Friday, August 17, 2007

One Problem Solved

Just call Brian Mr. Tech Support. Apparently when he got home from work yesterday he was so pissed off at Dish Network and the local dealer that he decided he was going to mess around with the connections to see if perhaps the cables were hooked up incorrectly (Entirely possible since the cables were not color coded like they were supposed to be and in the switching boxes we may have switched cables). I mean, he couldn't really mess anything up any further, right?!?!
So, when I got home from work last night, I was informed that the cable is once again working and everything is doing what it is supposed to be doing.
We once again have cable, I can record missed shows while I am at work, and we don't have to wait in anger for the installer to come out and look at things. (I think we are keeping the appointment though, just to make sure there really is not a more serious problem.)

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Why does bad luck come in 3's???

Starting Saturday:
1. Our flooding/drain back up issue. Look into "The joys of home ownership" entry for more information on this problem.
2. Brian had to get new glasses after the optical tech at Wal-Mart broke his. You never expect that anything will happen once they give their "since you did not buy them here, we are not responsible should any damage happen to them during our adjustment" disclaimer. Low and behold, she broke the tip of his earpiece. The glasses would still do their job, they would just dig into the side of his head. Talk about a headache. So, since it had been 3 years since the last eye exam, we decided that was the best choice and thanked the Wal-Mart lady for her help. (We went to Lens Crafters to have the issue resolved.)
3. After spending close to 2 hours on the phone last night with Dish Network Tech Support, we have come to find out that there is a problem either with our dish or the cables that hook everything up. No big deal, we are still under warranty after recently upgrading to a new DVR, so send someone out. Well, last night we were told that no one could get out here until Friday between 12 and 5. Okay, I guess if that is the best you can do. We can live with the little TV from the basement with the basic channels for a day. Well, Brian called the local dealer, who would be sending someone out, this morning to find out that the soonest someone could be out here was NEXT WEEK Friday. Um, a whole week without cable and being able to tape missed shows while at work-I DON'T THINK THAT IS ACCEPTABLE!!!!!! So I went to work this morning and Brian was going to do some calling during breaks to see what he could get accomplished. I think that because the service lady at Dish told us someone could come out tomorrow, that is what should be stuck too. Why do we have to suffer because the local dealer gave her the wrong information???

Hopefully this is the end of the back luck. I have had all I could handle for a while. Wish us inexpensive luck on all our issues.

Monday, August 13, 2007

The "joys" of homeownership

We have drain backup issues. Every few months, our basement shower drain backs up and sends water out the bottom of the shower, under the walls and out into the basement. It also backs up into the shower. We had the shower replaced a year ago, and were told that was the root of our problems. That doesn't seem to be the case.
Funny I used the word root, because that seems to be exactly our problem. Anyone that has been to our house knows about the 2 large trees in front of the house. Well, it seems that the roots from one of those trees may be growing into our drain pipe by the street, causing occasional backups into the basement.
As beautiful as the trees is and a wonderful shade provider during that afternoon sun, it is starting to get very costly. And since the back ups happen on the weekends, we end up paying the plumber extra for the weekend call. That tree just may have to go.
Today our pipes had their 15 minutes of fame. The plumber came and sent a camera down our main drain in the basement bathroom. Everything appeared to be clear from our house to the street, but at the street is where the tree roots became visible. Upon the advise from the plumber, we called the city to see what they were going to do about it. They sent a crew out to open up the manhole cover and clear their MAIN pipe which runs down the middle of the street. I am told that everything is clear on their end. Then explain to me the video tape that I have showing tree roots growing into my pipe 44 feet from my house. Again, anyone that has been here knows that our house is not far from the street, so the problem would be in the street.
Well, if it is, we are still responsible because it may be in our lateral (whatever that means. That is what the city guy told me) The city is only responsible for the main line and we are responsible for anything else.
So, our pipes have been rotor-rooted, the main city pipe has been rotor-rooted. All we have to do now is wait a few more months to see if we can go swimming in the basement again. Stay tuned for the latest plumbing saga.

Better late than never

I finally broke down and decided to find out what this Harry Potter craze is all about. I bought all 7 books this weekend. Barnes and Noble had 1-6 in a boxed set, and I couldn't seem to resist. Of course, what good would 1-6 be without 7, so that got added on to the purchase as well. I haven't started reading yet, but books 1 and 2 look relatively short, so I should be able to get those done in no time.
If anyone out there reading this had read the series and would like to have book discussions on it, I am all for that.
Happy Reading to all!!!!

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Another year bites the dust

Yep, yesterday marked the beginning of my 28th year on this earth. It really doesn't feel any different. Brian keeps telling me to wait until I hit 30 (he will be 33 this year), and he keeps teasing me about getting older. The great things is that no matter how old I get, he will always be older!!
The day was really no different than any other Monday. Except for the fact that there were a few cards in the mail and less bills. I love having mail that doesn't require sending money to someone. The mother in law also stopped by, with one of the sister in laws, to drop off a gift and cake-we all know that Brian wasn't going to make one. And I still had to work at Sylvan, but I did get a gift certificate to Dairy Queen, so I guess it was worth it. And my student load was fairly light and easy, so I can't really complain. Now I just have to figure out how to spend all that birthday money.
The other excitement from the day was that Brian started his new job. Well, the training part anyway. I guess there is no guarantee of a job until the training is completed and passed (whatever that means). I believe that means we have another 3-6 months to wait before we know if he has permanent full time employment.
I still have no full time employment. I did get an application in the mail that I asked for 2 weeks ago. I even e-mailed them last week to make sure it had been mailed since I hadn't gotten it yet. They assured me it had been mailed-that was July 31st when I got that e-mail. The postmark on the stamp said Aug 2. Makes you wounder. Do I really want to fill out that application?? It is only at a day care center for K4. Guess I will wait to see if anything else comes along.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

A DMV visit can be accomplished in under 1 hour!!!

I was just as shocked as you are reading that, but I did it today. And I must say it was a firts for me!!! I needed to have the lein removed from my car title (the car has been paid off since May, so I decided that I would finally make the trip in to the DMV). So after teaching at Sylvan this morning, I headed to the DMV, with my title and lein removal paperwork from Ford in my hand, along with a book to read. Walking in, there seemed to be an awful lot of people, so I thought I was doomed. I waited in line to get my number. The time stamped on my number was 11:13am. There were only 4 numbers ahead of mine, maybe this wasn't going to be so long after all.
So, I took a seat and began reading. After about 10 minutes, I was noticing that the 500's were not moving at all and everything else was. (My number was 535) Finally it went to 532 and then they started flying from there. Just before 11:30, I heard that wonderful DMV voice say "now serving 535 and window number 6."
I gathered my things and went to the window. The guy took all my stuff, entered some things into the computer, took my check, and handed me my new title-with no leins!!! I was walking out of the DMV shortly after 11:30.
So for all those of you who dread going, like I used to, it is possible to make it a short trip. The trick is to pick the right day and the right time. Would I have been so lucky at 3pm on a Friday?? Probably not.