Oh Yeah! I Have A Blog...

So, yeah, last week totally sucked. What helped bring a big heaping helping of extra suck to an already s**tty week was the drive home from Massachusetts. Between the MA Pike, route 84 in CT, and the NYS Thruway, we ran into traffic from hell, which was somewhat unexpected for a Saturday afternoon. Granted, it was a long weekend, but I'd have guessed that by Saturday afternoon the bulk of traffic would have abated.

Over an hour in traffic to go five miles on the Tappanzee Bridge says otherwise.

It got me to thinking, though. Here I am, in New York, a rather liberal state. We're always hearing about "Global Warming" and all, yet there are thousands of cars polluting the air because the state can't get it's collective s**t together on traffic. On a Saturday, of all things. Now, I expect a bit of traffic over the holiday weekend, sure. But the Tappanzee is generally pretty good; certainly better than the GW Bridge; that's why I go the long way around NYFC.

Now, I grok that the same people that decry Global Warming are the same ones that want us all taking public transportation. It stands to reason that their response to weekday traffic is to tell us to take the bus/subway/train. But what about on weekends? While there may be a bus that runs from Northern VA to northeast MA, it's not convenient for us to take. I've looked into taking a train, and it's just as expensive as flying - but with the same time constraints as driving. In short, it doesn't work.

So, then, the question comes back around. If they're so concerned about global warming, why aren't they doing more to relieve traffic congestion? While it's great to incentivize people to take more public transportation, that's a long-term solution. Right now, there's a need to alleviate the day-to-day wasting of resources sitting in traffic on roads that were never designed for the volume of cars they see. While the ivory tower eggheads clasp their hands worrying about global warming, the proles are sitting in their shiny metal boxes throwing CO2 into the ozone layer by the bajillions.

Give us another 2-3 lanes on pretty much any major highway and this will stop being such a problem - or is that too simplistic a solution for your liking?

That is all.

(Best) Buyer Beware

Congratulations, Best Buy. You have managed to do something I didn't think was possible: Displace Comcast from the No. 1 spot on my "Lousy customer service" list.

A week ago we moved into our new house in Virginia. The previous owners had taken the washer and dryer with them, so we shuffled off to Best Buy to buy replacements. We found a pair that were on sale, with all the features we needed, and made arrangements to have them delivered and installed. We even opted for the braided line upgrade, figuring that it was most likely unnecessary but, given our recent luck, we figured we were better safe than sorry.

Friday afternoon they came and installed the washer and dryer. I took a quick look at the setup, everything looked okay, and figured I'd get a few loads of laundry done on Saturday to break them in. Except that when I left the house Saturday morning, I heard water running when I went out in the garage (the washer and dryer are in the mudroom between the house and garage).

What happened, you ask? This:

Yeah. That's the cold water connection from the water valve to the washer. Now, I'm not a plumber, but I could tell right away that didn't look right. Mostly because of the water all over the floor, but also because it's off an entire thread. Somehow the installation experts sent out to complete this simple task were unable to screw on a damn fitting properly. They missed the water liberally dripping out of the connection, and pronounced themselves done.

Oh, but wait - it gets better.

I was at the DMV getting my license and truck registration changed over to VA Saturday morning, so I called the Mrs. and asked her to contact Best Buy about the problem. Even though it was their contractor that messed things up, the best they could do was "sometime Monday" to fix THEIR error. 48 hours - or more - with no washer and water leaking all over my floor because THEIR person screwed up and did a job VERY poorly.

Unacceptable.

Had I any inclination that this was the level of "service" they offered, I would have bought a washer/dryer from Lowe's, which was right across the street from them and also offered free installation. I would urge anyone reading this to consider other options than Best Buy if purchasing any item that requires installation more complex than plugging in an electrical supply. Because when they screw it up - and they almost certainly will - you can expect a response measured in days, not hours.

Even if water is leaking all over the floor of your new house because of a mistake THEY made.

Stay away from Best Buy, that's my advice.

That is all.

On The First Amendment And Market Forces...

Something I've been seeing more and more lately is the "ZOMG Facebook won't allow [X]". This is the latest permutation on the "ZOMG eBay won't sell [X]" or "ZOMG PayPal won't accept orders for [X]." Now, while eBay and PayPal are services that your actual money goes to, Facebook does not cost anything nor do they owe you anything.

If they change the settings without telling you? That's their perogative. Annoying-as-hell ads on your mobile device? Same same. Blocking sites or posts of a certain nature? Ditto. If you don't like it, you're 100% free to start your own social network that allows [X] and doesn't block certain content. You're using their free service for free - you're getting what you pay for. If you don't like it, the digital door is right there.

They're not squelching free speech if they decide that pro-[hot button issue X] posts are over the line and delete them. They are a private entity - they are not beholden to the concept of free speech. It's especially ironic when you consider that it's a free service... While the First Amendment means the .gov won't kick down your door for something you post online (unless you're in Massachusetts, that is), it has dick-all to do with what Facebook will allow you to post on their website.

TANSTAAFL. There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. Robert Heinlein's pithy maxim from "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" has never been more applicable than when dealing with the book of face. Being able to connect with friends and interact with folks from all over the world - for free - means that you accept their terms. If those terms mean dealing with popup ads or not being able to see certain content, well, you either accept it or you don't.

But don't complain that the free service is selling your data or prohibiting certain content. When you are free to leave, free to start a competing service, and don't have to invest one red cent, you either take it or leave it. It's a lot like complaining that the free car you got from the dealership down the road doesn't have a CD player and is in the wrong color. Of course, in this case it'd be a free Hyundai, but still...

Then again, like the expression goes, some folks would complain if you hung 'em with a new rope...

That is all.

Can Someone Explain This To Me?

Okay, so a couple weekends ago I went to the Verizon store. I'll admit it, I'm weak, I wanted to check out the Verizon iPhone and see how difficult it would be to trade my phone in early on the new iPhone. I've been using my iTouch for a while now, and while it's pretty limited for blogging purposes, it beats the hell out of driving to a McDonald's or Dunkin' Donuts to get a wifi signal when I'm jonesin' for a 'net fix on vacation... Yeah, I know, I have a problem...

Now, silly me, I thought they would jump at the chance to sell an iPhone and get me hooked up on a data plan. It's an extra $30 a month for the plan, which is a little on the steep side - but it is unlimited data (well, "unlimited" I should say - there are hidden terms and such endemic to claims of unlimited anything). A bit pricey, but that's the price of staying connected. More importantly, I was ready to sign up for the plan on the spot - if they could swap out the phone.

Now, I understand the idea that you sign up for the contract, you're locked in, etc. I was hoping that there would be some leeway on the timeframe, especially since the iPhone coming to Verizon was a pretty big deal and all, with much fanfare and hoopla and such. It was enough to get me interested in the data plan, which I had resisted up until now. But no, they weren't willing to alter the contract in any way - and if I just swapped the phone, I'd have to pay the "full" price of the phone - some $650 or so.

There's simply no way that phone costs $650, not when the comparable unit sans phone sells for less than half that price. Certainly there's R&D costs to be recovered, etc., but the fact remains - I've been a Verizon customer for about a decade now, and they weren't willing to work with me in the least. In fact, the suggestion offered to me was to open another phone line to get the iPhone - which of course would mean a new phone number and another $15 a month in addition to the $30 data plan. I just don't buy that the only option available to me is to fork over $650 (if I want my new line) or $360 ($15/month for two years for new phone line). I cannot believe there are no other options.

No, thank you, I'll wait - and Verizon had better hope I don't start looking for another carrier between now and December.

That is all.

Day of... Rest?

As the other dads and homeowners out there know, there's no such thing as a restful day when you have a house and kids. There's always something that needs to be done - whether it's chauffeuring the kids to Sunday School, running errands while they're in Sunday School, or the annual cleaning out of the garage for the winter. There's still a camper to be winterized (next weekend; fortunately the water inside is still in its liquid form and is currently draining down the driveway); a shed to be filled with propane tanks and then secured against the elements; gutters to be cleaned; and leaves to be raked (again). Soccer is over next week; two weeks after that basketball starts and swimming lessons start up again.

The Harley has been deposited at the dealership for winter storage for the eighth winter; a bittersweet parting that reflects the end of the riding season (I'm not diehard enough to ride once the temperature drops below freezing, sorry) and the coming of winter. Soon we will be shoveling snow, making snowmen and snowforts and taking the kids over to the local park for sledding (there's a monster hill near where we hold the Cub Scout graduation that's been a local attraction for daredevil kids ever since *I* was a wee sprog!). Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Years will rocket by in a flash, and then TheBoy will be turning 10 - double digits!!! - there's an awful lot going on in the next two months...

And it all starts in roughly three weeks - there really is no rest for the weary...

That is all.

Quick Question...

WTF is "Jersey Shore" and why should I give a hairy rat's ass about it?

That is all.

Halloween Reflections...

Okay, so you know what really bothered me last night? Seeing child after child dressed in all black, out after dark, no flashlight, no glowstick, not a single strip of reflective tape to be found. And worse, their parents didn't even have flashlights - I can forgive the kids being clad in black, etc. if there's an attentive parent following close by with a lighting device suitable for landing aircraft...

I don't get that. You're escorting your children on Halloween. They're dressed in dark clothes, wearing masks that obscure their vision, and your job as parent is to make sure they don't wander out in the street and get hit by the teenagers speeding around looking for houses to egg. And yet there you are, more interesting in gossiping about the neighbor down the street who's going through a messy divorce than watching your own kids.

Don't even get me started about the folks in the subdivisions walking around with open containers of alcohol...

It's Halloween. It's something we do for our kids, not ourselves (although we do reap the dividends of free candy...). We need to collectively act like grown-ups, so that our kids actually get a chance to grow up. There's simply no excuse for me having to guess if the dark shadow in the road is a dog, an errant piece of trash, or a future Heisman trophy winner about to limit his career to breathing through a tube...

Just because you live in the suburbs doesn't mean you have to live in Condition Less-Than-White...

That is all.