This recaps the expensive story of our car repair. Mike at Alpha-Omega replaced a fuel pump on my Chev Suburban and a week later the car failed to start with the same symptoms as before. We were out of town so took it to another mechanic that traced the problem to a bad wiring splice close to the pump.
When I told Mike what happened and showed him the corroded/burnt wire he denied that the part was ever in the car, said that it was the wrong size to connect to the fuel pump, and accused the other garage of incompetence and defrauding us.
The next day I checked the connector and found out that it mates perfectly to the old fuel pump.
Mike was not interested in a fair settlement. He wanted only to deny and accuse.
I won't waste more time on this and will take it as a lesson not to deal with this guy again.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Leap Day
Chris continues to wake up with a fever between 100-101. K took him to the doc on Tue who did a quick test for Strep Throat in the office which came back negative. He also sent a swab to the lab for them to test as a double check and it came back positive. He told us that this is a rare occurrence and prescribed Amoxicillin.
My friend Joe S says that if it lasts for more than 4-5 days then it's probably bacterial. I was ready to give C antibiotics a while ago but the medical community is concerned about compounding the problem of drug resistant strains, rightly so. Sad to see your family suffer for the greater public health.
I noticed, as we came in Fri night, that the TV was in great disarray. I've had the components pulled apart as a result of installing the Media Center. I had received a wi-fi adapter after buying it used on eBay so I commenced to connect it up but no luck. The setup software that came with it doesn't recognize it so I'll pursue getting my money back. One more "to do."
My friend Joe S says that if it lasts for more than 4-5 days then it's probably bacterial. I was ready to give C antibiotics a while ago but the medical community is concerned about compounding the problem of drug resistant strains, rightly so. Sad to see your family suffer for the greater public health.
I noticed, as we came in Fri night, that the TV was in great disarray. I've had the components pulled apart as a result of installing the Media Center. I had received a wi-fi adapter after buying it used on eBay so I commenced to connect it up but no luck. The setup software that came with it doesn't recognize it so I'll pursue getting my money back. One more "to do."
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
NYSE Interview
C woke up with 101 temp. Kevie took him to Khanna's office and the doc there confirmed that it was most likely the flu but ran a test to make sure that it wasn't Mononucleosis.
As per Natalie's email I was called to meet with John C at NYSE. We spoke about the AMEX billing system and how it might fit into their structure but I'm sure I was being sized up as a potential NYSE employee. All went well but there was no hint as to whether I might have a place in his organization or not.
Veera B had seen him after me so this morning we had a chance to compare notes and he said that there was discussion about bringing him on. I expected them to value him as he has the in-depth knowledge of the systems.
I had been talking to a broker at AETA about a Data Modeling consulting position with RCI and they had set up a phone screen for Friday. She called this afternoon and cancelled due to the client's funding problems. Sounds bogus.
Chris' temp was 102 before bed so he took a couple tylenol.
As per Natalie's email I was called to meet with John C at NYSE. We spoke about the AMEX billing system and how it might fit into their structure but I'm sure I was being sized up as a potential NYSE employee. All went well but there was no hint as to whether I might have a place in his organization or not.
Veera B had seen him after me so this morning we had a chance to compare notes and he said that there was discussion about bringing him on. I expected them to value him as he has the in-depth knowledge of the systems.
I had been talking to a broker at AETA about a Data Modeling consulting position with RCI and they had set up a phone screen for Friday. She called this afternoon and cancelled due to the client's funding problems. Sounds bogus.
Chris' temp was 102 before bed so he took a couple tylenol.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Chris Still Ill
He woke up with 101.5 temp this morning. I gave him motrin and we sent him to school. Last week he seemed fine after taking a fever reducer. I'd be more worried if K and I hadn't both come through a longer than normal flu bout a few weeks ago.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Chinese New Year
It's Sunday morning and C woke up with 100 degree temp. I'm inclined not to give him any drugs unless it starts to notch up.
Talked to my cousin Carl yesterday. He called to say he was sorry about Mom and we had a wide ranging conversation. A lot of fun.
Last night had the annual Chinese New Years event at Pings with Bill, Janet, Margret, Don, his wife, and 2 others. I'm so bad with names. The company was warm and we drank and ate too much - again.
Talked to my cousin Carl yesterday. He called to say he was sorry about Mom and we had a wide ranging conversation. A lot of fun.
Last night had the annual Chinese New Years event at Pings with Bill, Janet, Margret, Don, his wife, and 2 others. I'm so bad with names. The company was warm and we drank and ate too much - again.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Boat Registration
I got a Tivo HD about a year ago and paid to transfer the lifetime subscription from my Series I to the new box. As part of that deal they gave us a year of service on the old box which expired a couple weeks ago so no DVR in Millville. Horrors!
I had a Windows Media Center box in moth balls and it does not require a paid subscription for the guide. We unboxed the computer and made the connections but I have some work to do to get it connected to the internet and figure out why there's no video signal on the s-video output.
I bought a Linksys WET54-G Ethernet bridge on eBay ($70). This box and others like it are referred to as wireless game adapters because you can plug it into a game console's (i.e Play Station) RJ45 connector and it will connect the console to your WiFi network. No need to run cables, such magic. It can work with plain old computers too so the Media Center will connect to the house's network without running a cable.
Went to the MVC this morning to register the boat. It was originally purchased in DE and it was docked there for a season. There is no sales tax due on a DE purchase as long as the boat is kept in DE but we had long feared that transferring it to NJ would incur a demand for sales tax. Turned out that there was a $72 charge for registration but there was no talk of sales tax. They didn't even want to know the purchase price. Will we avoid NJ sales tax? All signs point to yes.
I had a Windows Media Center box in moth balls and it does not require a paid subscription for the guide. We unboxed the computer and made the connections but I have some work to do to get it connected to the internet and figure out why there's no video signal on the s-video output.
I bought a Linksys WET54-G Ethernet bridge on eBay ($70). This box and others like it are referred to as wireless game adapters because you can plug it into a game console's (i.e Play Station) RJ45 connector and it will connect the console to your WiFi network. No need to run cables, such magic. It can work with plain old computers too so the Media Center will connect to the house's network without running a cable.
Went to the MVC this morning to register the boat. It was originally purchased in DE and it was docked there for a season. There is no sales tax due on a DE purchase as long as the boat is kept in DE but we had long feared that transferring it to NJ would incur a demand for sales tax. Turned out that there was a $72 charge for registration but there was no talk of sales tax. They didn't even want to know the purchase price. Will we avoid NJ sales tax? All signs point to yes.
Friday, February 22, 2008
More car Details
After he woke up with yet another fever (100.6) I took Chris to the pediatrician at Liberty Medical Associates and waited 1.5 hours to see the doctor. They swabbed the back of his throat and then told us that it wasn't bacterial, just go home and wait it out.
It was a snowy day so K and I both worked from home but left early for Millville to pick up the car and return the rental. When we saw our car we noticed that the connector for the trailer lights had been torn off so K went in and asked that it be welded back on. They took care of it gratis. There is something in their garage that the plate catches on because this was the second time we've received the car in this condition after having it to them for repairs.
We returned the rental car after making a grand effort to remove the dog hair ($136.95).
I've been summoned for jury duty in Bridgeton next week so I called to find out whether or not I had to report on Monday and the message said they didn't need anyone. Wonder if my luck will hold for the rest of the week.
It was a snowy day so K and I both worked from home but left early for Millville to pick up the car and return the rental. When we saw our car we noticed that the connector for the trailer lights had been torn off so K went in and asked that it be welded back on. They took care of it gratis. There is something in their garage that the plate catches on because this was the second time we've received the car in this condition after having it to them for repairs.
We returned the rental car after making a grand effort to remove the dog hair ($136.95).
I've been summoned for jury duty in Bridgeton next week so I called to find out whether or not I had to report on Monday and the message said they didn't need anyone. Wonder if my luck will hold for the rest of the week.
Less Mysterious eMail
A number of you will be approached tomorrow by NYSE for interviews. I’m trying to find out what time they are targeting but the idea is to speak to everyone at least briefly.
Bring your resumes just in case, they did not ask for them yet, but it’s not a bad idea to make them available.
-Natalie
Bring your resumes just in case, they did not ask for them yet, but it’s not a bad idea to make them available.
-Natalie
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Chevy Suburban - The Real Diagnosis
The garage called this morning to say that as they were connecting the new pump they found that the wire splices for the existing connector were frayed and corroded. They contend that this was the problem all along and observed that when the last pump was installed that the included connector was not used.
There was a recall on this car in 2005 that had to do with erratic fuel gauge readings due to bad wiring in the gas tank. We had taken it in to have this problem resolved as per the recall notice and now believe that the work done then caused the current problem.
Foschi told us that they charged for the new pump as it was now in the gas tank and could not be returned to their supplier ($770.13).
There was a recall on this car in 2005 that had to do with erratic fuel gauge readings due to bad wiring in the gas tank. We had taken it in to have this problem resolved as per the recall notice and now believe that the work done then caused the current problem.
Foschi told us that they charged for the new pump as it was now in the gas tank and could not be returned to their supplier ($770.13).
Mystery eMail
On Jan 17 The New York Stock Exchange announced that a deal had been struck to buy my employer, The American Stock Exchange, for $260M. Very little has been communicated about what staff will be retained but this morning I received the following email from my supervisor:
Please let me know if any of you have been contacted by NYSE for an interview.
Thanks,
Natalie
I have not been contacted.
Please let me know if any of you have been contacted by NYSE for an interview.
Thanks,
Natalie
I have not been contacted.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Car Starts
Foschi said that attempts to energize the fuel pump had failed so they lowered the gas tank in order to access the pump and voila, it started working. They called K and said we can just put it back up and you can be on your way OR we can replace the pump OR we can replace the pump and the connector that plugs into the wiring harness. We chose to have both the connector and the pump replaced in order to maximize the possibility of a permanent fix.
Surprise, Car is broken, House is broken
We didn't get to Millville until Saturday morning because K was finishing up a week of being ill. We got there to find a wet basement courtesy of leaky pipes.
Drove over to pick up the lawn mower, loaded it in the car and the car wouldn't start. Same symptoms as before. Tow truck came and took the car to Foschi's and we took a cab home.
We made it through the night w/ no water. I had shut it off to stop the basement flooding. Ben Franklin Plumbing came out and replaced the offending pipe ($238). He showed me the leaking joint and it looked like pretty bad workmanship. The pipe had been inserted into the fitting to about 1/16". Maintenance of this house was done as cheaply as possible by the last owner.
Monday morning C wakes up with 102 temp. The garage opens and we tell them our sad story. At 10:00 the gutter guys show up to put up new gutters. After looking at the old ones that were falling off the house I had assumed that there would be rotten wood that needed to be replaced but the guys reported no soft spots. So that job worked out in our favor ($575). We await the next storm with anticipation!
I charged the battery and changed the oil on the motorcycle. Got out for a ride and to run errands. The temperature was in the 60's and it was glorious. Still Monday and the Directv guy shows up to install satellite TV. I was all set to start saving about $25/mo over the cost of Comcast. No dice! If we want Directv we'd have to cut down several trees in the front yard. Talked to the mechanic around 5:00 and he was still scratching his head and running diagnostics on the car.
Tuesday morning C wakes up with 103 temp. Fortunately he is off school all this week. K and I both tell work that we're working from home today. At mid-day the mechanic still didn't have anything to report so we rented from Enterprise and got to JC around 9:30. I had been feeling very guilty about leaving Abbey by herself for so long and was glad to find her none the worse for wear.
Drove over to pick up the lawn mower, loaded it in the car and the car wouldn't start. Same symptoms as before. Tow truck came and took the car to Foschi's and we took a cab home.
We made it through the night w/ no water. I had shut it off to stop the basement flooding. Ben Franklin Plumbing came out and replaced the offending pipe ($238). He showed me the leaking joint and it looked like pretty bad workmanship. The pipe had been inserted into the fitting to about 1/16". Maintenance of this house was done as cheaply as possible by the last owner.
Monday morning C wakes up with 102 temp. The garage opens and we tell them our sad story. At 10:00 the gutter guys show up to put up new gutters. After looking at the old ones that were falling off the house I had assumed that there would be rotten wood that needed to be replaced but the guys reported no soft spots. So that job worked out in our favor ($575). We await the next storm with anticipation!
I charged the battery and changed the oil on the motorcycle. Got out for a ride and to run errands. The temperature was in the 60's and it was glorious. Still Monday and the Directv guy shows up to install satellite TV. I was all set to start saving about $25/mo over the cost of Comcast. No dice! If we want Directv we'd have to cut down several trees in the front yard. Talked to the mechanic around 5:00 and he was still scratching his head and running diagnostics on the car.
Tuesday morning C wakes up with 103 temp. Fortunately he is off school all this week. K and I both tell work that we're working from home today. At mid-day the mechanic still didn't have anything to report so we rented from Enterprise and got to JC around 9:30. I had been feeling very guilty about leaving Abbey by herself for so long and was glad to find her none the worse for wear.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Lunch with Vic
The car has refused to start since early last week. It cranks fine but won't start.
Victor came over on Monday and we pushed the car out of the garage and down to the street. Then he used his towing service to get the car over to Alpha-Omega. We had a nice lunch from the local pizza place and drank too much too early in the day.
Mike the mechanic called in the afternoon and said we had a bad fuel pump. The problem is that the pump is in the gas tank and it requires a lot of labor to get the old out and the new one in. He quoted $755 and we told him to go ahead.
K paid $764 and picked up the car today. Problem solved.
Victor came over on Monday and we pushed the car out of the garage and down to the street. Then he used his towing service to get the car over to Alpha-Omega. We had a nice lunch from the local pizza place and drank too much too early in the day.
Mike the mechanic called in the afternoon and said we had a bad fuel pump. The problem is that the pump is in the gas tank and it requires a lot of labor to get the old out and the new one in. He quoted $755 and we told him to go ahead.
K paid $764 and picked up the car today. Problem solved.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
The Wake
Went to IN on Friday and came back Sunday.
Butch and Marcia really bent over backwards to help with arrangements. There was research to find out our options for a gathering place and when we decided to hold it at the Moose Lodge Butch put it together and negotiated the price. I'm very grateful.
My Aunt Irene was so gracious in letting us stay at her house. We took over her bedroom and Chris slept in the TV room and dominated her TV.
Saturday afternoon was the wake in Marion and it was great to see the relatives. They really turned out in force. I was thinking about the eulogy afterwards and I think I left Lucille out of my list of what her siblings were known for. If anyone's interested she was the boy crazy hell raiser.
After the wake we went to Cole and Dee's house with Terri & Gary, and PGV who had come down for the wake. Rumor has it that they had poured a lot of sweat equity into the place and it showed. They've taken great care to restore and furnish the house with pieces from the time when it was originally built. It's a real show place and they should be proud.
Friday night we had dinner at 'On the Border' with several of the cousins and Mike treated us all. Sunday, before the plane left, we had a nice lunch with the Thomas' at Texas Roadhouse and didn't get to pay for anything again.
I've been thinking about the reason that we lost touch and I know that I was waiting for an invitation to go out there with my parents. It never came and I didn't do anything to make it happen. It was a "sin of omission" and I think that my life has been less full because of it.
Butch and Marcia really bent over backwards to help with arrangements. There was research to find out our options for a gathering place and when we decided to hold it at the Moose Lodge Butch put it together and negotiated the price. I'm very grateful.
My Aunt Irene was so gracious in letting us stay at her house. We took over her bedroom and Chris slept in the TV room and dominated her TV.
Saturday afternoon was the wake in Marion and it was great to see the relatives. They really turned out in force. I was thinking about the eulogy afterwards and I think I left Lucille out of my list of what her siblings were known for. If anyone's interested she was the boy crazy hell raiser.
After the wake we went to Cole and Dee's house with Terri & Gary, and PGV who had come down for the wake. Rumor has it that they had poured a lot of sweat equity into the place and it showed. They've taken great care to restore and furnish the house with pieces from the time when it was originally built. It's a real show place and they should be proud.
Friday night we had dinner at 'On the Border' with several of the cousins and Mike treated us all. Sunday, before the plane left, we had a nice lunch with the Thomas' at Texas Roadhouse and didn't get to pay for anything again.
I've been thinking about the reason that we lost touch and I know that I was waiting for an invitation to go out there with my parents. It never came and I didn't do anything to make it happen. It was a "sin of omission" and I think that my life has been less full because of it.
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