Smoking In People's Faces is Gross and Rude

1. At the Partick train station today, a nice looking girl approached the end of the bench upon which I was sitting. I politely moved over so she could have room to sit. She sat, and moments later I inhaled a large gulp of cigarette smoke. I turned to the direction from whence the waft came and saw the girl smoking non-chalantly less than a foot away from me in an enclosed (very small, too) area. I was disgusted, so I left the bench area and stood in the cold instead to wait for my train.

I know a lot of smokers read my blog, so I do not mean to offend. But if you are going to light up a cigarette in a public waiting area where people are not milling about and walking right past you but rather are stuck in the same area as you, be polite with your smoking. Step away from the general crowd to light up. I hate breathing other people's bad habits.

2. Some days I think that my job at the HSOG really sucks, but then people give me fun jobs, and I think it must be the greatest job in the world! This is what I get to do besides just writing and laying out the school newsletter...





(See descriptions of each here. Thanks Picture Trail for letting me post pics online while at work and unable to post to my own site...)

HOW MUCH FREAKIN FUN DO I HAVE?!

3. With the mum-in-law back from Aussieland I've been forced back into my weekly routine of Callenetics on a Wednesday night. As much as I hate it, it feels so good to be working my bod out. That every week ought to have me lookin' summer-licious in no time. Watch out, thighs, bikini season is fast approachin'!

4. Two annoying things yesterday: I came home and called the IRS to find out Where in the World is Carmen Tax Refund? and after listening to hold music interrupted every minute by a bored sounding woman telling me "Thank you for holding. Your call is important to us. Please do not hang up now and call again as this may increase your wait time, as your call is answered in the order in which it is received. The next available representive will be with you." for 25 minutes, a lady named Claudia told me they had not even received my return. In a panic, I asked to be transferred to the ITIN department, which is where I sent the return because they had to first simulate a fake Social Security (ITIN) number for Scott before processing my return. I was transferred and waited another 35 minutes before a man named Sadiq told me that he was unable to disclose any information regarding Scott's ITIN application as it is his personal application, and I do not have proper permission to access. Scott was out last night, therefore unable to give permission, so that was that, meaning I spent an hour waiting on hold for absolutely nothing. I have to call again tonight and have Scott say, "Yes, Lori can discuss her own tax refund with you."

Then (oh yes, it gets worse) as I was heading out the door, I checked the mail and saw that my application for a provisional driver's license from the DVLA complete with all legal documents (which were NOT sent registered mail as I had requested, extra postage and all) had been returned with a note saying, "We are unable to process your application. We need further proof of identity. Please send us your passport." Ha! A) The DVLA pamphlet says you do not have to send a passport and furthermore B) it said DON'T send in your passport if you will be travelling in the near future. GAH! I'll be travelling all summer, am I supposed to wait until August to apply for my f'ing PROVISIONAL? Geez, this country is terrified of frauds.

5. If you just read #4 you are probably asleep, and if you skimmed over it, you are probably hoping for a better ending. You won't get one. That's me done. Off to "lunch", i.e. an hour of waiting on hold with the DVLA.

UPDATE: DVLA will not budge on their insistence that I send in my passport. They will not arrange for my passport to be sent back to me in any kind of timely fashion and they will not accept any certified copies, which means I will not be re-applying for my provisional again until August at the earliest. Stupid goverment jerks, I don't care what happens, I am NOT putting a stinkin' L plate on my car. I am NOT a learner. (And while you're at it, Government, you can stuff your extortionate taxes where one always requests something to be stuffed, and start letting me actually take home a portion of the money that I commute an hour and half everyday to make.)