Showing posts with label mistakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mistakes. Show all posts

Friday, October 14, 2011

Life Lessons: Scheduling Online Payments

It really bit me in the *bum* today. Apparently I was more organized than I perceived myself.

Holden asked me to be sure his Sallie Mae student loan was paid today- payday. I thought I had already done that but was unsure. To check I searched "Sallie" in gmail and didn't see any receipt for payment in the list. So I went online and posted payment for today.

Then I get the receipt of payment from this vaguely unfamiliar source, NOT Sallie Mae's email address at all! I frantically search this new email address and there it is. The scheduled payment I made about 2 weeks ago!

Now, Holden is working mandatory overtime and I have no way of calling Sallie about this. I can't give them his information and expect them to understand our bill paying situation. So I'm left hoping someone sees my generic customer service email. (You can't type your own message! How frustrating!!) I really need to cancel that second payment... seriously.

Having a negative balance and your only income check coming exactly 14 days from now would NOT bode well for the family.

Damn.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Life Lessons: Betta Fish

I write to you this morning with a lot on my mind. Our family is one step closer to moving back to New York as my mother prepares to put her home in Chicago for sale. I have many projects to finish and many more conversations to reply to. However, I find myself wondering what to do with my Marimo Moss Garden.

Before I opened my Etsy store officially on Sept 1st of this year, I began farming succulents and Tillandsia air plants. The air plants and succulents admittedly take time to grow and propagate naturally into clumps with babies. I've had to buy some plants to keep my garden and my creativity going. My gardens are thriving and I hope to begin selling plants which are only grown and cared for by myself.

For many years, I've had Marimo Moss Balls in my fish tanks. I didn't realize they were so popular on Etsy and have been hesitant to sell from my own tanks. I don't want other artists thinking I'm pushing into their market. Honestly, there aren't that many various way to display the little moss balls which have to be surrounded by water.

This morning, I'm reconsidering. A couple months ago, my son returned to our home with an unannounced friend- a female Betta fish. It was very wounded from being in his cousin's tank with other Bettas. (Can you hear my head slamming my desk at

this point in our introduction to this fine fishy friend?)
So I poured a lot time, care, and money into establishing a wonderful tank all her own. I don't have a picture of her with new red and black fins, which saddens me now. She loved her aquatic Wisteria plants and the little Marimo balls from the community tank that she pushed around to play.

I came back from shopping to notice the tank's lid ajar, and my little baby gone. Perhaps, my son accidentally moved the lid and didn't notice to fix it. Perhaps, I should have made sure her the tank was fine in his room before I left. Maybe I should have made sure the cats weren't in his room. The community tank's lid is clamped on, but I hadn't done it yet to hers. Either way, William likely doesn't feel the same vested interest I did in this little life. He has a preference of fluffy and tangible over neat to look at. Now I have a great tank full of baby and adult sized Marimo moss balls without any fish to lovingly push them around the floor bed.

/le sigh.

Anyone interested in little moss balls in water that bring good luck (if you're not a betta fish)??