What NOT to do when selling your house.

1. Have a  one year old's birthday party.
2. Have the uncle over to his best Kool Aid Man impersonation on your French door screens.
3. Totally mis-read that text message about the appraisal date, which is, conveniently, RIGHT after that one year old's birthday party.
4. Keep out all of those freshly greening plants that your cats LOVE to eat and then throw up all over the place.

44 years old today. wow. Kinda like the 33 birthday, just 11 years later...

Ok, Ok...I start blogging soon...

Yeah I know. NOthing for two months. Well...I think I'll have some free time soon. And, I promise to post a significant post soon :-)

Wow, what a long month...

Ok, Ok, Ok...

Yes, it's been a month. Well, a lot can happen in a month. Consider this. We bought our first house, but I'm rather sure I've spent more time in a hotel room in Spain than in my own house. Long story, let me summarize it for you.





We move in on the 26th of June, if I remember correctly. On the 28th, I get a message from my boss at work about a change in a project, and asks if I can jump into the project late. This project is a worldwide deployment of a standard documentation program throughout our client's refineries, so that they can collaborate worldwide on projects. Makes sense. One problem, you'll need to go to Spain...next week. So, despite the wife's fears and apprehension, I head to Spain a week later, for a two and a half week deployment. We worked 14 hour days, and had no real downtime other than meals(which were excellent, if ill timed). I have a few pics of where I was. Yes, that's me in the horrible orange shirt...

So, I am back, horribly behind on my housework, and even more behind on my WoW. Between the DSL disaster and the trip, I haven't even set foot in an instance bt once in the last two months. I was all set for the first inagural MC run with The Pod People, but, my church relate duties have me going to an inquisition and dinner meeting with our new prospective minister on Friday, and God knows when I'll get home. If anyone feels like and instance between 6 and 8pm server, drop me a line. I really want to get rid of this tiara my toon has on.

I'm baaaaacccckkkk!!!!!

Finally, after three weeks, two hours of phone complaints, and a whole new company, I'm back online in my new house. Verizon stinks, as I've blogged before, and was going to move my install date AGAIN(third delay since June 2) out to July 10th. So, after complaining to a poor Indian guy, I called Comcast, got internet through them, stopped by the comcast support center in town the next day, got a modem, and I'm now up and running. A lot of The Pod People have horror stories about Comcast, but, I've had them in the past, and, other than a higher price, they've not been too bad for me.

But, I'll only be online for a few day, potentially. I've been upgraded at work, and now I've got to go assist on a program rollout in Spain Saturday. I'll be getting a laptop, and hopefully it has enough power to run the WoW client. I pray that the hotel in Viviero has broadband at a reasonable price. I've promised the wife that I will spend more time in WoW than in the Spanish Tapas Bars. I'll be updating the blog a bit more frequently, too, perhaps even with pics.

Verizon Stinks!!!!

You’d think it’d be easy...

We move from one side of town to the other. No more than a mile and a half. I promptly call Verizon on closing day, June 2nd, and ask “Can I just move my phone number and DSL service?” Of course!, No Problem! They say. We’ll turn in off at the one apartment one day, and turn it on at the house the next.

BUT…

All of a sudden, five days early, on the 15th instead of the 20th, DSL and the phone go dead at the apartment. They got uppity and transferred the number early. That’s fine, I think. I can wait a few days for phone and DSL, until after the move.

BUT…

All of a sudden, DSL has been moved to the 28th. Something about needing phone service at the house for two weeks before the DSL can be installed. Odd, since the last owners had DSL already. OK, That’s three weeks without email, internet, and World of Warcraft. Ouch… But I can manage it.

BUT…

On the 16th, the phone line goes dead at the new house. Someone went and turned off the new house instead of the apartment, according to a “provisioning department error”. Odd thing, since the phone at the apartment IS ALREADY OFF!!!

BUT…

They get the phone line on, inexplicitly, on the morning of the 20th, right after I call and complain, so I am somewhat happy about it. All seems to be well again.

BUT…

Finally, the 28th comes around…Hmm…that’s funny, no internet connection. Well, they said it may take until 6pm. I call DSL customer care, and they make me turn off and on the computer, turn off and on the modem, jump on one foot, and recite the pledge of allegiance, and nothing. They tell me to wait until after 6pm and call back to see if it is on.

So…

The DSL order got cancelled, because the address on the service department’s list has no phone service. Duh, that’s my old address, not the address I ordered DSL for! It’s not the address I called to confirm four times since I suspected this may happen, because of the phone service error earlier!!!

So…

I get to the cancellation department, and they assure me that it will be up in two to four business days. I tell them that this has been horrendous, and I am at the verge of canceling all Verizon services. I tell them they have until the 5th, If I have no service then, it’s all over…

On the World of Warcraft front, Chriasas sits on the outskirts of Andorral, doing nothing, since I’ve not been on since the 15th…

Wow, this is only slightly more exciting than watching our new paint dry…

Well, this week is about the worst week of the year. A sort of anti-Christmas that I dread for weeks and months on end. It is…Dance Recital Week…

A little background. My wife has been dancing since she was about two, so it’s been more or less…a long time. She’s been teaching dance for about ten fewer years. She’s never gotten around to quitting, more because the teacher needs her help than anything else. So, once a year, after paying huge piles of cash for shoes, costumes, and lessons, the Dance Chateau puts on its yearly Dance Recital. It’s a two night extravaganza, involving kids dancing, kids dancing, oh….and kids dancing. No, really, it’s as exciting as it sounds.

Somewhere not long after our first date. I was recruited by my wife to “help a bit”. Soon, I was putting up decorations, pulling curtains, dropping scenery, and lining kids up, all the while wearing a headset that makes me look a lot like Marvin the Martian. Two hours of purgatory, twice a year. I’m halfway through it. One more night and I’m home free…at least until next year.

What else is new? Well, I should finally be getting DSL today, so my WoW DTs should be going away by tomorrow. Add to that all the podcasts I’ve been missing, and I’m really going stir crazy. There’s a whole online world out there, and I’ve been missing it all! The house setting up is going fine, though we still need to get the carpeting installed on the 13th, though I may unexpectedly be out of the country when it’s installed(long story, don’t want to jinx it). The next home improvement project? A patio, just in time for Labor Day.