I'm huddled by the fireplace this morning, Friday-Fricasseeing in the warmth of a gas-enhanced fire. (Who has time to play Girl Scout when it's 60 degrees in the house?) Yeah, our heat has died for the second time in less than a month. Last time, they said it was the thermostat, so they put in a new one. New thermostat notwithstanding, the same thing happened yesterday -- it clicks, but no heat comes on.
Best part? We supposedly enjoy the VIP perk of "24/7 emergency service". It's part of the contract when you purchase the twice-a-year cleaning and inspection. And--it doesn't exist. A few weeks ago, when our heat died, Mr. A called the emergency number three times. Nobody returned his call; nobody showed up in a superhero cape to restore warmth to our house. When he finally called during business hours, the woman was all, "Oh, we can't get anyone out there until Thursday."
Um, this is VIP 24/7?
Needless to say, Mr. A knows how to get what he wants, and our heat was fixed later that day.
And now, history repeats itself. The heat died, Mr. A called the 24/7 number, and nobody has returned the call.
Methinks my chilly ballet studio is going to feel downright toasty this morning. I might stay there until the VIP service kicks in.
So. First World problems, right? I've got heat on the second floor, and that's where I'll be holed up this afternoon, finishing the slush with Jodi. Yep, I said finishing. Winners' emails go out on Monday, so we've got to wrap this thing up! We've had a great time; really, we have. It's like we were made to read slush together.
Seriously. I can't tell you how many times we both think exactly the same thing. Have exactly the same response. Feel a "yes" well up inside us at exactly the same moment. (It happened yesterday, with the first entry we read. We both fell immediately in love with it and didn't need to discuss it further.)
Next week, I will be sharing my impressions and the various trends we encountered. I'll also be pointing out a DISTURBINGLY COMMON PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED.
(How's that for a cliff-hanger?)
Okay, then! Have a fabulous weekend.
Miss Snark's First Victim
Methinks you need to find a new company with a 24/7 plan that works. I'll say this - our guys do actually get to you on the same day. I'm not sure where you live, but around here, it could literally be life-threatening to go without heat, so they seem to take these things pretty seriously.
ReplyDelete*stares at inbox with mounting terror until Monday* @_@
ReplyDeleteYou guys are fantastic! Thank you for all your hard work! It's my first Baker's Dozen, so it was great to be part of this whether I make the cut or not...
Not that I desire to read slush, but the nosy parker in me what's to see what's trending--and what the disturbingly common problem is. Starting with a dream? Pages of description before a character appears? Roll on, Monday.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to all the entrants waiting for e-mails on Monday. Breathe.
Oh, and I hope you get your heat back soon, Authoress. I agree with Jeff that finding a new company with a working promise may be the way to go.
ReplyDelete(Comment above should read "wants to see what's trending." Where are my specs?)
My guess for the 'disturbingly common problem' is bodily fluids (like vomit) making it onto the first page.
ReplyDeleteErm, in the story, I mean. Though if a reader is vomiting on your first page, that's probably not good either.
Wow. So much for VIP service! Hope you feel the heat soon.
ReplyDeleteWaiting with bated breath till Monday!
I don't think the meaning of 24/7 has changed at any time, has it?
ReplyDeleteAnd I'll look forward to seeing what the trends are and what this persnickety problem is that needs to be addressed...especially since I may suffer from it :-)
Sending warm and toasty thoughts your way :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm with everyone else - definitely get a new furnace company that understands the meaning of 24/7.
You too. Hope they fix your heat asap.
ReplyDelete24/7. Hah.
Good thing you've got those new Jodi-mitts.
ReplyDeleteI hope the heat is back on soon! Super excited about the Baker's Dozen. Didn't submit, but still looking forward to the reads!
I am so curious on the disturbingly common problem. And of course, I'm wondering if I've contributed!
ReplyDeleteI hope your heat gets fixed soon! We have issues with our furnace shutting off, but we can always make it come back on by removing the front cover and putting it back. I think the cover comes loose and doesn't keep the button down that controls when the heat goes on. So usually in the morning when it's 61 degrees I sneak down to the garage and do my little cover replace move and it snaps back on.
must...know...DISTURBINGLY COMMON PROBLEM!
ReplyDeleteWhy is monday so far away?
Well, now I'm freaking out because my entry probably has that DISTURBINGLY COMMON PROBLEM. I'm torn between wanting it to just be Monday already, and also not wanting to know.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your heat! This is such a bad time of year for things like that to stop working.
Monday cannot come fast enough!
ReplyDeleteGood luck to everyone, and thanks again Authoress and Jodi for all your hard work.
I'm going to take a (not-so-wild) guess and say the DISTURBINGLY COMMON PROBLEM is killing off the parents. Which, of course, I'm guilty of in my MS. Can't wait to find out if I'm right...Oh yeah, and if I got in :D
At least you have some heat. You not only need a new company but a new furnace, probably. :(
ReplyDeleteI am awaiting Monday with trepidation aplenty.
Thanks for this contest, I agree that even if I don't get in (this time) I have enjoyed the experience. But, of course, I hope I DO get in. *grins*
Great cliff-hanger!
ReplyDeleteHope you have a warm weekend.
Wow, Authoress! You know how to get a reader on the edge of her seat...Disturbingly Common Problem?
ReplyDeleteEep!
And my sympathies for the furnace problem. We've been having similar issues, except that my husband has enough skills that he wants to fix it himself. It hiccuped on and off, but still isn't fixed. So, I'll be calling a pro. I hope I can get someone here quickly. *crosses fingers*
Love the cliff-hanger! You've got me hooked.
ReplyDeleteStinks about your heat. Hope the repair is quick, easy, and inexpensive! Thanks for doing everything you do for us. Love MSFV!
Methinks (love that word!) you and Jodi should open your own agency. You two are so in sync, and it wouldn't be the first time authors repped a few of their own on the side. Not that you don't already offer a HUGE boost into the business for worthy contest entries, just sayin' you two would be agents extraordinaire.
ReplyDelete: )
I'm not good at hanging off cliffs. It's going to bug me all weekend as I try to figure out the problem. I'll probably be hanging by one finger come Monday. ;-)
ReplyDeleteSorry about your heat. We're having problems too. Our heater comes on just fine, but it blows cold air sometimes because the outside fan/contraption/system thing (whatever it's called) doesn't come on although the heater inside the house does. It's really annoying. I'd almost rather it didn't come on at all because blowing cold air is NOT helpful.
But we ended up buying a space heater (not a heater from space as the name would suggest) to help keep the house warm. Hope you get your heat fixed soon--or you could get a space heater too. :)
Looking forward to Monday!
Perhaps the problem is opening with the antagonist. Or a complete disregard for the importance of the comma. Or the opennings were not heartwarming enough to warm the readers... hmmm
ReplyDeleteOH NOES I'm scared of this disturbingly common problem that needs to be fixed. 0_0 I hope you can fix it!
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that you view yours and Jodi's absolute agreement on everything as a good thing. Sounds a little like group think...just something to ponder.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, thanks for the work that you both put in. I haven't entered this contest, but I always look forward to reading the winners' entries.
Hope the heat comes back on!
Oh, no! An outbreak of the dreaded DCP! It sounds contagious. I hope I'm naturally immune. If not, I hope there's a cure. To have to wait for the diagnosis is killing us softly.
ReplyDeleteHope your heat is back.
Anonymous 10:43 --
ReplyDeleteI think it's actually a sign of us both recognizing great writing when we see it. We do a lot of, "Wow, this is not normally my kind of thing, but I love it." Great writing stands out regardless of personal taste.
Yep. What she said. :)
ReplyDelete