Another One Bites the Dust

I got home Monday night to discover my living room DVR had bit the dust. It appears that a software upgrade became its death sentence instead.

I tried the suggested Microsoft reboot method (in this case unplugging it for 30 seconds, then plugging it back in). No luck. It was still dead.

I called Verizon on Tuesday to make an appointment for someone to come out and replace my dead unit, and the automated system told me I had a DVR that needs to be replaced, and asked me if I wanted to be sent a new one. Well, yes! That was nice that it already knew I had an problem, and offered a suggestion to resolve my problem. I never had such swift customer service from anyone at Brighthouse! It was always half an hour of my trying to convince a very bored-sounding person that I had tried everything, and that my DVR was indeed dead. 

Day 3: Tuesday, 12 August 2014 - Cardiff, Wales and London, England

First Great Western trains.

Cardiff, Wales
Seriously, I stayed up way too late again last night. My body still seems to think it’s on Eastern time. It needs to get with the program!

10:56am, Leaving Cardiff for London
Well, I'm on the train, despite not sticking to my original plan. I just could not convince myself to get up at 8:00am, and decided to once again forgo breakfast. I made it downstairs and checked out at 10:30, hoofed it to the train station, and still had time to order a cappuccino and croissant with 3 minutes to spare before the train arrived. I don't like cutting it so close, but my body thanked me for the extra sleep. I got five and a half hours, instead of only four.

Day 2: Monday, 11 August 2014 - Cardiff, Wales

8:00am, Cardiff, Wales

I set the alarm for 8am, thinking I would get up, shower, eat breakfast, and get a start on the day. I'd be able to hit nearby St. David's Centre (shopping) to get a charm from Pandora, straighten out the local phone, go to the Doctor Who Experience, and still have time to do something else, like visit Cardiff Castle.

Day 1: Sunday, 10 August 2014 - Did He Say We Landed In Paris?

12:10pm: I slept through breakfast, which is fine by me since I ate WAY too much food yesterday and had an upset stomach all night. When they announced we'd be landing soon, I quickly used the lavatory, and put on my shoes. We should have landed around 11:00 am, but it didn't register with me that we were landing an hour late.

As we descended, I lifted the blind on the window next to my seat to watch the scenery go by. I am sitting next to an enormous engine!

We landed with a quick and fast stop, causing the water bottle next to me to go flying, as I forgot it was there and didn't move it. 

The flight attendant came over the loudspeaker to announce that we had landed in Paris. Since we had been flying to London, I assumed it was a gaffe on the part of the flight attendant after a long flight. It's happened before. 

Day 0.5: Flying to London and Time Travel

Using an airplane to time travel is always fun. Today we will travel five hours forward in time. 

Day 0: Leaving for London, 9 August 2014

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

No, wait, that's wrong. Well, not wrong, exactly. Well, you know what I mean.

Today is the first day of a 3-week vacation, and I'm headed off to Cardiff, Wales. After that it's London, England (for Worldcon), Dublin, Ireland (Shamrokon), Atlanta for Dragon*Con. and then back home to Tampa. Yes, I am going to three conventions, three weekends in a row, in three different countries. I am going to have a marvelous time, and I am going to be TIRED at the end! 8-)

Stealing is Stealing - A Followup

This is a followup to my post from Saturday regarding wait staff who steal from their customers.

I've received various replies to my actions from Saturday night, where the only tip I left my waiter was the money he stole from me. 

One person posited that all I did was perpetuate the myth that white women (that's what I am) are bad tippers (that's what I am not). To that I say that the myth is a self-fulfilling situation. Somewhere along the way the waiters and waitresses (servers) decided that white women tip poorly, so they give lack-luster service in expectation of receiving a bad tip, and the poor service received results in a bad tip. If the servers would simply give everyone good service, without trying to pre-judge their tip, and the level of service they plan to provide, based on the size, shape, sex, skin color, nationality, or clothing of their customers, I think they would find a marked increase in their tips.

Stealing Is Stealing

Tonight I dined at Longhorn Steakhouse on Westshore, in Tampa. I received mediocre service from my waiter. Not bad, but not great. I never got a bread plate. He did a "drive-by" drop off of my salad onto the far side of my table as he hurried to another table. My steak and shrimp arrived sans the shrimp. I was 90% done with my steak by the time the shrimp arrived. But both were hot, and my steak was cooked properly (a less-than-average occurrence for me; I'm just lucky that way). And my glass had been empty for 10-15 minutes before I got a refill. 

I declined dessert and the waiter brought my check. I put in two $20s, expecting most of one of them back as change. I started paying cash at restaurants whenever possible after a waiter at Mimi's Cafe failed to notice that he didn't return my charge card because he had dropped it on the floor on the way back to my table. Lucky for us both that a kind person found it and turned it in. 

Teri's Attic Logo

Here' the logo I made for my eBay virtual yard sale. What do you think?

Apartment Living Sucks - March 2014

Today, I got a call from my apartment complex office, demanding information on my renter's insurance. 

What business is it of theirs whether or not I have insurance on my belongings? 

Turns out that back in December 2012 they implemented a new policy requiring all residents to have renters insurance. Of course, they never bothered to get around to notifying all of the current residents that there was a new policy which affects us. The office crew are reviewing all the accounts this month, and calling people who have "failed to supply the proper paperwork". How can I supply information I had no knowledge was required?

I'm no fool; I've had renters insurance since the day I moved in. Now I have to find my policy to see what coverage amounts I have, and because this "new" policy of theirs requires minimum coverage amounts, if I don't meet the minimums I will have to buy more insurance. Oh, joy.

I'd like to say that I'm sick of all the things the apartment complex springs on the residents in a retroactive fashion, but sick isn't quite a strong enough word. 

I REALLY need to get my house-buying ball rolling faster! 

And win the lottery so I don't need a mortgage. ;-)