Medium Appreciation

** Consumer Alert **

Here is a strange situtaion. Last week I bought a shirt at the Bay, and when I got it home, I decided I should have tried on a smaller size.

Tonight I stopped by the Bay, tried on the medium, and decided to exchange one shirt for the other. Here is the strange part. Last week when I bought the shirt it was on sale, but today it wasn’t. I was concerned I was going to have to pay more money for no good reason.

I learned that today was customer appreciation day. This meant that if I paid with a Bay Card I got an additional 10% off.

TO end this story, I exchanged the shirt, and actually got money back. It sounds weird I know, but they returned the first shirt, then charged me for the smaller one. In the end I paid less for the shirt. Very odd.

Upgrade Somehow

look before you leap

I am just about to undergo an upgrade here on muddylaces. Drupal just release version 4.6. Their upgrade instructions are making me wonder if I really want to upgrade. It is not so much an upgrade of the software as it is a complete redo. Files have been replaced and moved, so many things won’t work properly. They recommend backing up (always a good idea), the completely removing the old code, replacing it with the new stuff. Gah. Lots of work. Will tackle later I think.

I did upgrade Gallery to version 1.5 yesterday. That one was super simple, except that somehow my css got lost. Fortunately that was easy enough to recover.

leaping into action

Promising Machine

eye

Two more things tonight. I made the Hot N Spicy Turkey burgers. All I can say is “meh”. They were only so-so, yet the recipe looked so promising.

The other thing is that I found a replacement headlight for the car. I called over a dozen auto wreckers learning that most of them had no answering machine or service. Once place that did answer, and did have the part was RCU Auto Parts in Sooke. I drove out there and picked it up tonight. I installed it tonight, and all is better with the car. The replacement part even came with a working headlight. Our old one had burned out already. Go little red car go!

Esquimalt Impression

Lol I just got off the phone with a representative from Tom Woods, the Liberal candidate for Esquimalt/Juan de Fuca.

The conversation went something like this:

Other person: Hi my name is XXXXX. I am calling on behalf of Tom Woods, the BC Liberal candidate for Esquimalt/Juan de Fuca. I would like to ask you a few questions if you have a couple minutes.

Me: Sure

OP: I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you.

Me: Yeah, go ahead.

OP: OK, thanks.

**click**

Me: what the hell?

For some reason I got hungup on. Good impression!

Turkey Damage

How disgusting is this?

I was preparing dinner. Hot N Spicy Turkey burgers. The recipe sounds awesome. I mixed up the sauce, then set about to make the burgers.

I placed the turkey in a bowl and measured the oats. I dumped them in, then notice it.

Don’t read on if you are squeamish.

The oats started moving! Uggh.

:y

There was some kind of weavel or something in them. Gross! I quickly dumped the oats off the turkey, but the damage was done. There was no way I could have eaten that turkey.

I checked out the bag of oats, and a moth flew out. Everything went into the garbage. Perhaps we will try that recipe later.

Ultimate Registration

looking up the road into the future

Ever since the corporate games Ultimate series I have been thinking about playing again. I first gave it up because I kept injuring myself, and that was hampering my mountain biking. After a break I played a summer league, and although it was fun, I felt I was on a bad team. I didn’t like the captain very much, and that was a big drawback for me.

But I have been thinking about playing again. It has been gnawing at me for a couple of months now.

Well, the other day I got an email that announced that Victoria Ultimate Players Society summer league registration was up and open. Since I have the 24 Hours of Adrenaline in Whistler to train for, I figured I would sign up. The online registraiton was simple and easy. I am all signed up now. I am playing Ulti again, and I am totally looking forward to it. The first game is on May 4. More on this later!

Unfurled Protection

give them the stink eye

With a glare in my eye, I stare them down. It is raining, and as I walk back to work from the car and I try to stay dry. I have no umbrella, and I am starting to get wet. Then it happens. I approach someone, each of us not wanting to step from under the protection and get wet. Yet, the person I pass has an umbrella in the up position.

Why do people insist on walking under the awnings when they have an umbrella? I had more than one person force me to step out into the rain as we passed each other. Does this make sense? Why have the umbrella unfurled if you are under an awning? Why force others to get wet when you have some protection to keep yourself dry?

Grr, yet another pet peeve due to peoples inconsiderate nature.

Repositioned Manfrotto

water falling onto a pond

Yesterday the photo gang got together to take some pictures. Originally we met at Hatley Castle and were going to walk to what turned out to be the Pacific Centre Family Services Associaton. After checking a map we repositioned our vehicles outside the front gates, which suited us much better. The Pacific Centre is a next door neighbour to Royal Roads, and is somehow affiliated with them. The grounds are beautiful, and there are many water features, though it sort of feels like a cheapened version of Royal Roads.

Water was a significant theme with my shots from this shoot. Seeing how it was raining, that was wholly appropriate. It was difficult juggling the camera, a tripod, and a large golf umbrella, but I am quite proud of my shots.

Speaking of tripod, I used my new tripod for the first time. I like it. I like it a lot. It is a Manfrotto 550, and I bought a ball head for it. The Ball head makes all the difference in the world. Fiddling with levers and twisting dials made me not want to use my old one. This tripod is easily adjustable, and the ball head a snap to manipulate. Sweet!

Pics are here.

Sandwiched Hindrance

lock em away for good

Tuesday, while walking back to work from my car after lunch, I saw the after effects of a fender bender.

A Toyota truck was pulling out from the curb. Sandwiched into the driver side front tire was a Subaru Outback (or some similar car). Looks like either the pickup driver didn’t look for traffic, or the Subaru didn’t stop for the truck pulling out.

The thing that makes them morons is that they left their vehicles like that, blocking the entire lane in the middle of downtown Victoria, while tourist season is starting to pick up. Traffic was starting to pile up, yet the drivers were just standing there looking at the vehicles.

I took a peek as I walked by, and could see some sheet metal damage, but no obvious hindrance to the driveability of either vehicle. Why not get the hell out of the way?

Stupid, stupid, stupid.