Rants

Wired-for-Business

Why is it that you can stay at the $75 a night Quality Inn off the interstate and you get free wireless high speed internet, but spend the night in the $250 a night Newark Airport Marriott and it costs you $9.95 (plus applicable taxes) a day?

The previous two nights were spent in a New Britain, CT extended stay hotel that caters to business folks and it cost me $4.95 a day for high speed web access. Yet the local Motel 8 was giving it away.

Not only is is fast and free at the national chain places, I have never had an issue hooking up. Tonight at the Marriott I successfully managed to log in, agree to the conditions, check yes to the fee and get to view one page of the Weather Channel web site for losing connectivity. I rebooted, I swapped out for my cat5 cable and rebooted again with no luck. I ended up having to call the 1-800 number to get a help desk person. A five minute wait and we did a couple of things, including disabling the wireless (remind me to turn that back on later huh) and disabling the wired NIC and re-enabling it so I could get back on line.

That time I managed to stay connected for about 2 minutes before being dumped off. Back to the 1-800 number. This time we ran over a few other things and the CSR tried a couple of resets on her end. I am automatically getting an IP address, but I’m not getting a DNS address. The CSR said she would report this up the food chain and see if they could figure out what the problem is, but for now we left it alone as I’m back online. I just don’t have a high confidence that I’ll stay connected.

Brrrrrrr!

Ice PossibleEven though it was supposed to be cold, rainy, and maybe sleety (if that is a word), Donna and I decided to get out and see the sights. I Googled for “Central CT Attractions” and the 6th link on the 2nd linked page was a list of covered bridges. Connecticut has a whopping 5 of them and there were three that were located no too far from each other in the northwest corner of the state. A plan was hatched. We stopped in and asked my mom if she wanted to go, fully expecting her to say no, but she was up for the ride, so the three of us piled in the rental car.

Today’s high was a low 40s, but that was this morning before the precipitation started, and it went downhill all day. Our helpful little Pontiac G6 reminded us, every time I started it up, that the road might be icy. There were several times that the thermometer read 32 degrees, but it was always rain coming down. Maybe it was sleet those couple of times that the sound of what splattered on the windshield deepened or maybe not, but we did see a thin coating of ice on some of the trees at the higher elevations.

Of the three bridges, two were built in the middle 1800s and still in operation, you could drive right over them. The third was built in the middle 1970s in Kent Falls State Park and was erected as a point of interest for the park. The falls looked interesting, but because of the weather we will save them for a different day.

We had pizza for lunch in the town of Kent at a place called Paisans, it was good, but I won’t recommend you go out of your way to eat there, unlike yesterday morning’s breakfast spot.

If you ever find yourself in Port Jervis, NY seek out Cafe Roxanna. We had breakfast, but from looking at the menu their lunch would be worth the stop as well. Eclectic food served on funky dinnerware, photographic art from locals hanging on the walls and laid back jazz on the sound system, the only thing missing was the word Moon in the restaurants name.

Tomorrow we shift the show to the Garden State…

Best Buy, Worst Service

Ice Scrapin' ManThe battery in my digicam is getting tired. After taking only a couple dozen exposures it is starting to shut down and it has always been doing 2-3 times better than that. Yesterday, somewhere in Maryland, after striking out in a Radio Shack and a camera store, we ended up at a Best Buy. They didn’t have a Kodak labeled battery, but they did have a generic. For $20.99 I was out the door.

When we stopped last night I opened, with great difficulty, the plastic oyster shell and put the battery in the camera. All three lights on top of the camera started blinking, meaning that the battery was fully discharged and would be a while before it would be ready for use. In the morning all three lights were still blinking. Bad news.

Today on arrival in New Britain, Donna wanted to got to Friendly’s and I wanted to go to Best Buy. My brother knew just where to go, a shopping center on the Berlin Turnpike. We started at Friendly’s where we were seated and promptly ignored. After waiting 5-6 minutes and no one even acknowledged our presence, we walked out.

In Best Buy I went over to the Service Desk and explained that I purchased this battery at a different store in a different state and that it wouldn’t charge. The CSR started entering stuff in a terminal from my receipt, mid type another employee walked up with a phone and handed it to my CSR saying, “This person wants to speak to someone in customer service.” The CSR stops what he’s doing and starts to talk on the phone. After a half minute or so when it is apparent he isn’t wrapping up the conversation, Donna looks at him and says, “We were here first.” He takes the hint and tells the person on the phone to hold on a second. More typing and then he hands me a paper voucher and says go to the cashier and they will give me my refund.

The cashier takes one look at the papers and says, “I’m not normally at a register, I don’t know how to do this.” She gets on her radio and asks for help. After some non essential chatter we finally see another CSR head our way. She tells our cashier this is how you handle a suspended transaction and proceeds to hit an 8 or 10 sequence of keys so fast I don’t know if anyone could follow. When she gets to the end, she goes, “Uh-oh. Did you buy this in another state?” “Yep,” I tell her. “Must be the tax messing it up.” Off she goes with our cashier in tow.

After another couple minutes the original CSR walks over and hands me $21. I guess the extra penny was because I had to wait so long.

Is That A Monument In Your Pocket? Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

Washington MonumentAfter a mediocre breakfast at the Holiday Inn, hey it was free, Donna, Sally and I put on our walking shoes. We walked down to the Arlington Memorial Bridge, crossed the Potomac and visited the Lincoln Memorial. Then we did the war memorial tour, Vietnam, Korean and then the Big One, the new WWII Memorial. (Wonder where the WWI Memorial is? Kansas City) We then trooped all around the tidal basin to take in the Jefferson Memorial. Even though we are midway through the 2 week Cherry Blossom Festival, the trees refused to cooperate with the festival scheduler, they peaked a couple days before. Because of last Wednesday’s rain and wind there are very few blossoms left on the trees. It is colder and windier than it should be for this time of the year which made the walk back to our hotel a very uncomfortable one. I bet we covered 5-6 miles.

We took a minor break to let our bodies get back to normal operating temperature and then jumped in the rental car to drive to Sterling, VA. Donna and I convinced Sally to come with us and drive BMWs to benefit the Susan Komen Foundation. From looking at the BMW dealer’s website I knew is was on VA28 north of Dulles Airport. We got on 28 going north and drove and drove and drove until 28 turned into VA7 and disappeared. Donna in the back spotted a couple of the Ultimate Drive cars going the opposite way, so we ambushed one and got on his tail. We hung with him until he ended up at the dealer (even with his wrong turns.) I signed up to drive, Sally was going to drive cars too, while Donna was going to do her usual navigator details. The three of us did a familiarization loop with me at the wheel of a 750, Sally sitting right seat and Donna in the back. Next, I drove a Z4 convertible and Sally drove Donna on a loop in a Z4 coupe. I went back to the rental car to get my camera and as I walked to the front, Donna and Sally went by in the Z4 I had just dropped off, shouting “Catch us if you can.” By the time I got loaded in a 335i convertible, I didn’t see them until I was finishing my loop and they were pulling out of the dealer’s lot in an X3. I hurried and got in a 335i Coupe to try and catch them. No such luck, Sally must be driving like a madwoman, because not only did I not catch them, but by the time I returned the coupe they were long gone in an X5. Deciding that I was just getting further behind, I didn’t even get another car, I just waited for them to return.

After my 4 laps and Sally and Donna’s 5 we decided to take a lunch break. Before we left though we signed up to help them ferry the cars to their next dealer in Arlington where they would be doing it all over again tomorrow. It was a little after 2 PM and they wanted us back at 5 to get prepared for the big caravan. Earlier, while we were searching for the BMW dealer, we had passed a mall and where there is a mall, there is always a variety of restaurants. Trouble was we could remember where it was. It took us about 45 minutes and once even asking directions, before we found someplace called the Dulles Place or something like that Dulles Town Center. Ended up at a Red Robin. What we all had was good, but the bill was like $40 for the three of us, which seems a little high, even for a gourmet burger place.

As if we didn’t walk enough in the morning, after lunch we walked around both floors of the mall to aid in our digestion. We then headed back to BMW of Sterling to wait until it was ferry duty time. I guess we must really be gluttons for punishment because when we got back the three of us loaded up in a 335i sedan and did a loop with me at the wheel. Quickly followed by Sally driving Donna and I around in an X3.

Seeing as we are staying in Arlington, it didn’t make much sense for us to ferry two cars to Arlington, get a bus back to Sterling, only to have to drive back to Arlington in the rental car. So Donna elected to drive the Pontiac G6 and jump in the 19 car BMW caravan and follow us in, saving about an hour and a half or two of DC driving time. Sally drove an X5 and I drove a Z4 Coupe. Donna was originally going to follow me, but when Sally went by first she just hooked up with her. I started about 6 cars back from them, but with all the traffic and stoplights there was no way to keep everyone together. As a matter of fact I got split from their group at the first light and once again never saw the ladies until I got to the end at the next dealer.

It was just a 10 minute drive back to drop of Sally at her place where we said goodbye. A quick circle of the block and we were back at the Holiday Inn. Man that was a long, but very fun day. The only way it could have been better was if it was sixty degrees instead of forty.

I Forgot The Title

SouthpawOne Biscuit n’ Gravy for her and one Sausage n’ Egg Biscuit for him with a water to drink.

Meal Cost: $2.74
Tip: None
Spent Today: $2.74
Year to Date: $737.57

I’m charging up the camera tonight so hopefully the battery will make it through the whole afternoon tomorrow.

Alright, what is the gimmick with all the offers I’m getting for 1.99% or 2.99% on balance transfers ’til the balance is paid off. I’ve got a pretty big balance on one card that is at 15 or 18% and I’ve been tempted to give one of these offers a go, but I’m sure I’m missing something that will come back and bite me.

Called to set up my six month follow up urologist appointment and was informed that the doctor I’ve been seeing is opening up his own separate practice. I was more than welcome to stay with the group, but would see a different doctor. Or I could choose to stay with my current doctor. They couldn’t give me his new number because they didn’t have it yet (so the receptionist said.) So what happened? My guy has only been there a couple years and he took over the patients from my previous doctor when he retired. He didn’t get along with the other two in the group? Did he do something the other two didn’t approve of? Get caught with his finger in the wrong cookie jar? Are the other two that difficult to get along with that they caused the retirement and now the split?

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 98

North? South? What’s the Difference?

North or South Lake DrApparently there is a big difference. I have the address of the missing Lexington post office in the master spreadsheet as 929 N Lake DR STE B. When I wrote about not being able to find it yesterday I put North Lake Dr in the post. The reason we couldn’t find it was because I had made a map of 929 S Lake Dr and that was where we were looking.

It bothered me that I couldn’t find the place, so tonight I went to the Hardee’s web site and search for Lexington locations and there was one at 917 South Lake Dr. I then went to the Postal Service site and repeated the search and it was then I realized that there was a difference between north and south – about 2-1/2 miles.

Two garden salads (Blue Cheese for me, Italian for her) and a 14″ 5-topping pie (sausage, pepperoni, green peppers, onions and banana pepper rings) at Ferrando’s in the alley on the way home from work. Water for both to drink. As usual we have half the pizza left for dinner another night at home or maybe lunch one day instead of a microwaved packaged meal.

Meal Cost: $20.56
Tip: $3.44
Spent Today: $24.00
Year to Date: $734.83

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 96

Save Radio Paradise

..and all the other smaller Internet Radio Stations. No money required, just a little bit of your computer time.

The US Copyright Office has released their new set of rates for the payment of royalties by Internet Radio — royalty rates so high that they will put Radio Paradise and every other US-based indie webcaster out of business.

What can you do? Sign the online petition and open letter to the US Congress. My signature number is #10423. Then please send an email message to your Congressmembers. You can use the suggested text, change it, or write your own message. I also suggest that you print your email (you’ll get a copy) and mail it to your Representative and Senators and, to show them that you really are a committed geek boy, call their offices. You can look up their addresses and phone numbers here.