Picture Sunday

Hello, end of weekenders, and welcome to another almost picture-laden edition of Picture Sunday. If "one" can be defined as almost picture-laden.

You know, it's the 21st century. I know that, and so do you, but sometimes things happen that bring the fact right in front of me to parade around.

I had an occurrence at work this week that, while maddening, eventually left me in fits of laughter.

I have to make a lot of phone calls to big corporations in the scope of my job duties, and that's what I was doing this week. Calling a big mortgage corporation. Now, I'm used to the horrible proposition that is a long recorded message of "press one, press two, press three" when I make these calls, and I hate that, but I deal with it, but this particular phone call was one of the greats.

By the way, I swear to you this is true.

I was calling on behalf of a client of ours. I dialed the number, and got the dreaded, "Welcome to ______, if you want this, press one" message. However, the recorded lady said to begin, I had to press in the loan number or the client's social security number. I didn't have the loan number. I had the social security number, but I wasn't about to press it into the phone, because I figure it's none of these people's damn business what this woman's social security number is. It's principle, man!

So I held on. I figured if I pressed nothing, I'd get a representative.

Instead, I got the same message. I held again.

Then I got, and as I said, I swear this is true, the same recorded lady telling me I had to press in the loan number or social security number to begin, and she was mad! Her voice was raised, and, if I may say so, rather pissy.

I said, aloud and to no one in particular, "Well. This lady sounds rather pissy." And I still held, knowing that sooner or later, I'd get a representative. And I did.

However, before I got one, I got a recording of the same lady as before, and she sounded as sad as if she'd lost her best friend. She was bereft. She said, "Since you didn't provide us with a loan number or social security number, we will direct you to a representative." I had broken that lady's heart.

And I was glad.

Later in the week, I received an email from Netflix. I receive lots of emails from Netflix, telling me I'm getting a movie, or they've received one I sent back.

You know, Netflix apparently has many shipping ports all over the country. When I send my movies back, I may be sending them to Maryland, or Pennsylvania, or even West Virginia. I'm supposing this is a good thing, since I'm saving mail time and therefore getting new movies quickly.

Now, as I said, I'm used to getting emails from Netflix about movies I'm about to receive. I never read these emails, because it's all in the subject line. "For Mon: Seven Chances." "For Thu: Pickpocket." "For Sat: Some Movie With Toshiro Mifune Looking Hot." You get the idea.

Late this week I received one that was a little different. The subject line of this email said, "For Thu: Oliver Twist from Pittsburgh, PA."

Now, I can't tell you the excitement with which this filled me. I didn't know there was such a film as "Oliver Twist from Pittsburgh, PA," and I didn't realize it was in my queue. I began wondering just what a group of street urchins could get up to in Pittsburgh.

It arrived Thursday, or Thu, to the Netflix people, and it was just plain old "Oliver Twist." Boy, am I disappointed.

Anyway, with all that sturm and drang of the 21st century, I figure we need a little pastoral entertainment. And that's where the recipe du jour comes in. It comes from the "Art Plate" file in cardland, say hello to it if you dare, "Landscape With Potted Meat."























Ahhhh, take a gander and let the hubbub of daily life pass you by. Here is a nice landscape with potted meat ground, with baked bean and garbanzo bean accoutrement, broccoli shrubs, celery trees, and butter sun. And making its second appearance in Picture Sunday, a Blue Crapius (and mashed potato) sky. My nod to Van Gogh is the purple cabbage sky highlights.

Grab a cracker and start munching.

Happy week.

Betland's Olympic Update:
* I wonder if this is a new Netflix feature. I certainly didn't ever get The Man in the White Suit from Charleston, WV, or The Butcher Boy from Chicago, IL.