I don't know what magic I possess that I made that happen, but if anyone needs me to work my juju, I'll give it a shot.

Agent phone call, please! IJS ...

We have two different USPS guys, and one of them is a dream. Doesn't lose things, always brings packages to the door, finishes the route before 7pm. The other guy delivers things incorrectly on our block about twice a week, and always acts annoyed if he has to interact with anyone.

UPS & FedEx are great. They have remotes to our gate, and typically leave at the front door. USPS is annoying. Our mailboxes are down 5 steps, so, not very convenient for me to get to. Sometimes he leaves it on top of the mailboxes. Sometimes he puts it in the parcel lockers. Sometimes he leaves a note to pick it up at the post office. Sometimes he WRITES ON MY MAIL that "it's in locker 53". Ugg. I want to support USPS and all. But not with bad delivery guy. I wish Amazon was consistent with delivery choice. Sometimes it's USPS, sometimes it's UPS. I like UPS best.

In other news... I have a real bad case of "I don't wanna...". Tired. One more week of classes. Can not wait for some down time.

eta: just as I was starting to get productive, my work computer does the grey curtain of doom. Ugg.

Ha! As I was reading this UPS delivered a box from Amazon and a box from Dell!

The guilt pang I felt then will hopefully spur me to remember not to make his life harder!

I don't recall if I told this story but I was at a community event here and was introduced to the Mayor. Who recited my full address *cold*. He's also my postman. It's a small town so public office holders usually keep their day job. And I was clearly the problem address. I'm a lot better about fetching my mail every couple of days now. Really nice guy. We chat when I see him now.

For those amused by the on-going drama of the pet care industry...the employee whose dog was bitten last week said she would not be 'doing anything legal.'

Today, I get a message saying, among other things, that she is claiming lost wages because her dog is 'too upset' for her to work and he may never be 'normal' again.

No bite is good, but this one wasn't as bad as I've seen. She wasn't even going to take him to the vet!

Oh my.

Both Bartleby and Cagney have been bitten badly enough to require vet care. It's not that I don't understand being upset having endured an injury like that but...lost wages? For an independent contractor whose pay is based on the number of assignments the person chooses? How, exactly would you calculate that claim?

Cass, my mail guy is a savant like that.

You can give him paltry details, like a dog's name, and he can tell you the address and much, much more.

Since we chat regularly, I'm sure he would be a reliable witness as to my lifestyle, should the police ever need to question him.

Though, I hasten to say, he has never divulged any personal details about anyone else to me...except in one case where another neighbor told me about a street acquaintance who had been injured on the sidewalk. They could not remember her name, but they could remember her dog's very common name (I must know a dozen Winstons). Turns out, it was one of my clients and I was able to help her with walks while she recovered. That would not have happened with out the mail guy!

Not to downplay poor doggie injury, but I don't think worker's comp covers "pet's emotional instability" disability.

Not to downplay poor doggie injury, but I don't think worker's comp covers "pet's emotional instability" disability.

My dog sometimes seems disconcerted about some unnameable thing. That ought to be good for at least 5 bucks.