Kate and I will no longer be shopping from online retailer Buy.com.  Their customer service is horrible and they almost ruined Christmas for Kate.  The long story made very short:

Kate purchased an expensive gift for a family member from Buy.com.  The item was received with some flaws.  She tried to find a number to call them and discuss this and learned that they do not provide you a number; but instead a call back service.

We were ready for bed but wanted this taken care of so she selected for them to call her at that moment; which was actually an option.  Nearly 20 minutes later and after we’d turned the light off for bed thinking they were’t going to call they did!  20 minutes of argument and the requirement for a supervisor and they agreed to allow us to ship the product back, when they had confirmation of shipping they’d overnight a new one.

Needless to say that is not what they ended up doing.  Another “please call me” request was put in.  This time they said they couldn’t do what they promised before, they wouldn’t get us a new product in time and even tried to lie to Kate and tell her no manager works there and there is nobody else we can speak to.

We demanded cancellation of the order and I still wait to see that it was fully cancelled and I don’t receive more billings from them.

However, I will say that Amazon.com saved the day with the product and a competitive price and overnight shipping for a product ordered on the weekend.  Product was delivered and all seems good!

Share on Facebook

Kate and I rarely have time to watch television in the evenings.  We both work full time jobs and after work between the gym, Kate’s MBA classes, my poker nights and us still having to find time to do household chores we get about an hour a night to watch TV.

Optimizing our time is important and ever since we purchased our first DVR in 2003 we’ve enjoyed being able to save time by fast forwarding commercials.  However now that we’ve gone to HD television we’ve run into a problem.  The DVR provided by Comcast just doesn’t have enough space!  We’re constantly at over 90% filled and cheer when we make it into the low 70s.  However it will never stay in that range long.

We’ve lost numerous episodes of television shows because the DVR fills and has to either delete something or not record something.  It’s really getting tiresome and I’ve started to seek alternatives to recording everything on my DVR.

First I decided to try the 100% legitimate way of watching TV and I decided to make use of the Hulu (http://www.hulu.com) website.  Hulu offers a wonderful service offering television shows by participating networks in your web browser.  It offers a SD resolution of 360p and some programs you can rock out on HD at 480p.  The 480p seems pretty good to me within the window however I notice that in a full screen display they’ll tend to be sluggish.  This could be a result of my over three year old laptop but I have no other way to test it as Kate and I have exactly matching laptops.

Thanks to Hulu I no longer need to record my animated shows like “Family Guy” and “King of the Hill” and the crappy TV series I enjoy because I truly am my sons father such as “Knight Rider”.  However when I went to add other shows to my subscription list I ran into an issue.  Shows such as “Scrubs” and “How I Met Your Mother” are not directly hosted on the Hulu site and instead it links you back to the networks own site with their own modified flash video player.  The problem with that being for some reason I am not getting the content.  Nor am I sure that my Hulu subscription will properly notify me when these sites update their content.

As of this moment no matter what I try I can not get the episodes directly linked form the Hulu site to play on my machine.  Yes, I know that most people are too nearsighted to realize that not everybody runs Windows and Internet Explorer so us poor Mac users suffer.  I just don’t think that should be a valid excuse for not being able to play video from a NATIONAL network broadcasting service.  Poor showing.

Hopefully I can figure this out and Hulu can work for my needs letting me only record the things we both watch on the DVR which currently has four things scheduled for the next two days with 14% free.  Those four items are NOT going to fit thus forcing us to loose episodes we can’t possibly watch as Kate wont even be home until tomorrow evening.

Share on Facebook

For all of you who remembered I do have a birthday, I truly thank you and am grateful to have such good friends.  For those of you who didn’t know my birthday was coming up please don’t sweat it.  I can never remember birthdays and if it wasn’t for multiple entries on my calendar, mostly done by Kate, I’d probably miss all of my family and friends birthdays.

In under one week I turn 30.  A milestone some tell me but I feel no excitement about hitting “the big” 30.  It’s just another year older but this time with so much social stigma put on it by others.  People seem to think that 30 means I should act and feel a certain way, yet I don’t feel any different than I did two years ago.  I guess being on my third decade is something to celebrate; especially as reckless as I was with the first one and a half.

Some kind folks have asked me what I’d like for my 30th birthday and I’ve found myself without any answers.  It’s not that I am trying to be difficult but I honestly want very little lately.  I am becoming realistic and realizing just how much waste there is in the craving for many things and I no longer want things I’ll rarely use.  In contrast to years past just having the latest gadget no longer makes me happy.

I am also so happy for the changes in my life over the past two years with driving and my health that I feel full and satisfied.  I am still living on what I can only classify as some kind of emotional high that has left me no longer craving small material items.  That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t appreciate a gift, it just means that I can’t spout off a list of things I want like a child can the weeks before Christmas when writing a letter to Santa.

Share on Facebook

Today at about 3:15PM I noticed a distinct horrible odor coming from what I thought was our cat box.  When I went to the box to empty it I noticed very little, and no fresh, cat droppings.  However I did notice cat fecis on the floor in the hallway.  I followed the trail to find Krispy on the floor of the office cowering in a corner with a string comming out of his rearend.

It seems at some point Krispy had eaten some kind of string or fabric and had gone to the bathroom only to have it not come out completely and have his bowel movements stuck to it.  He was uncomfortable and in obvious pain.  I immediately brought him to the vet for examination.  They gave him pain medication as his pain and discomfort was quite obvious and took an xray.  The xray showed significant amounts of whatever he consumed still in his stomach and they strongly urged me to take him to an emergency animal hospital for surgery and round the clock monitoring.

I brought him to the local emergency veterinary hospital and they agreed surgery was quite necessary.  Krispy was put under and a few hours later I was informed all the string was removed.  None had perforated his intestine but some needed to be surgically removed from his colon.  Had we waited permanent damage could have been caused to his colon including the possible need to remove it.  I am relieved he will be ok and overly thankful I noticed it when I did.

This event was terrifying and I am not sure I am over the stress and anguish of it all.  I am so thankful that Krispy is out of surgery and that no serious damage was done.  I am unsure of his recovery and what will be required to take care of him; but whatever it is it will be done.  Krispy was by my side almost 24 hours a day seven days a week for the eight months in 2007 that I was very ill.  After my surgery he stayed on the bed with me from the second Kate left for work until when she came home and he knew somebody else could take care of me.  I’d have done anything to make sure he was safe and healthy and am so happy to know I did everything I could for him.  I can’t wait to pick him up when he is released.

Share on Facebook

There are some mornings that you think to yourself, “I just shouldn’t have gotten out of bed at all.”  Unfortunately this morning has certainly been one of those.  The clock has finally flashed past noon and I feel it is possibly safe enough to begin chronicling what has been one of the worst mornings for me in a long, long time.

I woke up, as I do most mornings, protesting the light in our bedroom.  I dragged myself out of bed and plopped myself down into my office chair.  In my usual morning haze I managed to unlock my workstation and that’s when things started to go down hill.  First and foremost I noticed an “Error: Network connection has been lost” box floating on top of a reminder that I had an 8:30AM call I just didn’t want to be on.  I hoped the error message was nothing to worry about but as I tried to reconnect to work services I realized I had no internet access at all.  Now, a geek without internet access is like a fish without water even without the looming fact that I need to work; which requires the internet.

Needless to say the internet is a no-go and I make the decision to shower and get dressed right after my 8:30 call and rush into the local field office prior to my next call.  As I am hitting end on my Treo I am hopping into the shower and I get done in record time.  Check the internet one last time with no success and pack up to head into the office.  This is where the story really goes down hill.

As I am loading my work bag and what not into the back seat I realize the drivers door is not closed.  It’s not wide open, but it is certainly ajar.  I open it and water rolls off the arm rest and onto the floor at my feet.  Looking inside the seat is wet and the floor is a puddle.  I tried to clean it the best I could but I needed to get on the road to make it in time for a call.  As I sit down I realize that while I tried to dry the seat, there was still a good deal of water in it.

So here I am with my wet butt and thighs driving down the road staring at the clock and hoping I am going to make it on time.  The traffic is horrible and some idiot let a school bus get in front of us.  I finally make it to where I think I can break off and take a shortcut to find the police blocking off the road, most likely flooded from the rain last night.  I continue on in bottleneck traffic and decide I’ll try another shortcut.  I guess this route, which is usually empty, was broadcast to everybody in the county as it too was bumper to bumper traffic.  Needless to say I took my next call in the car; something I very much dislike doing.

By the time I made it into the office I was able to setup my computer just in time to get onto 2 hours of back to back calls.  What a horrible morning.

However, I do need to point out that my morning was not the worst there is to have.  I’d like to take this time to offer my sympathies to a friend of mine, and a reader of this blog, Scott.  Scott was faced with making the hardest decision a pet owner ever has to make.  This morning he was forced to put one of his beloved cats down.  Yesterday his cat began having some serious issues.  As he posted entries on Twitter and his personal blog my heart tore open.  I couldn’t imagine going through what he has and I fear the day that one of my boys becomes ill.  This morning he had to make the decision we all hope to never make; but know at some poiont we may have to.  Scott, I am truly sorry for your loss and I know words alone wont do anything.

Share on Facebook

Yesterday I ventured to the mall to finish off holiday shopping.  I avoided going after work or on a weekend but I was still expecting to fight with large crowds and I was not disappointed at all.  However, what I did find amazing was at 4PM on a week day how many business men there were standing around in stores us men don’t belong in looking uncomfortable and confused.  Some with their mouths hanging open, some with the look of fear painted on their face, and others like a deer in headlights just standing at the entrance-way to a store.

I popped my ear-buds in, selected a nice playlist on my iPhone and prepared myself to body-check anybody who got in my way.  Thankfully I made it through the mall without harming anybody, made my purchases, and escaped unscathed both physically and emotionally; or so I thought.

The moment I had the car in gear my brain began to race.  What if she doesn’t like this gift?  The gift is multiple pieces that all go together, if she doesn’t like the general concept she wont like any of the gifts.  I’m still not 100% certain about my selections but I know it is the thought that counts and I put a lot of thought into this.  The part that is screwing with my head is in recent conversations she has mentioned how she wants something in this general theme; but what she asked for differs from what I selected.  We’ll see when Kate and I exchange gifts.

On the reverse side, it has been brought to my attention that I am a horrible person to shop for.  Due to my meticulous product research habits I make it very hard for people to buy things for me.  When there is something I want, I research the hell out of it and know exactly what make and model I want.  As a geek I am especially picky about my electronics.  I feel horrible about this because it makes it so hard for people like my wife and inlaws to buy gifts for me.  I am used to my family where the gift is usually a check or a gift card which puts the task of picking out a product on myself.

When we discussed this last night Kate brought to light two specific examples.  First was a case for the iPhone.  She said that she wanted to get me one, and saw one she liked, but she knew that I would only want the case I picked out and that I’d not use a case I don’t love 100%.  She’s right, I am difficult about things like this.  I know what I like and I don’t properly appreciate what I should.  She further made this clear to me by explaining that she had purchased a rechargeable battery set for me that included a car charger as she knows I often forget to charge the batteries for my camera.  This was a great idea, and I should have been thrilled.  But when she brought up rechargeable batteries in casual conversation I said how I need specific ones for my camera due to it’s awful power consumption problems.  While my reasoning is right and sound, I feel horrible that I can’t just be happy about random gifts people buy me.

Share on Facebook

Kate’s car has now been to the local repair shop, a transmission specialist and now has been at the dealership for over a day.  We still have no clue what’s wrong with it or how much it is going to cost.  Why?  Simple reason.  Auto Mechanics no longer have the ability to diagnose a problem without a computer.  Just about every time we drive the vehicle on the highway for 20 minutes it starts to shake violently.  But they can’t find the issue because the “computer” doesn’t show a “code”.  I’ve asked them to take the car out multiple times.  They claim they put 37 miles on it; but was it on the highway like I asked?

Furthermore, why can they only diagnose a problem based on the computer.  The problem happens when the car warms up (after driving for about 20 minutes), only happens at highway speeds and goes away when the car is below highway speeds … How many things can be causing this issue?  Twenty years ago a mechanic would have been insulted if he was told to hook the car up to a machine to tell him what is wrong with the car.  Granted cars have become more complicated; however the education of those who repair them should have evolved with the vehicles.  It’s ridiculous that I have to pay hundreds of dollars for people to hook a car up to a computer that doesn’t show them anything.

Another issue I have with this entire car computer nightmare comes from my background as a geek.  Logs people.  They record everything; why the hell doesn’t the car have a memory that is recording the “errors”.  When I was on the highway the light flashed on, so something should have been recorded and logged.  The light shouldn’t have to be on for them to see, it should record everything and they should be able to see the last 25 codes at the very least.

Stop giving me stupid and useless features like automatic headlights if you can’t give me a way to get the cars problems diagnosed without a headache!

Share on Facebook

I’ve already given my things to be thankful post, but now after returning home I have more to be thankful for.  Being home!  The extended holiday weekend was an amazingly relaxing and enjoyable weekend sandwiched between two of the most awful road experiences ever.

Kate and I had decided I would accompany her up to school on Tuesday and hang around campus while she attended class.  That way we could leave directly from school and already be part of the way up the New Jersey section of 287.  A very sensible plan; which failed misreably …

Over the past two weeks we’ve noticed a terrible vibration or shuttering from Kate’s car.  We brought it to STS (local car repair chain) who evaluated it and said they could find nothing from the onboard computer and they felt it was transmission related.  We then brought it to a transmission center who said they could find nothing on the computer and without an error code it would be thousands of dollars for them to just open it up and “find something”.  They cleaned some gunk out of the gas tank and said that might have been the issue and suggested we drive the car until a light comes on indicating a computer code they can use to determine the issue.  For the next few days the car was fine and on Tuesday I loaded it up while Kate was at work so we could leave for CT taking her car, which is much more comfortable.

While driving Kate to school the vibrations began again.  I dropped Kate off, went home, moved all of our luggage to my car and then drove back up to school.  I got there just a few moments before her class let out and we began our trip to CT hoping for no more drama.  Of course, that’s not our luck, and on 287 East heading towards I95 in CT I got pulled over for speeding.  I admit, I was speeding, but no more than others on the road.  I think that because I was in the right lane and had out of state plates I was easily picked out.  Meh, whatever, it was bound to happen at some point.  We made it to CT with no further incident.

The trip home was even more exciting!  We got on the road at about 1:15PM and almost immediately hit dense traffic on I95.  It took us three hours to cross the state of CT, something we usually do in only two.  And then the traffic got bad.  It took us an additional 4 hours, plus an hour to stop (making it five more hours) to get home.  At one point on 287 West we went only 2 miles in a span of one hour.

We’re home, unpacked, and very glad to be home with our cats.  Next time we travel for Thanksgiving I think we’ll spend an extra day after the holiday weekend to avoid this traffic.

Share on Facebook

My Working in the recruiting industry you become accustomed to the high turnover of co-workers.  This is a love you when you’re hot and leave you when you’re not industry and as such when a financial quarter comes to an end you never know who you’re going to find isn’t there anymore.  Today for the first time in a long time I remembered to sign into our internal Microsoft Messenger service and noticed that one of the very few people I actually have on my list now has the infamous “D-” in front of their name, which stands for disabled and is the indicator that the person is no longer with the company.

I’ve worked with this particular lady on well over 100 orders in the past year alone.  We’ve battled through multiple internal and external problems to provide the client with the best possible service while adhereing to our own corporate requirements and requirement for profit.  She was one of the very few who took and valued my advice and as such there was never a problem with her candidates, billing or level of service to the client.  I valued our professional relationship and we had built a decent friendship.

I hope she has found herself a new job and has not been released but I don’t think I’ll ever get an answer to the question.

Share on Facebook

It’s no secret that I have below average eye sight.  There are things people with bad eye sight do to get by in life.  I enjoy hard cover books rather than paperbacks because the font is larger, I pay more money for good seats to see a show, and I always increase the default font size on my computer to make things easier to read.  This has never really been a problem until recent years when web-design has become more important to sites than usability.  While I understand that asthetics are important to a web site I firmly believe that these looks should not be at the sacrafice of usability.

Because a picture paints a thousand words and I could literally waste thousands trying to explain this to you I’ve chosen to hilight two very popular and very visited websites.

NYTimes home page with large fonts does not present right

While this one is bad, the site still remains usable.  It is difficult to use some aspects of the site and on some stories the difficulty becomes even greater, but no section of the site is as bad as,

ESPNs site is almost completely unusable with larger than average fonts

Share on Facebook