What's New in My Zoo

I am sorry for my relative silence, but I have been experiencing several troubles recently. First, and worst, a stranger on the sidewalk bumped into me and knocked my laptop out of my hands such that it fell to the pavement, where it dented one corner and compromised the structural integrity of the metal case. It still functions, but I have to get it repaired. Besides the fact that my laptop is only six months old, it is the most expensive object I've ever owned, so I am just sick about this. I am heavily dependent upon my laptop for nearly everything from writing, communication and job hunting to entertainment (watching DVDs), so if I have to give it up for a week or two for the necessary repairs, I have no idea what I will do. [no, I did not get this stranger's contact information so I could demand that he pay for repairs, so that expense is yet another thing for me to worry about, too].

Second, my internet wireless connection has not been consistently available to me recently, so I have been relying on scheduled publications whenever I have internet access so I can provide you with some new material to read from time to time. Hopefully this issue will be resolved soon.

Last but not least, it appears that my four-month battle with ConEd is about to resume. During the winter, they charged me $890+ for a power bill and were in the process of turning me over to a collection agency for non-payment despite the fact that it was literally impossible for me to consume what turned out to be in excess of four years' of electricity at my normal rate of usage in the span of a single month. After many dozens of phone calls and numerous complaints to a variety of officials, ConEd finally decided that I never did owe them that money, that they made a huge billing mistake so I am not a deadbeat as they so wrongly claimed.

This time, ConEd is charging me for gas usage, despite the fact that I turned off the gas more than eighteen months ago. But now it appears that they did NOT turn off the gas as they were supposed to do, and they want me to pay for it. So now, I am going to be fighting them over a humongous gas bill since it was costing me approximately $20 per month for the priviledge of having access to gas for my stove in the first place.

Some days, it is a bad idea to crawl out of bed, methinks.

More like this

Wow, I am so sorry. When last we "spoke" you were doing just fine, er, uh, well pretty good. Go look at a Downy Woodpecker nest to cheer up. I happen to know you know where to locate one. If that doesn't work, though I have no reason to suspect it won't,how about visiting a perky Red Squirrel? Of course, you have to know where to find one first. I happen to be in a postion to supply the information free of charge.
Feel better.
Bob

Don't feel bad about not getting the stranger's name. You would have to litigate and prove negligence most likely, and that would become cost-ineffective quickly since no lawyer would do the work on something that small except by the hour.

By biosparite (not verified) on 01 Jun 2006 #permalink

Sorry to hear that. My Powerbook has twice made a short accelerating vertical translation onto a concrete surface, leaving the case dented, but, praise Jobs, it still humas along nicely...