Today’s Business: 2009-12-21
Monday, December 21st, 2009Log
09:40 AM: I’m up.
10:15 AM: Neighbor Marlene is heading to Altoona this morning for personal business, and offered to do a little shopping trip for us, and pick up anything we might need while she’s up there. So I’m having her buy 500 legal sized, security, self-sealing business envelopes. No more licking flaps for me. 
12:00 PM: Currently, I’m processing all received email since the last time I did this, and paying all pending bills.
03:30 PM: Paid all nine pending bills. This took some extra time because…
- Had to change our address with several of these vendors, per the E-911 project;
- We received multiple bills for the same item (Mom’s foot brace boot), and so I had to call two vendors to understand the reason for the second bill;
- One call center I connected with was located in India; not only was the accent of the customer service rep very thick and difficult to understand, but the phone connection was also very muffled and noisy. So we still don’t have the issue of this vendor not receiving a payment I sent them a month ago, resolved as of yet.
03:35 PM: Hmmm, I’m down to my last book of forever postage stamps. I think I’ll try ordering new ones online this time and see how it goes. Delivery to my mailbox would be great since walking up to the post office in Bellwood is quite dangerous currently, with all the snow plowed up around, and half of the distance to there must be traversed along roads that have no sidewalks. Aaaaah, such is the life of a pedestrian.
03:45 PM: Discovered that I cannot log into my USPS (postal service) account. Tried resetting the password but their web site says my user name needs to be at least six characters long; it’s actually seven. So I’m calling the USPS web support line at 1-800-344-7779.
04:55 PM: I’m still on hold, waiting for assistance on the US postal service’s web support telephone line. I’ve also sent them email, detailing the problem, and attempted to use their Internet chat system. So far, no answer on any of these channels. I may have to find a way to the post office to buy these stamps to get us through the holiday rush.
05:10 PM: I gave up on waiting for the USPS Internet customer service team to answer my call. I’ll probably wait until after the holidays are over and call traffic there slows back down to normal levels.
05:15 PM: Just verified that the money transfer has finally been completed between the WPSBC Alumni Association’s investment account and its checking account. Now, I can sent out these four pending memorial payments.
08:30 PM: [Emmy] and I are listening to the Penguins Vs. Devils hockey game on the Internet radio. Currently the Pens are losing, 4 to 0.
09:45 PM: I tried once more to get through to the postal service’s Internet support line; waited for fifteen minutes but no one came onto the line. So, I just created a completely new account, entered my credit card info to that account, and then placed my stamps order. It went through without problem. Hmmmm. I really should have just done that this afternoon. Of course, I lost any profile information I had saved on the other other account. But since I’ve not used that account since sometime in early 2007, the information there is probably out of date anyhow. Anyway, we’re back in business; I can now print shipping labels, do one-click shipping, Etc., once again.
11:15 PM: Watched today’s episode of The Young and the Restless on the DVR.
11:20 PM: Posted the list of today’s added or changed documents in this blog, here.
11:50 PM: Headed for bed once again. See you tomorrow. Good night.