*Footnote to previous post

I feel the need to clarify something about that ranting in the last post. As frustrating as it is to have to wait on hold and not have your needs met by customer service people because they don't understand you and vice-versa, I would never, ever be angry with them or nasty to them. I feel a lot of compassion towards employees in India and other poor countries who are exploited for their cheap wages (careful there, Wendy, no soapboxes), who have to deal with impatient, nasty americans who treat them poorly because of the language issue (and I know that happens a lot to them!). Also, I really don't think the woman at bestbuy was stupid. I was just a little hormonal, or something.

I feel much better now.

The rest of the story...

In that last post I just really needed to vent. Amy was right, there is a story. I was on hold with DishNetwork for the hundredth time, catching up on blogs and what-not on the computer so I wasn't dwelling on the fact that those stupid people were ignoring me AGAIN. I was so ready to get all Grandpa Sampson on them and start placing calls to the CEO (assuming, of course, that I could find his contact information somewhere). So here's the rest of the story:

I ordered DishNetwork last week (switched from directTV, the reasons for which I will explain at another time, perhaps an occasion when I feel my blood pressure is getting dangerously low) and set up a time for installation. Wednesday between 12 and 5, because unlike normal people in the world, satellite installation technicians are incapable of making REAL appointments (ie., 3pm on a Tuesday, or 1:30 on Wednesday). NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, they must give you a range, so that you are held hostage in your own home until they decide to show up. Anyhoo, on Wed. I raced home so I could be there at exactly noon (they called that morning to say their schedule was packed, so don't be late or they would leave). I followed all their directions (move very large, very heavy entertainment center into middle of room so they had room to work), and then sat and waited. And waited. And waited. Now, on Wednesday it really wasn't that bad because I was studying for an exam anyway - no big deal, until they called at 4:30pm to say that at the rate they were going they wouldn't get to me until midnight, so please call and reschedule. Fine. I did. Waited on hold for 30 minutes. Talked to non-english-speaking customer service rep in phillipines. I made a Friday appt, but gave explicit instructions that there was NO WAY I could be home before 1pm. They said no problem. Moved very large, very heavy entertainment center out of middle of the room. So Friday comes, and again moved very large, very heavy entertainment ctr into middle of room. Went to take nasty, nasty physics test. I drove into the driveway at 1:01pm. And there's a phone message left at 11:50am saying technician will there in 10 minutes. At 12:00. Not 1:00. Huh. Called dishnetwork, waited on hold for 30 minutes. talked to non-english-speaking customer service rep in phillipines, am told the tech is ON HIS WAY (from where, I don't know. Maybe south africa. on foot.). Held hostage again in own home for another 5 hours, and tech is, again, a no-show, only this time no calls. Called dishnetwork, waited on hold for another 30 minutes, talked with non-english-speaking customer service rep in phillipines. She gives me phone number of installation company, and am told that either a technician or an area manager will call me that night. Leave msg at phone number I'm given. Wait for call... and..........nothing. Move very large, very heavy entertainment center back against wall. At this point I'm considering not having TV at all, as it's not worth the frustration.

Saturday morning rolls around, and I can't deal with those people anymore, so go out to Best Buy to return a memory card and get the right one for Dylan's new camera (birthday gift). Take camera in to BestBuy customer service rep, show her the memory card that we need (I mean, she actually HAD IT IN HER HAND, AND READ THE SPECS ON IT), and am given a different box by woman, with assurance that it's the right one. Wait in line for 20 minutes (with impatient children in tow) to exchange the damn memory card. Make transaction successfully. Go to bank to open savings accounts for kids. Wait in lobby with impatient, HUNGRY children for 45 minutes (!!!!!!) before being helped with banking business. Drive home. Open new memory card from best buy to install in camera, only to find out that it's the WRONG ONE (in fact, it's the SAME ONE I HAD JUST RETURNED!!). Utter some VERY colorful language, directed at stupid woman at best buy. Scare my children with said colorful language (oops, did I say that out loud?!).

Later in the afternoon, decide I can deal with dishnetwork again (still no call from tech or area manager), so call, wait on hold for 30 minutes, talk with non-english-speaking customer service rep in phillipines and request a chat with her manager. In the process of transferring the call, she disconnects me. Think to self, "DEEP, CLEANSING BREATHS, SELF. YOU CAN DO THIS WITHOUT BURSTING A BLOOD VESSEL OR USING SAME COLORFUL LANGUAGE THAT FRIGHTENED CHILDREN ON POOR NON-ENGLISH-SPEAKING CUSTOMER SERVICE REP IN PHILLIPINES!"). Call back, wait on hold for 30 minutes (which was when I wrote previous post) and FINALLY got through to helpful, southern-accented Bill, who speaks fluent english and is NOT in the phillipines, who credits my not-yet-established dishnetwork account $80, sets yet another 12-5 appointment for Monday, and comes across as if he genuinely feels sorry for me (I so needed some empathy at that point). Feeling somewhat satisfied, poor big glass of wine and hang with my babes before getting very restful sleep so I can face another day of dealing with all the incompetents in this world.

As for the satellite, really, if they screw it up tomorrow, I'm done. No TV in this house, and my children will grow up to be all the better for it. And they'll have a mother who is sane.

And somewhere there is a prozac pill that's screaming my name...

Something that makes me see red and pour angry steam from my ears...

...PEOPLE WHO WASTE MY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mt Baker trip

The week before Christmas we spent a few days at a cabin near Mt Baker. The kids (including our nephew Roozbeh) took snowboarding and skiing lessons at the ski area. They loved the snow - the scenery was magnificent, and the skiing/snowboarding was even better. Conditions the first day on the mountain were a little miserable, with lots of snow and even more wind, but they liked it anyway. The second day was clear and gorgeous, and the kids got to practice their newly acquired skills. This area is now our new favorite vacation destination (actually, it's tied with La Push) and we're looking into possibly getting some land up there to build a cabin. The area is undeveloped, for the most part, and has SO MUCH to offer during all seasons - camping/hiking in the spring/summer/early fall and skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing in the winter. We're thinking it'd be a great place for family get-togethers.

The first four pictures were taken by Husband from the top of the chairlifts. His snowboarding skills are far more advanced than ours, and he got to go on all the runs (double black diamond even - those are apparently the most difficult), which afforded him these spectacular views...

This picture is of the trees from the car on our way back down the mountain...

The cabin...

The brats...

Sooo happy! (and cold)

Making her way down the bunny hill...

Getting up is the hardest part!

Yes, even I attempted to snowboard, although this is how I spent most of my time (on my behind). I think I'll stick with skiing! And that is Dylan in the background - quite a crash!

Dylan exposes his creative side

Can someone please explain boys to me? They are definitely a different breed. Dylan came home from school yesterday with this beautiful artwork that he sketched during reading time in class (you MUST enlarge it):
?! What the...?! I just shake my head and chuckle...aside from that I'm speechless. What a multi-talented child I have!

La Push video

Another favorite pastime at La Push..."La Push" as in "I will la push you into la water, " and chasing waves (and the occasional shoe:)).

Happy Thanksgiving

As many of you probably know, one of our favorite places to go is a little spot on the Washington Coast called La Push. We ventured out there again this year for Thanksgiving, this time with mom and our Peruvian friend Margory in tow (Margory is up here to go to school and play volleyball - she was just offered a full ride scholarship to play in NYC! She works with husband in the intramurals dept at SCC).

Just as an aside, I have to point out the irony of going to La Push (which is on the Quileute Native American reservation) for Thanksgiving - something I think about alot when we go there for that particular holiday. I wonder how many Native Americans celebrate the fact that several hundred years ago they welcomed and helped save the lives of the people who eventually brutally slaughtered them and almost completely destroyed their way of life and culture? OK, OK, I won't get all soap-boxy on you, but I just can't resist pointing that out.

So here are some of the pictures. We had such a great time, and the weather was AMAZING. In a previous post I detailed the weather during our last trip out there, and this time it was the exact opposite. When we arrived it was sunny and about 60 degrees! We got to spend a ton of time on the beach playing in the water, and there was a full (or almost full) moon that illuminated the white caps on the ocean at night. BEAUTIFUL! Just confirms that there is no other place I'd rather be than in the Pacific NW.

**To really appreciate the scenery in these pictures, click on them to enlarge!**

The view to the north

Mom & ZoyaZoya climbing on a log with the view to the south in the background

Margory and Zoya

"Sorry!" was the game of choice for the weekend. With no phone and no TV (though we did bring a small tv with the Wii), we get to enjoy each other's company more than usual)

Pickle posing

Margory and I climbed to the top of a big haystack rock to get a better view of Second Beach

You can tell by my hair that the wind was blowing!At Second BeachSecond Beach again"Patrick"
(anyone else like Spongebob as much as we do?)

Sea cucumbers (I think)