Monday, August 30, 2004
Monday, August 23, 2004
Greezy, fast-talkin, slimeball, dirty-assed salesmen.
I had another one of "those" salesmen call me this morning...
It's a pretty standard routine, they call the maintenance department first, and immediately launch into a spiel about how "it's almost time for another box of 4' fluorescent lights, we'll get those out to you on the next courier". The poor maintenance guy who picks up the phone typically doesn't know who we get our lights from, and just says "Oh, alright". Then the bastard really lays it on thick, and starts talking about sending gifts along with the shipment, they ask him what size of hockey jersey he wears and say they're going to include a nice Team Canada or Canucks shirt along with the shipment. Thankfully our maintenance dude, even though he's new, knew enough to tell the guy to call me about any orders. But this salesman's no dummy, he knows he's talking to the purchaser now, so he has to alter his strategy.... He starts off with the pitch about the Canucks Jersey, asks me my size and if I'm a hockey fan. When I say, "well, not overly", he starts offering me $50 gift certificates to Crappy Tire, tells me I can go get a couple tanks of gas on him. The rest of the conversation went as follows:
Me: Well, that does sound pretty cool, but just to be fair, you know we don't currently purchase anything from your company. (I can't remember the name of his company now, Electrical somthin)
Greaseball: You don't buy anything yet.
Me: So I'm assuming that you'd like to ship me something today.
Greaseball: Yup, I've got you down for a box of our 6 year guaranteed fluorescent bulbs.
Me: And how much would these bulbs cost me?
Greaseball: They're a little over $8 each.
Me: Yeah, see, I can get bulbs from the local electrical distributor for 2 bucks.
Greaseball: But you're forgetting about the 6 year guarantee man, those things flicker or burn out, and we replace 'em for free.
Me: Are you by chance affiliated with Sureway Electric in Ontario?
Greaseball: Nope, we're *insert company name here*
Me: Cuz Sureway used to pull this exact same bullshit on me too, they call up every 4 months or so, tell me they're trying to support Team Canada this year and would like to send me a shirt. Then ask if we're still using their overpriced 4' fluorescent bulbs.
Greaseball: (realizing at this moment that I'm not a corrupt purchasing agent) Alright man, talk to ya later. *click*
This asshole had put me in a bad mood for the rest of the morning... that other greaseball from Sureway called and bugged me several times before I finally told him to go pound sand, and now I've got this guy. Do lighting salesmen all take the same course? The one where they tell them that a fast tongue and promise of a free hockey jersey will always win over a greedy purchaser? I admit, the first time the Sureway guy called I was new to the job, and just assumed by the way he was talking that he was our lighting supplier. But then the bill for the bulbs arrived. I immediately called them back and said that there was no way I would have ordered these if I knew what they were going to cost, and they eventually sent me a credit for the difference in price between theirs and my local supplier.
I gave the shirt to Spencer, he's a hockey fan.
It's a pretty standard routine, they call the maintenance department first, and immediately launch into a spiel about how "it's almost time for another box of 4' fluorescent lights, we'll get those out to you on the next courier". The poor maintenance guy who picks up the phone typically doesn't know who we get our lights from, and just says "Oh, alright". Then the bastard really lays it on thick, and starts talking about sending gifts along with the shipment, they ask him what size of hockey jersey he wears and say they're going to include a nice Team Canada or Canucks shirt along with the shipment. Thankfully our maintenance dude, even though he's new, knew enough to tell the guy to call me about any orders. But this salesman's no dummy, he knows he's talking to the purchaser now, so he has to alter his strategy.... He starts off with the pitch about the Canucks Jersey, asks me my size and if I'm a hockey fan. When I say, "well, not overly", he starts offering me $50 gift certificates to Crappy Tire, tells me I can go get a couple tanks of gas on him. The rest of the conversation went as follows:
Me: Well, that does sound pretty cool, but just to be fair, you know we don't currently purchase anything from your company. (I can't remember the name of his company now, Electrical somthin)
Greaseball: You don't buy anything yet.
Me: So I'm assuming that you'd like to ship me something today.
Greaseball: Yup, I've got you down for a box of our 6 year guaranteed fluorescent bulbs.
Me: And how much would these bulbs cost me?
Greaseball: They're a little over $8 each.
Me: Yeah, see, I can get bulbs from the local electrical distributor for 2 bucks.
Greaseball: But you're forgetting about the 6 year guarantee man, those things flicker or burn out, and we replace 'em for free.
Me: Are you by chance affiliated with Sureway Electric in Ontario?
Greaseball: Nope, we're *insert company name here*
Me: Cuz Sureway used to pull this exact same bullshit on me too, they call up every 4 months or so, tell me they're trying to support Team Canada this year and would like to send me a shirt. Then ask if we're still using their overpriced 4' fluorescent bulbs.
Greaseball: (realizing at this moment that I'm not a corrupt purchasing agent) Alright man, talk to ya later. *click*
This asshole had put me in a bad mood for the rest of the morning... that other greaseball from Sureway called and bugged me several times before I finally told him to go pound sand, and now I've got this guy. Do lighting salesmen all take the same course? The one where they tell them that a fast tongue and promise of a free hockey jersey will always win over a greedy purchaser? I admit, the first time the Sureway guy called I was new to the job, and just assumed by the way he was talking that he was our lighting supplier. But then the bill for the bulbs arrived. I immediately called them back and said that there was no way I would have ordered these if I knew what they were going to cost, and they eventually sent me a credit for the difference in price between theirs and my local supplier.
I gave the shirt to Spencer, he's a hockey fan.
Friday, August 20, 2004
New Car
Hahaaaaa.... Jeff's a happy boy. I've officially purchased a new car. A 2004 Oldsmobile Alero, it's basically a Grand Am, 'cept with a better cockpit layout, and a 5 year powertrain warranty. This baby comes loaded: power everything, ABS & traction control, 4 wheel disc brakes, 16" aluminum rims, 3.4L V6, CD and Air, you get the picture. I managed a pretty sweet deal on it too. The one I picked up was a fleet return, and used only 6 months. Right off the bat that cut $8000 from the sticker price, from there I managed to get it down another $3400, and by the end of the day walked away with a pretty good deal.
Oh boy... good gas mileage here I come.
Oh boy... good gas mileage here I come.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
AllWorkAndNoPlayMakesJackADullBoy
After several weeks of shopping around, uming and awing over different models and options, I'm finally headed down to the dealership... to slap a deposit on the counter. Updates to follow...
Sunday, August 15, 2004
Too many pills spoil the broth.
Ahh, it's Sunday morning... and the cool, cloudy day that I had hoped for yesterday has finally arrived. A little late, but welcome nevertheless.
Stayed up late last night, had a few beers and watched the un-edited version of The Exorcist on TV. As a result I had to sleep with Christine coiled around me like a python, a Python that's afraid of the dark... and.. doesn't eat whole antelope.
Once upon a time, my mom mentioned to me that, for her, slight hangovers can sometimes act as a catalyst for anxiety. I've noticed that I am far from exempt from this phenomenon, and recently got it in my mind to try and take extra steps to counteract the effect. Normally, I take 30mg (1.5 tabs) of "Celexa" every night just before bed... but on nights where I've had a few beer, I'll usually up that to 40mg. Well, silly me last night. I had already taken the two whole pills and was in the washroom getting ready for bed, when I noticed a bottle on the counter. A herbal remedy called "Tryfonia L5". It's something I used to take before a specialist prescribed the Celexa. Anyways, in my slightly inebriated state, I figured that one of these would mix nicely. Long story short, I slept about 4.5 hours last night and now find myself in front of the computer, taking blog editing cues from a tiny striped badger on my shoulder. "What's that Bucky? I can't end a sentence with a preposition? Actually I don't think I've done that here... what's a preposition again?"
Stayed up late last night, had a few beers and watched the un-edited version of The Exorcist on TV. As a result I had to sleep with Christine coiled around me like a python, a Python that's afraid of the dark... and.. doesn't eat whole antelope.
Once upon a time, my mom mentioned to me that, for her, slight hangovers can sometimes act as a catalyst for anxiety. I've noticed that I am far from exempt from this phenomenon, and recently got it in my mind to try and take extra steps to counteract the effect. Normally, I take 30mg (1.5 tabs) of "Celexa" every night just before bed... but on nights where I've had a few beer, I'll usually up that to 40mg. Well, silly me last night. I had already taken the two whole pills and was in the washroom getting ready for bed, when I noticed a bottle on the counter. A herbal remedy called "Tryfonia L5". It's something I used to take before a specialist prescribed the Celexa. Anyways, in my slightly inebriated state, I figured that one of these would mix nicely. Long story short, I slept about 4.5 hours last night and now find myself in front of the computer, taking blog editing cues from a tiny striped badger on my shoulder. "What's that Bucky? I can't end a sentence with a preposition? Actually I don't think I've done that here... what's a preposition again?"
Friday, August 13, 2004
Meanwhile, behind the facade of this innocent looking Howard House...
For those of you who either don't live in Vernon, or don't watch CHBC news, you likely haven't heard about all the controversy surrounding the local halfway house here as of late.
A couple weeks ago an elderly couple was home-invaded by a man who had visited them earlier to check out their van that was up for sale. He returned during the night, tied the couple up, robbed them, and during the process beat the 75 year old grandfather to the point where he eventually succumbed to his injuries while in hospital. An APB went out on the front page of the Morning Star, (the local newspaper), and a suspect was nabbed by police seemingly hours later. Immediately afterwards, a badly decomposed body was discovered over an embankment near adventure bay. The body was later identified as a 60 year old man who met with foul play nearly a month ago. The newspaper was quick to point out the fact that the home invader had disappeared from the Howard House just over a month ago, and was already a suspect in that killing as well.
Eric Norman Fish is the third man in 8 years to bugger off from the Howard House and find someone to kill... the exact same offense that landed him, and the two previous murderers, in the clink in the first place. Three people that have been deemed by their parole board as "safe to be reintegrated into society" have reoffended amongst the population of our quiet little town. I say we relocate the Howard House to it's own little peninsula off the North coast, 200 miles from any other sign of civilization. Let the residents learn to live with and take care of each other. Let them form their own little town, with proper structure and an internal government. People who manage to excel in that environment would be given the option to return to the rest of the world... and the remainders would just kill each other off. We could call it Australia II. Perhaps the Howard Peninsula would become a destination for surfing tourists in a couple centuries.
A couple weeks ago an elderly couple was home-invaded by a man who had visited them earlier to check out their van that was up for sale. He returned during the night, tied the couple up, robbed them, and during the process beat the 75 year old grandfather to the point where he eventually succumbed to his injuries while in hospital. An APB went out on the front page of the Morning Star, (the local newspaper), and a suspect was nabbed by police seemingly hours later. Immediately afterwards, a badly decomposed body was discovered over an embankment near adventure bay. The body was later identified as a 60 year old man who met with foul play nearly a month ago. The newspaper was quick to point out the fact that the home invader had disappeared from the Howard House just over a month ago, and was already a suspect in that killing as well.
Eric Norman Fish is the third man in 8 years to bugger off from the Howard House and find someone to kill... the exact same offense that landed him, and the two previous murderers, in the clink in the first place. Three people that have been deemed by their parole board as "safe to be reintegrated into society" have reoffended amongst the population of our quiet little town. I say we relocate the Howard House to it's own little peninsula off the North coast, 200 miles from any other sign of civilization. Let the residents learn to live with and take care of each other. Let them form their own little town, with proper structure and an internal government. People who manage to excel in that environment would be given the option to return to the rest of the world... and the remainders would just kill each other off. We could call it Australia II. Perhaps the Howard Peninsula would become a destination for surfing tourists in a couple centuries.
Monday, August 09, 2004
Narc Park
I had a fun little trip down to vernon's seedy underbelly this weekend. On Saturday night Spencer was coming into town to sleep over, we had planned to head out on a hike first thing on Sunday. (I'll write about that once I'm home and can post the pictures.) Anyways, his bus was coming in from Kelowna at 19:30, so I headed into town a little early to run an errand, and found myself at the bus depot 15 minutes early. With nothing else to do, I pulled through the depot parking lot and parked on the street where I would see the bus coming. Then I opened a new toy from Canadian Tire and used the time to familiarize myself with it. I hadn't considered what I had just done from an outside perspective... I had pulled up and parked across from Narc Park, then sat, waiting, in my truck.
It had been less than a minute when I heard from outside my window: "What can I do fer ya, Darlin?" I turned to see a middle-aged, and obviously drunk/stoned Native lady standing next to my truck. Swaying from side to side and looking everywhere but directly at me. "Actually, I'm just waiting for my buddy to come in on the bus." Was my reply. "Oh", she slurs back, "I thought I might hook ya up with sumpin. Listen, If I give ya 5 bucks, can you give me a ride home?" Think fast... "I'm sorry, he's going to be getting in any minute, I don't want to miss him." She stumbles around in a circle for a bit, stops to look at her feet, mumbles something under her breath, then wanders back into the park.
After this I decided to just sit back and watch the activity going on around me. The old Native lady was gone already, possibly hopped into someone else's vehicle. But there was still lots to see... Like the two guys who just walked back and forth between the park and the depot parking lot, often right in front of cars that were forced to slow down or go around them. And the scrawny shirtless guy on an old 10-speed, riding around in circles until someone came walking along the sidewalk. At which point he'd ride up to them and ask casually: "Wanna buy some weed? Hey man, wanna buy some weed?"
It was really quite interesting that all of this could be going on before the sun had even gone down, within 3 blocks of the cop shop. I hadn't realized just how active that park had become. It also explains why the bus depot washrooms require employee-issued tokens to get into now. Ahhh, Vernon. And Christine wonders why I prefer to live outside of town.
It had been less than a minute when I heard from outside my window: "What can I do fer ya, Darlin?" I turned to see a middle-aged, and obviously drunk/stoned Native lady standing next to my truck. Swaying from side to side and looking everywhere but directly at me. "Actually, I'm just waiting for my buddy to come in on the bus." Was my reply. "Oh", she slurs back, "I thought I might hook ya up with sumpin. Listen, If I give ya 5 bucks, can you give me a ride home?" Think fast... "I'm sorry, he's going to be getting in any minute, I don't want to miss him." She stumbles around in a circle for a bit, stops to look at her feet, mumbles something under her breath, then wanders back into the park.
After this I decided to just sit back and watch the activity going on around me. The old Native lady was gone already, possibly hopped into someone else's vehicle. But there was still lots to see... Like the two guys who just walked back and forth between the park and the depot parking lot, often right in front of cars that were forced to slow down or go around them. And the scrawny shirtless guy on an old 10-speed, riding around in circles until someone came walking along the sidewalk. At which point he'd ride up to them and ask casually: "Wanna buy some weed? Hey man, wanna buy some weed?"
It was really quite interesting that all of this could be going on before the sun had even gone down, within 3 blocks of the cop shop. I hadn't realized just how active that park had become. It also explains why the bus depot washrooms require employee-issued tokens to get into now. Ahhh, Vernon. And Christine wonders why I prefer to live outside of town.
Thursday, August 05, 2004
Everything's comin up Millhouse.
I was on my way home from work last night, when I got thinking about the whole ICBC thing again. I hadn't heard anything from them since I found out about the liability split. So just like that there's a message from the claims adjuster waiting for me at home, turns out she was on vacation and just got back on the case. At any rate, she had more good news for me. It would seem that my mere 25% liability means that Christine's insurance is no longer affected in any way, her rates stay the same and she doesn't loose her safe driver's discount. But wait, there's more icing.... we also get 75% of our write-off deductible back, the cheque's in the mail. I never imagined not being at fault could be so cool, I had never before associated ICBC with anything other than financial pain and misfortune. It almost makes me want to go out and slam on the brakes next time somebody's tailgating me. :)
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Bachelorized
Christine's on her way up to Clearwater today, with her Mom and sister, for an extended family get together. This means I'm livin the single life for the next 3 days.
If anybody needs me, I'll be dancing around the house in my underwear, loaded up on beer and meth, and screaming about raccoons in the trees.
If anybody needs me, I'll be dancing around the house in my underwear, loaded up on beer and meth, and screaming about raccoons in the trees.
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Vernon... smaller and smaller and smaller
I was just walking through the warehouse to the acrylic plant, when I passed by yet another new face pushing a shower on a hand cart. This is nothing new, our truck loading crew turns over faster than... a Chevette with an 18v battery. That was lame. Anyways, this kid looked familiar though, it took me a second, but I'm pretty sure he was one of my brother's old friends from early high school. I can't remember his name, but he was the big kid who always brought all the platform games over when my brother had a sleepover party. Spencer's good with names, maybe he'll remember?
EverCrack, one month later
I logged on to EverQuest last night, only to find that my one month free trial had expired. To quote Beavis: "eaeeheeaaeehhhh.....this sucks." I briefly considered pulling out my credit card and signing up for another month, but threw that out the window when I remembered that EverQuest II would be coming out this winter, and it'd be silly to make a financial commitment to a game that was about to become old school. So I did the next best thing, I cheated. The account I created said that it was only good for one trial run, so I just made a new account, using a new name and my work email. This is actually cool, cuz I have to start a new character as well, and I was getting tired of the monotonous hacking and slashing of the Barbarian class. Necromancers are much cooler, being able to cast spells adds a whole new dimension to the game. I highly recommend that people give it a try: http://everquest.station.sony.com/trilogy/download.jsp
PS: If you do decide to try it out, be sure to use the "Morden Rasp" server... maybe I'll run into ya online.
PS: If you do decide to try it out, be sure to use the "Morden Rasp" server... maybe I'll run into ya online.
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