calling, falling, calling

 I got one of those texts from the eye doctor's office this morning:

"Hi, Abby! It's been over a year since your last eye appointment..."

Well, no, I was there about six months ago for an annual once over. Shelled out the money for new lenses, got told that cataracts are starting to form. 

Cataracts?? Aren't those for old people??

Anyway, their automated text was wrong. Clearly they care nothing about me as a person... but honestly, I don't get too offended with these things - a glitch in the list/ system.

This past week at work, we were tasked to make calls to students who were enrolled last semester, but had not yet enrolled this semester, which starts on Tuesday. Remind them that "registration is open and classes are filling up 😁". 

We've had to do this before, to maybe drum up more tuition money. Is it effective? I dunno. What peeves us most, though, is that several of the callees from the list - generated by whom, we do not know - have told us, "Yeah, that's cuz I graduated? Last semester?"

Ugh, how rude. They paid tuition, struggled though a program, and graduated to alumni status - only to be called about "how come you haven't registered yet, lazy slacker?!"

So I changed my script from the boring one provided - by whom, we do not know - to acknowledge they may have graduated and moved on to bigger things. My coworkers started using my script, and we're probably going to be branded Rebels of the Calling Campaign. So be it.

So yes, classes begin this week. Time to get rolling. 

Speaking of rolling, I'm thankful for the mild weather we've had recently, helping to melt old snow and ice hanging around. I was able to have a normal week of bicycle commuting without freezing. 

One morning, however, did present as The Land of Black Ice. Magnum learned of it the hard way while riding his bicycle to the gym, of all places. Rounded a corner, and *ZHOOP* , surprise black ice, and he took it on the chin, upper lip. But hey, he's got all his teeth, so what's the problem?

I did venture out that same morning, on foot. I can vouch for the slipperiness. But if one managed to remain upright, it was actually a "pretty" start to the day, and I found this hidden goose playground.

On Christmas morning a few weeks back, I was near this neck of the woods when I heard what sounded like someone either really excited or really pissed off. Like REALLY. It was an eerie sounding primal scream, and I thought, "someone's not happy with how Christmas is going".

I told the family about it later, and Wolfgang suggested it might have been a mountain lion, so we googled, and yup, I'd say that's what I heard. Ever heard one? Sheesh!

"My" rendition wasn't nearly as long as in the video, but more like one big "AAAAAAAAAGGGHHH!" at a bit of a lower timbre. Mating sounds? Okay, big guy.