A Phone And A Prayer

When I got up and checked my e-mail, I saw a message from Judith A., of Toastmasters, asking if I'd switch roles with her and present, rather than act as evaluater. Geez, that gave me only a few hours to work up a talk. However, I decided to make this my "ice breaker" and pulled together some family pictures.-
After Kimball and breakfast, I spent almost the whole friggin' morning on the phone. Called Amtrak yet again about my refund for the return trip from Oakland.  I had called after I got back from Frank's and been told it would be deposited back into my Visa account within ten days. It wasn't. I had called on December 28 and been told the same thing. Nope. Yesterday, I got the ten days routine again. Let's hope.
Called Parks & Recreation once more about my refund for the cancelled Getty Museum trip. I had been told before I'd get a check.  I didn't. This time, they said they had sent it to my old address and they'd have to issue another. Well, you'd think when they got the old check back--or realized it hadn't been cashed--they'd follow up on it, but I guess not.
E-mailed Jackie L. at SCAN again about my compensation for the acting class. She called  me immediately and apologized, saying she had asked the finance department and was told they needed a requisition slip. Presumably, Brenda had overlooked this. Anyway, I should soon--after two months--be getting a check.
At Toastmasters, held again at Fern's back forty, it was damned chilly. The large room has a big fireplace, but Sue has asthma and asked that it not be lit. Fern and I were the two speakers and I thought her delivery was far superior to mine, so was surprised that I was voted the better.  However, the grammarian did report that I said "ah" sixteen times during my talk. Yes, that's what they do in this group and actually, that's useful, as I'll be aware and hone my talks better.
Something else disturbed me a lot more: When the meeting first started, "Cece" went to the front and announced we'd start with a prayer. What? Since when is this a religious group?  But she proceeded to intone one of those vague, rambling, touchy-feely sermons that I always think of as fundamentalist Protestant. I'm not sure how many of the six others thought as I did, but none of us uttered a word.
I certainly have no objection at all to believers practicing their religion, but I do when I'm assumed to be one of them.  I'm pretty sure headquarters (Toastmasters International) would object to this, but I won't bother to report it.  However, next month, we meet at The Brewery in town (hey, that's sounds good) and if we're subjected to this again, I'll withdraw from the group.