Communication is Key

So I was thrilled with my Blackjack II for a year and eight months. It called people, emailed, told me about the traffic, gave me directions, and searched the Internet. And then it stopped. And then I developed a relationship with AT&T customer service. It worked again! Then the email stopped harvesting. Then it stopped sending....you get the picture. After at least ten hours of relationship building with AT&T customer service, both over the phone and in person, I learned this was a compatibility issue. While tech one was calling customer service from the AT&T store tech two took me to an iPhone to see if it would work....yep, it sure did. He had time to install and uninstall my email both POP & IMAP and report back that it worked. Tech one was still on hold. It took a week to get the phone due to demand. I have had it less than a week. I love the iPhone. LOVE. So much fun and productivity is possible....or I can just be on Facebook all day.

**DISCLAIMER**

I am back.
I know, whatever.
So, just because a few of you darlings may not be ready for this you get a disclaimer.
I vent and observe. I like to remember things. I post, therefore I am. In postings you may find some fowl language. I support marriage to whoever you like with no bias to religion, race or sex. If you love them, marry them. Not my business what you do behind closed doors. I think hard work is good and easy money, pandering, living off the government or just being a freedloader is wack. I like to discuss cars, Prada, nail polish, shoes, law, TV, my disdain for American Idol and my naked cat. I support Obama. I know I just lost some readers. I love food. Somehow I do not weigh four hundred pounds, I probably should because I eat like a sumo wrestler. I love music and wish I had more time and money to hit live shows. I love animals so much I cannot imagine eating them, so I do not. I am a strayed Catholic that does not have the spine to hike into mass. If you want to take me I will go, just scared. I think religion is what you make of it and I am not one to think any one form is any greater than the other. I am not going to call anything really fun out by name that has to do with my work life. Try and figure it, you will not unless you are directly involved. I think that about covers it...you have been warned. Enjoy at your own discretion.

Like a Rolling Stone

Oh Internet, it has been me, not you. Really, it is me. You see, I am so busy and I have all these great blog posts written in my head but I have not emptied out my head in a while. I apologize. I made friends with this new fangled Facebook. It makes me feel young and in touch. Forgive my back dating of posts...it is more for me than you. I need ore than the Facebook two line story. You all know my stories are far more than two lines.....

You Can Call Me Nanner Puss

This is simply genius. There are too many remixes out there for me to even go down that road. Best Super Bowl Commerical ever. Ever.

But not Shuffleboad!

Annual cruise time came upon us quickly this year. The fab hub & I have been working long and hard hours. It was time for a break were cell phones did not work and computers were banished. We flew into Tampa and hopped on the ship and we were off to Belize City. We got to go on a zip line through the canopies of trees in the rain forest. I was really expecting to be scared and maybe scream. Nope, it was a nice easy zip through the trees. We floated on inter tubes through a cave also. The water was cold and I got gravel in my bikini.
I hit the pharmacia for mom and hooked her up with some needed meds since she does not have health care.
I had a drink of the day or three everyday. We hit Costa Maya and has beers on the beach. In Guatemala I got a cool little beaded chicken. When the ship was leaving many of the cab drivers and vendors sang and played music and danced as we set sail. That was really neat. That is the city's way of saying thank you for the tourist that are brought in.
We hit Key West and toured the Hemingway house. I have been to Mile 0. Key West is wonderful. I like how family unfriendly they are. No apologies and no desire to suddenly become a family destination. The people are great. You can get around on a bike and be fine. As the ship sailed we watched the sun set over the square.

London Calling

I really love London. I wish I had a magical red telephone booth to transport me there whenever needed. There is so much to say. The fab hub had a business engagement that got us across the pond. We had to take separate flights since I am a cheap skate and it was the difference of a couple hundred bucks but only two hours. Once we flew into Heathrow we took the Gatwick Express into the city where we met up with Jeff's boss. Boss loves to try new food. I love him for this. I love learning people through their food and community around it. Since I could not sleep on the flight over first things first was to get a power nap. Once I was up we ventured out for some of the best Thai food ever. The sauces were amazing. Light and tasty, not thick and goopy. The vegatables were so fresh. It was just what I needed to be off to a good start.
London knows about transportation. They have this down to a science. The Tube simply works. The buses are everywhere and they work. Traffic is a nightmare. The city is old, there are not intersections or round abouts--there are a mish mash of street converging on one another that you must navigate quickly and with care.
Jeff was off to work at the booth OpenNMS had at the Linux World show. I played. I saw Big Ben, the London Eye, Harrod's, Tower Bridge, and my favorite was going to St. Paul's Cathedral. I am still in awe. Something stirred and moved in me while climbing the steps all the way to the top in Prada shoes. Not the best climbing footwear choice, but hey, they looked great! When I got to the top of the crazy winding stairs and finally outside to view all of London I asked a lady to snap my picture. She said sure with an accent I knew too well. Yeah, she was from Marietta.
We went to an English pub for dinner. They were serving Mexican food. You know I had some. Indeed the enchiladas were super. FYI Guinness is served cold and they have no damn clue what a Tom Collins is but the made me one anyways and it was good too.
Whoever told you the English cannot cook lied to you.
We had some yummy fusion inspired food at a place called I Love Vodka. A great eclectic mix that was not forced together to make the description sound good. I had some wonderful Chinese food. I was enchanted by the food halls in Harrod's.
We stayed in one of the nicest hotels I have ever encountered. The Sofetel was amazing. One of the neatest features I hope to see more places adopt is that if you want the power in your room to work the key must be placed in a slot in the wall. Thus when you are gone you take the key and the power is out. They have Hermes soap. Seriously.
I love London. Fast city, amazing fashion, wonderful food, nice people, cute cabs and an intriguing mix of old and new.
I will visit again!

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

After almost one year to the day it happened: The Pine Sol lady and her fried chicken have moved out.

When did it become okay to email in a resignation? It has happened twice in the last month.

At least I will not have urgent runs to the ladies' room due to the water fountain that used to run all day for soothing sounds. I will no longer be up to date on the latest gospel music. Join my euphoria and raise a glass.

Nuttin' But Strings was so robbed

Jerry Springer has become America's sweetheart in his role announcing soon to be has beens and sweet old tap dancing ladies. There was the young & sexy Elvis, the freaky twins from Russia, a whiny 3 year old that should have been booted long ago, the fire breather that could have been so much more, the opera singer, Sinatra and then there was Nuttin' But Strings. Amazing raw talent that was polished. Something that has not been done before in front of a large audience. Violins gone hip hop and rock and roll. Seriously. They were the only talent I would have paid to see. I would have laid down good money to see these guys in Vegas. America, you robbed them. Robbed. They should have won.

Work Stuff

I seldom discuss the thing I do 8 to 12 hours a day Monday through Friday. This week has been a week of anomalies. Monday I find out that a co worker who was off all last week sent an email at midnight Sunday and was off all this week as well. Great more work for me. Thanks.
I get a new lawsuit on my desk Wednesday that the incident occurred in 2001. The suit was filed and our insured was served while he was in jail in 2003. So 5 years later...I am investigating this loss. Incident: A guy sitting in his car with his girlfriend. The car is parked at an apartment complex and the girl friend indicates that she was seeing a guy outside the car on the side and pointed him out. The guy in the car shot the player outside the car. Fully resolved GSW to the jaw. I was cranky that plaintiff's counsel sent this crap to me. We insure cars, not drive bys. I called the policy holder and explained that his son's actions may not be covered by the policy and I was sending a reservation of rights out. He wanted to know why it was not cover and I explained the spirit of the policy is for motor vehicle accidents. I explained that gun violence is not covered and nor is there a policy rider for drive by shootings.
I started the coverage write up. Yeah, the policy defines "occupying" but it does not define "motor vehicle accident". I will not be happy if I have coverage cousel and defense counsel involved. Something that seemed like a fishing letter......

I have another one where a guy was driving a hearse at 4:30 am drunk and hit a car. There was a guy on the other side or the car trying to service the disabled car. He was dragged about a quarter mile before the hearse fled the scene. Six months later the guy died. He never left the hospital. The driver was served in jail in January. Can you say punitive? What about policy limit?

The deer hit from hell has finally settled. Amen.

It has been a long week. I hope next week is better.