Trivial Pursuits
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We love our Scion xB. Customer support? Not so much
We love our Scion xB. Customer support? Not so much. We're trying to get a $225 reimbursement for a warranty repair. How difficult should this be? On Sunday evening, September 5, 2010, we exited a local store, walked to the parking lot, and unlocked our Scion. All normal. But when my spouse, Rich, opened the… Continue reading
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Where Did My Rich Text Mail Go?
Up until sometime today, my incoming email was in Rich Text (HTML) mode if that's the way the sender sent it. I send my mail out in plain text, but I was happy to read mail in whatever form the sender preferred. In many cases, Rich Text really is better. Today, something changed. I started… Continue reading
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How (Not) to Eat Fried Worms
We discovered a "new" SF Bay Area restaurant today: Coconut Bay Street Cafe (Thai). It's located at 1300 Howard St in Burlingame (CA). We came in largely by accident; the restaurant we initially planned to eat at turned out to close between 3:00 pm and 4:30 pm. We arrived just at 3pm. Pfooie!. We had… Continue reading
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No WYSIWYG, Please. I Prefer Markup
I recently applied for a writer/editor position with a company that looks like a good match for my interests. As part of their application process, they ask candidates to complete a few writing exercises. That seems like an excellent idea to me. There was just one small gotcha. Although the company uses a wiki for… Continue reading
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Lamp Tweaking
A few years ago, we found an interesting 5-head floor lamp at a garage sale. We're quite pleased with it. Each of the five "heads" has an adjustable goose neck, to better position the light where we want it. The switch provides several options: light upwards, downwards, all on, or all off. When we recently… Continue reading
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From Database records to Name tags
I'm taking over the volunteer position of Database Manager for a group I belong to. Before I can officially take over, I need to know that I can replicate the processes that the previous volunteer followed. She has a PC; I use a Mac. My first task: Figuring out how to create name badges for… Continue reading
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Fridge Door Alert
Our refrigerator (an Amana model with the freezer on the bottom) is very well made, in general, but the upper door doesn't always seal properly without a solid push. As a result, we have found it hanging slightly open more than once. We decided that we needed some sort of alarm that would notify us… Continue reading
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Harry & Harriet Homeowner Repair Their La-Z-Boy Sofa
Nearly 20 years ago, Rich and I purchased a La-Z-Boy recliner sofa and a pair of recliner chairs with swivel bases. They have held up remarkably well under heavy use from humans and cats. The upholstery still feels and looks good and the frames and mechanisms (with one exception) have been solid. The sole exception… Continue reading
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In Line at the Checkout Stand
After breakfast today, we went to the grocery store to get Cheerios, bagels, tomatoes, string cheese… I avoided the muffins. I'm trying not to eat sugar. When I got to the front, there was one other customer, a woman who had been nattering at the manager (call him Ralph) for the past 10 minutes at… Continue reading
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Looking for Work
After 5 years with the same company, I'm looking for a new job. There was a division re-org back in August and my manager resigned the same week (coincidentally). I wasn't a fit for the new team I was assigned to and, despite my best efforts, couldn't find a team I did fit. "What you… Continue reading
Slightly Off KIlter 