Customer Service Woes Continue....
I have cancelled my newspaper subscription. I had intended to do that after last week's four missed papers. This week I received a bill for the next month's subscription with a due date of April 29th. I got the bill on May 4th. They can't have possibly mailed it out prior to the 29th. What particularly irked me is that the bill announced that my subscription had already expired. That's interesting given that I had actually paid to receive the paper through today, May 5th. Now it would seem that it expired in late April. Oddly enough, the bill is for the subscription to start May 12th. I have no idea what's was supposed to happen in between. Perhaps that's when the delivery goes all bad. I'm also not going to hold my breath on receiving any of the four papers for which I had requested credit since delivery never happened.
And then there was the library....I owed the library a fine when I went in to pick up a book being held for me last week. I paid said fine. I went in today and was charged the exact same fine again. By the same clerk. I *knew* I should have asked for a receipt when I paid the fine. The one time previously that I had paid a fine I did get a receipt. From here on out, I will ask for one. I don't mind helping out the library, but it would be nice if the fines were cleared off my account when they got paid. I know they had computer problems a week ago, but twice in one week? Does NOBODY in this town bother with backups?!?!?!?
Speaking of Computer Woes...
Remember that the website I maintain in my spare time got moved from one host to another? I *still* don't have access to the site. There is no ETA on when that might happen. I also found how why the site transfer was so badly screwed up. The host insisted on doing all the work themselves and boy did they botch it up. There is certainly a vast disconnect between what they say they can do (based on their website) and what they actually do. I have also discovered that this hosting company does not believe in spam filtering for listservs and will not give us any ability to filter spam on our own. So I get 10-20+ error messages a day from the listserv when non-members (e.g. spammers) try to post something to the list. None of the traffic gets to the list, but with our previous host, none of that spam got to me either. The previous hosting company filtered it all out before it got to the server. It sure would be nice if the new hosting company managed to follow industry standard practice. I hope Steve, the site owner, is paying significantly less for the new company since the services and abilities are significantly reduced.
Things Around the House
I really need to mow the lawn. For that matter, I really need to change the oil in the mower. I probably should have remembered that when I was in town. I'll have to get the filter and oil next week. When I remember to take in the gas can to be filled. At least I remembered my library books before I got more than a mile from home. (I went back and got them.) I still haven't planted those last four shrubs. I really don't feel like messing with any of it today either. I just want to sit and do a whole lot of nothing. I'm really tired this week.
Quote of the Day:
"And there's the seven horse, plus a horse's butt..." uttered by one of the commentators (Kenny) on ESPN while they're loading up the horses in the La Troienne Stakes. He was about to say something about the seven horse when the camera view became *completely* obscured by a closeup of the side of someone'e hindquarters. The commentator didn't even lose a beat, just kept going. It was a very nicely muscled hip.
Calvin Borel won the race on SilverInYourPocket. He'll ride one of my Derby picks, Street Sense, later today. Calvin came from behind. He's pretty thoroughly covered in sand/mud. I *hate* that stuff. That was the one of the few things I couldn't stand about working at the track. Getting sand in my face, my shirt, my shoes, etc. It only ever happened when the track was wet. When things were dry it all bounced off, but with a bit of dampness it stuck like mad. I can see why some horses hate coming from behind especially in the wet. I hated behind behind other horses and getting sand in my face too and I could hide behind my horse.
Derby Commentary
This is the first time in about six years that I've had cable and watched the full Kentucky Derby coverage. Kenny on ESPN is hilarious. He just pointed out to an international audience that he had made a mistake prior to the last commercial break, but that the microphone was broken or off at the time, so nobody actually heard it, but he wanted to correct the error that nobody heard. He's clearly of the opinion that if a tree falls in the woods, but nobody is there, that it still makes a sound. Since he's got a sense of humor and a good ability to roll with the punches on air, I'm sure he won't be allowed to do this ever again, which is a shame.
The Queen of England has arrived at Churchill Downs for the racing today. (Kenny has already invited her over for a chat.) I wonder if she'll place any bets. On past visits to Kentucky, she's stayed at Lane's End Farm with the Farishes. Mr. Farish was once US Ambassador to England. I know the late Queen Mother used to place bets. Heck, she'd stop at pubs for pints of beer too. The security details in this country would go insane if that happened here. I suppose it helps that everybody seemed to like the Queen Mother. People here aren't nearly as fond of our own heads of state, politicians, etc.
Speaking of racing and royalty, I'll have to see if Dick Francis has written any books lately. He is a former steeplechase jockey who rode for the Queen Mother. He writes a pretty good mystery. I've read a number of his books, but then got out of the habit of reading mysteries. I'll have to have a look the next time I get back to the library or look at the downloadable audio books. Right now I'm listening to "The Body in the Library" by Agatha Christie.
And then there was the library....I owed the library a fine when I went in to pick up a book being held for me last week. I paid said fine. I went in today and was charged the exact same fine again. By the same clerk. I *knew* I should have asked for a receipt when I paid the fine. The one time previously that I had paid a fine I did get a receipt. From here on out, I will ask for one. I don't mind helping out the library, but it would be nice if the fines were cleared off my account when they got paid. I know they had computer problems a week ago, but twice in one week? Does NOBODY in this town bother with backups?!?!?!?
Speaking of Computer Woes...
Remember that the website I maintain in my spare time got moved from one host to another? I *still* don't have access to the site. There is no ETA on when that might happen. I also found how why the site transfer was so badly screwed up. The host insisted on doing all the work themselves and boy did they botch it up. There is certainly a vast disconnect between what they say they can do (based on their website) and what they actually do. I have also discovered that this hosting company does not believe in spam filtering for listservs and will not give us any ability to filter spam on our own. So I get 10-20+ error messages a day from the listserv when non-members (e.g. spammers) try to post something to the list. None of the traffic gets to the list, but with our previous host, none of that spam got to me either. The previous hosting company filtered it all out before it got to the server. It sure would be nice if the new hosting company managed to follow industry standard practice. I hope Steve, the site owner, is paying significantly less for the new company since the services and abilities are significantly reduced.
Things Around the House
I really need to mow the lawn. For that matter, I really need to change the oil in the mower. I probably should have remembered that when I was in town. I'll have to get the filter and oil next week. When I remember to take in the gas can to be filled. At least I remembered my library books before I got more than a mile from home. (I went back and got them.) I still haven't planted those last four shrubs. I really don't feel like messing with any of it today either. I just want to sit and do a whole lot of nothing. I'm really tired this week.
Quote of the Day:
"And there's the seven horse, plus a horse's butt..." uttered by one of the commentators (Kenny) on ESPN while they're loading up the horses in the La Troienne Stakes. He was about to say something about the seven horse when the camera view became *completely* obscured by a closeup of the side of someone'e hindquarters. The commentator didn't even lose a beat, just kept going. It was a very nicely muscled hip.
Calvin Borel won the race on SilverInYourPocket. He'll ride one of my Derby picks, Street Sense, later today. Calvin came from behind. He's pretty thoroughly covered in sand/mud. I *hate* that stuff. That was the one of the few things I couldn't stand about working at the track. Getting sand in my face, my shirt, my shoes, etc. It only ever happened when the track was wet. When things were dry it all bounced off, but with a bit of dampness it stuck like mad. I can see why some horses hate coming from behind especially in the wet. I hated behind behind other horses and getting sand in my face too and I could hide behind my horse.
Derby Commentary
This is the first time in about six years that I've had cable and watched the full Kentucky Derby coverage. Kenny on ESPN is hilarious. He just pointed out to an international audience that he had made a mistake prior to the last commercial break, but that the microphone was broken or off at the time, so nobody actually heard it, but he wanted to correct the error that nobody heard. He's clearly of the opinion that if a tree falls in the woods, but nobody is there, that it still makes a sound. Since he's got a sense of humor and a good ability to roll with the punches on air, I'm sure he won't be allowed to do this ever again, which is a shame.
The Queen of England has arrived at Churchill Downs for the racing today. (Kenny has already invited her over for a chat.) I wonder if she'll place any bets. On past visits to Kentucky, she's stayed at Lane's End Farm with the Farishes. Mr. Farish was once US Ambassador to England. I know the late Queen Mother used to place bets. Heck, she'd stop at pubs for pints of beer too. The security details in this country would go insane if that happened here. I suppose it helps that everybody seemed to like the Queen Mother. People here aren't nearly as fond of our own heads of state, politicians, etc.
Speaking of racing and royalty, I'll have to see if Dick Francis has written any books lately. He is a former steeplechase jockey who rode for the Queen Mother. He writes a pretty good mystery. I've read a number of his books, but then got out of the habit of reading mysteries. I'll have to have a look the next time I get back to the library or look at the downloadable audio books. Right now I'm listening to "The Body in the Library" by Agatha Christie.
Comments