Some random stuff for today.

First of all, I'm kind of surprised. I had ordered an item from an online purveyor (I commented about this on Twitter last night). I ordered on Sept. 15. I knew the order would take a LITTLE while (like, a week after I ordered it) because one item was still being printed and signed.

So I waited. The time frame came and went. I e-mailed early in October: hey, where's my stuff. Got back a "sorry, artist is still working on it, it's taking him longer than anticipated."

So I waited more. E-mailed for a status update (when the artist claimed on his website "all my orders are done and shipped now!"). Got some kind of vague "It's in the warehouse" comment.

Finally, yesterday, after another difficult day, I was fed up. I had waited nearly 2 months, the only contact I had with the company was at my own initiation (I thought there was a law that said if a mail-order purchase was to be delayed more than 30 days, the company had to contact the customer). I told them: either let me know when my stuff is coming, or please refund my money. I also may have used the word "unprofessional" but I was fed up after a day of "Do we get extra credit for being here (because a lot of the students skipped)" or "Waaah! I did my graph wrong and YOU ARE OUT OF GRAPH PAPER" and similar things.

This morning, I have a message: they are refunding my money (shucks, I thought, no t-shirt and book) BUT....they are also sending the items (and I admit: I'll believe it 100% when they are in my hands). I really didn't expect that - I just wanted one or the other and frankly what I really wanted were my items. But I'm glad they decided to refund because I really did feel like I was being jerked around in the earlier e-mails.

I'll supply name of the company privately, if anyone is really dying to know. It's not any company I link to here.

****

Speaking of places I link to - and I have to make it very clear right here, that KimonoKitsy Studios, the home of Nemu-Nemu, has ALWAYS had TOP NOTCH customer service when I've ordered from them. I've ordered all the books (on separate occasions), some pins, and two t-shirts. And they are good at communicating information. And they ship FAST, especially considering that they are in Hawaii.

So: the Nemu-Nemu people: good model of customer service.

The newest shirt from them came yesterday. I decided to wear it today (I washed it last night in my usual Laundry Night) to, as we say on CPAaG, desuckify the week.

I almost didn't wear it; when I tried it on when it first came I was afraid the size was wrong for me - I bought the "girl cut" t-shirt this time (rather than the unisex, which is what I usually buy) and I was afraid at first that it was too much OH HAI BUSTLINE but I don't think so now. (And I do think I've maybe lost a bit of flab off my "upper waist," or the cut of the shirt makes it look so).

(I think it's true that the camera adds a pound or two. To my eyes, in the mirror, this looks a bit less lumpy on. But whatever).



It's the BFF t-shirt! Anpan and Nemu, plus a parade of foods (coffee and donut, peanut butter and jelly) that go well with each other. (On the back left shoulder, there is a little pepper and salt, the "tail" of the parade)

I will have to wear a cardigan over it as it's not QUITE warm enough for just a t-shirt in most of the classrooms. But it makes me feel happier wearing it. "Ish good."

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I also mentioned a while back that I had a gingerroot sprout, and so I tried planting it? It's growing:



Not a great picture, and it only has one mature leaf at this point, but I'm tickled that it even grew. I think I'm going to see if I can entice my secretary to "babysit" it for me while I'm gone over Christmas - I would hate to see this plant go belly up, and it seems to require more frequent watering than some of my other houseplants.

***

And finally, some knitting. Just a progress shot, but whatever.



This is one of the two scarves I'm working on. (The other one - being knit in Crest of the Wave out of Dream in Color Starry - has earned the nickname of "The Unending Scarf of Unendingness.") This one is pink and fluffy and is being knit of an opal-colored yarn that Diann sent me a long time ago.

It's nice to have something like a scarf to work on, where you don't have to really measure as you go, or worry about shaping or, (in this case at least) do cable crossings or anything complicated. But scarves are LONG to knit (which is why I don't think they're really the ideal "learn to knit" project). This one is about half of what I would consider the "minimum workable length" for a scarf. But I have lots of the yarn so I'll probably keep motoring away until either I get sick of it or it's "long enough."