Not only do I not know what's going on, I wouldn't know what to do about it if I did. -George Carlin-
House hunting is definitely an interesting process. You get to see different styles of decorating, different perspectives on renovating, and you also get to see how people choose to live.
Take for example a house that is currently owned by the bank as a result of a foreclosure. There was a person living there, renting actually, with her kids. The house itself seemed OK on paper, as far as the layout went, and we had been informed that it would need work before we went to see it. As it turns out, the person living there was a less than attentive housekeeper. In fact, I think I've seen cleaner composters. I suppose, though, that she had a sweet deal with the bank in regards to her rent, and that if someone bought the house, she would lose that deal. The actual building was a bit of an addition nightmare as well. There were two separate additions built onto the original structure. The building was sound structurally, and solidly built. The interior, on the other hand, was a bit if a nightmare. The layout was completely disconnected, and unworkable. There would be no way to redo the layout without actually gutting it back to the walls, and then starting it from scratch. I don't have the time for that level of renovating.
We are looking at a few very good prospects now though. We will be going to a second showing to 2 of these houses this week, as a matter of fact. One of them is a clear favourite at the moment. It needs a bit of work, mostly in the kitchen, but would be fine to move into right away. It would also need a few new windows to keep in the heat from the furnace that was just installed. Those are doable projects though. I'll have my measuring tape and my clipboard when we go through the second time, that's for sure.
Pax, all.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
The worst thing about a perfect day is that it ends.
Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too? -Douglas Adams-
What an absolutely wonderful day today was. The word PERFECT jumps to mind immediately, actually.
We looked after Damian today. Sandi and I took him and Pita for a walk down the boardwalk, and back up Queen Street. We made some stops along the way, and just generally enjoyed ourselves. We came home and let Damian have a nap. I cut up some wood while he was sleeping and we lit a fire late in the afternoon. A fire that I am currently sitting on the deck enjoying still, I might add. Throw in a few cold, frosty, amber beverages, a fantastic barbecue supper, and beautiful weather, and you have one of the best days we've had in a long time.
As I said, perfect.
Pax, all.
What an absolutely wonderful day today was. The word PERFECT jumps to mind immediately, actually.
We looked after Damian today. Sandi and I took him and Pita for a walk down the boardwalk, and back up Queen Street. We made some stops along the way, and just generally enjoyed ourselves. We came home and let Damian have a nap. I cut up some wood while he was sleeping and we lit a fire late in the afternoon. A fire that I am currently sitting on the deck enjoying still, I might add. Throw in a few cold, frosty, amber beverages, a fantastic barbecue supper, and beautiful weather, and you have one of the best days we've had in a long time.
As I said, perfect.
Pax, all.
Monday, June 23, 2008
One fish, two fish, Red fish, blue fish
A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas Adams-
Apparently, a one year warranty will run from April 2005, to late June 2008. This is a complete surprise to me.
This interesting tidbit came to light early today. I had the pleasure of dealing with a gentleman of Italian descent, who was upset that the weed eater that he bought 3 years ago wasn't working properly anymore and who felt that the store should replace it for free. He dodn't have a receipt when he first came in, but was sure he had bought it less than a year ago. Our store policy required that I have a copy of the receipt to exchange it (assuming it was bought within 90 days)so we could sent it back to the manufacturer and get credit for it.
The weed eater wouldn't have been a warranty case in any event anyway. It had been abused horribly. There were several modifications made to it, and things that had been hacked, hammered, and otherwise man-handled on it that would have voided the warranty.
The gentleman miraculously found the receipt later on in the day and came back in to complain that he had bought a piece of junk and that he was entitled to a free replacement. I very patiently explained that his one year warranty had expired long ago, and that it wsa very likely that we would have not have been able to exchange the unit due to its condition and the apparent abuse on it. I also explained that there was no way to stretch his one year warranty to a three year one.
I still enjoy retail. I get a great feeling from helping someone get what they need and to make certain they know how to enjoy it. I suppose I just like helping people.
I don't let the few exceptions like Mr Weed-Eater get me down or to take away form my enjoyment of retail, but these types of customers can sometimes be trying.
Pax, all.
Apparently, a one year warranty will run from April 2005, to late June 2008. This is a complete surprise to me.
This interesting tidbit came to light early today. I had the pleasure of dealing with a gentleman of Italian descent, who was upset that the weed eater that he bought 3 years ago wasn't working properly anymore and who felt that the store should replace it for free. He dodn't have a receipt when he first came in, but was sure he had bought it less than a year ago. Our store policy required that I have a copy of the receipt to exchange it (assuming it was bought within 90 days)so we could sent it back to the manufacturer and get credit for it.
The weed eater wouldn't have been a warranty case in any event anyway. It had been abused horribly. There were several modifications made to it, and things that had been hacked, hammered, and otherwise man-handled on it that would have voided the warranty.
The gentleman miraculously found the receipt later on in the day and came back in to complain that he had bought a piece of junk and that he was entitled to a free replacement. I very patiently explained that his one year warranty had expired long ago, and that it wsa very likely that we would have not have been able to exchange the unit due to its condition and the apparent abuse on it. I also explained that there was no way to stretch his one year warranty to a three year one.
I still enjoy retail. I get a great feeling from helping someone get what they need and to make certain they know how to enjoy it. I suppose I just like helping people.
I don't let the few exceptions like Mr Weed-Eater get me down or to take away form my enjoyment of retail, but these types of customers can sometimes be trying.
Pax, all.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
What's black and white and read all over...
Happy birthday Damian!!!
It is my grandsons first birthday today. The big Ohh One! I can't wait to see where he is in another year, and then another and another. He has a bright future ahead of him.
The job is going well. I still have seriously mixed feelings about taking a job with lower pay though. Well, maybe less mixed feelings, and more of a sense of disappointment, anger, and despair. Don't get me wrong. I'm having a ton of fun at the new job. The people are great and I'm learning a lot of new things, but it's still a low paying job with little future. It will do until I find something else though. I just hope the new opportunity comes soon though. I'm getting a little depressed about the whole situation.
Enough of my whining though.
The house we looked at was nice. It is a work in progress, but it's sound structurally, and the majority of the work is about 80% done. It basically just needs finish and cosmetic work now. It had a great yard too. The garage needs some work, and I would eventually want to wire it, but it's workable for now. The basement is just begging to be finished too. It would make a great rec-room. Sandi liked it a lot too. I think we're going to take a second look at it and possibly make an offer on it. It will be interesting if it's accepted. The house is empty, so we could move right in. Here's hoping.
If you're religious, put in a good word for us with whatever deity you subscribe to.
I'll leave off here for today.
Pax, all.
It is my grandsons first birthday today. The big Ohh One! I can't wait to see where he is in another year, and then another and another. He has a bright future ahead of him.
The job is going well. I still have seriously mixed feelings about taking a job with lower pay though. Well, maybe less mixed feelings, and more of a sense of disappointment, anger, and despair. Don't get me wrong. I'm having a ton of fun at the new job. The people are great and I'm learning a lot of new things, but it's still a low paying job with little future. It will do until I find something else though. I just hope the new opportunity comes soon though. I'm getting a little depressed about the whole situation.
Enough of my whining though.
The house we looked at was nice. It is a work in progress, but it's sound structurally, and the majority of the work is about 80% done. It basically just needs finish and cosmetic work now. It had a great yard too. The garage needs some work, and I would eventually want to wire it, but it's workable for now. The basement is just begging to be finished too. It would make a great rec-room. Sandi liked it a lot too. I think we're going to take a second look at it and possibly make an offer on it. It will be interesting if it's accepted. The house is empty, so we could move right in. Here's hoping.
If you're religious, put in a good word for us with whatever deity you subscribe to.
I'll leave off here for today.
Pax, all.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Greetings Starfighter! You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the Frontier against Zur and the KoDan armada.
The impossible often has a kind of integrity which the merely improbable lacks. -Douglas Adams-
It's been a good 2 weeks. The new job is going well. I'm having a lot of fun there. It is definitely capturing my interest, to say the least.
We're going to be looking at a house tomorrow. This one will fall into our "buy it cheap and spend the money to make it exactly right" category. We have been trying to decide between buying a house that's is more expensive, but almost the way we want it, and buying a house that's less expensive that we can renovate to what we want. It ends up working out to the same money, basically. We more or less figure that no matter what we buy, we'll be doing some work to it anyway, so what the heck.
I just realized how many cool tunes MuchMoreRetro plays.
So anyways, it's been a good 2 weeks! Hopefully it will be better after we look at that house.
Pax, all.
It's been a good 2 weeks. The new job is going well. I'm having a lot of fun there. It is definitely capturing my interest, to say the least.
We're going to be looking at a house tomorrow. This one will fall into our "buy it cheap and spend the money to make it exactly right" category. We have been trying to decide between buying a house that's is more expensive, but almost the way we want it, and buying a house that's less expensive that we can renovate to what we want. It ends up working out to the same money, basically. We more or less figure that no matter what we buy, we'll be doing some work to it anyway, so what the heck.
I just realized how many cool tunes MuchMoreRetro plays.
So anyways, it's been a good 2 weeks! Hopefully it will be better after we look at that house.
Pax, all.
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