Current mental soundtrack: "Farewell Song" from the Sound of Music
Today was another scorcher: 108° at our house. We spent the afternoon running errands: orthodontist for B & M, toy store for B (going to a birthday party tomorrow), drugstore to get ibuprofen for M (since they put a much stronger wire on his braces today), fencing class for M, UPS Customer Service center to pick up the XBox. (RRoD update: the box has returned, but we haven't plugged it in yet).
We got home around 5:20, and discovered that the power was out. We threw on swimsuits and headed to the swim club for an hour or so, where DH joined us. After our swim, the power was still out, and the recorded message at PG&E said it would be out until 8:00-10:00 pm. Of course, this was a day when I had planned ahead, knowing I would be coming home late and not wanting to cook in the heat, so I had three-bean chili sitting in the crockpot, not cooking. We decided to go out to dinner at Chow's. After a brief visit to the Apple Store, we came home to brave the darkness. As we drove home, we saw exactly where the edge of the power outage was--one block east of the kids' school. No lights to the west.
I've decided that I can live without lights for a while, but worrying about the food in the freezer (all that Costco stuff) and being cut off from the Internet was much more annoying :-)
Showing posts with label Micro$oft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Micro$oft. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Pool Closed
Current mental soundtrack: "Amarilli, Mia Bella" from 24 Italian Songs and Arias, Medium Low Voice (I think I just saw a picture of an amaryllis somewhere, which started this soundtrack)
It's over 100 degrees here, so I packed up the kids and headed for the swim club. They were in the water for a grand total of five minutes before everyone was ordered out of the pool. Some kid had an accident, so the pool's closed until tomorrow.
Maybe we should have bought the house DH wanted--the one with the pool. (We didn't buy it because I thought it was too expensive and didn't have enough lawn in the back yard for the tortoise and dog.)
RRoD update: UPS called, and said they couldn't find the package in time to get it on the delivery van for this morning. They offered to deliver it tomorrow afternoon, but we already have two orthodontist appointments and fencing class scheduled. However, it turns out the UPS center is near the fencing school, and they're open in the afternoons, so it looks like I'll be able to pick up the XBox tomorrow.
It's over 100 degrees here, so I packed up the kids and headed for the swim club. They were in the water for a grand total of five minutes before everyone was ordered out of the pool. Some kid had an accident, so the pool's closed until tomorrow.
Maybe we should have bought the house DH wanted--the one with the pool. (We didn't buy it because I thought it was too expensive and didn't have enough lawn in the back yard for the tortoise and dog.)
RRoD update: UPS called, and said they couldn't find the package in time to get it on the delivery van for this morning. They offered to deliver it tomorrow afternoon, but we already have two orthodontist appointments and fencing class scheduled. However, it turns out the UPS center is near the fencing school, and they're open in the afternoons, so it looks like I'll be able to pick up the XBox tomorrow.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Sunny San Diego
RRoD update: Did you know that UPS can't reschedule delivery of a package until after they've tried to deliver it? Micro$oft sent me a notice last week that M's XBox is on its way back to us. Unfortunately, they scheduled delivery for this week, when we're all in San Diego. Even though I had the tracking number, I had to wait for them to try to deliver it (twice, because they tried a day earlier than the scheduled delivery date) before they would consent to reschedule it. They kept asking me for the InfoNotice number they had left on my front door, even though I kept telling them I wasn't home to get their notice. Of course, now I won't be able to leave the house on Monday until they deliver that box!
We are having a whirlwind vacation week in San Diego. First couple of days were spent with DH's parents, who only have dial-up Internet (in case you've been wondering where I am). We went to the beach (Oceanside), Mulligan's (an amusement park in Temecula), and the San Diego County Fair. We are now at my parents' house (with decent Internet access). We've been with them to the San Diego Zoo, and are going to the beach (Del Mar) tomorrow.
Today was the day of eating. On the way to the airport to pick up my sister, we stopped at Tommy's for lunch. Knowing what was coming up, I "only" had chili fries and water--no burger. Next stop (midafternoon) was DH's uncle & aunt's for a barbeque. I had a sliver of B's burger, some baked beans, and some fruit. Unfortunately for me, three desserts showed up after that, and I HAD to try all three. Two ice cream cakes, and a homemade cake. Last, but not least, my parents treated us all to Peking duck and crab at Emerald Chinese Seafood Restaurant. Whenever we go there with my parents, DH, kids, and my sister, we always order two Peking ducks (because we REALLY like Peking duck). Every time, the wait staff is astounded by this display of gluttony. I can understand enough Mandarin to translate what they're saying to my parents as they place the order. It's usually something along the lines of "TWO Peking ducks? Are you sure? That's a lot of meat!"
Oh, and we went to my favorite fireworks-watching spot this evening, La Jolla Shores. They have a nice fireworks display at La Jolla Cove, plus on a clear night you can see a bunch of other shows up and down the coast. Tonight was rather hazy, so we only saw one other show over the hills (and there was a tree in the way of my view), and heard a couple of explosions from the Del Mar Fairgrounds. We, and a lot of other people, forgot to check the tide charts before setting up our chairs, so a lot of people ended up jammed up against the sea wall as the tide came in.
[Anna Banana, I'll work on your meme tomorrow!]
We are having a whirlwind vacation week in San Diego. First couple of days were spent with DH's parents, who only have dial-up Internet (in case you've been wondering where I am). We went to the beach (Oceanside), Mulligan's (an amusement park in Temecula), and the San Diego County Fair. We are now at my parents' house (with decent Internet access). We've been with them to the San Diego Zoo, and are going to the beach (Del Mar) tomorrow.
Today was the day of eating. On the way to the airport to pick up my sister, we stopped at Tommy's for lunch. Knowing what was coming up, I "only" had chili fries and water--no burger. Next stop (midafternoon) was DH's uncle & aunt's for a barbeque. I had a sliver of B's burger, some baked beans, and some fruit. Unfortunately for me, three desserts showed up after that, and I HAD to try all three. Two ice cream cakes, and a homemade cake. Last, but not least, my parents treated us all to Peking duck and crab at Emerald Chinese Seafood Restaurant. Whenever we go there with my parents, DH, kids, and my sister, we always order two Peking ducks (because we REALLY like Peking duck). Every time, the wait staff is astounded by this display of gluttony. I can understand enough Mandarin to translate what they're saying to my parents as they place the order. It's usually something along the lines of "TWO Peking ducks? Are you sure? That's a lot of meat!"
Oh, and we went to my favorite fireworks-watching spot this evening, La Jolla Shores. They have a nice fireworks display at La Jolla Cove, plus on a clear night you can see a bunch of other shows up and down the coast. Tonight was rather hazy, so we only saw one other show over the hills (and there was a tree in the way of my view), and heard a couple of explosions from the Del Mar Fairgrounds. We, and a lot of other people, forgot to check the tide charts before setting up our chairs, so a lot of people ended up jammed up against the sea wall as the tide came in.
[Anna Banana, I'll work on your meme tomorrow!]
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Wet Swimsuits
Current mental soundtrack: "Double Trouble" from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (John Williams, arr. Teena Chin)
Swimming season has started again, and with it comes the daily onslaught of wet towels and suits. M & B are pretty well trained--as soon as we get home from swim lessons, they put their wet towels in the garage (in the hamper designated for towels) and their suits in the bathroom sink for me to rinse out. For years, I've rinsed out the suits, and draped them over the shower door to dry. I had to put a towel on the floor, because of course half of the suit hangs outside the door and drips onto the floor. This year, I had a great idea. I bought a cheap shower-curtain rod and mounted it just inside the frame of the shower door. You can't see it from outside the shower (unless you're at exactly the right angle), and all drips go into the tub. Why didn't I think of this earlier?
RROD update: The empty box arrived from M$ today. It contained a plastic bag, two pieces of foam, tape to close the box, a shipping label, and directions on how to pack up the XBox. It's now on it's way to Texas.
Swimming season has started again, and with it comes the daily onslaught of wet towels and suits. M & B are pretty well trained--as soon as we get home from swim lessons, they put their wet towels in the garage (in the hamper designated for towels) and their suits in the bathroom sink for me to rinse out. For years, I've rinsed out the suits, and draped them over the shower door to dry. I had to put a towel on the floor, because of course half of the suit hangs outside the door and drips onto the floor. This year, I had a great idea. I bought a cheap shower-curtain rod and mounted it just inside the frame of the shower door. You can't see it from outside the shower (unless you're at exactly the right angle), and all drips go into the tub. Why didn't I think of this earlier?
RROD update: The empty box arrived from M$ today. It contained a plastic bag, two pieces of foam, tape to close the box, a shipping label, and directions on how to pack up the XBox. It's now on it's way to Texas.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Red Ring of Death
M's XBox 360 just died. Naturally, it's out of warranty (it was a Christmas/birthday gift in 2006). BUT, a little research turned up the fact the Micro$oft has extended the warranty on these things, since so many of them were defective. The Red Ring of Death even has its own Wikipedia entry.
After getting past the overly cheerful computer voice and speaking to a live person, it actually didn't take very long. He (the live person) verified that we had the RROD (three red lights plus green power light), and took our info so they can send us a postage-paid box.
I'm sure this is just how M wants to start his summer vacation...
After getting past the overly cheerful computer voice and speaking to a live person, it actually didn't take very long. He (the live person) verified that we had the RROD (three red lights plus green power light), and took our info so they can send us a postage-paid box.
I'm sure this is just how M wants to start his summer vacation...
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