Interestingly enough, the highlight of today involves cars. Not only did Karen and I pay off our newer car (the Subaru Forrester) today, but we also received a check from the Honda dealership in regards to our Honda Civic.
Now I suck at Honda. Some time ago, our 2010 Honda Civic was having trouble starting. The car would crank and crank, but just wouldn't catch, which was bizarre for a fairly new car. After bringing the car into the Honda dealership in Weymouth, I had their technicians take a look.
The technicians held the car over night. They had to jump the car to get it started the next morning. And after jumping the car, they supposedly ran some battery tests to check for a parasitic leak. They also supposedly checked the starter and alternator. In the end, the concluded that there was nothing wrong with the car and sent me on my way.
Naturally, I was not all that pleased with the service especially since they sent me on my way without actually resolving the issue. And of course, I was not at all pleased when the car failed to start again a few days later.
As luck would have it, the car failed to start last Sunday, which is when the Honda dealership is closed. With the dealership closed, we brought the car to Firestone located in Hingham. I have always had good luck with Firestone. I used to bring my Saturn there for any work that had to be done.
It did not take long for Firestone to discover the cause of the issue: the battery. In fact, they mentioned it was very obvious that the cause was the battery. So Firestone replaced the battery in the car.
From there, we had to contact Honda about getting a reimbursement. After all, the battery was still under warranty. And in order to get the reimbursement, we had to bring back the battery to the dealership so that they could run a test with a GR-8 tester to make sure it was the battery.
I know, it seems a little peculiar that Honda had to run a test on the battery again, when they probably should have run the test the first time around when they had the car. But whatever. This time around, Honda concluded that indeed it was the battery and issued a reimbursement check to us. It definitely was a lot of work for something that, to me, should have been caught the first time around.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
I Suck At Swimming
Yesterday continued the weekend of swimming. Too bad I suck at swimming. On Sunday, Karen, my two year old daughter (Briana), my four month old (Bridget) and I were invited to the Pembroke resort known as my friends' (Ron and Trinh) house.
It was a rather spontaneous invite as Ron, Trinh, and their family recently came back from a trip to St. Croix for a relative's destination wedding. And naturally, when Briana saw the swimming pool, she was all excited. After all, she loves swimming... or more specifically, playing with water.
And if it isn't swimming, it's going down the playground slide for Briana. If it's not that, it's feeding the fish. If it's not that, it's playing in the water table. I have a funny feeling that Briana may think Ron and Trinh's place is a resort much like I do.
All in all, I had a great time as usual at Ron and Trinh's. After all, it is a resort. Just kidding. Ron and Trinh, and their entire family for that matter, are always gracious hosts. It was definitely a great way to end the weekend.
It was a rather spontaneous invite as Ron, Trinh, and their family recently came back from a trip to St. Croix for a relative's destination wedding. And naturally, when Briana saw the swimming pool, she was all excited. After all, she loves swimming... or more specifically, playing with water.
And if it isn't swimming, it's going down the playground slide for Briana. If it's not that, it's feeding the fish. If it's not that, it's playing in the water table. I have a funny feeling that Briana may think Ron and Trinh's place is a resort much like I do.
All in all, I had a great time as usual at Ron and Trinh's. After all, it is a resort. Just kidding. Ron and Trinh, and their entire family for that matter, are always gracious hosts. It was definitely a great way to end the weekend.
I Suck At Onset
This past Saturday, Karen and I took our two year old daughter (Briana) and four month old daughter (Bridget) on a little mystery road trip. That road trip was to the Cape, or more specifically, Onset. Too bad I suck at Onset.
For this week, my friends (Marc and Kelley) and my BFF (Kerry) rented a place down in Onset. The idea was the brainchild of Kerry, who has been renting the same place since 2009. Since neither Karen nor I had any available vacation time, we decided to just head down for the day.
Needless to say, Briana was quite excited. The moment she spotted the beach on our drive down, she told us that she wanted to go swimming. Now, Briana can't swim, but she absolutely loves the water. Her version of swimming is essentially me holding her and moving her about in the water.
And naturally, we ended up going to the beach. Or more specifically, I ended up taking her to the beach while Karen and Bridget got to hang out with everyone else. Briana was totally ecstatic.
Eventually, we took a break to grab a bite to eat at Marc Anthony's Pizzeria. It goes without saying that the food there is delicious. Karen was actually craving their homemade Syrian bread. ("Yum-O!")
And of course, after eating at Marc Anthony's, Briana wanted to do what else? Go back to the beach for swimming. So off Briana and I went back to the beach while Karen and Bridget hung out again with everyone else. We pretty much were the only ones left at the beach by that point.
All in all, I thought it was a fun trip. I got to spend some time with my friends. I got to spend a lot of quality time with Briana. I had a great time and I think Briana enjoyed it too.
For this week, my friends (Marc and Kelley) and my BFF (Kerry) rented a place down in Onset. The idea was the brainchild of Kerry, who has been renting the same place since 2009. Since neither Karen nor I had any available vacation time, we decided to just head down for the day.
Needless to say, Briana was quite excited. The moment she spotted the beach on our drive down, she told us that she wanted to go swimming. Now, Briana can't swim, but she absolutely loves the water. Her version of swimming is essentially me holding her and moving her about in the water.
And naturally, we ended up going to the beach. Or more specifically, I ended up taking her to the beach while Karen and Bridget got to hang out with everyone else. Briana was totally ecstatic.
Eventually, we took a break to grab a bite to eat at Marc Anthony's Pizzeria. It goes without saying that the food there is delicious. Karen was actually craving their homemade Syrian bread. ("Yum-O!")
And of course, after eating at Marc Anthony's, Briana wanted to do what else? Go back to the beach for swimming. So off Briana and I went back to the beach while Karen and Bridget hung out again with everyone else. We pretty much were the only ones left at the beach by that point.
All in all, I thought it was a fun trip. I got to spend some time with my friends. I got to spend a lot of quality time with Briana. I had a great time and I think Briana enjoyed it too.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
I Suck At The Fourth of July
Celebrating the Fourth of July on a Wednesday is rough. It's like having two Mondays during the regular work week: the regular Monday, and the day after the holiday Monday (in this case Thursday).
Sadly, I suck at the Fourth of July. We were invited to a couple of cookouts for the Fourth. Unfortunately, we declined the invites. (Remember, I suck at the Fourth of July.) In a bout of selfishness, I wanted to celebrate the holiday with just my family instead of attend the cookouts. And by family, I meant just me, Karen, my two year old (Briana), and my four month old (Bridget). It was just something that I wanted to do... spend time with only my family.
So in celebration of our country's independence, Karen and I took our kids to Hingham, where the town held its annual parade. Normally, I don't like parades. Unfortunately, I may be locked into going to parades for several years since Briana seems to enjoy them. She's a big fan of drums... And truth be told, I think the cutest part was when she just started clapping on her own.
Despite the heat, the parade was actually nice. It was easily better than any parade I have been to in Quincy. Of course, I may be biased against Quincy due to my disdain for the city's poor planning of having red lights at every single intersection. So what normally would take a few minutes to get through town, turns into half an hour. Quincy... the city of (red) lights.
Anyway, we actually did not stay for the entire Hingham parade. Having a four month old in the sun for an extended amount of time is not good, especially when sunscreen cannot be applied to them. So off we went.
After making a pit stop at home, we headed back out to Marshfield. In particular, we went to the Brant Rock Hop. We had only ever eaten breakfast there and were curious how the lunch was. I must say, the lunch was great. ("Yum-O!") Karen enjoyed her burger. We of course enjoyed the raspberry shake. Everything was delicious.
And when we were finished, we headed up toward the nearby beach where Briana enjoyed wading in the waves. Needless to say, she did not want to leave.
All in all, it was a great day to spend with the family.
Sadly, I suck at the Fourth of July. We were invited to a couple of cookouts for the Fourth. Unfortunately, we declined the invites. (Remember, I suck at the Fourth of July.) In a bout of selfishness, I wanted to celebrate the holiday with just my family instead of attend the cookouts. And by family, I meant just me, Karen, my two year old (Briana), and my four month old (Bridget). It was just something that I wanted to do... spend time with only my family.
So in celebration of our country's independence, Karen and I took our kids to Hingham, where the town held its annual parade. Normally, I don't like parades. Unfortunately, I may be locked into going to parades for several years since Briana seems to enjoy them. She's a big fan of drums... And truth be told, I think the cutest part was when she just started clapping on her own.
Despite the heat, the parade was actually nice. It was easily better than any parade I have been to in Quincy. Of course, I may be biased against Quincy due to my disdain for the city's poor planning of having red lights at every single intersection. So what normally would take a few minutes to get through town, turns into half an hour. Quincy... the city of (red) lights.
Anyway, we actually did not stay for the entire Hingham parade. Having a four month old in the sun for an extended amount of time is not good, especially when sunscreen cannot be applied to them. So off we went.
After making a pit stop at home, we headed back out to Marshfield. In particular, we went to the Brant Rock Hop. We had only ever eaten breakfast there and were curious how the lunch was. I must say, the lunch was great. ("Yum-O!") Karen enjoyed her burger. We of course enjoyed the raspberry shake. Everything was delicious.
And when we were finished, we headed up toward the nearby beach where Briana enjoyed wading in the waves. Needless to say, she did not want to leave.
All in all, it was a great day to spend with the family.
I Suck At The 99 Restaurant
In all my years of using my credit card at restaurants, I never had an incident where I was incorrectly charged for the gratuity I left on the bill. That was... until now. Last week in an act of spontaneity, Karen, my two year old daughter (Briana), my four month old (Bridget) and I went to the 99 Restaurant located in Rockland for dinner.
It was an enjoyable dinner. Too bad I suck at the 99 Restaurant. It was not until the credit card transaction posted to my account did I notice that the amount for dinner was vastly different from what I supposedly left.
Now, I'm all for the hard working folks who make a living as members of a waitstaff. After all, my mother was one for quite some time. Unfortunately, the amount that was incorrectly charged resulted in a 35% gratuity. And as good as the service was, it wasn't that good.
So off to the 99 Restaurant I went on Tuesday to inquire about the incorrect charge. And I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by the service of the restaurant. Not only did I receive the difference for the incorrect charge, I received a gift card to the restaurant for future use.
The person who I dealt with at the restaurant was very apologetic for the mishap. As a result, he offered me the gift card in addition to correcting the charge. Truth be told, I was only expecting to receive the difference for the incorrect charge. Needless to say, I was quite pleased by the service provided. To me, that is very good customer service which I think most, if not all, companies should learn from. (Set, if not exceed, customer expectations. It's a simple concept.)
Anyway, the gift card was definitely the highlight of my Tuesday.
It was an enjoyable dinner. Too bad I suck at the 99 Restaurant. It was not until the credit card transaction posted to my account did I notice that the amount for dinner was vastly different from what I supposedly left.
Now, I'm all for the hard working folks who make a living as members of a waitstaff. After all, my mother was one for quite some time. Unfortunately, the amount that was incorrectly charged resulted in a 35% gratuity. And as good as the service was, it wasn't that good.
So off to the 99 Restaurant I went on Tuesday to inquire about the incorrect charge. And I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by the service of the restaurant. Not only did I receive the difference for the incorrect charge, I received a gift card to the restaurant for future use.
The person who I dealt with at the restaurant was very apologetic for the mishap. As a result, he offered me the gift card in addition to correcting the charge. Truth be told, I was only expecting to receive the difference for the incorrect charge. Needless to say, I was quite pleased by the service provided. To me, that is very good customer service which I think most, if not all, companies should learn from. (Set, if not exceed, customer expectations. It's a simple concept.)
Anyway, the gift card was definitely the highlight of my Tuesday.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
I Suck At Websites
Today, I visited the local library to discuss, of all things, websites. Too bad, I suck at websites. Regardless, the library director had asked me to come in to review their current website with members of her staff.
During the last trustee meeting where the library director was a part of, I may have let slip that I was a developer. To many people, that sounds like "computer stuff", which well... technically it is. Nevertheless, I was happy to review the public library's website with them.
Anyway, it was definitely an insightful meeting. As a developer, I like to get the context surrounding things. After all, the more I know, the more I'll understand what it is that I am looking at, why it came to be, how it is supposed to function, etc.
I must say, it was interesting to see the challenges that the library faces in maintaining their website. The list is almost too long. Among some of those challenges are a cluttered layout design, old rigid code that seems cut/pasted from some template, a dependence on a costly external resource to make changes, and just a lack of resources in general to dedicate to the website.
It definitely will be quite the undertaking to revamp the website in its current state. I fear this may be indicative of things to come due to the library's budgetary constraints. Hopefully I can help turn things around.
During the last trustee meeting where the library director was a part of, I may have let slip that I was a developer. To many people, that sounds like "computer stuff", which well... technically it is. Nevertheless, I was happy to review the public library's website with them.
Anyway, it was definitely an insightful meeting. As a developer, I like to get the context surrounding things. After all, the more I know, the more I'll understand what it is that I am looking at, why it came to be, how it is supposed to function, etc.
I must say, it was interesting to see the challenges that the library faces in maintaining their website. The list is almost too long. Among some of those challenges are a cluttered layout design, old rigid code that seems cut/pasted from some template, a dependence on a costly external resource to make changes, and just a lack of resources in general to dedicate to the website.
It definitely will be quite the undertaking to revamp the website in its current state. I fear this may be indicative of things to come due to the library's budgetary constraints. Hopefully I can help turn things around.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
I Suck At California Pizza Kitchen
Yesterday, Karen, my two year old daughter (Briana), my four month old daughter (Bridget), and I were invited out to dinner by my in-laws. The invite was spur of the moment, as it happened an hour prior to dinner time.
I had learned about the invite shortly after mowing the lawn in the sweltering heat. So it was nice to go out for dinner, even if it meant going to the South Shore Plaza in Braintree. I haven't been to the plaza in quite some time. It's not that I dislike the plaza. I just don't have any particular reason to head down there.
The reason why we were going to the plaza was because the invite was to the California Pizza Kitchen. Now, I suck at California Pizza Kitchen. I haven't eaten there in some time, which is surprising because the food is really delicious there. If anything, CPK would be one of the few reasons why I would go to the South Shore Plaza. (The Cheesecake Factory would be another reason.)
Anyway, it was a great experience at CPK. The waitstaff was great. The food was delicious. For anyone curious, I had the Waldorf Chicken Salad. ("Yum-O"!) Briana seemed to enjoy the salad too, since she has been on a grape kick of late. Yes, there were grapes (and apples) in the salad. Briana practically forced herself onto my lap so that she could eat the grapes... and drink my cherry limade.
All in all, it was definitely a good way to end the night.
I had learned about the invite shortly after mowing the lawn in the sweltering heat. So it was nice to go out for dinner, even if it meant going to the South Shore Plaza in Braintree. I haven't been to the plaza in quite some time. It's not that I dislike the plaza. I just don't have any particular reason to head down there.
The reason why we were going to the plaza was because the invite was to the California Pizza Kitchen. Now, I suck at California Pizza Kitchen. I haven't eaten there in some time, which is surprising because the food is really delicious there. If anything, CPK would be one of the few reasons why I would go to the South Shore Plaza. (The Cheesecake Factory would be another reason.)
Anyway, it was a great experience at CPK. The waitstaff was great. The food was delicious. For anyone curious, I had the Waldorf Chicken Salad. ("Yum-O"!) Briana seemed to enjoy the salad too, since she has been on a grape kick of late. Yes, there were grapes (and apples) in the salad. Briana practically forced herself onto my lap so that she could eat the grapes... and drink my cherry limade.
All in all, it was definitely a good way to end the night.
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