We're overdrawn again. The ISP and my cellphone both hit the account at the same time; picking up the TamiFlu scrip on Thursday sent us over the edge.

There should be an unemployment check downstairs in the mailbox; I didn't leave the house yesterday, so I don't know. That check was supposed to be both car payments (with a little wiggle room), but I have to hold it aside for the rent (which auto-debits from our account on the 1st) 'cause Christ only knows how long it's going to take gridlore's disability to be approved for these two weeks - not to mention actually getting a check.

I've been avoiding this, but I don't see another option at this point.

If you don't use PayPal, but are willing to drop a dollar in the hat by other methods:

Douglas & Kirsten Berry
5751 Almaden Road, Apt D
San Jose, CA 95118-3613

Comments disabled. I feel bad enough about doing this; I don't think I can handle a discussion of why.

I'm clearly on another downswing, and feeling rather vulnerable, so I'm taking my LJ friends-only again for a while. I'll see you on the other side, hopefully.

Comments disabled; I don't need virtual hugs right now (though if you're local and we can arrange time for real ones, that might be good). I just don't feel like being "out there" quite so much at the moment.

Checked in. OMG this room is awesome; we may never leave.

Down and safe in Montreal. Now to see if the short codes still work on this side of the border...

Down and safe in Detroit, some 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Having breakfast @ McDonald's. Connecting flight leaves at 0830.

Have successfully made it through Terrorization at SFO. gridlore got a random pat-down and had his backpack searched, and is NOT happy.

Shutting down the laptop so I can pack it. murphymom should be here in a little over an hour to pick us up, grab an early dinner, and head to the airport.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go back to freaking the fuck out.

Came home to find the following in my email:

Ok, here's where we are on this. We have now had to go to several local suppliers but we're almost there. Of the twenty-five people on this list, I understand that one of you has, so far, already made alternate arrangements. At this moment, we have 23 scooters reserved and the promise to help us find more. It looks as though this is going to work out.

We've checked with all of the suppliers with which we have reserved. They each say that their scooter rentals are for normal city use (moving from convention centre to hotel to restaurants, for sight-seeing – that sort of thing).

Thank you for you patience. We will continue to provide more information as we learn it. If you have any specific questions, please let us know.

Eugene Heller
Anticipation Member Services

(crossposted as before - everyone is entitled to hear the [hopefully] end of the story)

I just got home from a trip to the pharmacy to pick up my scrips before the Montreal trip to find this in my inbox.

From: wouldyoueva
To: TWENTY-SEVEN people who had signed up for a mobility device at Anticipation
Subject: This is an email I wish I didn't have to write

( The bad news first: We will not be able to rent scooters to you at Worldcon this year. )

Nine months ago, wouldyoueva said: "I personally apologize that I could not help people who needed that help in Denver, and promise to help prevent that from happening again."

You have FAILED.

Do you honestly think that with five business days left before the convention begins, and even fewer before move-in, that all of us - that any of us - will be able to find a replacement? I've been unemployed for seven months; the $100CDN for my scooter rental was carefully budgeted (as soon as I was able to shake any information out of you), and I have no room in my budget to go beyond that. The last time I looked at Scootaround for a local convention, I was quoted close to $300US for the week. I sincerely doubt I am the only person in this situation.

"...if we can do anything for you there, please let us know." YOU CAN FOLLOW THROUGH ON THE SERVICES YOU SAID YOU WOULD PROVIDE.

Crossposted to my personal journal, anticipation_09, disabled_fandom, and worldcons

EDIT: Almost as soon as I hit Post on these entries, there was a follow-up in my inbox:

I'm sorry folks. The miscommunications are flying. There is bad news but it's not as bad as all that.

Anticipation is still in negotiation with Maison Andre Viger. We should know tomorrow morning whether they are able to provide scooters.

If there are scooters available, they will, unfortunately, be at a higher price. We don't have a final number yet but we believe that it will be in the neighbourhood of the price at Denvention3 (not more than 10% higher). The supplier is asking for more than that but, if Anticipation has to eat some of the cost, so be it.

We are very sorry for this. We will keep you informed of developments.

Eugene Heller
Anticipation Member Services

I'm sorry, but that's largely irrelevant. This should NEVER have been left so late.

How the hell did I manage to go this long without actually seeing the name of the actress playing River Song?

DUDE, ELIZABETH CORDAY FROM ER IS ON DOCTOR WHO. HOW BADASS IS THAT.

It was pointed out to me that it's been something on the order of a million years since I last posted anything at all, and even longer since I last posted anything public. Some of that is because I've been dealing with Weird Shit (and while I wouldn't call it resolved by any stretch of the imagination, I'm at least getting to a point where I can move the fuck on), but mostly it's because it's been a billion degrees out and I haven't wanted to think. Apparently the weather gods didn't get the memo that I'm not going to the Burn this year, so I didn't need the pre-event acclimation cycle this year....

I leave for Montreal in just over two weeks. This is so very Not Real.

In other news, I've apparently turned into the poster child for Zocor. I've been on simvastatin for two months, now; I went in for labwork at the beginning of the week, and my combined cholesterol count has dropped from 299 to 167. I have NEVER had a count that low (the first lipid panel I can remember having drawn, 20ish years ago, was over 200).

And now I really need to get my ass to bed, 'cause I'm supposed to be in Pacifica at 11 for a fresh coat of purple.

Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize y'alls neighborhood

The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom

And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the thriller

May you find the peace you so lacked in this life, Michael.

WASHINGTON - At least one person has died and several people are trapped and injured after a Metro Red Line train derailed and collided with another Metro train, officials say.

I know fuzzface00 is okay; I got the link from him. I sent jilesa a text message, as I doubt actual calls are even getting through at this point, but haven't heard back yet, and would not be surprised if she didn't get that either. (wcg, do you know off-hand if she's still commuting on the train?)

The truly unsettling thing is I'd opened a belated birthday card from her not ten minutes before the news hit my Twitter feed....

UPDATE: Just heard back from her; she was driving to dinner from work when my text came in, and will email with more info when she gets home.

My thoughts go out to all those aboard, the rescue workers, and everyone waiting nervously by the phone.

I don't think I've ever gotten a transatlantic phone call before.

And really - could I have picked a different icon for this?

"I'm trying to determine if the Nazis would've put you in a concentration camp, or just wound you up and pointed you at the enemy."

"Okay, it's a hard-to-see urchin."

So the Free Game of the Day on http://www.gamehouse.com/ last night/today was The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes. It's a fun little hidden-object game - but the designer was clearly a Whovian.

The first couple of references - a Professor Eccleston, a Mrs. Pertwee - were good for a giggle.

"Peter Moffat" made me snicker.

But the latest suspect was Captain Jack Barrowman.

Oh.

Bitch.

PLEASE.

all past comments have been deleted as I should have kept my comment between me and you, for that I am sorry. However if you don't see how your comment was offensive you never will.

this comment will also be deleted after posting. Sorry for fucking up you lj.

IF YOU WOULD HAVE HELD FUCKING STILL FOR FIVE GODDAMNED SECONDS, I WOULD HAVE APOLOGIZED TO YOU, FOR LOVE OF CHRIST.

I didn't realize that my phrasing came across as discriminatory. And I am sorry. But I somehow doubt that you'll be reading this, so what fucking point is there?

---

For the curious, this is now being worked out privately.