How’s that book of mine coming along? Can you say “lessons in frustration?”
If you’ve not heard, I’m crafting a book about the Just TypiKel adventures and people encountered over the ten years (1983 -1993) that I worked with my mother in her Vancouver-based Asian antiques and collectibles shop. Think Antiques Road Show meets Auntie Mame meets James Herriot.
It’s a hefty project that I’m thoroughly enjoying.
However, I’ve recently encountered a hiccup.
Lessons In Frustration
Damn her, Bless her, Mom started a new diary for each of our multiple overseas buying trips. Excellent. Except these gems are missing. She swears they must be in her storage locker that’s located in the basement of her apartment. Let’s hope so.
Meanwhile, while I’ve got you here, let me vent reveal a few more lessons in frustration.
I recently shared that I’m back on Weight Watchers. Because I’m a Life Timer at my goal weight, I can join the Weight Watchers’ online site for free. All I need to do is pick up the Monthly Pass, scratch the access code and enter that number into the appropriate area on the site. Bingo.
Except, silly me forgot to get the Monthly Pass in April. OR May. SO, I was rightly charged for each month. A quick phone call to Weight Watchers and I learned all I needed to do to get these charges revoked was to get a Monthly Pass at my next meeting and call them back with the access code.
Naturally, in Just TypiKel fashion, they were all out of Monthly Passes at my next meeting. My wonderful leader saved the day by scratching a fresh Pass at home and sending me the photo.
My subsequent call to Weight Watchers was lengthy. Apparently there is another Kelly McKenzie born in the same year as me. Was I that person? Had I joined WW in 2011? No and no. Weight Watchers and I go waaay back.
There were more questions to answer including the pertinent “Was I currently breast-feeding?” Sweet Jesus. That’d be a medical miracle. Had she not just heard my birthdate?
15 minutes more of this and I was struggling to tamper down my frustration. I was dealing with a trainee who was doing her very best.
My inbox soon lit up with “Welcome to Weight Watchers” and offers for free sign ups in June and July. Good grief. Five minutes more and she finally shared that she couldn’t do any refunds without her supervisor’s approval and said supervisor had just left for the day. All would be rectified by email the next day. Guaranteed.
Four days later the problem still existed. I phoned them again and this time was on hold for 20 minutes before being connected. Apparently I had two accounts with Weight Watchers. We needed to cancel one and reactivate the other. Done. We were good to go.
I hung up and tried to log on. After the site refused to accept my password several times, I attempted to change it for a new one. They sent me this:
That email address for the password reset? NOTHING like mine. Another 20 minutes of elevator music and problem solved. Canadians must log onto the Canadian version of WW. Just TypiKel.
Ok, I’ll leave you with this lovely photo of my dear 93 year-old mother and her latest creation.
See how she hunches up her shoulders as she paints? She tore 3/4 of her rotator cuffs (hauling herself up a rope ladder onto a Russian icebreaker 5 years ago) and she’s in constant pain as the docs can’t recommend surgery … You’d think that be a key lesson in frustration. Nope. She chooses to “rise above it” and carry on.
And no, I’m sorry, but that painting isn’t available. It no longer exists. Mom encountered her own lessons in frustration with it and came to hate it. So she gessoed it out and is starting anew.
You’ll have to wait until next time to learn about the hellish time I’m having in getting an expensive and unnecessary airline ticket refunded. Remember, my son is spending the majority of his summer as a college intern on another continent? Uh huh. It’s special.
Enough about me and my lessons in frustration. I’m curious about you. What frustrating things are being thrown at you? If you’d care to share, I’d love to hear.
22 Responses
My whole life is a lesson in frustration haha! I’ve been dealing with doctors between mom with a UTI and me first having gallbladder surgery to now apparently needing a hysterectomy. Fun times!
Oh, Rena. Ouch. I am sorry.
Kelly, thanks for the laugh , it so reminds me of many frustrations over the years, usually related to computers, or trying to speak to a real person on the phone ! Love the question ” are you breastfeeding” , I am still laughing !!
Yes, what is it about trying to speak to a real person on the phone? Woe betide those who try and talk to someone after booking online. “But you booked online. You have to solve your problem online.”
My life has been one big frustration since last July! I love you and your mom – you always brighten my day and remind me to continue on!
Thank you, Lana. I’m so sorry you’ve been going through such a frustrating time. Come on up. Love to meet you and share a glass or two!
Too funny, Sis. My middle name is FRUSTRATION! Great pic of your Mom. Hope you find the journals. You little skinny thing – you should be WW’s cover girl!!! Have a great week!
Thanks, Sis. Yes, I hope I find those journals. SO looking forward to pawing through dusty boxes in her basement to look for them, too. Wanna help?
Something must be in the air. I’ve got a whole list of things that frustrate me this week! Maybe part of Weight Watchers’ diabolical plan is to have their clients on hold so long that they either forget to eat or can’t get to food? 😉
Good luck finding those diaries. Your picture with your insightful notes made me giggle.
Hahaha! Love the concept of keeping us on hold so long we forget to eat or can’t get to food. Yes! Perhaps that’s it. Thanks for the good wishes re finding the diaries. Hope I do. And my dining room table is very fetching and organized right now, no? Have a pal coming over for dinner tomorrow night. Yikes.
as always – I so enjoyed reading your post. My husband spends HOURS on the phone with the cable company – he loves getting to the bottom of things, but he does it in a funny way. After talking to someone about the problem for 30 minutes, he starts asking them who they pick for the Super Bowl or something like that – they always remember him, so it works! Love your moms painting – can’t wait to see the next transformation.
Oh, Vickie that is SO great about your husband. I love that. He sounds very like my brother who insists on engaging with the person on the other end of the phone. And my mom. She is ALWAYS having problems with her cable and she is also on the phone with them for forever. Once off, she phones me and tells me all about them. “His name was David and he says that he couldn’t believe I was 93 …”
Oh I so hope that I’m still painting at 93! How wonderful ! Painting is very relaxing for me as well but sometimes it takes a bit to get to that spot. I’ll either putter around the studio or do some doodling until the good vibes come along. Thanks for a great story
Thanks for reading, Sue. Your painting process sounds a lot like my writing one. More often than not, I putter around for a bit and then tap out some drivel before the ideas come and things flow. Slowly.
Some intense lessons in frustration; it is good to vent. I love the sound of the book you have in the works. I have several in the works as well, can’t come up with an ending for any of them…my frustration. Have a great week.
Hi Beemie, thank you for popping in and having a read. Those endings will come to you! Hang in there.
Oh my Kelly….it does seem as though you have had quite the time of it of late! Sounds like you are pushing through it all…..just love your sense of humor! Laughter is such magical medicine! Bravo to your Mum! “Rise above and carry on” I was taught that early on and I have to say it has served me well. So many folks tend to focus on the pain or the problem until all else is loss to them. My Grandmother in particular was one who would continue to ‘forge ahead’ …..bull headed and strong willed…no one or no thing had better get in her way! LOL! I was lucky enough to have inherited some of that strong spirit….although some folks might not think so….HA! My troubles were many and my frustrations high in these past few weeks, but I just kept moving forward one day and one crisis at a time!
Good on you, Debbie. I must head over and see if you’ve shared the vehicle problems with us. I do hope that you are well away on the road again and that everything is back to normal. Laughter truly is magical medicine, isn’t it? Your Grandmother sounds like a gem.
Oh my GOSH I am SCREAMING with frustration for you!!! Like seriously- I would have LOST. IT. multiple times and probably given up Weight Watchers. LOL
And then that pic of your precious mom. Ah…
All better now. How on earth can any of us complain?
Aw, thanks, Chris. I just got off the phone with Mom. She’s all in a swivet about the party she’s planning for the building. It’s a potluck and the manager, “who has shown very little interest in the party” won’t be there. Should she give her a tip or save it for Christmas? Bless her. The reason for the party? “I don’t know all the newcomers and I feel it’s important that they feel welcome.” This is an apartment building with folks ranging in age from a few months to 99.
A minor problem to be sure, but website passwords and security questions have been driving me batty lately. Password expired, so must answer security question to change it. Can’t answer the question right, even though I know my answer is correct. Ugh!
Oh man, Dana. Now that problem would drive me batty. I’ve got a similar thing happening. Trying to download my phone carrier app onto my phone but am being obstructed from doing so as the “phone number isn’t connected to this account.” Excuse me?