Category: happenings

all about me, happenings, the catch-all-egory, venting

policy cancellation and first class impressions

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First of all, I wanted to say something about the craziness that is my mortgage company (and in a related note, the craziness that is my insurance company). We have had our loan sold many times, but this was the first one that never sent us payment information (like, where to send it, and when), and then threatened a late payment for the payment we didn’t know existed. Anyway, cut to the other day…

We got a notice that our home insurance policy was about to be canceled, due to a lack of payment. Since the mortgage company are the ones that make those payments on our behalf, we called them up. After a little talk, it was cleared up; not their fault, because they made the payment back in June.

So I called Allstate. Turns out, that someone issued a refund two days after said payment was received and processed. The best part? There was no reason for the refund. All is taken care of, right? Well… not exactly. See, the refund check went to the mortgage company, who, you guessed it… cashed the refund check. Now, we have to get them to pay again.

You know, you would think that companies that deal with many loans, and many customers would be able to keep better track of what’s been paid, who’s paid up, and where $800 some odd dollars are at all times, you know? Well, at least we found out BEFORE our insurance was canceled, eh?

In other news, I have been logging in to my online classes each day, and I really think that I am going to be able to manage this quite swimmingly. I went up to the school yesterday to take care of getting an ID card, a parking pass, and my books, only to discover that the bookstore doesn’t carry my stats book. No matter, I said, I will check amazon! Well, turns out, even better for me, that you can just buy one year’s access to the book online; which is part of a program that I was going to have to buy anyway. The best part, is that it was cheaper, AND I won’t be stuck with another book sitting around that I won’t really need after this class is over. What isn’t so great, is that my anatomy book and lab manual cost me $300! Damn! I forgot that books were so expensive! Oh well… at least I have it, right? Weirdly, the anatomy teacher hasn’t updated anything on the anatomy class website, so we’ll see where that one goes… onward!

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday… I can’t wait for tomorrow to be over, because I am off on Friday and Monday! Woot!

all about me, happenings, mixed media, music musings, music suggestion, the catch-all-egory

going oot for work

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I am going out of town (oot) for work this weekend. Gah, going out of town is bad enough, having to deal with airports and whatnot, but going for work is just double gah. At least our work session lets out at 3 on Saturday! What… we got to look at something positive, right?

So yeah, I will be available by mobile and text. I still haven’t fixed my email capabilities on my phone, since every time I call verizon I have to explain everything to them, and apparently, it is really rare to have your own email account that isn’t yahoo, gmail, or one of those other ones. Maybe I will take care of that while I am there… who knows? Either way, I will be able to get emails, I just won’t be able to send them. Man, that was a long way of saying that!

Oh well.

Since I will be oot, and I will be relying heavily on my ipod for entertainment and companionship, I figured I would give you my listening suggestion for the week, since I haven’t already. This week, I have slowly, but surely, been falling in love with Ms Brandi Carlile. If you are a fan of bands like the Indigo Girls, please do yourself a favor and check out Brandi’s new CD, The Story. It is beautiful, and well done. I love her voice, and her sound is so (as my friend Stu would say) “lesbionic”, that there is no way that I couldn’t have fallen for this chick. Seriously, it’s a good listen all of the way through! Let me know what you think, won’t you?

Have a good weekend folks… stay out of trouble!

all about me, happenings, near and dear, show the love

tattoo time in the moody-robinson house!

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james gets a koi
So James finally went and got his tattoo! He decided on a koi with some cherry blossoms and a chrysanthemum, and Malia‘s design was perfect. For the first sitting, she took care of all of the outline, and I think that it looks great! He was such a trooper… he did complain as it got towards the end, though. I was honestly surprised that he took it as well as he did!

Also, James and I have talked in the past about getting the same tattoo, like kanji for love or something like that, and I asked Malia if she would do a part of his tattoo on me, so that we would have the same thing to show our love and commitment. She took three of the cherry blossoms, blew them up a bit, and behold:
I got tattooed too!
I got tattooed too! I really WAS NOT planning on this, but I am really glad that I got it; I really feel like by having something like this, albeit subtle, we have something that we can share and show our love for each other. It isn’t a ring, but it is definitely a symbol of our commitment and love for each other, and I personally love it.

I do, however, think that I may be slightly addicted to tattoos!!! Oh well… I guess there are worse things, eh?

(FYI: Malia is one of the artists at the awesome Ink and Dagger Tattoo Parlour, which is where I have been getting my red panda tattoo from Russ. I highly recommend you go here to get all tattoo work, because Russ and Malia are the best!)

all about me, happenings, the catch-all-egory

it’s official…

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Yesterday, I registered for two classes: Human Anatomy and Physiology I (with lab), and Intro to Statistics. Much to my surprise, and sheer delight, I was able to register for both of them as online classes!! I knew that statistics was offered as online, but imagine my delight when I found out that anatomy was as well! Now, I only have to go to the school one night a week!

Rock!

Now… the nerves really will set in… I haven’t been in school in years! Yikes! Wish me luck!

happenings, hotness, mixed media, show the love

join me in welcoming the newest member of our family

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join me in welcoming the newest member of our family, originally uploaded by duanemoodydotcom.

TIVO HD is here!!! This morning, I was greeted by the sight of a new baby sitting on my porch, as I went out to go to work. I opened the crib, and inside, I found the newest addition to our family!

We welcome you with open arms, our beloved new Tivo. Today is a special day indeed, because even though Tivo HD is a new member of the family, it is almost like we have gotten back an old friend that we have missed for too long. Since the old Tivo wasn’t HD compatible, we had to say our farewells, and now, we are greeted by this new, shiny bundle of joy!!!

Rejoice! For the new technology is here!

I called Comcass(t) to see when I could schedule a cable card “installation”, and I was pleased to find out that I could go and pick up the cards myself; free of charge. If they would have come out, she said they would charge me $30 for EACH CARD. Fuck you ComcASS. Additionally, she wanted to “warn” me, of potential issues and problems associated with the cable cards. She said that first, I wouldn’t be able to order movies directly as I could with Comcass’ shitty DVR, and before she could finish her statement, I said, “I don’t do that”. Then, she started to tell me how the cable cards weren’t as good as the box, because the box is a direct connection or some bullshit. She also had the nerve to tell me that people complained because their cable cards got stuck in whatever they were putting them in. I replied with, “so, is this your way of keeping people stuck with the Comcast box?”. She immediately replied no, but I know that she was thinking the same thing; it is their way of keeping you tied to that shitty DVR.

Well, not for me. I cut off her rants about why the cable cards were bad, and told her, “it doesn’t really matter, because they are coming to my house”. I hung up with her after getting the address of the local Comcass place, and James is going by this afternoon to pick them up. Stay tuned for reports on the baby’s first steps and first words!!

Excitement, ladies and gents! Excitement!

all about me, blog on blog, happenings, is it just me?, mixed media, music musings, music suggestion, the catch-all-egory, venting, wtf?!

alright monday… move on, now…

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Today seems to be dragging a bit; perhaps I have a case of the “Mondays”? Either way, I can’t wait to get home this evening. Ah, relaxing… the joy of life.

A few jumbled, scattered, smothered, and covered thoughts for you to swish around your brain today:
Because everyone else is doing it, here is my “personality” profile; which is based on some pretty random questions. I expected pretty much everything, I have done a Myers-Briggs before, so nothing too unexpected, I guess… One thing I did get excited about, was that Nurse was listed as one of my career matches; maybe I should have taken this little test while I was in college? Either way, that is good to know that it will mesh well with my “advocate” personality style. I don’t really think these things are 100% accurate, but I do see how they can be pretty good generalizations.

All I have to say, is BWAHAHAHAHA!: Paris Hilton loses her $60 million inheritance because of her dumb ass behavior. Her grandpa is like, look Paris, too much ass, drinking, and going to jail is tainting my name, so you aren’t getting my dough! I wonder if she will have to work and earn money like the rest of us? If so, I fear for her, because I have seen the Simple Life, and if she has to rely solely on her “skills” (or lack thereof), she is royally fucked. I don’t think that she would even be able to get enough money to buy food for herself, if she actually had to work for a living. Poor, poor Paris… However, we all know that she will come out on top somehow; people like her always do for some reason.

Just because there are some people that still think the people of Iraq are all “Islamic extremists” out to kill us, which has nothing to do with any of our actions against them, their land, or their way of life; here’s more compelling evidence that all we are doing over there is making things worse (for us and them). I don’t get why pointing out the obvious stain that you made on the rug, and suggesting that it be cleaned up, is such a “radical” and “scary” observation and strategy for change. The shit has more than hit the fan, and it is pretty crystal clear that there are more and more people, who are just getting more and more angry at us for the very reason illustrated in the article; we are doing more harm than good, and always have. I have an idea, why not stop doing all that “destruction and death” mumbo jumbo, and focus on what we are SAYING really matters; helping the people of Iraq and ending terrorist plots against the US? I suggest this, because we are currently not doing that at all, and instead, our presence is making it worse; both for the Iraqis, and for us, because we are giving them more and more reasons to hate us. Another “revelation” courteous of the “omg this is so fucking obvious” news.

I was thinking as I was driving in to work this morning that I want to start what I hope will be something of a regular here: weekly music suggestion(s), that we share, explore, and recommend to each other. I am always hungry for new music, and often times, it can be hard to find. So, in the spirit of getting this thing going, I am going to recommend a few selections for you to check out this week. As evidenced by today’s selections, the recommendations do not necessarily have to be “new” as in “just out”; if it is new to you, it counts as new! Also, if it is something that you have heard and like, maybe it will just make it a rediscovery for you!

Here’s your music suggestions for this week:
Imogen Heap: Speak For Yourself (I popped this back in the CD player this morning on a whim, and was reminded at how fantastic this disc is!)
SIlversun Pickups: Carnavas (this CD is so awesome; I wish I would have discovered it sooner)
And sort of in the middle of the two: Great Northern: Trading Twilight for Daylight (fyi… this is a myspace link, which I am convinced is the only reason that myspace should even exist: marketing) (This IS new, and I am currently listening to/getting into it. Initial listens are definitely yielding a positive vibe… I am feeling that same little tingle in my body that I get when I hear Silversun Pickups… it’s a good thing.)

This whole “music sharing” idea was further pushed by my stopping by a little CD shop during my lunch break, and my finding Jude’s King Of Yesterday CD in the $1 bin. I had heard the song “King of Yesterday” on Felicity years ago, and remembered that I really liked it, and so I picked up the album. Always good to check out new things, right?

Now that you have your “Music Assignments”, hook me up with some suggestions too; this ain’t a one way street bitches!!! Bring on the music! Bring on the noise!

all about me, happenings, hmm interesting, is it just me?, mixed media, tragic, wtf?!

excuse me, is that YOUR blower?

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I didn’t think so!

Yesterday evening, I went outside with Sydney to watch him while he went potty, and I noticed that the handles on the shed were broken off, and hanging on by a little piece of plastic. Naturally, I thought, “well James has gone and broken this damn thing!”, so I asked him. Nope, turns out, he had just been in the shed about an hour before, after which, he went to the gym, leaving me and Sydney at the house.

While he was at the gym, someone came around the back of the house, jumped over the fence, and used a huge pipe to smash the handles off of the storage shed. We looked, and all we could see that he had taken was our leaf blower. Naturally, we were pretty freaked out, and we went back and looked at the footage of the theft from the security cameras. We got a visual of the criminal, and mulled over whether or not to go through the process of filing a police report; because when things have been stolen in the past, they have been very “oh well” about it.

We decided against filing a report at that time, and instead, James headed to Lowes to get some materials to make a new lock and securing mechanism (since the handles had been completely smashed off). Before he came home, the phone rings, and James quickly tells me that I need to call 911, because the guy is back! I had all of the lights in the back of the house off, so when I called 911, I walked back there, and sure enough, I could see him right at the fence (on the outside at this point), getting ready to jump into the yard!!! Needless to say, I was REALLY freaked out, and the 911 operator was listening to the whole scenario. I described the guy to her, and she relayed that message to the cop that was on the way.

The guy must have seen James’ car, because right as James came up the road behind our house, the guy stopped his plan of breaking back into the shed, and bolted. I couldn’t see where he went, and James took off (against my wishes) to find him. I stayed on the phone with the 911 operator until the cop arrived a good 20 minutes later. By then, James had seen a local man in the neighborhood that is well known for cutting people’s grass, and asked him if he knew the guy; and he did! Now, we know the guy’s name, and we relayed all of that information to the police.

You would think with that much information, they would act on it, or at least follow up, but nope; all he did was take a police report. While I am glad that the guy was “caught in the act”, and wasn’t able to steal anything else, I am still a little mad that he got away with it scott-free. I was also surprised at how ballsy it was for him to come back the same day, especially considering that we now know that he lives nearby. Hopefully, it is the last we will see of him; but if he does come back, the lock will be a lot more difficult for him to break this time around.

Things like this really freak me out, because it just makes you realize that there are people out there that will just take whatever they want, and they don’t care that it doesn’t belong to them. It was also creepy that I was home BOTH times he came to the house. I am just glad that it was only a petty theft, and that the whole thing is (HOPEFULLY) over.

In other news, my tivo has been shipped, and should arrive in 6 business days. ROCK! Speaking of ROCK, I beat the medium mode on GH: Encore last night where I got 5 stars on each song on the first try. WTF?! Either it is much easier than the other GH games, or I am a lot better… or both. Either way, it is a fun game, and I look forward to getting into the Hard mode next. I am disappointed that you can’t buy new songs, but GH:III is right around the corner, and hopefully, not to far out. I can’t wait for that game!

all about me, happenings, mixed media, near and dear, show the love, the catch-all-egory

buying things will take your mind off of it…

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So James and I came home from the vet frustrated with our situation yesterday, because we really weren’t getting much in the way of answers from the people at Banfield. With our frustration, we called to speak with the vet, and honestly, she took about 15 minutes to really talk with me, which did make me feel better. She told me that we need to get the x-ray and the ultrasound, and if those don’t show anything, we need to do an endoscopy. We are taking it one thing at a time. X-ray and ultrasound are currently scheduled for Thursday, and hopefully, we will know more then.

I honestly hope that it is nothing. She thinks that it might be an ulcer or something similar, and if so, there is medication that he can take that will make him better. She also informed us that we needed to try and make him eat, which we were actually successful with last night. We are trying different types of wet dog foods, really anything, to get him to eat. We found a treat he likes, and honestly, if that is what he will eat, I will buy a bunch of it to get something in his stomach. He is still weak, but he definitely seemed better after eating last night. Also, he isn’t yelping as much anymore either; which is a great sign. Thanks to all of the well wishes and thoughts you guys, I really don’t know what I would do if anything happened to my baby, and I really hope that he will get back to his old self sooner, rather than later. I am just praying he gets better soon. I will give updates about the tests on Thursday when we get them done.

James and I were driving home from the vet yesterday, and honestly, we were just silent in the car, because we were so worried. The call with the vet changed a lot of that, but we are still concerned, and can’t think of much else. So, like the good little consumer, I have turned to a little well-timed retail therapy to help take my mind off of this week’s situation. Coincidental to these events with Sydney, two products that I have been urning for came out today:

The NEW Tivo HD receiver (the much more reasonable $300 version)
and
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I have my confirmation order number for the tivo (after getting rejected by the website, and having to call in, sit on hold, get rejected by the system, and having the customer service person (who was really sweet, and actually called back and gave me confirmation) complete the order and call my back), and I am going to pick up GH during lunch. Is this enough to make me not worry about my little man? Absolutely not. However, it really does make me feel a little bit better; even if it is momentarily.

Tonight will be some shredding at my place, and hopefully, we can get little man to eat a little more. Hope everyone is having a good day. Now, WHEN will my new tivo arrive!! HURRY!

"pointless", all about me, blog on blog, happenings, listen up!, mixed media, the catch-all-egory

giving in, one web app at a time

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Nikki recently joined facebook amongst the others; and alas, so have I. Not only that, I find myself on twitter, yelp, flickr, livejournal, netvibes, and a host of other great web apps. I still never gave in to myspace, which I have say, is not something that I am ever going to join, EVER.

With that being said, facebook is pretty awesome; there is a ton to actually do and look at. I foresee lots of time spent on there. At least it is another corner of the internet that can entertain me. I have added links to my profiles at twitter, livejournal, facebook, etc in the “more than just a blog” column on the right over there; so go, check it out, and add me as a friend if you so desire.

I am not going to post those links in this post (even though that would probably be convenient) because I am lazy. Also, I listening to the Silversun Pickups (again), and the song “Well Thought Out Twinkles” may be one of the best songs EVER. Seriously. Awesome.

Hope everyone is having a relaxing Sunday, well, at least as relaxing as mine has been. Now… only to decide whether to go or not to go to the gym…