Saturday, July 30, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Thriving
It took all week all week to finally get custody of my new tablet, the Toshiba Thrive. To achieve this required numerous calls to best Buy my credit union and eventually get my new friend, Wayne at the credit union to contact Dakota's boss at Best Buy. I still don't understand, all I needed was an invoice to my credit union who would have instantly cut a cashiers check to Best Buy.
Calls seemed to be flying back and forth between my office and the two institutions I was dealing with. I was not trying to get Dakota in trouble but the poor kid could just seem to get it together. I was reinforced at some point when I spoke With Erin(sales person who answered the phone more then once when I called Best Buy for a status check and she I formed me she thought Dakota was in over his head and Costa the store manager would figure it—Dakota should never have handled the sale. In fact the last couple of times I called asking for Dakota, the lad was gone-- and at the end it was like the kid never existed—I was getting a weird feeling I was dealing with an episode from X-files or 24.
On Wednesday I took what I thought was going to be an hour of Annual I was going to zoom out to the credit union pick up my check the head further down the street to the Best Buy and purchase the Thrive have the folks apply the screen protector and head back to work, charge the tablet and enjoy my new toy. I did pretty good on the trip down south to the credit union but the transit system could have been quicker. I got the check and a quick lunch at Micky D's and caught the bus to Best Buy. It took longer then I had expected for the screen protection but not bad and no sooner had I got the Thrive loaded into my back pack then the left side of my seating system fell off literally. Nothing really serious but awkward as I tried to kim myself in the wheelchair and still drive the char back to work. I was going to have to stop at my wheelchair shop, Magic Rest which I knew was going to really eat in to my Annual.
The bus took for ever to come but eventually came rattling by. At Magic Rest I qualified forth ten minute quickie, a free service if what ever is wrong with your chair can be repaired in ten minutes. I my case I just needed a bolt put in a lock device and tightened.
When I returned to my office I had used more like four hours of Annual, which I have to use but I was hot and tired but pleased and a little excited. I plugged in my new machine and started returning calls and trying not to focus on the the Thrive. We went to Auni's last ball game with her visiting Aunt and Uncle and by the time I got home I just wanted to read.
I have started to use the system now. I like it—I think the thrive will serve me well. I just wish getting it had not been so challenging.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Dakota Where You??
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Options--part 2
Options—part two...
I try to buy local when I can. We used to have a bunch of places in the neighborhood to consider electronic items especially computer. We had a Compusa, Electronic Universe, Staples and even a Office Max but they are all gone, fallen victims to the recession. Really the only place in Murray left is Best buy, giant electronic retailer down on State Street. Best Buy seems to have weathered the Recession fairly well and should be in Murray in years to come, the best part is the store sits right on State State easily accessible by public transit and a bus was coming down the street and I figured the bus arriving when it did was a sign I should check out Best Buy.
I love the smell of a huge electronic store something like plastic and electricity its wonderful. I rolled in like I owned the joint, ignoring the token “greeter” who yelled at me as I entered but I left him holding the Best Buy specials like yesterday's news. I wondered round the place, checking out the videos, flat screens and camera bar and eventually I found where most of the tablets were stocked. It was only then I let a Best Buy sales shark approach and engage—luckily for me she was not from that department or just did not know or what to answer my the specific questions. She called someone over “Computers”: Dakota
Actually Dakota actually turned out to be a good little sales rep. I just had a difficult time warming up to a sales rep named after a truck or US state. Dakota was slightly over weight a bit disheveled giving the lad “floor cred”. I looked at the HP, Acer, Toshiba, Samsung and another I cannot recall right now. I finally chose the Toshiba Thrive, I got the whole package, year back up, buy back option, screencover and my own personal wifi center called a Hot spot” I need to check into this a little bit more after some information I have been reading this morning. I dashed Dakota's spirits when I told him I was working with my credit union which has a special lending plan for State employees and I would have to get an Invoice written up and submitted to the Credit Union who will pay directly to Best Buy. It took a bit for Dakota to wrap his mind a round this concept so he brought in the “big guy”. The concept also challenged the Big Guy but he figured there was a sale in there somewhere like a shark smelling blood, the Big Guy “bit” figuring out he would sort out the details after sale had been made some timeafter closing—it was this killer instinct which got “Big Guy to be the Store manager.
I m in not hurry—will maybe just a little—to take position of my new tablet. I can wait for the system to run its course. I am well connected with my Toshiba lap top at home and work...is work. I have major meeting to prepare on Tuesday but after the meeting I am looking at another holiday weekend and being off work on Monday, a log weekend. Yes, with my new Tablet.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Options...
I bought a 10.1 Sylvania tablet three weeks ago at our local Shopko. I truth I like the tablet and the price was OK, I knew the product was not top of the line but I just wanted to have something all the other kids on the train had. I really thought the Sylvania was. The item acted like a tablet but just little drawbacks. I really liked the wi-fi feature and early on I started using the Ethernet jack at the and was surprised at how much faster the Ethernet loaded item on the tablet—I did not even know the tablet would take an Ethernet connection. Again one of the great features of the Sylvania is all it points of connectivity. Then about the Second week the Ethernet port just stopped working and even though I could still manage with the Wifi I missed and wanted my Ethernet connection back. It was during this time I started paying attention to short lived battery of the tablet—just a couple of hours. I had to charge the tablet all night only to plug in again at the office or I would have a dead tablet. I thought about getting a second adapter but I could not find any which would charge my tab—I was warned by various nerds That I better be careful with the power supply or soon I may have a very expensive paper weight. And quite frankly pulling in where ever I went was becoming a real pain in the ass.
It was Frank at my office who witnessed my frustration and suggested I return my device and get what I really wanted—a high end device with speed, longevity, adaptability and great connectivity. I would take my Sylvania back, get my money back and use that cash as a down on the new device
. So yesterday I stopped at Shopko on the way home from presentation I was supposed to give and explored just how do able returning the device would be, it turns out I still had my receipt (miracle) and box and parts, I could exchange for a new tablet or take the cash and roll. The manager started to give me hard time but I just turned and left. Somewhere on the trip home I remembered I had taken out number of signature loans with my credit union, specificity for electronic technology i.e. computer so I figured I would stop and see what they could do form me. A lot. I could get more then enough for what I needed at half the interest rate and have a the item payed off in 6 months! Perfect!! I basically agreed to conditions and and started thinking about what I was going to buy.! TO BE CONTINUED...
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
He Who Is Without Sin...
I think in many cases I am my own worst enemy. I don't try to be mean or vicious but it seems my dark self comes out. This last week has been good cases in point. I unfairly unloaded on my friend Dennis last week after our lunch, because he tried to do me a favor. He tried to get me involved with his MLM. I should have given Dennis the benefit of the doubt and not judged his work choice. Sometimes I think I am just mean.
I really cannot talk about having had work experiences in less then generally socially acceptable occupations. I discovered over the years that I am pretty good telemarketer. There I said it, its out on the table : I was one of those guys who call your home and tried to get you to purchase something anything over the phone. Telemarketing did not come naturally, to me at first. One of my first work experiences, I refrain from calling it a job, was with the Kirby Vacuum Sales rep who was in the same ward as me. His name was Bob and believe it or not he owned a gold Kirby for selling over 1000 Kirby vacuums in one rear. Bob “hired” me to set appointments. I was terrible. I just did not believe anyone reaslly bought stuff in quantities large enough to make the telemarketing experience worthwhile.
It was not until after my university experience and numerous math and stat classes that I began to see the world as a set of probabilities: and given a large enough sample set a desired outcome should and could occur i.e. the more calls you made the greater chance of success. It was my first real job out of University building and selling wheelchair vans—I worked for a crook who liked to hold out on the money he owed me. My shop attendant taught me I could make money selling junker batteries back to the battery shop. I devised a formula for calling houses after work, before 9:00 pm. I use the Polk directory, a fabulous volume which listed phone numbers of peoples houses by street—if I madly called each house, in order down the street, I would invariably “kick up” two to three batteries and since these batteries would be in the same neighborhood, I was not burning up tons of gas. The more calls the more batteries. I made a script and kept to it an the script worked. Five or six years and a divorce later I was brand new to Sal Lake City, working making OK money but I needed something to do after work and the weekends to keep me out o trouble. I don't remember how I found out about the place but I started working for a major call room. I was working a place called the Nice Corporation. Nice was a contractors working a host of different contracts. We did warranty extensions, magazine sales and condo timeshares in Europe. We called four hours a night from 6:00 -10:00. We start selling on the East coast and “walk” the time zone West until we got to the West coast. Many night I was “high sales”. I saw my self as a hired gun. I did ok—i WAS GOOD.!
So once again Dennis apologize—we all have a checkered past and mine is telemarketing
Sunday, July 10, 2011
So Sorry
I Love A Rainy Night
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Myth Maker
This an image of an old friend, friend yes but more of an acquaintance, his name is Dennis and he is quite bit older then I. His younger brother Kim was my age but as long as I can remember I was always aware of Dennis. Dennis was raised on a farm out in the South East end of Boise. In the farm country which was fast being returned in to Suburbia. Dennis went to the same church as I so I seemed to see a lot of him. In summer we swam at the Twin Bridges—the bridges spanned the Ridenbaugh Canal an irrigation ditch which wound its way through Ada county. Many hot lazy summer afternoon were spent on the rough wooden bed of the bridge bringing youth of the South East side to hang out and try to be cool. I was not a teenager and my main mode of transportation was by bike . The teenagers got to the bridge by truck or car-all style and show. If there was a King of the Bridge it was Dennis. In fact there is an early mention of Dennis and the bridge from a couple of years and a famous Twin bridge fight. Dennis the warrior. Dennis also has some notoriety as a high school varsity wrestler. Dennis very well could have been King. Dennis popped up on Face Book not long ago and of course, I immediately “friended” him and he did the same for me. I was interested to note that Dennis was also living close to me is South Salt Lake County. We chatted and of course we talked about hooking up but nothing has happened until this week when Dennis pushed the idea of getting together and having no reason not to agreed and tomorrow we are on. So, jut for fun I have been doing some research on this guy. He looks to be conservative, local culture, he is self employed and “loving it”--I am sure he is something out of Ayn Rand. Dennis bills himself as an Appreciation marketing coach...as a man thinketh etc.
So now I'm a little spooked at what I may have gotten myself into. Once in college my then and I wife were so desperate for friends we accepted an invitation from another young couple only to be AMWAYED right after dinner with something”wonderful” they wanted to share with us. So I m wondering if the lunch is going to turn into a “come on” to be a cog in some multi-level program on becoming you best self. Either way I plan to use the time with Dennis to catch up with someone from my own history, compare POV and maybe just generate a more perfect myth.