Back in February, with a new job raise firmly in hand, I decided to get a wireless broadband card, or “aircard” as it is sometimes called. Basically a cell phone in PCMCIA form-factor, this card would allow me to connect to the Internet regardless of my location and Wi-Fi availability. Primarily I wanted it for the forty odd hours a week I spend at work.
The first card I bought and tried was Cingular’s Edge network capable card, the Option GT Max 3.6. The performance was unacceptably slow, and when I discovered I could get a EVDO card from Sprint for the same monthly price, I called Cingular to start the return process of the Option card. Within a couple of days I had the return authorization and had shipped the card, it’s accessories and manuals, back to Cingular in the original box. The return authorization was setup for the US Post Office, and didn’t include a tracking number. I opted to pay for the return shipping myself and used UPS with a tracking number.
It turns out that having that tracking number was a good thing. Printing off the delivery confirmation was an even better idea.
About five weeks after the shipment had been signed for by Cingular I called the customer service number for two reasons. First, Cingular was still trying to charge me the month service charge for the card ($60) and second, they hadn’t yet credited my account with the refund. I spoke at length with a friendly and seemingly helpful young man who was able to properly remove the second line from my account, and credit my account to reverse the extra charge. He wasn’t able to completely sort out the return and refund however. His best effort was to assure me that it would happen soon and that he would look into it the following day (the returns department was closed for the evening when I made my call) and call me back. Right.
This week, now nearly two months after I had returned their card, I once again called customer support. Armed with the original order number, and the all important UPS tracking number and delivery confirmation I was able to get an assurance that the credit would occur within the next three to five business days. Sure enough, this morning when I checked my account balance online, there was a credit for the full purchase price. While I am glad that I got my money back, and I am pleased with myself for having the foresight to keep the various tracking and order numbers, as well as notes from each call to customer service, I am disappointed that it was this difficult to make a return. I strongly suspect that had I not kept track of this and kept calling that I still wouldn’t have my money. While I can’t say for sure, I even think that Cingular would have kept my money until I called and raised enough of a fuss.
Cingularly disappointing.
Recently at work I was chosen through a random drawing to receive a pair of tickets to see the Kansas City Royals host the Chicago White Sox. It has been years and years since I last saw a professional baseball game so I was very much looking forward to it.
The weather was not cooperative, threatening rain all day and finally starting to rain about 15 minutes before game time. Our seats couldn’t have been better, either for viewing the game or staying dry; on the third base line just about even with the base itself, and up on the Club level, under the upper deck overhang. We were comfortably out of the rain and enjoyed ourselves people watching during the 90 minute rain delay. Once the rain stopped and play started it was a beautifully cool evening - perfect for watching a little baseball.
We only stayed for the first 5 innings, given the nearly 9:00 pm first pitch, but had a wonderful time nonetheless. Bratwurst and Polish sausage (with sauerkraut) were had, as was a tub of popcorn.
My new employer has a block of seats, primarily for entertaining customers, but the left overs are given away to employees through a random drawing every couple of weeks. I’m already signed up for the next batch of games.
The move to a new office building seems to have gone very smoothly. All of my office items where here waiting for me upon my arrival Monday, and better still, none were broken or damaged. There was network connectivity and my phone worked. Almost anti-climatic after the several weeks of build up.
The new space is very nice. For the first time in a decade I can see a window from where I sit. Working as an employee rather than as a consultant continues to produce new benefits. The part of the building I am in holds about 30 cubes, most of which are filled. Between the cloth covered cube walls and some art work on the building walls it is surprisingly quiet here. My last cube opened onto the hallway leading to the stairs and the restrooms, so I had a lot of foot traffic behind me all day. Now I am in a dead-end aisle which makes it very quiet.
Since starting my new job in January my team, and two floors worth of other people, have been temporarily housed in a borrowed building. The company I work for is owned by a larger company, and we’ve been squatting in one of their buildings. My company has recently completed interior renovations on a new office building, and everyone is moving. Some people are moving from the temporary building to the new building, some from the original building to the new building, and some (including me) are moving from the temporary building to the original building.
Moving at work is a lot less difficult than moving at home. Other people plan all the steps and make all the arrangements. All you need do is toss your stuff in a box or three and slap some labels on everything and walk out into a beautiful Friday afternoon. On Monday, all your stuff is in your new cubical.
At least that’s the plan. Tune in on Monday to see how it all works out.
So, as it turns out, you can’t use scotch tape to fix a stamp to an envelope.
A while back I made a purchase that came with one of those handy mail-in rebates. Naturally I forgot about it until the night before it had to be post-marked. I carefully filled out all the paperwork and put it into the envelope, sealed it, and put my last stamp on it. Ready to be mailed in the morning.
Then I discovered I had left out the sales slip.
Phooey.
Putting all the stuff in a new envelope I was faced with the lack of a stamp. Enter the scotch tape. What could be better? Two little pieces and away we go.
Today, now several days past the post-mark deadline, the envelope came back. Marked, “Stamps are void when coated, defaced, or re-<smear of red ink here>. Returned for postage.”
Whoops.
So, as it turns out, I’m out the $0.39 stamp and the $49.95 rebate. How many people can say they have an unused (but “coated”) thirty-nine cent stamp in their collection that is worth $50.34?
This morning I was reading one of my favorite sites, Life Hacker and saw a posting about personal Wiki software. A “wiki” is the editable, cross-linked system behind Wikipedia. I currently use one on occasion on my Powerbook called <a href=“http=“http://flyingmeat.com/voodoopad/" title=“VoodooPad”>VoodooPad. I’ve been looking for one to use on the Windows XP-based Thinkpad.
The posting about WikiPad had many comments, and several mentioned other wiki solutions, including TiddlyWiki, and ZuluPad. There was also a comment with a link to a review of note taking applications, which had an oh-by-the-way mention of some password storage software that was portable, i.e., it would run on a USB key. So I followed the link to essential portable applications and from there to the KeyPass home page.
Now, KeyPass works as a part of the PortableApps suite. So I pulled out my U3 enabled USB key and disabled the U3 launcher and autorun files (I was tired of the lack of updates to the U3 version of Firefox) and started the PortableApps suite downloading.
PortableApps is downloaded now, and ready to be installed. Then I’ll need to configure it, and install KeyPass. I’ll be putting it through the paces for the next few days before I pass judgment. I still have the tabs for WikiPad, TiddlyWiki, and ZuluPad open; eventually I’ll get back to deciding which of them to download and try first, but right now I need to respond to an email.
Who says being mildly ADD is a bad thing? :)
Growing up in a city, albeit a smaller one, I didn’t learn much about growing food. My mother always had a very African Violets on a stand in the window, and my father has a tomato patch in his yard every year, but I never had the urge to plant things and make them grow.
In college my roommates both had tremendous green thumbs; every flat surface big enough in our dorm room and, later, in our off-campus apartments, was covered with pots and plants. One of my roommates was highly successful in planting seeds or cuttings from other plants to get entire new plants. I managed to ignore and nearly kill an Asparagus Fern.
Recently however I have started trying to grow some garlic in my kitchen. I had a bulb that had been in the hanging wire basket long enough to sprout a green shoot about a half an inch long. We got a pot and some potting soil and planted the bulb and left it to grow. For the first several days I wasn’t sure that anything was happening, but then yesterday I noticed that the shoot appeared to be longer, and it had a definite lean towards the light. I turned the pit 180 degrees and today it is again starting to re-orient itself towards the light. IT’S ALIVE!
For some reason I find this highly satisfying. Of course now I have to figure how how to know when it is “done” and can be harvested.
Shortly after starting at my new job I was asked if I wanted to join the Superbowl pool. Figuring it might be a good way to meet some of the people I was working with I decided to give it a go. To make a long story short, I happen to win both the first and second quarters for a total of $125. I caught some razzing for being the new guy and taking half the pot home.
Last week there was a company wide drawing for tickets to see some Royals home games. The company has a number of seats and when customers aren’t using them employees can enter a random drawing. My name was drawn out of the hat so we are going to see the Royals host the Chicago White Sox on the 24th. I haven’t said anything to anyone - the winner’s names were published on the employee Intranet - but it sure feels like I am on a winning streak.
Maybe I should start buying lottery tickers more consistently.
Working in the middle of a cubical farm, I am subjected to the conversations, mutterings, and sounds of the people around me. Try as I might it is impossible to ignore all the snatches of conversation that drift over the wall from my neighbors. Recently I have been privy to some rather involved plans for a birthday party. Catering. Pavilion rental. An Elvis impersonator, for crying-out-loud.
Today’s installment in this saga hinges around the weather forecast for the day of the event. A high of 46 with a chance of rain mixed with snow showers. Not ideal party weather. But not the end of the world either.
What strikes me most about this is the anger and upset the weather is causing is the futility of raging against something you have no control over. There is absolutely nothing that can be done about the weather. If you are planning an outdoor party any time of the year you should have a contingency plan for inclement weather. And if you plan an outdoor party in April in the Midwest you shouldn’t have a stroke when the forecast is wintry rather than summery.
The lesson here for me is to recognize when I am allowing me blood pressure to be controlled by external forces, especially when those forces might be inanimate. Also, that nothing you say or do at work is private. The guy one cube over might have a weblog…
For several weeks now my morning weight has been hovering between two hundred and two oh five. I’ve been eating a bit more than I was previously, and I am not currently engaged in a weekly workout regimen. The “eat less, do more” weight loss only works if you in fact eat less and do more.
So.
I’ve been paying attention to portion size once again. Also I’ve been trying to eat slowly again. For years a persistent issue with swallowing forced me to cut my food into tiny bites and to eat very slowly. In the last year this condition has all but disappeared from my life - I cannot remember the last time I had difficulty swallowing while I was eating. As a result I have started to eat faster which has an unintended side effect. When you eat at a measured pace your body has time to decide if it is full or not. When you eat quickly it is possible to eat until you are over full. The sheet momentum of eating quickly carries you past the point of having your hunger satisfied and into the realm of full, stuffed or gorged.
In the last week I’ve been refocused on eating at a measured pace and I’ve been trying to watch portion size again. I’ve yet to re-add a recurring strenuous physically activity but even so, I’ve now had five days where my morning weight was below two hundred pounds. Five days in a row under two hundred.
In ten months time I have lost, and kept off, fifty pounds of weight.
Wow.