Sunday, December 30, 2007

My neighbor's kid got a electric scooter for Christmas.


I have been off for a week during Christmas. I am very thankful that I work for a company that believes in giving their employees time off for family. Christmas day I get up to take the trash out and my neighbor down the street kids both have electric scooters and they are zipping up and down the back alleyway.

I was working on my car to fix a steering problem. I was test driving it and pulled out of my driveway. I put the car in drive when I hear, "WAP!" The neighbor's kid has rear ended me with her scooter. I immediately jump out to make sure she is ok. She is fine as is her scooter. She is a little freaked out. Her dad comes down with drink in hand to make sure she is ok. She is and she drives off.

First of all if you your kid is accident prone, why would get them a scooter to where they are going to hurt themselves? My kid wants a motorcycle; but, you do not see me bringing one home. It kinda reminds me of the line, "You might be a redneck..." The dad is drinking and is buzzed drunk. He is like "Hey baby, just keep riding that thing. If you hit something, it will stop you. You do not need brakes with that thing." I am glad to see my neighbor was smart enough to have his daughter wearing a helmet. Secondly, these kids should not be driving motorized scooters on city streets. If you are going to have your kid drive a motorized scooter, take them to a large parking lot so they can no nuts. I wish parents would think a little more before buying their kids Christmas presents that could hurt them if they are not careful or accident prone.

My clueless middle brother.

My brother calls me after Christmas. I usually call him once a week to check to see how his job search is going since he got this bright idea of quitting a job where he had benefits, vacation and a regular schedule to go substitute teach. I had gotten a Back to the Bardyard DVD. I have watched that show a few times and it is hilarious. I am talking to John when he tells me they are going to go return stuff they got for Christmas because, "Travis really wants a 1st person shooter game for his Game Cube." John tells me our mom had gotten him some DVDs. I spoke to my mom about that she denies giving Travis any DVD's at all. I am sure the DVD we gave him went back to the store. I am about to make a new rule where all gifts will be with giftcards. I am tired of being lied to with regards to Travis "loving" the movie we got him and "He could not wait" to watch it. After Christmas, my brother usually has my mom find out where we went shopping so we can start his return process. I have started to given them gift cards for themselves. This year I gave them a $25 gift card to the movies and a $15 iTunes gift card. I got a $20 Taco Cabana gift card, which was not bad. Josh loves Taco Cabana.

Of course John went to go get Travis a "First Person Shooter" game which is either marked "T" for Teen or "M" for Mature. That still drives me nuts because Travis is only 5 and should not be playing mature titles like that on a Game Cube or any platform.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Dear Mr. Moron driver,


I was driving to work on 183 this morning and in my rear view mirror, I see this car coming up at a fast pace. This Audi R8 which looks like a futuristic car is weaving in and out of traffic. I was driving about 75 mph and he passed me like I was standing still. I had to laugh when he had to slam on his brakes because someone cut him off. He blew past me and continue weaving in and out of traffic at a high speed.

If you have the money to buy an R8, that is great, but please do not drive it like a moron. You are endangering me and the lives of the other morning commuters because you are in a mad dash to get someplace, or trying to show off that you are really that stupid. I do not care that your car has a top speed of 187 mph. I drive a hybrid. I drive it because I am tired of putting $100+ in gas in my car every week, plus I care about the environment. Secondly, you have 420 hp compared to my 100 hp? Woo hoo. I am not going to end up killing someone or being killed in a car that is designed for lead footers. Why would need such hp? We do not drive on oval tracks. You do not plan to outrun the law. Is the 300 hp mark not high enough for you. What kind of gas millage do you get with that beast when you are a driving like a total jerk?

I guess it goes to show that some people have more money than brains.

My brother sends me his kid's Christmas list.

I email my brother to send me his kid's Christmas list. I have this tradition of giving him and his wife gift cards for Christmas because I got tired of thinking of the perfect gift, only to have my brother John try to return it after Christmas. I have gone as far as removing the shrink wrap and cutting out the UPC code so he could not return it when I was giving gifts. It is usually a Target or Best Buy Gift card.

Here is the response my brother sends me with regards to what to buy his kids:
Amber is into board games, or games for the DS.
Travis loves playing games for the Gamecube, he likes
shooting games.
Amber is the oldest and I am all for buying her board games. Josh loves board games as well. Travis who is 6 years old wants a "shooting game"? For his birthday, my brother told me he wanted Call of Duty. That is not an age appropriate game for a child that young. My son who will be 10 does not get to play first person shooter games like that. I will probably end up giving them both Game Stop gift cards. I am amazed my brother would let his youngest son play "T" for Teen and "M" for Mature games. What is even more surprising? His wife allows it. But then again, his wife's sister has 6 kids all with different dad's and my brother's mother in law takes care of most of them.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Dear Mr. SUV driver,


When I goto the store, I try to make sure I park between the lines. This time, I had to park way in the back. I amazed that you were able to park your giant, gas guzzling SUV. When I came out to my car, I noticed you had crossed the line in the parking space because you have no idea about how to park that beast, let alone drive it. This proves my point with SUV drivers. If you can not park your SUV, you either need to drive something much smaller or take the bus. It always makes me wonder if you cry when you goto the gas pump and it costs you over $100 a week to keep that thing on the road?

I have seen a company that sells these cards to where you can leave drivers little messages. I would love to make some up on my own. Perhaps maybe that would give some SUV drivers a clue that if they are going to drive a monster truck like they do, they need to make sure they can park between the lines. Apparently, this guy did not have anyone riding with them in the passenger seat because they would have had a hard time getting out.

So Mr. inconsiderate SUV driver, I would hope you would be a tad bit more courteous to those people who drive cars much smaller than you.

HEB Thanksgiving Day

I realized that I had forgotten french fried onions for the green bean casserole. I also needed some saline solution for my contacts. I knew the HEB Plus in my neighborhood was open till 2pm, so I hurriedly went over. The HEB Plus was not as busy as I have normally seen it. I was amazed that this store looked like folks were gearing up for bad weather. There was hardly any eggs, milk, the bread isle was barren. They had tea in a 1 gallon container which was no where to be found. I did manage to see some folks getting a jump on their Christmas Shopping buying Nintendo Wii's and a portable DVD player with 8 inch screen. As I made my way around the store, I realized why I enjoy going shopping late at night. I was amazed at people who were not paying attention and rudely cutting people off. You would also find some people blocking lanes and would glare at you when you would try to get by them by saying, "Excuse me." My big question is, have we really gone so far to forget why we are celebrating Christmas and Thanksgiving? I understand as people we lead busy lives. I decided to have Thanksgiving at my house. It was nice but even after buying a ham and making green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and rolls, I was dead tired after all that. My parents came as well as my great aunt who is living with them. After we ate lunch, we all lounged on the sofa watching some show about castles and fancy lake homes.

I have learned that it is better to be prepared and ready to go before Thanksgiving. If I had forgotten anything, I should have went to Walmart last night late, instead of waiting till today thinking I could just run in, get what I needed to and get out. I keep seeing the commercials for Black Friday sales and I do not plan to go anywhere near those sales, especially seeing how impatient and inconsiderate shoppers can be at the grocery store the day of Thanksgiving.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

CompUSA - Not a computer superstore.


I just ordered a Pioneer Inno portable XM radio. I have a car kit for my Delphi unit but the units are not interchangeable. The regular price is $80 for the kit. I checked my local stores like Target, Walmart, Best Buy Circuit City and CompUSA. CompUSA had it for $29.98 but you could not get it delivered. I called my local CompUSA to see if they could order it store to store and I could pick it up. The lady who answered the phone could barely speak english. She tells me she could not order it; but, I could call the store directly. I checked online and there was a store in Madison, WI that says there are In Stock. The other stores they list says limited quantities. I call the Madison, WI store and once again the lady who answered the phone could hardly speak english. If you have someone that has problems with the english language, why put them on the phone to deal with customers? I am sure that just adds to the frustration. This lady tells me that this Car Kit I am looking for is is not in stock. When I explain their website shows they have them in stock, she tells me that they do have 3 of them. I then ask if I can order one and she tells me I could speak to the manager to see if he will let me order the item.

First of all, this is NOT the first time I have had this issue where the website says they have an item in stock and they either have none or tell me the website is incorrect. One guy told me, "Yeah, we have one, but it is probably on a pallet somewhere in the back." This guy made no effort to go find this unit. Secondly, Walmart and Autozone allows me to order items from other stores and they will send them to my store within 24 to 48 hours. CompUSA should also follow suit. I am amazed that the lady wanted me to talk to the store manager to order a $29.99 car kit. I am sure the store manager has better things to do than talk to me about a car kit.

I will end up probably going to Fry's to buy a car kit, or just suck it up and buy one at Circuit City for $80. I am going to store going to CompUSA for anything. They seriously need to change the way they do business or they might end up losing even more customers. If your shopping trip includes CompUSA, skip them. You should goto Best Buy or Circuit City.

Friday, November 09, 2007

I really need to stay off eBay.


I just bought a new guitar. I wanted to go back to something simple, with no Floyd Rose tremolo. I bought this cool Ibanez guitar that is red and has 2 humbuckers in it. It sounds ok. I have already ordered new pickups for it which should be here today. I am also going back to an all tube amp. I have a Peavey Valveking 112. It is a great amp. You can switch between Class A and Class B amp types. I had been using this Digitech GNX 3000 which is an all digital effects unit. It was cool but I missed glowing tubes and the feel of analog pedals. I have an old DOD Grunge pedal which is a bit much over the top. It is real gritty. There are a few mods you can do to it to clean it up. I would consider trying one or two out.

I am on eBay and I found a Ibanez Tube Screamer TS-9 pedal on eBay. I start bidding on it with another guy. I end up snagging it for about $70. They normally go for $99 new. I do not really need a new overdrive pedal; but, I figure what the heck? It finally shows up today around 2pm. I plug in my guitar, fire up my tube up and try it first on the clean channel. The overdrive is a little weak for my tastes. I like things a little meatier. I had seen in Guitar Magazines where guitar players have this pedal in their pedal board. Many folks like to use this pedal as a clean boost. I move over to the overdrive section of my tube amp. I put the distortion on about 50% and start playing some riffs. I fire up the Tube Screamer and there is a poof and a little grittier distortion. It is not "in your face/over the top" but still nice. I can hear the notes I am playing instead of hearing a bunch of fuzz. I did toy around with the gain, level and tone controls. I got a great sound with the knobs all at 12 0'clock. You could max the level and gain and would still get useable tone. I even tried it with the gain set at zero. I got a great clean boost. I am definitely starting to see what all the range is with these Tube Screamers. I may not mod this one. I would consider IndyGuitarist's "Tube Screamer on Steroids" mod, especially if I could keep the characteristics of the original pedal and boost it when I need to. I need to spend more time with it to see what kinds of tones I can get. I did manage to score a Boss MD-2 Mega Distortion. The only reason I got that was because in Guitar World Magazine they list a setting for Van Halen's "Somebody get me a doctor" in it and I love Eddie's old tone when it was gritter.

I definately need to stay off eBay because I also picked up a Pioneer INNO to replace my XM Roadie from a guy in Houston that was selling them for like $60. I will probably unload this Jackson Guitar and Kustom Tube 12A amp on eBay to try and recoup some of my costs. I also have some pedals that I need to unload on eBay too. Until the next eBay adventure.

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Thanksgiving at my house

Both of my brothers have their own homes and have their separate Thanksgiving traditions. Daniel normally works Thanksgiving. He and I think alike because I used to work the holidays as well. I would get time and a half plus get an extra floating holiday. My brother John usually has Thanksgiving at his trailer in La Vernia. He makes Fajitas and invites his in laws and his sister in law and her 6 kids. (4 of the kids have different dads.) He only has a single wide and when you get my parents, my clan, my brother's in laws and his sister in law and her 6 kids, it becomes standing room only. Plus., La Vernia is outside San Antonio and a tad bit far for me to travel. For the past few years, I have told my brother that it is a little too far to be traveling way out there. I have had Thanksgiving once at my house and invited my brother and he never came. I will always invite him and he is always welcome. I love my brother but he is very nosey. The last time he was at my house. I was at the store and when I got home, he had gone up into my spare bedroom, taken out my guitars and plugged them in to play. I have also caught him snagging stuff from my house without even asking. Once, he had my mom's van loaded up with stuff. When he realized he had been caught, he replied, "Can I have this?" If he would have asked, I am sure I would have let go of some of the stuff. He also always wants to borrow my guitar gear. I see him like twice a year. I hate lending him anything because I know I will never see it again.

My house got volunteered this year for Thanksgiving. My mother is going to bring my great aunt which I have yet to go see. We used to see her all the time but its been years since I have seen her. I will buy all the food no problem and have my mom bring a dessert. I will end up with turkey and dressing to eat for about two weeks after all that. I told my brother Daniel he is welcome to come out out. He and I have been close for a few years. He is also in the computer industry. I usually touch base with both brothers at least once a week. I am finding myself as the older, wiser brother that helps point my brothers in the right direction, which is kinda cool. I enjoy being able to jump in and resolve issues when problems arise.

It shall be interesting to see how this Thanksgiving turns out. I am tempted to just goto Bill Millars or HEB and order one of those complete Turkey Dinner meals where all I have to do is open up the package and heat it up.

Treak or Treating in my neighborhood


I went out Trick or Treating with my son who had his plan to hit the neighborhood for Trick or Treating. This was his 2nd year Trick or Treating. (He is 9.) I am on my way home and he is already starting to freak out because I am not home yet. I get home, we eat dinner and he is already in his costume. This year he is a pirate. We start off at my neighbors house. We worked our way around the rest of the houses. My son keeps telling me, "The scarier the house, the better the candy." There are quite a few houses whose lights are off. We work our way around walking for about 2 hours. By that time, Josh's candy bag is full. He tells me he is getting blisters for carrying it.

I am amazed at how many kids are out this year. My A/C repair guy was having a Halloween party for the kids. There was a big screen playing VeggieTales. They had face painting and games. It was pretty cool. There were quite a few high schoolers out. One girl screamed, "I am NEVER too old to trick or treat." Wait till you have kids, you will be out carting them around. There were also parents who were driving their kids around to trick or treat. First of all, that is cheating. That is the whole point of Halloween. You dress up and walk all over the neighborhood to trick or treat. You do not drive. This girl's mom was on the cell phone the whole time. My neighborhood is still being built. It is like 10 years into a 25 year build plan. The Mexican nationals who are working on the houses brought their kids trick or treating. You could hear them speaking Spanish up and down the street screaming, "Ninos!" I was also amazed at my neighbors who were already buzzing from the beer they were drinking who were out with their kids, beer in hand, trick or treating. Hey guys. This is not New Orleans. I realize you are in a neighborhood but you can not walk around with beer or alcohol in you hands thinking this is just some big picnic.

Josh finally made it back to the house and complained the last 20 minutes of our trip about how his hand hurt, his feet hurt and how he had blisters on his feet. It kinda makes me laugh. He will walk like 8 blocks to trick or treat but complains walking a block to school and gets mad when I do not pick him up from school when I work from home. His bag was on the table. He had already started to sort out his loot. I was amazed that some folks gave pencils. There was lots of sweet and sour sugary goodness. There was not much in terms of chocolate. Perhaps that might be a good thing. If I am up late one night, craving something sweet, you might find me raiding that container of chocolate.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Drivers in Suburban and Expeditions


If you drive a big SUV like a Suburban or a Expedition, this does NOT automatically mean you have the right of way. I realize you are bigger than me and would crush my little Honda Hybrid if you hit me, but because you drive a bigger vehicle does not give you the right to drive like a moron. Secondly, there are these things on your steering wheel called TURN SIGNALS, please locate them right now and start to use them. I can not stand you drifting into my lane with no signal at all and you expect me to realize that you wanted to move over. Do I look like a mind reader? Third, if you miss your turn or about to pass your exit, do not take the right of way away from me just so you can try to make it in almost taking my front end off my car. You need to take the next exit and take the whip around. Fourth, if you can not park your big monster, gas guzzling SUV, you do not need to be driving one.

Lunch at Jack In the Box


I am rolling into work late today today and figured I would stop and get some lunch. I wanted Chik-Fil-La but the line was wrapped around the building. I decided to stop at the Jack in the Box around the corner from my work. I roll up to the window and this guy takes my order. I ordered the sirlon burger combo meal. When I get to the window, this lady who takes my money is a Hispanic lady with a thick accent. It reminded me of George Lopez's story about Mexicans working at Jack in the box. "You wanna Yumbo Yak? You wanna french fries?" The kid responds, "No sir, my friends are fine." It was all I could do not to start laughing while this lady took my money.

I admire anyone that is working at all, even if it is at a fast food place. Of course, fast food restaurants seem to hire anyone that can barely speak english. I have gotten rotten service at the Burger King and the Taco Bell in Kyle and Buda, TX. When you roll to the drive through, the person working at the drive thru will usually go, "Yeah? Anytime you are ready." Geesh, what kind of greeting is that? This woman at the Jack in the box was very friendly and professional. It just amazes me that a fast food restaurant would put someone who has a thick accent or has problems communicating because they are hard to understand to work at the drive thru.

Friday, October 12, 2007

My great aunt from Monroe, LA

My great aunt finally moved in with my parents. She has been talking about doing that for years. I never thought she would move. She was living in my grandmother's house in Monroe, LA where my dad grew up. The whole neighborhood has gone downhill for years. My dad had mentioned the house was in dire need of repair. He ended up selling the land for like $5000 with the house and then paid $1100 to get it knocked down. My great aunt is in her 80s. My dad lived with her while she was in college. She is a sweet lady.

During her move, she told my parents she was bringing her 3 dogs with her. She never had children, so the dogs are like her kids. She had a couple who was coming to San Antonio anyway bring her. She was only able to get 2 dogs in the car with her because the other one was too scared to get in the car. A few days later, I find out that my dad, who has medical problems as is, is driving her to Monroe, LA which is a 9 hour drive, getting the dog and driving back.

I called my father to check on him and he was fine. When they got to Monroe, they were trying to get the 3rd dog and the dog bit my dad. They eventually got the dog in the car and they drove back to San Antonio. My dad ended up going to the hospital because of the dog bite.

My mother is biting her to tongue with regards to my great aunt and her dogs. She was like, "I can't say anything about those dogs. Those are her kids." I responded, "Mom, its YOUR house. You should have laid down the law and said that you can only bring 1 dog or 2 dogs tops." My mom was telling me she is worried about my Dad because with his medical problems she is worried that he is going to have another heart attack from trying to get the house ready for my great aunt and having to go back and forth to Monroe.

What is even more ironic, my great aunt has a room with a bed in it. The first night she was at my parents house, she slept on the porch to make sure the dogs were ok. My mom came home that day and found she had cleaned the porch completely. My dad then went out and bought her one of those Aero Beds so she can sleep on the porch and be with those dogs. On one hand, I think it is good that my great aunt cames to live with my parents. My parents are pack rats. This is forcing them to purge much of their clutter. I have even offered to come in and do painting and lay new tile to help them improve their house. My great aunt is also going to pay them money every month since she is going to be living there which will help with the added grocery expense. On the other hand, my dad has a lot of medical problems already. He does not need to add to them with street from my great aunt's move and her 3 dogs.

I already do call my parents once a week to check in on them. I will definitely have to start calling them more frequently and make sure my father takes care of himself.

Updates from my middle brother

I have started to make a habit of calling my middle brother at least once a week. He and I had never been real close. He is the one that thinks since he is the middle child, everything should be handed to him. My mother bought the land that his trailer is sitting on. He told my mother that he would pay her back. My mother saw about $200 from him and nothing more. I laugh because my mother complains, "We do not have any money." I usually tell her, "Yeah you do, John's trailer is sitting on top of it." His wife is my age and were in the same graduating class. I knew of her, but did know her personally. She always has this "sour puss" look on her face at family get togethers and sits there with her arms crossed like she is upset about something. She hardly ever speaks to me. She has a short leash on my brother. Every time I see his kids, I try to visit with them. Recently, his wife has started getting a little better in the "being social" department.

My brother got his bachelors degree about a year and a half ago. He was working for a Radiological Office but got fired from that job. He worked at a hotel for like the third or forth time just to bring some money in. My son's mom got a job at Home Depot supply in New Braunfels. I had made mention that he should apply. He did and got hired on. He works in the credit department in a big call center. During the summer, he was trying to get a teaching job and was offered a few jobs outside of the San Antonio area. Of course, his wife would not let him relocate his family outside the San Antonio area. She is too close to her own family. My brother has the dreams of being a coach, which I think is a great dream to strive for. In his mind, he wants a coaching job his first year teaching. My suggestion to him is to get his foot in the door of a school district and then worry about getting a coaching job. He has taken the Exit test a few times. It is never mentioned how many times he has taken it. The last time I had asked him about it, he told me it was going to a review session in San Marcos for that test. He is like my mother that never does well on tests. The other big problem is that he does not have teacher's certification. He has had schools tell him they will not even look at his resume without that.

He tells me in an email that he wants to quit his Home Depot job and go substitute at East Central. I asked him if he would make what he was making at Home Depot subbing and he tells me he would have to get a part time job at a hotel to make up the difference. I try to explain to him that would cut into his family time and he needs to be working during the day so he can be home with his kids. I told him to just hang loose with his Home Depot gig until another teaching job opens up. I also tell him he needs to start looking at other school districts. I will say he has been trying to get his foot in the door. I think he needs to step up his search in trying to get a teaching job and stop thinking he is going to be a coach his first year out as a teacher.

I think God wants me to be the older, wiser brother to help direct my brothers, to help point them in the direction they need to be. I am happy to help my brother out in any way I can. I just would hate to see him make choices to where his family would never see him because he is always working to makes ends meet.

Hot Dogs at Exxon?


I am at Exxon the other day getting a drink. I usually will grab something healthy like a granola bar to eat in addition to my drink. The big joke I normally use when my son can not decide what he wants to eat is, "I'll buy you hot dogs at Exxon. They are 2 for a $1." There was this well dressed lady in the Exxon and she was making chili cheese hot dogs. She sat in front of that chili and cheese dispenser for about 10 minutes making sure she got all the extra cheese and chili should could put on the thing. You would have thought it was her last meal.

I have eaten hot dogs at Exxon. They are not bad. It is a quick and inexpensive lunch or dinner while you are on the road or going from one place to another and need to put something in your stomach. It just amazes me how people just to try to get everything they can from that $.99 hot dog. The condiments are free, but do not just sit there for over 10 minutes to make sure you get a ton of cheese and chili that comes from a dispenser that squirts out by pressing a button. It is not nice, fat , juicy steak. It is a hot dog that is 2 for $.99, get it, put your chili and cheese and go. That is why they call it, "Grab and go" not "Grab and engorge yourself".

iPhone lawsuit seeks over $1 billion in damages


Lawyers filed a class action lawsuit against Apple and AT&T seeking $1.2 billion in damages because the iPhone is locked to AT&T’s wireless network. The suit also notes that Apple will not allow unauthorized applications on the iPhone.

First of all, give me a freaking break. You knew that iPhone would only work on AT&T and they are in a partnership for a few years. Eventually, it will not be locked to only AT&T. If you knew this ahead of time, why sue? Should I go into Burger King and sue because they do not sell McGriddles? Should I sue Honda because my car will not run on BioDiesel when I knew I was buying a hybrid to begin with?

Secondly, this is a new product. Apple will eventually open up the door to developers to develop all kinds of apps on the iPhone, which will make the iPhone a even more valuable tool. There is already VoIP and Messaging on it via the Safari browser. These people just need to give it some time and eventually you will have a iPhone not locked down to the AT&T network and all kinds of apps being developed for the iPhone.

Our legal system is already locked up with silly lawsuits. Instead of whining about AT&T and trying to sue, why not do something useful with your time? What about building a house for Habitat for Humanity? Why not volunteer at a hospital? Why not go after auto manufacturers and the government to start making better fuel efficent cars? We have the technology to do so. We need to cut down on our emissions before we do more damage to the world that we have already done. Life is too short to be locking up our legal system with preposterous lawsuits like these. These people need to redirect their energies to do good in the world instead of wasting time and money.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

More Moron Drivers


Driving to work today I saw a girl talking on a cell phone and was not paying attention. She was in the fast lane of IH35 N and signaled to move over to the middle lane. She immediately jets over and does not realize that there is an 18 wheeler behind her and almost rear ends her. You have to wonder about people.

People need to take $10 and goto Target and buy a corded headset for your cell phone. You can even get a bluetooh headset for about $40. If you are going to drive your car, make sure both hands are on the wheel and your head is not cocked to the side wit you yapping on your cellphone. I am sure IH35 would flow much smoother if the moron drivers who talk on their phones while driving would get some common sense.

My birthday dinner at the Green Mesquite Austin, TX

I have always wanted to goto the Green Mequite here in Austin off Barton Springs. Monday (August 20th) was my birthday. I packed up my son and we headed over to there. I had called ahead just to make sure I was not going to get there too late. They closed at 10pm, so there was plenty of time.

We roll in and the place is almost empty. We were immediately seated in a booth and our drink orders were taken. The menus are under the plexiglass covering the tables. This is a BBQ place, so I wanted to try some of that. The special for Monday was Meat plate which was Brisket; but, I wanted something other than brisket. The waitress comes back to take our order and Josh is indecisive. She suggests a hamburger as Josh is looking over the kids menu. He orders a hamburger and fries. I ordered a BBQ sandwich that comes with two meats with fries. The sandwich comes with sausage and turkey. The food is brought to us rather quicky. The waitress brings a ketchup bottle of BBQ sauce which is nice. I hate BBQ plates the drown their BBQ in sauce. The bread for the sandwich is a cheap hoagie roll and is very dry like it had been sitting out all day. The sausage had a nice smokey flavor to it as did the turkey, but both meats were dry and chewy. The Sausage was apparently cooked way too long as it was shriveled up. The food is editable but has to be covered in BBQ sauce because the meat was soo dry. The fries were hot and homemade. I do not have a french fry preference. It was good that they were not too greasy. Josh gets his hamburger and it has mustard on it and he does not like mustard. I try scraping it off and he tells me he is not going to eat it. I then tell him I will save it for tomorrow's lunch.

When I get the bill i was shocked to see it was over $20 just for 2 people. The drinks alone totalled over $6. The waitress had charged me full price for the hamburger. I had asked her about it and she proceeds to tell me that there is no hamburger on the child's menu. Of course, I laugh to myself because she is the one that suggested it after we were looking at the kid's menu. I then notice on my receipt there is a "suggested tip" at the bottom for 15%, 20% and 25%. The service was prompt and the waitress was nice, but she never came back and checked on us or to give us refills or even ask if we wanted dessert. She definitely did her job but she never went out of her way to serve us.

Overall, I was not impressed with the food at all. I have know people that have gone to this place and they said it was great. I have gotten better BBQ at Rudy's and they claim to be the "Worst BBQ". If they are the worst, what is the Green Mesquite? With the food being fair and the service marginal, I will not be returning to this place at all. I did notice the owner was opening a Green Mesquite in Russia. Apparently, Russians are used to bad food and marginal service.

If you want good BBQ, goto the Salt Lick or any of the BBQ places in Lockhart, skip the Green Mesquite. Or if you are on Barton Springs, go over to Chuy's or Shady Grove.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

People who ride bikes to work

I have no problem with people who want to ride their bike to work to get exercise or save money on gas or reduce pollution. In fact, my boss rides his bike to work every day. My pet peeve with this brave souls who brave the heat in the summer, cold in the winter and Austin traffic is the fact that many of these cyclist do not realize that if they ride on the streets, they are subjected to the same traffic laws as cars.

I was headed to the post office today to mail some bills before I started to head home. There is a 4 way intersection where I needed to make a left turn on. I get the this intersection. I let the car in front of me go because he had the right of way and I started to pull out. There was a cyclist who blew threw the 4 way stop without stopping, only to wave at me for not hitting him. Did he stop? No. Did he slow down before he got to the intersection? No. I waved at him back by giving him the "You're number one" sign. I can not believe how some of these clueless people have not been run over by totall not paying attention.

Please people who ride bikes, I admire what you are doing but do not do stupid things like disobey traffic laws.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

New iPhone


I was lucky enough to get a free 8G iPhone today. I have not really had a chance to use it much because you would think moving one address book to the new phone would be easy and painless, right? NOT!

First of all, I spent about 3 hours trying to get all of my contacts over to the new iPhone. It first synced my contacts with what was on my MacBook, which I did not want. I then went in and deleted everything. You would think after saving the contacts to the SIM card, I would be able to use them. I finally called AT&T and this guy did try his hardest to try and help me. His answer? The Apple Servers to activate are down. I explained that trying to pair bluetooth between the 2 phones are totally independent of that. I tried pairing the 2 phones together and then sending the contact file over and my old phone would not connect with the iPhone at all. I then tried taking the Outlook card file and trying to import it into Outlook 2007 and then have iPhone sync with Outlook. Outlook would only see my first contact in my list and nothing more. I had to once again delete and restart. I finally went to my address book on my MacBook, emailed myself the Outlook card file from the Memory Stick from my old Sony Ericsson and deleted all the contacts already in that address book. I then went in and and imported that file into the Mac Address book, synced and PRESTO! It worked!!!

I would love to see an easier way to manage contacts in the iPhone. You can not delete them inside iPhone, you have to update them using the Address Book and syncing. I am sure there will be a piece of software or another software update that will allow me to do all of that.

Overall, I am impressed with this thing. I heard one guy review the iPhone and he complained about it not having an expansion slot. My respond to him is, "Give me a break, it has 8 gigs of space. How much space do you need? It is a phone for crying out loud." I did see a guy who had put the new Casino Royale movie on his iPhone and it looked great. It was better than the iPod Video. I might have to load up with some movies for my flight to California and I would not have to pull the MacBook out to watch movies. This phone definitely blows my old Sony Ericsson W810i out of the water. I would get frustrated with that phone because you would try to hit back and it would bring you into Walkman mode. That was a pain. My only real complaint other than the address book syncing nightmare is that the keyboard is a little small for me to touch type. (I have fat fingers, so I find myself constantly trying to correct my typing.
) I look forward to using this device, especially having the ability to VPN into my office through it using the WiFi connection. That would be sweet being able to check stats on the fly.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Crazy Texas drivers!


For the drivers out there that do not know, I am going to educate you about 4 way stops. I know you must have missed that at Drivers Ed. I am going to make it real clear and easy for you.

In the United States and Canada, there are many 4-way intersections with a stop sign at every entrance. In this case, the default rule is:

  1. Whichever vehicle stops first has priority.
  2. If two vehicles stop at the same time, priority is given to the vehicle on the right.
  3. If three vehicles stop at the same time, priority is given to the two vehicles going in opposite directions.
  4. If four vehicles stop, drivers usually use gestures and other communication to establish right-of-way. In some areas, the custom is for the north-south or the more-trafficked road to have priority, although this is rare.

Now, there is a 4 way stop next to this large HEB called the Kyle Parkway. I was coming from the HEB because I had just gotten gas. I had stopped at the stop sign. There were 2 other cars who had gotten there before me. I waited for them to go and then I pulled out. This lady in an SUV on my left pulls out as well and almost takes my front end off. I honk my horn and she stops. I continue through the intersection to make a left turn at the next stop sign. This lady pulls up right next to me and rolls down her window in the wrong lane. (The lane for traffic going in the other direction.) She rolls down her window and starts yelling, "What the heck is your problem?" I roll my window down and ask her, "Don't you know how to yield? I got to the intersection before you, so it was my turn. Besides, the person on the right has the right of way if you think you got to the intersection at the same time." She looks at me and goes, "Oh. I am sorry." She then pulls away.

First of all, this lady had kids in her car. Why do something stupid like that? Secondly, I had my kiddo in my car. If you are pulling up to make threats to me with my kid in the car, then you are committing assault. (If you strike me it becomes a battery. Road rage is a felony offense in Texas.) I am amazed at the level of stupidity in people. It makes you wonder where people get their driver's licenses. I am starting to believe when you purchase a big SUV or big truck, you automatically get a Napoleon complex and everyone should get the hell out your way. To the stupid drivers out there: 1) If your kids are in the car, do not pull up to drivers you do not know and start screaming. 2) Life is too short to get all upset driving. You live in a small town outside of Austin, you are not fighting Austin traffic. Stop being a hot head just because you think you are in the right, when you know you are not. (Heck, Kyle only has 1 red light. I could only pray the put one at that intersection.). 3) Learn to use your turn signals. Yes, your car has them. They are not optional equiptment. 4) Learn the rules of the road. They are there for a reason. If you need a refresher, take a Defensive Driving course. They are only $20 to $30 online.

If TxDOT would start giving intelligence test as part of the driving test, we would have a lot less morons out on the road.


Drive Safe!

Monday, July 23, 2007

My Brother and his crazy family


This past weekend was my nephew's 5th birthday. My brother did not send out invitations. He proceeded to email me that we were meeting a Chuck E Cheese at 6pm followed up with a phone call. I asked why soo late and he told me that his wife did not get off till late and his mother in law and just got in from Florida. As I drove into the party, I called my mother and asked her what she was getting Travis for his birthday. She proceeds to tell me, "Call of Duty 2 for the Gamecube." I respond, "You do know thats not an age appropriate game for a 5 year old. It is a T for Teen game." My mom tells me that she things my brother is asking for it for his son because he really wants it. My brother then calls me and I tell him, "Call of Duty 2? You know 5 year olds are not supposed to be playing that." He proceeds to tell me that he lets his 5 year old play Grand Theft Auto and True Crime. He tries to justify it by saying he makes him turn the sound off so he can not hear the curse words. My son is almost 10 and I will now allow him to play either game.

I end up at Walmart and get Travis a Sponge Bob Ants in the pants game and another card game. I am sure my brother will try to figure out some way he can try to return both so he can get the money and buy another Gamecube game.

As I am getting close to Chuck E Cheese, my mom tells me that it is a "nightmare" there and they are going over to Mr. Gatti's. The funny thing about this whole thing is that he did not reserve a party room and everyone had to pay for themselves. My brother did not even order his son a cake of his choosing, stating "I will just get cupcakes. They are easier." He did get all the kids Powercards to play video games. Josh comes by back like 15 minutes later telling me he has no more credit on his card.

First of all, I am amazed that my cheapo brother has not reserved anyplace. At least when I have had Josh's parties, we always had food for everyone. Secondly, I alway purchase my son the cake he wants. If he wants cupcakes, thats fine too. I am amazed that my brother would wait until the last minute to buy cupcakes for his party. Given, at 5 year old you really do not care what kind of cake you get.

Of course, my brother's sister in law was at the party. I recently found out she is pregnant with baby number 6. She has 6 babies with 4 different fathers. The funny thing is she can not even take care of the kids she has. Her mom takes care of most of them. She did marry the father of her last son and new baby on the way. My question is when does the State come in and make this woman tie her tubes because she is becoming a welfare case? My tax dollars are paying for her and her kids. Just because she is too lazy to use protection does not mean that I and the other tax payers should have to pay for her making bad decisions. You would have thought she would have learned her lession the first 2 kids she had. What kind of example is she showing to her own kids that its ok to have a ton of kids and not take care of them?

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Fox Rent a Car Austin


I had planned to rent a car for my trip that I was recently taking, so I did not put that many miles on my car. I checked around and found that Fox was the cheapest. I was going to rent a full sized car for 1 week. The 1 week rate was $178.87 which included all the airport taxes. It was still cheaper than most car rental places. I get an email from some guy at a @aol.com email domain. I am thinking he is either the owner or one of the managers at Fox confirming my rental. I then get an email from this guy telling me I do not have UNLIMITED miles as the website stated, I have 200 miles a day since I am not flying into Austin. I email him back asking him for clarification and he says because I am not flying into Austin, that he would only give me 200 miles and this was standard practice. I told him to please cancel my reservation and I would be renting elsewhere. I tried calling Fox directly to make sure they canceled the reservation, and the girl on the phone told me she was not able to do that, that I had to do it myself. The reps that work for Fox are totally clueless and customer service is not one of their strong suits.

If you are going to rent a car with Fox, I would avoid them at all costs. They are cheap for a reason. You basically get the quality and service you pay for. I would go with a more reputable company like Dollar, Alamo, Budget or Avis. Ironically, I did rent with Enterprise and ended up paying about the same as I would have with Fox and got UNLIMITED miles. I will report how the rental goes when I get back from my trip.

Monday, May 14, 2007

My Wyndham hotel stay in Arlington TX


I own two online travel websites as well as being a Referring Travel agent. I primarily got into it because I wanted to save money on my own travel. I had to book a hotel room close to Grand Prairie because my cousin's house was going to be full. I first checked my 1st travelsite.

http://www.travelwithbill.com

I could not find anything higher than a 2 star hotel for under $60 a night. I then checked my 2nd travel website.

http://www.minutetrip.com

Once again, I could not find anything under $60 a night. I have used the Hotwire website before and had good results. I have gotten the Candlewood Suites twice before for less than $50 a night. Candlewood does not have a pool but it is a extended stay suite which is nice. The one up in Arlington is very nice. I noticed on Hotwire they had a 3 star hotel for $52 a night. I decided to go ahead and book that hotel. To my surprise, it was the Wyndham which is right next to Six Flags and the Baseball stadium. I have stayed at the Wyndham last year. The hotel is more like an office building. The pool is nice and they do have a restaurant and bar. I am a Wyndham By Request member, so I figured I would use my card to check in. Because I had booked my hotel via Hotwire, they would not let me use my By Request card. That is a tad bit silly because other hotels, including Airlines will let you use your frequent flyer or frequent stay card even if you booked your hotel or flight online. I then proceeded to ask them if they had free WiFi. At the bare minimum I figured in the common areas, free WiFi would be good. The lady told me no and told me it would cost $12.95 a day. I then told her I needed a roll-away bed for Josh. I was told it was $15 a day. I then asked, "Do you at least have free breakfast?" "No. Breakfast is served in the restaurant at $12.95 a person." she replied. I got the key and went up to my room.

My first impressions of the room? First of all, the room was right next to the elevator. I could hear the elevator go up and down all night. Secondly, the walls were paper thin. Josh wanted to go get some ice from the ice machine and there was a couple having sex down the hall. That is not good when you have curious 9 year old boys who are wondering what all the noise is. The cable tv in the room was fuzzy. If you moved the TV, it would clear up. You would think a hotel of that size and being a 3 star hotel would have digital cable. There was a desk with plug ins for the internet; but once again, you had to pay for it.

If you are even considering staying at the Wyndham, do not. I have had better stays at "budget" hotels such as Motel 6, Days Inn and Super 8. It did not bother me that they did not have free breakfast because that is the whole point of traveling, you go out to eat at someplace you have never been before. Of course, other hotels are starting to offer hot breakfasts with eggs. The La Quinta up in Kerrville has waffles. I brought my laptop with me, figuring I could use the internet to check for places to see and do around Dallas while I was there. I did not want to use my cousin's computer because I figured that would be rude of me. You would think a fancy 3 star hotel would at least have free WiFi for their guests. Just as a suggestion, they could have had a website where customers could order room service or order gifts to send home, flowers, whatever. It is not like they would not make money off offering free WiFi. This hotel was far from a 3 star hotel. I have stayed in 1 and 2 star hotels that were a heck of a lot nicer than the Wyndham. I would maybe give this hotel 1 star, 1.5 stars tops. Even checking the ratings for this hotel did not help. I would advise not using Hotwire because you are basically getting a hotel room blind. Given, that is part of the fun. It is a gamble and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. What was even more insulting is when I checked in and whipped out my Travel Agent ID, she could have cared less.The courtesies they give Travel Agents are at their discretion, so they do not have to do anything. How am I supposed to recommend a hotel to clients that can not even live up to being considered a 3 star hotel?

The next time I head up to Dallas (even go out of town and need to rent a room at a hotel) I am going to go for a extended stay suite. At least that route, there is a stove and a fridge where I can at least feed my child before heading out because you know how cranky kiddos get when they have not eaten.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

I stopped to get gas at Exxon

I stopped during lunch to get gas for my car at Exxon off Burnet and 183. That place is normally busy during the day. I normally do not go to that one. I usually hit the one over off Parmer closer to my work. I had circled around the station 3 times looking for an available pump. I was pulling out when a guy who was behind this lady in a truck who could not manuver this thing to save her life. (It goes to show if you can not drive or park a big SUV or Truck, you should not be behind the wheel of one.) She parks and I pull out. As I pull out this guy is about to cut me off and gives me a courtesy wave. I go on and move into the open pump to get some gas. Apparently he wanted the same pump. I jump out, paid with speedpass and started filling up. I look back and the same guy waves at me again. I was not sure if it was like "sorry, I did not mean to cut you off" wave or what. I finish and grab my receipt when he pulls into the pump next to me. I hear him tell me, "Thanks for the cut off." in a snooty tone. I replied calmly, "Anytime." As I hop into my car to pull out, he jumps out of his car and starts saying something to me with his hands out to his side. I replied to him with a "whats your deal" hand sign. He starts to walk towards my car and puts up his fists. I laughed and drove off shaking my head.

People listen, life is too short to whine and cry about getting cut off, or just because you got to the gas pump 2 minutes later than you wanted to. Secondly, this guy was practicing road rage. Life is too short to get all huffy about something silly about who got to the gas pump first. Sure, I could have stepped out and asked him what his deal was and why he was threating me, but why? I had the upper hand, I walked away laughing because he was being a clueless person by freaking out. I am sorry if you did not get enough sleep, or maybe you were late for work, or you were having a bad day or maybe your mother did not cuddle with you enough. It is too much to ask to take your meds on a regular basis and stop being such a hot head before you either land up in jail for being a moron or get pissed at the wrong person and you end up getting hurt or end up in the hospital?

I think to myself what if I had my kid with me? What would I be teaching him if I reacted to Mr. Moron's plea for me to get out my own car and stoop down to his level to handle the situation. I want to teach my child that violence is wrong and to be the bigger guy and walk away.

So Mr. Moron, do us all a favor and go home, cool your jets, crack open a cold one and realize, life is too short for you to be such a hot head.

To my neighbor mowing his grass








My neighbor was outside working on his yard. He just mowed and had his weed wacker out. I had to shake my head in disbelief as he was weed wacking with no shoes or socks on at all. I have seen some people to stupid stuff; but, if you are going to mow your grass and weed wack with no shoes on, you have to have a few screws loose in your head.

To guys who wear rubber clogs









Ok enough already! These rubber clogs are cute on women but guys who wear them? Thats a tad bit metro sexual you think? I have seen tons of guys wearing these silly shoes. I hate to burst your bubble guys, but they look silly on you and you look mental when you wear them. My kid's daycare lady said her son wanted some too and she told him not to wear them around here because he looked retarded wearing them. Stop the madness! NO more Rubber Clogs on Guys, Please! (Or I am going to have to start taking Man Cards away from some of you!)

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Dont waste your time with Mr. Appliance


My $1300 Whirlpool washer died on me finally. I was stupid and did not buy the extended warranty for it. I cant still buy it but they want me to wait 60 days before I can have a service call. I can be with out a washer for 60 days. I came back home from a trip overseas for work and had about 8 loads of laundry I had to do. Laundry at a 24 hour landromat is no fun. Especially when you are the only one that speaks english.

Before I left I called Mr. Appliance to fix my washer. I had called another guy out from a place in San Marcos who told me that to get my washer to work was to tap the top of it like the Fonz. It worked untl the tapping on top did not work any more. The guy from Mr. Appliance came out twice. The first time to replace the door lock mechanism. He was 100% sure that is what the problem was. Of course, I told him it was not the issue and he found out he should have listened to me. He called Whirlpool and they told him it was the wiring harness. He brings out a Wiring harness and was going to charge me $300 for the whole job. I was out of town when he came out and had a friend of mine meet them at my house. The guy was supposed to come out that Tuesday and did not show up to Friday. The wiring harness did not fix the problem and he proceeds to charge my friend $69. I called the Monday I got back and told them that the guy never fixed anything and he owed me $69. I was supposed to get a call back Tuesday and never did. I was told that the tech was going to stay on hold with Whirlpool until he could find out what was going on. I called Wednesday because I had not heard back from the tech. I was told that the tech was going to call me directly and I have yet to hear back from him.

If you plan to call Mr. Appliance to fix your Appliances, DO NOT. They do not stand behind their work or service. If I do not hear back from the tech within the next 24 to 48 hours, I am going to get the Better Business Bureau involved as well as the Attorney General because of their business practices. I will know better the next time my washer dies on me. I am soo close to treking on down to the local Conn's get a new Washer and get 36 months minimum payments no interest.

Windows Vista the "Wow"


I get this wild hair and figured I would break down and be an early adopter of Windows Vista. I checked my computer online and it says Vista will run on my machine. In fact, I am supposed to get some sort of free Vista upgrade for it anytime now. I goto dinner with my parents and brother for his birthday and my dad hands me Windows Vista Home Premium. I get it home and start to install it. It gets to the product key and it hangs there. I know that the Upgrade CD has the full blown version of the software, so I followed the instructions to do a "Clean" install without destroying the file I have on my box. The trick to it is that when you install it you leave the product key blank. It will install the software and then when Windows Vista starts up, you need to put the CD in and have it do an upgrade with the product key. A few hours later, I had Vista installed.

First of all, the "wow" starts now is a lie. The only "wow" I had is realizing what a moron I was installing Windows soo early in the game. I worked Tech Support in the past and the rule of thumb for any OS is what for Service Pack 2. It is a little cleaner thant he pervious versions of Windows and has a slick interface. On the other hand, Microsoft in true Micosoft fashion has ripped off Sun Microsystems and the Apple OS X. Microsoft needs to totally scrap Windows and start from scratch. They need to stop putting band aids on their OS's. I have only had Vista for less than a week and I already have 14 updates from Microsoft for it. It is also a memory hog. I have 1 gig of RAM and will need to get 1 more gig. The minimum system requirements are 1 Gig ram and 128 meg video card? Given, most systems meet or exceed that. Luckily, my dad got this version of Vista on an Academic price at $69.95. The funny thing is you can get CDROMs of the software for $9.99 if you need them. It goes to show that you should not have to pay over $100 for an OS. I think Microsoft needs to be like Linux and allow you download the OS for free and if you need tech support for it or want a CD or DVD of it you have to pay for that. It is amazing that the latest version of Ubuntu Linux is a heck of alot better than Vista. Microsoft needs to stop stealing other people's ideas and come out with a legit OS that works out of the box and it not going to lock up or freeze, instead of wasting my time and money on this Vista crap.

Thanks but I will go back to using Linux and OS X that is on my MacBook.

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Madam Fu's in South Park Meadows Shopping Center, Austin TX

I had seen a sign for this place "Madam Fu's Asian House" that just opened in the South Park Meadows shopping center here in South Austin. I figured I would give it a try. I rolled in and ordered a beef with garlic sauce bowl, a chicken garlic sauce bowl, lo mein for Josh and 2 hot and sour soups. I was amazed when the bill came out to be $40. I have eat Chinese food all over Austin. I have never paid more than $40 for lunch. There were no lunch specials at all. The meals were $8 and the soup was over $3. I was told by the lady at the register that the food was good with large portions. I paid and sat down.

I was brought the food about 7 minutes later. The hot and sour soup was spicy and was good. The veggies were fresh and and the garlic sauce was flavorful. I did not think the portions were large at all. I have had better food at Food Shui in NW Austin or The China Bowl in NW Austin. I will not be going back to this place. If I wanted to spend over $40 on lunch I should have gone to Johnny Carinos or some good steak place. The food was fresh and flavorful but not earth shattering.

If you are considering checking this place out, I'd skip it. You would be better off going someplace else.

Monday, January 15, 2007

I broke down and bought a new car.


I got bitten by the new car bug. I traded in my beloved 2004 Honda Accord EX. I loved that car. It got descent gas millage. It was in fairly good shape, other than the time that some young 17 year old kid decided he could take a left right in front of me as I was going through an intersection. He tells me, "Dude, I had a green arrow." I had then pointed to the light and asked, "What green arrow was that?" There was no damage to his truck but he took my front end off. The car was not drivable at all. It sat at the body shop for over 3 weeks because he apparently screwed up my air bags and the seat belt.

To start off, I have owned a 2000 Honda Insight Hybrid. I loved that car. It did not have a lot of power, but got you where you needed to go. I got anywhere between 50 MPG and 70 MPG. It was a 2 seater and did not have a lot of room and was also a 5 speed, which was a pain to drive. It was fun going to gas stations and people would ask, "Where do you plug that thing in?" or "Can I see the engine?" It was interesting meeting all kinds of people when I would pull into a gas station. The main problem was that it was not a 4 door, so taking more than 1 person was not possible. I traded my Insight in on a 2004 Honda Accord which was a Honda Certified car. It had barely 12K miles on it.

The first place I hit was The Town North Nissan store off 183 just past Burnet. They had a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid with like 30K miles on it. It was white and was an automatic. They wanted $14.9K for it. I thought it was a great deal, especially since they went new for $24K. I was told to as for a guy named Boon. On my lunch hour, I ran over to take a peek at it. I walked around the car and it was in great shape. The interior looked brand new. I met with Boon who hopped in the car for a test drive, only to jump out as we were leaving the dealership because he had another customer. He tells me, "You take it for a drive. As long as you want!" I am thinking to myself, "Gee. They are being very brave letting me take this car by myself, without having any of my contact info." I drove it on 183 south for a little bit and drove it back. I checked the millage because this odometer will tell you how many miles per gallon you are getting. I noticed it was reading 29 mpg. I also noticed the check engine light on. I get back to the dealership and there is another guy waiting for me to get back because he always wants to look at it. I am curious about the check engine codes, so I grab my scan tool and go scan the trouble codes. There were 3 codes that came up and they were all manufacturer diagnostic codes. Honda is notorious for having funky check engine codes but many of them are minor. The other weird thing was that 2 of the LEDs on the battery indicator to tell me how charged the batteries were were out. Once you got past those two LEDs, the rest were lit so I knew the batteries were being charged. I asked Boon if there was a warranty and he tells me there was no factory warranty but they would give me a 1000 mile warranty. I think to myself, "Gee, I would do 1000 in a few weeks." I take his card, writing down the trouble codes and head back to my office. When I get back to my office, I check my own sources for these trouble codes because this will be the 5th Honda I have owned and I do all of my own mechanical work. I find out that the 3 codes are basically problems with the IMA charging motor. (This is the unit that basically makes this car a hybrid and helps it get such great gas millage.) In this case, there was a reason why it was only getting 29 mpg and not the over 40 mpg that it should get.

The second placed I looked was the Leif Johnson Ford dealership off Airport. They had a 2005 Honda Hybrid for 17.9K which was the special internet price. I had called and spoked to a guy who told me to ask for him and set up a time for me to come in. When I got to the dealership, I was referred to another salesperson named Amy who in turn turned me over to a 3rd sales person. We go to peek at the car and this car was a dark grey. It was also in great shape. I hope in and was immediately disappointed it was a 5 speed. The sales lady asked if I wanted to go for a test drive and I said sure. I asked if she wanted to drive it off the lot because that had been the practice where the sales person would drive it off the lot and then let you take the wheel. She looks at me and tells me she can not drive 5 speed. I hop in and we take off down 290 south. We got to talking and she was a very down to earth and sweet girl, telling me she had been selling insurance prior to selling cars. She also proceeds to tell me she has only been in the car business less than 90 days. I know that the car business is one of those businesses where people come and go and many folks tend to change dealerships like they change socks. It is always a red flag to me for a person young in the car dealership because negotiating a deal is always harder because they have very little experience. I come back to the dealership and was then assisted by Amy. She tells me they will basically give me book value for my Accord. I do have some negative equity with this car, even after paying more every month towards my car payment. At 6% APR my payments at 72 months would be close to $386, which is not too bad. The good thing is the windows are tinted already but the down side is that it is a 5 speed and I hate to drive a 5 speed in bumper to bumper traffic on Mopac during rush hour. I tell her that I am going to run numbers with my bank and I will get back to her. Ironically, Amy and the other sales person called me in addition to the Sales manager all weekend long to see if I had made a decision if I wanted the car or not. That weekend was Joshua's birthday party and I had family in town, as well as having to work sound. I called Amy on Monday and she proceeds to tell me they have raised the price of the car $1000 but will sell it to me at the $17993 price they quoted me. I tell her that I am going to go look at a gas version of the Civic because they get 30 city and 40 highway, which is close to what the Hybrid gets but also is like $16K for a 2006 Honda Civic Coupe.

The third place I looked was the Howdy Honda in South Austin. They had this 2006 Honda Civic coupe with the new body style. It was very sporty. I walked in and was immediately given to someone else because this car salesman had a delivery. The new salesman, Kasey, was very personable and down to earth. We took this 2006 Civic coupe on a test drive. I liked the way it handled. It drove great. I was impressed by how calm he was, even with Josh in the back seat asking when we could go home. I took Josh with me for the simple fact that if things took too long, Josh would not stand for it and raise a fuss. We get back to the dealership and they appraise my Accord. He comes back and says, "I have good new and bad news." He hands me a Car Fax report which shows my car had been in an accident. He asked me if my car had been in an accident. I told him it had and was repaired at a 5 star repair facility, using nothing by Honda parts and paint. He tells me because it had been in an accident, they were going to give me $7700 for it. He then tells me that I could come up with $3000 cash, that would help with part of the negative equity and might make the numbers look a little better. I had told him that I was not really looking to put anything down on it since I was not really looking to buy a car. We end up leaving the dealership and heading home.

The last place I decide to goto was Honda of San Marcos. Josh's mom had bought her 2003 Honda CRV from them, so I was familiar with the dealership. They were under new ownership so I figured since it was so close to the house, I could go it and see what they could do. I had figured if worst came to worst, I would just go back to Leif Johnson Ford and buy that 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid that had a 5 speed. I was met by a guy named Patrick. He was an older gentleman from Houston who was new the San Marcos area. He had told me he had been in the car business over 27 years. He was this down to earth, country boy kinda guy. I test drove the Honda Civic. Ironically, I knew most about this car that he did. We get back and he asks me if I want to buy it. I tell him that I am interested in seeing what the numbers look like. His manager, Mr. Macy, hops in my car and takes it for a test drive. Mr. Macy is from Florida where he had this huge house but is having problems selling it. His wife had gone back to get some furniture for their new house in Kyle where they just moved and was rear ended buy some foreign folks. He was not in the best of moods; but, with everything going on in his life, I can see why. Patrick comes back and hands me a Car Fax and tells me the car had been in an accident. He then tells me they are only going to be able to give me like $8500. I think to myself, "Wow, thats a bit more than Howdy Honda was going to give me but Leif Johnson is still going to give me full book price." I explain that to him and he goes back to Mr. Macy. They try to get me to put some money down to help work out the negative equity; but, I am interested in seeing how far they are willing to go to make the deal work. Mr. Macy then tells me he will give me close to almost book value for my trade. I tell him that I would like to see what the numbers would be and it comes out to $399 at 6.5% APR at 72 months. They take me into financing and the best rate they can give me is like 6.99%. I call USAA and they tell me 6.5% and basically tell me they are going to ship a check over to the dealer. I did wind up with a 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid. This car is white and is automatic. It is a clean car. It had like 29K miles on it. I was told the car was owned my an Engineer who had a mid-life crisis and wound up with a Honda S2000 Roadster. The windows were tinted on this car as well. I drove it home that night.

What is my overall opinion of the Civic Hybrid? It is smaller than the Accord. I did slam my right elbow into the head rests getting into the car the other day. The A/C controls are a little funky. It will take some getting used to. The radio will need to be updated but I have my sights set on a CD player that has a LCD display in it and will probably update the speakers as well when I upgrade it. I am getting 41 to 49 MPG. I drove for over a week on a little over 1/2 a tank of gas. Gas was a little expensive in San Marcos so I put $10 in and that put me just under 1/2 a tank and I am still driving on that tank. In my Accord, I would have had to put in $20 twice already. The Hybrid does take a little getting used to. You have to drive it differently than a regular car. You have to keep your eyes on the battery charging as you drive it. I tend to put the cruise control on and let it ride. I am overall impressed with this car. I decided to move away from the Accord since I drive over 100 miles a day 3 days a week and figured if I could just about double my mpg, it would benefit me in the long run. The 2004 Honda Accord average MPG was 28 MPG. In the Honda Civic Hybrid it is 47 MPG. You figure in a 10 gallon tank the Accord could go 280 miles. In the Civic Hybrid I could go 470 miles. I figured I would save probably $20 a week in gas alone and almost $1000 a year. Thats not too shabby.

So I walk into Crate and Barrel....


Its been a long long time since I have been in this place. They are having this 30% off sale on Elfa. I start to look around and start thinking to myself, "Oh my! I have seen most of this crap at Target for like a 1/3rd of their prices." There are people in there buying hundreds of dollars worth of shelving and organizing crap. I am totally amazed. I walked out without buying anything. I did get some organizing ideas. I still have to put up some shelves in my office that I bought over a week ago. If I need organizing stuff, I will hit the Home Depot or Lowes. I might end up at Target. I am sorry to the folks who love this place. Its not all that.

Monday, January 08, 2007

So I get this phone call from my brother


He leaves a message on my machine that says something like, "I just did something and you are going to laugh. I can not leave it on here for fear of it biting me in the ass." I called him back within 10 minutes. He proceeds to tell me that he met this girl off Quest Personals named Christi. I was like, "Ok." He proceeds to tell me it is my ex.

She and I dated years ago around 1997. She was a very sweet girl but there was an issue of her being very immature. I did not see us moving forward, so we broke up. Ironically, she tells me brother she broke up with me by throwing a promise ring in my car, which is a crock of crap. I never gave her a promise ring. What is even more ironic is that evertime I bump into her only, she tells me that she would take me back in a heartbeat, that she loves me still and will always love me.

My brother tells me that he almost needed Viagra just to have sex with her after he found out who she was. The funny thing is that it did not click to her that she and I are brothers. My brother tells her that he and I were roomates but thats it. I get an IM from her later that night asking what the names of my former roomates were. My brother tells me he is done with her; yet, Christi still text messages him that she wants him. What is even more funny is that she is dating some guy as well.

Christi send me an IM a day or so later. I told her that I can not believe she had sex with my roomate. (I did not tell her Daniel is my brother. I would have thought she would already know that.) She tells me it was a one time deal and that was it. Christi started going to my parents church and was big time involved with the church. When I asked her what God would think about her having sex with my former roomate and still having a boyfriend, she tell me "I repented and was a one time deal." Of course, I know better because she texts my brother all the time telling him she wants him.

I have suggested my to my brother that he needs to keep her on a short leash. He needs not to lead her on like they are going to see each other again because she will end up stalking him. All she has is his cell phone. She does not know where he lives or his last name. Once he moves in 3 weeks, he should be in the clear of her trying to hunt him down because he will have disappeared.

The good thing to come out of this is that I found out that she moved to the other side of town and does not goto my parents church any more. I am sure she will find some other crazy person that is just as screwed up as she is and Daniel will be a distant memory. It is kinda funny because when I see my brother, we just look at each other and kinda laugh.