While pumpkin and wifey were in Taiwan I went to Theresa’s and Jim’s wedding in Fair Oaks Country Club. Nice. Shared a table with woman from IBM and met a new friend, Ricky Williams. Real nice guy. We hit it off from the beginning. Too bad he couldn’t come to our Chinese dumpling party last Saturday night.
Instead it was just Theresa and Jim. We pigged out on dumplings and noodles and just had lots of fun.
Few hours earlier got a call from Rebecca. She had taken the train up to Stockton to visit Tara, her cousin. They stopped by in the late afternoon. Tara is studying engineering at UOP. Very nice girl, muy guapa and inteligente. Tara’s mother Darlene is Rebecca’s mother Maureen’s sister. They are twins and Rebecca said everytime she gets together with Tara, they compare notes to see who is more neurotic. Based on what they both described, it is a close race. Both Maureen and Darlene are extremely immature women. Too bad, yet both Rebecca and Tara turned out fine in spite of their parent’s problems. From Tara - "My mom told me that only poor people get pimples." WTF? Ay caray, a grown woman worried more about image and completely disconnected from reality. Rebecca had equally bizarre stories about how her mother is also just simply removed from reality.
Around 5 PM, they had to go. Before they left, I noticed some Chinese inscriptions tatooed on Tara’s back. She explained it was her Jiu Jitsu training school. Okay, interesting. "Show me something" I asked. She said okay, come at me with your hand. I extended my hand and she instantly grabbed it and immobilized me in 2 seconds. Couldn’t move and this was a girl no taller than 5’ 3".
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Saturday, July 1, 2006
Helping Bobbie Move
Last week Bobbie came in to my office and had that anxious look on his face again. Okay, what’s the matter? He had asked everyone he knew if anyone could help him move and everyone flaked out. Somehow, I just felt like I had to help him and out of the blue said, "I’ll help you." He had this incredulous look on his face like, You? Yes, not a problem. Saturday morning 9:30 AM at Bobbie’s old house in Elk Grove off of Mack Road. Not a very nice area and I understood why he was anxious to move. He told me he found a really nice place in North Natomas for around $1,500.
First order of business was to get the truck. Bobbie didn’t feel comfortable driving a large truck so I offered. On the way over to the U-haul place, Bobbie called to confirm and the agent denied there was an outstanding reservation. Not looking good on the first day of the month. We arrived and Bobbie got into an argument with the 2 agents up front at the counter. At first the woman denied making his reservation and when Bobbie pointed out her name on the computer screen next to his reservation, she backpedaled and then claimed that the reservation was for the previous day. We left U-haul, with Bobbie feeling angry and frustrated. Headed back to his old house and we all got on the phone and started calling around to other places. Finally, found Budget on Auburn Blvd had a 24 footer available to pick up in the next hour. We raced over there and got there with time to spare. Like the pro that I am with big trucks, I shifted into gear, turned up the radio to 97.9 La Ke Buena, la que toca puras buenas and headed back to Elk Grove with Bobbie tailing behind me. A couple of Bobbie’s friends came over to help. It was a young couple and actually it ended up being just the guy, Rick? Forgot his name, oh so what. So Rick, Bobbie, Brianne his daughter and I loaded the truck up and then it was off to Natomas to unload. The whole process took about 4 hours so we were done before 2 PM. Hot, sweaty and smelly, we returned the truck and I got into a conversation with a woman who also had some choice words for U-haul. Bottom line, don’t use U-haul unless you absolutely have to.
First order of business was to get the truck. Bobbie didn’t feel comfortable driving a large truck so I offered. On the way over to the U-haul place, Bobbie called to confirm and the agent denied there was an outstanding reservation. Not looking good on the first day of the month. We arrived and Bobbie got into an argument with the 2 agents up front at the counter. At first the woman denied making his reservation and when Bobbie pointed out her name on the computer screen next to his reservation, she backpedaled and then claimed that the reservation was for the previous day. We left U-haul, with Bobbie feeling angry and frustrated. Headed back to his old house and we all got on the phone and started calling around to other places. Finally, found Budget on Auburn Blvd had a 24 footer available to pick up in the next hour. We raced over there and got there with time to spare. Like the pro that I am with big trucks, I shifted into gear, turned up the radio to 97.9 La Ke Buena, la que toca puras buenas and headed back to Elk Grove with Bobbie tailing behind me. A couple of Bobbie’s friends came over to help. It was a young couple and actually it ended up being just the guy, Rick? Forgot his name, oh so what. So Rick, Bobbie, Brianne his daughter and I loaded the truck up and then it was off to Natomas to unload. The whole process took about 4 hours so we were done before 2 PM. Hot, sweaty and smelly, we returned the truck and I got into a conversation with a woman who also had some choice words for U-haul. Bottom line, don’t use U-haul unless you absolutely have to.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
A Second Job
3 days a week at CDC is just not enough. I like Dino and they do treat me nice there but no basta dinero. Found an ad in Sacbee for part time bookkeeper position 2 days a week and holy bajoly it is only 1 mile from home. Yes, me gusta mucho.
Interviewed with the owner, Glenn and the outgoing bookeeper, Andrea.Both seemed nice.This is most definitely a small time operation. There are only3 people working up in the front. All the action takes place in the warehouse where they import speakers and parts from China, assemble and sell domestically. At first, I liked Glenn. Seemed intelligent. He told me his story about how he worked his way up in the business and now runs this successful business. Chris and Tony were the two guys working up front. Both were pleasant.
The office isn’t much to look at, kind of scattered type look but what caught my attention the first day I started work was the large sign hanging on the wall above me that essentially was a rambling diatribe about immigrants and how they should learn English or get the hell out of the U.S. Most definitely inappropriate for a front office. This was my first clue to Glenn’s eccentric personality. The other thing that he mentioned frequently was how he was Polish and the self-deprecating humor that revolved around his ancestry. Like I give a flying fuck. Now the personality profile is starting to emerge along with the setup for the impending confrontation...
Security, security,he would tell me. I don’t like things laying around and I want stuff to be tighter, more secure." Yes, makes sense. I understood perfectly but the weird thing about it was that this was the most unsecure office environment I ever observed. All the computers were essentially wide open, even the bookkeeper computer. I figured that if they want to have it that way, fine. But I was going to at least make my own login password protected and leave the rest alone. Mind you, this is simple Windows XP login screen where you select a user and login, nothing else.
Last Tuesday, I was working on the computer and suddenly Glenn walked in and began telling me about how he was locked out of the computer all day Sunday and couldn’t get in. What the fuck? So I asked him what login he was using. Didn’t let me finish a sentence. I tried asking him to trace back what he was doing and again he essentially told me to shut up cause he didn’t want to hear it and I was wasting his time. Instead of explaining his problem which turned out to be ignorance he chastised me and would not let me get one word in. That was it. I had had enough of this asshole.
Believe me, I completely understand when someone says, hey I am really unfamiliar with how to operate a computer so please do not make any changes without letting me know first. That is a lot different than saying, hey, don’t fuck with my computer. I was nearly ready to attack him physically I was that angry. I really wanted to beat the living crap out of him at that point. I forced myself to calm down. It was quiet in the office and the time went by slowly. It was around 3 o’clock and I signed off and got up to go into his office but his phone rang and I had to sit down again. A half hour went by and he was finally off the phone. I calmly got up, picked up my sunglasses and cell phone and walked in.
"I am resigning," I said calmly. He told me to sit down and I proceeded to tell him that no one is allowed to treat me the way he did out there. He started trying to justify himself but I wouldn’t have any of it. It was getting hot and I was now raising my voice. Asshole. You think I haven’t seen this shit before? Ever work at a company where the boss is completely clueless, running around like the emperor without his clothes and lashing out at others instead of doing something about their ignorance? I could have been mean to him and make him feel as bad as me by saying you think your ignorance is anything but transparent? How about spending a couple of hours in a class to learn about the most important piece of equipment in your office instead of spending all your free time driving around a track at a 150 mph? Get a fucking life.
No wonder his assistants, Chris and Tony are so meek. They must be intimidated by his quirky nature. I really don’t get it. He bragged about his education - MBA and engineering degree so I figured he must be somewhat intelligent. But here you have it. You can have the best education in the world and still end up being an idiot when it comes to how to run a business and more importantly how to manage people. I have absolutely 0 patience for assholes like that.
Addendum: A couple of years after this incident, I happened to be at California Family Fitness and ran into a colleague of Glenn’s. I casually asked him about NSA and he said that the company was out of business and Glenn had fled to China to look for cheap labor for another business.
Interviewed with the owner, Glenn and the outgoing bookeeper, Andrea.Both seemed nice.This is most definitely a small time operation. There are only3 people working up in the front. All the action takes place in the warehouse where they import speakers and parts from China, assemble and sell domestically. At first, I liked Glenn. Seemed intelligent. He told me his story about how he worked his way up in the business and now runs this successful business. Chris and Tony were the two guys working up front. Both were pleasant.
The office isn’t much to look at, kind of scattered type look but what caught my attention the first day I started work was the large sign hanging on the wall above me that essentially was a rambling diatribe about immigrants and how they should learn English or get the hell out of the U.S. Most definitely inappropriate for a front office. This was my first clue to Glenn’s eccentric personality. The other thing that he mentioned frequently was how he was Polish and the self-deprecating humor that revolved around his ancestry. Like I give a flying fuck. Now the personality profile is starting to emerge along with the setup for the impending confrontation...
Security, security,he would tell me. I don’t like things laying around and I want stuff to be tighter, more secure." Yes, makes sense. I understood perfectly but the weird thing about it was that this was the most unsecure office environment I ever observed. All the computers were essentially wide open, even the bookkeeper computer. I figured that if they want to have it that way, fine. But I was going to at least make my own login password protected and leave the rest alone. Mind you, this is simple Windows XP login screen where you select a user and login, nothing else.
Last Tuesday, I was working on the computer and suddenly Glenn walked in and began telling me about how he was locked out of the computer all day Sunday and couldn’t get in. What the fuck? So I asked him what login he was using. Didn’t let me finish a sentence. I tried asking him to trace back what he was doing and again he essentially told me to shut up cause he didn’t want to hear it and I was wasting his time. Instead of explaining his problem which turned out to be ignorance he chastised me and would not let me get one word in. That was it. I had had enough of this asshole.
Believe me, I completely understand when someone says, hey I am really unfamiliar with how to operate a computer so please do not make any changes without letting me know first. That is a lot different than saying, hey, don’t fuck with my computer. I was nearly ready to attack him physically I was that angry. I really wanted to beat the living crap out of him at that point. I forced myself to calm down. It was quiet in the office and the time went by slowly. It was around 3 o’clock and I signed off and got up to go into his office but his phone rang and I had to sit down again. A half hour went by and he was finally off the phone. I calmly got up, picked up my sunglasses and cell phone and walked in.
"I am resigning," I said calmly. He told me to sit down and I proceeded to tell him that no one is allowed to treat me the way he did out there. He started trying to justify himself but I wouldn’t have any of it. It was getting hot and I was now raising my voice. Asshole. You think I haven’t seen this shit before? Ever work at a company where the boss is completely clueless, running around like the emperor without his clothes and lashing out at others instead of doing something about their ignorance? I could have been mean to him and make him feel as bad as me by saying you think your ignorance is anything but transparent? How about spending a couple of hours in a class to learn about the most important piece of equipment in your office instead of spending all your free time driving around a track at a 150 mph? Get a fucking life.
No wonder his assistants, Chris and Tony are so meek. They must be intimidated by his quirky nature. I really don’t get it. He bragged about his education - MBA and engineering degree so I figured he must be somewhat intelligent. But here you have it. You can have the best education in the world and still end up being an idiot when it comes to how to run a business and more importantly how to manage people. I have absolutely 0 patience for assholes like that.
Addendum: A couple of years after this incident, I happened to be at California Family Fitness and ran into a colleague of Glenn’s. I casually asked him about NSA and he said that the company was out of business and Glenn had fled to China to look for cheap labor for another business.
Monday, June 5, 2006
Living like a Bachelor
Pumpkin and wifey are in Taiwan. Okay, now what? It was too quiet but there were plenty of things to do, such as paint the pumpkin’s room pink, seal the grout, get high speed internet access up and running, weeding, daily watering, switch to Vonage and keep the place clean. No slobbing or slobbering allowed.
Meals tended to be simple, heat up a can of frijoles and slop on a tortilla with tomato and lettuce and salsa. I got to like raw cabbage in my quest for expedient food. Most meals were in front of TV on a TV table.
Got my bike set up. Ordered a pair of airfree tires from the only place on the web that sells them - airfreetires.com. I just don’t want to be one of those people on the side of the road trying to fix a flat tire. They are heavier but are designed to last forever. Took my bike to City Bicycles on Greenback and Sunrise and had a tuneup which cost me $100. I expected the bike to work and it did but only for a week. I started riding to work via the American River bike trail. It is about a 7 mile scenic ride that follows the river as it winds its way down thru Sacramento. Exit is Hagan Park to Dawes, to Malaga and left on Paseo which hooks into Mather Field. Thought I was riding at a pretty good clip towards the end of the week but still had not managed to pass even one person. Everyone, and I mean everyone was whizzing past me. Young, old, fat, thin, fancy bicycles, not so fancy bicycles, tight bicycle shorts with bright tee shirts with Italian sounding names, serious riders and not so serious riders. Yep, I was the slow poker and I was pushing as hard as I can. Part of the reason is that my bike is a mountain bike style bike and the ones that were passing me were mostly light street bikes but they all looked like they were not exerting any effort to go 20 MPH and I was huffing to get to 12 or 13. Such is life.
You have to understand that airfree tires look different that regular tires. They look flat but they’re not. One rider passing me said, "Hey, your back tire looks flat." Okay, I know. By the time I wanted to say my tires were special he had already disappeared into the horizon.
After a week, the back 2 spokes broke. I immediately took the bike back to the bike shop and the mechanic said maybe the problem is the tires. I called up the guy who mfrs the tires and he said no way. In any case, City Bicycles fixed it for free and it worked for another week then broke down again. This time I took it to Bob’s Cycles on Fair Oaks. They had the bike for nearly 3 weeks and I just took it home a few days ago. So far so good but I haven’t really put the bike thru its paces yet.
Meals tended to be simple, heat up a can of frijoles and slop on a tortilla with tomato and lettuce and salsa. I got to like raw cabbage in my quest for expedient food. Most meals were in front of TV on a TV table.
Got my bike set up. Ordered a pair of airfree tires from the only place on the web that sells them - airfreetires.com. I just don’t want to be one of those people on the side of the road trying to fix a flat tire. They are heavier but are designed to last forever. Took my bike to City Bicycles on Greenback and Sunrise and had a tuneup which cost me $100. I expected the bike to work and it did but only for a week. I started riding to work via the American River bike trail. It is about a 7 mile scenic ride that follows the river as it winds its way down thru Sacramento. Exit is Hagan Park to Dawes, to Malaga and left on Paseo which hooks into Mather Field. Thought I was riding at a pretty good clip towards the end of the week but still had not managed to pass even one person. Everyone, and I mean everyone was whizzing past me. Young, old, fat, thin, fancy bicycles, not so fancy bicycles, tight bicycle shorts with bright tee shirts with Italian sounding names, serious riders and not so serious riders. Yep, I was the slow poker and I was pushing as hard as I can. Part of the reason is that my bike is a mountain bike style bike and the ones that were passing me were mostly light street bikes but they all looked like they were not exerting any effort to go 20 MPH and I was huffing to get to 12 or 13. Such is life.
You have to understand that airfree tires look different that regular tires. They look flat but they’re not. One rider passing me said, "Hey, your back tire looks flat." Okay, I know. By the time I wanted to say my tires were special he had already disappeared into the horizon.
After a week, the back 2 spokes broke. I immediately took the bike back to the bike shop and the mechanic said maybe the problem is the tires. I called up the guy who mfrs the tires and he said no way. In any case, City Bicycles fixed it for free and it worked for another week then broke down again. This time I took it to Bob’s Cycles on Fair Oaks. They had the bike for nearly 3 weeks and I just took it home a few days ago. So far so good but I haven’t really put the bike thru its paces yet.
Saturday, June 3, 2006
Traveling to L.A.
Flew down to Burbank this weekend for a short stay and see wifey and pumpkin off to Taiwan. Stayed at Eric and Teri’s Friday and Saturday night. The flight was scheduled for 1 AM Monday morning so I took pumpkin and wifey late Sunday night. Couldn’t believe how crowded LAX was at 10:30 PM on a Sunday evening. Long lines of Indians dragging huge suitcases and boxes snaked out of the terminal. On the other side, an equally long line of Chinese passengers waited outside. At 12:30 AM it was time to board. Said goodbye and pumpkin started crying. She had me baobao her for the whole time we were in the airport up until the time we said goodbye.
Now the adventure, so to speak, began. First thing Monday morning my brother dropped me off at Budget rent a truck in Van Nuys. The arrangement was to pick up my mom’s sofa and loveseat and haul back to Gold River. Now I just needed a little help. And that wasn’t hard to find at all. After picking up the truck, I drove down Van Nuys Blvd and headed right on Oxnard. Looking over to my right, a group of jornaleros were running towards me, waving their arms wildly and yelling at me. I stopped and they nearly fought each other to get inside. I told them solamente necesito un par de brazos, nada mas and then a short guy named Jose pushed his way in and said "I can help you" in somewhat broken English. Everything loaded up fine plus some additional items that I didn’t really ask for but mom wanted me to have anyways such as plates and end tables and lamps. Paid Jose a $20 and I was alone to drive back up to Rancho Cordova. First stop was 99 Ranch market to pick up some lunche and drinks. Drove about an hour and a half and made my first stop at bottom of Grape Vine. There is a cluster of fast food restaurants and gas stations right there off to the left and I sat and pigged out for about an hour. The rest of the drive was loud Mexican music all the way. As one station got weak, I simply switched to another station that got stronger. Made it back to Rancho Cordova around 6:30 and called Melody’s husband Jim to help me unload.Ah what a relief. Now I was home alone, literally!
Now the adventure, so to speak, began. First thing Monday morning my brother dropped me off at Budget rent a truck in Van Nuys. The arrangement was to pick up my mom’s sofa and loveseat and haul back to Gold River. Now I just needed a little help. And that wasn’t hard to find at all. After picking up the truck, I drove down Van Nuys Blvd and headed right on Oxnard. Looking over to my right, a group of jornaleros were running towards me, waving their arms wildly and yelling at me. I stopped and they nearly fought each other to get inside. I told them solamente necesito un par de brazos, nada mas and then a short guy named Jose pushed his way in and said "I can help you" in somewhat broken English. Everything loaded up fine plus some additional items that I didn’t really ask for but mom wanted me to have anyways such as plates and end tables and lamps. Paid Jose a $20 and I was alone to drive back up to Rancho Cordova. First stop was 99 Ranch market to pick up some lunche and drinks. Drove about an hour and a half and made my first stop at bottom of Grape Vine. There is a cluster of fast food restaurants and gas stations right there off to the left and I sat and pigged out for about an hour. The rest of the drive was loud Mexican music all the way. As one station got weak, I simply switched to another station that got stronger. Made it back to Rancho Cordova around 6:30 and called Melody’s husband Jim to help me unload.Ah what a relief. Now I was home alone, literally!
Friday, April 28, 2006
Loomis House Sold
Finally! I thought we were never going to get that bungalow sold. Actually, it really wasn’t a bungalow, just a small house on a rural street. I rented a truck and hired a couple of guys to help me that Saturday. Loaded everything up and we were out and cleaned up by 4 PM.New house in Gold River is much bigger - over 1900 sq feet. Great location across from a park and elementary school, bike trails and walking distance to American River. Love it! Gold River is actually Rancho Cordova - same zip code but much nicer community. The dividing line between nice and not so nice is Sunrise Blvd. Gold River is a planned community with HOA fees so no white trash parking RV’s or cars on the lawn, no eyesores, no loud assholes next door. This is a real nice place to live. In fact, our neighbors came up to introduce themselves the same day we were moving in.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Living in Loomis
We have been wanting to sell for quite some time now. Before I begin, I am going to back up a bit and start out from 2001. We were living in an apartment on Winding Way near Auburn Blvd from 1998 thru 2001 and finally it was time to get out of that apartment and into something bigger. We traveled all over the Sacramento area looking for something nice and quiet but not too far away.
Loomis is a sleepy town midway between Rocklin and Auburn off Interstate 80 and on the way to Reno. Not much happens here except the train going by and some occasional noise from the goonies next door. Who are the goonies, you might ask? The younger kids, Joey and Willy are friendly and play with the pumpkin but the family is just not our type. A pickup truck has been sitting in their backyard for about 3 years now, a pile of old used car parts is scattered around the yard and the house looks like it is ready to fall apart any moment.Except for some of Krystal’s occasional parties, the neighborhood is pretty quiet. Jack and Donna are retired and live directly across the street. They’ve been really nice about watching our house while we are away and being the source for all the latest gossip.After living the country life, it is time to move on. The 80 is getting to be a big pain in the ass to commute from here. When we first moved here, it was empty going into downtown Sac but now it backs up in both directions morning and evening, especially around Roseville. What a friggin waste. Caltrans spent all this money to build carpool lanes in both directions and it ends in Roseville where the traffic comes to a standstill in the afternoon. Go figure. And yea, I am tired of living in a sea of Republicans. At the time we purchased this house I wasn’t aware that we were living in the area of California with the highest percentage of Repubs, even higher than Orange County. Now I am not saying I don’t get along with people here. I just don’t talk politics.
Loomis is a sleepy town midway between Rocklin and Auburn off Interstate 80 and on the way to Reno. Not much happens here except the train going by and some occasional noise from the goonies next door. Who are the goonies, you might ask? The younger kids, Joey and Willy are friendly and play with the pumpkin but the family is just not our type. A pickup truck has been sitting in their backyard for about 3 years now, a pile of old used car parts is scattered around the yard and the house looks like it is ready to fall apart any moment.Except for some of Krystal’s occasional parties, the neighborhood is pretty quiet. Jack and Donna are retired and live directly across the street. They’ve been really nice about watching our house while we are away and being the source for all the latest gossip.After living the country life, it is time to move on. The 80 is getting to be a big pain in the ass to commute from here. When we first moved here, it was empty going into downtown Sac but now it backs up in both directions morning and evening, especially around Roseville. What a friggin waste. Caltrans spent all this money to build carpool lanes in both directions and it ends in Roseville where the traffic comes to a standstill in the afternoon. Go figure. And yea, I am tired of living in a sea of Republicans. At the time we purchased this house I wasn’t aware that we were living in the area of California with the highest percentage of Repubs, even higher than Orange County. Now I am not saying I don’t get along with people here. I just don’t talk politics.
Saturday, February 4, 2006
Getting Rid of the Olds Cutlass
It was time. The time had come to get rid of El Palomo, alias 1988 Olds Cutlass Cierra. It was about 3 months ago and I had just barely passed the smog test and had to spend mucho dinero just to get it that way. I had pulled into the BofA on Taylor Road and after I got back in the car, it just wouldn’t start. I took it into Speedee oil change to see what the hell was wrong and turns out it needed a new fuel pump. Upon hearing the news, I decided that I had to get rid of it. I knew I couldn’t just sell it cause who would want an 88 Olds Cutlass anyways? I decided to save myself the hassle and just donate it to some charity which I did and it worked out just fine.With El Palomo gone, I needed some wheels to get to work down in Rancho Cordova so wifey and I decided to lease a new car. After a few searches online and in the newspaper, the best deal turned out to be Melody Toyota down in San Mateo. Shit that was far! Now I get the Mitsubishi and wifey gets the new Corolla that gets 34 MPG highway.
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