’t even MIND wrapping gifts, and I LIKE choosing wrapping paper (I have Too Many, which is just the right number), so I don’t know why I was putting it off.
And I have started a new book I really like, which is not on the subject of accomplishments/tasks, but is contributing to the overall joie de vivre. Laura recommended it on the books worth buying post: it’s Eligible, by Curtis Sittenfeld (Target) (Amazon), a modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice, which is a book I’ve read several times, and have watched several movie/miniseries versions of, and have read the annotated version (Target) (Amazon) of (fun/interesting, and I think it would make a good gift idea for an Austen fan), and I’m not at all sure about my grammar/structure in this paragraph, but my gist is that I was a little nervous going into a modern retelling of it (especially by Sittenfeld, whose books are hit-and-miss for Laura and me), but so far I love it and am enjoying reading it, knowing what comes next but not how on earth she’ll do it. It is the kind of book I am thinking about when I am not reading it, which is a gift.
And I have an interesting thing to look into today: Paul is reading me an Agatha Christie book (he reads to me every night, which is another thing we should keep in mind when I am complaining about how he fixed the sliding shower door but while he was working on it he put it ONTO OUR BED, so that there is a rip in the quilt now and also several black streaks I can’t get out, and WHY WOULD HE THINK IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO PUT IT ON THE BED???), and there was a mention of “Queen Anne and Georgian houses,” and I have no idea what kind of houses those would be, so I am going to look them up!
And I feel so hopeful about the vaccine news! Maybe we’ll all have access to it by MAY?? Maybe I will be back to my library job THIS SUMMER?? Maybe we will be able to see friends again within a matter of MONTHS?? Maybe Paul and the children will be OUT OF MY HOUSE BY FALL??? MAYBE THE HOUSECLEANERS CAN RETURN???????
But most of all, more than any other thing, is that the Target situation is fixed. Lisa Ann found me a corporate email address to try, which is not something I had found on my own, and I tried it, and I got a response, and they fixed it. THEY FIXED IT. IT IS FIXED. I placed THREE Target orders yesterday: two Galentine’s Day packages plus one Drive Up order for myself, and I was just FLYING mood-wise. I forgot allllll my feelings that it was Basically Too Late to even DO Galentine’s Day packages, and instead felt fully bolstered by all the comments mentioning how lovely and refreshing SPRING things are at this time of year, even if all the hearts merchandise is sold out.
Also, I was able to pick up a bunch of Easter stuff I wanted, which, after the hearts mugs drama, I’d been hand-wringingly certain would sell out before I could get to it. BUT IT IS SAFELY IN MY GRASP.
And the person I talked to from corporate was so delightful and friendly and easy to talk to, and I did not ask her if she wanted to be friends but it crossed my mind. Instead I asked her what would happen if I went back to ordering the care packages: would my account lock up again? She said, “Hm…..how MANY packages?,” and I said “Like…twenty,” and she said “Hm……maybe,” but that if it DID, I could call/email her and she would unlock it for me again. She advised ordering just one or two packages a day, and interspersing those orders with orders for myself, which is what I am going to try: not only might that keep the account from getting locked again, but also it feels really fun to stretch it out like that. It can be a whole Galentine’s MONTH! I can wake up each morning and think about the two packages I’ll send that day; and I have a TON of stuff I still want to order for myself (exciting things such as Grape-Nuts, which are available again, and also just keeping-my-grocery-store-trips-lighter-and-less-frequent things such as peanut butter and rice and canned fruit) so I can parcel that into smaller orders in between, and this is just going to be FINE, it’s going to be FINE, it’s going to be BETTER than fine!
Good morning and I’m so happy the mood swing has happened! I am here to say that having someone else do my taxes is ABSOLUTELY WORTH the $500 we pay to have someone do it. And a bonus is, a few years back when we flipped into “standard deduction category” he told me I don’t have to gather nearly as much stuff – if basically nothing has changed for us, I can give him a few details and be done with it. And Swistle, it now takes me approximately 10 minutes AT MOST to gather my tax stuff. It is a DREAM COME TRUE, and I fervently wish this to be your path in the very near future! AND I just got my second covid shot and the effects, so far, have not been nearly as bad as I’d feared. THINGS ARE LOOKING UP!!!!!
Oh Swistle, my dear, but you have just cheered me right out of the awful crevasse I was sliding into today. I shall re-read your post as needed throughout the Wednesday hours. Mwah!
Hurrah, I am so happy for you!
Yay!
Maybe the Target rep will chat with coworkers about what you’re doing and they’ll agree it’s a genius idea and Galentine’s/Springalentine’s Day will sweep the country.
Yesterday I answered the phone and it turned out to be the local hardware store, which delivers, to tell me that things I had ordered that the website said would work together actually would NOT work together. Then he told me what would work, and everything got delivered, and now I am all set for the tiny bit of gardening I do.
This morning I read Nextdoor, where someone was insisting she needed the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine because they’re more effective than J&J. Later she said she had no medical training. Yeah, we could tell. So on the one hand, annoying, and on the other, eventually she and another neighbor arranged a time for her to call and receive and explanation of why she should get whatever she can get as soon as she can get it. Maybe there’s a cure for cluelessness?
Also, does this mean you need help choosing a new quilt?
By “help,” I mean you will post a bunch of pictures and we will admire them.
Let this charming bit of customer service not be lost in the comments: the hardware store called you! to offer advice about your order! I dunno, maybe it’s just growing up in a major metropolis but I think I would cry if someone took the time.
Right? They are just super nice, and they have hardware store stuff but also stuff from the Grommet and whoopie pies and you can bring your dog. It is really nice, when I bother to go in person, and my money stays local.
It was very motivating to have my stuff, and I brought my plants on dolleys out from the garage to celebrate.
YAY!!! I am super happy about all of this. <3
You have brightened MY day now. Thank you. Also, I would also be interested in seeing options for a new quilt.
I’m so glad! Hooray for Lisa Ann, well done.
Hooray! The one time I had a similar situation in the past where nothing was being done and each party kept referring me to the other one to solve the problem in some circular loop of hell, I ended up sending a strongly worded (for me, which basically means not apologizing for something that isn’t my fault) to the top three corporate emails I could find and two of the three got back to me with acceptable solutions! I was happy to see that Lisa Ann suggested that as an option and provided such a useful script, and that it WORKED! I, like other commenters, am feeling cheered by your cheery post.
“strongly worded (for me, which basically means not apologizing for something that isn’t my fault)”
I have been savoring this since yesterday, so today I am here to thank you for it.
I’m so happy for you! And kudos to the reader who found that email for you!
Splendid news! And I hope maybe you’ll show us your Easter finds, because seeing your posts about your purchases is every bit as much fun as if I had bought or received the stuff for myself!
YAY! This is such a happy and cheery post!
(You and I are kindred spirits, in several areas based on years of reading your blog, but apparently also in dropping-off-the-taxes-mentality. I called the tax person in advance, who assured me I just needed to slide the packet into their mail slot and they would get it… But then I also attached a note to the outside of the packet asking them to confirm that they did, in fact, get it. And they DID confirm and now I feel much better.) (Although I suppose even an identity thief could have called to confirm they got my packet of financial information, if they wanted to be especially sneaky about it.) (But no, the accountant himself has already reviewed things and emailed us with questions.)
Woohoo for extended Galentine’s Gifting!
All excellent news, and it’s lifting my mood just to read it. Also, Paul, you are making all the other partners look bad by comparison (by reading to your loved one in bed every night!!!!) I mean, how cute is that?
This is so PLEASING! Except the part about the shower door ON THE BED. Come on, man.
I have already noticed an improvement in my mood solely from the additional minutes of daylight we are gaining every day. I always hit rock bottom in late Feb and then in March as the days lengthen I get some kind of Sun Fever and suddenly am able to tackle tasks that I had avoided for MONTHS due to the extended ennui of winter.
Huzzah!
I am at the tax stage of everything is in our financial/banking software and just need to run the reports to get the information we need to send to our tax person. That is this weekend’s excitement. It will probably take about an hour because of the medical mileage futzing. I email her all of our info. She usually responds when she receives it.
The last couple of years we have gotten huge refunds. In 2018 I briefly discussed it with C but he didn’t really seem to care. So when the 2019 refund was even bigger than 2018, I mentioned it again with the suggestion that perhaps he should look at his W-4 to see what the withholding was. Oddly, he actually took that suggestion and found that the withholding was at the single person level. He wonders if maybe he didn’t actually fill out the W4 when he started at the job 2 years ago and so it went to the default. It also explains why the take home pay was quite a bit less than his previous job even though he assured me he was getting paid more at this job.
And this is why I am in charge of the finances.
I’m so happy to be of help! Quite curious, did they give you the reason why your account got locked and why they couldn’t unlock it for you through reasonable channels? I was silently boycotting Target on your behalf, now glad we can both shop again!
Ladies, FYI, I am the queen of the strongly worded email — if you need help writing one just let me know.
They didn’t say; I wondered if it was just that I was in a big stack of requests, waiting my turn, and that it was taking longer than predicted for a reason such as “person who does it is on vacation” as opposed to “this particular issue is difficult / time-consuming.”
Lisa Ann for president!!!!
So great to hear this, Swistle! And cheers for the happy Springtime Galentines! I suggested “Think Spring” for my box, and you did an outstanding job selecting fun things! I sent a picture of it to the email address you used to notify us. There is beginning to be light at the end of the tunnel.
I am cheered just READING this! And it is giving me the motivation to call my dermatologist and make a long-overdue appointment, since I used their online request tool and they IGNORED IT COMPLETELY so now I have to ALSO call yet I remain cheered! I can do this!
I do not know why so many doctor’s offices have those online request things that absolutely DO NOT WORK. The last time I tried it said “we’ll call you to set something up!” Uh, NO thank you?
This series of posts really reflected my own feelings so much and were just so helpful to read.
Since your commenters are so helpful, I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for an issue I am having with fraudulent charges which involve my Apple credit Card, Apple ID, Apple iTunes and my son’s iPad that I can’t resolve. I went through the proper channels to fight the charges (I have followed the steps to refute the charges through ITunes, Apple ID/icloud and the Apple Card) and at this point I am being help responsible for these charges despite the fact I believe they never should have been allowed. Does anyone have any suggestions for the next steps or any special corporate numbers or emails that I haven’t already tried? I also am seeking out assistance from a lawyer as well. I feel weird asking for help her but I am at a loss for how to positively resolve the situation.
YAY! Galentines/Springalentine’s is back on track!
A call/letter/email to corporate usually seems to fix most issues.
YAY! All great news! I’m changing my name to MaureenR by the way, in the last post I saw a comment by Maureen after I had posted one, and I was like “that wasn’t me, wait was it?” . HA! My brain after teaching leaves a bit to be desired.
I really enjoyed Eligible! I’m a huge Austen fan, and years ago there was The Austen Project, where her books were being rewritten by popular authors in a contemporary setting. I don’t think they got to all of them-Eligible, Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid, Sense and Sensibility by Joanna Trollope, Emma by Alexander McCall Smith. I think that was as far as they got, which is a bummer because Persuasion is my favorite Austen. I forget who was supposed to do that one. So that and Mansfield Park were the novels that weren’t done.
Thanks for the reading recommendations, MaureenR!
I sometimes see Bethany post and then wonder if I did that in the middle of the night when breastfeeding ans I forgot or what. So I started being my old college email bld424. But it’s not as friendly as a proper first name! So I’ll be BethanyH from now on!!
I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS!! I have just ordered the Joanna Trollope!
Also good: Longbourn by Jo Baker. Much of it is set at the Bennett’s estate during the events of Pride & Prejudice, but it’s the stories of the servants. If Paul gets tired of reading about early 19th century English people, there’s a good audiobook at the library, assuming all libraries have roughly the same Libby titles.
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow is QUITE GOOD, about Mary Bennet. It does not change Mary but it honors her, and goes deeper into her thoughts and her growth and just—I needed Mary Bennet this year. She’s great. She researches What Is Happiness and What Makes For A Happy Marriage. I am now an unwavering Mary Bennet fan.
I very much like the sound of this, and have put in a library request for it. I would LIKE to like Mary. (As it is, I kept wishing she had ended up with Mr. Collins.)
Yes, yes, yes! So happy you got the Target situation worked out, and with a nice and reasonable (and friend-worthy) person! I didn’t comment to participate in the gift giving but the whole thing made me so happy and restored my faith in humanity… all they way up to the part where you were abruptly cut off and then you were stuck in Target purgatory.
I’m very intrigued by your comment that Paul reads to you every night! Like, how did this start and how long has this been going on? And why? Solely because you enjoy it or because he does or you both do? Does he always read what YOU want him to read or does he sometime read aloud to you from some boring thing you have no interest in? Sorry for being so nosey – this is just something so far out of the realm of my imagination.
I asked Paul and we can’t remember exactly how or when it started, but it’s been many years. It’s because I have trouble falling asleep and he falls asleep in 30 seconds–and his Being Asleep makes it harder for me to get to sleep. So he reads aloud to keep himself awake and help me fall asleep. He’ll take requests, and I can be like “Ug, I don’t like this” and he’ll switch, but generally he picks the book. The goal is to find something interesting enough that my mind doesn’t wander back to Anxious Thoughts, but not interesting enough to keep me alert, or to matter if I doze off and miss some of it. Right now he’s reading Agatha Christie; we also go back again and again to Robert Benchley essays, Bertie Wooster and Jeeves, any book where it’s questions with answers (Cecil Adams, Randall Munroe)—I’m trying to think of others but failing. He tried to read me Little Women and some Jane Austen, which I find soothing to read myself, but it didn’t work to have him reading them aloud (it put them in His Voice rather than mine, if that makes sense). He’s read me Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell twice: that’s a good long-haul book.
This is just so incredibly sweet
Raccoons, man, they’re the worst
I loved Eligible! Might I suggest, then, that you try Sonali Dal and her series of novels that re-imagines Austen’s stories with a whole cast made up of Indian-American immigrant families? They are VERY fancy families, of course, and the interpretations are SO FUN (says the Austen fan who feels very protective of these stories and yet STILL loved the new versions)! The Pride and Prejudice one is called Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors (did I mention there is a strong food-related focus, too?! bonus!). There’s also “Recipe for Persuasion” (Persuasian-like story, different main characters, related to those in the other book) and I hear she’s working on a third (Sense and Sensibility inspired, maybe!?).
I received my package today! I’m sorry it was all such an ordeal, but it was such a fun thing to open in what’s been a pretty crappy couple of weeks. Thanks so much to you and all the donors that chipped in for extra care packages!