So last night, for a variety of reasons, was a rare Friday night that we had the chance to go out EARLY as a family and get a nice dinner. Usually, Friday night dinners happen in the 8:00 hour or later, so it was nice thinking that we'd be able to eat dinner early (did I mention EARLY?), maybe do some shopping and get back home at a decent hour.
Au contraire mon frare.
So the wife decides that she wants to go out to the old Sawgrass Mall and since she has a gift card for Cheesecake Factory, we can do some quick shopping and eat there.
Well, everything is looking just fine until we get to the Factory, and we see approximately 7,000 women waiting to go in and eat.
I'm wondering what in the blue hell is with all these women doing here, when Kim overhears someone mentioning a "Women of Faith" convention that is taking place at the nearby Bank Atlantic Center, home of the consistently disappointing Florida Panthers (don't get me started). So we fight--and I mean that quite literally--our way to the hostess and put our name in. I mean, guys in bootcamp have it easier than trying to wade through a bunch of born again, hungry and cranky women of God with blisters on their feet. Oy vey! So we're told the wait is..."around 55 to 75 minutes". So we go into the mall, do our shopping and come back. The wait at that point? "10 to 20 minutes". So, about 30 minutes later, Kim goes to the hostess stand and lets them know that we are well past the time that we were told we would have to wait. We are told to go and stand in the line for people waiting to be taken to their tables. Where we wait....for another 15 minutes. That was when I went up and asked just what in the hell was happening with our tables.
Finally we were seated around 7ish. So much for the early dinner. Pushing, shoving and being rude wasn't in the bible as far as I knew...but apparently it is in the one used by "Women of Faith". Do NOT get me started.
So later, we're walking in the mall on the way out....and Kellie wants to stop in a shoe store. Never...ever....never...will I experience this little joy of life again. You wanna talk indecisive? Yikes. And then, when they tell her that its buy one, get one for $10!
Holy cats....by the time we left, I needed to shave again! But...the interesting thing was, while I was sitting on the bench waiting for the Jurassic period to come through again (cough, cough), this man and a younger girl sat next to me. I happened to "accidently" listen to their conversation. The father was Latin and spoke mainly in broken English.
The daughter spoke only in English though....and I heard her say:
"Dad, you don't understand. My friends didn't know. It wasn't the people I was hanging around with. They didn't know I was doing cocaine. I would go into the bathroom, do a line, then come out and NO ONE knew I had used. Don't you get that?"
YOWSA. Sometimes you stumble on some interesting conversations. It was almost juicy enough to make me forget about those rude Women of Faith.
Almost.
Later,
Jeff
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
2/22/06--Smooth jazz, a roaring fire, a glass of cognac....and a fine pork product??
Okay, so today....I'm listening to my radio at work...and an Al Jarreau song comes on.
Its called "After All", and I was sort of getting into it, and I turn to my neighbor at work, Leslie, and comment on how much I like the song. She turns down her radio and agrees.
"Oh yeah, I like that song also."
"You know, " I reply, "its the type of smooth jazz song that puts one to mind of....a roaring fire...sitting next to someone you love....and a nice glass of Courvoisier."
(Which is a brand of cognac for all of you folks out of the loop)
So the two of us are knodding are heads, when next to Leslie...my friend...my baby...Ceci pipes up:
"Now wait a minute. First of all....we're in Florida. Why would you want to have a roaring fire in Florida?"
"I'm just setting a mood here," I said.
"And 2nd of all....why would you be sitting there in a romantic setting.....and want someone to be chompin on a big piece of kielbasa?"
She has what Simon Cowell refers to on American Idol as:
"A likeability factor."
Later,
Jeff
Its called "After All", and I was sort of getting into it, and I turn to my neighbor at work, Leslie, and comment on how much I like the song. She turns down her radio and agrees.
"Oh yeah, I like that song also."
"You know, " I reply, "its the type of smooth jazz song that puts one to mind of....a roaring fire...sitting next to someone you love....and a nice glass of Courvoisier."
(Which is a brand of cognac for all of you folks out of the loop)
So the two of us are knodding are heads, when next to Leslie...my friend...my baby...Ceci pipes up:
"Now wait a minute. First of all....we're in Florida. Why would you want to have a roaring fire in Florida?"
"I'm just setting a mood here," I said.
"And 2nd of all....why would you be sitting there in a romantic setting.....and want someone to be chompin on a big piece of kielbasa?"
She has what Simon Cowell refers to on American Idol as:
"A likeability factor."
Later,
Jeff
Monday, February 20, 2006
2/20/06--What's a guy like me been doing?
Besides the stuff that narrowly skirts that fine line known as "illegal" I mean. Nope, actually I've been catching up on my reading and movie viewing--now there's a concept, huh?
Let me clue you in on what I've been reading....
About a week ago I finished reading the Eddy Guerraro biography......
Amazon.com: Cheating Death, Stealing Life : The Eddie Guerrero Story: Books: Eddie Guerrero,Michael Krugman, which is just an amazing read. Here's a guy who struggled against a different sort of prejudice--his size--and overcame all the demons that came out of the life that he was leading--alcohol and drugs--only have his life end tragically about 2 months after the book was released. You read the book and see all that he overcame, with the help of his wife and kids....and you can't help but feel sad for the loss. Tough to read only in the sense that you know the ending....but one of the best books of its type that you'll ever read.
After I finished that one, I found myself torn as to what to read next. Like always, I have about 5 books ready to read....and was trying to decide between two. The first one wasAmazon.com: Touchdown Jesus : Faith and Fandom at Notre Dame: Books: Scott Eden, which deals with the last two seasons of the Ty Willingham years of terror.
I was thumbing through that....and looking at the other book.....
Amazon.com: WWE Legends - Superstar Billy Graham : Tangled Ropes: Books: Billy Graham,Keith Elliot Greenberg and finally decided to pick up the book by Superstar Willie....the "man of the hour, the tower of power.....too sweet to be sour" (geez, he could be talking about me!) Anyway, I'm only 3 or 4 chapters into the book, and its really fascinating stuff. Apparently, before he became a wrestler, Graham worked the evangelical circuit, and suffice to say....the differences between that lifestyle and wrestling aren't as great as you might think.
On the movie front....I woke up on Saturday morning, turned the television on, and it happened tobe on HBO. The program that was playing was called , HBO Family: For the Whole Family: I Have Tourette's But Tourette's Doesn't Have Me. Wow, what an amazing program. It features interviews with all these kids who suffer from Tourette's or similar afflications. Tremendous courage on their part to get in front of a camera and try to explain what is going through their heads when they suffer an attack or a spell that they can't control and how easy it is for someone who doesn't know any better (HELLOOOO--probably some idiot like ME) to misunderstand what's happening to them. If you run across it, I really encourage you to take the 45 min to an hour that the program runs and watch it.
Its fascinating.
Today, I got back to my normal self and just watching regular dumb movies.
1) Mafia! is a lot like Airplane or Hot Shots in that its a parody of the Godfather and Casino. Actually, its a pretty good parody....with some pretty hilarious sight gags, some pretty raw humor (Olympia Dukasis doing a fart gag?) and some that fall flat. But overall, there are worse ways to spend 90 minutes of your time.
2) Goodfellas is quite simply one of the best films ever made about crime, and more importantly, its lure and attraction. I've seen the movie before, but hadn't watched it in awhile. The more you watch a great film, the more you catch little subtle things....like, uh, how about Samuel L Jackson in a small but key supporting role? This one has a great ensemble cast: Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci (was he ever better?), Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco & a career performance from Paul Sorvino. It really captures the look and feel of being a gangster in the 60's & 70's. A terrific movie....tough, violent, profane, funny--with a terrific soundtrack and some truly great characters. The fact that the story is true makes it that much more amazing. Is it as good as The Godfather?
Someone asked me that question this evening. I think its a different film. The Godfather was about someone in the mafia, but it was more the story of a family and the almost Shakespearean tragedy that befalls it--mainly because of their involvement with the mafia. Goodfellas is truly a story about what a "foot soldier" (a term that director Martin Scorcese uses in the DVD) in the mafia goes through on a daily basis....and what its like to live every day not knowing if you're going to die before the day ends.
Later,
Jeff
Sunday, February 12, 2006
2/12/06--a trip to Tampa....and a brief stop in the Twilight Zone
So the wife and I took a quick run up to Tampa from Thursday nite to Saturday evening as she went to a two day convention for hand therapy. We stayed in a Hyatt, which sounds great--unless you were there. Let's just say it was an OLD Hyatt. The price we paid per evening usually would include a visit from a woman other than your wife--but hey, I digress. Let's just say that I've been to nicer hotels. Anyway.....so while the wife is in listening to her lectures, I sorta just hung out at the hotel or drove around and did some sightseeing.
Our big night out was Friday, and since we couldn't make reservations at Bern's Steakhouse ("We have no reservations for Saturday night and our earliest available for Friday is 10:30pm." Hmm....no thanks) we decided to go check out historical Ybor City--which is supposed to be some sort of historical landmark and heavyduty nightlife spot. We get there about 7:30pm, and we start walking around...and there's a bunch of these little stores where you can watch people handroll the old Hav-A-Tampa cigars, which I suppose is a huge deal if you're into Hav-A-Tampa cigars. And there are a ton of nightclubs that all opened about....ya know....10:30pm or so. So basically our option was to hang around 3 hours to see what happened....or go somewhere else. Hey, we were hungry. So we drive back towards the middle of town to see what we could find, and find ourselves on Tampa's legendary Dale Mabry (road, boulevard....I dunno) and I'm suggesting places to the wife. Suddenly we drive past another historical location.
"Um, honey....see that right there? That is the legendary Mons Venus."
"And that is legendary because....."
"Well, that's supposedly the most famous strip club in the United States."
"And you've been there?"
"Actually, no. But I have several friends who during one famous visit in 1991 spent close to a thousand dollars there. Thankfully, I decided to go out with the OTHER group that night. Still, I'm tormented by the decision I made. Am I better off in the knowledge that I saved what could've been a very large amount of cash---or did I miss out on what could have been one of the wildest evenings of my entire life."
"Yeah....you keep trying to wrestle with that decision....."
Some things even a good wife can't help you with.
So we go and eat dinner at J. Alexander's, a perfectly fine restaurant which serves a lovely glazed pork---uh, usually. Tonight, they decided to burn mine. So I'm sitting there waiting and waiting...and the manager walks over.
"How ya doing tonight?" he asks.
"I dunno....I'm wondering if they've managed to kill the pig that was supposed to be my dinner yet." I said, merely a touch of sarcasm in my voice.
"Yeah.....well....truth is....our chef burned it and we're preparing a new one for you."
Now mind you, before we sat down, I had stood there and watched the chef as he grilled a variety of meats--everything from hamburgers, ribs, salmon, chicken & burgers.
And during all that time I stood there watching him....he never burned ONE.
And then the s.o.b. burns mine.
Well, I did get a free slice of key lime pie and a $25 gift certificate for my next visit.
Dinner tasted much better than usual that night.
So then Saturday we headed back home in the late afternoon. We were making excellent time driving down I-75 on the west coast of Florida when I asked Kim if she wanted to stop for dinner or just wait until we got home to eat. She was concerned that we would be eating too late if we waited until we got home, so we decided to stop at one of America's finest culinary experiences. You got it....
Waffle House.
Now, before we got to the old Waffle House, we saw the signs indicating that we were passing through Naples, Florida.
"Ya know...." Kim says, "I read somewhere that Naples has more millionaires per capita than any city in the United States."
My wife...always filled with the interesting trivia.
So we pull into the Waffle House....and stepped into the Twilight Zone.
We walked in the front door and noticed that there were only two customers, both of them sitting at the counter. The waitress has these coke bottle eye glasses on with a hat pulled way down on her head...and that in combination with some really, really bad skin made her a sight to behold. And I loved it when she walked over to take our order and wiped her nose with the back of her hand.
Oh my!
So as we're sitting there this guy comes walking in and walks directly behind the counter to just on the other side of where we're sitting. I'm thinking its going to be a holdup and we've managed to walk right into it. Except he just wants to use the phone.
So he's dialing the phone, back around to the customer side of the counter...and he has one knee on the seat of the booth next to us when this guy comes in and sits down at that particular booth.
"Hey!" the customer says to the guy using the phone.
"Huh?" phone guy says.
"Move your leg!" customer guy says.
"I'm just using the phone man." phone guy says.
"I don't care....get your leg out of my booth!"
Oh good...we haven't even got our waffles and a huge brawl is going to erupt. Eventually phone guy leaves (he'd be back again) and customer guy starts screaming at the waitress for "another one". A few minutes later she brings him another waffle.
"I never asked for that!"
"You told me you wanted another one," our nearsighted, runny nose waitress said.
"No I didn't....I meant another thing of butter....but I'll take it if you want me too."
Kim looks at me and starts to lip sync to me that in fact, Mr. Customer Guy had in fact TOTALLY wanted another waffle. I didn't wanna mention it...as he seemed to be just a little tense.
So I start telling Kim a story about something that had happened in the elevator at the hotel....and the guy turns around to us.
"Riding in an elevator is like getting married. Ya never know what's gonna happen!"
This guy was obviously low on his meds. So he's finished with his meal and the waitress comes over and gives him the bill....and he says:
"Hold on there darlin. You gave me a $5 dollar bill. Ya need to give me some change for this so I can give you a tip."
"Oh, okay. Here ya go."
And she hands him 5 one dollar bills. And he then proceeds to---
Give her ONE DOLLAR. Wow. It was brutal. The look on her face. It was like, this is what your time is worth to me. One freakin dollar.
And then Kim and I noticed an unusual thing. The restaurant began to fill up. Which in itself isn't unusual. What was weird was that every person coming in seemed to be Mexican.
"What is with all the Mexican's," I whisper to Kim.
"Well, apparently all those millionaires need someone to cut their lawns." retorts my wife, apparently campaigning for a future membership in the Klan.
What was even more interesting was that the waitress apparently wasn't all hopped up and ready to SERVE the Mexicans. I mean to tell you....they were there a good 15 minutes and she hadn't brought them as much as a menu. She walks over and goes:
"Alright....which one of you all was first?"
Warmth. Definite warmth.
I looked at my wife and uttered those words said so many times in history.
"I know what ti is....we only think we're in Naples. But actually....well....submitted for your approval.....Jeff & Kim....a young couple on a lonely road home....with a brief stop...in the Twilight Zone."
For whatever reason....Kim just lost it and couldn't stop laughing. She got up and walked away with a....
"I gotta get up....or I'm gonna pee myself."
Yep...and we were the CLASSY ones in the Waffle House that night. Oh my.
Later,
Jeff
Our big night out was Friday, and since we couldn't make reservations at Bern's Steakhouse ("We have no reservations for Saturday night and our earliest available for Friday is 10:30pm." Hmm....no thanks) we decided to go check out historical Ybor City--which is supposed to be some sort of historical landmark and heavyduty nightlife spot. We get there about 7:30pm, and we start walking around...and there's a bunch of these little stores where you can watch people handroll the old Hav-A-Tampa cigars, which I suppose is a huge deal if you're into Hav-A-Tampa cigars. And there are a ton of nightclubs that all opened about....ya know....10:30pm or so. So basically our option was to hang around 3 hours to see what happened....or go somewhere else. Hey, we were hungry. So we drive back towards the middle of town to see what we could find, and find ourselves on Tampa's legendary Dale Mabry (road, boulevard....I dunno) and I'm suggesting places to the wife. Suddenly we drive past another historical location.
"Um, honey....see that right there? That is the legendary Mons Venus."
"And that is legendary because....."
"Well, that's supposedly the most famous strip club in the United States."
"And you've been there?"
"Actually, no. But I have several friends who during one famous visit in 1991 spent close to a thousand dollars there. Thankfully, I decided to go out with the OTHER group that night. Still, I'm tormented by the decision I made. Am I better off in the knowledge that I saved what could've been a very large amount of cash---or did I miss out on what could have been one of the wildest evenings of my entire life."
"Yeah....you keep trying to wrestle with that decision....."
Some things even a good wife can't help you with.
So we go and eat dinner at J. Alexander's, a perfectly fine restaurant which serves a lovely glazed pork---uh, usually. Tonight, they decided to burn mine. So I'm sitting there waiting and waiting...and the manager walks over.
"How ya doing tonight?" he asks.
"I dunno....I'm wondering if they've managed to kill the pig that was supposed to be my dinner yet." I said, merely a touch of sarcasm in my voice.
"Yeah.....well....truth is....our chef burned it and we're preparing a new one for you."
Now mind you, before we sat down, I had stood there and watched the chef as he grilled a variety of meats--everything from hamburgers, ribs, salmon, chicken & burgers.
And during all that time I stood there watching him....he never burned ONE.
And then the s.o.b. burns mine.
Well, I did get a free slice of key lime pie and a $25 gift certificate for my next visit.
Dinner tasted much better than usual that night.
So then Saturday we headed back home in the late afternoon. We were making excellent time driving down I-75 on the west coast of Florida when I asked Kim if she wanted to stop for dinner or just wait until we got home to eat. She was concerned that we would be eating too late if we waited until we got home, so we decided to stop at one of America's finest culinary experiences. You got it....
Waffle House.
Now, before we got to the old Waffle House, we saw the signs indicating that we were passing through Naples, Florida.
"Ya know...." Kim says, "I read somewhere that Naples has more millionaires per capita than any city in the United States."
My wife...always filled with the interesting trivia.
So we pull into the Waffle House....and stepped into the Twilight Zone.
We walked in the front door and noticed that there were only two customers, both of them sitting at the counter. The waitress has these coke bottle eye glasses on with a hat pulled way down on her head...and that in combination with some really, really bad skin made her a sight to behold. And I loved it when she walked over to take our order and wiped her nose with the back of her hand.
Oh my!
So as we're sitting there this guy comes walking in and walks directly behind the counter to just on the other side of where we're sitting. I'm thinking its going to be a holdup and we've managed to walk right into it. Except he just wants to use the phone.
So he's dialing the phone, back around to the customer side of the counter...and he has one knee on the seat of the booth next to us when this guy comes in and sits down at that particular booth.
"Hey!" the customer says to the guy using the phone.
"Huh?" phone guy says.
"Move your leg!" customer guy says.
"I'm just using the phone man." phone guy says.
"I don't care....get your leg out of my booth!"
Oh good...we haven't even got our waffles and a huge brawl is going to erupt. Eventually phone guy leaves (he'd be back again) and customer guy starts screaming at the waitress for "another one". A few minutes later she brings him another waffle.
"I never asked for that!"
"You told me you wanted another one," our nearsighted, runny nose waitress said.
"No I didn't....I meant another thing of butter....but I'll take it if you want me too."
Kim looks at me and starts to lip sync to me that in fact, Mr. Customer Guy had in fact TOTALLY wanted another waffle. I didn't wanna mention it...as he seemed to be just a little tense.
So I start telling Kim a story about something that had happened in the elevator at the hotel....and the guy turns around to us.
"Riding in an elevator is like getting married. Ya never know what's gonna happen!"
This guy was obviously low on his meds. So he's finished with his meal and the waitress comes over and gives him the bill....and he says:
"Hold on there darlin. You gave me a $5 dollar bill. Ya need to give me some change for this so I can give you a tip."
"Oh, okay. Here ya go."
And she hands him 5 one dollar bills. And he then proceeds to---
Give her ONE DOLLAR. Wow. It was brutal. The look on her face. It was like, this is what your time is worth to me. One freakin dollar.
And then Kim and I noticed an unusual thing. The restaurant began to fill up. Which in itself isn't unusual. What was weird was that every person coming in seemed to be Mexican.
"What is with all the Mexican's," I whisper to Kim.
"Well, apparently all those millionaires need someone to cut their lawns." retorts my wife, apparently campaigning for a future membership in the Klan.
What was even more interesting was that the waitress apparently wasn't all hopped up and ready to SERVE the Mexicans. I mean to tell you....they were there a good 15 minutes and she hadn't brought them as much as a menu. She walks over and goes:
"Alright....which one of you all was first?"
Warmth. Definite warmth.
I looked at my wife and uttered those words said so many times in history.
"I know what ti is....we only think we're in Naples. But actually....well....submitted for your approval.....Jeff & Kim....a young couple on a lonely road home....with a brief stop...in the Twilight Zone."
For whatever reason....Kim just lost it and couldn't stop laughing. She got up and walked away with a....
"I gotta get up....or I'm gonna pee myself."
Yep...and we were the CLASSY ones in the Waffle House that night. Oh my.
Later,
Jeff
2/12/06--it was long ago, when the world was a different place
And an 8 year kid who was living in Key West, Florida first started following football.
1969 Minnesota Vikings-NFL Champs!
Tuesday, February 7, 2006
2/6/06---Wife #1=the big N.C.
The big N.C.? "No class". So my neighbor at work, Leslie....who's black....tells me a great story today. It seems that her next door neighbor had been called for jury duty and lo & behold ends up in the courtroom of the beloved former Mrs. Me #1.
Well Leslie didn't get a chance to find out if her neighbor had been selected or not, so she goes over to the beloved former and asks:
"I was just wondering if my neighbor had been selected on your jury."
The ex replies....as only she can----
"Well how would I know? I had more than one black person on my jury."
Leslie looks at her and says...
"Um...my neighbor is WHITE."
In the immortal words of Homer J Simpson:
DOH!
Open mouth...insert foot. What a dumbass.
Folks, she didn't learn that shit from me, I'll tell ya that.
Later,
Jeff
Saturday, February 4, 2006
2/4/06--more adventures in home furnishings
So I'm sure you'll remember our last entry, in which I detailed our evening spent in search of a new television. We also purchased a slightly larger entertainment center that evening, complete with assurances that it would be delivered on Saturday---the day before the arrival (we hope) of our new television. Stay with me here...its quite a ride.
Just to recap:
So our salesman had told us that he would put a rush on our order, have the item delivered to us by Saturday, but that he couldn't give us a window of expected delivery.
(i.e., 7am to noon---noon to 6pm, etc) We were told that he was going to put into the computer that the delivery would be the 8th (I can't remember why), but that because the rush was put on the delivery, it would come on the 4th. He turns to the office manager to make sure this is okay, and I asked him who he was talking too.
"Oh, that's Rochelle....one of the managers."
"Oh. Hey, Rochelle. You know Danny Serrano?"
"Sure." she says. "He's one of our managers in Pembroke Pines."
"He's been a friend of mine for years. His wife and I used to work together. Matter of fact, his wife came to our wedding but Danny couldn't come because he had to work."
"Oh yeah.....make sure this guy's order goes through for a Saturday delivery."
Its all about who ya know people. Kim looked at me and asked what that was all about. Never hurts to drop a name every once in awhile. Our salesman then tells us that he would call us in a day or two to give us the details as well as hopefully offer us whatever window he could for when they would arrive.
So then a couple of days go by....and its Friday. And we hadn't heard from our salesman just yet. So naturally the wife has entered pre-freakout mode, wondering if the entertainment center was still being delivered the next day. She asked me to call the store and see what was what.
So the first time I called I got a young woman named Alisha. She informed me that according to the computer we were scheduled for delivery on 2/8/06. This was not sounding good. Besides the fact that no one would be home, we wanted the thing on Saturday--the day before our television was being delivered.
So I called back.
And I got my future best friend for life---Toya.
Naturally, neither our salesman (Jonathan) or Rochelle were working that day. Why would I think THAT would happen? So I asked to speak to a manager but Toya said I had to tell her what the problem was so she could advise the manager. I tried to explain
the problem that I had and how there must be some error with what the computer was showing. Nope. We were scheduled for the 8th.
"Well....I know that Jonathan isn't there. But is there anyway someone could call him and ask him about this situation."
"No sir. We can't call him at home."
"Look. The salesman and Rochelle told my wife and I that we would be getting our item on Saturday and I don't understand why now I'm being told something different."
"Well sir, I'm trying to help you and now you're being rude to me."
(Huh?)
"Look, all I want to know is if my item is going to be delivered on the day that the salesman told me that it would be delivered."
"Well sir, you signed a contract saying that it would be delivered on the 8th."
"Yes, I know I did. But I also assumed since the salesman told me that it would be delivered on the 4th that it would be delivered on the 4th."
"Well sir, that's what you get for assuming."
And she just had that nasty little snippy bitchy tone to her voice.
"Well, okay. I want to cancel the contract. Tell me how I do that."
"Just a second."
She came back about 10 seconds later.
"Okay, your order is canceled."
And I was amazed. Mainly because I thought at the very least at that point that she would go and get her manager to try and facilitate matters....or smooth things over with an unhappy customer...or anything that involved do something OTHER than canceling the order and screwing the salesman out of his commission.
So then I called Kim and told her. She suggested that maybe we could go to another store that evening and buy another entertainment center.
When we headed out to do just that, I decided that I wanted to make sure that our order had indeed been canceled and that we would be on the hook for two items, one from different stores. So I called the old 1-800 number for the first store. After being advised that the contract was canceled, I decided to try another tactic.
"Can you please tell me the name of the area supervisor please?"
I figured I would just skip my way up the old change of command to try and get some satisfaction. I got the number and made the call...and was connected with her.
I began to give her the Reader's Digest version of what had happened, concluding with the fact that I had canceled the order and that I was on my way to her competitor to make a purchase. She was very polite and apologized for the situation, telling me that if I had called her earlier that perhaps she could've helped me out with the order.
I thanked her, offered to her that perhaps Toya might need some further training in her phone skills and bid her adieu.
And then I went to the competition and made a purchase. When I got home I had a message waiting--and I mean it was from about 10 minutes after I had spoken to the area supervisor, from my old friend Danny Serrano.
"I hope you didn't get him in trouble because you mentioned his name," Kim said.
This morning I spoke to Danny. I was glad to hear that he hadn't gotten any grief over my phone call. On the contrary.
"She called me and asked me if I knew you. I told her yes and she explained what had happened. She asked me who you were and I said....'oh he's not really anyone important. Just a judge.' (laughing) I mean to tell you there was 10 solid seconds of dead silence."
"She thought I was a judge?"
"Well...she did until I told that technically you WORKED for a judge. It still made an impression. Dude, why didn't you just come to my store? I woulda hooked you up."
"Well, basically the woman on the phone pissed me off so much I canceled the order."
And we talked a little bit more. Wished each other well and that was it. I'm still waiting for my furniture.
And wondering if Toya has scheduled that phone skills class yet.
Later,
Jeff
Thursday, February 2, 2006
2/2/06--Jeff & Kim go shopping for a new television
So this past Monday evening was a REALLY, REALLY good day for our family.
Besides finding out that our refund would be our best ever, Kim also found out that she would unexpectedly be getting a performance bonus for the last 3 months.
Of course, you know that no one gets a windfall without something bad happening, which would explain why the day before we noticed our television beginning its slow fade into obvilion. Or maybe you could just say that we began to notice the whole picture beginning to disappear thing.
Anyway, we decided Tuesday night to make a "Best Buy run" (one of my favorites things) to look into a new television. I'm a guy, so naturally I was thinking BIG when it comes to televisions of any sort or model--while Kim was there (supposedly) to be the voice of reason. HA! So we're looking around and I start the proceedings off:
"Okay, give me an idea here. What are my guidelines size & price wise?"
"Well....I'd really like a television that's the same size as we have now. That way we won't have to change our entertainment center."
"Okay...that gives me something to go on."
So after a few minutes looking around, I find a nice HDTV 31" Samsung with a flatscreen. I call Kim over to give it a look.
"Well, whatta ya think?"
"Well...maybe its a girl thing, ya know?"
"What's a girl thing?"
"Well I don't like that it has a space between the screen and the shelf. Its going to make so you can see the wires and stuff behind it."
"Alrighty. I'll keep looking."
So a few minutes go by, and Kim comes up and tells me she's found one. We walk over and Kim points out the 46" Toshiba. Man do I love this woman.
"Well honey, that's fine except....its not going to fit on our entertainment center."
"Ah," she scoffs, "we'll just go across the street to Rooms to Go and get another one."
I wanted to kiss her....with an open mouth, and passionately....right there in the store.
So then we venture over to Rooms to Go, which is a fine store--except for it seems like I can't go in there without buying a new couch. I immediately told her not to even think about looking for any furniture. Only entertainment centers.
So eventually we find one we like and we begin to negotiate on the whole delivery before the Super Bowl thing...and we're not looking good in that area. I point out to the wife that getting the television BEFORE the entertainment center would not be good.
We want the E.C. to get to our house FIRST---then the television. Our salesman is pondering how to make that happen when he asks his manager a question. I ask the manager if she knows the husband of a friend of mine who, ya know....used to be a store manager at Rooms to Go. Why yes, she says....she knows him.
We're booked in for the day before the big game. Kim shakes her head, amazed.
Back over at Best Buy, we start dealing with the salesman. We narrow our search down to two sets, the 46" Toshiba and a 42" Samsung. The salesman recommends the Samsung (they were both about the same cost) which was good, because that's what Greg the Cable Guy had recommended also. And then......
And then the collateral damage began. Oh yeah....old Greg (and I mean that literally---cough, cough) didn't mention that when you upgrade to the HDTV, you have to also upgrade your cables that go from your television to the VCR, the DVD and the home theatre system. And that you need to upgrade your Directv to HDTV. Oh yeah, and your probably need to get some sort of warranty, and oh yeah.....
Collateral Damage. Yikes.
So the bottom line is that by gametime on Sunday, I should have a new television, the afore-mentioned 42" Samsung HDTV sitting on my new entertainment center--the one that holds up to a 58" television (hey, maybe down the road--ya know?). Its all planned. Supposedly. We'll wait and see.
Later,
Jeff
Besides finding out that our refund would be our best ever, Kim also found out that she would unexpectedly be getting a performance bonus for the last 3 months.
Of course, you know that no one gets a windfall without something bad happening, which would explain why the day before we noticed our television beginning its slow fade into obvilion. Or maybe you could just say that we began to notice the whole picture beginning to disappear thing.
Anyway, we decided Tuesday night to make a "Best Buy run" (one of my favorites things) to look into a new television. I'm a guy, so naturally I was thinking BIG when it comes to televisions of any sort or model--while Kim was there (supposedly) to be the voice of reason. HA! So we're looking around and I start the proceedings off:
"Okay, give me an idea here. What are my guidelines size & price wise?"
"Well....I'd really like a television that's the same size as we have now. That way we won't have to change our entertainment center."
"Okay...that gives me something to go on."
So after a few minutes looking around, I find a nice HDTV 31" Samsung with a flatscreen. I call Kim over to give it a look.
"Well, whatta ya think?"
"Well...maybe its a girl thing, ya know?"
"What's a girl thing?"
"Well I don't like that it has a space between the screen and the shelf. Its going to make so you can see the wires and stuff behind it."
"Alrighty. I'll keep looking."
So a few minutes go by, and Kim comes up and tells me she's found one. We walk over and Kim points out the 46" Toshiba. Man do I love this woman.
"Well honey, that's fine except....its not going to fit on our entertainment center."
"Ah," she scoffs, "we'll just go across the street to Rooms to Go and get another one."
I wanted to kiss her....with an open mouth, and passionately....right there in the store.
So then we venture over to Rooms to Go, which is a fine store--except for it seems like I can't go in there without buying a new couch. I immediately told her not to even think about looking for any furniture. Only entertainment centers.
So eventually we find one we like and we begin to negotiate on the whole delivery before the Super Bowl thing...and we're not looking good in that area. I point out to the wife that getting the television BEFORE the entertainment center would not be good.
We want the E.C. to get to our house FIRST---then the television. Our salesman is pondering how to make that happen when he asks his manager a question. I ask the manager if she knows the husband of a friend of mine who, ya know....used to be a store manager at Rooms to Go. Why yes, she says....she knows him.
We're booked in for the day before the big game. Kim shakes her head, amazed.
Back over at Best Buy, we start dealing with the salesman. We narrow our search down to two sets, the 46" Toshiba and a 42" Samsung. The salesman recommends the Samsung (they were both about the same cost) which was good, because that's what Greg the Cable Guy had recommended also. And then......
And then the collateral damage began. Oh yeah....old Greg (and I mean that literally---cough, cough) didn't mention that when you upgrade to the HDTV, you have to also upgrade your cables that go from your television to the VCR, the DVD and the home theatre system. And that you need to upgrade your Directv to HDTV. Oh yeah, and your probably need to get some sort of warranty, and oh yeah.....
Collateral Damage. Yikes.
So the bottom line is that by gametime on Sunday, I should have a new television, the afore-mentioned 42" Samsung HDTV sitting on my new entertainment center--the one that holds up to a 58" television (hey, maybe down the road--ya know?). Its all planned. Supposedly. We'll wait and see.
Later,
Jeff
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)