It's not so much that I've been busy so much as my attention hasn't been focused on blogging. It's not as if proper time management couldn't have helped me post now and then while getting things done. But who ever practices effective time management? Perhaps a lot of people, one of whom does not include me.
So where I at?
- I got into a car accident. No, don't panic. It's just a paint scratch, but even a tiny little brush is enough to be "involved in the accident". I was waiting at an intersection for the light to turn green. A driver was turning left to my side of the intersection when the other driver came barreling down the road and plowed right into car turning left. The force of the impact was hard enough to force both cars to head in my direction. I watched it unfold and, as they say in TV and film, was powerless to stop it. Oncoming train, that kind of analogy. I could only mutter, "Oh God, not again." I came out of it all right, but I was still kind of shell-shocked while we all waited for the police to arrive.
- I fucking hate UPS. I called UPS on Thursday to ask whether a package headed my way could be held at the main office instead of put on a truck. The package arrives on the day I'm supposed to leave for my trip. UPS usually delivers stuff around 2 p.m., and my flight is around 6 p.m. I would have to leave my apartment sometime around 4 p.m. It's a close call. And it's a package I want to bring with me on the plane. UPS tells me I can't do anything on my end — I would need to call the vendor to request what I want. Oh, fuck. I can already see how it's going to end. I thought I could give it a shot, and I called Bed, Bath and Beyond, who sent me the package in question. I explained my situation, and the incredibly friendly customer service woman did her best to accommodate me. The result: the package was reschedule for delivery after I return from my trip. God fucking damn it! All I wanted was for UPS to not put the damn package on a truck. But could they do that? No. As helpful as the Bed, Bath and Beyond customer service clerk was, I had a feeling something would lost in translation with my request, and a package intended to go with me to Honolulu is instead not even reaching Austin till after I get back. Fuck you, United Parcel Service!
- Seeing how disastrous that encounter went, I decided not to tempt fate with other packages arriving on the same day. To all the businesses out there using UPS for your shipping: Please, please switch to another provider. I don't get the same crap from FedEx, and some packages sent through DHL arrived without incident. Hell, I get better service from the United States Post Office, and those guys deliver on Saturday.
- Those other packages heading to me? They're various orders from Mixonic. I mentioned elsewhere that I've been experimenting with designing cover art and ordering short-run printed CDs. In fact, I was burning a bunch of enigmatics CDs while I was writing this post. That's why I haven't really updated. I've been immersed in QuarkXpress, Photoshop and Illustrator for the past two weeks. Huh. I wonder if I should go all old-school and try to start up a zine again.
- I'm heading home to Honolulu in three days. I probably should start packing now.