My SO and I just tried to attend a Giants game at the Stadium. Try being the operative word here.
We got to the stadium and found that their website wasn't kidding about "limited" on-site disabled parking. There looked to be roughly 10 to 15 spaces, all full with the rest of the parking being in a dirt lot across the street, for which we were expected to pay $10 to park. When we asked we were informed that handicapped was full there was more across the street. Really, in a dirt lot? With all close in parking full to start with. I have a bad right ankle, she's on a cane and we are expected to walk approximately the distance of two blocks across uneven terrain. When this was pointed out they just shrugged that's what we've got, the unspoken being "Don't like it, to bad."
So we left. Neither of us where willing to pay to encourage such treatment. So, because they aren't willing or able to provide sufficient parking that is actually useable safely by handicapped individuals they have lost not only the money we would have spent this evening, but any monies I might have spent there in the future. I definitely will not willingly attend any future events at that venue.
I've been dealing with VistaPrint for a while. Business cards mostly. Not the greatest but not bad until this latest order. I had ordered some postcard sized flyers to be used at several upcoming SciFi conventions, two of which are this weekend of course, by representatives of the Con I'm involved with. They were intended to be handed to dealers in the various Dealers Rooms as a point of contact for getting Dealers Info. What was delivered Friday was totally unusable. *sigh*
It was the most poorly done piece of work I have ever seen.
The side with the form asking for the Dealers Info was fine, but the side with the flyer image, to put it bluntly, sucks.
The image was uploaded with crop marks and bleed points indicated, and instead of cropping the image at the points indicated the bloody thing was printed and cut showing both.
So this morning I try calling them, as that is the only point of contact they have for problems with an order. What do I hear? "Due to technical difficulties beyond our control, our Sales and Service Department is closed. Please call back during regular business hours."
What the hell??? Sales and Service are a single department? *shriek!!*
I guarantee that I won't be placing any more orders with them, nor recommending them to any of the people with whom I do business.
I swear, I am so mad about this you can probably see steam rising.
UPDATE Just got off the phone with VistaPrint.
At least they are going to credit back the charge for the cards. Or so they said. I'll know for sure when the credit appears on my credit card.
What I still don't understand is why they were able to print the uploaded image the first time but not the second. In any case, I will still not place any further orders with them.
It's taken me four flipping months to do it, but I have FINALLY gotten all of the files transferred to the the new Der Maerchenerzaehler (The Storyteller) site.
Hopefully the fact that the site has been converted to the eFiction archival software will make it easier for anybody wanting to either read or post stories.
Well, yesterday I decided that since I have enough money back from my Federal Income Tax I was going to get myself a new digital camera.
*G*
I am now the proud owner of a Kodak Easyshare C875 (8 megapixals and all), and just in time for PCon!
Happy little datapard dance.
Now all I have to do is figure out what sort of nice thing to do to uhh forravan. She very patiently drove me over to Fry's and put up with my taking so long to choose the camera. Such patience deserves some for of reward.
Well the new assignment that was supposed to last for 4+ weeks, lasted exactly 2.5 days. I may be an Excel macro whiz, and (in my opinion) excellent database specialist, but that wasn't really what they needed.
They need someone who uses things like file compare in Excel and a data entry speed demon. I may be able to, as the supervisor put it, "hit the ground running", but I don't have the jet assist they needed.
I know it's not really a failure on my part, but it sure as hell feels like it.
The assignment that started November 16, 2005 ended yesterday. *sigh* Of course, it was only supposed to last for six weeks.
The New assignment starts Monday at 9am and is supposed to last a minimum of 4 weeks. *G* It will also pay me roughly $3.00ph more than the last assignment. *G*
I Love it when assignments run together like this.
YES!!! I just got my grade from my shell programming class. I didn't just pass the class, I got an A! I was expecting a C. This means that for the first time in my life I have a 3.25 GPA!!
YES!!! YES!!! YES!!!
*wry snicker* Now I have almost a month's downtime before I put myself through this again.
I got an A! I got an A! I got an A!
I'm not hyper about this. Not at all. Why do you ask?
Anybody going there is more than welcome to come back here and make comments on the poetry(?)
What can I say. If you want to make a statement about early morning gardners with their leaf-blowers, and gasoline powered lawn mowers, this is definitely the place to come. *snicker* Otherwise, just come and have a giggle.
Just got through taking the first of the next two Unix class quizzes.
I got 60 on the test. <fx="existential blue cloud">
Two of the questions had more than one correct choice and I had to have all of the correct choices for the answer to be correct. *sigh*
The one that really ticks me off (at me) though is the question about "more". Apparently I missed something in the man page for "more" (as well as using equally apparently a flawed version of "more"), because it turns out that one can page backward in more as well as do a search forward.
At least I don't have to take the second test immediately. I can take a couple of extra days to study some more. I will say though that more [file name] | tail to read the last 10 lines of a file is just plain silly.
Took my next set of quizes for my Unix class yesterday and got 100% on both of them.
Next the downs.
The temp assignment that was supposed to last me through to the end of the year lasted 3 days. Turns out that the people I had been sent out to wanted someone with extensive customer service abilities as well as computer skills and hadn't told the girl at $TempService until yesterday evening. *oh well*
Now the giggles.
The kids at $TempService had me take tests checking my abilities with MS PowerPoint and Access. *snicker* I got a score of 88% with Access and 86% with PowerPoint.
And I use either one of these once in a blue moon.
I started an online unix course from the local JC a couple of weeks ago and have just completed the second and third tests. 100% on both tests. This brings my grade for the course to an A!
When you add that to the fact that I have a temp assignment starting Tuesday that's supposed to last until the end of the year, I think it's hopefully understandable that I am bouncing of the walls right now.
Alignment: Chaotic Good characters are independent types with a strong belief in the value of goodness. They have little use for governments and other forces of order, and will generally do their own things, without heed to such groups.
Race: Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.
Primary Class: Rangers are the defenders of nature and the elements. They are in tune with the Earth, and work to keep it safe and healthy.
Secondary Class: Bards are the entertainers. They sing, dance, and play instruments to make other people happy, and, frequently, make money. They also tend to dabble in magic a bit.
Deity: Solonor Thelandria is the Chaotic Good elven god of archery and the hunt. He is also known as the Keen Eye, the Great Archer, and the Forest Hunter. His followers respect nature, and only hunt when needed, but are quick to defend the forest from intruders. Their favorite weapon is the bow, and they tend to be extremely talented with it. Solonor Thelandria's symbol is an arrow with green fletchings.
Once again, I have put stuff up for sale on eBay and have gotten NO bids. Nada, zero, zilch, zip. *Snuffle*, *whine*. Why is it that other people seem to make good money doing this, and I'm doing good to get four sales out of the roughly 14 items I've put up. *SNIFFLE!*
Update: Well, none of the pieces sold. Again. And this time it was some very nice china dishware pieces. *sigh*
I finally got around to (with help "Thanks ravan and F!") shifting main computer and monitor and drilling the holes needed to tame the mighty cable beast.
I've got a temp assignment starting Monday that should last two weeks ("plus a couple of days" E says...uh huh.) Every little bit helps.
Now if F will just get the lead out and finish putting my new system together, I'll be able to start working on getting the OSs talking to it.
It's the 28th of December and I have been have fun for over a week with the Christmas/Yule/Mid-winter gift that my roomie ravan gave me. <G> THANKS ravan!!
The gift, you ask?
A brand-new Desknote A901 laptop! Bounce! Bounce! With a harddrive big enough to do a dual boot of Win2K [*sigh*], and linux!
*sigh* Well, today was the last day of the contract assignment. Apparently I work just a little too fast, as there wasn't enough work to keep me, and the two other word processors that were brought on ahead of me, in work. So, last in first out. *sigh* So much for that. Now it's back to the job search merry-go-round.
Well, today starts day 1 of week 3. So far so good. Only flaw with the assignment is, has been, and will continue to be the fact that it is on the 29th floor. (Inner ear problems are NO fun at all.) So, I go up in the morning and stay there until quiting time. No going out to lunch for me. My pocketbook, of course, is heartbroken...NOT 8>.
Didn't post anything about the job until now, because I wanted to see whether I could hold out this long or not. Looks like I can.
Here's to a slightly different kind of conference, for me at least. <G>
R needed to come to the conference because she is a sysadmin. I came along, so that she wouldn't have to make the drive alone. Even so, I have found the whole thing to be quite informative and a great deal of fun.
Well, $230.00 later, smog pre-test and indepth diagnostic, I get told that I'm going to have to replace both the O2 sensor and the catalystic converter on my car before I'll pass smog, as it is I qualify as a "Gross Polluter" with emissions twice allowable levels. *sigh* So tomorrow R and I get to go and get this dealt with. Projected cost: $700.00. <whimper>
On the UP side of the equation, while I was waiting for them to finish the pre-test and diagnostic I got a call from one of my temp services. Upshot of the call, I have a three week assignment starting Monday.
On the downside, it's 9-5 in South San Francisco, which means roughly 7:30 - 6:30 given commute time from where I live. *sigh* This may make it difficult for R, unless we can also get her car fixed tomorrow. Not only that but, I am supposedly at least working with the CEO of the company in question. *gaaacccckk!*
OK. Actually got a call back on a resume I submitted to a company that had posted on Craig's List. Contract labor (I contract out through them). Pluses: $15 - $18ph depending on experience, long-term assignment. Minuses (maybe, not sure): In the city, so I'd have to commute on CalTrain, M-F, 10am-8pm, and the company I'd be contracting through is on the 22nd floor. *sigh* I HATE elevators.
I have to go into the city either tomorrow, probably best, or sometime next week to fill out their paperwork, and have a face to face with the recruiter.
.....I actually got a contact BACK from a Craig's List job poster??
Well, I had my EDD "Interview". From what was said at the start of the interview, they'd gotten things mangled in the database. Let's see. He thought I should be able to remember what the start date for an assignment that was back in May was and what my hourly was for same.... [bemused look] I'm supposed to have an eidetic memory now?? *sigh* When I finally got it through to the interviewer that that WASN'T my last assignment, we had to go through the whole thing again. At least this time, it was recent enough that I could give him the start(and end) date and hourly for the assignment and why it terminated. He then tells me that he will be calling the temp service to verify the reason with them. If their answer agrees with mine, I should get my money (that I should have received Monday) in seven to ten days. Otherwise he'd call me back to give me a chance to rebut their answer.
So, after dropping Ravan off at work, I called the temp service to warn them that EDD would be calling. According to my usual contact, the interviewer had already called and they had backed up what I said.
Since I haven't heard from the interviewer, I think I should be getting the money.......eventually.
Just got the mail. In it was a letter from the EDD Adjudication Center. *sigh* A telephone interview has been scheduled for Wednesday. I was half expecting this. What's really infuriating is the Telephone Interview Instructions on the back of the letter.
During the interview we will discuss:
The reason you left your job with Company X
The reason was on the form I sent in people. What part of: "The assignment ended because I was not properly qualified for the job". Don't you understand.
Why are you no longer working at your very last job? Were you warned that your actions could result in being fired? When were you warned?
Why are you .... "Because...I...was...not...qualified...to...do...the...work"
Were you warned that... "I wasn't fired. It was a two day temp job that ended early because it turned out that I wasn't qualified to do the work"
When were you.... "I wasn't. From time of reporting to being let go was a total of 2.25 hrs. I wasn't qualified."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- [shakes head at the "logic" of bureaucrats]
Neither the temp service, who don't normally handle this kind of assignment, nor I realized that I would be working in a environment that would cause me to have problems with over-heating and dehydration. I hadn't done this kind of work in roughly twenty years, I've been working in an office for Pete's sake.
*sigh*
So, I may have just lost my unemployment for a unknown amount of time because I can't deal well with heat.
Well, here we are at the start of yet another lovely week.
Let's see, so far today.
1) According to the EDD automated system, by unemployement form hasn't been processed yet, so the check hasn't been cut.
2) Just got finished calling all my temp services, "They'll put me on their Hot List." Translation: No work available at this time.
3) Check Craig's List for the entire SF Bay Area <shrug>.
So, I get to sit here <wry grin> listening to my hair grow </wry grin> and hoping the phone will ring with a job call. Anybody need a slightly grey Paradox programmer/Database Specialist/HTML Coder?
Still looking for some cheese. *snork* *Cough* *choke* *snicker* Talk about timing. See below. It just came up on my cd player.
So Ravan and I went shopping today. Got her glasses and everything. Poor baby. She has to have bifocals. *snicker* I've worn bifocals off and on since I was 14. But she's feeling very old because of the silly glasses. Another reason why I talked her into Progressive lens bifocals. As far as I'm concerned, they're easier on the eyes and it's not obvious that you have bifocal lenses.
So ends another day in the life of datapard. *sigh* After several dry weeks (no temp work), I get calls from two different companies.
I accept the assignment from Company A and thank Company B for calling me. Several hours later (much too late for me to do anything about it) Company A calls to say that the client has cancelled the job order. *Gaack!* They will, of course keep my at the top of their "HOT" list.
*snirt!* Now if only someone would give me some cheese to go with this very poor whine.
angry
amused
bouncy
depressed
silly
indescribable
accomplished
annoyed