Programmable Thermostat

Can I just say before delving into this subject, that it really sucks losing your keen eyesight to age and being forced to wear reading glasses to read any form of fine print?  I thought so.

Cause' the instructions that came with this thermostat?  About 6 point print. I couldn't read a word of it.  All a blur to me.  A year ago I could read that, now it's just a done deal.  I know, it's a part of growing older, who cares, that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Well it turns out the instruction book that I have is in Spanish. I know some Spanish, yes, but there is no way I am going to attempt to figure out something like this in a language that I don't know that well.  Fortunately for me, there are 2 pages in English easily found online from the company that manufactures it.

However, the instruction manual? Ridiculous.  Horrendous.  I don't know where they get these people from that write up these manuals.  Outer Space would be giving them too much.  Aliens from another planet would be complementing them.  Sludge from the bottom of the ocean would be giving them more credit and intelligence allowance than due.

I read, then re-read, then tried it, then sat down and re-read, until I finally just got on the thermostat panel and experimented until I got it.  Screw the manual.  The thing is set up into 4 time zones during the day: morning, day, evening and night.  I did not set them all the same.  I want it cool at night, I don't care in the morning or daytime during the work week and in the evening a mix between the night setting and the rest of them.  So, 78, 77 and 76 are my temp ranges and yes, this will save me money during the summer months.

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The people the next street over are back at it again.  Playing music so loud, you'd think I had a stereo set up in my back yard.  This time, however, I was not going to let it go.  I called the non-emergency number of the Phoenix Police department and - well anyway. I asked to speak to the sargeant in my district - whoever that is - and apparently several of them so who knows which one you are going to speak to - and got a very unbelievably rude person that continued to interrupt me several times over - and no, I did NOT interrupt her.

After enough of it, I just asked for her supervisor - yet another contentious person who was also prone to interrupting and asking why I called even though I had told her several times over - and then got the head of that department's name.  This situation is not going to continue on without some kind of input to the person that is over all of this.

Anyway, a sergeant did eventually call me and at the same time the sergeant called me, Phoenix Police showed up.  I pointed to the next street over and asked them to go over there where the source of the noise is coming from.  While on the phone with the sergeant about the last time I called - several times over an 8 or 9 hour period starting on the evening of May 4th going on until well into daylight of May 5th - I asked him why, exactly, the police didn't do more than simply ask them to turn it down after the second or third visit there?

This went on and on, but I will say that while I was on the phone, the music was either turned completely off or turned down so low that I couldn't hear it, thanks to them going over there.  We ended this call - I was being polite to the man and respectful, I mean, one of their own was just killed the other day in a hit and run situation - which doesn't mean I wouldn't be polite and respectful anyway, I understand they have a stressful job - with him promising to call me back tomorrow afternoon and if they turn the music back up after the police leave, to make sure and call again.

Of course.  If I can't sleep because of someone else's noise, I'm going to call. We don't have a HOA here - there ARE advantages to having them and this kind of situation would be one of them - so the only recourse, legally anyway, is to call the police.

Enough.

Memorial Day Weekend

So, let's not forget the reason why we have this paid holiday off on Monday: to remember our fallen war heroes that served our nation's military so that the American public can enjoy the great freedoms that we have today.  My gratitude and thanks to every one of those individuals, to those who fought and survived and are still with us and to those who are in active military status, regardless of where you are or what you are doing.

Without them, this nation could well be an annexation of Germany or the great state of Japan.  Of course there were many other wars and one that is still on-going, but those 2 were the biggest game-changers in American history, sans the Civil War.  Hats off to all of our military personnel, everywhere, whether in the grave or still with us and to those families that have had to endure such great hardship in the face of a loved one that will never come home or for those that are out somewhere in this world.  Your sacrifices will never be forgotten.

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Just wanted to get that out  there.  I can't even imagine what this world would be like right now if Hitler had managed to pull it all off or if Japan would have won.

As for this weekend, I have absolutely no plans, whatsoever. I have spent all the money that I intended to spend with that loan and now am down to around what I figured I would have left over after doing all of that.  Money well spent, as far as I'm concerned and at least enough of a cushion to deal with come-what-may - hopefully nothing will come what may but who knows.

Well, when I say no plans I suppose that's not entirely true.  I just have no grand plans.  I am probably taking my son out to see Star Trek today, that if he doesn't get involved with something else.  I am definitely going to Home Depot to buy either Ornamec or Grass B Gone - 2 products that allegedly kill grass without killing everything else around it.  I am really tired of pulling grass and just having it grow back. Or even watering the areas until they are muddy and digging well down, getting roots and STILL have that stuff grow back.  This is one more trick in the arsenal to try. The other trick I am already actively pursuing, but it will be a long time before those ground covering plants will take over all the area that needs it covered. Those plants grow so dense that grass cannot grow up through it.

I am guessing some war movies on some channel on TV, might watch one or two of those.  Hopefully some of the classics will be showing.

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Trip to Home Depot completed and initial application of grass killer executed.  Applied around plants that if killed, are not mature plants and be replaced without great loss.  So, come what may, we'll see what happens.  If it kills the grass and it's roots, mission accomplished.  If it doesn't kill the shrubs and flowering plants as the bottle directions say it won't, mission success.

My Queensland Bottle Tree has taken a new twist.  Instead of a straight up trunk, it has now sent out multiple stems in angled-up direction with multiple leaves on each stem.  I am watering it every day in hopes to see some increased growth this summer growing season.

That's it.  I have accomplished some, but not that much today but then again, I didn't set out to much of anything today.  I'm only 5 work days away from a full week off from work. Well, make that 9 full days counting 2 weekends.  : )

Francis And Sons Car Wash Company - Steer Clear!!

There is nothing like posting a review of a company on a blog that any Google search will find, so here it is:

"I'll just be blunt here: Francis & Sons car wash near Arizona Avenue and Ray road totally sucks.  I took a company vehicle in there to get it washed and get the interior cleaned, they wanted $30 for it.  Okay.  I specifically asked if they were going to clean the inside of the vehicle to which the supervisor said yes.  While waiting for them to get done with it, I asked them about getting the interior of my car detailed - $119 for full service interior detail, but they gave it to me for $100 pre-pay (I would not be bringing it back until the next day).  Well, when I went to get the company pickup after they said it was done, the markings they put on the windows were still on it.  I looked inside the truck and they had done NOTHING to it.  I asked the guy that was "cleaning" it and he said that would have to be an interior detail.  No, I said, they told me it was going to be cleaned at least.  He just shrugged his shoulders and walked off.

The next day, I bring my car in to leave there for the day while I am at work.  They sell me the exterior detail package for half the posted price.  Call me a sucker, but the exterior was in needing of a good buffing and wax job as well.  Just paid the car off and wanted to get it looking nice again.  I come back some 8 hours later, they pull the car up and I started looking at it.  The road tar was still all over the bottom of the bottom portions of the car on both sides of it. There were places on the paint where you could see they missed the wax or "sealant" as they called it.  I brought this to the guy's attention who started to try and clean the tar off.

At this point, I am starting to get pissed.  What kind of place charges $175 for a total interior and exterior detail and doesn't even get the freaking tar off the paint?!!  I mean, in terms of complete details, it's a good price compared with most other places, but if it doesn't look any or much different than when you took it in there, it isn't worthy ANYTHING.  These people could have cared less.  A crew of employees that are about as interested in making the customer happy as a detonated nuclear bomb is about keeping people alive.  The attitudes were outrageous.  I called for a manager.  I showed him spot after spot after spot of tar and asked him what, exactly, they had done to my vehicle - besides giving it a run through the car wash.  I point to a huge tar spot and he attempts to claim it was "scratches in the paint".  BULLSHIT!!! was my unreserved reply (sorry for the French, but this place utterly pissed me off and I at least will have my say on a forum such s this one and hope that others are spared the grief of spending money at a place that does NOT deserve to be in business). I'm sorry sir, let me take the car and we will buff it  out "again".  Yeah, right dude, as if you buffed it out the first time.

I waited another hour.  I sat down inside and an elderly couple came in and sat down next to me, we got into a conversation about this place.  The lady stated that the level of customer service and quality had gone down considerably over time. Yeah, I don't know how they did in the past, I can tell you that right now, this place has serious issues.

Well, this guy comes back in and I go out to inspect the car. The "scratches" that that idiot had pointed out before were gone.  Gee, didn't know you could buff out such huge scratches - cause' they weren't scratches at all!  There was STILL an area on the hood where it was clearly obvious they had not applied the sealant.  I gave up.  Live and learn.  The place is a rotten, the employees could care less, they are going to charge you for services that they do not perform.  The only reason I got anything done is because I got mad and got right in that "manager's" face.  All the tar was removed on the second time around, but..............

I just left.  After inspecting the interior of my vehicle - they did a great job on the carpet cleaning, they did an okay job on the leather seats but they reeked on everything else.  Spots where they had missed applying Armor All.  Places where dirt had not been removed.  Remember, I paid $100 for this interior service of theirs.  This was a treat for my car that will only happen once in a while, the rest of the time I take it to self serve car washes and use the vacuums there.

As another review stated, this place does not deserve one star.  In fact, they do not deserve to be in business at all.  I will never, ever go to a Francis & Son's car wash ANYWHERE ever again.  I will take my chances else where or better yet, I'll just go buy my own buffer and all the rest of it and do it myself."