I just booked a vacation to Walt Disney world. One week in early March. It's about $2500 for the two of us. I still have to schedule the vacation time at work. I'm thinking March may be the quitting month, so it'll be fun! :)
Ronny had mentioned that on his list of Things He'd Love to Do in America, visiting Disney is WAY up there on the list. Apparently the "going to Disney" thing is a major dream of children across the world, not just here in the US. Brazilians, anyway, all want to go there - so I'm told.
Last weekend I was talking to our friend about which casino to visit (see the Foxy Lady post), and he mentioned that he finishes his class in late February, so had just booked a vacation to Disney with Cris. When I mentioned it to Ronny as a passing comment, he immediately decided that we had to go, too! So, I called Brad and asked if he'd mind us tagging along, and he said that would be cool. I booked the exact same trip as he did (yet mine is apparently $300 cheaper). Ronny is SO excited about it. He had already taken the days off from work on Monday.
We're staying at a 'value hotel' on the premises, but to me, hotels are the kind of thing you don't splurge on when going on vacation. The trip is about everything ELSE. As long as the room is clean, and the bed in comfy, what more do you really need? On-premises is a plus, so it's costing like $130 a night just for the room, but we're skipping the rental car this way.
I noticed I haven't updated on the listing, and it's effect on Ronny. It's been about two weeks now that the condo has been on the MLS. I told Ronny about it all up-front. The day the lockbox for the key showed up on my door handle was a little rough for him, but he took it much better than I expected. The news of me meeting with the realtor threw him for a loop again, but the lockbox wasn't that bad. He asked "What is that?" as he came in the door. I told him. He kind of frowned and said it "doesn't make me happy". But that was it. Not really bad.
The other day he came over and said he had spoken with a friend of his from Oceanside, CA who told him that the southern CA area is full of immigrants, and he shouldn't worry about being down there. So, he kind of poked around the thought of coming along. But, as mentioned (see "Bettering") he got a second job because he would have nothing to do with his time after I left. So, I think that means he isn't really going to leave. His sister doesn't want him to leave, and she is his only family here in the States. I think that is a pretty strong tie for him.
The place has shown several times, and the realtor says he LOVES the place. He told me likes it more and more everytime he comes here to show it. I'm sure it helps to sell a place when the agent is bubbling over about how great it is! But no offers, yet. It's only two weeks, so I'm not worried. The thing that does annoy me, though, is that people don't take their shoes off when they visit, and the floor is actually getting scuff marks on it for the first time. Showing the place for sale is of itself going to make it less attractive. I'm sure I'm the only one anal enough to even notice the scuffs, so it probably won't affect the sale, but it does annoy me.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Foxy Lady
Two Saturdays ago, we were at my place, and Ronny said he wanted to go to the casino. He has never been, and I haven’t been to the ones near here. Having never been, I would need to look into details a little bit first, so said it was kind of sudden, maybe next weekend. I meant “let’s plan something ahead.” He heard “we’re going next Saturday.”
This past Friday, Ronny came over and at one point mentioned that he took Saturday morning off from work so we could go to the casino. I again was a little taken-by-surprise, so hesitated. He made some comment about being spontaneous. I said I had an appointment to get my tires fixed (one flat and one leaking) on Saturday. He thought I should reschedule, but ditching the appointment to drive on those tires down to Connecticut just seemed like a bad idea to me. Plus, Ronny had to work Saturday night (see the ‘Bettering’ post). So, I suggested we go on Sunday instead. He was OK with that.
Saturday we ran some errands anyway. While my tires were being fixed, we had lunch at the Chinese buffet next door that he really likes. I earned points for that idea! Picked up some stuff at Target, got a work shirt at Goodwill for that night’s new job, stopped by the Jeep dealer to ogle Liberty’s. I called our friend Brad to see which of the two near-by Connecticut Indian casinos would be better for a first-timer. He suggested Foxwoods. I invited him and Cris to come along, but they couldn’t make it, so we have Tentative plans for a trip to Mohegan Sun together some day. (Though, as this story unfolds, you may agree that Ronny might not want to go.)
We wandered around the casino for a while, taking in the sights. It is a large place – has like 5 separate casino areas. Although, most of them are still all slot machines. There is a separate Bingo hall and a dedicated poker room. The rest is mostly slots with some table games mixed in. Ronny went up to a nickel slot and tried to put in a dollar. They take 5’s and larger. Just then a coin change cart wheeled past, so he asked her for nickels. She gave him a dirty look and said the smallest she had was quarters. When he handed over the dollar, she gave another dirty look and even grumbled something about “only a dollar”. But Ronny didn’t much care. Unfortunately, the nickel machines don’t take quarters, either. So four “pulls” later at a quarter slot, his dollar was donated to the tribe. I noticed they actually have some machines that have a lever on the side for you to pull, but most of them are just little buttons now. I think it speeds up the cash flow…
Next we found a coin change counter. By now, Ronny has seen penny slots, so asked for a roll of pennies. Another dirty look, and the smallest she carried was nickels. That was fine with him, so Ronny got a $2 roll and headed back into the fray.
Forty nickels do last longer than four quarters, but it was still about 5 minutes until he had made his second donation to the tribe. As we wandered some more, I pointed out the $5 slots and mentioned that the speed he burned through his $2 roll was how fast they were burning through $200. That kind of made him mad. Knowing how hard he has to work for money, and having grown up in a poor family, it just is a bit insulting to see someone pouring that much money into a noise-making machine.
Ronny asked if I was going to play anything. I told him I wanted to do a little video poker, but hadn’t seen any machines for that yet. As we continued to wander around taking pictures of Indian-themed statues and such, we eventually came across the v.p. machines. I sat down at one of the machines. It had slightly lower pay-off levels, so it was actually available. But the pay-off level was to balance out the fact that it included jokers in the ‘deck’ so you were more likely to get a winning hand. I played for a little while, holding steady, to slightly losing ground. Then I hit a 4-of-a-kind. I had started with a $10 bill, and had climbed back up to $12 thanks mostly to the 4-of-a-kind. So, I decided to cash out. I like the v.p. better than plain slots because it involves “playing” instead of just feeding coins into the machine. It takes just seconds to burn through your money at a slot, while the poker machine can while away full minutes!
Ronny wanted to try his hand at the v.p. Seeing me win $2 had inspired that gambling itch in him. He was already down by $3, so wanted to play another five. He was going to seek out change again, but I explained that he could put in his $20, then just hit the cash out button when he was ready. So, in went the 20 dollar bill…
Lady luck had been smiling on me a little better than she smiled on Ronny. He hit a number of pairs and three of a kind, but nothing that paid out anything hefty. After a while, he had dropped to $15, so I told him he had spent his five, and could hit the cash out button now. He wanted to keep going! He wanted to get back up to his starting 20! (Uh-oh) Again, played for a while, won some one- or two-point hands, and gradually worked down to $10 left. Again I stopped him, and pointed out he was down to ten. He said he wanted to keep going. This time I got a little more adamant about having him stop, so he agreed he needed to finish. Reached over and pushed the ‘bet’ button, instead of the ‘cash-out’ button. At that point, you have to finish the hand. Lady Luck seemed to abandon him again. Now he was determined to get back to $10. He actually held steady for a couple hands, then won a straight, which brought him up to $10.75. I told him he was over ten, so should push THIS button to cash out. He started to get that glimmer in his eye and said he wanted to keep going. I fairly sternly pointed out that he would just keep losing more money the longer he played, so he agreed to cash out. When he got the two fives and three quarters back, it hit him that he had lost about another ten dollars, and got a bit remorseful. I tried to cheer him up a little bit by pointing out that he won 75 cents more than the ten even I had told him to stop at! He appreciated the gesture, but was still bummed about the $12.25 he had blown that day. It is a casino, though, so it shouldn’t have been that bad to walk away only twelve down, but I think my two dollar gain made it seem worse.
Then we went on to dinner. I was a little surprised that the restaurants were more Six Flags priced than I expected. I suppose this isn’t the Vegas strip, so there isn’t much competition on drawing in the crowds, so they have no need to make the food cheap. Entrees at the steakhouse were 25 to 40, and I could see the gloom across Ronny’s face as I checked out that menu. I had been scanning menus all day, so suggested the southern-cooking restaurant Amy Ruth’s. He asked what that meant. When I said Georgia and Louisiana, he said that sounded cool. Lady Luck again turned her back on him, though. The waiter mixed up the orders, and brought him the wrong food. They brought out the correct ones after I mentioned it, and they even let him keep the side of mac and cheese that they had brought by mistake. He had ordered the fruit juice. It is their own “special” mix, so they don’t tell you what is in it, but it was very good, and Ronny loved it. He saw them bring a doggie bag to someone, and he said he wanted one of the Foxwoods bags. So, when he said he had too much food and couldn’t eat it all, I pointed out that he needed to take left-overs home so he could get a bag, anyway. That pleased him! I had ordered the chicken-fried steak. I hadn’t had that since leaving Kansas, so thought it would be nice. I forgot this was Southern style, not Midwest style. Instead of the sausage-gravy on the side like in Kansas, this was smothered in beef gravy. Which I think ruins the chicken-fried coating and turns it to soggy mush. I also got the mac and cheese and the cheese grits. (Cheese!!!) The grits were only good if the spoonful was loaded with cheese. Ronny got the potato salad. I avoid ordering that because recipes can vary SO much you never know how it will be. This version had a lot of vinegar and mustard seed in it. We both thought it was gross. Since Ronny had suffered losses at the slots, and I had my wallet full of winnings (OK, so it was two whole dollar bills), I offered to buy dinner.
We walked past the Ben & Jerry’s on our way out. I was very tempted, but I was comfortably full, and that would have made me uncomfortably full. And I need to lose some weight (yes, it was my new year’s resolution), so we headed right on out the door. On the way home, Ronny said he had fun! That is the point of going there, so I guess it was OK after all. Still, I’m not sure if he’ll want to go to Mohegan Sun.
This past Friday, Ronny came over and at one point mentioned that he took Saturday morning off from work so we could go to the casino. I again was a little taken-by-surprise, so hesitated. He made some comment about being spontaneous. I said I had an appointment to get my tires fixed (one flat and one leaking) on Saturday. He thought I should reschedule, but ditching the appointment to drive on those tires down to Connecticut just seemed like a bad idea to me. Plus, Ronny had to work Saturday night (see the ‘Bettering’ post). So, I suggested we go on Sunday instead. He was OK with that.
Saturday we ran some errands anyway. While my tires were being fixed, we had lunch at the Chinese buffet next door that he really likes. I earned points for that idea! Picked up some stuff at Target, got a work shirt at Goodwill for that night’s new job, stopped by the Jeep dealer to ogle Liberty’s. I called our friend Brad to see which of the two near-by Connecticut Indian casinos would be better for a first-timer. He suggested Foxwoods. I invited him and Cris to come along, but they couldn’t make it, so we have Tentative plans for a trip to Mohegan Sun together some day. (Though, as this story unfolds, you may agree that Ronny might not want to go.)
We wandered around the casino for a while, taking in the sights. It is a large place – has like 5 separate casino areas. Although, most of them are still all slot machines. There is a separate Bingo hall and a dedicated poker room. The rest is mostly slots with some table games mixed in. Ronny went up to a nickel slot and tried to put in a dollar. They take 5’s and larger. Just then a coin change cart wheeled past, so he asked her for nickels. She gave him a dirty look and said the smallest she had was quarters. When he handed over the dollar, she gave another dirty look and even grumbled something about “only a dollar”. But Ronny didn’t much care. Unfortunately, the nickel machines don’t take quarters, either. So four “pulls” later at a quarter slot, his dollar was donated to the tribe. I noticed they actually have some machines that have a lever on the side for you to pull, but most of them are just little buttons now. I think it speeds up the cash flow…
Next we found a coin change counter. By now, Ronny has seen penny slots, so asked for a roll of pennies. Another dirty look, and the smallest she carried was nickels. That was fine with him, so Ronny got a $2 roll and headed back into the fray.
Forty nickels do last longer than four quarters, but it was still about 5 minutes until he had made his second donation to the tribe. As we wandered some more, I pointed out the $5 slots and mentioned that the speed he burned through his $2 roll was how fast they were burning through $200. That kind of made him mad. Knowing how hard he has to work for money, and having grown up in a poor family, it just is a bit insulting to see someone pouring that much money into a noise-making machine.
Ronny asked if I was going to play anything. I told him I wanted to do a little video poker, but hadn’t seen any machines for that yet. As we continued to wander around taking pictures of Indian-themed statues and such, we eventually came across the v.p. machines. I sat down at one of the machines. It had slightly lower pay-off levels, so it was actually available. But the pay-off level was to balance out the fact that it included jokers in the ‘deck’ so you were more likely to get a winning hand. I played for a little while, holding steady, to slightly losing ground. Then I hit a 4-of-a-kind. I had started with a $10 bill, and had climbed back up to $12 thanks mostly to the 4-of-a-kind. So, I decided to cash out. I like the v.p. better than plain slots because it involves “playing” instead of just feeding coins into the machine. It takes just seconds to burn through your money at a slot, while the poker machine can while away full minutes!
Ronny wanted to try his hand at the v.p. Seeing me win $2 had inspired that gambling itch in him. He was already down by $3, so wanted to play another five. He was going to seek out change again, but I explained that he could put in his $20, then just hit the cash out button when he was ready. So, in went the 20 dollar bill…
Lady luck had been smiling on me a little better than she smiled on Ronny. He hit a number of pairs and three of a kind, but nothing that paid out anything hefty. After a while, he had dropped to $15, so I told him he had spent his five, and could hit the cash out button now. He wanted to keep going! He wanted to get back up to his starting 20! (Uh-oh) Again, played for a while, won some one- or two-point hands, and gradually worked down to $10 left. Again I stopped him, and pointed out he was down to ten. He said he wanted to keep going. This time I got a little more adamant about having him stop, so he agreed he needed to finish. Reached over and pushed the ‘bet’ button, instead of the ‘cash-out’ button. At that point, you have to finish the hand. Lady Luck seemed to abandon him again. Now he was determined to get back to $10. He actually held steady for a couple hands, then won a straight, which brought him up to $10.75. I told him he was over ten, so should push THIS button to cash out. He started to get that glimmer in his eye and said he wanted to keep going. I fairly sternly pointed out that he would just keep losing more money the longer he played, so he agreed to cash out. When he got the two fives and three quarters back, it hit him that he had lost about another ten dollars, and got a bit remorseful. I tried to cheer him up a little bit by pointing out that he won 75 cents more than the ten even I had told him to stop at! He appreciated the gesture, but was still bummed about the $12.25 he had blown that day. It is a casino, though, so it shouldn’t have been that bad to walk away only twelve down, but I think my two dollar gain made it seem worse.
Then we went on to dinner. I was a little surprised that the restaurants were more Six Flags priced than I expected. I suppose this isn’t the Vegas strip, so there isn’t much competition on drawing in the crowds, so they have no need to make the food cheap. Entrees at the steakhouse were 25 to 40, and I could see the gloom across Ronny’s face as I checked out that menu. I had been scanning menus all day, so suggested the southern-cooking restaurant Amy Ruth’s. He asked what that meant. When I said Georgia and Louisiana, he said that sounded cool. Lady Luck again turned her back on him, though. The waiter mixed up the orders, and brought him the wrong food. They brought out the correct ones after I mentioned it, and they even let him keep the side of mac and cheese that they had brought by mistake. He had ordered the fruit juice. It is their own “special” mix, so they don’t tell you what is in it, but it was very good, and Ronny loved it. He saw them bring a doggie bag to someone, and he said he wanted one of the Foxwoods bags. So, when he said he had too much food and couldn’t eat it all, I pointed out that he needed to take left-overs home so he could get a bag, anyway. That pleased him! I had ordered the chicken-fried steak. I hadn’t had that since leaving Kansas, so thought it would be nice. I forgot this was Southern style, not Midwest style. Instead of the sausage-gravy on the side like in Kansas, this was smothered in beef gravy. Which I think ruins the chicken-fried coating and turns it to soggy mush. I also got the mac and cheese and the cheese grits. (Cheese!!!) The grits were only good if the spoonful was loaded with cheese. Ronny got the potato salad. I avoid ordering that because recipes can vary SO much you never know how it will be. This version had a lot of vinegar and mustard seed in it. We both thought it was gross. Since Ronny had suffered losses at the slots, and I had my wallet full of winnings (OK, so it was two whole dollar bills), I offered to buy dinner.
We walked past the Ben & Jerry’s on our way out. I was very tempted, but I was comfortably full, and that would have made me uncomfortably full. And I need to lose some weight (yes, it was my new year’s resolution), so we headed right on out the door. On the way home, Ronny said he had fun! That is the point of going there, so I guess it was OK after all. Still, I’m not sure if he’ll want to go to Mohegan Sun.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Bettering
One of the regulars at Ronny's Dunkin Donuts is this guy Mike. Mike works for the local newspaper, on third shift. Mike suggested Ronny work there, too.
Ronny thought this was a GREAT idea. Went in to "interview" one night (I came along). This is the kind of place where if you can fill your name into the application form they will hire you. Third shifts tend to be like that.
Ronny was very excited that he was working there, and his first night on the job was this past Saturday. He finished around 4:15am, so around 4:30 Sunday morning he crawled back into bed next to me.
When we got up (well, I got up first, and putzed online 'til he woke up), he seemed more blah. He said it was noisy and dirty and not much fun. He stood next to a machine taking bundles of papers off the 'bundler' onto a conveyor belt. Didn't speak to anyone. Didn't vary the tasks. Nobody had even yet told him how much they were paying him.
So, I looked up the phone number, and told him to call Monday morning, ask for HR, tell them he just started but wasn't told the pay. He had heard rumors that it was $7/hr, and for that he didn't want to stay.
Monday night I asked if he found out anything. Sure enough, it was only 7 bucks, so he told the HR lady (I had told him he could do this if it was only 7) he was quitting. She asked "WHY????" He said he didn't need that for only 7 bucks.
Ronny thought this was a GREAT idea. Went in to "interview" one night (I came along). This is the kind of place where if you can fill your name into the application form they will hire you. Third shifts tend to be like that.
Ronny was very excited that he was working there, and his first night on the job was this past Saturday. He finished around 4:15am, so around 4:30 Sunday morning he crawled back into bed next to me.
When we got up (well, I got up first, and putzed online 'til he woke up), he seemed more blah. He said it was noisy and dirty and not much fun. He stood next to a machine taking bundles of papers off the 'bundler' onto a conveyor belt. Didn't speak to anyone. Didn't vary the tasks. Nobody had even yet told him how much they were paying him.
So, I looked up the phone number, and told him to call Monday morning, ask for HR, tell them he just started but wasn't told the pay. He had heard rumors that it was $7/hr, and for that he didn't want to stay.
Monday night I asked if he found out anything. Sure enough, it was only 7 bucks, so he told the HR lady (I had told him he could do this if it was only 7) he was quitting. She asked "WHY????" He said he didn't need that for only 7 bucks.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Kong versus the Mass Hole
(For the non-locals: a "Mass-hole" is an obnoxious Massachusetts driver)
Monday, 1/2, was a holiday for us at work, but Ronny didn't have off. I met up with Brad & Cris to go see King Kong. It was kind of a perfect opportunity, since I had wanted to see it, and Ronny had no interest at all in going to that one. The movie was pretty good. Cris had to go right away, so we parted ways at the theater parking lot. As I was heading home, I was heading down the road at around 45 or 50 mph (Not exactly sure). Some dumbass in a mini-van pulled out right in front of me. I SLAMMED on the brakes (and slammed on the horn). I could feel the anti-lock brakes shimmying and the car fishtailed ever so slightly, but stayed on course. Luckily it was sunny, and the pavement was dry, because the mini-van moron wasn't really moving that fast, and I was still gaining ground. I came probably within a foot of hitting the bumper. Doesn't sound so bad, but when you're bookin' along at a fairly good pace, a foot is not that much room.
It is said there is an average of 5 car accidents per day per state in the US. I had one in '04 (which wasn't my fault, but the state of MA screwed me over on it, so I'm paying for it through insurance premiums), so felt it was a little soon for my next one. Luckily, other than leaving a little rubber tread scraped across the road, nothing happened.
Monday, 1/2, was a holiday for us at work, but Ronny didn't have off. I met up with Brad & Cris to go see King Kong. It was kind of a perfect opportunity, since I had wanted to see it, and Ronny had no interest at all in going to that one. The movie was pretty good. Cris had to go right away, so we parted ways at the theater parking lot. As I was heading home, I was heading down the road at around 45 or 50 mph (Not exactly sure). Some dumbass in a mini-van pulled out right in front of me. I SLAMMED on the brakes (and slammed on the horn). I could feel the anti-lock brakes shimmying and the car fishtailed ever so slightly, but stayed on course. Luckily it was sunny, and the pavement was dry, because the mini-van moron wasn't really moving that fast, and I was still gaining ground. I came probably within a foot of hitting the bumper. Doesn't sound so bad, but when you're bookin' along at a fairly good pace, a foot is not that much room.
It is said there is an average of 5 car accidents per day per state in the US. I had one in '04 (which wasn't my fault, but the state of MA screwed me over on it, so I'm paying for it through insurance premiums), so felt it was a little soon for my next one. Luckily, other than leaving a little rubber tread scraped across the road, nothing happened.
Undescended
Ronny kind of wanted to go to Times Square for NYE. I tried to convince him that it would be a really bad idea. We weren't able to head to NYC for the weekend, anyway, so it didn't really matter, but he was a little bummed about it. I told him we'd watch it on TV, and that you get to see more of the festivities on TV then you would if you were really there, anyway. So, we went by my friend Phil in Quincy. He had a couple other friends over, and made dinner. It was homemade chicken tikka masala. I LOVE tikka masala. Ronny can't eat spicy food (allergic to hot peppers), so our one trip to an Indian restaurant was a disaster. But Phil was making it non-hot, for several people's benefit, so it was perfect for Ronny to enjoy the flavor without the mouth-swelling after-effects.
Then we played Catch-Phrase. Ronny didn't participate. Language-based games are a little tricky for non-native speakers. Then we played Scene-It. Ronny again didn't participate. In addition to the language barrier, there's the whole cultural thing about whether or not he ever heard of these shows growing up in Brazil. A few minutes before midnight someone noticed we were about to miss the big moment and raced upstairs to the (very large) TV. By the time we got Dick Clark's party on, the annoying couples were already kissing in the square. We missed the ball drop. So, poor Ronny didn't even get to watch the dropping ball on the television. So, we poured the champaigne and had a typical gay fashionably late New Years moment. I suggested doing the countdown anyway, even though we weren't really counting down TO anything. It helped bring the spirit back to the moment, even though it was 12:03.
There were these nice (probably expensive) metal DDR pads on the floor in front of the couch, so we ended up playing a little Dance Dance Revolution. Ronny joined in for that one! It's really not that hard, but I kept missing the down arrow behind me, which throws off your timing.
Then we played Catch-Phrase. Ronny didn't participate. Language-based games are a little tricky for non-native speakers. Then we played Scene-It. Ronny again didn't participate. In addition to the language barrier, there's the whole cultural thing about whether or not he ever heard of these shows growing up in Brazil. A few minutes before midnight someone noticed we were about to miss the big moment and raced upstairs to the (very large) TV. By the time we got Dick Clark's party on, the annoying couples were already kissing in the square. We missed the ball drop. So, poor Ronny didn't even get to watch the dropping ball on the television. So, we poured the champaigne and had a typical gay fashionably late New Years moment. I suggested doing the countdown anyway, even though we weren't really counting down TO anything. It helped bring the spirit back to the moment, even though it was 12:03.
There were these nice (probably expensive) metal DDR pads on the floor in front of the couch, so we ended up playing a little Dance Dance Revolution. Ronny joined in for that one! It's really not that hard, but I kept missing the down arrow behind me, which throws off your timing.
Almost mile-high
Friday, 12/23, I flew back to New Mexico for Christmas. I couldn't find a ride to the airport, so I took the 2pm commuter rail. I ended up at the airport around 4pm for a 6:10 flight, so I was wandering around a while at the terminal. After stopping at the newsstand for a Milky Way bar, I was heading past a bar and heard "Jeremy!" My first thought was that it was some other person being beckoned who happened to have the same name, but I turned to look anyway. There was my friend Brian! He asked what I was up to, and said wasting time 'til my 6pm flight. He said he was doing the same thing. Turns out he was on the same flight! Turns out he was in the row behind me! So, he switched seats with the lady next to me, and we sat together on the flight. I haven't seen him in several months, so it was nice to catch up.
So, if having sex on an airplane is the mile-high club, does it count for anything if you happen to sit next to someone you've already hooked up with in the past??
So, if having sex on an airplane is the mile-high club, does it count for anything if you happen to sit next to someone you've already hooked up with in the past??
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Penance
Monday I finally set the wheels in motion and called a realtor. He's the rather questonable realtor that Russell bought his house through back a couple years ago. The guy is married, et cetera, but has an obvious crush on Russell. (As does Russell's mortgage lender...)
He also is a broker, and has his own agency. So, he's more flexible on commission rates. He offered Russell to cut the commission in half if he is also the buyer's agent. This is also his turf - he knows the area and the home values very well. He currently has two listings in my building even.
I have a vacation day next Monday, so we scheduled an appointment for him to view the condo and start the sales process. So, I have to CLEAN this weekend!! I am not sure if I should tell Ronny yet. I think he would realize the significance of having my place on the market. He has been holding onto a slim hope that I won't actually leave. I have been only honest in telling him that I will head out some day soon. His sister told me that he is not taking it well.
In honor of setting the ball in motion, today was a Horrible day at work. Three and half hours in the conference room for three back-to-back meetings that basically all ended up with people arguing over whose fault it is that everything is falling apart. We continue to have major product failures getting to our customers. Of course, since this can be described as poor quality, everyone turns to me and says, "Well, it's a QUALITY problem..."
Yes, it is a quality problem, but if YOU screw up, it's not a QC Department problem. They don't get it. They just want to drop the hot potato in someone else's lap. I got quite behind today. The piles of random problems accumulating on my desk are getting higher and deeper.
I don't want to leave on a sour note, so I am trying to keep up appearances until the last minute. Hopefully, I won't have a huge backlog of work when I go. If there is, you know they will be blaming for everything that goes wrong for the next four years...
He also is a broker, and has his own agency. So, he's more flexible on commission rates. He offered Russell to cut the commission in half if he is also the buyer's agent. This is also his turf - he knows the area and the home values very well. He currently has two listings in my building even.
I have a vacation day next Monday, so we scheduled an appointment for him to view the condo and start the sales process. So, I have to CLEAN this weekend!! I am not sure if I should tell Ronny yet. I think he would realize the significance of having my place on the market. He has been holding onto a slim hope that I won't actually leave. I have been only honest in telling him that I will head out some day soon. His sister told me that he is not taking it well.
In honor of setting the ball in motion, today was a Horrible day at work. Three and half hours in the conference room for three back-to-back meetings that basically all ended up with people arguing over whose fault it is that everything is falling apart. We continue to have major product failures getting to our customers. Of course, since this can be described as poor quality, everyone turns to me and says, "Well, it's a QUALITY problem..."
Yes, it is a quality problem, but if YOU screw up, it's not a QC Department problem. They don't get it. They just want to drop the hot potato in someone else's lap. I got quite behind today. The piles of random problems accumulating on my desk are getting higher and deeper.
I don't want to leave on a sour note, so I am trying to keep up appearances until the last minute. Hopefully, I won't have a huge backlog of work when I go. If there is, you know they will be blaming for everything that goes wrong for the next four years...
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Aniversario
Thursday was the 7 month anniversary for Ronny and I seeing each other. Not that seven month is that big of a deal in anniversary circles, but it's relevant to me in that Sergio and I last exactly seven months. That was previously my longest relationship, and it ended on our 7-month. So, as of now, Ronny is my longest relationship.
In an odd twist of fate, we didn't see each other that night. I was over by Nish's place playing Balderdash with Nish and Prema. I called Ronny about 10:15 to say I'd be home in about 20 minutes. He said he'd be about 10 minutes, so he'd see me there, and not to rush. I got home about 25 minutes later, and he was not there, yet. So, I put some stuff away, tidied up, took my contacts out and brushed my teeth. Waited a few minutes more. Still no Ronny. It had been a half hour now that I had been home, so I called. He said, "Oh, you're home now."
I replied that I had been home for a half hour. He asked why I didn't call earlier. I said I thought he was on his way over. He said he was waiting for me to call. By now, it's after 11pm, and I'm ready for bed, and he's at his house, so we just called it a night.
In a even more disturbing twist of fate, that day was Sergio's 40th birthday. At one point in time, this person was the sole purpose of my being, and a 40th birthday is a fairly prominent event. It was bouncing in my mind too much, I needed to acknowledge the day, or I'd go nuts.
So, I sent a simple little email wishing him well. He wrote back with a Thank you, how sweet.
It was fairly interesting to me how meaningless the email was. It was just pixels on the screen. There was no connection between the words I saw, and any real person, feelings, or events. That made me a little sad. I do not know where the line is drawn that defines "moved on" but I have a feeling that irrelevance is a huge flag on the moved-on side. I will always love him and wish we hadn't broken up, and part of me will probably always want him back, but I don't desire it anymore. I think the passion has finally withered and fallen away.
The following day, one of the engineers at work turned 40. He's kinda cute, very sexy hands. Married, 3 kids, and as follows could stand to lose 20 pounds, but still fairly attractive. The fact that he is one day younger than Sergio kinda hit me hard. I dated someone older than him. That means I'm old... I have friends / ex-bf's around the same age as the entrenched, been around forever, workers I deal with at my job. There's just this auro of "old" tied to certain levels of people you work with. The nearing-retirement group is obvious, but also the ones that have been there 15 years, developed routines for every aspect of the job, have no intention of leaving. They aren't actually older than I am anymore. That's scary.
(P.S. Bom Aniversario is Portuguese for Happy Birthday. Like in French, it's named for the anniversary of your birth.)
In an odd twist of fate, we didn't see each other that night. I was over by Nish's place playing Balderdash with Nish and Prema. I called Ronny about 10:15 to say I'd be home in about 20 minutes. He said he'd be about 10 minutes, so he'd see me there, and not to rush. I got home about 25 minutes later, and he was not there, yet. So, I put some stuff away, tidied up, took my contacts out and brushed my teeth. Waited a few minutes more. Still no Ronny. It had been a half hour now that I had been home, so I called. He said, "Oh, you're home now."
I replied that I had been home for a half hour. He asked why I didn't call earlier. I said I thought he was on his way over. He said he was waiting for me to call. By now, it's after 11pm, and I'm ready for bed, and he's at his house, so we just called it a night.
In a even more disturbing twist of fate, that day was Sergio's 40th birthday. At one point in time, this person was the sole purpose of my being, and a 40th birthday is a fairly prominent event. It was bouncing in my mind too much, I needed to acknowledge the day, or I'd go nuts.
So, I sent a simple little email wishing him well. He wrote back with a Thank you, how sweet.
It was fairly interesting to me how meaningless the email was. It was just pixels on the screen. There was no connection between the words I saw, and any real person, feelings, or events. That made me a little sad. I do not know where the line is drawn that defines "moved on" but I have a feeling that irrelevance is a huge flag on the moved-on side. I will always love him and wish we hadn't broken up, and part of me will probably always want him back, but I don't desire it anymore. I think the passion has finally withered and fallen away.
The following day, one of the engineers at work turned 40. He's kinda cute, very sexy hands. Married, 3 kids, and as follows could stand to lose 20 pounds, but still fairly attractive. The fact that he is one day younger than Sergio kinda hit me hard. I dated someone older than him. That means I'm old... I have friends / ex-bf's around the same age as the entrenched, been around forever, workers I deal with at my job. There's just this auro of "old" tied to certain levels of people you work with. The nearing-retirement group is obvious, but also the ones that have been there 15 years, developed routines for every aspect of the job, have no intention of leaving. They aren't actually older than I am anymore. That's scary.
(P.S. Bom Aniversario is Portuguese for Happy Birthday. Like in French, it's named for the anniversary of your birth.)
Friday, October 28, 2005
Blink
Tuesday night, around 10:30, there was a knock at my door. It was Ronny. Bearing flowers. He said he was miserable without me, so decided that for as long as I am in town, he would like to still be with me. He admitted that the whole grandstanding declaration back on Sunday was more of an attempt at keeping me from leaving. The flowers have this little battery powered fiber-optic spray in them, so the bouquet blinks with red light.
Wednesday night he came over, as well. We ended up discussing the 'situation' a little more. He said that he realizes that he loves me too much to demand that I do what he wants. He wants to remain friends even after I leave, and that some day he would like me to come visit in Brazil.
I am perfectly happy to stay friends. I want to know how his life happens. And, let's be honest, who would turn down an invitation to hang out in Brazil!!
He did ask I would stay in town until his birthday. (End of February) I told him that I was not planning on staying into 2006. He mentioned that I don't go out with friends on Friday nights anymore, and that it is OK with him if I do. I told him that was more a result of Nish getting back together with his ex, because Nish was who I was usually hanging out with on Friday nights, and now that doesn't really happen anymore. The apology aspect of the comment caught my attention, though. It seems as though he is blaming things on little errors he may have made, like getting mad at me for hanging out with friends while he was at work. (long story - apparently pre-dates my blog...)
Wednesday night he came over, as well. We ended up discussing the 'situation' a little more. He said that he realizes that he loves me too much to demand that I do what he wants. He wants to remain friends even after I leave, and that some day he would like me to come visit in Brazil.
I am perfectly happy to stay friends. I want to know how his life happens. And, let's be honest, who would turn down an invitation to hang out in Brazil!!
He did ask I would stay in town until his birthday. (End of February) I told him that I was not planning on staying into 2006. He mentioned that I don't go out with friends on Friday nights anymore, and that it is OK with him if I do. I told him that was more a result of Nish getting back together with his ex, because Nish was who I was usually hanging out with on Friday nights, and now that doesn't really happen anymore. The apology aspect of the comment caught my attention, though. It seems as though he is blaming things on little errors he may have made, like getting mad at me for hanging out with friends while he was at work. (long story - apparently pre-dates my blog...)
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Skiing is BAD
This past Sunday, Ronny was sitting at my computer for a while. I stopped by to see what he was doing, and he was chatting on a Brazilian gay chat room. I was not too happy that the little bit of time I get to spend with him on a Sunday afternoon (between three hours at his house, and an hour on the phone to his sister) was spent talking to random strangers.
He finally got offline, and we were eventually sitting on the couch in front of the TV. An ad came on for one of the area ski hills. He said something about us going in January or February. I said, I might not BE here come January or February. This led into the uncomfortable "Why are you leaving" discussion again. He said he thought I had changed my mind. I said I was still planning to leave.
He felt that if I did not love him enough to stick around, then there really is no point in staying together anymore. If I can just pack and leave him behind, then why is he with me? He said that if I wait another year, he would be able to go along with me. But that if I leave now, he won't want me back. I can not wait a year. My job is driving me nuts, winter is already here again, and I have to sell my condo before my adjustable rate mortgage jumps 3%. I need to leave before the dawning of 2006.
I do love him, enjoy being together, and like him a lot. But I just can't find it in my heart to wait for him. I guess I do not love him enough, just as he said. I do know that he is more in love with than I am in return. I feel badly about the situation, and it pains me to know that he is hurting. I really am not that horrible of a person that I enjoy seeing him suffer. But I think it has to be done. Now that it has come to pass, I think we both need to work on the next stages of our lives. I think that by the time I ready to head out the door, he should be ready to be friends again.
He offered once that in a few years when he goes back to Sao Paulo for a visit, that I am welcome to come along, even if we are not together anymore. He laughingly said he wouldn't even mind if I 'met' someone there. I know there was an element of "I can say it because I don't believe it will happen" but it would be nice to know he someday will be friends.
He finally got offline, and we were eventually sitting on the couch in front of the TV. An ad came on for one of the area ski hills. He said something about us going in January or February. I said, I might not BE here come January or February. This led into the uncomfortable "Why are you leaving" discussion again. He said he thought I had changed my mind. I said I was still planning to leave.
He felt that if I did not love him enough to stick around, then there really is no point in staying together anymore. If I can just pack and leave him behind, then why is he with me? He said that if I wait another year, he would be able to go along with me. But that if I leave now, he won't want me back. I can not wait a year. My job is driving me nuts, winter is already here again, and I have to sell my condo before my adjustable rate mortgage jumps 3%. I need to leave before the dawning of 2006.
I do love him, enjoy being together, and like him a lot. But I just can't find it in my heart to wait for him. I guess I do not love him enough, just as he said. I do know that he is more in love with than I am in return. I feel badly about the situation, and it pains me to know that he is hurting. I really am not that horrible of a person that I enjoy seeing him suffer. But I think it has to be done. Now that it has come to pass, I think we both need to work on the next stages of our lives. I think that by the time I ready to head out the door, he should be ready to be friends again.
He offered once that in a few years when he goes back to Sao Paulo for a visit, that I am welcome to come along, even if we are not together anymore. He laughingly said he wouldn't even mind if I 'met' someone there. I know there was an element of "I can say it because I don't believe it will happen" but it would be nice to know he someday will be friends.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
That sinking feeling
We had about 9 consecutive days of rain here last week. After a week of non-stop rain, we had a heavy downpour on Friday night. It apparently overwhelmed the already-busy drainage system. My house is on a hill, and I'm on the fifth floor, so I was fine. In fact, I didn't even know there was a problem.
I got to work Monday morning, and saw Chino driving down the parking lot on a forklift. I thought that was strange. Walk in the door and discover why. Our main production floor had been submerged under two feet of water late Friday night. My office is raised about 4 inches higher, but we still got hit.
The clean-up has been miserable. Plus, all of our parts are made of steel. Almost everything is prone to rust. We have been going through every single part in inventory to see if it turned rusty. Most things are requiring a wipe-down now to get the moisture off. I luckily don't have to do the wiping, but I'm one of the team evaluating everything.
I think these past two months have been torture because God is tormenting me for not getting my rear in gear and moving on to my next career move (somewhere south of the snow belt). This is the "how much more obvious of a sign do you need????" moment.
Ronny agreed I need to work on changing jobs. When I reminded him what that means, he said yeah he knows...
I got to work Monday morning, and saw Chino driving down the parking lot on a forklift. I thought that was strange. Walk in the door and discover why. Our main production floor had been submerged under two feet of water late Friday night. My office is raised about 4 inches higher, but we still got hit.
The clean-up has been miserable. Plus, all of our parts are made of steel. Almost everything is prone to rust. We have been going through every single part in inventory to see if it turned rusty. Most things are requiring a wipe-down now to get the moisture off. I luckily don't have to do the wiping, but I'm one of the team evaluating everything.
I think these past two months have been torture because God is tormenting me for not getting my rear in gear and moving on to my next career move (somewhere south of the snow belt). This is the "how much more obvious of a sign do you need????" moment.
Ronny agreed I need to work on changing jobs. When I reminded him what that means, he said yeah he knows...
Lasagna
Several weeks ago I made a cheese lasagna. Big hit. But I know Ronny likes meat lasagna, so this weekend I decided to make a lasagna with beef. But I didn't have a bag full of fresh garden-grown tomatoes (that's what triggered the cheese lasagna), so I used Barilla jarred sauce. Sauteed onion and garlic, browned the beef, added alforno and cheese pasta sauces. Smelled kinda Bland. Added more garlic, oregano, pepper... Still tasted a little flat. Decided to dump in a half packet of sazon goya (a little magic in little foil packets!!). For those of you who don't know, it's this seasoning packet from the hispanic aisle that turns food bright orange and zests it up with monosodium glutamate.
Ronny loved the lasagna. Apparently that night, though, he had a major visit with the bathroom. Sunday we had more, as left-overs. That night he called and said he was major stomach issues again, the same as the night before. So, he was guessing it was the lasagna. I said the only thing I could think it would be from would be the sazon. I had no problems eating it, which is good, because now I have to finish all the left-overs. So, I'll have to keep in mind he seems to react badly to MSG...
Ronny loved the lasagna. Apparently that night, though, he had a major visit with the bathroom. Sunday we had more, as left-overs. That night he called and said he was major stomach issues again, the same as the night before. So, he was guessing it was the lasagna. I said the only thing I could think it would be from would be the sazon. I had no problems eating it, which is good, because now I have to finish all the left-overs. So, I'll have to keep in mind he seems to react badly to MSG...
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Neighborly
Yes, it has been a while since I posted. Things just have been THAT boring. Other than unbelievably horrid days at work, there hasn't been anything noticable. And I'm sure you all have enough work-related horror stories to get sick of hearing me whine.
A friend of mine was having a party this past Saturday. I asked Ronny if he wanted to go, and he said Yeah. So, I RSVP'ed. Saturday comes. He had to work in the morning, as usual. He had said he needed to talk to his brother-in-law after work, and would be over a little later. Then I get a call, he was at a children's birthday party for someone he worked with. Went with Cris, and needed a ride back. So, I went and picked him up. Meanwhile, my friend Russell called to ask what I was up to. I said we were heading to Boston, so he said to give him a call later the next week. I picked Ronny up, and we were heading back to my place, and he says he's too tired. When we got to my place, he just wanted to go to sleep. It was like 7:30 pm.
I was rather unhappy. While he drifted off to sleep, I took care of a few things, and logged on to the internet to check a couple emails, and whatever. About 8:30 he came downstairs and apologized for ruining our plans. He was lying on the couch with his head in my lap, practically falling asleep. Said we could stop and get him some RedBull and head into Boston. I knew this was an invitation to Danger. I had visions of how the night would go, so we just ended up staying up. He did stay up for a few hours before calling it a night. Oh well...
Sunday I called my friend Paola. We met in college, then she lived in NYC, and apparently a short while ago she moved in next door! Actually about two blocks away, but still oddly close. I called to see if she was ready for me to stop by, and she said there was something she needed to warn me about before I came over. She said she's Changed. I saw her in January, and was not sure how much a change could have happened, much less something that would 'frighten' me. Turns out she's pregnant. Like 9 months pregnant. And married! But she's doing well.
A friend of mine was having a party this past Saturday. I asked Ronny if he wanted to go, and he said Yeah. So, I RSVP'ed. Saturday comes. He had to work in the morning, as usual. He had said he needed to talk to his brother-in-law after work, and would be over a little later. Then I get a call, he was at a children's birthday party for someone he worked with. Went with Cris, and needed a ride back. So, I went and picked him up. Meanwhile, my friend Russell called to ask what I was up to. I said we were heading to Boston, so he said to give him a call later the next week. I picked Ronny up, and we were heading back to my place, and he says he's too tired. When we got to my place, he just wanted to go to sleep. It was like 7:30 pm.
I was rather unhappy. While he drifted off to sleep, I took care of a few things, and logged on to the internet to check a couple emails, and whatever. About 8:30 he came downstairs and apologized for ruining our plans. He was lying on the couch with his head in my lap, practically falling asleep. Said we could stop and get him some RedBull and head into Boston. I knew this was an invitation to Danger. I had visions of how the night would go, so we just ended up staying up. He did stay up for a few hours before calling it a night. Oh well...
Sunday I called my friend Paola. We met in college, then she lived in NYC, and apparently a short while ago she moved in next door! Actually about two blocks away, but still oddly close. I called to see if she was ready for me to stop by, and she said there was something she needed to warn me about before I came over. She said she's Changed. I saw her in January, and was not sure how much a change could have happened, much less something that would 'frighten' me. Turns out she's pregnant. Like 9 months pregnant. And married! But she's doing well.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Three Flags
Ronny had gotten three passes to Six Flags from work. So, Saturday we headed to Agawam with his sister. She was apparently REALLY excited about going. Her husband was staying home to babysit. The instant we pulled away from the house (still within shouting distance) she started crying because she missed her baby boy.
We stopped off at a little convenience store prior to the park so Ronny could get aspirin. While we were there I pointed out they had batteries (her camera was about to go dead). Well, that led to a shopping spree... But in multiple rounds. The poor clerk. First it was batteries and trying to figure out how many aspirin packs. Then a bottle of water came in. Then another bottle of water. Then a candy bar. I had made rice krispie treats the night before, but apparently those weren't enough!
We get to the park and go on Pandemonium. Fun little ride - I thought it would be bigger, though. Then this upside-down swinging thing next to that. Then the one that reverses itself. As we get off that one, sis heads to the bushes. A little bit of her breakfast is now part of the park! Three rides in, and she refused to go on any more, except the ferris wheel. Ronny and I hit all the major rides, and went on Superman twice. The lines were nice and short, which helps 'cuz 6Flags is HORRIBLE for slow moving lines.
We had lunch at the park. Ronny only ate half of his fries. His sister finished them for him. Shortly after she got TWO ice cream cones. Although Ronny helped with one of them.
I think she spent most of the time Ronny and I were on rides stuffing herself!
We stopped around the midway games, and she was rather drawn to the ring toss. She bought a couple rings, and had no luck. So she bought a bunch more. Ronny then bought a bunch to try to beat her. Unfortunately for him, she won. I wasn't looking, and I know the operator was not watching either, but she got a ring on one of the bottles. Picked the cheetah. This thing was almost five feet tall. It was HUGE. We head back to my car to put it away while we finish going on rides, and can't quite figure out where to put it. It was larger than the back seat. It ended up going in between the front seats, with it's feet in the rear and it's head up by the rear-view mirror. I could not even see Ronny in the passenger seat, and sis was scrunched in the back. Ronny had to be my right-side mirror for me.
We stopped off at a little convenience store prior to the park so Ronny could get aspirin. While we were there I pointed out they had batteries (her camera was about to go dead). Well, that led to a shopping spree... But in multiple rounds. The poor clerk. First it was batteries and trying to figure out how many aspirin packs. Then a bottle of water came in. Then another bottle of water. Then a candy bar. I had made rice krispie treats the night before, but apparently those weren't enough!
We get to the park and go on Pandemonium. Fun little ride - I thought it would be bigger, though. Then this upside-down swinging thing next to that. Then the one that reverses itself. As we get off that one, sis heads to the bushes. A little bit of her breakfast is now part of the park! Three rides in, and she refused to go on any more, except the ferris wheel. Ronny and I hit all the major rides, and went on Superman twice. The lines were nice and short, which helps 'cuz 6Flags is HORRIBLE for slow moving lines.
We had lunch at the park. Ronny only ate half of his fries. His sister finished them for him. Shortly after she got TWO ice cream cones. Although Ronny helped with one of them.
I think she spent most of the time Ronny and I were on rides stuffing herself!
We stopped around the midway games, and she was rather drawn to the ring toss. She bought a couple rings, and had no luck. So she bought a bunch more. Ronny then bought a bunch to try to beat her. Unfortunately for him, she won. I wasn't looking, and I know the operator was not watching either, but she got a ring on one of the bottles. Picked the cheetah. This thing was almost five feet tall. It was HUGE. We head back to my car to put it away while we finish going on rides, and can't quite figure out where to put it. It was larger than the back seat. It ended up going in between the front seats, with it's feet in the rear and it's head up by the rear-view mirror. I could not even see Ronny in the passenger seat, and sis was scrunched in the back. Ronny had to be my right-side mirror for me.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Tired
Warning: another dream story!
Last night I had a little difficulty sleeping. At one point, I did fall asleep, and my dream was about being on a road trip. I was travelling with Carrie, Samantha, and Charlotte from SATC. There was a guy with us as well, but I do not know who he was.
So, we get to the hotel room, and Samantha and I are both ready to crash, so we end up laying down on one of the two beds. Carrie and RandomGuy sit on the other, while Charlotte sits down on the floor between the beds. Somehow the conversation about whether she would be comfortable sleeping on the floor drifts to Carrie sleeping with her, and drifts to them making out. RandomGuy is SO into that concept. Samantha and I, however, are so just trying to get to sleep!
I eventually toss and turn, get fairly comfy, start drifting off, and BAM! The alarm clock goes off. The real one. I was not happy to wake up. Not that I was into the dream, I just would rather not be going to work.
Last night I had a little difficulty sleeping. At one point, I did fall asleep, and my dream was about being on a road trip. I was travelling with Carrie, Samantha, and Charlotte from SATC. There was a guy with us as well, but I do not know who he was.
So, we get to the hotel room, and Samantha and I are both ready to crash, so we end up laying down on one of the two beds. Carrie and RandomGuy sit on the other, while Charlotte sits down on the floor between the beds. Somehow the conversation about whether she would be comfortable sleeping on the floor drifts to Carrie sleeping with her, and drifts to them making out. RandomGuy is SO into that concept. Samantha and I, however, are so just trying to get to sleep!
I eventually toss and turn, get fairly comfy, start drifting off, and BAM! The alarm clock goes off. The real one. I was not happy to wake up. Not that I was into the dream, I just would rather not be going to work.
Anger Management
Monday was Labor Day. I had off. Ronny did not. Before he left I asked if he was coming back over in the afternoon. He said no. I asked if he was coming back over at night. He said he didn't know.
I basically spent the day running around the digital world of warcraft. But I did unplug to go to dinner with my friend Joe for his birthday. But then Joe was tired, so he went home after dinner.
Ronny called after work (about 10:15pm) and asked if I wanted him to come over. I paused, noted how tired I felt, and said "uhh, no, that's OK."
Ronny got Really Upset. We had a rather uncomfortable talk on the phone for almost 10 minutes, which finished with him saying "bye." About a minute and a half later, there's a knock at my door. Guess who...
I have a feeling he got so mad because he was already AT my house, and was expecting me to say "Yeah come over!" To which he could reply "Ha-ha! I'm already here!!"
But we smoothed things over! And Tuesday night I stopped in at DD to visit for a little while. (The new pumpkin donuts are really tasty!)
Crisis averted!
I basically spent the day running around the digital world of warcraft. But I did unplug to go to dinner with my friend Joe for his birthday. But then Joe was tired, so he went home after dinner.
Ronny called after work (about 10:15pm) and asked if I wanted him to come over. I paused, noted how tired I felt, and said "uhh, no, that's OK."
Ronny got Really Upset. We had a rather uncomfortable talk on the phone for almost 10 minutes, which finished with him saying "bye." About a minute and a half later, there's a knock at my door. Guess who...
I have a feeling he got so mad because he was already AT my house, and was expecting me to say "Yeah come over!" To which he could reply "Ha-ha! I'm already here!!"
But we smoothed things over! And Tuesday night I stopped in at DD to visit for a little while. (The new pumpkin donuts are really tasty!)
Crisis averted!
Purgatory
Saturday Ronny came over, as usual. He said Cris had called and asked if we wanted to go to Purgatorio. I asked where that was, envisioning some gay club in Providence. He said, "No, Purgatory." Well, that one wasn't hard to translate, even for me, but it didn't help.
I asked "Is that Boston or Providence?"
"No, Purgatory."
"Yes, but where is it?"
This went a couple more times, ended up going nowhere. He said he would call Cris. Well, Cris was busy, so he was going to call back.
We start watching TV. Half hour later, Cris calls. They talk. Ronny says to me, "They're in the parking lot" and points to the side of the building.
"They're here NOW??"
"Well, yeah!"
"We're heading to a club at 3?"
"It's not a club!! It's Purgatory!"
Oooooooooohhhhhhhhhh. Now I get it. Purgatory Chasm is a park out on Rte 146. A glacier dropped some giant boulders there, so it's a bit more of a rock-climbing experience than your typical walk in the woods.
Ronny and I head downstairs. Cris and Brad (his BF) are in his Jeep Cherokee. I ask who's driving. Ronny and Cris want to take the convertible. Brad is trying desperately to make the Jeep sound like a cool option... We took my car. Brad made a comment about hating convertibles, then wore a grimace of pain all the drive out to the Chasm.
Cris likes bounding around on the rocks. I, however, have NO sense of balance, and was typically lagging behind. I also have a little vertigo-ishness and didn't enjoy peering over any drop-offs.
But I did suggest going for ice cream afterwards, and that was a good suggestion. Ronny likes Coldstone Creamery (I do too...) so we stopped on the way back. Brad apparently doesn't like ice cream either. But the three of us enjoyed ours!
Then Brad & Cris headed home because Brad needed a nap. They said they'd come over later and hang out. I called about 9, Brad said he'd talk to Cris about what they wanted to do. Cris called Ronny about 9:45; they were going to the club in town. Ronny didn't want to, so he said no thanks. So, they didn't come over.
I asked "Is that Boston or Providence?"
"No, Purgatory."
"Yes, but where is it?"
This went a couple more times, ended up going nowhere. He said he would call Cris. Well, Cris was busy, so he was going to call back.
We start watching TV. Half hour later, Cris calls. They talk. Ronny says to me, "They're in the parking lot" and points to the side of the building.
"They're here NOW??"
"Well, yeah!"
"We're heading to a club at 3?"
"It's not a club!! It's Purgatory!"
Oooooooooohhhhhhhhhh. Now I get it. Purgatory Chasm is a park out on Rte 146. A glacier dropped some giant boulders there, so it's a bit more of a rock-climbing experience than your typical walk in the woods.
Ronny and I head downstairs. Cris and Brad (his BF) are in his Jeep Cherokee. I ask who's driving. Ronny and Cris want to take the convertible. Brad is trying desperately to make the Jeep sound like a cool option... We took my car. Brad made a comment about hating convertibles, then wore a grimace of pain all the drive out to the Chasm.
Cris likes bounding around on the rocks. I, however, have NO sense of balance, and was typically lagging behind. I also have a little vertigo-ishness and didn't enjoy peering over any drop-offs.
But I did suggest going for ice cream afterwards, and that was a good suggestion. Ronny likes Coldstone Creamery (I do too...) so we stopped on the way back. Brad apparently doesn't like ice cream either. But the three of us enjoyed ours!
Then Brad & Cris headed home because Brad needed a nap. They said they'd come over later and hang out. I called about 9, Brad said he'd talk to Cris about what they wanted to do. Cris called Ronny about 9:45; they were going to the club in town. Ronny didn't want to, so he said no thanks. So, they didn't come over.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Exit the Tiger
***Re-update*** A few days later the shipping charges were credited back against my checking account. So, they did hold true to their word and do not deserve the hate.
I have checked the transaction history of my checking account, and it appears that Tiger did NOT actually give me free shipping like they said they would.
So, they lied.
That is just wrong. For a company to tell you they will do something, and then not do it leads to a lack of customer loyalty.
Therefore, I am rescinding my earlier endorsement.
Do NOT shop at TigerDirect!! They are evil!! (Must have been bought out by MicroSoft...)
I have checked the transaction history of my checking account, and it appears that Tiger did NOT actually give me free shipping like they said they would.
So, they lied.
That is just wrong. For a company to tell you they will do something, and then not do it leads to a lack of customer loyalty.
Therefore, I am rescinding my earlier endorsement.
Do NOT shop at TigerDirect!! They are evil!! (Must have been bought out by MicroSoft...)
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Tiger
I bought a new laptop, so I needed Excel and Word again. I decided to take the plunge and buy a legit copy. But since I'm still a student (in the worldly sense) I got the Student/Teacher edition. At the stores it was $150. TigerDirect (online computer stuff store) had it for $125. Sounds like a winner to me! I got the UPS ground shipping, and the total was $131. The site said in stock and ready to ship. I placed my order! (Tuesday, 8/23) Thursday I checked the Progress. This website said they were doing an overhaul of their inventory system, and shipments would be delayed 48 hours. Not fun, but OK, whatever...
Friday, still 48 hour delay.
Saturday, still 48 hour delay. So I sent an email to the customer service email address. Basically asked how many more 48 hours it would take.
Sunday, didn't check. I figured they probably don't ship on Sundays anyway.
Monday I did check again. This time the website said the info was unavailable. Makes sense - I was griping about the delays, so they just stopped telling me what was going on!
Tuesday I checked. It said it shipped! (8/30)
Wednesday I get two emails. One was the automated system notifying me of shipment. The other was a response from customer service apologizing for the delay and saying they would not charge me for shipping. I saved another six bucks!!
I realize it is only a lousy six dollars, but the gesture made me feel so much better! So, now instead of hating them, I love them!! :) So, go people! Shop for geek crap at TigerDirect.com!!
And today the box showed up. I can now update my slightly anal-retentive budget file again. Work on my resume, too...
While I was going through the MicroSoft YOU MUST REGISTER THIS PRODUCT screen, they had a comment box, so I said "Stop treating all your customers like criminals. I didn't steal it..."
It's like voting. My comment doesn't matter, but if enough people do the same, something useful might happen.
Random cheese comment: gruyere is tasty but smells like Nasty rancid milk
Friday, still 48 hour delay.
Saturday, still 48 hour delay. So I sent an email to the customer service email address. Basically asked how many more 48 hours it would take.
Sunday, didn't check. I figured they probably don't ship on Sundays anyway.
Monday I did check again. This time the website said the info was unavailable. Makes sense - I was griping about the delays, so they just stopped telling me what was going on!
Tuesday I checked. It said it shipped! (8/30)
Wednesday I get two emails. One was the automated system notifying me of shipment. The other was a response from customer service apologizing for the delay and saying they would not charge me for shipping. I saved another six bucks!!
I realize it is only a lousy six dollars, but the gesture made me feel so much better! So, now instead of hating them, I love them!! :) So, go people! Shop for geek crap at TigerDirect.com!!
And today the box showed up. I can now update my slightly anal-retentive budget file again. Work on my resume, too...
While I was going through the MicroSoft YOU MUST REGISTER THIS PRODUCT screen, they had a comment box, so I said "Stop treating all your customers like criminals. I didn't steal it..."
It's like voting. My comment doesn't matter, but if enough people do the same, something useful might happen.
Random cheese comment: gruyere is tasty but smells like Nasty rancid milk
TFTD
Thought for the Day, compliments of my mother:
Life is like a bus. People get on, and people get off. Some stay for a longer ride than others.
Life is like a bus. People get on, and people get off. Some stay for a longer ride than others.
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