     Christine Baker (Admin) | Saturday, May 20, 2000 - 02:06 pm 
Senator posted " ... life is just one struggle after another. I think I'll just live in the countryside and zone out. I am so tired of the struggle."
That's exactly what I tried to do after I sold my house in 11/98. It took me until July 99 to finally be able to "zone out" for a few months.
I didn't go online for over 2 months up in Alaska except to get my E-mail once and I only scanned for *important* messages and was glad there weren't any.
I had a great time.
But then I had to look at my snail mail, reality caught up with me. While I didn't have to worry about money, I just couldn't get myself to pay GTE $115 that I don't owe. That's after I already paid over $50 that I didn't really owe, in hopes of getting GTE out of my life.
It's so aggravating. There are at least 10 companies that I should sue. Anywhere from $100 to a few thousand.
Recently I got myself a temporary place way out in the desert. You have no idea what I've been through with the phone company. I got 2 lines and internet service in mid March and yesterday made another payment to bring my total paid to over $300. A few weeks ago they disconnected one line, because they had billed it separately and mailed the bill with half the address missing, so I never received it.
The closest post-office contract station is 10 miles away, and the US Postal Service doesn't deliver. Organizing to pay your bills on time is a major chore.
Sometimes I wonder whether it's just me having all these problems. Maybe I just attract problems.
But then I talk to my neighbors, a very bright retired couple, and they got the exact same problems. They're being overbilled, defrauded, and screwed just like me.
Most people just don't notice it. Are they blessed with their ignorance?
My neighbors also spent a lot of time in court because of this guy who had threatened them with a gun.
They DID organize the other people who also got threatened and finally managed to get the guy locked up for another 6 months. Talk about emotional distress!
If you are intelligent and doing anything at all, you can't get away from the hassles of life unless you take your happy pills every morning and/or smoke that joint and/or down a fifth of your favorite whiskey.
And that's what an awful lot of people are doing, zoned out in the countryside. |
