A Little Bit Jaded May 9, 2008

I have been having a hard time with the whole blogging thing lately.  And maybe it’s because this whole blogging thing is starting to feel a whole lot like high school.  There are blog cliques out there, whether you all will admit it or not.  And I feel like I’ve spent 3 years of my life trying to break in to one.  But you know what?  I’m finally content to admit that maybe I just don’t fit in with some of these groups.  I’m not a feminist.  I’m not trying to save the planet on a daily basis.  I’m not hitting the campaign trail.  I’m just a mommy, doing my thing.  I drive a truck.  I don’t recycle.  I still haven’t chosen a candidate to vote for yet, as I frankly think there isn’t one out there worth a damn.

And then there’s the whole mommy criticism.  Staying home versus working.  Breastfeeding versus formula.  How many playdates and activities you can get your kids involved in.  Homeschooling, private schools, public schools.  My head just spins.  I stay home because my husband has an amazing job that allows it.  But when I finish my own school, I might just get a job.  It’s an option.  We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.  I breastfed for awhile, then had to switch to formula.  I never felt like a failure because of that or because I had to have a C-section.  And I’m tired of all the whining about it, the fighting, the bickering.  Each family will do what works for them.

The big thing now is all of you mothers out there trying to defend why you blog.  You’re trying to say that you don’t exploit your children by blogging about them, and that may be true.  But what you keep harping on is the sense of community you get from blogging.  I’m here to ask where the hell that community is.  I began blogging because there was a good community back then.  I got so much help from so many of you when I was a new mother suffering from PPD.  But once the PPD was gone, so were many of you.  It seems that if I’m not cynical and bitter, you have no interest.  Maybe it’s the drama factor.  Or maybe it’s that blogging is a huge craze now and there are thousands of bloggers to try to keep up with.

It might sound like I’m whining or licking my wounds, but that’s not it.  I’m just disappointed in what’s happened around here.  Don’t get me wrong, there are a handful of you who have stuck with me.  You are amazing and I feel like you are my true friends, namely Alison and Heather.  I can’t seem to find anything to post about.  And my biggest problem is that I spend so much time trying to blog that I’m missing so much of my daughter’s life.  I’m tired of seeing her from behind a computer monitor.  I’m tired of sharing intimate details of her life with complete strangers who will only use it later to belittle me.  What started out as a hobby is now not fun anymore.  I’ve bought an old-fashioned notebook and I’ve decided I will now chronicle my daughter’s life with pen and paper.  It’s more personal that way, writing only to her, sharing stories that strangers don’t need to know.

I’m not saying I’m done blogging.  I’m just stepping back for awhile.  I’ve seen the ugly side to this “community” and I need to quit stressing about it.  I’ll still be reading some of my favorite blogs when I can, but I plan to enjoy the summer with my kiddo and get to know her a little better.  You guys can still keep in touch…I’m available by email, I’m on Facebook and MySpace, and I’ll still be around.  I just can’t promise that I’ll be posting regularly.

She’s What Makes My World Go ‘Round May 6, 2008

Using My Voice May 2, 2008

If you don’t ever spread the word about another one of my posts, please do it this time.  I’m outraged with this company and I want everyone to know about it.

A few months back, The Hubby and I bought a new tv.  We had done a lot of research prior to purchasing and we settled on a 50-inch flat screen plasma HDTV made by Philips.  We knew this brand had been around awhile a was reputable, which is why we chose them.  After ordering the tv online, it took around 3 weeks for it to be delivered.  We had problems with the delivery people they chose, but we brushed it off.

On a Thursday night we got the tv and hung it on the wall.  The following Wednesday we had a satellite man scheduled to come out to install our HD programming.  We woke up early that Wednesday morning with a sick Squeaks.  When The Hubby went to turn on the tv we had in our possession for less than a week, it made a loud popping sound and then the only thing that worked was a flashing red light on the corner of the panel.  We called Philips immediately.  They assured us they would send out a repairman, but it would be the following day.  So I had to call and reschedule the HD install.

The warranty repairman came and took our tv.  He told us the panel was blown and that they would order a new one.  Our tv would be ready by the next week.  That was a month ago.  The repairman Philips chose is horrible.  He has never one gotten in touch with us.  We’ve had to call every day and leave him messages (which he never returns) and we’ve gotten lucky two times that he’s answered the phone.  We’ve called Philips to complain about the repairman and they assure us they will take care of it, but nothing has happened.

Today we finally reached the repairman.  He told us the new part was in and that it didn’t work so he had to order another one.  But instead of actually contacting us to tell us that, we had to chase him down.  Furious with the whole situation, we called Philips and had the pleasure of talking to a real jackass.  We told him our concerns with the repairman they chose and the fact that the tv might just be a dud, as the new parts aren’t fixing it.  When we asked if there was any way they could replace the tv, the Philips rep got very rude and informed us they would not do that.  We then went on to say that since we bought the tv 2 months ago, it’s only been in our possession for 7 days.  The warranty is only a year.  We told him they were using up our warranty time by leaving us in a limbo pattern with the repair.  We asked if our warranty could be extended at least another month to cover this time and the asshole was very rude in telling us that it wouldn’t happen. 

It’s bad enough that a very expensive, brand new tv quit working so quickly, but now we’re stuck dealing with this horrible company.  Since the government is sending out these stimulus checks this week, I’m sure some of you might be purchasing televisions.  Let me urge you to NOT BUY FROM PHILIPS.  Their product is not worth the cost and their customer service is horrible.  And their one year warranty doesn’t do any good if you don’t have the tv at all during that year!  If I could just get my money back on the damn thing, I would go with another company. 

This is so not over.

Are You Sure You Want To Shut Down? May 2, 2008

The fact that finals are next week is evidence by the way I’m just shutting down.  There are so many things I need to do, but I only feel like crawling in bed and sleeping it all away.  I can’t think coherently enough to create a good blog post and I realized today that I haven’t checked my email in a few days.  I usually talk to my sister multiple times a day and we’ve gone days without talking this week!  I tend to do this when the pressure’s on, so hopefully I’ll get some good studying hours in and I will be back to normal and I can continue to educate you guys on my life, past and present.