Phone Bill Celebration	Tuesday, April 15, 2003 7:07:54 PM
About 6 weeks ago, I decided that since Cambria may/may not be able to afford to keep me, I really needed to figure out a way to reduce expenses just in case I was laid off. I've been doing this for quite some time and had them trimmed extensively, but I decided that my phone bills were going to have to bear the latest cut-backs. First was my local bill (Verizon). I decided that the local package that I signed up for wasn't really worth it. Mike helped me when I tried to figure out whether or not I really needed things like Caller ID. I love it and it helps me screen telemarketers. Mike asked how often I was home and using it. Good point. I don't have the total savings in this yet since they charged me a bunch to change my regional/long distance carrier, but it should be about 1/2 of what it used to be. Next were my regional and long distance cutbacks. I pulled out the last 6 months of intra and interstate long distance (AT&T) and figured out the average minutes I spent on each. Then, I went to CheapRates.com to get a comparison and figure out what would be my cheapest/best option. I highly recommend this to everyone!!! They also have local, DSL, and cellular comparisions on their site. I researched all of the top suggestions for my area and went with Capsule Communications (3.9 cents in 6 second billing increments). It's been a month and so far, they have been great. I just got my bill yesterday and my long distance bill went from $15-$20 per month to $4.43. :) Go CheapRates!!! Next up, auto insurance.
Fresh Air's Terry Gross	Friday, March 28, 2003 7:05:59 PM
Pax, Mike, and I went out to dinner on Tuesday night to celebrate his new job and to introduce him to a good Mexican restaurant. (We just have to keep reinforcing the notion that Philly isn't SO bad live in.) At any rate, I was giving him some good radio stations (ditto reinforcement) and mentioned NPR. Pax said "I was listening to Fresh Air the other night..." I broke in with "I love Terry Gross!". Pax paused a moment and said that he wasn't very impressed with her interviewing style in comparison to other NPR hosts. Before anyone who randomly stumbles into this site sends him hate mail, please note that this is an initial impression. I like to think that I carefully consider other's people's impressions of the world and put myself in their shoes to see if my opinion needs to change at all. So, this whole week I carefully listened to Terry Gross with Pax's comments in mind. I do like her show. I think she has interesting guests and has a calm/soothing interviewing presence. I like her voice and the fact that she broadcasts out of Philadelphia. So, I granted myself that her show is very likable. But, then I started to wonder why she had my loyalty as a fantastic show host. Maybe it all stems back to her February 4, 2002 interview with Gene Simmons of K.I.S.S. Anyone who heard that interview would know why it reached legendary proportions. If you haven't heard it, unfortunately Mr. Simmons didn't give NPR permission to publish it on their web site in any format. Luckily, the world has a way of getting it anyway. :) Click here for a transcript | Click here for an mp3 version | An alternate site with both
Nefarious Scheming	Monday, March 24, 2003 8:00:16 PM
My plans are falling into place. Pax started work today with Mike. As soon as their lease expires in June, he and Andre will be moving to the Philadelphia metropolitan area. *scratching one off my list* Next up is Joe and Jaymi. Joe will be interviewing and possibly getting a job with the University of Pennsylvania over the coming months. That means that they too could be moving to the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Two more to go and I will have all of Mike's gang in Philly. At least with three of them here, people will have to start visiting this way instead of NYC. :) What to do next? Andre likes moving as much as I do, so perhaps, I will move to London and start the process all over again. Mike and Pax are working for a British company now... *cue the evil laugh track*
Women Doing Time	Monday, March 24, 2003 5:48:54 PM
First the crossdresser web site, now www.womendoingtime.com. What is my job coming to? At least it isn't boring...
Adventures in Ellipticals	Sunday, March 23, 2003 7:13:29 PM
This was the weekend of the elliptical. I had been thinking about getting one for a while and decided to go shopping for one (with Mike) this weekend. Mike, although NOT a fan of shopping, can be counted on for the "are you really sure that you want to spend a billion dollars on this machine?". So, off we went to the King of Prussia mall (the largest mall on the east coast) to visit Sears, based on my Consumer Reports research and Sears.com. Yay ellipticals! I found the mid-level one (not $1000 for NordicTrack, but not $180 for Weslo) I wanted and Mike came through with the needed commentary about how was I going to fit this in my apartment, etc. He sold me on the ProForm 650, one step down from the one I wanted and about a foot shorter in length. This I could definitely fit into my apartment. But this one wasn't on sale like every other one and now was the same price as the Proform 700 model ($400). Off I went to find the salesperson and ask if this one would be on sale next week. He researched and said no, but he would call me if it went on sale. Yay Sears salesperson! I decided that I would have to think about it at that price and would come back if I couldn't find it online anywhere cheaper. So, Mike, sensing my bummed mood remembered Dick's Sporting Goods and how they were pretty cheap. I called and they did have ellipticals. Yay Mike! Off we went to Dick's (after first putting our name in at Outback Steakhouse - the best bribe for Mike to go shopping) and they had the elliptical I wanted at $350. Yay!!! But, they were out of stock. Bummer again. So, we ate at Outback. Mike had his usual (see first item), I tried something different. End Day 1. Day 2 of Ellipticals. I called every Dick's Sporting Goods in the Philadelphia area. And I found one at Franklin Mills Mall for $299!!! Yay!!! Off we went to pick up the machine and bring it back to my apartment. Mike had to work that night, so I decided that Michelle and I could assemble it while watching the E! truncated red carpet ceremony at the Oscars. I cleaned and rearranged my apartment to accommodate my new toy. Unfortunately for the plan, there are 4000 parts to assemble this thing. And it requires a rubber mallet to assemble it. (!!!) And Michelle and I drank a bottle of wine before starting the process. So, it remains on my living room floor waiting for Mike to have time to help me yet again.
St. Patrick's Day Newsletters	Monday, March 17, 2003 11:57:12 PM
Well, I almost made it. :) I had everything finished, but not back from the printers in time to mail it. I decided to not make them Easter letters and just send them a couple of days late. Here it is in all of its glory for those of you who would like to read it: My Saint Patrick's Day Newsletter
A problem with procrastination	Tuesday, March 11, 2003 4:48:05 PM
I am a procrastinator and am quite often late due to all of the procrastination that goes into getting ready. Actually, that isn't quite procrastination since it is usually just a case of being easily distracted. For example, my alarm goes off in the morning and I hit the snooze button a couple of times and curse my new upstairs neighbor for thudding around his apartment. (More on my loathing for him in another post.) hmmm. I guess that part IS procrastination. Well, anyway, at this point I am late, since I optimistically feel every night that I won't need the snooze button in the morning. But, I have to do yoga and take vitamins and have sworn a solemn oath to my shoulder that I won't skip it. At least not too often... After that is finished is when the distractions come in. Because I remember that I wanted to look something up on the internet or, oh yeah, I meant to read this article. And, I'll just curl up in bed and let my hair dry a bit and watch a bit of Regis and Kelly. Bummer, I am late again. Late being a relative term, of course. The problem when you work at a company that doesn't make you get there on time (8-9 am) is that you never do. Unless you are some weird personality type. Note to all people who will be offended by that last statement. I am an ENFP and the description for that personality type is "Water is made up of two hydrogen ... oh look! a bird! ... atoms and one oxygen atom." So mine is weird too, but in a different way. Anyway, to the point of this post which is my Christmas letters that have never gotten sent. I knew that I wouldn't make the Christmas/New Year season, so I decided to send Epiphany newsletters. I wrote the letter before New Year's day and had that all ready to go. Then, I decided to send a photo collage. This was the kiss of death because it took a lot longer than anticipated. So, I missed Epiphany and decided to send Groundhog Day letters instead. I put in the groundhog clip art instead of the 3 Kings clip art, but never finished the photo collage. Darn, missed that holiday, will have to revise the letter to take out all of the football speculations. Never fear, Valentine's Day is here. And gone. But, I am Irish, so the best thing to do is to send St. Patrick's Day letters! Will it happen over the next couple of days? And that is the purpose of this post. So I will be embarrassed if I miss it. :)
No, I am not dead	Tuesday, March 11, 2003 4:19:04 PM
I must apologize to the faithful readers of this site for not posting anything for almost a month. For some reason, I have been extraodinarily busy. I can't think what I am doing, since I feel like I am not accomplishing anything of real importance, but I have been running, running, running this month. I promise that I will eventually finish all of the posts that I have started. :) I know that you are owed "The Will and Grace Phenomenon", "My Conspiracy Theory" and "Nefarious Scheming". They are coming soon.
Lia	Sunday, February 16, 2003 10:30:17 AM
Happy Birth Day!!! After being overdue for about 2 weeks, my niece (clearly on Fisher/Kelly time) decided to make her entrance into the world. Iliana Kathleen, aka Lia, is absolutely beautiful (with a fabulous middle name). She has masses of dark brown hair and big blue eyes. I wonder if she will be able to hold onto them or if they will become brown like her daddy or hazel like her 4 brothers. You can see pictures of her here. I was able to hold her when she was just 20 minutes old. I sometimes forget how small babies are. She is a small baby at 6 lbs 13 oz, but still even the other bigger babies in the other incubators were so tiny.
Comcast Strikes Again	Monday, February 10, 2003 6:02:11 PM
Ever since I moved into this new apartment, I have had little luck with the Comcast technicians. It took them 6 days and 12 hours of telephone support to turn on my cable modem and digital TV. It took 3 days for me to return the digital TV box when I realized I was spending all of my home time watching the 900 channels. So on Saturday when I turned on the Weather Channel to see what Michelle's moving day would be like, you might guess my dismay when I found that everything was out - TV and internet. I hoped for the best and left to help move Michelle. That night, still nothing. So, I called during business hours on Sunday and told them that everything was out. The customer support rep told me that there were a lot of outages in my area, but since no one on my block was out except for me, it wasn't considered an emergency. If someone else had an outage, they would send someone within 2 hours. Since it was just me, they made their first available appointment for Thursday morning. Two techs: one for the internet, one for the TV. On Monday, someone called and asked if my cable was back on. I replied no. They said "OK" and verified that someone would be out on Thursday. On Tuesday, I had a voice mail from another Comcast department. They said that they had been installing filters in my area and think that perhaps this was the cause of my outage. I returned the call and left a VM for her. Wednesday, she returned my call and said that she would be sending a filter technician to look at the set up. (This makes three.) She asked if she could send a tech that would be in the area at 7am. I said that was fine and prepared to wake up that early in the morning. Thursday, I wake up earlier than I ever do and waited for the filter tech. He showed up at 7:30-ish and turned on my TV. He agreed that there was an outage and, after several trips to the apartment building cellar, fixed everything. I thanked him and asked if I should cancel my other appointments that morning. He said that he would be closing out my request and not to worry about it. I decided to go back to sleep since it was only 8:15am. About 1/2 hour later, I get a phone call from Comcast. The gentleman said that he was from Comcast and wanted to know if everything was working. I said that yes, one of their techs came over and fixed it around 7. He said what? I said it sounded like it was a filter thing and the guy fixed it. Him: Did he remove the filter? Me: I have no idea what he did, but everything is working now. Him: Well, thank you very much. 15 minutes later, he calls again. He was very concerned that they never have people working that early in the morning and wanted to know the tech's name. It was early, so I had no idea what his name was. I told him that the filter lady (name withheld from this post) sent him and he came at 7:30 to fix things since he was already in the area. He asked me what he looked like. I gave him a vague description of the guy (5'10", greying brown hair, brown eyes, white skin) and told him that he had a black Comcast jacket on. The tech on the phone said that the filter lady had sent him, so why would someone else come to my apartment? I didn't know. (How can I know the inner workings of Comcast?) The guy needed to come by to check on things to make sure everything was as it should be. I said OK and waited for this new guy to show up, thinking dire thoughts if this new guy messed things up. He came by and found that everything was as it should be and I wasn't stealing cable or anything. I asked him about the filter and he avoided what was going on. (I think that they weren't able to install it in my apartment building. They haven't been able to figure out in a year and 10 visits how to only give me the cable that I'm paying for. I'm not complaining about that.) I asked this new guy if I should call Comcast to close out the support request so the other two guys who were originally scheduled to come wouldn't show up. He said no, that he would be closing out the order now. I didn't really believe him, but left the apartment and went to work like a good citizen and figured that Comcast could deal with it if the other guys came to look things over.
Getting famous	Wednesday, February 05, 2003 4:56:18 PM
Yeah! Mike just helpfully emailed me that a reference to my musings were posted on his friend Kim Flournoy's website. This makes 2 website references including Mike's, so I am getting famous! :) What does it really take? 6? http://www.white-mountain.org/kim/ - February 3 journal.
on candid camera?	Friday, January 31, 2003 2:09:00 PM
This day was so weird. I had to return a video at Blockbuster this morning before noon so I wouldn't be charged a late fee. Yeah! It's my first video rental without a late fee. :) Back to the point of this muse... So, I went to the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru (next door) to get hot tea and a muffin. A male voice greets me. I ask them if I can have hot tea instead of coffee with their muffin combo. There is a pause and then laughter. It is quickly cut off and a female voice gets on the speaker to complete my order. I tell her I want a blueberry muffin and hot tea with cream and no sugar. I drive up to the window and there are two guys laughing at me. Not laughing about something, laughing at me. I look in the mirror, but there is nothing on my face/clothes/etc. to cause this mirth. The one guy finally hands me my muffin in a bag. Then, they close the window and start laughing all over again. I wait patiently for my tea, which they finally open the window and hand to me. I get to work and talk to Beth about this. She agrees there is nothing about my appearance to cause the laughter. We decide they probably have been smoking too much pot, ala Saving Grace. I find that I have received a chocolate chip muffin and tea that is warm cream and a tea bag. No hot water. It is very unusual, even for Dunkin Donuts to add that much cream. I salvage it by having tea in another cup and using the current tea as the cream that goes into it. Cut to lunch time. I opt to get a really quick meal because this day is crazy-busy for me. So, I hop in the car and drive to McDonalds for their 60 second drive-thru. I get to the speaker and order their #3 meal (Quarter Pounder/fries/Coke). I say that I don't want the cheese and want a coke with that. The woman makes me repeat this 10 times and is laughing hysterically with someone in the background. I get up to the payment window and one girl dashes off. The other one is still giggling and takes my money. I get to the other window and wait for a while. A woman eventually by-passes the guy making my Coke and asks if I was the one with the quarter pounder, no cheese. I say yes (wondering why she said "the one"). She leaves and I finally get my order. The guy at the window cryptically hands me one of their nice thermal mugs and says "I'm throwing this in." (Why? This day is too weird to think that he is doing this because he finds me cute.) I get back to the office to tell Beth again the drive-thru saga. She still says that there is nothing wrong with my appearance or coat. She now wonders if something is written on my car. I don't see anything, but maybe I'm wrong. They got my order wrong this time too. It has the sticker on it saying "no cheese" and there was cheese on the burger. I hate cheese and have to scrape it all off. I give up.
Close to the fringe	Wednesday, January 29, 2003 10:37:48 AM
On my way to work today, I was listening to NPR. One of their guests, David Frum, called anti-war people a fringe group. Hello, angry callers! Eventually, it became clear that he was calling anti-war demonstrators (especially in San Francisco) a fringe element and not people who have doubts on the war. Since I have serious doubts about whether war in general is just and especially this war, I suppose that I am getting close to the fringe. :)
AIDS funding	Wednesday, January 29, 2003 9:38:25 AM
I was a little upset when my webserver rebooted just as I was submitting this last night. I lost the whole muse and just had to go to bed. :( At any rate, I was saying "Go you President Bush" for addressing the AIDS situation around the world. Aside from the BBC, Bono, and my friend Michelle, I haven't heard anyone in the general public or the press give attention to this disaster. Maybe now the US press will talk about it a little more. I know that tripling our support to $15 billion is just a drop in the bucket, but we have to do something. Millions of children will not have parents anymore and the sheer number of children who have to drop out of school and be their family's providers at such a young age is devastating to the future of Africa. World Vision is an organization that I have been supporting for 10 years. They have been trying their best to bring the devastating effects of AIDS to the public for much of my time with them. They have a lot of research on their site if you are interested in learning more about this topic that President Bush briefly touched on. http://www.worldvision.org/worldvision/pr.nsf/stable/presskit_aids
Mike's 'nuclear' issue	Tuesday, January 28, 2003 11:47:35 PM
So, here I am, dutifully watching the State of the Union address. All is well until President Bush starts pronouncing the word "nuclear" with one of the acceptable pronunciations according to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary but not according to Mike. Mike is HIGHLY opposed to this alternate pronunciation and can be counted on for a 10 minute discussion every time this topic arises. When Merriam-Webster started coming out with their pronunciation guides, he was very excited about being proven right, only to have his hopes dashed. When the TV show, 24 had Kiefer Sutherland mis-pronouncing this word on the commercials, he cringed and commented (see above 10 minute discussion) every time. So when President Bush kept saying the word over and over again, I knew that Mike immediately had to "blog" about this topic. (Go ESP powers!) Little did he know I kept egging the TV on to have him say the word again just so I could feel Mike cringe all the way over here. I counted 12 times. Nukular. :)