Like a big asprin for traffic woes

My beloved need some traffic info because he was making the big trek, to Culver City, and didn't want to be stuck in traffic, again. I found a few sites for up to the minute traffic problems but I liked this one the best. Sigalert

The site also has a button for "Routes." You can select your start and destination and it gives you a suggestion for alternate routes, how long it should take, and the number of miles. If I traveled the freeways a lot this would be the best reason for an IPhone. If you don't have such a device it's also good to check before you head out.

Baseball and meteors

After looking every night we gave up on seeing many meteors from the Orionids. Oh, we'd see one but that was it. Yawn, let's go back to sleep. Well, this morning, and a long way from Wednesday morning, we saw about ten--that was only in about an hour. It was at 4:30, one of our favorite times to get in the spa, and though it wasn't amazing it was better than we've ever seen them.

Like I said, a world full of ups and downs.
Dodgers; down
Angels; up
Meteor viewing; up

Seems like there are more ups this week.

Showers tonight

Grab your towel and run outside tonight for a cool fall shower. The Orionids meteor shower should be quite visible for the next few nights. Wednesday the 21s is the peak but we saw about three or four this morning.

Get somewhere dark and look towards the constellation Orion. Don't worry if Orion isn't visible when you are viewing just scan the whole sky. Most of the ones we saw this morning were higher in the sky.

What's the towel for? To lay on the ground and get a good view. You didn't expect to get naked and get moon dust on you, did you? Oh, glad I said something, then. Just have fun!

Life has ups and downs

After a fun time at the Pumpkin Patch, darling Mr and Mrs Doodles hosted a get together for all the small people; friends and family, we came home to watch the Dodgers explode all over Philadelphia. I'll just keep looking at these smiling faces rather than the box scores. Better for my psyche. Oh yeah, much better.

As seen on a t-shirt

This reminds me of a co-worker that spent hours taking the wrinkles out of her employee photo; hours.

Oh Crap!

Well, that's what I said when walking on the treadmill I snagged my ear bud cord and flung my Ipod on the belt when I think proceeded to kick it off onto the floor. I wish I could say it was in slow motion but it happened in a heartbeat; literally. I slapped the STOP button, which I might just add doesn't really stop it quickly, and pickup the Ipod. It paused its self so I thought it was broken but no, I changed selections, it started and I went merrily on my way.

Thanks you Apple, for making something to withstand that trauma.

The dishwashing saga continues

Sears agreed to replace the dishwasher but, because my dishwasher model would cost about $400 more, I was expected to pick up the difference. This was not acceptable. I'd entered into a contract with them that basically states, I'll pay for your dishwasher and an extended warranty and you'll make sure my dishwasher or something of equal value will continue to work until that time period is up. No where does it say just because my dishwasher is four-year-old does it diminish the value to me. It's just that simple.

Armed with my original manual and the feeling I had right on my side I went back to the store where the salesman, a very helpful employee of Sear; one of the few I might add, found a model comparable to mine and called the Service Contract division and informed them this was the only model I needed and it was $400 over what they offered. They reevaluated my claim and before I knew it we had a schedule for the delivery of my new unit.

So what did we learn here? It was way to difficult to get this far and I'm sure there are people who just give up and don't complain. Don't give up if you think you are right and have the proof. The first store and sales person told me I'd have to pay the difference because the dishwasher was old. Four years is old? I'd expect it to last as long as the extended warranty. I went to a different store and someone who knew what they were selling.

What made me stay with Sears after all the problems? The fact that they did fix it, and it has a decent warranty period and I like the dishwasher I had for four years. Now, we just have to wait for Thursday and the deliver of the new dishwasher and hopefully, no problems. I'm hopeful but my beloved is a bit more skeptical. Good or bad, I'm sure I'll post about it.

It's their prize to give

In his will Alfred Nobel wrote:
… portion of the award to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity among nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.

The "most or the best work." After the last eight years I think they gave the Nobel Peace Prize because he wasn't George Bush and the subtext of the award, it goes to the American people for electing Obama. He reached out to the world to assure them he was different and hopefully brought some honor back to our country as a nation of the world. We, though some don't like it, are a part of this ever shrinking neighborhood.

To critics: have you all forgotten what Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz, and Rumsfeld accomplished? They were damn lucky no one tried them as war criminals.

Happy Anniversary, to me

This is an anniversary I share with no one. My baby blog is four years old today. Four years. Which means it is four years since I moved back from Bakersfield and four years since we remodeled the house. We're almost finished but more on that later.

How I discovered blogging is tied to the horrible Katrina events of 2005. While surfing the 'net to find out just how those poor souls were doing I ran into, a new-to-me, bit of information; a blog. There was a small business in downtown New Orleans and they owners/employees were lucky to be on floors about the flooding but unlucky to be trapped. As I remember, they were all young adults and the business had something to do with electronics. At first, the posts were sporadic due to the lack of power but as I read each gripping update I felt I was there with them. They talked candidly of their fears and the best part, they were showing photos from their offices on the top floor of the events at street level. Amazing. Just normal folk getting the word out.

Coming back to my home after being away for two years and starting two new things, the remodel and retirement were important to me. I need to keep a diary and what better way, a blog. I also found I could "vent" a bit about other important things going on. It was the Bush Years and there was much to vent about. I didn't do much to market my blog because I really don't care who reads it or if it's ever read. It's the writing of it that make be turn on the computer in the morning and sometimes not turn it off until late at night.

My daughter had been blogging for a few months so I was happy to join up. It wasn't long before we had my sister up and running. They were planning to become Gypsies and blogging would be a great way to keep track of their coming and going. It wasn't until March '06 that we came up with Peanut Butter Etouffeé, the food blog. The food blog has become our bastard child and doesn't get the attention it once did or deserves. We all seem to cook less but I still enjoy writing for it from time to time.

It gives me much joy to blog and if someone else reads it and is pleased, well then that's good too. It did give me a chance to meet a distant relative. This year I've been writing down some family tales, Kitchen Stories, and more specific to me, Growing Up. Out of the blue I received a comment and e-mail from a branch of the family tree. He had most of the genealogy done but wanted to add the "extras" to the family history. I was quite pleased that these stories might get passed down a few more generations.

Thanks to anyone who's wandered in and maybe enjoyed a post or two. My tracking software says I have a few visitors that stay and read more than one page. And a big thanks to anyone who comments, bad or good, I accept all forms of communications. Finally, if you like to write think of starting a blog yourself. I did talk a friend into blogging and she kept a journal of her travels last this year. It's fun to go back and see what you were thinking or doing.

Looking back to October of 2005, here are a few of my favorite posts.

• Syntax: Something the religious right would die for
• Integrity: you can get it on Craig's List
• From the mouths of old babes

Sears: The only lemon I don't want

My bout with the flu was thankfully short and though I never felt horrible, just crummy, I am feeling better today. Just in time for my semi-annual visit from the Sears repair man to fix my dishwasher, yet again and my ongoing battle to have them replace this lemon.

My dishwasher is not new as in, "this is the first month I've had it" but it's not old, as in, "sorry they haven't made parts for this since Nixon administration". The dishwasher came to us on the tidal wave of our 2005 Remodel, or as I like to call it, "It's gonna cost how much?"

When you are replacing all of the three majors in the kitchen it's easier to go to one store and purchase them and since Sears had the refrigerator I wanted they were the lucky recipient of my business. I also paid extra for the extended warranty for all three and glad I did because just a short year after we finished the GE refrigerator crapped out to the tune of 900 bucks. Not actually a tune more like a friggin' opera. This, you might ask; but sorry after you do, is the lemon I'm referring to? Oh no, I have a much larger problem with the dishwasher.

It started last year with a broken door hinge. Scenario: Call to Sears, they apologize for the inconvenience and send their best to fix it. Wait for the repair man; if lucky you get a four-hour window. He orders the part and reschedules an appointment to fix it. The part comes in the mail, the repair man fixes it and we are once again, in business. Until a month later when something else happens.

Return to Scenario, and do it three more times. It has cost Sears over 900 bucks in parts and labor. Not me because I got the extended warranty but someone had to pay it. Granted, they would charge me more than what it actually cost them, hey, someone has got to make some money here. It has cost me time and aggravation. It has given the repair guys a job, wait that isn't so bad but it has made me lose hope in Sears.

After arguing with "customer service" for near an hour they agreed to have the tech evaluate the dishwasher to see if it qualifies as a lemon and give me a new one. Jeeeze, I'm not sure I want another Sears product but what I finally told them is "… just saying your sorry about my inconvenience is NOT customer service; doing something is."

Ah, and the warranty? It doesn't expire until October 2010. Imagine how much more money I could rack up in another year.

Update after the lying MAMF repair moron was here:

The tech was supposed to evaluate the problem and call his main office. I gave him my case number and the name and phone number of the customer service person on the case. I stepped out of the room to answer the phone and when I returned he said, "They said to order the part and fix it." Can't get much plainer than that. I was not happy and when he left called the number myself and he had never called them. After 30 minutes of going over my problems, why ever do they give you a case number, the rep said he would forward this on to the committee to decided if I have a lemon and it should be replaced and, hey, gave me a new case number. Sure.

So while they decide I'm looking a very lovely looking dishwasher that doesn't work and causes me aggravation. Sears will sell you the extended warranty but just give you so much grief it makes you want to NOT SHOP AT SEARS EVER AGAIN!