Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in paran0ya's LiveJournal:

[ << Previous 20 ]

Wednesday, January 18th, 2006
9:06 am	Calmed again Well, I just re-read my last post and man, I was one angry person when I wrote that. I'm quite sure it was good reason but just reading it made me think to myself, "man, I must have been really pissed when I wrote that." I know that's not the norm so phew, glad I got it out of my system. So work is proving to be challenging. I won't say any more than that. What i'm working on is stressing me out because it's difficult and i'm having trouble focusing. It's probably a pride issue as in a "why haven't I finished this yet, I must be stupid" kind of thing. I really am trying hard to do my best but I find it difficult to focus. Maybe it's just the corporate environment that hinders me or more than likely it's just my pride. I'm looking forward to this weekend when chekov and I go to philly to see Tony and Tina's wedding. Her firm is taking all their employees who wish to go and their significant others/life partners/live in monkeys. I think it's very kind of them. I'm quite sure there will be a congregation at a bar afterwards. Chekov and I will be staying right near my old place in Willow Grove and on Sunday we're heading down to Elkins Park to see ZaMoose and company. Maybe I can convince chekov to try some new food. Well, new for her at least. So that's all I have to report for the time being. I really enjoy reading about the stock market and futures. Intel announced less than stellar earnings and it began a massive trading fest in Tokyo which will then of course have a wave effect over here. I'm sure apple will announce year end profits with the amount of iPods sold this holiday season. That should pull the market back up. It will be an exciting day on Wall Street. (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 12th, 2006
3:47 pm	You've got to be kidding me It's as if the bullshit in my life never ends. I purchased the car from Lynnes Subaru in Bloomfield, NJ. I picked up the car on December 22nd. I transferred my plates and I was given a temporary registration. After about 2 weeks passed I realized that I had never received my actual registration. This began the phone calls to the dealership. All of them ending with "someone will call you back" Yesterday, my temporary registration expired. I placed a call and spoke to the Subaru sales manager. I was placed on hold and fortunately the holding did me some good as it gave me more ammunition to fire at that slick talking ham-sandwhich eating bastard. I kept hearing on the recording, "At Lynnes Subaru, we strive for total customer satisfaction and that is our promimse. We will stop at nothing until you are completely satisfied." Well SFB (shit for brains) finally got on the phone and I unloaded on him. I even went so far as to say that his staff was clearly not trying their hardest to ensure my complete satisfaction. I was apologized to and they even offered to blow me. I declined. I placed a call this morning to find out that my registration was ready but there was a slight problem with the paper work. I received a call back from their "head of regisration bitch" which I will refer to as MLITCI (Most Likely In This Country Illegally). MLITCI was so hard to understand that she had to repite (that's spanglish for repeat) what she was saying almost 16 times. I finally got this much out of it: THESE DUMB BASTARDS REGISTERED ME ON A CAR THAT I DO NOT OWN. THAT IS WHAT TOOK SO LONG. NOW MY ACTUALY REGISTRATION FOR THE CAR THAT I HAVE BEEN DRIVING IS IN AND I CAN GO PICK IT UP. UNFORTUNATELY, I STILL HAVE TO SIGN RELEASE PAPERS TO GET MY NAME OFF OF THE CAR THAT THEY PUT ME ON MISTAKENLY. ALSO, KNOWING THIS DEALERSHIP, THEY ARE GOING TO TRY TO SELL THIS CAR WITH MY NAME STILL ON THE TITLE, ALTHOUGH THEY ASSURED ME THAT IT WILL NOT HAPPEN. Let me tell you, heads are going to fucking roll. I will never deal with these inept motherfuckers again. They may have given me the best price and that's most likely because they are a bunch of fucking idiots. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, January 11th, 2006
9:58 am	They run around, listen to the loud moosic But they nice people, so itsa ok. I had my first italian lesson last night. I met a woman named Rosetta at the cafe in my town. She apparently moved here from Italy 6 months ago. Her english is not terrible, but it's not great either. Our arrangement is that we meet once or twice a week and try to learn each other's language. Last night was my first lesson and already i'm reading italian better. She really stressed the use of verbs and pronounciation. It's only after explaining how english works to someone do you really understand how truly messed up it is. Most of the answers that I gave to her were, "because it sounds better" I wouldn't know an imperfect from a preterite if my life depended on it. I do know how to speak and write though. So the day has finally come. Apple computers now have intel processors. I was against this completely at first but seeing the new machines on the site, i'm hooked. They're freaking sexy and frankly desidero uno. (I want one) Tuttavia, sono molto costosi. Attenderò un poco tempo per vedere come sono. However, they are very expensive. I will wait a little time to see how they are. In other news i'm taking beer making to the next level. Al prossimo livello! I will be making a starter for the yeast. This should step up the cell count magnificently. I will also be putting pure oxygen in the wort. That should provide a fertile environment for fermentation. I really want my final gravity to get lower than it has been getting. It leaves a cleaner tasting brew with less residual sugar (malty character) I hope it doesn't explode! Ok, back to work. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, January 4th, 2006
8:16 am	Bastards of America That's right, this is a minor rant on bank of america. In this discussion, I will refer to their "higher standards." Upon viewing my credit card activity for this month I noticed a grievous error in the balance carried over from the previous month. Now, for some background, I have and never will carry a balance on a credit card. I keep my spending to an amount I can afford and I pay at the end of the month. "But Vinny, if you do that you should get an amex." No I shouldn't, I don't need an annual fee to show I have discipline. But I digress... So it seems the carried over balance was inflated by $4286.56 As you can imagine, this came as quite a shock to me. Fortunately, I was not a victim of identity theft and I could see it was just some server side error. I place my first call to Bank of America customer service. I speak with a woman named Joan whom I will refer to as PW1 (partially worthless 1) She decides to start transferring me to different departments instead of listening to what I have to say. While she was an actionable individual, it seemed that she was much more willing to shuffle responsibility on someone else. This practice has unfortunately become common place in the workforce. I get transferred to card services and speak to CW1 (completely worthless 1) who informs me that not only is she not able to see my account information online, but she can't even think of who would help me with such a problem. Our conversation is quick because I realize she is of no use to me, hence my abbreviation for her. PW1 is still holding on the line with me so she decides to send me over to technical support. Now I'm waiting in a technical support que. Another woman whom I shall refer to as AFW1 (absolutely fucking worthless 1) answers the call. Yada yada hoo hoo and 10 minutes later when I finally get done with the explanation she says to me "well sir, we've had no problems with the site today" My response is of course, "well this seems to be like and issue doesn't it? Why don't you open a ticket on it?" She gasps for a second and almost as if an epiphany has occurred to her she says "you know what I can do for you, I can flag this as a problem. Would that please you?" I'll leave it up to your imagination as to what would please me at that point in the conversation. Unfortunately, AFW1 can't see my transactions, can't support the website and really has no authority to help in anyway. She can't even inform the proper department of my issue and have someone contact me when it is resolved. I tell AFW1 that for a bank with "higher standards" their different departments seem like warring factions who in essence accomplish nothing. AFW1 goes silent and unable to respond. I must have overloaded her buffer. She ends up transferring me to card services. Now in card services I speak to someone whom I will refer to as PGW1 (pretty goddam worthless 1) She also cannot see my account balance or really help me in anyway. She does give me the best advice that I have received thus far which is "maybe you should just wait until tomorrow sir and it may resolve itself" Well gollee PGW1 I forgot all about that thar black magic that runs webservers and databases. It's not like humans have any thing to do with the errors on the page. It's all the fault of the big nasty internet. If I did not hang up the phone at this point I was going to have something burst in my head. I retired for the day accepting defeat but vowing guerilla style warfare at sunrise. Sunrise comes. The air is cool. There is a smell of battle in the air and as I look upon the horizon I know that today, yes today I will get what I have come for. I log on to my account to see that NOT A FREAKING THING HAS BEEN DONE. I knew this to be true. I was able to see it in the palathir. My phone call to bank of america this morning however went much differently. I called and instead of waiting through their obligatory menus I just kept pushing "0" until I got a human. I told her that I needed the online department. I was transferred to the online department and connected with NCW1 (not completely worthless 1) who told me that they are experiencing problems with the site and that they are working diligently on it. The problem should be resolved within 24-48 hours. I accepted this as a minor victory because acceptance is the first step. I then pose the question, "is there any person who can see what I am seeing on my screen?" NCW1 tells me that I need to be connected to their "verified by visa" department. I hold and finally speak to SWHW1 (someone who has worth 1). SWHW1 sees my problem, apologizes for the error and tells me that they are aware of the problem and they are working on it. Now I have two departments who are informed and maybe, just maybe, they can all work together to solve it. Just like THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO. Or maybe i'm just freaking nuts. I got approved for a capital one miles card last night in 25 seconds. I'll be moving my purchases over to them because hey, so far their customer service has been great. At least i'll get miles back from my purchases. Current Mood: annoyed (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, December 30th, 2005
12:16 pm	On managing stress So xmas is over and done. I realize i'm about a week behind. This was a rather uneventful year electronically so I wasn't interested in many things. The presents I got however were excellent and well thought out. Allow me to explain. Normally, I would make a web page for my parents with links to things I want. I have so many interests that they really can't keep up. They would click and purchase and that would be the end of it. This year, I really didn't want many specific things. I sort of just said some clothes and some beer stuff. I made things terribly difficult on chekov apparently. She has proclaimed me "impossible to shop for" She did extremely well too. Her "theme" this year was stress relief. I know I stress myself too much and she obviously sees it too. My present came in seven (7) parts. Two were books and the other four were bottles of wine. Her theme was to try to control stress from the inside and when all else fails, drink. The smaller book which concerns itself with visualiztion and imagining success is very bible-thumperish. The entire book can be summarized by saying: "Whatever you want, just imagine it and pray hard. You'll eventually get it." Now, here is my commentary on that. I think it's incomplete. Yes, it's good to pray and ask for things. However, you have to set a goal yourself and work toward it. Just imagining it and praying repeatedly is not going to get you there. I unfortunately had to stop reading that book because after 25 pages the man had not really said anything and it was apparent he wasn't going to start anytime soon. The second book however is great. It's about general stress management and it really has spoken to me so far. It profiles people based on perceived stress levels and stress indicators. It discusses all forms of stress both internal and external factors, how stress can be helpful and the stress threshold which unforunately I seem to reside in. I'm doing my best to get out of it though. I certainly profiled under the worry-wart category and I agree with it. It's refreshing to read a book that's light-hearted and at the same time helpful. The wine so far has been excellent. Last night chekov and I sampled a Montecillo from Spain with our very tasty Thai food. The spiciness of the wine played very well with the chili-laced dishes that we ate. The wine was light and very bright and I enjoyed it very much. Since I had to drive we didn't drink the whole bottle. (Leaves more for me tonight :) ) The Subaru is driving incredibly well. I can't get over the difference in road feel from the Jetta. Such increased stability and traction. I love the way the interior is appointed. While driving it I think to myself "a subaru shouldn't be this nice" Chekov even gave it a nodd and a really nice car and a superior value. You've got to understand what a groundbreaking event this is. She's extremely republican and doesn't believe in foreign cars. For her to compliment a japanese automobile is with the likes of man discovering fire. It's huge! With new year's rapidly approaching we'll find ourselves in Allentown at Chateau du Paone for a mexican fiesta. illusivemotive will be present in his blue sequin shirt, leather pants and alligator boots. I'm looking forward to the "make-your-own" taco bar. Oh and I'm bringing some of O'Vinny's Irish Stout which has improved with age. The Original Porter will also make an appearance. You know we gots to rep exit 150. We still smokin crack! So that's the long and short of it so far. Things are going well. I'll be ringing in the new year with friends instead of with strangers for 110 bucks. Seems like a much better time and i'm looking forward to it. Also, I received an aerobed for xmas so i'm looking forward to trying it out. And i'm out for now. I'll always remain your humble narrator. (Comment on this)
Friday, December 23rd, 2005
8:04 am	And i'm rollin in my.... WARNING: What follows is a horrible attempt at rhyming. My whiteness is on display right here. Legacy Black 2.5I Limited Sedan, leather inside Rollin 17s and the 6 disc changer Let it snow, let it snow, i'm in no danger Ok, that is clearly enough. If I continue with that, i'm going to have to kick my own ass. So I got the car. It's sweet. All black, inside and out. It rides nicely and man oh man is the trunk gi-huge-ic. I also have winshield wiper de-icers. I found that kind of funny. Last day of work before xmas. I'll be bustin out of here slightly early today. I'm sure the earlier I get on the road the better. Chekov and I are meeting up with bookery and ok_with_today (they're sort of a package deal) for some Big Fish. The standard slurry of seeing family at xmas and all that will follow in the next few days. Should be a good time all in all. I think I got my big present early though :) So Spamalot was, in a word, amazing. I liked the first act much better than the second act but that's besides the point. Hank Azaria played 20 parts throughout the show and the question was finally answered, yes, Lancelot is gay. Oh, and also, you can't succeed on broadway without jews. Dinner was in a word, awesome. Trio Restaurant and Bar in Murray Hill. I had Osso Bucco with horseradish gnocchi (pronounced gah-noky) and roasted asparagus. Chekov had crab encrusted (prounounced een-crew-stayed) sole with some accompanying vegetable. Their fried calamari was also, as my mom would say, "tah die foh" (prounounced to die for) A brisk walk to the theatre after dinner gave us a chance to get some fresh air and sample old new york at the time when the city was held hostage by the "militant hatian" That guy is a douche, plain and simple. We caught a cab back to the car, and we were the only fare! We crossed the threshold though so we got hit for $15. I'm not that bothered by that. I wasn't going to start a fight with the Ugandan bastard. After all, I had a lady with me. How gentlemanly would it have been for me to run the cabbies head into the scaffolding. In the spirit of xmas, I let it slide. The hotel was in a word, hot. I made the jacuzzi water too warm so we had to let it cool down. I don't think i'll go into more details about that portion of the evening. And then I picked up my car the next day (Thursday). It's been a busy time. I'm sure it's not going to slow down. I have to go though since I have work to get done. Merry Christmas! (Comment on this)
Monday, December 19th, 2005
10:39 am	Ok, so that movie messed with my head a bit..... I finally had a viewing of Saw. The epic thriller starring Cary Elwes, good ole DG (Danny Glover) and some other people. Yes it was well done, yes it messed me up a bit but I still feel that there were some plot holes that were too large to ignore. For instance, what was this wonderful chain they had around their ankles that besides having restrictive properties also doubled as a vehicle for electrocution? I'm just not seeing how they were able to be remotely shocked like that. Also, if "jigsaw" had a gun in one hand and a taperecorder in the other (which they got in the beginning of the film) and he supposedly didn't move, how was he remotely juicing them. Not too clear on that one. Also, I thought it was silly how a surgeon sawed off his own foot to escape. He clealy wasn't going to make it more than 10 feet with the blood loss. Perhaps he could have cut lower and avoided major blood loss? Could he have dislocated or broken his foot to get out of the cuffs? How did jigsaw keep running after being hit by a shotgun spread. I don't understand how that was possible. And furthermore, i'm very disappointed in DG. He took on the damn predator in LA but he couldn't yoke up a cancer patient. Freakin' weak dude. But yes, it did interrupt my sleep. It bothered me how he "acquired" his victims. Get them at their most vulnerable and drug them. How fantastic. Whatever happened to good old fashioned homocide, though the cage of razorwire was a nice touch. At least I can see the second one now and know what's going on. I've heard mixed reviews on Saw 2 and given my notion to crap on sequels, we'll see what happens. Let's face it, it's gonna be no "Blade 2" and that's my benchmark. The porter is conditioned and living happily in bottles. It's very intense, lots of hops, rather chocolately and I agree and it is suitable for a "session." The 22oz bottles let people know that i'm not messin around. This ain't you're little sister's porter! I also kegged the irish stout yesterday. That's very dark, coffee like consistency. It's hoppy, but not too hoppy. I would have like to see the alcohol content get higher but i'll take 4.75%. We're in the shaking process now so i'll have to see how it turns out. If I can get one more brew day in this year that will make 30 gallons since august. I'm pretty happy with myself and this little "hobby" I have. It's really fun and give me something to look forward too. Fortunately, there isn't as much upgrade fever associated with beer making like their is for espresso fanatics. Still, I would love a kick-ass espresso machine at some point in my life. Car Update: Settled on a trade in value of $8000 for the jetta. I got the price of the legacy so low that I just was not able to squeeze anymore out of them. I was able to trade the jetta in with good confidence of it's mechanical state. It's been driving well ever since I got it back but it's just too expensive of a car to hang onto. I'm not so attached to it after all we've been through. Hopefully, it will make someone else very happy. I *should* be picking up the legacy on Thursday assuming they locate it, get it in and get it the way I want it. They did give me the great price but they don't have the car on the lot. I'll talk with them today about getting a VIN for the vehicle and where it's coming from. So yeah, it's almost xmas. Fortunately, my shopping is done so I'm just about hanging out now. Chekov is back from Vegas and still has a penny left to her name. She sent me phone messages with photos of her drinking martinis. I should have sent her back photos of my cube. In sports, the Giants are still kicking names and taking ass. Wait, reverse that. Still, i'm happy with their performance this late in the season. Their next game is Saturday evening (xmas eve) against the redskins. The game is down in DC and i'm starting to question if spending xmas eve with my family instead of going to that game is really a wise decision. So yeah, crazy times and stuff. Like Tony Montana would say "nevah geh high on you own supply mahy" Current Mood: wtf Current Music: Ten Crack Commandments (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, December 12th, 2005
8:19 am	Back in the kraut again! Yes, that's right you heard it here first. I have my german war machine back and it's purrin' like a Nazi who just had his back shaved. Deutchland, deutchland yadda yadda. But seriously, it's driving very well. It still has oil on it because the dealership suspends it's washing of cars in the winter for some reason. I'll get it cleaned tonight. I now have one shiny new rim and 3 dirty old ones. The car is shifting much smoother than I remember it. It seems to start nicer than it previously did in colder weather. It's not a bad car by any means but I think I need to drive it more before I make my decision about the Legacy. In other news, I was able to get a very good price on the legacy this weekend from the fine folks at Freehold Subaru. They were trying to push me into a car that day, but as you all could guess, your humble narrator wasn't having it. By the time I was walking out of there they were apologizing to me; and that's the way it should be. BONG!!! So I'll see what the future holds in the next week or so. Assuming I want to ditch the axis car and pay some homage to the empire of Japan, i'll have to negotiate a reasonable trade in value for the car. At least I have a very good price for the vehicle itself. Chekov is in Vegas livin it up and partying like it's 1999. Actually, she's with her parents and let me tell you, they can get pretty crazy. Have you ever watched MTV spring break? Well they're nothing like that. Saturday Chekov and I saw Narnia. It was in a word, excellente! I really enjoyed the film. After a quick bite at Friday's (the masters of poor customer service, they dropped out mozzerella sticks) we bid adew so she could back and take her beauty rest. She did have a very early flight from Newark. (pronounced "nork") I visited bendersen82 who apparently cleans his apartment with the same frequency as his LJ posts. We checked out the Top Dog in Cherry Hill. What a jip joint. We met this guy named Kev who was just sort of hanging out. After bullshitting about sports and playing pool, we decided to try their "club" upstairs. Ben and I were allowed access but Kev was not on the account of his "hip-hop attire" I attempted to speak with someone from the organization who informed me that no logos or baggy clothese are allowed upstairs. They did say however that if we were wearing Versace with a logo that would be ok. I then of course responded back with "oh, so I can wear a logo as long as I've paid $1200 for it" The retarded girl told me that people who spend that much money on clothes are not the type to insight fights. Clearly, she's never been to a Pacer's game or had any common sense in her short and meaningless life thus far. So that's the weekend in a wrap. At least the G-men won, however horribly they did play. Eli is starting to piss me off with all these interceptions. I realize he's young, I realize he's inexperienced, but his accuracy is killing me. His number for each game are excellent but they are overshadowed by the 2-4 interceptions he throws. Hopefully they can get it together. It seems that more and more this journal is taking on "substance" I'm not sure if that is correct for its balance in the universe. Perhaps I need to form a new one in which I can talk about things with meaning. More on that story as it unfolds.... Current Mood: chipper Current Music: Fight The Power (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 6th, 2005
7:48 am	Now that's what I call an asswhoopin! Oh did the eagles lose. Holy crap. Thank God for small favors. Sorry to all my philly peoples who care about football and like the eagles. So it seems that a WRX as a new vehicle prospect might not be such a good decision. I've learned that it has one of the highest insurance premiums in its class. It attracts alot of young drivers and so it's a risk. I don't want to lose my shirt in car insurance. I already live in NJ, it's expensive enough on a 3 year old car. I probably am going to turn my sights onto the Mazda6, Volvo S40 and unfortunately, there are no American cars that really appeal to me. I like the Chrysler 300 but it's a boat. If anyone has any suggestions, now is the time. Still waiting to hear about my car. I'll be placing a call to NJM today. First i'll blast them again for how long it takes them to cut a damn check. After that i'll inquire about insurance premiums for new cars that I am looking at. Maybe the regular Impreza or the Legacy will have lower premiums? I'll have to see about that. So, that's all I really had to say. I expected much more snow but alas, I was disappointed. I don't mind driving in the snow. It makes the drive nicer to look at. Still, the first snow fall brings all the idiots on the road. Well, ta-ta for now. I'll write more when I know more. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, December 2nd, 2005
9:34 am	It's a celebration bitches!! Friday. FRY-DAY! Friday, sweet Friday, I wait for you all week, you leave me too quickly. Like a lark off a branch you fly off in the distance. Universally an-ti-ci-pa-ted. Dramatically over-stay-ted. Deeply miss-ed. Friday. Disclaimer: That was a poor attempt at a parody of the beat poet style of Mike Meyer's character in So I Married An Axe Murderer. If you haven't see that film, go home and hit yourself on the head with a pot. Then get some ice, and while you sit on the couch with a headache, watch the film. So I'm completely freaking out with the Ranger's season thus far. It's downright amazing. I'm lovin' it. Bah dah bum bah bah. Last night I went to Red Robin and watched the game with sErGe. Red Robin was quite a disappointment compared to the ones in PA. Our waitress kept trying to push more alcohol on us and well it was just annoying. After that we went back to sErGe's place and finished watching the game. We also discussed my financial future and steps that I will be taking soon to maximize my unrealized income. I've learned that mutual funds and drips are your friends, so do right by them. Tonight I shall make the venture to Menlo to xmas shop with chekov a bit. I haven't done any of my shopping at all so this will be good. A quick stop off at the Cheesequake Factory for energy and then i'll be ready to go. Also, work should have officially began on my car. With all the new parts i'm getting i'm starting to wonder if I want a new vehicle after all. I guess i'll have to see how it drives and do a small cost benefit analysis. I'll be brewing up my version of an irish stout this weekend. Having kicked the keg of trippel I find myself craving more homemade brew. I'm actually souring two pints of Guinness to add to my wort for the full boil. Should provide for an interesting taste additive. As for the meantime, i'm just gonna get back on this work shizzel. Work is really fun and that's all I have to say for now. I love having stuff to do. It makes the day zoom by. So until next time, konichiwa bitches! (Comment on this)
Monday, November 28th, 2005
8:24 am	Ayeesh Well, it's Monday, woo, back at work. How fantastic. I had a good weekend. I rested, I ate, I enjoyed my time off. I am almost back to full health. I'd probably place myself at about 90% right now. I have a new problem though. My jaw is absolutely killing me. A year or two ago I was having jaw pain. I went to the dentist and he told me it was my TMJ. Temporomandibular joint. It essentially is the connection between the jaw and the skull. Well mine hurt so my dentist made a night guard for me so I would not grind my teeth while I slept. That has sufficed until now. I've been wearing it and well, my jaw hurts like hell. It hurts to talk, hurts to eat and even hurts to yawn. With any luck there will be a peaceful resolution to this. Right now I just need to get it looked at. Still no progress on my car. I placed a call this morning to NJM. They will call me back today. I see no point in going over this guy's head (John Angiorami) at the present time. Once I get my car back, the real war will begin. I will write letters which I will post on this blog. I will lay blame on him and his completely incompetent staff (Shirley Fletcher) along with the worthless appraiser (Nicole Dichiara) I will also send this letter to newspapers so that readers all over NJ can see what they are paying for with this insurance company. The only thing that I know for sure right now is that i'm being screwed around and I don't like it very much. So that's all I've got to say for now. More when I feel like it. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 22nd, 2005
7:54 am	yeah, yeah, it's been a while You know what really grinds my gears? Being sick. You're somewhere, who knows where. Perhaps it's a yardsale. Perhaps it's a yardsale on Englishtown Road. Perhaps it's a yardsale on Englishtown Road in Old Bridge, NJ less than a mile from the Englishtown Auction. All of a sudden, a crapload of illegals show up to try to buy your items for cheap. Sure, you make out well for your unused items, but they leave you with illness. Actually, I have no idea if I got sick from the yardsale chekov and I had this weekend, but considering she's sick too, that was probably the place. Bubblin y'all I really hate that new sean paul song. It is, as they say in the industry, a hot mess. However, I can't seem to escape it. It's on every damn station I switch to. And speaking of radio stations... You know what really grinds my gears? Radio stations that you grew up listening to that switch their format to talk. I grew up listening to K-Rock out of New York. It was an incredible station. It was the quintessential new york radio station. A couple of months back, possibly a year, they changed their slogan and their format slightly. They became "92.3, Great Rock Period" They started playing about 85% classic rock and 15% new stuff. While I hemmed and hawed, still I listened. Recently, I found out that the station is going to completely talk in a little while. What on earth is their problem? I've known people who have had brief stays in NJ/NY and complained that they didn't get KRock where they were from. They even said it was the one thing they truly missed. Such a load of bullshit. I can't see how this can be generating more money for their execs either. Well, they are probably so far out of touch from their fan base that it doesn't matter. Looks like my options for music in the tri-state area are hip hop and oh yeah, hip hop. In other news, still no word on the car. Consequently, no work has been done either. At least the supplemental appraisal happened. I'm going to call them today. Time to lay the smack down on them once again and have them cower in fear. More on that story as it develops.. (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 16th, 2005
9:21 am	Update It is now Wednesday. No appraiser has been out to see my car. A call to my adjuster, Ms. Sherry Fletcher, who is next to fucking worthless shows me that there was no communication on the state of my claim. She was completely unaware of the conversation that transpired between her boss, John Angirama and myself. Mr. Angirama is out today or else I would speak with him. She is now "trying to find my file" and will call me back. I am fortunate to have this journal to keep a record of the conversations between NJM and myself. Let it serve to everyone who has to deal with an insurance company about an auto claim. I am disgusted that I actually pay for this kind of treatment. Sure they may have great rates, but their customer service is god awful. I guess I have to keep working my way up the food chain until I piss off someone with some clout there. The saga continues.... (Comment on this)
Friday, November 11th, 2005
9:18 am	Hells fuckin yeah! Well all you motherfuckers, NJM will be suckers, if you don't step aside for Paranoya. So here we go. The following account details the attempt the New Jersey Manufacturers made to screw me over on the repairs to my 2002 Volkswagen Jetta. So NJM finally gets around to appraising my vehicle and cutting me a check. Well, here is what they came up with: Replace oil pan Replace sub-frame Replace a wheel Only pay $44/hr labor rate So that means on top of my deductible ($500) they wouldn't pay VW's full labor rate. This means I would have the pay the difference. VW estimated 6.6 hours of labor. The difference I had to pay was $43/hr. You can do the math, and it's alot, on top of my deductible. Well I wasn't having it. First thing this morning, (Friday) I called the Supervisor of auto claims and NJM and tore into him. I used the calm but psycho approach that chekov taught me. Essentially, I told them that their appraisal was inaccurate and incomplete. I also told them that looking over my policy that I could see no evidence that they would only pay $44/hr. I also described how it seemed to me that the appraiser did not speak to VW whatsoever and that was the reason for there being no correlation between the work VW wanted to and what NJM was going to pay for. I indicated to NJM that VW uses an industry standard reference guide known as "VISIS" which is updated yearly to reflect current labor costs, current parts costs and estimated times it will take to perform any and all service that might be required on any VW vehicle. NJM couldn't tell me what book they referenced when putting together their numbers and were silent as to why the quote was so drastically off and inaccurate. It was the equivalent of a fucking choke-hold and they tapped out. After getting off the phone with NJM, the supervisor from NJM called back within ten minutes. He had called VW, negotiated a rate of $82/hr that they would pick up in full. He also is sending out and appraiser on Monday for a supplemental inspection to the vehicle in which they will be sending me an additional check which will cover the remaining costs. I feel very happy today. I consider this a victory, and not a minor one either. They tried to screw me and I wasn't about to take it. So I celebrate today. I won, at least for now. We'll see what the future brings and I can assure you that it will be documented right here for all my loyal fans. Until next time.... Current Mood: damn right! Current Music: Rancid - David Courtney (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, November 7th, 2005
8:17 am	Violation, or how I got screwed on the NJ Turnpike So let's begin simply I'm driving along, (la da da da da) on Friday evening to visit chekov and some of her partners in crime to watch movies, drink beer and well, relax. In anticipation of this significant trip, I had my tires examined Friday. One of the tires had a nail in it and it was plugged for a small fee. I figured all was well... Then, as I'm driving down the Turnpike southbound, I pull into the CARS-TRUCKS-BUSES lane. I casually pass exit 13 when out of nowhere the car in front of me goes on two wheels. It kicks out something that I can only describe as "a soccer ball sized boulder". It happens so suddenly, that I am unable to avoid it... ***********BANG!!!!!!!!!!!!************** I hear the loudest noise from beneath my undercarriage. The oil light on my dashboard comes on indicating that I have low oil pressure. My car then makes the VW buzz. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the VW buzz is a sonic indication from your car meaning, "get me the fuck off the road, i'm going to die" I took the car out of gear and coasted over to the shoulder where I turned it off. Somehow, I was not creamed by a variety of semis pulling about 100mph. Once on the shoulder, I call AAA for assistance. I don't even speak to a person but their phone system detects that I am in NJ. They inform me that the Turnpike Authority does not allow them to help people on the highway and only an approved station from the Turnpike Authority can assist me. I am then forwarded to the Turpike Authority to report my event. While on the phone with the dispatch he asks for my mile marker. I am of course, nowhere near one. The closest on is about 200 yards away. I get out of my car and sprint down the side of the road to see the 99 4/10 mile marker. I give my location and they inform me that a tow truck will be there in half an hour. In the meantime, I called my family and friends to let them know what had happened. Chekov was worried sick about me and did all she could to keep me calm and thinking rationally. When the tow truck arrived, he informed me that he would only be towing me off the Turnpike and that I should arrange for AAA to pick me up at the location I would be at. I had to pay for the tow up front which was $75 so that I could go two miles and be dropped off in Carteret. If you've never been to Carteret, let me tell you, you're not missing much. My father met me in Carteret and we waited for the tow truck. We assessed the damage as best as we can. Our joint conclusion was, "this car is fucked." Let me tell you, that there is a technical term. The tow truck from AAA was piloted by a crazy guy named Phil from Virginia. I didn't know that flat bed tow trucks could take winding turns at 50 mph, but he proved me wrong. Alas, he was a nice guy and I got to the dealership. I've also put a claim in with my insurance. At the time of this post, they are sending an adjuster to look at the car before any work is done on it. VW called Saturday morning to let me know that so far they can see $1350 worth of damage. They can't test the engine out until they can get some oil in it. And that was just the beginning of my weekend. I'm tired just thinking about all this shit. Anyhoo, that's all for now. Any comments or questions, you know what to do. Current Mood: wut-da-fuh (Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 26th, 2005
12:03 pm	Holy crap this is weird Now I am truly frightened And what are the implications of this new technology? I'll begin with: Video Games Non-lethal weapons Virtual Pornos (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 25th, 2005
8:26 am	Vagitus That's right, it's a real word and it means: "The cry of a newborn." Weird. So i'll be going to Lehigh this weekend for a wedding. That out to be fun actually. Tank and Moe have been together for a while so it's about time they tie the knot, you know, for tax reasons. With any luck i'll be going to check out Subarus. I really like the 06 Impreza. I've gotten decent quotes on it already so we'll see what other black magic I can perform. Oh, and I have no umbrella. It now resides in Ohio with illusivemotive. Accidentally I left it in his rental car. He took it with him to keep it safe and then he left it in the house when he began his travels. I assume it will get back to me at some point, but for now it's like the travelocity gnome. In other, more disturbing news, Sirius Satellite Radio will have an entire channel dedicated to Bruce Springsteen. I think that is downright awful. If someone wants to listen to him they can go buy all of his albums and load them up on their iPod. Now Sirius customers have a whole channel that they can't tune to. Granted, I am not a sirius customer, but I seriously doubt I ever will be. (get it!) Is video podcasting the wave of the future? God I hope so. It's only a matter of time before you can watch good old Rush talk to you in his boxers. Won't all of us in the blue states just love that? Perhaps I need to come up with my own show... You know, to combat all those weirdos. Current Music: Light my Way (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, October 17th, 2005
9:54 am	I apologize So my post on Friday was pissy and adolescent at best. I would remove it but undoubtedly people read it and well, I'm not that much of a douche. I assure you that my normal mood is restored and yes, i'm still here. So the weekend was good. Friday night was all about brewing for me. The brew session went off well with the exception of the yeast packet. It really didn't "expand" like it normally does. I pitched it anyway and well, after waiting 36 hours with no result, I pitched more yeast. Now it is certainly fermenting which is a good thing. I'll give it two weeks for primary. Should be enough. It should come out about 8% or so. Saturday was actually quite fun. After fighting with VW about trying to scam money out of me I drove to chekov's house and went out with her family for her brother's birthday. The food at La Cippolina was excellent. The service, however, was extremely lacking and coupled with a pushy fucking waiter. Those Italians are pushy bastards sometimes. I think someone needs to baseball bat them once in a while. On Sunday chekov came over and we watched Seabiscuit. It happened to just be starting as we sat in front of the television. I'm actually glad I watched it because it was rather good. It wasn't just about a horse who was fast. That was just part of the story. If you haven't seen it I recommend it for a lazy Sunday movie. So that be that, and this be this. Living at home isn't so bad, but it's not wonderful whoopty doo either. Now that I understand the drive and all i'm in a better spot to figure out where I might try to live. Anyway, gotta go, work calls (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, October 14th, 2005
12:58 pm	Motherfucking rain So I was supposed to go to lunch right about now but it's pouring. This pisses me off. Now I have to wait a half hour because other people don't want to go out when it's raining. What the hell is all this shit anyway? Fortunately having a late lunch has it's positives. It makes your afternoon zoom by which is always a plus in my book. The roads are going to be a nightmare today so i'm really in no rush. I got the big diss from chekov tonight. Her sibling had an extra ticket to the weezer/foo fighters show in continental. He "couldn't find anyone else" to go so I told her to go. She is a huge weezer fan and apparently seeing them twice in the same calendar year isn't enough for her. I need a judgement call here: does this qualify as taking shit? Anyhoo, gonna hang out with sErGe tonight. That should be fun barring a goddamn monsoon. Maybe I should just stay in tonight and brew. I guess i'll figure it out. Fuckin rain. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 11th, 2005
9:02 am	Tres anos So today is my 3 year anniversary with chekov. Happy Anniversary! I love you! We technically celebrated already but we're celebrating again. I've always been a big fan of celebration. It's just so fun. We shall dine at Sunny Palace in lovely, scenic East Brunswick. A town known for its, how shall I say, diversity. Alas, it will be a good time and much expertly prepared chinese food will be enjoyed. /*Yankees rant It goes to show you that throwing money at a situation is not the way to solve it. Talk about shitting the bed. I caught the wiff of that last night all the way from Anaheim. What a performance. It was an exercise in futility after the 3rd inning. Missed balls, no coordination of resources, terrible calls by umpires (not in the yankees control) and of course, men left on base. I'm not saying I could have done better, all i'm saying is, if someone was paying me that much money, I WOULD have done better :) But that's in the past. At least Boston is out too. While speaking on the phone with bendersen82 we came up with an interesting theory. Baseball postseason = Yankees XNOR Redsox Just think about it for a second. If we compliment the XOR function we get XNOR. The truth table reveals: A B | F --------- 0 0 | 1 0 1 | 0 1 0 | 0 1 1 | 1 So it's either both of them or neither. That's pretty funny. I think I found a new t-shirt idea. End yankees rant*/ Commute status: Not that freakin bad. I've now got the way down and I don't get lost anymore. It's about 40-45 mins including moderate traffic. That gives me time to either wake up on the drive up or unwind on the drive home. I think i'm really picking up some more patience which is always a good thing. I just don't have time to get upset anymore. That would be like taking shit, and you all know my policy on that. Well that's all for now. Back to actual work (and i'm serious about that) Hooray! Current Mood: anniversary!! Current Music: The Voracious March of Godliness (Comment on this)