Thursday, 30 August 2012

• Mooned by Greek letters

  My mom died on this date in 2000, with my dad and several of my sisters, brothers-in-law, nieces, and nephews present in the ER. She had been wheelchair-bound for a year or so. It had been increasingly difficult to communicate with her by phone because she had suffered a series of strokes and sometimes was unresponsive. But that day, while she was dying of congestive heart failure, she was alert and coherent and interacted with those around her. She talked on the phone to friends and family in the US and Colombia. The family sang and talked. When Mom felt her body shutting down, she said, "Paul, pray!" and Dad took her head in his hands and prayed her across.

  I wish I had been there. I flew into Chicago a few hours later.

   ω ω ω ω ω ω ω ω ω

  Last night Alicia and I logged into the Embassy website and were delighted to discover that she can get a visa interview appointment as soon as late September! She needs to collect medical records and birth certificates and schedule an appointment with an Embassy-approved physician in Bogotá, but it is all manageable stuff. I have a few documents to send down as well. I was able to pay the interview fee online with a credit card, which saved us both some hassle.

  It was a huge relief to discover that the interview can be that soon. I was afraid there would be nothing until December or January... and I've already bought everyone's airline tickets for November 29 to come to the US!

   ω ω ω ω ω ω ω ω ω

  A client paid me for some recent work with a check made out to "Tim the Tool Man". That's the name of my handyman business, but I've never set up an account in that name, so my bank wouldn't cash it. On an impulse, I stopped by the client's bank to see if they'd do it. The cashier took the check and my business card to a manager, and she approved it.

  That was nice. It saved me the hassle of mailing it back and waiting for her to reissue it.

   ω ω ω ω ω ω ω ω ω

  One of my daughters just moved into an on-campus apartment with three other girls, and it turns out one is The Apartmentmate From Hell. This girl subjects my daughter and her roommate to constant harassment and bickering, files spurious complaints with the Apartment Life office, and most recently, triggered an 8:00 a.m. search Monday by four men from the campus authorities who came because of an "anonymous tip" that there was alcohol in my daughter's room. (This is because my daughter had made beer bread the day before and brought the loaf with her from home.)

  So far campus management has not acknowledged that it was at all inappropriate to send four men with no female chaperon to search an apartment occupied by girls, and to carry out the search without allowing the girls time or space to change out of their pajamas.

  I've written letters to the director of Apartment Life and to the Dean. My daughter's mom has met with the Apartment Life director. My daughter's roommate's dad has also met with them. We'll see how far this has to go.

   ω ω ω ω ω ω ω ω ω

  When my dryer died, I gave my washing machine to another daughter who plans to move into one of her mom's rentals. Yesterday a friend from church sent a general e-mail offering a used dryer for free. I called him and it was still available. So now I just need to pick it up.

  It's nice when things come together.

   ω ω ω ω ω ω ω ω ω

  My current translation assignment is killing me. Long and boring. I just can't bring myself to focus on it for more than five minutes at a time.

   ω ω ω ω ω ω ω ω ω

  It does look like the letters are mooning you. Admit it.

   

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