So Katie's only a year away...
...from getting a cell phone, at least if she's to be like most children her age, according to a recent study in England. Actually, I'm more worried about when Anna's going to want one; she's totally gadget-obsessed.
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Stop! Linky-time!
Some of my bookmarks are now available for your perusing pleasure. Use them with caution!
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Bummer
I finally got around to calling Northern Virginia Community College to ask whether they'd ever gotten an instructor for their Latin 101 course. They have, and that's a bummer, because I'd gotten psyched about the possibility, however remote, of jumping in at the last minute and reliving some of the glory days of my classical education. But I guess that it's not to be. Back to programming...
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Welcome Miranda Elise Tibbetts
On May 30th, I became a first-time uncle. My youngest brother, Jeff, and his wife Jennifer had their first baby. I'm still waiting for them to send some pictures. Congratulations!
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A sort-of birthday present
Today we received replacements for three Farberware Millenium pans that we'd sent back, under a lifetime warranty, due to problems with their non-stick surfaces. I think that we got the originals as a wedding gift, or bought them ourselves at around the same time, which would make them 7 or 8 years old. The replacements are all the better because they're from the original Millennium line (silver-sided), which aren't madeanymore. (Their newer replacements are ugly and aren't rated as highly.) One bit of weirdness was the Amazon.com: 4-Quart Sauté pan, which appears to be a replacement for the 12" sauté pan that we sent back. This one looks even more useful, especially because we'd already bought a replacement frying pan ourselves. Happy birthday to me!
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Reinstated, and it feels so good
Finally! The Gods of eBay have deigned to reinstate my account after a nearly 3-year bannination. I was booted out a few years ago with a message that I was certain was fake:
Hello,
Thank you for writing eBay.
We have strong reason to believe that your eBay account password had been recently compromised. Although we are not able to disclose the details surrounding the investigative procedures that led us to that conclusion, we assure you that our action was in the best interest of the safety of your account.
In order to prevent any fraudulent activity from occurring we chose to temporarily close the account until we had heard from you. This process allows us to give back sole control of the account to you with instructions regarding the account and its future safety.
Our main goal now is restoring your account back to you as quickly and safely as possible. To continue with your appeal we will need you to provide proof of your identity so that we can verify ownership of your account. To expedite the reinstatement process, please provide all of the following documentation:- A printed and completed copy of the Request for Reinstatement Form along with proof that your eBay contact information is valid. If your eBay contact information is your work address, please send official documentation to validate it. Include your telephone number on the documents you send us. To access this form, enter the following address in the location or address field of your Web browser:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/poisec9reinstform.html
- A copy of your driver's license or other government issued ID. Your name and address must be clearly visible.
- A copy of a recent credit card statement, bank statement, or utility bill statement clearly showing your billing address. If you are concerned about sending sensitive information, such as your Social Security number, please black it out.
Any information submitted as a part of your appeal must be consistent with the registration on your eBay account. Should any discrepancies exist, we ask that you provide an explanation of those discrepancies as well as any additional information or documentation that confirms your explanation.
Please fax your Request for Reinstatement Form, a copy of a recent credit card statement or utility bill statement, and proof of your registration information (copy of your ID) to:
eBay, Attention: Section 9 Appeals Fax Number: 877-349-1798
If sending from outside the United States, you may also use the following fax number:
Attn: Section 9 Appeals: 001 + 801-545-2700
Please be sure to include the User ID and email address of the suspended account you're appealing. If your fax does not contain this information, it will not be processed.
Allow 48 to 72 hours for your request for your appeal to be processed. Emailing us before that time will result in delays.
Any documents submitted will be destroyed after the information has been reviewed and verified.
Thank you for your time.
I wound up just leeching off of Alison's account for the time being, but she's getting tired of acting as my liaison whenever I bid on something--especially now that I'm at war with one seller who sold me a Festool saw and router that were grossly misrepresented, and has yet to refund my money.
Now it's time to fix the link in the masthead.
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How Not to Run a Business, Part II
At the risk of having my water cut off, I have to say that our Falls Church water service is a shambles. We're supposed to be billed quarterly, but I've received only one bill since last June or July. Most people would rejoice at not receiving a bill, or at least not notice, but the water bill stares down at me from the Past Due list everytime I use Quicken. I sent an email last week asking where my bill was; it went unanswered. Today I called them, waited on hold for quite a while, and finally talked to a very tired-sounding rep. She told me that the bills would be out "in the next two weeks", which is what they said last winter when I went through the same process. I asked whether this upcoming bill really would be the one that should have been due in January, and she said that it was. I asked how it was possible that the entire billing system is at least 6 months behind, and her response is that they're understaffed and that "the computer systems don't talk to each other". After 6 months, ditch the computer system and write out the bills by frickin' hand! There's been a surpising silence about this billing catastrophe in the News-Press and 2006-2007 budget. I think that I'll write a Letter to the Editor, at the risk of drawing the ire of the 10,000 other water customers who are quite content not to have a bill.
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How Not to Run a Business, Part I
Because I've been bitten by the Festool bug, and because Festool requires its resellers to adhere to fixed prices, I found another way to get some money back from my purchases. Woodcraft offers a credit card that entitles you to earn "4% on ALL Woodcraft Purchases", according to their card info page. So I duly signed up, and was given an obscenely high credit limit. But that's beside the point. What I didn't get was more specific information about the rewards program: how to redeem points, what the points were worth, etc. So I called both the card provider and Woodcraft, and was told that there isn't any information that they could send me in writing. Instead, they verbally told me the terms:
- 4 points/$1 spent at Woodcraft stores
- 3 points/$1 spent at Woodcraft.com (thus contradicting the "4% on ALL Woodcraft Purchases" claim)
- 1 point/$1 on all other purchases
- Every time 2000 points are accumulated, you'll get a $20 voucher that can be used at Woodcraft
- There's no way to track accumulated points online
- There are no restrictions on what qualifies for the Woodcraft purchases, including products from manufacturers who sell through Woodcraft but actually ship the items themselves (i.e. Festool)
- There are no restrictions on what the voucher can be used for at Woodcraft
What a hassle! I'd be tempted to just toss the card, but a 12-month 0% APR and at least the possibility of saving a measly 4% on my Festool purchases prevents me from doing so. I'm only posting this so that others who may search online for more information about the Woodcraft card can find this post.
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This one's for you, Alison
"A full-time stay-at-home mother would earn $134,121 a year if paid for all her work", according to a study by Salary.com. They've even got a Mom Salary Wizard tool that will allow you to print out a "check" to give to the mom that works so hard. According to my calculations, Alison should be paid exactly $159,972. Alison, honey, you rock.
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Since I didn't vote, I'll have no right to bitch.
For the first time since I turned 18, I didn't vote in an election. I figured that this one truly did not matter, since the City Council seats were uncontested and there were five candidates for four School Board seats. None of the School Board candidates appeared to be an anti-evolution loony, so I don't have to worry about that.
I briefly considered making some homemade signs to promote myself as a write-in candidate, but since I may one day put up a real campaign for one or the other, the write-in thing could have backfired. The people who stay in Falls Church have looooong memories.
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This is pretty cool:
