Marriage advice

Boy – you tell someone you’re getting married and you will get advice from EVERYONE.
Here are some of the latest (as well as a couple older ones):

  • Marriage is about three rings. The engagement ring. The wedding ring. And the suffer ring.
  • Husbands are the head of the house as Christ is the head of the church. But wifes, you are the neck and you turn the head which ever way you want it to go
  • A couple who had been married for 50+ years was asked about the secret to their relationship. The husband spoke up and said, “We decided before we were married that I would make all the major decisions and she would make all the minor decisions.” The wife then added, “And it’s amazing, we haven’t had a single major decision to make in over 50 years.”
  • There’s one phrase you need to remember, “Yes dear.”
  • It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission
  • There are two phrases you need to remember, “Yes dear” and “I’m sorry.”

With my bachelor party this weekend I’m sure I’ll get even more loads of advice before it’s all said and done.

Google hiring for new Lunar Center

lunar_cheese.jpg
Google is hiring for Copernicus Center and their new Google Copernicus Hosting Environment and Experiment in Search Engineering (G.C.H.E.E.S.E.).
According to Google’s job site, the GCHEESE “is a fully integrated research, development and technology facility at which Google will be conducting experiments in entropized information filtering, high-density high-delivery hosting (HiDeHiDeHo) and de-oxygenated cubicle dwelling. This center will provide a unique platform from which Google will leapfrog current terrestrial-based technologies and bring information access to new heights of utility.”
If you’re intrigued by the opportunity to launch a new career, now is the time to step forward. For more information about the Google Copernicus Hosting Environment and Experiment in Search Engineering, please contact us today at lunarjobs@google.com.
Applicants must be at least 18 years of age by April 1, 2007 and have proof of earth residency. Google is an equal opportunity employer.

Hat tip to Eric for the link.

Getting “taken” by “the man”

So moving is no fun – and we’re not even done yet.
Doh! I think we’ve got Laurie fully moved but we’ll be moving my stuff in over the next 18 days or so.
There are definitely some companies who are now on my “avoid at all possible” list.

  • U-Haul/Self-storage place on Highway 287 in Waxahachie
  • Planet Beach Tan in Waxahachie
  • AT&T

We’ve been “fighting” with AT&T since last Tuesday afternoon to get my phone service and DSL moved two miles down the road. I was tried doing the transfer online but they kept forcing me to accept an address with the wrong zip code. So finally after doing some Google searches (the numbers are not online) I was able to track down the proper number to call them with.
I got a hold of someone who assured me everything was inline for the move. My phone line (and DSL) would be cut off on Tuesday and the phone service would be re-established on Wednesday. The DSL was scheduled for installation on Monday (yesterday).
Wednesday afternoon I received a voice mail saying they couldn’t find my home in Cedar Hill.
I wonder why – we live in Waxahachie?!
I had to wait on the phone for 15-20 minutes so I could finally talk to someone and tell them I don’t live in Cedar Hill but in Waxahachie.
I finally thought everything was in line and they told me service should be connected later that day. Of course that didn’t happen.
I came to Laurie’s and the phone was still not working that evening.
I called again on Thursday and waited on hold again – and was assured someone would come to the apartment on Friday between 8 a.m. and 12 noon.
I waited. And waited. Big props to DirecTV though. They also said they’d be there between 8 and 12 and surprise – they were. The satellite service was up and running by 1 p.m.
By 1 p.m. AT&T still hadn’t shown up and I decided it was time to call them again.
I think I ended up talking with someone in India somehow before they gave me a number to “The former SBC, now the New AT&T.”
I waited on hold again and was then sent to their repair service. The repair service told me a ticket had never been filed.
Wonderful.
They promised they’d send someone out the following morning. Finally Saturday morning – four days after it was promised we had phone service at our new place.
Monday afternoon I showed back up at our new place to check the DSL (which we’ve been without since Tuesday evening) and surprise – nothing!
I was on the phone again for another 30-45 minutes trying to explain the situation and get something done.
Finally a manager guaranteed me the service would start on Wednesday (tomorrow) and we would receive a $25 credit on our phone bill for our troubles.
We’ll see tomorrow what happens.

As for Planet Beach Tan – This doesn’t really have anything to do with moving but it’s happened in the last week or so, so I feel like venting on it as well. I seriously felt like a woman in a mechanic shop. I got the great idea to get a tan before my wedding day and honeymoon. I don’t want to scare people at the resort when I walk around without a shirt on by the hot tubs.
I only wanted a few sessions but somehow ended up with a month membership and $35 lotion.
$35 for lotion?! They looked at me like I was the most backward, hick, cheap guy in the world because I only used $5 sun tan lotion from Walgreens in the past.
Somehow, if I didn’t buy their lotion I didn’t care about my body, my future wedding, marriage, future kids or grandkids. They would all be labeled by my poor decision.
I have to admit. I should have done some sort of research on tanning before I went or took Laurie with me, but I thought, “Heck, how hard can it be. You buy a few sessions and get tan.” But apparently they took me and somehow I ended up paying for way more than I ever expected or will probably ever use.

As for U-Haul – yeah I don’t even want to go there. But let me just say this, “They don’t know what they’re doing when it comes to renting trailers and such.”
We planned to rent a trailer and because we were told it would connect easily to my pickup truck and/or someone would be available to take care of it if it didn’t.
Well the light kit didn’t work and no one was there who knew anything about it.
I was told to go to Wal-Mart to get it hooked up.
Finally, frustrated after several other issues, I gave up and just spent three times what we had planned with a 22′ U-Haul trailer.
Granted that worked out OK but it was the most frustrating experience ever – well other than trying to move my AT&T service.
So there you have it. My venting over moving.
I think I’m going to do everything I can to just stay in the building we’re in for the next 10 years.

Great party fun

My favorite photo website, Photojojo has some great ideas on games and party projects to play with your snappy digital camera.
Jump for Joy
There are some fun ideas here to get everyone involved and maybe make some new friends. Using Flickr afterwards to share the photos can be even more fun. I think I’m going to recommend these ideas for our community 2.0 leaders to use as ice breakers.
Check the link for five great ideas.