Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Ultimate 80's Top 5

An alien from a galaxy far, far away lands on Earth and shows up at your front door. Said alien wants to know all about music from the 80's and asks you to name the five songs that define the 80's musically for you. What is your top 5?

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Someone Needs A New Listing Agent

The other day I took Katelyn out for a walk - we were without a sitter, due to some communication issues between The Better Half, our normal sitter, my mom, her mom, and the neighbors. Therefore, I had to burn some PTO and stay home with her.

As I mentioned in my old blog, which is 100% dead, parts of our neighborhood are a hot bed of foreclosure activity. Baby Katelyn and I only walked about 2 blocks into one of the hardest hit areas and ran across the following:


Someone needs a new listing agent because this one is still thinking it is 2006:



Seriously, asking 649k on foreclosure lane? Just about every other house for sale on that street has big fat 'Price Reduced' signs on them...and this joker thinks he can ask 649k. Either the seller or the agent is delusional. If it is the seller, then the agent did a crap job of communicating the reality of the market..so he's sub par. If the agent went along with this asking price, he's in worse shape than the sellers because as a 'pro' he should know that he is competing against not only short sales, but superior houses less than a mile away. The kind of scratch they are asking for on a home from a builder with some issues is way out of line with reality.

Here are some comps:

For 650k even you get this stucco monster....

How about some overrated golf course living in this 649k odd photo effects listing?

But a real crusher is this Steve Jensen home,a superior builder to Polygon Homes, coming in 20k less....

Here's why this seller/listing agent are way off base - same street, same builder, comparable square footage...but this one is 180k LESS than the listing in the photo I took. Compare them both - here's the house for 649k....and here's the one for 469k...do you see any compelling reasons as to why the 1st is 'worth' 180k more than the 2nd?

Towering Inferno

I was one of the 1100 Puget Sound Energy customers that was without power today. Yep, that's right...on one of the hottest days of the year the power went out in our building. No air circulated, the elevators were shut down....and before too long the entire floor got kind of rank.

Puget Sound Energy gave us a ETR of 12:30pm, but promptly changed that to 1:30....then 2:30. In the meantime, I began to sweat...a lot. The heat I could stand, but the sweating was kind of gross. I mean, I drink close to a gallon of water a day, so my body has no problem when it comes to sweating to cool off.

After a while my shirt got kind of clingy, so I had to buy a new one. I may not be the fashion plate I once was, but criminey, I'm not going through the day with a sweaty shirt. I walked to Bellevue Square, which is only about a 4 block walk, but by the time I got there I was literally drenched.

No one really went out of their way to help me or ask if I needed to try anything on at Macy's, and that's probably because I looked like a complete and total freak. Being Macy's, there was a totally sweet 1 day event taking place, therefore I not only took 50% off the regular price, but an additional 40% from that! A shirt that was normally 50 bucks cost me something like 14 bones after tax. That's a win for everyone! Macy's gets to move somewhat ironic sweatshop made merchandise, I get a nice new shirt on the cheap, and no one at work has to witness me looking like I should be serving gyro's from a donkey pulled cart (Greek dudes are sweaty, yes?).

Power was restored around 2 pm (PSE tried the underpromise/over deliver routine and failed...sorry fellas, you can't claim victory with a moving target), but by then the AC was so far behind that it will probably need to run all night to keep bitching at a minimum tomorrow.

So, that was my day...

Friday, July 24, 2009

George Lucas Claims Another Ruined Childhood

Jake Lloyd played young Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace, aka Steaming Pile O' Crap (With Jar Jar). Watching this clip is borderline uncomfortable because you can almost feel the rage bubbling below the surface. Lloyd seems to have had a rough go of it in high school and college. Now 20 years old, you get the feeling he's one more Manakin Skywalker joke away from going on a 3 state killing spree:


Just A Little (Less) Of That Human Touch

Anti-social types have even more reason to rejoice these days! The Bellevue, WA Jack In The Box has installed an ordering kiosk, meaning the only time you have to interact with another human being at this particular JITB is when you pick up your order.

I'm sure JITB is test marketing this kiosk to research queue efficiency and future staff reductions - if you can order and pay at a kiosk, there is no need to hire a front of the store crew. One person can assist those baffled by the complexity of the international JITB menu (egg rolls? tacos? burgers? Under one roof?!?!?!?), much like one employee is usually assigned to multiple self-checkout lanes at the grocery store. With minimum wage being raised I can imagine more and more fast food joints going this route.

Another benefit to JITB and the customer will be that communication will be improved between the two, mainly by it being non-existent. Fast food restaurants in this area, I would say, are mainly staffed by Hispanic workers that...um, don't have a firm grasp of English....that can sometimes make ordering an adventure...

Whoa - look at the top of that kiosk....two free tacos!!! There really isn't anything better at 1am after some boozin' than Jack In The Box tacos...in fact, I think I could eat my body weight in those things. Must find out how I can get two free tacos.........

Slapping On The Cuffs

I think I may have injured my right rotator cuff unloading luggage out of our car from the Montana trip. Ever since that event my right shoulder has been stiff and any kind of throwing or pushing motion causes some serious discomfort behind my right shoulder blade, up through the joint, and into my deltoid muscle. At rest the shoulder feels like something is either rubbing against my shoulder blade or pinched in there....

Aside from a collarbone break in junior high, I have no real experience with shoulder injuries. The interwebs have only been somewhat helpful since I can't always replicate the pain to test for a cuff injury...so, anyone out there that has gone through a rotator cuff injury???? Is surgery my only option if it turns out that I do, indeed, have a tear?

Tapped Out Your Home Equity ATM?

Just when I thought the financial industry had wrung every last penny out of the credit machine, Wells Fargo steps up to astonish me.

Let's say you have maxed out your credit cards, your HELOC is a bad joke, and overtime at work is a no go because your company is hanging on by a thread financially...just where are you going to dig up some extra coin?

Look no further than that sweet 2004 Camry in your garage 'cause Wells Fargo has a deal for you! That's right, Wells Fargo is still allowing borrowers to take cash out refinances on vehicles. From Wells Fargo's own website:

You may be able to borrow more than it takes to pay off your existing auto loan with a cash out refinance loan.

In fact, Wells Fargo Financial is one of the few lenders that will refinance a vehicle for more than its current value. That means access to cash over and above the value of the new cash out refinance auto loan.

Use the available cash however you choose. For example:

holiday expenses
summer landscaping
back-to-school expenses
unplanned medical bills
vehicle expenses
home maintenance


Correct me if I am wrong, but vehicles are depreciating assets, meaning that over time they are worth less and less. Geez, Wells Fargo, what could possibly go wrong with that???

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Armadillo BBQ Blows

For the second year in a row, Armadillo BBQ and CAC Property Management completely hosed our building's summer bbq event. Which company sucks more putrid donkey ass is certainly debatable, but after some serious consideration I'm leaning towards Armadillo BBQ, a caterer that would probably be better run by apes.

Here's what happened - the individual responsible for serving the food, a woman that could have been either 35 or 50, it was impossible to tell, was monumentally idiotic. She either didn't know that CAC advertised that the bbq would last until 2pm to accomodate workers that have to take late lunches...or she thought the goddam chicken and corn bread were like the loaves and fishes that would feed a multitude. It could be both. She was insanely clueless and dressed like a meth addled hooker...just horrific. Either way, the server was literally piling food on plates, paying no mind to the time or the amount of inventory she had at her disposal. That meant the early birds not only got the worm...they got all the chicken, ribs, cornbread, and sides. The poor sons of bitches that have to take a late lunch, like 1/2 my team and department, got nothing. Well, I shouldn't say nothing...some got sad veggie burgers, but no buns....just veggie burgers with bbq sauce on them.

Now, I normally don't get all bent out of shape about this sort of thing, but this year is a little different. I know for a fact that there are quite a few individuals that I work with that are struggling financially, so going out for lunch really isn't in the budget. They were looking forward to this event as a break from the mundane leftovers or Lean Cuisines that are the lunch norm. Being that we do work in a contact center lunches are staggered, so imagine the disappointment when their co-workers with an earlier lunch got to enjoy bbq and they literally got nothing.

There are certainly more important things to bitch and moan about than a damn catered lunch gone wrong, but this is two years in a row where Armadillo BBQ completely mismanaged the assignment. Why CAC Property Management hired them again is beyond me. Reviews of their food from the select few that were able to partake were not kind....dry and overcooked ribs, mushy cornbread, and flavorless potato salad seemed to be the consensus take on lunch.

Another thing that bothers me about this situation was the attitude from the Armadillo employees working the smokers. They offered no apologies for running out of food...then again, neither did the air headed server...about the only thing she said was that the bbq sauce would change our lives. Yes, well. It's one thing to mismanage your business, but these asshats actually glared at a pregant co-worker of mine when she had the audacity to ask, 'That's it?' I should have stuffed them inside their still hot smokers.

If you have an upcoming event and need it catered, do not consider Armadillo BBQ Catering. Not only will they show up understocked, they will mismanage the food they bring ensuring some of your guests will get nothing...then they will toss attitude your way when you call them out for being incompetent.

Should you work at a building in the Bellevue, WA area managed by the CAC Group, contact them immediately and be sure they do not hire Armadillo BBQ to cater your events.

Idiocy and mismanagement should not be rewarded with business.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Harvest Time

Ugh - well, my apologies for the lack of posting, it has been busy around the house. The nice weather has me watering and mowing the grass about every 3 days....that organic lawn food works very, very well! My lawn is green, the kids feet aren't sprouting blisters, and the crabgrass is contained (but not eradicated, a second offensive will begin this fall).

I've also been growing tomatoes, some heirloom (Cherokee purples!) and some big ol' red ones. I'm curious to taste the purple tomatoes after they have ripened...anyone else out there ever try heirloom tomatoes? Earlier in the spring I let the girls pick out seeds they wanted to plant - Maddy picked cantalope, Jocelyn picked sunflowers...and for whatever reason, both sets of seeds failed to germinate....the cantalope I can understand as the PNW isn't exactly conducive to growing melons...but last year I grew quite a few sunflowers and am baffled as to why they didn't sprout again. The jalapenos and anaheim chilis are going gangbusters....

We are also recovering from our MT trip. I'll post some photos of what we were/are contending with when it comes to The Better Half's father. His house makes the Sanford & Son domicile look orderly and clean...and that was a damn junk yard.

More later!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Dip Or Wall???

Not sure when it happened, exactly, but I now find myself with a job and not a career. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have a job when so many are unemployed. I'm not miserable and seething because I feel I deserve better or am above what I do. Oh no, we'll have NONE of that, especially since I am surrounded by whimpering tools that feel entitled to not only 6 figure pay, but constant praise for simply showing up and doing what they get paid to do. Puppies have less need for attention and affirmations than some of my co-workers. Good times.

I don't think I'm alone in this feeling either. More and more individuals are finding themselves in this position, and having recently read Seth Godin's 'The Dip' I am actively beginning to wonder what I can do to either break out of this trench or quit. Is this a temporary feeling that will improve if I keep hammering away and vigorously push through...or am I actually in a cul-de-sac and nothing I do will improve my situation? Hard to tell as this feeling is recent, but I don't want to quit too early if this is just a dip...however, I don't want to spin my wheels if I've actually hit a dead end wall....ugh.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

MexFL

Okay, it is that time of year....I need to know who is in and who is out for the MexFL this year. Also, we will be doing things differently this time around, determining draft order well ahead of actual draft day. Oh, and I'll be collecting upfront for the Sportsline site and draft kit...damn these economic times!!!!!!!

To Hell And Back

Spent all of last week in Montana. The intent of the trip was to assist The Better Half's father in organizing his affairs, thinning out the flotsam and jetsam around the house, and to clean up. I'd say we accomplished about 8% of what needs to be done.

See, TBH's father is ill. His original prognosis was that he had 18-24 months left to live...and that was 23 months ago. He has held up remarkably well, although treatment does take a toll.

Anyhoo, as some of my 9 faithful readers know, TBH's dad is a bit, um, frugal...and he's a hoarder and a pack rat. Therefore, his house and garage are packed with stuff that has long lived out its usefulness but is still kept around. Although he did ask for our help in ridding his house of stuff, in the end we wound up butting heads about everything...and that made the trip tense for all of us.

I suppose it is difficult to watch people go through the things you have collected in life and determining whether or not they should be kept, donated or tossed...but I'm hoping when I'm nearing the end of the line I handle my affairs with a little more grace and tact than what we endured (especially TBH...the trip was rough on her).

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Some Changes....

Yeesh, didn't know I had so many obstacles in place for reader's to leave comments. I have disabled the need to login and word verification requirements, so comment away....all three of you!