Boy, even though it's a holiday, I'm having a bad day.
I think I've shared with you the saga of my Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla movie poster. I forgot this movie poster in the back room of my company in Japan. I asked them to mail it to me. They said no, saying that mailing it would cost too much. So, I sent them the money. That was six months ago. Over the past six months, I've sent them letters, e-mails, and even faxes wondering what's up with my poster. And they've replied with only silence.
Finally fed up with their lack of response, I got in touch with head office. Head office looked into it, and this is what they told me. Turns out I left the country without paying my final phone bill and power bill. My successor is pissed off that these bills keep getting mailed to his apartment. So, my former place of work is withholding my Godzilla movie poster until I settle my bills. Nice of them to tell me this.
And now my side of the story. After I finished my travels in Japan, I returned to Kumagaya to pick up my stuff. Hours before my bus was to leave for the airport, they handed me my final power bill. I said, "Yup, I'll take care of it." 36 hours later, I was back in Entwistle, unpacking, came across my final power bill and said, "Oops." I was unconcerned, though. I remembered that, when my predecessor left without paying his final power bill, the company said, "Oh. Well, we'll take care of it." Since my final power bill was only 350 yen (about $5), I assumed the company would similarily take care of it. Guess not.
Final phone bill is a different story. I wanted to keep my cell phone right until my final seconds in Japan, so I figured, "I'll just leave the country. Eventually, when my phone bill goes unpaid for months, they'll disconnect it." Guess not. I often joked that, if they ever tracked me down in Canada, then they deserve their money. Well, I guess they tracked me down. Besides, for my entire year there, I kept getting my predecessor's final phone bill, and I never raised a fuss. From what little I knew of my successor, I didn't think he would be so touchy.
So I told head office guy to get an exact dollar figure for how much I owe, and I'll send the money so the company can pay it off. What can I say? I messed up, so I'm going to own up to my mistakes.
With that out of the way, I thought I'd turn my thoughts to homework. I have to do this simple paper for one of my classes. I have to watch a news piece on TV, transcribe it, and then analyze it as to whether it's a good news story or a bad news story. I taped the news last night, with the plan that I'd transcribe a good story today, and then write the paper later in the week. I couldn't watch the news on the good VCR, because my Dad has today off, too, and he loves his judge shows. So, I dug out my old TV/VCR unit from my university dorm, and it promptly ate the tape. I lost the news. Revised plan: tape news and write transcript tonight, if there are no cop shows on that my Dad likes. Crud! It's Tuesday. He'll want to watch NYPD Blue. Well, I'll take the good VCR downstairs and hook it up to my TV/VCR unit.
Well, I'll try to relax. I'll do some of my other homework. Let's see, due tomorrow, I have...English. Ooo, that's some lethal irony. I think I'll take a walk instead.
Next Issue...Winter Wonderland
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