sister and stuff

I think I may have dodged the sister bullet.  I did find out today that the amount in the letter was misleading.  The final amount will be less than 1/5th what my sister thought it would be.  She know nows for sure and has passed up a golden opportunity to cause trouble.  I won't rest easy until everything is final but I think I may be home free.

I'm really very lucky.  Starting back before Daddy died, my parents made detailed estate plans.  After he died Mom once even quizzed me on how I was going to handle my sister and the estate.  I passed the quiz.  But, the will and arrangements all backed me up so it wasn't difficult.  Plus, my sister was really only whiny and actually did not (at least not so far) cause any actual trouble.  I suspect my Mom quizzed her as well.  My brother, bless his soul, has thanked me repeatedly for my work on the estate and has been ever so grateful for anything he got. 

So we may nearly be done and I can put South Carolina behind me.  Whew.

And... no segway[sic]  I think I'm going to return my new cellphone and get a different one.  I'm not sure which one yet but I have a couple of weeks to decide.  This one is cute and little which is good but the screen is too little and it's just in the middle of feature land.  It's a costly phone that doesn't do anything really than it's cheaper cousins - at least not anything I want.  The features I want are on the more expensive phones.  So I'm either going to drop even further down the phone food chain or get stupid again and get more than I need.    I'm not sure which :)

Safeway should be here in a couple of hours with presto logs, Diet Dr. Pepper, kitty litter and bathtub drain supplies. 

And that's what I know so far today. 

sister and stuff

I think I may have dodged the sister bullet.  I did find out today that the amount in the letter was misleading.  The final amount will be less than 1/5th what my sister thought it would be.  She know nows for sure and has passed up a golden opportunity to cause trouble.  I won't rest easy until everything is final but I think I may be home free.

I'm really very lucky.  Starting back before Daddy died, my parents made detailed estate plans.  After he died Mom once even quizzed me on how I was going to handle my sister and the estate.  I passed the quiz.  But, the will and arrangements all backed me up so it wasn't difficult.  Plus, my sister was really only whiny and actually did not (at least not so far) cause any actual trouble.  I suspect my Mom quizzed her as well.  My brother, bless his soul, has thanked me repeatedly for my work on the estate and has been ever so grateful for anything he got. 

So we may nearly be done and I can put South Carolina behind me.  Whew.

And... no segway[sic]  I think I'm going to return my new cellphone and get a different one.  I'm not sure which one yet but I have a couple of weeks to decide.  This one is cute and little which is good but the screen is too little and it's just in the middle of feature land.  It's a costly phone that doesn't do anything really than it's cheaper cousins - at least not anything I want.  The features I want are on the more expensive phones.  So I'm either going to drop even further down the phone food chain or get stupid again and get more than I need.    I'm not sure which :)

Safeway should be here in a couple of hours with presto logs, Diet Dr. Pepper, kitty litter and bathtub drain supplies. 

And that's what I know so far today. 

what a weird morning

Safeway called to say they don't have the Diet Dr. Peppers.  There were two women on the phone and both were really nice and very worried.  They offered to deliver tomorrow but I told them that the sale price ends today.  In the end they had the guy bring everything else today and charge me for all of it and bring the DDP's tomorrow or whenever he gets them.  This suits me fine.  I really appreciate the extra effort and I needed the kitty litter and logs.

But, more than half of the 18 eggs were broken. 

But, they threw in a very cool XBox zippered tote bag!

Work had a huge flurry of fire drill this morning.  I thought I had fucked something up big but, it turns out, I absolutely did not.  All is well.  It was a bit of a rush, however.  My project manager is out for the rest of the day and I got no bugs so that gives me the afternoon free.  I have another big website project that I was worried about when I was going to do and now I know.

But, first I'm going to the close little Sprint store. I'm sure they don't have what I want but they are close and I can stop and get lunch. I have done my research and I'm either going to promote myself to a Sanyo 8400 or demote myself to an LX 150 or PM 225 both by LG.  Or I'll keep what I have. 

what a weird morning

Safeway called to say they don't have the Diet Dr. Peppers.  There were two women on the phone and both were really nice and very worried.  They offered to deliver tomorrow but I told them that the sale price ends today.  In the end they had the guy bring everything else today and charge me for all of it and bring the DDP's tomorrow or whenever he gets them.  This suits me fine.  I really appreciate the extra effort and I needed the kitty litter and logs.

But, more than half of the 18 eggs were broken. 

But, they threw in a very cool XBox zippered tote bag!

Work had a huge flurry of fire drill this morning.  I thought I had fucked something up big but, it turns out, I absolutely did not.  All is well.  It was a bit of a rush, however.  My project manager is out for the rest of the day and I got no bugs so that gives me the afternoon free.  I have another big website project that I was worried about when I was going to do and now I know.

But, first I'm going to the close little Sprint store. I'm sure they don't have what I want but they are close and I can stop and get lunch. I have done my research and I'm either going to promote myself to a Sanyo 8400 or demote myself to an LX 150 or PM 225 both by LG.  Or I'll keep what I have. 

Interesting finding...

I ended up going to the big Sprint store (the little one has really nice guys 'if you drop it or break it, we're your guys... if you need a new one, you need to go to one of the other stores, sorry').  Fortunately, all the kids who work there were busy with other customers so I had unlimited time to touch and feel and look and compare and since I had more info this time, I knew exactly what I was looking for.

Turns out Sprint does not make a phone for me.  I'm too old and I don't consider the 'features' anything I want.  Plus they just don't offer what I want in a phone so - it turns out - out of all the bad choices available, the one in my pocket was the least bad one after all.  How about that?  I'm glad I went and explored and now know.  I'll cancel the data service and insurance and my monthly bill will be (comparatively) tiny like the phone.  

I noticed on the way home that I was nearly out of gas.  Damn that stuff does evaporate.  So I pulled into a Shell station near here and nearly got blown away.  The wind was really picking up.  Coming home I was at a stoplight and I could feel the car rock and the road signs were flapping.  I got home and just minutes later it started raining hard.  Snow is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow but I know better than to count on that. 

I'm on hold right now with iRobot.  I suspect they are going to tell me that I need to call Sharper Image.  I will.  Rooma needs to be replaced.  It's sluggish and won't go home.  If they won't replace it, it won't be the end of the world, it still vacuums.  I just have to go find it when it's done.  I figure I'll give replacement a shot before the warranty expires.

Guess I'd better build a few web pages while I hold.

Interesting finding...

I ended up going to the big Sprint store (the little one has really nice guys 'if you drop it or break it, we're your guys... if you need a new one, you need to go to one of the other stores, sorry').  Fortunately, all the kids who work there were busy with other customers so I had unlimited time to touch and feel and look and compare and since I had more info this time, I knew exactly what I was looking for.

Turns out Sprint does not make a phone for me.  I'm too old and I don't consider the 'features' anything I want.  Plus they just don't offer what I want in a phone so - it turns out - out of all the bad choices available, the one in my pocket was the least bad one after all.  How about that?  I'm glad I went and explored and now know.  I'll cancel the data service and insurance and my monthly bill will be (comparatively) tiny like the phone.  

I noticed on the way home that I was nearly out of gas.  Damn that stuff does evaporate.  So I pulled into a Shell station near here and nearly got blown away.  The wind was really picking up.  Coming home I was at a stoplight and I could feel the car rock and the road signs were flapping.  I got home and just minutes later it started raining hard.  Snow is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow but I know better than to count on that. 

I'm on hold right now with iRobot.  I suspect they are going to tell me that I need to call Sharper Image.  I will.  Rooma needs to be replaced.  It's sluggish and won't go home.  If they won't replace it, it won't be the end of the world, it still vacuums.  I just have to go find it when it's done.  I figure I'll give replacement a shot before the warranty expires.

Guess I'd better build a few web pages while I hold.

Retailistic

I've already reported on my Sprint adventures du jour.

Next up, Sharper Image and iRobot.  I bought my Roomba in February from Sharper Image (it was actually a replacement but that's a different story).  At the time I bought a 2 year replacement guarantee.  Roomba has been having issues and needs to be replaced.  I called iRobot because it is still under manufacturer's warranty.  A very nice guy walked me through some tests and declared it replaceable.  I explained that I had the 2 year thing from Sharper Image and asked if he knew if his replacing it would void that.  He said that he really didn't know - that he'd be afraid to say one way or the other.  He could not have been nicer about it.

I suggested that I call Sharper Image and ask them before he did anything and he agreed that sounded like a good idea.  So I did.  The Sharper Image customer service people are not stellar.  Most are nice but not too full of clues.  The one I got today was nice and when I explained my situation.  "So, if iRobot replaces my Roomba today, will that void my 2 year guarantee with you?"  She basically said 'how are we going to know?'

Excellent point.  A year or two from now when I want or need a replacement, all they are going to ask is my order number.  They don't track serial numbers. 

So back to iRobot who immediately emailed me RMA instructions.  I boxed it up and took it to Office Depot for UPS shipping and stopped at teriyaki on the way home.

Just as I was stuck in traffic by the baseball stadium, my cellphone rang.  It was the Safeway delivery guy with my Diet Dr. Peppers.  He was at my door.  I told him I was hurrying but stuck and since he'd just been where I was he understood.  We agreed he could just leave them right there in the hallway. 

When I got home they were all there ready and waiting!

And... finally.  Last fall I decided I wanted another subscription to People magazine.  I had let mine lapse and I missed it.  I did not want to deal with Time directly.  Those people are out of control.  The only way you can stop their email is give them a bogus email address.

So I googled around and found www.suscriba.com.  The price was fine the service looked good the first issue takes 6 - 12 weeks but I could wait.  I did it.  They charged my card.  And now 12 weeks later nothing.  I went to their website yesterday and left a nicely worded WTF??!!  I asked for my subscription to start or my money back.  I honestly figured I was fucked.

Today I got an email from a live person.  She apologized and said they had been having scheduling issues with People and that it might be yet another few weeks.  She said that she could certainly understand if I did not want to wait and if I did not, she would give me my money back.   I was so impressed I wrote back and thanked her and said I'd wait.

I'm a professional consumer...

Retailistic

I've already reported on my Sprint adventures du jour.

Next up, Sharper Image and iRobot.  I bought my Roomba in February from Sharper Image (it was actually a replacement but that's a different story).  At the time I bought a 2 year replacement guarantee.  Roomba has been having issues and needs to be replaced.  I called iRobot because it is still under manufacturer's warranty.  A very nice guy walked me through some tests and declared it replaceable.  I explained that I had the 2 year thing from Sharper Image and asked if he knew if his replacing it would void that.  He said that he really didn't know - that he'd be afraid to say one way or the other.  He could not have been nicer about it.

I suggested that I call Sharper Image and ask them before he did anything and he agreed that sounded like a good idea.  So I did.  The Sharper Image customer service people are not stellar.  Most are nice but not too full of clues.  The one I got today was nice and when I explained my situation.  "So, if iRobot replaces my Roomba today, will that void my 2 year guarantee with you?"  She basically said 'how are we going to know?'

Excellent point.  A year or two from now when I want or need a replacement, all they are going to ask is my order number.  They don't track serial numbers. 

So back to iRobot who immediately emailed me RMA instructions.  I boxed it up and took it to Office Depot for UPS shipping and stopped at teriyaki on the way home.

Just as I was stuck in traffic by the baseball stadium, my cellphone rang.  It was the Safeway delivery guy with my Diet Dr. Peppers.  He was at my door.  I told him I was hurrying but stuck and since he'd just been where I was he understood.  We agreed he could just leave them right there in the hallway. 

When I got home they were all there ready and waiting!

And... finally.  Last fall I decided I wanted another subscription to People magazine.  I had let mine lapse and I missed it.  I did not want to deal with Time directly.  Those people are out of control.  The only way you can stop their email is give them a bogus email address.

So I googled around and found www.suscriba.com.  The price was fine the service looked good the first issue takes 6 - 12 weeks but I could wait.  I did it.  They charged my card.  And now 12 weeks later nothing.  I went to their website yesterday and left a nicely worded WTF??!!  I asked for my subscription to start or my money back.  I honestly figured I was fucked.

Today I got an email from a live person.  She apologized and said they had been having scheduling issues with People and that it might be yet another few weeks.  She said that she could certainly understand if I did not want to wait and if I did not, she would give me my money back.   I was so impressed I wrote back and thanked her and said I'd wait.

I'm a professional consumer...