A couple of weeks ago I received a call from a guy trying to sell me some home owners protection. Apparently we had that for free when we bought the house, but, after a year, you need to renew it and start paying for it.
I knew I wouldn’t get along with this guy when he opened with “well, we sent you a renewal letter a while ago, and we still haven’t received an answer. What’s up with that?” I asked him what was he talking about, and he briefly explained it, which still left me with a lot of questions. “So, is this like insurance?” I asked, to what he answered, very, very slowly, and with a very exaggerated intonation “Well, this is called hoooome-ooow-nerrrss-proo-teeeeeec-tion.” After a few more questions, and once I realized that the guy wasn’t going to give me any really useful information, I asked “so, how much is this?” At the time of my question, the guy was explaining me for the fifth time that the protection wasn’t an insurance, and that if you have a car you need to have insurance anyway (I still can’t connect that to his overall speech), and he didn’t like the interruption, so he told me “if you don’t let me finish, sir, I will hang up on you” (!!!!). No need to explain that right after that I had to hang up on him.
After that, I called my loan guy to ask him if that protection was really necessary and/or important, but he was out of town, so I left a message and a week later he called back and left a message on my phone that went something like this “Hello Manuel, this is *so and so* returning your call. I just came back to town. We were in Disneyland. We had a wonderful time, by the way. Please call me back to …”
After thinking it through, I don’t think I’m getting the home owners protection.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Half Marathon + Living Traditions
Last Saturday was pretty interesting. Megan ran her half marathon, and she did it within her goal time of two hours (her time was 1:59!).
Later that day we went to the Living Traditions festival in Salt Lake. We didn’t see much, because we got there at 7:00 pm, but we got to see “Son de Madera,” a cool Mexican band that played some kind of traditional music (I don’t know what’s called, but it sounds just like the music from the movie Frida). They were really good.
At 8:00, once they were done, we wanted to go to see the mariachi band playing in the other stage, but nobody else wanted to go, and we didn’t want to separate, so we just stayed and saw the Irish band that was playing there. I wanted to post a video of them, just to make Geoffrey jealous (the band consisted of two guys, one playing the guitar, and one playing the concertina, and he was really good), but I didn't bring my camera, and couldn't find it on you tube. Dang it.
Later that day we went to the Living Traditions festival in Salt Lake. We didn’t see much, because we got there at 7:00 pm, but we got to see “Son de Madera,” a cool Mexican band that played some kind of traditional music (I don’t know what’s called, but it sounds just like the music from the movie Frida). They were really good.
At 8:00, once they were done, we wanted to go to see the mariachi band playing in the other stage, but nobody else wanted to go, and we didn’t want to separate, so we just stayed and saw the Irish band that was playing there. I wanted to post a video of them, just to make Geoffrey jealous (the band consisted of two guys, one playing the guitar, and one playing the concertina, and he was really good), but I didn't bring my camera, and couldn't find it on you tube. Dang it.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Why We Like Ogden
Well, people may know O-Town for the crime (our own Ogden Trece Gang made it to a National Geographic show. Yeeeh!), for our crazy people, because the police here are actually busy, etc. But all is not bad in Ogden. Things are clearing up. We have indoor sky diving and surfing now. How many other towns can claim that, huh??
But besides that, Ogden is a town with a lot of history, and the Union Station is an example of the cool architecture that can be found here.
And if you go to downtown, east of Washington Boulevard, you'll see the coolest houses and buildings. I tell you, one day we'll end up there!
What I like the most about these houses is that they have a lot of personality. They are not those cookie-cutter new houses that you see popping everywhere now. A few blocks from our house there is a whole neighborhood of new mansions, they are huge, but they all look pretty much the same. I probably wouldn't pass the opportunity to live in one of those, though :), but if I had to choose, that Russian looking house up there looks pretty awesome to me...
But besides that, Ogden is a town with a lot of history, and the Union Station is an example of the cool architecture that can be found here.
And if you go to downtown, east of Washington Boulevard, you'll see the coolest houses and buildings. I tell you, one day we'll end up there!
What I like the most about these houses is that they have a lot of personality. They are not those cookie-cutter new houses that you see popping everywhere now. A few blocks from our house there is a whole neighborhood of new mansions, they are huge, but they all look pretty much the same. I probably wouldn't pass the opportunity to live in one of those, though :), but if I had to choose, that Russian looking house up there looks pretty awesome to me...
Monday, May 05, 2008
Hulu: Pure Awesomeness
A while ago in The Business they did a brief report on new video websites, and one of the sites mentioned was Hulu, a site with complete TV shows series. They have tons of them, from new ones, such as "My Name Is Earl" and "30 Rock," to old classics, such as "A-Team," and "Airwolf."
They also have some weird stuff, such as something called "Tostitos Fiesta Bowl" (my ignorance might give away my profound foreignness here) and "Victoria Beckham: Coming to America." Pure randomness right there.
But they not only have TV shows, they also have a really cool selection of movies. You are not going to find any "Citizen Kane" there though. I noted that they seem to specialize in the old horror B-Movie genre, and you can find really cool titles such as "Attack of the Puppet People," "PumpkinHead," and "The Comedy of Terrors;" but they also have some newer stuff, such as the always beloved (mostly by people who are not like you and me) "Ms. Sunshine," "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," and such.
The site has tons of ads. Not pop-ups, though, but lots of commercials in the shows themselves, which you can't skip. The Business, on a new news update on the website, said that all the commercial spots on the website were filled, and they might be opening even more, which means more interruptions during the viewing. And that may get annoying, but hey, it's free, and I'm all about free junk! All I need now is more time to watch this stuff...
They also have some weird stuff, such as something called "Tostitos Fiesta Bowl" (my ignorance might give away my profound foreignness here) and "Victoria Beckham: Coming to America." Pure randomness right there.
But they not only have TV shows, they also have a really cool selection of movies. You are not going to find any "Citizen Kane" there though. I noted that they seem to specialize in the old horror B-Movie genre, and you can find really cool titles such as "Attack of the Puppet People," "PumpkinHead," and "The Comedy of Terrors;" but they also have some newer stuff, such as the always beloved (mostly by people who are not like you and me) "Ms. Sunshine," "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," and such.
The site has tons of ads. Not pop-ups, though, but lots of commercials in the shows themselves, which you can't skip. The Business, on a new news update on the website, said that all the commercial spots on the website were filled, and they might be opening even more, which means more interruptions during the viewing. And that may get annoying, but hey, it's free, and I'm all about free junk! All I need now is more time to watch this stuff...
Sunday, April 27, 2008
The Bushes Are Blooming! + Our Neighbor's Junk...
Our bushes are blooming! They look great.
I think this is the best these bushes are going to look for the rest of the year, though.
And the little bushes we planted right before the winter are not only alive, but they are already budding! Yeeah!
I finally met our new next door neighbor. Nice guy but... he likes his front yard junk. I think that this might be the first time he has lived in a house with a nice front lawn, so he went crazy buying cutsy crap for it, including a wooden gate that leads to some bushes. Kinda pointless. He says he wants to buy the house, and I'm already cringing. At least he said he wants to put a fence between our yards, and I'm crossing my fingers, because his two dogs are driving me nuts.
This is just a little sample of his stuff. He's putting more every day!
I think this is the best these bushes are going to look for the rest of the year, though.
And the little bushes we planted right before the winter are not only alive, but they are already budding! Yeeah!
I finally met our new next door neighbor. Nice guy but... he likes his front yard junk. I think that this might be the first time he has lived in a house with a nice front lawn, so he went crazy buying cutsy crap for it, including a wooden gate that leads to some bushes. Kinda pointless. He says he wants to buy the house, and I'm already cringing. At least he said he wants to put a fence between our yards, and I'm crossing my fingers, because his two dogs are driving me nuts.This is just a little sample of his stuff. He's putting more every day!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Our Greens!
Well, the city did the green pickup. Most houses had a couple of branches on bundles and bags with leaves, and stuff like that. We had 15 bundles of thorny bush branches. And that was only half of it. The other half is still standing there, waiting to go...
On Sunday, talking in church with one of my neighbors, she told me how none of the former owners haven't worked on to the house as we have. I then mentioned that if we had a truck we would do much more, and then another one of our neighbors, who was standing by us, said, "Well, we have a truck. We don't drive it, and it needs to be driven, so you can borrow whenever you want!" That'll save us a few thousands there!
On Sunday, talking in church with one of my neighbors, she told me how none of the former owners haven't worked on to the house as we have. I then mentioned that if we had a truck we would do much more, and then another one of our neighbors, who was standing by us, said, "Well, we have a truck. We don't drive it, and it needs to be driven, so you can borrow whenever you want!" That'll save us a few thousands there!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Weber State in Spring
The show is melting, and campus is looking really nice. The fact that most of the trashy buildings are gone and a bunch of new, awesome looking ones have been erected to replace them really helps...
I love the duckies.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
School Video
This is the first (and maybe even final) version of a little project I'm working on at school. The kids don't understand why it's black and white and the speed of the image is so fast, but they love it and always ask me to play it again. Except those kids dancing at the end, of course.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Adoption News 1
We have decided to go through every possible route to adopt a baby. Option 1: LDS Family Services.
So, a while ago we went to an orientation at the LDS Family Services office, and the first thing we see is a sign an a desk that read:
Hope Manuel
That was, clearly, a sign for us. But things didn't finish there.
A couple of months later (today), I went back to turn in our application, and the secretaries told me "you actually need to talk to Hope," and pointed to where the lady named Hope Manuel was on her knees trying to plug something into the back of her computer. "Do you need help," I asked her. The secretaries laughed. "I'm trying to plug my printer back. I unplugged it, and now the plugs don't fit it. I don't think there was something else attached to it. I just don't get it." I tried to help her out, but the connector was really weird, and there was nothing in the back of the computer where the cable could have been connected to. After a while of looking hopelessly to the different connectors, I decide to unplug the cable from the printer, and then I realized the problem was that they put the connectors of the cables in the wrong ends. What should have gone attached to the computer was attached to the printer, and they were trying to connect the end that went in the printer into the computer. So, after 10 minutes of laying there, under Hope's desk, trying to fix her computer problem, she asks me "so, are you a volunteer?" "No," I answered. "I just came to drop my application for the adoption process."
I don't need to mention that she was really excited and overly helpful after that. Things just get better and better every time I go to that office...
So, a while ago we went to an orientation at the LDS Family Services office, and the first thing we see is a sign an a desk that read:
Hope Manuel
That was, clearly, a sign for us. But things didn't finish there.
A couple of months later (today), I went back to turn in our application, and the secretaries told me "you actually need to talk to Hope," and pointed to where the lady named Hope Manuel was on her knees trying to plug something into the back of her computer. "Do you need help," I asked her. The secretaries laughed. "I'm trying to plug my printer back. I unplugged it, and now the plugs don't fit it. I don't think there was something else attached to it. I just don't get it." I tried to help her out, but the connector was really weird, and there was nothing in the back of the computer where the cable could have been connected to. After a while of looking hopelessly to the different connectors, I decide to unplug the cable from the printer, and then I realized the problem was that they put the connectors of the cables in the wrong ends. What should have gone attached to the computer was attached to the printer, and they were trying to connect the end that went in the printer into the computer. So, after 10 minutes of laying there, under Hope's desk, trying to fix her computer problem, she asks me "so, are you a volunteer?" "No," I answered. "I just came to drop my application for the adoption process."
I don't need to mention that she was really excited and overly helpful after that. Things just get better and better every time I go to that office...
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)