Working a part time gig

I decided to get this wild hair and start working a part time job doing technical support 20 hours a week because the company told me I could work from home and had flexible hours. This place is staffed by a large amount of college kids. For many of them, it is their first job while going to college. This company I work for takes phone calls from multiple DSL service providers. After working there for about a month, I realized exactly while I got out of the tech support industry. I understand in this day and age, computers are starting to show up in more households. People buying these computers are not real computer savvy and thats to be expected. If I hear, "You have to bear with me because I not very computer literate," 3 or 4 times during a call I am going to scream. Secondly, if I ask a yes or no question and "dumb" it down for the customer, it drives me nuts when they hesitate and give you an answer other than yes or not and you have to back track to get them to where they need to be. Third, the callers that I like the most are the ones that call every evening just to talk to someone because they are lonely. One guy calls every evening and when he gets me he says, "Oh Bill! I am so glad I got you. You were so nice to me the other day I wanted to ask you a question." Of course, the guy's question is outside the scope of support of the DSL provider I am answering calls for. Fourth, DSL providers should not give customer's the latest technology if they do not know how to use it. I spoke to a lady the other night that had a wireless router/modem combo and she screwed it up because she started messing with the settings. She ends up calling us at least 3 times a week because she did something and wants to blame it on the service. I think DSL providers should give a little 5 question test. If you can not pass the test, you get a Fisher Price modem. If you pass the test, then we give you the latest and greatest hardware. Fifth, I am so amazed about how many people still use dial up and they complain , "This is SOO SLOW!!!!" The guy last night had a Windows Vista computer and dial up. I usually ask the customer, "How come you are not running DSL? It about the same price as Dial Up.

We will see how long this job lasts. I am hoping to get some of my sanity by working from home. Once I do that, I can answer calls in my underwear.

I took my youngest to the doctor

I took my youngest to the doctor for his 18 month check up. I noticed in the parking lot when I drove up there was a parking spot labeled "COMPACT". Ironically, this lady driving an SUV thought to herself that her big monster SUV was compact enough to fit in the space and decides to take 2 spots. Little did I know she was the same lady who tried to cut in front of me at the doctor's office while waiting in line. I hear the lady comment, "Man, you guys are busy for a Tuesday. There was not any parking downstairs." I chimed in, "Yeah, someone decided they would park their SUV in a compact parking spot. I guess they did not realize there was an open spot 5 slots down that was for regular vehicles." She responded, "Guess you could take 2 spots then!" I then realize it was the woman that was smart enough to take 2 compact spots to park her big boat of an SUV in space. I almost responded, "Yeah but then when the person parked next to you pulls out and side swipes the big SUV, I guess the driver will not care because she is parked in the wrong spot?" I got my kid's paperwork and went to go sit down without commenting and kinda chuckled to myself and wonder how clueless people like that even get a driver's license.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.