Not a heckuvalot going on right now.
Not that there always needs to be, lol.
No new news on any tenants - just that one broke the knob off the hot water valve for the shower in the bathroom and left an apologetic message this morning.
Nice. A tenant finally takes responsibility for something. Not that I hold it against that person, I will replace whatever needs to be replaced and that will be the end of that.
Was going to take some measurements yesterday and see how much space I would have for building a casita - but I totally spaced it out. I think I was a bit tired yesterday and just wanted to relax after a long day at work.
Gilbert - the 21 year old tenant - was out on the side of my house taking pics and videos of my ponds yesterday.
He stated he was going to send them to his mother and try to convince her to do her own pond. These small ponds are incredibly easy care/maintenance. Clean out the filters every 2 to 3 weeks or even a month and that's about it besides feeding the fish. Occasionally you have to go through and trim down the plants - I try to give them away whenever anyone wants some - keep the water level up, that's about it.
One of my ponds has a very nice mixture of plants that looks really nice. I do hope we don't get another freeze like last year which about wiped them all out. They eventually grew back but it took 8 months for that to happen.
Anyway, time to be off to work.
G'day.
ben
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Wednesday 2/8/2012
The more I think about it, the more I am glad that Americredit did what it did. If I end up owing the IRS, so beit. I am not, in other words, thinking that I am going to get any kind of return this year considering that thing being dumped on me.
HP refunded my money for the extended warranty, I was just noticing on my credit card account. I didn't ask them to do that, they offered it. The reason I didn't ask them to do that is because I wanted that coverage. Now that they've done it, I'm going to make sure, once I finally get my computer back - that they are going to give me the free coverage that they claimed they would. If they do that, then all that time spent on the phone with those people will have been worth it.
I received an email from them stating the turnaround to send the computer back will be on the 10th. So much for the expedited service, that thing has been with them since - last week. Oh well, I can live without the thing. Don't necessarily need to be tied down to electronics all the time.
Whatever the case, I have identified the only real place on my property that a small guest quarters could be built. Right smack dab where on of the travel trailers is sitting. No worries, that trailer will be moved out of here soon enough, no later than the end of May. I am going to use the bonus money on my next paycheck to buy the new mattress and microwave for it and probably going to re-carpet the thing as well. My mom thought it looked okay, I am thinking different. It really doesn't look that good to me at all. Not that I am going to live in it, but I want the thing nice and new carpet will definitely make it nice. It doesn't have to be fancy carpet, just new. In fact, I want carpet that hides dirt and can withstand a bunch of dogs on it. lol
Anyway, if I can fit it, I'm thinking something like a 15X15 unit. Not very large, no, but big enough to do what I want with it. If I can find more room than that, great but I don't want the thing to take up the entire side of my house. I have to figure out how big I want the thing before I can begin to calculate how much it is going to cost to build it. Unfortunately, there is a lot of unusable space on my property thanks to the City of Phoenix imposed 25 foot setback from the street out front and 20 feet from the property line in the rear. No permanent structures can be built on any of that - building the thing behind my house would be ideal.
Can't do it because the utilities are running underground back there - gas, electricity, phone, dunno what else. Cable is running down the street.
Well, it's sorta stuck in my mind now that I am going to eventually build this guest house and rent it out for additional income. If it ever comes to fruition, that income will go directly to my savings account.
Whatever the case, the work day is arriving and I must get moving.
Later.
ben
HP refunded my money for the extended warranty, I was just noticing on my credit card account. I didn't ask them to do that, they offered it. The reason I didn't ask them to do that is because I wanted that coverage. Now that they've done it, I'm going to make sure, once I finally get my computer back - that they are going to give me the free coverage that they claimed they would. If they do that, then all that time spent on the phone with those people will have been worth it.
I received an email from them stating the turnaround to send the computer back will be on the 10th. So much for the expedited service, that thing has been with them since - last week. Oh well, I can live without the thing. Don't necessarily need to be tied down to electronics all the time.
Whatever the case, I have identified the only real place on my property that a small guest quarters could be built. Right smack dab where on of the travel trailers is sitting. No worries, that trailer will be moved out of here soon enough, no later than the end of May. I am going to use the bonus money on my next paycheck to buy the new mattress and microwave for it and probably going to re-carpet the thing as well. My mom thought it looked okay, I am thinking different. It really doesn't look that good to me at all. Not that I am going to live in it, but I want the thing nice and new carpet will definitely make it nice. It doesn't have to be fancy carpet, just new. In fact, I want carpet that hides dirt and can withstand a bunch of dogs on it. lol
Anyway, if I can fit it, I'm thinking something like a 15X15 unit. Not very large, no, but big enough to do what I want with it. If I can find more room than that, great but I don't want the thing to take up the entire side of my house. I have to figure out how big I want the thing before I can begin to calculate how much it is going to cost to build it. Unfortunately, there is a lot of unusable space on my property thanks to the City of Phoenix imposed 25 foot setback from the street out front and 20 feet from the property line in the rear. No permanent structures can be built on any of that - building the thing behind my house would be ideal.
Can't do it because the utilities are running underground back there - gas, electricity, phone, dunno what else. Cable is running down the street.
Well, it's sorta stuck in my mind now that I am going to eventually build this guest house and rent it out for additional income. If it ever comes to fruition, that income will go directly to my savings account.
Whatever the case, the work day is arriving and I must get moving.
Later.
ben
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
I'm Sorry, Did You Say I Have To Pay Taxes On My Taxes? Americredit - A Miserable Auto Loan Company
I got 4 of these 1099 forms from the State of Arizona today. They're attempting to tell me that my tax refunds that I received last year from previous years is - taxable income.
Now let me get this straight. I file my TAX returns to the State of Arizona. I get refunds. The next year, during tax season, I get 1099's saying that that is "income". Yes, it's income THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN TAXED and is the return on the OVERPAID taxes!
Whatever.
Americredit. A miserable company, to say the least. I washed my hands of them after the head-on collision that wasn't my fault and the truck was destroyed. A VERY long story I won't bother going into here, but they "repossessed" the destroyed truck - in the impound yard since it had been towed there after the accident - and "gave" it to the insurance company. I had had numerous conversations with them about getting the truck out of the yard and into my driveway, where I would strip the engine and transmission out of it and that would repay the $1,500.00 I had left owing on it. The original loan was for $17,500. I had paid $12,000 on it in payments and the insurance company gave them 10 grand on it.
No sympathy from them and didn't care about the truck. Hindsight being 20-20, I should have just paid the storage fees for the truck and had it towed to my driveway - behind my gate. I was intent on simply the remaining usable parts on the truck and that would have paid off the debt.
Instead, they played some mind games with me that infuriated me and had me on the phone for a long, long time with what eventually got to corporate headquarters. A "man" in Dallas, Texas - some facility there that houses these people for their business - had me wanting to punch his lights out. It is ever-so-loving easy to talk trash and speak insults over a phone, it is never that easy in-person.
Whatever the case, I refused to pay the amount "owing" after they refused to do anything for me. They didn't care, neither did I. When they let the truck go to the insurance company, who called me to inform me that they had been "given" the truck, that was the end of it for me. I have left a lot out here, I would have to write a novel on the situation that unfolded and quite frankly, I don't want to stir all that up within me again.
Today was their final blow. I got a letter from Americredit today. I haven't spoken to them since maybe a few months after that accident and the phone calls transpired. They "forgave" the debt. Great? Not hardly. They reported it as income or whatever to the IRS and sent me a 1099. In other words, I have to pay taxes on that "forgiven" debt. I am not going to report it. The IRS can come back and audit me. Americredit is going to have to prove that the amount they stated is the amount that was "forgiven". The original amount "forgiven" was about $1,499. The amount they are claiming is almost 3 grand.
I contested it from the beginning. I contested it on my credit report. I have never not contested it simply because of the extreme circumstances behind all of it.
I don't expect to get a tax refund this year, in case anyone is wondering. I will file my taxes, but that s*** isn't going on there and when the IRS comes back and demands payment or modifies the return, I am going to fire right back at them. Well, not really fire at them, but inform them of the situation that actually is occurring. Americredit cannot make false claims and they are going to have to provide proof.
The only plus side to this? This nightmare will go away on my credit report. That's right, Americredit has been reporting since August of 2005 that I am "late" on my payment. Well, actually, no payment has been received. It has dinged my credit for almost 7 years now. The legal limit that they could "sue" me in court is 6 years in Arizona. Yeah, that passed a while back. My credit score, after this is reported to the big 3 reporting agencies and after 3 or more months have passed - will rise up quickly. If I have to end up paying the IRS, then I will pay it. This is the one case where I would rather pay the IRS.
Whatever. It's a chapter in the book of my life that I have been wanting to have closed for some time now, but I absolutely REFUSED to give Americredit ANYTHING. You can't refuse the IRS - they will eventually just take it from you and then you will REALLY be hurting if what they take is your lifeblood.
There were several companies that picked up this debt, including one that claims a 99% collection rate. I went to their website after they contacted me on the phone and I basically told them to but off. I thought, not in this case. I figure whatever I was going to get back this year from the IRS will just pay this off and if I have to write them a check, so beit.
Better to have this monkey off my back than to attempt to let it go forever.
Now let me get this straight. I file my TAX returns to the State of Arizona. I get refunds. The next year, during tax season, I get 1099's saying that that is "income". Yes, it's income THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN TAXED and is the return on the OVERPAID taxes!
Whatever.
Americredit. A miserable company, to say the least. I washed my hands of them after the head-on collision that wasn't my fault and the truck was destroyed. A VERY long story I won't bother going into here, but they "repossessed" the destroyed truck - in the impound yard since it had been towed there after the accident - and "gave" it to the insurance company. I had had numerous conversations with them about getting the truck out of the yard and into my driveway, where I would strip the engine and transmission out of it and that would repay the $1,500.00 I had left owing on it. The original loan was for $17,500. I had paid $12,000 on it in payments and the insurance company gave them 10 grand on it.
No sympathy from them and didn't care about the truck. Hindsight being 20-20, I should have just paid the storage fees for the truck and had it towed to my driveway - behind my gate. I was intent on simply the remaining usable parts on the truck and that would have paid off the debt.
Instead, they played some mind games with me that infuriated me and had me on the phone for a long, long time with what eventually got to corporate headquarters. A "man" in Dallas, Texas - some facility there that houses these people for their business - had me wanting to punch his lights out. It is ever-so-loving easy to talk trash and speak insults over a phone, it is never that easy in-person.
Whatever the case, I refused to pay the amount "owing" after they refused to do anything for me. They didn't care, neither did I. When they let the truck go to the insurance company, who called me to inform me that they had been "given" the truck, that was the end of it for me. I have left a lot out here, I would have to write a novel on the situation that unfolded and quite frankly, I don't want to stir all that up within me again.
Today was their final blow. I got a letter from Americredit today. I haven't spoken to them since maybe a few months after that accident and the phone calls transpired. They "forgave" the debt. Great? Not hardly. They reported it as income or whatever to the IRS and sent me a 1099. In other words, I have to pay taxes on that "forgiven" debt. I am not going to report it. The IRS can come back and audit me. Americredit is going to have to prove that the amount they stated is the amount that was "forgiven". The original amount "forgiven" was about $1,499. The amount they are claiming is almost 3 grand.
I contested it from the beginning. I contested it on my credit report. I have never not contested it simply because of the extreme circumstances behind all of it.
I don't expect to get a tax refund this year, in case anyone is wondering. I will file my taxes, but that s*** isn't going on there and when the IRS comes back and demands payment or modifies the return, I am going to fire right back at them. Well, not really fire at them, but inform them of the situation that actually is occurring. Americredit cannot make false claims and they are going to have to provide proof.
The only plus side to this? This nightmare will go away on my credit report. That's right, Americredit has been reporting since August of 2005 that I am "late" on my payment. Well, actually, no payment has been received. It has dinged my credit for almost 7 years now. The legal limit that they could "sue" me in court is 6 years in Arizona. Yeah, that passed a while back. My credit score, after this is reported to the big 3 reporting agencies and after 3 or more months have passed - will rise up quickly. If I have to end up paying the IRS, then I will pay it. This is the one case where I would rather pay the IRS.
Whatever. It's a chapter in the book of my life that I have been wanting to have closed for some time now, but I absolutely REFUSED to give Americredit ANYTHING. You can't refuse the IRS - they will eventually just take it from you and then you will REALLY be hurting if what they take is your lifeblood.
There were several companies that picked up this debt, including one that claims a 99% collection rate. I went to their website after they contacted me on the phone and I basically told them to but off. I thought, not in this case. I figure whatever I was going to get back this year from the IRS will just pay this off and if I have to write them a check, so beit.
Better to have this monkey off my back than to attempt to let it go forever.
Sissoo Trees Revisited
I was delivering one, 24 inch diameter stick of pipe this morning to what turned out to be a nursery - a tree nursery at that. Imagine my delight - I love trees and looking at those 25 foot tall pine trees in boxes, ready to be transported wherever - amazing. I mean there were a LOT of those trees sitting there.
I was talking with the guy that was receiving the pipe - he basically runs this nursery, doesn't own it but he is responsible for the daily operations. He said the economic downturn? At one point those trees would have been worth upwards of 4k, now I could snag one for a grand. That quickly turned that switch to the off position for me, I am not spending $1,000 on a tree plus the cost to have it planted in the ground.
We got on the topic of Sissoo trees and he was all over that. Amazing, wonderful tree, he exclaimed. I said I had at least 20 of them growing on my property - probably more like 30 but whatever - and saw that they grow up to 40 feet. Oh nooooo, he states, they will grow MUCH taller than that. He stated that about 5 years ago, the Sissoo was imported to this area and became instantly popular. He also stated that in about 10 years, those trees were going to be mammoths. No-one has seen any of them around here that big, yet, he continued, because they are new to the Phoenix area.
Ohhhhh. "Expect those trees in your yard to eventually grow to 80 or 90 feet tall". What?!!! "Water them well and often and they will grow enormous". Hmmm, well that got me searching. One source states they can grow up to 82 feet, but usually don't get that big. Yes, the pics that I have seen show them around 40 to 50 feet. Even that is a pretty good sized tree and imagine having 30 of them growing on one, single property!
The wood is apparently valuable as well. It is prized for, supposedly anyway, making furniture with.
The idea that this property will one day have these huge, giant trees all over - and I do mean all over, I planted them on both side, the front and rear of the property - and I won't own the property yet I did ALL of that work to get them and get them planted? Doesn't set well with me. I spent a lot of time, effort and money getting all of this in on my property. Some of those Sissoos are around the 16/17 foot tall range right now. Others much shorter but growing.
Interesting conversation on a dirt road, out in the boonies in Chandler, AZ today.
I was talking with the guy that was receiving the pipe - he basically runs this nursery, doesn't own it but he is responsible for the daily operations. He said the economic downturn? At one point those trees would have been worth upwards of 4k, now I could snag one for a grand. That quickly turned that switch to the off position for me, I am not spending $1,000 on a tree plus the cost to have it planted in the ground.
We got on the topic of Sissoo trees and he was all over that. Amazing, wonderful tree, he exclaimed. I said I had at least 20 of them growing on my property - probably more like 30 but whatever - and saw that they grow up to 40 feet. Oh nooooo, he states, they will grow MUCH taller than that. He stated that about 5 years ago, the Sissoo was imported to this area and became instantly popular. He also stated that in about 10 years, those trees were going to be mammoths. No-one has seen any of them around here that big, yet, he continued, because they are new to the Phoenix area.
Ohhhhh. "Expect those trees in your yard to eventually grow to 80 or 90 feet tall". What?!!! "Water them well and often and they will grow enormous". Hmmm, well that got me searching. One source states they can grow up to 82 feet, but usually don't get that big. Yes, the pics that I have seen show them around 40 to 50 feet. Even that is a pretty good sized tree and imagine having 30 of them growing on one, single property!
The wood is apparently valuable as well. It is prized for, supposedly anyway, making furniture with.
The idea that this property will one day have these huge, giant trees all over - and I do mean all over, I planted them on both side, the front and rear of the property - and I won't own the property yet I did ALL of that work to get them and get them planted? Doesn't set well with me. I spent a lot of time, effort and money getting all of this in on my property. Some of those Sissoos are around the 16/17 foot tall range right now. Others much shorter but growing.
Interesting conversation on a dirt road, out in the boonies in Chandler, AZ today.
Tuesday 2/7/2012
I'm really, kinda, hating....this presidential run from both side of the aisle. I really don't want to hear any more of it and I am tuning it out for now. I haven't even decided who I want to vote for in the November election - I don't like ANY of the candidates that have any chance of winning right now. The latest news was Obama's reversal in his stance on "super PACs" - the man is a hypocrite and apparently two-faced.
Bash others for doing something but if it helps him out, then commit the same action regardless. I'll write-in vote for Donald Duck before I vote for Obama.
Anyway. I have partially decided on a course of action. If I am staying in this house - and will be stuck in it for a long time if that is my decision versus short-sell, I am definitely going to save up enough money to build a small casita/attached structure - more of a "in-laws suite". It would be completely self-sufficient - meaning the occupants would never have to come into my house for anything. This is all about retirement and finding ways to dump money into an account designed specifically for that alone.
The unit could fetch $500 per month, I am guessing and pay for itself in less than a year. It would have it's own sub-meter for electricity - or perhaps just install a regular meter for it altogether and do M-Power on it. The occupants would have to "fill" a card at a machine to get electricity. Water would have a meter on it running in there - but they would pay me directly for water bills - or not - I don't know how much water one or a couple of people living in a small place would use in a month, probably not enough to have to worry about it.
That, at the moment, will stand as Plan B, since I haven't yet made up my mind about short-selling the place. And likely won't for a while. I am still trying to determine what kind of place I could rent after leaving this property. Another thought would be to simply save up enough money for a enough of a down payment and get a second house. But that would take a long time to save up, say, 20k. Which is where a casita would come in handy. At $6,000 per year, I could rack up 20 grand relatively quickly. Meaning, taking all the money from that casita earnings and stuffing it into a savings account.
I have so many ideas running around in my head, no idea what to do here.
Oh, I do have on great idea: time to go to work : )
G'day.
ben
Bash others for doing something but if it helps him out, then commit the same action regardless. I'll write-in vote for Donald Duck before I vote for Obama.
Anyway. I have partially decided on a course of action. If I am staying in this house - and will be stuck in it for a long time if that is my decision versus short-sell, I am definitely going to save up enough money to build a small casita/attached structure - more of a "in-laws suite". It would be completely self-sufficient - meaning the occupants would never have to come into my house for anything. This is all about retirement and finding ways to dump money into an account designed specifically for that alone.
The unit could fetch $500 per month, I am guessing and pay for itself in less than a year. It would have it's own sub-meter for electricity - or perhaps just install a regular meter for it altogether and do M-Power on it. The occupants would have to "fill" a card at a machine to get electricity. Water would have a meter on it running in there - but they would pay me directly for water bills - or not - I don't know how much water one or a couple of people living in a small place would use in a month, probably not enough to have to worry about it.
That, at the moment, will stand as Plan B, since I haven't yet made up my mind about short-selling the place. And likely won't for a while. I am still trying to determine what kind of place I could rent after leaving this property. Another thought would be to simply save up enough money for a enough of a down payment and get a second house. But that would take a long time to save up, say, 20k. Which is where a casita would come in handy. At $6,000 per year, I could rack up 20 grand relatively quickly. Meaning, taking all the money from that casita earnings and stuffing it into a savings account.
I have so many ideas running around in my head, no idea what to do here.
Oh, I do have on great idea: time to go to work : )
G'day.
ben
Monday, February 6, 2012
Monday 2/6/2012
Randy, my next door neighbor, is moving. 350 man has irritated him to the point that he bought some junky, old mobile home the next street over or some deal like that. Yes, indeed. This is the effect of bad neighbors: you don't want to live next to them. Not that Randy is a stellar example of clean living. He is also a hoarder. I know, you think I am exaggerating. At one point, his back yard was nothing but sea of used, rusted old cars; refrigerators, this that and the other thing.
The junk was so densely packed in there, there were some places that you would have to climb over cars to get anywhere. Get the picture? Hoarders. Anyway, he is moving all of his junk to his "new" property, where I am sure he will live in filth and squalor all over again. So, is he going to build a house on the property next to me or leave it vacant? No clue. Don't really care at this point. 350 man is now bugging his neighbors on the other side of him. Those people are older folks that have lived here a long time now.
I dunno, but when that Injunction Against Harassment runs out, if that guy tries to start trouble with me again, I will be right back down at the court house and will file for yet another Injunction is all I can say about that.
How does it feel to be 48 years old? The same as 47, lol. I think the "hurdle" age for me will be when I hit 50. 2 years until that, I can wait, thanks.
Whatever the case, another full work week en-queue. I'm hopeful to get that Safe Driver bonus in my paycheck coming on Friday. I mean, I am trying to simply avoid Highway Patrol - almost got a nice inspection last week at a rest area that was full of them doing inspections - I got out of there JUST in time. One dude had just finished an inspection and was hurrying to get ready for the next one, or so it appeared, I would have been that next one. No thanks. Got out of there in a hurry.
Funny that they will come into a rest area and bother truck drivers who are either trying to sleep or just simply go to the bathroom. Well, it's not funny at all, actually, I think it's a load of BS. They'll go into truck stops, too, doing the same thing. Regardless, the only way to not get warning from them about whatever on your truck is to avoid them like the plague. I mean, seriously. A truck that has brand new rubber; good brakes; no broken lugs; no cracks in the suspension or anywhere else; no air leaks - they will find something to write you up on. Such as a fire extinguisher with a broken strap. The thing is on the floor, anyway, but they want to make an issue out of it.
If I am still with the same company through this year - I have no reason to believe I won't but who knows, I can't predict the future - I want that bonus again cause' next time? I get 2 weeks pay and perks points. Those points are good to use in a HUGE catalog that is filled with all kinds of stuff. I don't know how many points a driver gets for his 5th safe driver award, but I would certainly like to find out.
Well, work day approaches. I am going to be watching 350 man's place now a bit more. See what his intentions are now that Randy is gone. Is he going to try and buy that property, too? I sincerely hope that if Randy wants to sell it, he does NOT sell it to that freak. If I had the money, I would definitely buy it just to keep that guy away from me. Stick an old mobile on it and rent it.
Anyway, g'day.
ben
The junk was so densely packed in there, there were some places that you would have to climb over cars to get anywhere. Get the picture? Hoarders. Anyway, he is moving all of his junk to his "new" property, where I am sure he will live in filth and squalor all over again. So, is he going to build a house on the property next to me or leave it vacant? No clue. Don't really care at this point. 350 man is now bugging his neighbors on the other side of him. Those people are older folks that have lived here a long time now.
I dunno, but when that Injunction Against Harassment runs out, if that guy tries to start trouble with me again, I will be right back down at the court house and will file for yet another Injunction is all I can say about that.
How does it feel to be 48 years old? The same as 47, lol. I think the "hurdle" age for me will be when I hit 50. 2 years until that, I can wait, thanks.
Whatever the case, another full work week en-queue. I'm hopeful to get that Safe Driver bonus in my paycheck coming on Friday. I mean, I am trying to simply avoid Highway Patrol - almost got a nice inspection last week at a rest area that was full of them doing inspections - I got out of there JUST in time. One dude had just finished an inspection and was hurrying to get ready for the next one, or so it appeared, I would have been that next one. No thanks. Got out of there in a hurry.
Funny that they will come into a rest area and bother truck drivers who are either trying to sleep or just simply go to the bathroom. Well, it's not funny at all, actually, I think it's a load of BS. They'll go into truck stops, too, doing the same thing. Regardless, the only way to not get warning from them about whatever on your truck is to avoid them like the plague. I mean, seriously. A truck that has brand new rubber; good brakes; no broken lugs; no cracks in the suspension or anywhere else; no air leaks - they will find something to write you up on. Such as a fire extinguisher with a broken strap. The thing is on the floor, anyway, but they want to make an issue out of it.
If I am still with the same company through this year - I have no reason to believe I won't but who knows, I can't predict the future - I want that bonus again cause' next time? I get 2 weeks pay and perks points. Those points are good to use in a HUGE catalog that is filled with all kinds of stuff. I don't know how many points a driver gets for his 5th safe driver award, but I would certainly like to find out.
Well, work day approaches. I am going to be watching 350 man's place now a bit more. See what his intentions are now that Randy is gone. Is he going to try and buy that property, too? I sincerely hope that if Randy wants to sell it, he does NOT sell it to that freak. If I had the money, I would definitely buy it just to keep that guy away from me. Stick an old mobile on it and rent it.
Anyway, g'day.
ben
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Sunday/Birthday/Superbowl Sunday 2/5/2012
It has been a pleasant surprise to receive dozens and dozens of Happy Birthday wishes on my main Facebook account. : )
I had myself talked into staying home from church this morning, but something told me to go - so I did. Good service. Ended a bit early as they were having their yearly - corporate meeting or whatever that is required with a quorum of members to be present and vote on board members and such.
Well, I am not a member of that church. I was going to go through the class and make it official, but they cancelled on me at the last minute as other people who were going to come were sick and had to cancel out. That was months ago, I have heard nothing since. Since I couldn't vote and have no say in any of it, I decided not to stay for it.
Instead, my Standing Rib Roast is less than an hour from being done. However, another tenant made bacon wrapped hotdogs with all kinds of fixin's and I ended up eating 2 of them. I am not hungry, whatsoever at this point, good thing for refrigerators and the ability to store such. Doesn't matter, I am sure Mark and Lynnette will partake : )
_________________________________________
Roast turned out very nice. Giants win the Superbowl. Cool birthday.
Church - sermon - definitely challenged me today.
I'm intrigued, to say the least.
But - life goes on. Work tomorrow, the stark reality of it.
I have considered going back to the missionary life.
I don't remember it being any worse than having to deal with the day to day pressures of having a home, job and all that goes with it. You don't own anything, but then again, what do I really own anyway? A couple computers, TV's that I could care less about, dogs that I do care about - not unfortunately thank you, umm, some guns, an old car, a 5th wheel travel trailer. I don't own the house, the bank owns it and will own it for 30 years - which I highly doubt I am going to stay here that long.
Wow.
Okay.
A nice day, regardless.
G'nite.
ben
I had myself talked into staying home from church this morning, but something told me to go - so I did. Good service. Ended a bit early as they were having their yearly - corporate meeting or whatever that is required with a quorum of members to be present and vote on board members and such.
Well, I am not a member of that church. I was going to go through the class and make it official, but they cancelled on me at the last minute as other people who were going to come were sick and had to cancel out. That was months ago, I have heard nothing since. Since I couldn't vote and have no say in any of it, I decided not to stay for it.
Instead, my Standing Rib Roast is less than an hour from being done. However, another tenant made bacon wrapped hotdogs with all kinds of fixin's and I ended up eating 2 of them. I am not hungry, whatsoever at this point, good thing for refrigerators and the ability to store such. Doesn't matter, I am sure Mark and Lynnette will partake : )
_________________________________________
Roast turned out very nice. Giants win the Superbowl. Cool birthday.
Church - sermon - definitely challenged me today.
I'm intrigued, to say the least.
But - life goes on. Work tomorrow, the stark reality of it.
I have considered going back to the missionary life.
I don't remember it being any worse than having to deal with the day to day pressures of having a home, job and all that goes with it. You don't own anything, but then again, what do I really own anyway? A couple computers, TV's that I could care less about, dogs that I do care about - not unfortunately thank you, umm, some guns, an old car, a 5th wheel travel trailer. I don't own the house, the bank owns it and will own it for 30 years - which I highly doubt I am going to stay here that long.
Wow.
Okay.
A nice day, regardless.
G'nite.
ben
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Running Over A Bicyclist
This would be a trucker's nightmare. Running over a pedestrian, bicyclist or otherwise someone in or on a small vehicle. I know a trucker whose trailers tandems ran clean over the head of a teenaged boy. Wasn't the trucker's fault, but - it messed that driver's head up rather permanently. He quit truck driving altogether, he simply couldn't handle it anymore. It wasn't just the fact that he had killed the boy, he also ended up seeing this kid's brains all over the asphalt.
Dicey. Scary. Unnerving are a few words that describe what hit me the other day, in traffic, in the semi.
I was in a dual left hand turn lane. I had seen the group of bicyclists cruising down the street before I got to the light, but they were on the right side of the road. I got up to the left hand turn lane and sat there, looking around, waiting for the light to turn green.
If you are going to sit in the blind spot of semi truck while sitting on a bicycle next to it in traffic and expect the driver to avoid running you over, you might want to rethink that plan.
I have watched bicyclists all over the place doing some very stupid moves in traffic. Some of these people think they have the right to cut off machinery that - they are no match for. I read and hear in the news about bicyclists getting killed frequently in these parts, there is a reason for that. Number one, motorists are not paying the same attention to the road as they once were. The electronic s*** has taken their attention off of the road. Number 2, the extreme, almost arrogant attitudes that I see cyclists have and using while riding down the road.
I am NOT one of those drivers that isn't paying attention. Especially when driving the truck. Too much happens too quick and you have to be all over it before something really bad happens, like running cars and this and that over.
The problem on this particular occasion is that I could not SEE these bicyclists, they must have been RIGHT next to the truck in the blind spot. Wherever they were, they most definitely should not have been there. When the green arrow came up, I was moving right off the start. The next thing I know, a bike is hurling off to the side, out in front of the same traffic that was also waiting at that light. The green arrow and the regular light came on at the same time, meaning all the south bound lanes could take off. This guy was swerving around with cars who also didn't expect what happened attempting to avoid running over him.
It was pretty shocking to see this dude attempting to save his own life while he was laughing at the cars that were swerving to avoid hitting him. ???? What was THAT all about? Laughing at the cars that don't want to hit him? It was all a big JOKE to this dude!!! I'm serious, this dude is swerving his bike in the middle of hte lanes attempting to avoid traffic that is attempting to avoid him and he's out there laughing at everyone!!
Dicey. Scary. Unnerving are a few words that describe what hit me the other day, in traffic, in the semi.
I was in a dual left hand turn lane. I had seen the group of bicyclists cruising down the street before I got to the light, but they were on the right side of the road. I got up to the left hand turn lane and sat there, looking around, waiting for the light to turn green.
If you are going to sit in the blind spot of semi truck while sitting on a bicycle next to it in traffic and expect the driver to avoid running you over, you might want to rethink that plan.
I have watched bicyclists all over the place doing some very stupid moves in traffic. Some of these people think they have the right to cut off machinery that - they are no match for. I read and hear in the news about bicyclists getting killed frequently in these parts, there is a reason for that. Number one, motorists are not paying the same attention to the road as they once were. The electronic s*** has taken their attention off of the road. Number 2, the extreme, almost arrogant attitudes that I see cyclists have and using while riding down the road.
I am NOT one of those drivers that isn't paying attention. Especially when driving the truck. Too much happens too quick and you have to be all over it before something really bad happens, like running cars and this and that over.
The problem on this particular occasion is that I could not SEE these bicyclists, they must have been RIGHT next to the truck in the blind spot. Wherever they were, they most definitely should not have been there. When the green arrow came up, I was moving right off the start. The next thing I know, a bike is hurling off to the side, out in front of the same traffic that was also waiting at that light. The green arrow and the regular light came on at the same time, meaning all the south bound lanes could take off. This guy was swerving around with cars who also didn't expect what happened attempting to avoid running over him.
It was pretty shocking to see this dude attempting to save his own life while he was laughing at the cars that were swerving to avoid hitting him. ???? What was THAT all about? Laughing at the cars that don't want to hit him? It was all a big JOKE to this dude!!! I'm serious, this dude is swerving his bike in the middle of hte lanes attempting to avoid traffic that is attempting to avoid him and he's out there laughing at everyone!!
Saturday 2/4/2012
What kind of craziness is it that American Express has "no preset spending limit"?!!!
I know you have to pay the entire amount charged every month, but what if someone decides to go on a spending spree with the intent of not paying it? Naaah, they must have some kind of built in system to identify a person doing such and stopping it before it goes out of control.
I have had the card for a week, sitting there wondering whether I should activate it or not. I am going to give it a try. Use it for groceries and gas, if such places accept such cards and set a limit at $200 per month. Use it only for things I would have used my debit card for and make sure I set that money aside as I charge it on the card. Let the thing build up points for a while and then see if it's even worth having the thing or not. I mean, really, that's the only thing this card is good for: building up points and using them for whatever you can get with them. It is not a credit card, really, since you can't run a balance on terms with interest over time. At least, that's how I see it.
Meanwhile, the fight is on. Continue to have money taken out on a weekly basis, automatically, from checking account to savings account. The battle? To not touch the savings. So far, I have managed not to do that. But no guarantees, lol.
And if I'm staying on this property - still haven't decided that one or not yet - it is going to need more revenue generated from it. I have toyed with this idea for a couple of years now but have done nothing about it. That's because it isn't going to be exactly cheap to do, which is to build a small guest house otherwise known as a casita in these parts.
Basically a kitchenette design with a living/bedroom area combined, a small kitchen and a small bathroom with shower only, no bathtub. How many people take baths anyway. Lots, I'm sure, but no-one that lives in this house takes baths, only showers. Anyway, I can build one for about 5k if I do most of the work myself. Would take less than a year to pay itself back. I'm going to start looking at plans on the internet - have to have a set of plans to build anything in this city and pay for a permit, too - and start calculating what it will cost.
Caleb knocked on my bedroom door last night, just as I was going to go to bed.
He had some news for me.
He has decided that in the next month or two, he is going to quit his job and go volunteer at the Salvation Army church that he goes to.
How is he going to survive, you ask? My son is going to college, full-time. I told him long ago that he can stay with me as long as he is either going to school or working or both. He isn't quitting college.
Don't slam the boy, but if you feel you must, I don't want it written in any comments on this entry or anywhere else on my blog. I have felt since last year when he had that encounter with the Lord that he is called to the ministry and I will fully support him in that.
He will have a place to sleep; he already has a computer tied with my in-home Wi-Fi; I will make sure he has food to eat and he will still have a car to drive.
However, he is going to have to start to explore the world of "living by faith". It isn't a concept. It's a reality that I have lived in the past in trusting the Lord to meet your every need even though there is no foreseeable way for that to occur. As a missionary, I remember, at first, going for extended periods of time without any money. Not even a dime to my name. My needs were met, but I had no spending money. Over time, I had money coming in the mail and was able to do whatever I needed in terms of feeding myself and buying clothes and such.
But there are many, many times when I had nothing and was wondering where my next meal was coming from. The Lord never let me down on that. NEVER. And I will never complain about or regret those days of the time spent serving the Lord full time on the missionary field - at least my own experience. I have said some things about the leadership that was - full of it - of the organization I was with - but that's an entirely different.
From what I can see, Caleb is called to the ministry and he will eventually find that calling and he will, undoubtedly, spend his life serving the Lord. Whether that's as a pastor, an evangelist, a travelling missionary, who knows. Only God knows that and it will be exciting, at least for me, to see where this all leads to. He is taking a first step, on his own, without anyone telling him he needs to do so.
So yes, while he is still with me, I will help him with some things but not all. I want to see him take some steps in faith and let him learn on his own what it is like to ask the Lord for whatever you need and hopefully see those requests answered in whatever way the Lord chooses. This is the kind of thing that grows faith. After a while, it becomes more like knowledge: I know the Lord is going to provide for me, even though there is no way in the natural realm that that is going to happen as far as I can see. God is greater, He isn't broke and He owns everything!
So I am going to encourage him in this endeavor.
Today? Going to buy the other vent I need for the trailer roof and stop by the Chinese buffet on the way back. Oh, so wonderful food. I have never had budget Chinese food at a buffet that is THIS good! I don't do it often, but this is my birthday weekend, so what the hey.
I got my frozen Standing Rib Roast out this morning. I waited a bit long on deciding whether to cook it for my birthday tomorrow. I hope that it being out long enough will thaw it sufficiently.
Tomorrow: My birthday and Superbowl Sunday. There isn't much doubt in my mind who is going to win this particular Superbowl, but I do hope the Giants at least put up a good fight, cause' a blowout Superbowl sucks, really. I do hope the roast is thawed by then, but if it isn't totally thawed, no worries, just takes longer to cook, start it a bit earlier. Yes, been there done that - like the turkey I cooked last weekend. It took 1-1/2 extra hours to cook because it wasn't completely thawed, but it turned out delicious : )
Done for now.
G'day.
ben
Friday, February 3, 2012
Friday 2/3/2012
So, out of the blue, the tenant that was going into the hospital for 6 weeks as of yesterday calls me - yesterday of course. What's up, dude? You in the hospital yet?, having had already resigned myself to the fact that I would not see a penny of rent from that room for 6 weeks - at least.
He says he is coming over in about an hour to give me some money. That's basically the end of the story without going into too much detail, he showed up, handed me X amount of money, I decided to give him a break - the amount he paid versus what is actually owed - and left it at that. I'll take something over nothing is all I am saying.
A sigh of relief. I didn't want to have to dig into the savings account. I have that safe driver award coming, but I won't see that for another 7 days when I get paid again.
Took the computer to the Fed Ex hub yesterday. Got it there in time - it will be at the repair facility today. Allegedly, they are putting a "rush" on it to get it fixed as soon as it shows up in their doorway..........it would be nice to get it back in, ohhh, say a week's time instead of sitting there for Lord only knows how long........
Eye infection not getting any better, despite putting the antibiotic drops in there every day, 3 times per day, as instructed by the doctor. It's blood red in the morning, clears up by the afternoon, gets a bit red by nightfall and then, the next morning, same thing all over again. Plus, it is INCREDIBLY itchy. Hard to keep my fingers off of it.
The news is mostly full of garbage. I am sick of seeing all the junk being hurled around about the Presidential candidates. I haven't made up my mind, yet, who I would want to see in the Oval office, mostly because the top 2 candidates do not appeal to me, at all. Gingrich is just another career politician and Romney has certain elements about him that I don't like. Apparently Santorum has no chance and Ron Paul definitely has no chance, that man will never be the President. Whatever the case, whoever ends up winning the nomination for the GOP, I will vote for that person in the November elections over Obama regardless.
Well, work day approaches, but it's Friday.
G'day.
ben
He says he is coming over in about an hour to give me some money. That's basically the end of the story without going into too much detail, he showed up, handed me X amount of money, I decided to give him a break - the amount he paid versus what is actually owed - and left it at that. I'll take something over nothing is all I am saying.
A sigh of relief. I didn't want to have to dig into the savings account. I have that safe driver award coming, but I won't see that for another 7 days when I get paid again.
Took the computer to the Fed Ex hub yesterday. Got it there in time - it will be at the repair facility today. Allegedly, they are putting a "rush" on it to get it fixed as soon as it shows up in their doorway..........it would be nice to get it back in, ohhh, say a week's time instead of sitting there for Lord only knows how long........
Eye infection not getting any better, despite putting the antibiotic drops in there every day, 3 times per day, as instructed by the doctor. It's blood red in the morning, clears up by the afternoon, gets a bit red by nightfall and then, the next morning, same thing all over again. Plus, it is INCREDIBLY itchy. Hard to keep my fingers off of it.
The news is mostly full of garbage. I am sick of seeing all the junk being hurled around about the Presidential candidates. I haven't made up my mind, yet, who I would want to see in the Oval office, mostly because the top 2 candidates do not appeal to me, at all. Gingrich is just another career politician and Romney has certain elements about him that I don't like. Apparently Santorum has no chance and Ron Paul definitely has no chance, that man will never be the President. Whatever the case, whoever ends up winning the nomination for the GOP, I will vote for that person in the November elections over Obama regardless.
Well, work day approaches, but it's Friday.
G'day.
ben
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Thursday 2/2/2012
It's 222! Meaningless, but someone will make some sort of inference out of it. Oh, wait a minute - no - it IS Groundhog Day! In the area where I live? We'll take permanent winter. We don't care how long winter lasts, it could go on indefinitely and everyone around here would love it.
I have gotten nowhere with Hewlitt Packard - not that I haven't tried. Okay, I have made very slight "ground", if you wanna call it that, but and again, that company has some of the rudest customer service reps. They are right down there with Direct TV. I caught the case manager in a lie, at least that's what I called it and called him out on it. He started hemming and hawing after I made the case - didn't matter. Anyway, the box showed up from Fed Ex yesterday to send the computer to them, but I was too tired to get the thing out and go through all of that.
I will take it to work with me today and possibly pack it up and send it in after work is done.
Meanwhile, the situation with the tenant that had surgery on his wrist. He had gone to his dad's house to recover for a few days before coming back over here. That situation changed dramatically after he called me yesterday and informed me that he was going to have to spend 6 weeks in some sort of rehabilitation facility that has to intravenously inject him with antibiotics. The first thought that came to my mind while he's talking this is the rent. I had a feeling I was going to get a sob story, instead, he tried to jump over that particular portion of the conversation.
I infused it. What about the rent? I don't want to sound like a mean-spirited person, but I have bills to pay. I'm not going to go into all of it. It is the same type of thing I have heard from others in the past. "I shouldn't have to pay or pay full rent since I am not there". People seem to think because they aren't here, using utilities and such, they should either therefore be charged no rent or the rent should be reduced.
People are wrong if they think like that, to put it flatly. You rent the room, it's yours whether you use it or not. It is meaningless whether you stay in it one night per month or every night per month. You agree to pay X amount of money per month for it, there is no discussion of how often you are going to use it because it is completely and totally irrelevant. If you want to cut a deal with someone, go somewhere else.
This conversation digressed, at least from my viewpoint of it because I also had to ask him WHEN I was getting any rent, it was due yesterday. Yeah. 6 weeks from now. My tones probably were getting less and less nice with each tidbit of news I was hearing. He can't come and move out because of his situation, he is physically unable to do anything. This does not absolve him of having to pay the rent. Dunno. I get this feeling that 6 weeks from now, the guy is going to show up, move out while I'm at work or something and not pay a dime. It's happened too many times and I am not sure I am willing to wait that long to get money.
But it is what it is.
_________________________________
All day intermission. I thought I posted this this morning!
So I am at a jobsite this morning, waiting to get the truck unloaded. Caleb calls - a bit unnerved. He's telling me this story of him almost killing another driver in traffic that had occurred 15 minutes before he called me. That old Buick has good rubber and good brakes on it, I made sure of that before he started driving that thing. I don't want to have to come rescue him with a flat tire and I definitely want optimal brakes on that thing in case something like this happens.
Some dude apparently stopped in front of him - on the freeway! I've seen this happen before. Idiots. He said he swerved toward the center wall to avoid crashing into him and then swerved again to avoid the center wall. I asked him how fast he was going. 70mph. Too fast, too close behind the car in front of him, not looking far enough ahead. I'm just glad he didn't smash into the rear of that car. Cops don't care what happened, if you rear-end a vehicle, 99% of the time you are going to get the ticket and blame for the accident no matter what happened unless you have witnesses that can corroborate a story that would give the driver in front of you the ticket instead (such as unsafe lane change/cutting you off going much slower than you are).
That was my guess, anyway and I just got through giving him some driving tips. You don't develop that 6th sense in driving overnight or even in a year's time. The longer you drive, the better equipped you are mentally to be prepared in advance for whatever is going to happen in front of you. But, he must have done something right to stay out of an accident altogether. He said he could smell the rubber from the car's tires because of the skidding. I just went out and checked the tires, no flat spots.
The regional manager out at our new facility today. Cool dude, easy to get along with and not over-bearing. This is the kind of management I can and do respect. Our general manager was escorting him around, he is always very congenial and easy to talk to as well. It makes me wonder how another certain member of higher management even makes it with this kind of quality people above him.
____________________
Wow! The list of things going on over here is too much to get into all of it! Enough is enough, write more tomorrow.
G'nite.
ben
I have gotten nowhere with Hewlitt Packard - not that I haven't tried. Okay, I have made very slight "ground", if you wanna call it that, but and again, that company has some of the rudest customer service reps. They are right down there with Direct TV. I caught the case manager in a lie, at least that's what I called it and called him out on it. He started hemming and hawing after I made the case - didn't matter. Anyway, the box showed up from Fed Ex yesterday to send the computer to them, but I was too tired to get the thing out and go through all of that.
I will take it to work with me today and possibly pack it up and send it in after work is done.
Meanwhile, the situation with the tenant that had surgery on his wrist. He had gone to his dad's house to recover for a few days before coming back over here. That situation changed dramatically after he called me yesterday and informed me that he was going to have to spend 6 weeks in some sort of rehabilitation facility that has to intravenously inject him with antibiotics. The first thought that came to my mind while he's talking this is the rent. I had a feeling I was going to get a sob story, instead, he tried to jump over that particular portion of the conversation.
I infused it. What about the rent? I don't want to sound like a mean-spirited person, but I have bills to pay. I'm not going to go into all of it. It is the same type of thing I have heard from others in the past. "I shouldn't have to pay or pay full rent since I am not there". People seem to think because they aren't here, using utilities and such, they should either therefore be charged no rent or the rent should be reduced.
People are wrong if they think like that, to put it flatly. You rent the room, it's yours whether you use it or not. It is meaningless whether you stay in it one night per month or every night per month. You agree to pay X amount of money per month for it, there is no discussion of how often you are going to use it because it is completely and totally irrelevant. If you want to cut a deal with someone, go somewhere else.
This conversation digressed, at least from my viewpoint of it because I also had to ask him WHEN I was getting any rent, it was due yesterday. Yeah. 6 weeks from now. My tones probably were getting less and less nice with each tidbit of news I was hearing. He can't come and move out because of his situation, he is physically unable to do anything. This does not absolve him of having to pay the rent. Dunno. I get this feeling that 6 weeks from now, the guy is going to show up, move out while I'm at work or something and not pay a dime. It's happened too many times and I am not sure I am willing to wait that long to get money.
But it is what it is.
_________________________________
All day intermission. I thought I posted this this morning!
So I am at a jobsite this morning, waiting to get the truck unloaded. Caleb calls - a bit unnerved. He's telling me this story of him almost killing another driver in traffic that had occurred 15 minutes before he called me. That old Buick has good rubber and good brakes on it, I made sure of that before he started driving that thing. I don't want to have to come rescue him with a flat tire and I definitely want optimal brakes on that thing in case something like this happens.
Some dude apparently stopped in front of him - on the freeway! I've seen this happen before. Idiots. He said he swerved toward the center wall to avoid crashing into him and then swerved again to avoid the center wall. I asked him how fast he was going. 70mph. Too fast, too close behind the car in front of him, not looking far enough ahead. I'm just glad he didn't smash into the rear of that car. Cops don't care what happened, if you rear-end a vehicle, 99% of the time you are going to get the ticket and blame for the accident no matter what happened unless you have witnesses that can corroborate a story that would give the driver in front of you the ticket instead (such as unsafe lane change/cutting you off going much slower than you are).
That was my guess, anyway and I just got through giving him some driving tips. You don't develop that 6th sense in driving overnight or even in a year's time. The longer you drive, the better equipped you are mentally to be prepared in advance for whatever is going to happen in front of you. But, he must have done something right to stay out of an accident altogether. He said he could smell the rubber from the car's tires because of the skidding. I just went out and checked the tires, no flat spots.
The regional manager out at our new facility today. Cool dude, easy to get along with and not over-bearing. This is the kind of management I can and do respect. Our general manager was escorting him around, he is always very congenial and easy to talk to as well. It makes me wonder how another certain member of higher management even makes it with this kind of quality people above him.
____________________
Wow! The list of things going on over here is too much to get into all of it! Enough is enough, write more tomorrow.
G'nite.
ben
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The Incident At The Electric Wholesale House
I do not get into the same kind of things with my company's vendors - people WE are buying product from - as I will with my own, personal business - just because I don't want them calling my company and starting junk with me through them. Even if I'm "right", I just let most of it go.
So, today is the first time in quite a long time that I simply wasn't going to take the kind of s*** that these people doling out.
So here's the situation. We buy product here and there from this company. Normally, it's the pipe used for natural gas. They sell a lot of other stuff, but that's mostly what we get from them. They have a small yard. To get into that yard, you have to make a very tight turn. Recently, they put a sign up - if you're truck is over 32 foot long or are pulling a trailer over 32 feet long, you must report to the office first before going in.
That sign is directed towards truck drivers that are DELIVERING product there. It's a granted that I have to go in to the will call center first to get the paperwork done and make sure everything is correct. But, I started following the sign's instructions, anyway, just to make sure there were no problems. When I get the paperwork done with them, I then ask them if they want me to stay out there in the parking lot or pull into their yard. Sometimes it's stay out there, sometimes its pull into the yard.
Today, the will call counter man asked the yard man what he wanted me to do - who replied to go ahead and pull into the yard. I heard them both say this, I wasn't dreaming it, it really was spoken. So, I get into the semi and pull around that tight turn and lo and behold, there is another semi in there already. Here's where the trouble starts.
A kid on a forklift - okay, he's somewhere in the 20-25 range, comes up on a forklift and starts telling me that I should have gone into the office first to ask whether I can come into the yard and didn't I bother to read the sign? Yes, I read the sign and yes, I went into the office and THEY instructed me to go into the yard, if you have an issue with that, please take it up with them. I mean, really. This guy goes on and on and on about how I should have gone inside. I wasn't going to waste time with him, I told him about his attitude and that I wouldn't be dealing with it, thanks, got back into my truck and shut the door and completely ignored him.
He drives back to the other end, where a group of them were standing there, glaring at me. Whatever, load my truck and I'll be out of your hair, thank you.
I get back out - I have to loosen up straps to move 2 sticks of pipe on the back of the trailer so the other forklift operator can load the truck. I'm in that process when this long-haired hippie looking dude comes walking up. He gets right in my face and starts in on me. What is your issue. I don't have an issue, what are you talking about. You told my forklift operator that he has an attitude. Yes, I did, he came up to me and told me I should have checked in the front office before coming in here and I informed that I had, indeed, done so and that they told me to come in here. Well how do you call that an attitude? Because he wouldn't shut up. That conversation should have ended when I told him I had gone through your company's procedures and DID check in and did get the okay to come back here.
This guy started getting nasty. Attitude all over his face and verbage. I wasn't backing down. I did nothing wrong, there was no reason, whatsoever, for this guy to be talking to me like this. I finally asked him who his manager is. "I AM the yard manager". Yup, and you are going to pay - I didn't say but I thought. I am the freaking CUSTOMER here.
He started walking off and said: "Well I'm going to let it go THIS time". I wasn't. Too late, too much negativity, to much bullshit from 2 different people over an extremely PETTY matter.
I stopped what I was doing and walked inside the front office - he walked into his warehouse. I looked around for the guy I was dealing with in there, he was nowhere to be seen. I waited for several minutes but - looking out the window, I saw the forklift operator coming up with my pipe. I walked back outside. He couldn't load the truck, it was such a tight squeeze there was no room for that forklift to maneuver that pipe around to load the truck.
I offered to back the truck out of there so he could load it in the parking lot - where they should have said they were going to load it in the first place. If you think getting IN there was difficult, wait til' you try backing up a truck between a building on one side and trucks parked on the other, around a corner through a narrow gate. I didn't get that far before a swarm of people appeared and came out of the warehouse and towards me. The man at the counter that I dealt with was the first one to me.
However, his tones were nothing like that so-called yard manager. We got into a discussion and he informed me that this yard manager thought I was delivering something, not picking something up. So this is how you treat truck drivers bringing materials into your yard. It took me back to the days of doing over-the-road and being treated like so much dog crap. You follow their rules to the nth degree and if you don't, they will give you hell. I heard that and decided it was time to milk this cow.
I looked the man squarely in his face and asked him in a voice that I don't really know how to describe but certainly not of a squeamish person that is going to fall over and bind his legs up into the fetal position if he's talked badly to - Do I need to get MY management involved?. If my management hears out the entire story and what happened, I have no doubt that they would back me up. No, no sir you don't need to do that.
I then informed him and everyone else milling about what really happened versus whatever that yard manager might have told him.
That conversation ended and then I backed the truck out of that yard and yet more people came out there. What's going on? Same story. Your yard manager has an extreme attitude and I did not appreciate it and told them the same story. They - were obviously unhappy about their employee's attitude toward me which was completely unwarranted and apologized profusely. They stated they were going to deal with the situation. They even asked if the guy that was loading my truck was also starting crap with me. No, I said, he was cool, no problems with him. Okay, good, we just wanted to know whether those 2 - referring to the dude that started this with me on the forklift and then the yard manager - had dragged him into it as well.
Meaning they believed me and yes, it was obvious or at least hopeful from the way they were talking - that some heads were going to roll. This isn't exactly the type of economy where you go treating your customers like shit on a log. If I had an "ace in the hole", it was the two times on the 2 occasions that I asked them if I needed to get my management involved, they particularly did not care for that idea, at all.
The whole incident brought back all the memories of being OTR driving - going to a different place every time and never knowing how you were going to be treated once you got there. But when I was in my 20's doing it, I didn't put up with it. If yard personnel were going to talk down to me, they got it right back from me. If they treated me with respect as you would any (well most) human beings, then I showed them the same respect and then some. I used to have them demanding me to unload the truck - for free.
No, I would flatly respond. We're not talking operating a forklift in these particular instances, we are talking about thousands of boxes stacked from floor to ceiling that would have to be unloaded by hand. I was in New York once, they informed me that this 53 foot long, 110 inch high trailer would have to be unloaded by hand and that they weren't going to do it. I called my company who demanded I unload that trailer - for free.
Lol. I was ready to quit. They didn't want to pay me and at that point in my life? I didn't care. I could leave the truck and trailer there, at that dock, get my things, get on a Greyhound and go home. I would tell them it's there, better get a driver over there to deal with it. But it didn't get that far. I informed my company they could pay a lumper to come and unload the truck. They wouldn't pay for that, either. I didn't care. I drove the truck there, that was my job. Loading and unloading trucks? Not my job. I will do it, but for a price.
I then offered to unload the truck myself, but it wasn't going to be anything near free. $200. I figured it would take hours - at least - unload that truck by hand. Not only unload it by hand, but separate it by the demands of the place I was delivering the junk to - they had pre-painted squares with A, B and C painted in them. Obviously, this was Modus Operandi for them. Again, couldn't care less. I did unload that truck, by hand and I did it expeditiously and yes, I got paid $200 EXTRA for doing that.
There are many truck drivers out there that will not touch freight, period. That's fine, too, that's the norm, really for OTR drivers. It isn't the norm for local drivers, but for OTR? They're out there driving 11 hours a day and in their minds, that's enough. I happen to agree after having done it for many years. If you think driving a truck is easy, I invite you to spend a week with an OTR driver and you will get an education.
I left that electrical supply company that also sells natural gas pipe, lol, with the satisfaction that those 2 idiots were going to hear about their actions - actually they had already heard about it before I left the property. I doubt that I will have any problems the next time I go in there - but who knows.
So, today is the first time in quite a long time that I simply wasn't going to take the kind of s*** that these people doling out.
So here's the situation. We buy product here and there from this company. Normally, it's the pipe used for natural gas. They sell a lot of other stuff, but that's mostly what we get from them. They have a small yard. To get into that yard, you have to make a very tight turn. Recently, they put a sign up - if you're truck is over 32 foot long or are pulling a trailer over 32 feet long, you must report to the office first before going in.
That sign is directed towards truck drivers that are DELIVERING product there. It's a granted that I have to go in to the will call center first to get the paperwork done and make sure everything is correct. But, I started following the sign's instructions, anyway, just to make sure there were no problems. When I get the paperwork done with them, I then ask them if they want me to stay out there in the parking lot or pull into their yard. Sometimes it's stay out there, sometimes its pull into the yard.
Today, the will call counter man asked the yard man what he wanted me to do - who replied to go ahead and pull into the yard. I heard them both say this, I wasn't dreaming it, it really was spoken. So, I get into the semi and pull around that tight turn and lo and behold, there is another semi in there already. Here's where the trouble starts.
A kid on a forklift - okay, he's somewhere in the 20-25 range, comes up on a forklift and starts telling me that I should have gone into the office first to ask whether I can come into the yard and didn't I bother to read the sign? Yes, I read the sign and yes, I went into the office and THEY instructed me to go into the yard, if you have an issue with that, please take it up with them. I mean, really. This guy goes on and on and on about how I should have gone inside. I wasn't going to waste time with him, I told him about his attitude and that I wouldn't be dealing with it, thanks, got back into my truck and shut the door and completely ignored him.
He drives back to the other end, where a group of them were standing there, glaring at me. Whatever, load my truck and I'll be out of your hair, thank you.
I get back out - I have to loosen up straps to move 2 sticks of pipe on the back of the trailer so the other forklift operator can load the truck. I'm in that process when this long-haired hippie looking dude comes walking up. He gets right in my face and starts in on me. What is your issue. I don't have an issue, what are you talking about. You told my forklift operator that he has an attitude. Yes, I did, he came up to me and told me I should have checked in the front office before coming in here and I informed that I had, indeed, done so and that they told me to come in here. Well how do you call that an attitude? Because he wouldn't shut up. That conversation should have ended when I told him I had gone through your company's procedures and DID check in and did get the okay to come back here.
This guy started getting nasty. Attitude all over his face and verbage. I wasn't backing down. I did nothing wrong, there was no reason, whatsoever, for this guy to be talking to me like this. I finally asked him who his manager is. "I AM the yard manager". Yup, and you are going to pay - I didn't say but I thought. I am the freaking CUSTOMER here.
He started walking off and said: "Well I'm going to let it go THIS time". I wasn't. Too late, too much negativity, to much bullshit from 2 different people over an extremely PETTY matter.
I stopped what I was doing and walked inside the front office - he walked into his warehouse. I looked around for the guy I was dealing with in there, he was nowhere to be seen. I waited for several minutes but - looking out the window, I saw the forklift operator coming up with my pipe. I walked back outside. He couldn't load the truck, it was such a tight squeeze there was no room for that forklift to maneuver that pipe around to load the truck.
I offered to back the truck out of there so he could load it in the parking lot - where they should have said they were going to load it in the first place. If you think getting IN there was difficult, wait til' you try backing up a truck between a building on one side and trucks parked on the other, around a corner through a narrow gate. I didn't get that far before a swarm of people appeared and came out of the warehouse and towards me. The man at the counter that I dealt with was the first one to me.
However, his tones were nothing like that so-called yard manager. We got into a discussion and he informed me that this yard manager thought I was delivering something, not picking something up. So this is how you treat truck drivers bringing materials into your yard. It took me back to the days of doing over-the-road and being treated like so much dog crap. You follow their rules to the nth degree and if you don't, they will give you hell. I heard that and decided it was time to milk this cow.
I looked the man squarely in his face and asked him in a voice that I don't really know how to describe but certainly not of a squeamish person that is going to fall over and bind his legs up into the fetal position if he's talked badly to - Do I need to get MY management involved?. If my management hears out the entire story and what happened, I have no doubt that they would back me up. No, no sir you don't need to do that.
I then informed him and everyone else milling about what really happened versus whatever that yard manager might have told him.
That conversation ended and then I backed the truck out of that yard and yet more people came out there. What's going on? Same story. Your yard manager has an extreme attitude and I did not appreciate it and told them the same story. They - were obviously unhappy about their employee's attitude toward me which was completely unwarranted and apologized profusely. They stated they were going to deal with the situation. They even asked if the guy that was loading my truck was also starting crap with me. No, I said, he was cool, no problems with him. Okay, good, we just wanted to know whether those 2 - referring to the dude that started this with me on the forklift and then the yard manager - had dragged him into it as well.
Meaning they believed me and yes, it was obvious or at least hopeful from the way they were talking - that some heads were going to roll. This isn't exactly the type of economy where you go treating your customers like shit on a log. If I had an "ace in the hole", it was the two times on the 2 occasions that I asked them if I needed to get my management involved, they particularly did not care for that idea, at all.
The whole incident brought back all the memories of being OTR driving - going to a different place every time and never knowing how you were going to be treated once you got there. But when I was in my 20's doing it, I didn't put up with it. If yard personnel were going to talk down to me, they got it right back from me. If they treated me with respect as you would any (well most) human beings, then I showed them the same respect and then some. I used to have them demanding me to unload the truck - for free.
No, I would flatly respond. We're not talking operating a forklift in these particular instances, we are talking about thousands of boxes stacked from floor to ceiling that would have to be unloaded by hand. I was in New York once, they informed me that this 53 foot long, 110 inch high trailer would have to be unloaded by hand and that they weren't going to do it. I called my company who demanded I unload that trailer - for free.
Lol. I was ready to quit. They didn't want to pay me and at that point in my life? I didn't care. I could leave the truck and trailer there, at that dock, get my things, get on a Greyhound and go home. I would tell them it's there, better get a driver over there to deal with it. But it didn't get that far. I informed my company they could pay a lumper to come and unload the truck. They wouldn't pay for that, either. I didn't care. I drove the truck there, that was my job. Loading and unloading trucks? Not my job. I will do it, but for a price.
I then offered to unload the truck myself, but it wasn't going to be anything near free. $200. I figured it would take hours - at least - unload that truck by hand. Not only unload it by hand, but separate it by the demands of the place I was delivering the junk to - they had pre-painted squares with A, B and C painted in them. Obviously, this was Modus Operandi for them. Again, couldn't care less. I did unload that truck, by hand and I did it expeditiously and yes, I got paid $200 EXTRA for doing that.
There are many truck drivers out there that will not touch freight, period. That's fine, too, that's the norm, really for OTR drivers. It isn't the norm for local drivers, but for OTR? They're out there driving 11 hours a day and in their minds, that's enough. I happen to agree after having done it for many years. If you think driving a truck is easy, I invite you to spend a week with an OTR driver and you will get an education.
I left that electrical supply company that also sells natural gas pipe, lol, with the satisfaction that those 2 idiots were going to hear about their actions - actually they had already heard about it before I left the property. I doubt that I will have any problems the next time I go in there - but who knows.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Safe Driver Award
So, this morning, finally, the email came from corporate with the names of those who are going to receive the Safe Driver Award. It is given annually - if you qualify - on the month of your service anniversary. I didn't know what to think all the way up until this morning - til' I got to work and opened up the email.
The email shows 1 year, 2 year - all the way up to as many years a person has been a safe driver. I figured I was at 1 year since I didn't get it last year and it would reset back to 1. Otherwise, I would be at 4 years. I didn't see my name under 1 year so I thought - oh well. I met all the qualifications for it, but for whatever reason, I am not getting it.
I open up the next email from a co-worker in the purchasing department. He says congratulations on the Safe Driver Award. ??? Back to the corporate email. Now I am scouring through all of it, not just 1st year. My name is there - on the 4th year of getting the award!
I had NO idea that it didn't have to be consecutive! I thought that if you didn't get it in any given year, the counter resets to zero and you start all over again. Not! Why is this so grand? Because on your 4th year, you get TWO/2/DOS/week's pay and it stays that way every year after that! 2 weeks pay?!!! Yowsa!!!
I was like, YES!!!
Endeavoring to simply stay away from Highway Patrol at all costs. That's what got me through the last 13 months without a warning from them for whatever - avoid the known hangouts for them like the plague as much as possible. Can't always do that, but at the same time, they can't pull over every truck, in fact, they can only pull over and inspect a small fraction of them. I'm not saying I am driving a dangerous truck. We spent $5,000 on tires about 6 months ago. Brakes are good. No cracks on anything. No leaks of any kind. No nothing - yet if you get pulled over, they seemingly invent things to write you up for. The younger ones are mini-gods. Dictators of their own right. Stalin reborn. Hitler reincarnated.
And you think I am exaggerating. Uh-huh. 25 years of their nonsense, I have a bit of insight not only from my own experiences with them, but from talking to countless other truck drivers and THEIR experiences with them, some of which are truly nightmarish in proportion. I will fight any warning they give me from this point forth - actually starting when my company set forth it's new policy in response to USDOT new regulations - extreme regulations to say the least.
It didn't used to be this hard. Truck drivers were professionals and the motoring public treated them with respect. That is mostly untrue anymore. On both counts. Many people holding the steering wheel of a truck that are far from being any semblance of professional. We used to all dress neatly and smartly. We didn't throw "pee bottles" out the windows. We didn't drive in and out of heavy traffic as if we are operating a tonka toy in a dirt maze. The motoring public doesn't really treat ANY other drivers with respect.
Well whatever. I drove 132 miles today. Doesn't sound like much until you realize it was ALL city traffic. I most definitely earn my pay and by the grace of God - keep out of accidents. I hope it stays that way.
ben
The email shows 1 year, 2 year - all the way up to as many years a person has been a safe driver. I figured I was at 1 year since I didn't get it last year and it would reset back to 1. Otherwise, I would be at 4 years. I didn't see my name under 1 year so I thought - oh well. I met all the qualifications for it, but for whatever reason, I am not getting it.
I open up the next email from a co-worker in the purchasing department. He says congratulations on the Safe Driver Award. ??? Back to the corporate email. Now I am scouring through all of it, not just 1st year. My name is there - on the 4th year of getting the award!
I had NO idea that it didn't have to be consecutive! I thought that if you didn't get it in any given year, the counter resets to zero and you start all over again. Not! Why is this so grand? Because on your 4th year, you get TWO/2/DOS/week's pay and it stays that way every year after that! 2 weeks pay?!!! Yowsa!!!
I was like, YES!!!
Endeavoring to simply stay away from Highway Patrol at all costs. That's what got me through the last 13 months without a warning from them for whatever - avoid the known hangouts for them like the plague as much as possible. Can't always do that, but at the same time, they can't pull over every truck, in fact, they can only pull over and inspect a small fraction of them. I'm not saying I am driving a dangerous truck. We spent $5,000 on tires about 6 months ago. Brakes are good. No cracks on anything. No leaks of any kind. No nothing - yet if you get pulled over, they seemingly invent things to write you up for. The younger ones are mini-gods. Dictators of their own right. Stalin reborn. Hitler reincarnated.
And you think I am exaggerating. Uh-huh. 25 years of their nonsense, I have a bit of insight not only from my own experiences with them, but from talking to countless other truck drivers and THEIR experiences with them, some of which are truly nightmarish in proportion. I will fight any warning they give me from this point forth - actually starting when my company set forth it's new policy in response to USDOT new regulations - extreme regulations to say the least.
It didn't used to be this hard. Truck drivers were professionals and the motoring public treated them with respect. That is mostly untrue anymore. On both counts. Many people holding the steering wheel of a truck that are far from being any semblance of professional. We used to all dress neatly and smartly. We didn't throw "pee bottles" out the windows. We didn't drive in and out of heavy traffic as if we are operating a tonka toy in a dirt maze. The motoring public doesn't really treat ANY other drivers with respect.
Well whatever. I drove 132 miles today. Doesn't sound like much until you realize it was ALL city traffic. I most definitely earn my pay and by the grace of God - keep out of accidents. I hope it stays that way.
ben
Tuesday 1/31/2012
End of month. Meaning work will be pushing to get whatever deliveries we can - out the door.
You gotta love this woman in San Luis (small town in southern Arizona) that was running for mayor, whose name was removed from the ballot. Why? Because she can't proficiently speak, write or understand English. So, she is suing! ROFL!!
This is what it's like living in this part of the U.S. We get people from across the border who move over here and live out their lives - but never bother to learn the language of the land. Instead, they literally demand that companies and governments pander to them and have interpreters or bilingual agents/reps to serve them. They want signs in Spanish and they want everything doubled up - English version and Spanish version. They could care less that they are living in a predominantly English-speaking country.
It's the never-ending story.
Meanwhile, Pannetta is stating that "No options are off the table" concerning Iran and eluding to military action if it comes to that. Yes, Iran needs to be stopped, no, the U.S. doesn't need to take on another war all by itself. That's all I'm saying about it, we don't need to be footing the bill - both financially and at the cost of however many American lives - again.
My battle with Hewlett-Packard has only begun. Although I did make some progress yesterday, the real progress will occur today - hopefully anyway - when I contact corporate and get answers to my questions, especially the question about an appointment made and abandoned by their company. Not only abandoned, but no courtesy-call that they aren't showing. The appointment had literally been cancelled with no rhyme or reason as to why. The individual I spoke with yesterday claimed that replacing the LCD screen has to be done in a clean room, not by an in-home visit from a tech.
I am not a fan of having my pre-work rituals interfered with by anyone. Exactly what is happening right now and extremely irritating. Whatever.
Off to work.
Ben
You gotta love this woman in San Luis (small town in southern Arizona) that was running for mayor, whose name was removed from the ballot. Why? Because she can't proficiently speak, write or understand English. So, she is suing! ROFL!!
This is what it's like living in this part of the U.S. We get people from across the border who move over here and live out their lives - but never bother to learn the language of the land. Instead, they literally demand that companies and governments pander to them and have interpreters or bilingual agents/reps to serve them. They want signs in Spanish and they want everything doubled up - English version and Spanish version. They could care less that they are living in a predominantly English-speaking country.
It's the never-ending story.
Meanwhile, Pannetta is stating that "No options are off the table" concerning Iran and eluding to military action if it comes to that. Yes, Iran needs to be stopped, no, the U.S. doesn't need to take on another war all by itself. That's all I'm saying about it, we don't need to be footing the bill - both financially and at the cost of however many American lives - again.
My battle with Hewlett-Packard has only begun. Although I did make some progress yesterday, the real progress will occur today - hopefully anyway - when I contact corporate and get answers to my questions, especially the question about an appointment made and abandoned by their company. Not only abandoned, but no courtesy-call that they aren't showing. The appointment had literally been cancelled with no rhyme or reason as to why. The individual I spoke with yesterday claimed that replacing the LCD screen has to be done in a clean room, not by an in-home visit from a tech.
I am not a fan of having my pre-work rituals interfered with by anyone. Exactly what is happening right now and extremely irritating. Whatever.
Off to work.
Ben
Monday, January 30, 2012
Okay, I only have..........
...............my mother to blame.
I watched my mom dealing with companies in all kinds of venues when I was a little boy, growing up and standing in awe the way people treated her after she decided she wasn't being treated right. She taught me how to shop, cook, do laundry - most of the things that kids are, mostly, not being taught today.
I didn't really start dealing with companies the way that I do now until the level of service went from industry-wide exemplary to industry-wide - shi***. When America started out-sourcing, that's when my issue with it began. At the time, I didn't care about who had what job where, I had an issue with dealing with people in foreign nations that don't speak fluent or clear English and don't understand or care about the way we think in the U.S. versus the way they think about customer service in places like India, the Philippines, Mexico, etc.
They don't see things the way we do. When you call a customer service number and get a different country, you eventually - very quickly - get an attitude and a voice that over time? You don't even want to hear anymore. You have dealt with them for years, you get to a point where the first sound of their voice is enough to convince you to immediately ask to be connected back to a U.S. incoming call center.
And they mostly do NOT want to do that. The ramifications are obvious and need I really go into it? It would take a book to write out my interactions with these people.
So, I started dealing with a "new" company last week in attempting to get my new laptop computer fixed. Hewlett Packard is hardly new, but I have never had to deal with them before in this manner. Whenever I bought a cheap printer manufactured from their company, well, when it quits working I throw it away and buy another one. At $20 - my latest one was $19.99, bought on Black Friday of 2011, I am not going to bother wasting my time calling them.
My laptop was also bought on Black Friday - I wonder if THAT is even true anymore, probably not (asking the question as to whether the day after Thanksgiving is break-free day for companies) - but it was a FAR greater price-tag than twenty bucks. Today, a repairman was supposed to show up between the hours of 1 and 5 pm. It never occurred and I did not receive a phone call informing me why it didn't happen.
To skip a lot of stuff that I could go into but really don't feel like writing that much information - but it was dealing with people in both India and the Philippines - I finally ended up with a case manager, somewhere right here in the good ole' U S of A. By this point I am miffed and not accepting BS answers or endless transfers. I especially hate the attitude - which at first was exemplified by this individual - that they have all the answers and whatever you have to say means nothing and please shut up and listen - or so it is imputed.
Tim - that's his name - went into his spew. I listened, yes. I did not cut him off, no. I then started to reply to him when - he started to talk over the top of me. Interrupted me, in other words. That is when I lose respect for that person and that is when their problem starts.
It doesn't really matter at this point what Tim offered. His offer was moot. I was supposed to receive a part in the mail by now and then a tech was supposed to come out - today between the hours of 1 and 5 pm - neither of which happened. That didn't happen and now? HP is going to pay. This story isn't over, Tim's answer was nothing more than what should have happened in the first place, not an answer plus compensation.
I will get my computer fixed and I will get compensation. That's the end of it. I haven't actually ARRIVED at that end, yet, but I have ample experience dealing with these kinds of corporations. I will get to the right person, eventually. The amount I paid for my warranty will be given back to me and yes, my computer will be fixed and I won't have to pay any shipping charges, plus it will happen as fast as possible.
I cannot, of course, guarantee that that will happen, but that's what I am after and tomorrow? I will be on the phone as long as it takes. I didn't spend $50 on this computer is what I am saying and it's all of 2 MONTHS old, not 2 years or something old.
Whatever. I did get somewhere with the guy - but it wasn't enough. I am going to search the internet for the phone number I really need to get to and then? That's when I will finally get somewhere with this.
Okay, I left it having a box being sent to me for pre-paid shipping - on their part and having it sent back to them to have it repaired and my warranty money being given back to me. What I am after is all of that plus 2 free years of unlimited warranty service. In the case of a laptop that you are carrying around all over the place? That's worth something to me. I might ask for a discount on some other product as well from their store, who knows. I'm not there yet because........tomorrow isn't here yet.
Goodnight.
ben
I watched my mom dealing with companies in all kinds of venues when I was a little boy, growing up and standing in awe the way people treated her after she decided she wasn't being treated right. She taught me how to shop, cook, do laundry - most of the things that kids are, mostly, not being taught today.
I didn't really start dealing with companies the way that I do now until the level of service went from industry-wide exemplary to industry-wide - shi***. When America started out-sourcing, that's when my issue with it began. At the time, I didn't care about who had what job where, I had an issue with dealing with people in foreign nations that don't speak fluent or clear English and don't understand or care about the way we think in the U.S. versus the way they think about customer service in places like India, the Philippines, Mexico, etc.
They don't see things the way we do. When you call a customer service number and get a different country, you eventually - very quickly - get an attitude and a voice that over time? You don't even want to hear anymore. You have dealt with them for years, you get to a point where the first sound of their voice is enough to convince you to immediately ask to be connected back to a U.S. incoming call center.
And they mostly do NOT want to do that. The ramifications are obvious and need I really go into it? It would take a book to write out my interactions with these people.
So, I started dealing with a "new" company last week in attempting to get my new laptop computer fixed. Hewlett Packard is hardly new, but I have never had to deal with them before in this manner. Whenever I bought a cheap printer manufactured from their company, well, when it quits working I throw it away and buy another one. At $20 - my latest one was $19.99, bought on Black Friday of 2011, I am not going to bother wasting my time calling them.
My laptop was also bought on Black Friday - I wonder if THAT is even true anymore, probably not (asking the question as to whether the day after Thanksgiving is break-free day for companies) - but it was a FAR greater price-tag than twenty bucks. Today, a repairman was supposed to show up between the hours of 1 and 5 pm. It never occurred and I did not receive a phone call informing me why it didn't happen.
To skip a lot of stuff that I could go into but really don't feel like writing that much information - but it was dealing with people in both India and the Philippines - I finally ended up with a case manager, somewhere right here in the good ole' U S of A. By this point I am miffed and not accepting BS answers or endless transfers. I especially hate the attitude - which at first was exemplified by this individual - that they have all the answers and whatever you have to say means nothing and please shut up and listen - or so it is imputed.
Tim - that's his name - went into his spew. I listened, yes. I did not cut him off, no. I then started to reply to him when - he started to talk over the top of me. Interrupted me, in other words. That is when I lose respect for that person and that is when their problem starts.
It doesn't really matter at this point what Tim offered. His offer was moot. I was supposed to receive a part in the mail by now and then a tech was supposed to come out - today between the hours of 1 and 5 pm - neither of which happened. That didn't happen and now? HP is going to pay. This story isn't over, Tim's answer was nothing more than what should have happened in the first place, not an answer plus compensation.
I will get my computer fixed and I will get compensation. That's the end of it. I haven't actually ARRIVED at that end, yet, but I have ample experience dealing with these kinds of corporations. I will get to the right person, eventually. The amount I paid for my warranty will be given back to me and yes, my computer will be fixed and I won't have to pay any shipping charges, plus it will happen as fast as possible.
I cannot, of course, guarantee that that will happen, but that's what I am after and tomorrow? I will be on the phone as long as it takes. I didn't spend $50 on this computer is what I am saying and it's all of 2 MONTHS old, not 2 years or something old.
Whatever. I did get somewhere with the guy - but it wasn't enough. I am going to search the internet for the phone number I really need to get to and then? That's when I will finally get somewhere with this.
Okay, I left it having a box being sent to me for pre-paid shipping - on their part and having it sent back to them to have it repaired and my warranty money being given back to me. What I am after is all of that plus 2 free years of unlimited warranty service. In the case of a laptop that you are carrying around all over the place? That's worth something to me. I might ask for a discount on some other product as well from their store, who knows. I'm not there yet because........tomorrow isn't here yet.
Goodnight.
ben
Monday 1/30/2012
January almost gone already.
I'm quite glad I didn't bother to make any New Year's Resolutions this year - I am sure I would have already abandoned them by now, lol.
I made some personal resolutions long before the New Year came and those are goals that I am attempting to keep, not because it's a New Year, but because they will improve the quality of life.
Extremely odd. My son just came out from his bedroom, dressed and ready to go! I haven't seen him up this early in ages - maybe never, lol. He's off to school already. I wonder how long it takes to completely change your schedule and get your body and mind used to it? He is definitely a night owl - likes to stay up all night long.
Whatever the case, it would be nice if that old car would run for a while and not give me any more problems. I have determined that as soon as the second trailer is paid off, I am going to either try to sell it or trade it. Preferably for a pick up truck.
Reading the news, that capsized ship is going to be there throughout the region's "tourist season". So, will people not go there because that big ole' thing is laying out there or will people flock to the region so they can see it in person?
Well, time to head off to work. I have no idea HOW I am feeling this morning, usually am not able to tell that too well until I get moving.
Be that as it may, no choice but to get moving and keep moving until the work shift is over.
G'day.
ben
I'm quite glad I didn't bother to make any New Year's Resolutions this year - I am sure I would have already abandoned them by now, lol.
I made some personal resolutions long before the New Year came and those are goals that I am attempting to keep, not because it's a New Year, but because they will improve the quality of life.
Extremely odd. My son just came out from his bedroom, dressed and ready to go! I haven't seen him up this early in ages - maybe never, lol. He's off to school already. I wonder how long it takes to completely change your schedule and get your body and mind used to it? He is definitely a night owl - likes to stay up all night long.
Whatever the case, it would be nice if that old car would run for a while and not give me any more problems. I have determined that as soon as the second trailer is paid off, I am going to either try to sell it or trade it. Preferably for a pick up truck.
Reading the news, that capsized ship is going to be there throughout the region's "tourist season". So, will people not go there because that big ole' thing is laying out there or will people flock to the region so they can see it in person?
Well, time to head off to work. I have no idea HOW I am feeling this morning, usually am not able to tell that too well until I get moving.
Be that as it may, no choice but to get moving and keep moving until the work shift is over.
G'day.
ben
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday 1/29/2012
I went to church this morning. 30 minutes into it, I started feeling REALLY bad.
I didn't want to, but I eventually got up and went home. The pastor's wife caught me in the
hallway and prayed for me - not going to turn down prayer. I felt so bad, though that there was no
way I was going to do anything but go home.
I have done nothing today. Lay around. Well, I cooked a turkey dinner, but that was it.
And I'm done.
G'nite.
ben
I didn't want to, but I eventually got up and went home. The pastor's wife caught me in the
hallway and prayed for me - not going to turn down prayer. I felt so bad, though that there was no
way I was going to do anything but go home.
I have done nothing today. Lay around. Well, I cooked a turkey dinner, but that was it.
And I'm done.
G'nite.
ben
Saturday 1/28/2012
So, I'm going to try to take it easy today and tomorrow and get over this stuff.
So, here's a tragedy: A 65 year old man, bicycling on a trail somewhere in Pennsylvania, is pushed over by teens and the teens attempt to rob him. The man pulls out his gun and shoots - all of them I guess - one of the teens dies. Apparently the teens also assaulted the man while trying to rob him.
I'm a gun rights advocate, I don't go around talking about it everywhere but if the subject comes up, I'm definitely taking the side of the right to bear arms rather than the idea that we should all be disarmed. Does a situation like this send a message to people who want to rob others? Yes, the potential exists that you might be shot by an armed citizen who may be concealing a weapon and - you don't know until it's too late.
The moral question - at least for me - should the teen have been killed over money? I would have a problem with that, but the story also said they were assaulting the man, I'm taking that to mean they were beating him up. At the point of physical violence, I have no problem with the man shooting those teens. 3 against 1 is not good odds, depending on the size/age of the teens and to what degree of violence they were willing to go to, including potentially killing the man. We will never know the answer to that question, but in this case, I definitely side with the older gentleman but still have sympathy for the family/parents of the deceased teen.
There are frequent stories about an armed citizen shooting would-be robbers in the news, I tend to read as much information about those stories as I can find. For me, I had to come to some kind of conclusion as to when I would pull the gun and shoot. Certainly, if a group of people are assaulting me - if I can even get at the gun at that point - those people are going to get shot. I would go to bed that night, even if someone died, and have no problem getting to sleep.
I'm not sure I would want to shoot a group of people who are demanding my money and that's it. In other words, the threat of violence may be there, but it hasn't yet happened. If I hand them my wallet and that's the end of it, then I probably would not pull the gun. I might be incredibly pissed and infuriated at people taking my hard earned money, not to mention have to call credit card companies and having cards cancelled, the bank accounts frozen and what-not - replacing the driver's license and on and on, but I carry nothing in my wallet that has any sympathetic attachments, they are just cards and ID. Replaceable. Some of it not necessarily easily replaceable, but still.
Someone comes into my house to rob me - all bets are off. You are clearly taking your own life into your hands when you "break and enter" a person's home to rob them. There have been home invasions in this area in the past, in fact, one occurred several years ago 2 houses down where 350 man is currently living (he was in prison at the time).
Oops. I just remembered something. The dogs need their shots. The news had an official on there admonishing dog owners to get the shots up-to-date if they are expired because distemper cases are spreading around these parts like crazy. Fry's Food Stores carries (or used to carry, I'll find out) those shots, they are cheap and easily administrated. Pull up the scruff of the neck, stick the needle in, pump the fluid in, done.
Well, took a break and got up on that trailer. I know, I'm trying to get over sickness, but I just couldn't resist the absolutely gorgeous weather we are experiencing here right now. It's nothing short of beautiful outside. I can tell you that I wouldn't want to be doing that work in the heat of summer, on a hot roof with the sun beating down on me and the metal roof putting off heat coming back up at me. So, the vent is on, installed. Only have left to put some caulking around it and it's good to go. I have one more large vent to do, but I haven't bought the vent yet. $35 or so with tax. Then a smaller drain vent that I already bought, much less work though I don't have enough new screws to install the new one. I think putting in the one vent today was enough, thank you.
I stopped by Auto Zone today and got my free gift card. I was hoping at least $25, I got $20. The offer for 20% off is still good, though, on the next purchase. Well, the radiator, I have now determined, does not need to be replaced. I had thought there was a leak in the upper portion of the radiator, but apparently it was just wet from when I was refilling the thing with fresh anti-freeze. Makes me particularly happy that I don't have to shell out $100 for another part for that car. There are other problems with it, but nothing that stops it from running.
The same kid I had over just before Christmas to haul landscaping rock is here again. A job I did not want to do: sand down the wood on all the gates and the apply a fresh coating of lacquer. I gotta say, this is the first person I have found off of Craigslist that really will work the entire time instead of complaining and whining how hard everything is and blah, blah, blahhhhhh. This will be an on-going thing on an occasional basis to have him over doing the things that I do not want to do. Next on the list will be to paint the block walls. They are coated with stucco. I have never had them painted. If I had thought about it at the time, the stucco itself could have had tint added to it. Regardless, my mother gave me 10 gallons of stucco paint some time ago. It's been inside the entire time so it hasn't been exposed to unbelievable summer heat. It should still be good. Give that kid a roller and the paint and he can paint the entire affair. That particular job will take quite a bit of time to finish, but he is motivated. That's all I need - a person that is motivated and isn't going to complain about whatever work I give. I have had the complainers over and I have never invited them back.
Okay, Mark is the exception. I not only had him back, but he's lived here for almost 2 years with Lynnette, lol. No signs that they are leaving anytime soon, but life can be rather strange in the way it treats you so - who knows. Not asking them to leave, that's for sure.
So, here's a tragedy: A 65 year old man, bicycling on a trail somewhere in Pennsylvania, is pushed over by teens and the teens attempt to rob him. The man pulls out his gun and shoots - all of them I guess - one of the teens dies. Apparently the teens also assaulted the man while trying to rob him.
I'm a gun rights advocate, I don't go around talking about it everywhere but if the subject comes up, I'm definitely taking the side of the right to bear arms rather than the idea that we should all be disarmed. Does a situation like this send a message to people who want to rob others? Yes, the potential exists that you might be shot by an armed citizen who may be concealing a weapon and - you don't know until it's too late.
The moral question - at least for me - should the teen have been killed over money? I would have a problem with that, but the story also said they were assaulting the man, I'm taking that to mean they were beating him up. At the point of physical violence, I have no problem with the man shooting those teens. 3 against 1 is not good odds, depending on the size/age of the teens and to what degree of violence they were willing to go to, including potentially killing the man. We will never know the answer to that question, but in this case, I definitely side with the older gentleman but still have sympathy for the family/parents of the deceased teen.
There are frequent stories about an armed citizen shooting would-be robbers in the news, I tend to read as much information about those stories as I can find. For me, I had to come to some kind of conclusion as to when I would pull the gun and shoot. Certainly, if a group of people are assaulting me - if I can even get at the gun at that point - those people are going to get shot. I would go to bed that night, even if someone died, and have no problem getting to sleep.
I'm not sure I would want to shoot a group of people who are demanding my money and that's it. In other words, the threat of violence may be there, but it hasn't yet happened. If I hand them my wallet and that's the end of it, then I probably would not pull the gun. I might be incredibly pissed and infuriated at people taking my hard earned money, not to mention have to call credit card companies and having cards cancelled, the bank accounts frozen and what-not - replacing the driver's license and on and on, but I carry nothing in my wallet that has any sympathetic attachments, they are just cards and ID. Replaceable. Some of it not necessarily easily replaceable, but still.
Someone comes into my house to rob me - all bets are off. You are clearly taking your own life into your hands when you "break and enter" a person's home to rob them. There have been home invasions in this area in the past, in fact, one occurred several years ago 2 houses down where 350 man is currently living (he was in prison at the time).
Oops. I just remembered something. The dogs need their shots. The news had an official on there admonishing dog owners to get the shots up-to-date if they are expired because distemper cases are spreading around these parts like crazy. Fry's Food Stores carries (or used to carry, I'll find out) those shots, they are cheap and easily administrated. Pull up the scruff of the neck, stick the needle in, pump the fluid in, done.
Well, took a break and got up on that trailer. I know, I'm trying to get over sickness, but I just couldn't resist the absolutely gorgeous weather we are experiencing here right now. It's nothing short of beautiful outside. I can tell you that I wouldn't want to be doing that work in the heat of summer, on a hot roof with the sun beating down on me and the metal roof putting off heat coming back up at me. So, the vent is on, installed. Only have left to put some caulking around it and it's good to go. I have one more large vent to do, but I haven't bought the vent yet. $35 or so with tax. Then a smaller drain vent that I already bought, much less work though I don't have enough new screws to install the new one. I think putting in the one vent today was enough, thank you.
I stopped by Auto Zone today and got my free gift card. I was hoping at least $25, I got $20. The offer for 20% off is still good, though, on the next purchase. Well, the radiator, I have now determined, does not need to be replaced. I had thought there was a leak in the upper portion of the radiator, but apparently it was just wet from when I was refilling the thing with fresh anti-freeze. Makes me particularly happy that I don't have to shell out $100 for another part for that car. There are other problems with it, but nothing that stops it from running.
The same kid I had over just before Christmas to haul landscaping rock is here again. A job I did not want to do: sand down the wood on all the gates and the apply a fresh coating of lacquer. I gotta say, this is the first person I have found off of Craigslist that really will work the entire time instead of complaining and whining how hard everything is and blah, blah, blahhhhhh. This will be an on-going thing on an occasional basis to have him over doing the things that I do not want to do. Next on the list will be to paint the block walls. They are coated with stucco. I have never had them painted. If I had thought about it at the time, the stucco itself could have had tint added to it. Regardless, my mother gave me 10 gallons of stucco paint some time ago. It's been inside the entire time so it hasn't been exposed to unbelievable summer heat. It should still be good. Give that kid a roller and the paint and he can paint the entire affair. That particular job will take quite a bit of time to finish, but he is motivated. That's all I need - a person that is motivated and isn't going to complain about whatever work I give. I have had the complainers over and I have never invited them back.
Okay, Mark is the exception. I not only had him back, but he's lived here for almost 2 years with Lynnette, lol. No signs that they are leaving anytime soon, but life can be rather strange in the way it treats you so - who knows. Not asking them to leave, that's for sure.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Friday 1/27/2012
Finally Friday. I (think) I am getting better. All tests that were done came back negative - looking for more serious stuff that is, a bit of a relief there for sure.
I'm just ready for a couple of days of laying in bed, to be honest, versus getting up early and heading off to work.
Hopefully by Monday I will be feeling right as rain again.
Caleb called me last night, something up with the car. He tends to get flustered and give up easily. The car isn't the greatest vehicle in the world, but for the most part has gotten him around without too much hassle. I, however, am tired of dumping money into it and am thinking of some alternatives here.
The Phoenix area is immense and widely spread out. Getting around without a car isn't impossible, but if you try to take the bus system, you are going to spend hours getting somewhere that should take 20 minutes. That was the reason I kept that car and have tried to keep it running for him, but at some point, a person has to consider it a money dump and let it go. I am already at that point - I have no love for that thing - but I have no alternatives, yet, either.
So, gonna try to keep it running for another 4 months and then that trailer will be paid off. I will try to either sell it or trade it for a good, running compact car that gets good gas mileage. I haven't told him that, yet, I haven't firmly decided about that. He has a job, albeit not making a huge amount of money, if I got him a car I would expect him to pay me back for it, even if over a long period of time at small payments.
I am firmly decided to get rid of that old Buick, however. I have dumped enough money into it that it should just stay running. Instead, it comes up with new ways to break down. However, what it was doing this time is simply that the brake lights were on and the lights on the dash were all on, but the car wouldn't start. Sounds like a computer reset needs to be done. At the same time, he got back in and the thing fired right up .
He then informed me he would walk to school tomorrow. I don't think so. Get in the thing and drive it. If it breaks down, I will have it towed to the electrical place one, last time and hope they can figure it out. Well, no, I will go to wherever the car is, actually, unhook all the battery cables from the battery and do a computer reset. See if that does anything for it. It already HAS a brand new computer module in it, I replaced that last year. The real problem is the car is a 1994 model. 18 years old. 140,000 miles, which actually isn't that much for a car that old.
So, I hope not to hear that it broke down again, nothing else to say about it, really. I am not going to drive it anymore, that's for sure. My son will have to figure something else out if he decides he doesn't want to drive it anymore, I will sell it for $700 or whatever I can get out of it and be done with it. It isn't totally worthless, the engine runs great when it does run, doesn't smoke, no leaks, great tires, all the stuff I have already had done with it.
Anyway, work day is here and time to get outta here.
ben
I'm just ready for a couple of days of laying in bed, to be honest, versus getting up early and heading off to work.
Hopefully by Monday I will be feeling right as rain again.
Caleb called me last night, something up with the car. He tends to get flustered and give up easily. The car isn't the greatest vehicle in the world, but for the most part has gotten him around without too much hassle. I, however, am tired of dumping money into it and am thinking of some alternatives here.
The Phoenix area is immense and widely spread out. Getting around without a car isn't impossible, but if you try to take the bus system, you are going to spend hours getting somewhere that should take 20 minutes. That was the reason I kept that car and have tried to keep it running for him, but at some point, a person has to consider it a money dump and let it go. I am already at that point - I have no love for that thing - but I have no alternatives, yet, either.
So, gonna try to keep it running for another 4 months and then that trailer will be paid off. I will try to either sell it or trade it for a good, running compact car that gets good gas mileage. I haven't told him that, yet, I haven't firmly decided about that. He has a job, albeit not making a huge amount of money, if I got him a car I would expect him to pay me back for it, even if over a long period of time at small payments.
I am firmly decided to get rid of that old Buick, however. I have dumped enough money into it that it should just stay running. Instead, it comes up with new ways to break down. However, what it was doing this time is simply that the brake lights were on and the lights on the dash were all on, but the car wouldn't start. Sounds like a computer reset needs to be done. At the same time, he got back in and the thing fired right up .
He then informed me he would walk to school tomorrow. I don't think so. Get in the thing and drive it. If it breaks down, I will have it towed to the electrical place one, last time and hope they can figure it out. Well, no, I will go to wherever the car is, actually, unhook all the battery cables from the battery and do a computer reset. See if that does anything for it. It already HAS a brand new computer module in it, I replaced that last year. The real problem is the car is a 1994 model. 18 years old. 140,000 miles, which actually isn't that much for a car that old.
So, I hope not to hear that it broke down again, nothing else to say about it, really. I am not going to drive it anymore, that's for sure. My son will have to figure something else out if he decides he doesn't want to drive it anymore, I will sell it for $700 or whatever I can get out of it and be done with it. It isn't totally worthless, the engine runs great when it does run, doesn't smoke, no leaks, great tires, all the stuff I have already had done with it.
Anyway, work day is here and time to get outta here.
ben
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Thursday 1/26/2012
Dragging through this week, gag.
Didn't sleep well, at all, last night.
Which will make for a long day at work, but as yesterday, I will be hoping to leave early if I can.
There is a bunch of stuff to do this morning, but by the time noon gets around, I'm hoping it will all be
done. I'll spend this weekend laying around doing nothing and hoping that I will get over it before Monday.
By now, everyone has seen the picture. Governor Jan Brewer with her finger in Obama's chest.
I just watched an online interview of Brewer being asked what Obama was saying to her.
Apparently, Obama doesn't like the book she wrote and he was expressing his discontent with it.
Nice job, Obama: I declared it a couple times, I'll say it again: You are the WORST President this nation
has EVER had. What kind of President gets off Air Force 1 and immediately gets into a pissing match with
the governor of the state he is visiting, out in the open, in front of the cameras for everyone to see?
Why bother even coming to our state if he has such a problem with it's leadership? Bunk.
I'd be far more impressed if he went and took those kinds of tones with that idiot president over in Iran. The only thing I take away from reading and hearing all of that is that President Obama is all for a completely divided country. He's the president of everyone in the U.S. - that agrees with everything he says, apparently, if not, he wants nothing to do with you. This guy is NOT a leader and has shown NO leadership skills since he took the office, period, end of story, thanks alot, take your bat and ball and go home.
Whale Wars. Just saw a short video. Allegedly, the Japanese have left and gone home. ??? I didn't quite catch whether there had been any skirmishes with the anti-whalers and whether they had been out there whaling before the Japanese pulled the plug on it. Have to look at the site later on today.
Whatever the case, just about time to leave for work.
Later.
ben
Didn't sleep well, at all, last night.
Which will make for a long day at work, but as yesterday, I will be hoping to leave early if I can.
There is a bunch of stuff to do this morning, but by the time noon gets around, I'm hoping it will all be
done. I'll spend this weekend laying around doing nothing and hoping that I will get over it before Monday.
By now, everyone has seen the picture. Governor Jan Brewer with her finger in Obama's chest.
I just watched an online interview of Brewer being asked what Obama was saying to her.
Apparently, Obama doesn't like the book she wrote and he was expressing his discontent with it.
Nice job, Obama: I declared it a couple times, I'll say it again: You are the WORST President this nation
has EVER had. What kind of President gets off Air Force 1 and immediately gets into a pissing match with
the governor of the state he is visiting, out in the open, in front of the cameras for everyone to see?
Why bother even coming to our state if he has such a problem with it's leadership? Bunk.
I'd be far more impressed if he went and took those kinds of tones with that idiot president over in Iran. The only thing I take away from reading and hearing all of that is that President Obama is all for a completely divided country. He's the president of everyone in the U.S. - that agrees with everything he says, apparently, if not, he wants nothing to do with you. This guy is NOT a leader and has shown NO leadership skills since he took the office, period, end of story, thanks alot, take your bat and ball and go home.
Whale Wars. Just saw a short video. Allegedly, the Japanese have left and gone home. ??? I didn't quite catch whether there had been any skirmishes with the anti-whalers and whether they had been out there whaling before the Japanese pulled the plug on it. Have to look at the site later on today.
Whatever the case, just about time to leave for work.
Later.
ben
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