I will update in the next day or so, but for now, here's something that was posted on a message board I read regularly, and thought it was too great not to put in here. With all of the bank drama I've faced over the last year or so, I can only wish I had thought to write MY bank a letter of this caliber:

Letter To The Bank

The letter to the bank below is an actual letter that was sent to a bank
by a 80 year old woman. The bank manager thought it amusing enough to
have it published in the New York Times.


Dear Sir:
I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavored to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it. I refer, of course, to the
automatic monthly deposit of my entire salary, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years. You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank.
My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways. I noticed that whereas I personally attend to your telephone calls and letters, when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, prerecorded, faceless entity which your bank has become. From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan repayments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank, by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate. Be aware that it is an offense under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope. Please find attached an Application Contact Status which I require your chosen employee to complete. I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative. Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof. In due course,
I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me. I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service.
As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Let me level the playing field even further. When you call me, press buttons as follows:
1. To make an appointment to see me.
2. To query a missing payment.
3. To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.
4. To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.
5. To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
6. To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home.
7. To leave a message on my computer, a password to access my computer
is required. Password will be; communicated to you at a later date to the
Authorized Contact.
8. To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7.
9. To make a general complaint or inquiry.

The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service. While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call. Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to
cover the setting up of this new arrangement.

May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous New Year?

Your Humble Client,
Lydia B. Hodges

The house is soooo quiet right now. Michael's at school (started back yesterday), and Travis fell asleep after supper before I could even give him his bath. I kind of thought Michael would have a short night at school tonight, it being the first night of the class and all, but I think the school has come up with this new rule that the teachers actually have to keep the students the whole time, even if it's just to chat about sports or whatever's current. I dunno, that just seems kinda BLAH for night class. A LOT of students that go at night are often times older, married, have full-time jobs, kids, etc., and probably just want to get the lectures, get the notes, take the tests, and get out, and night class doesn't let out 'til 9:00 p.m. Even on test nights, the teachers are now required to at least show a video. I used to love test days because it meant I could go in, hurry up and take my test and be out of there and have the rest of the night to do whatever. Not anymore. Oh well, I don't make the rules, but the rules stink! At least we already ate supper before he left for school. After he left, I cleaned up the kitchen, mopped the kitchen, vaccumed the living room, the hallway, and the kids' rooms, dusted a few things, and gave Jacob his bath.

While I could sit here and rant about some disturbing information I learned from my Mother yesterday, I am not going to waste any more time and energy on it than I have in this sentence. Besides, it's yesterday's news, really, and I'd like to keep it thata way.

Instead, I want to talk about Jacob. My sweet little 14-month-old baby boy. His vocabulary has grown over the last couple weeks...lol...he can say 2 more words. He could already say "Mama", "Dada", and "Bye Bye" (the later, only when you ARE NOT trying to get him to say it). NOW he can say "Thank You" (which comes out more like Kah-Kah, which means he's picking up on the "k" sound in "thank", and he mocks my tone every time he says it), and he can also say "Uh Oh" which comes out more like "Eh Eh", but once again, he mimicks the exact tone I use when saying it. So it's just REALLY CUTE! He doesn't pronounce the words right just yet, but he understands the meaning of the words.

Speaking of baths, something else Jacob does that I think is funny is when bath time rolls around, he transforms into a baby whale. Once he's in the tub, he raises both legs simultaneously, then plops them both back into the water at the same time. Then he picks up speed and splashes water EVERYWHERE. By the time his bath is over, there's a huge puddle of water in the floor, and I'm soaked and have to change clothes. Something about babies...if they are going to have to get a bath, they want to make sure Mom or Dad gets a bath, too.

I am bored & tired, and there's really not much else to do besides watch the Olympics or surf the net. I'd lay down on the couch, but then I'd fall asleep, and I can't do that because Jacob's not asleep yet. I wish Michael would get home soon! :(

Michael stayed home from work today because he wasn't feeling too great (sinus stuff), plus the fact that he hasn't taken a day off in like FOREVER, so he stayed home today. And I took advantage of him being home and I went out for awhile, ALL BY MYSELF. A rare treat, indeed. I went to the bank to make a deposit, went to Kohl's and bought 2 really cute tops, a necklace and a pair of earrings, and a stuffed animal for each of the kids (a green alligator for Travis, and a blue lizard for Jacob). I had not really bought myself ANYTHING in awhile. Seriously, whenever I have been given money to actually buy something for myself, I almost always feel guilty for buying something for ME, and many times I end up using the money for stuff we need instead of stuff I want. What's weird is that I used to be a shop-o-holic. I'd see this and that and I'd buy it if I wanted it. Of course, those were the days when I actually worked a job and had a nice check coming in every 2 weeks. Being a mother has really changed me in that area...now I don't even think twice about stuff I want usually, and instead I'll spend money that was given to ME on the kids or to take the family out to eat somewhere good. There's just not a whole lot that I want these days, and when I do see something I want, I have a lot more discipline to say "Nope, I can't afford that" or "I'll wait 'til it goes on sale". The way I see it, I have the BEST job in the world, being a stay-at-home mom, and the pay and benefits are far beyond any monetary benefits I could ever hope to get from any other job.

Well quiet time is over...Travis is up and wants to watch Dora. I can't believe he's awake! Now he'll NEVER go back to sleep tonight! Oh well...that's it for me! Have a good night!