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The iClone Saga continuesends ??
Feb. 25th, 2009 11:41 pmThird (and hopefully final) part of the iClone Saga:
Feb 20: Surprise! Replacement iClone shows up. Not new, and just superficially testing functions reminds me how freaking annoying this phone is (now that I'm deeply in love with the Motorola). At least it doesn't have the buzzing noise which was the blessing in disguise that forced me into these events in the first place. I leave negative feedback for the seller, which is highly satisfying despite having nowhere near the space to describe all the problems he's given me. I limit my complaint to the protracted waiting period for the replacement. I get phone boxed up for reselling.
Feb 21: I can't resist peeking in at my comment. Seller has the nerve to claim he didn't receive my return until Feb 10 and what could he do? I was a "hard buyer." If you all turn to page one of your Saga history, you'll see I sent it back Priority Jan 26, and that I still have the email of Jan 29 claiming my replacement was on its way. Selling 101 for ccslickscompany? Honesty is the best policy. If there are problems, explain them to me. I won't be happy, but you know what won't fix the situation? Lying to me. And if you're caught in that lie? Things won't get better if you turn around and call ME a liar. I know all this and I haven't taken one course in business school. I can't leave it alone. I clarify correct shipping date, and accuse the seller of lying repeatedly to cover mistakes. Since eBay doesn't like flame wars, I think I'll get the last word.
Feb 24: I put the iClone up on eBay, hoping ccslickscompany doesn't find a way to sabotage me, and REALLY hoping any prospective buyers don't bother accessing my feedback and notice the Motorola and accessories among my transactions.
Feb 25: At this writing I already have three watchers and one bid, after answering several questions about "how used is used?" and "why should I give you X amount for a used phone when a new one is X amount?" Yep, short of disappearing and refusing a refund, this seller couldn't have screwed me any harder.
~*~
Tery's First Annual Academy Awards™ party was a smashing success. She went all out -- decorations, Oscar™-themed appetizers, door prizes, Pictionary, even "programs" with trivia and games for every category. She was determined to make this the event of the decade.
I helped with cleaning the house. The bird watched us toiling away with excitement, thinking she would be front row and center for the festivities. She didn't realize part of the plan would be wheeling her oversized cage (and her) into the bedroom out of the way to make space for the food table. I compared it to arriving early for a concert and thinking you're in the front row, only to have the ushers appear and make you move back for the VIP ticketholders.
Anyway, my contribution, paltry though it was, wasn't nearly as disappointing as Tery's frienemy, Kristy from the bar, who had promised to bring 2-3 appetizers and a bag of ice. She showed up an hour late, emptyhanded and already drunk/stoned.
Fortunately Tery has a lot of experience not relying on other people and had prepared quite a spread already. When Kristy saw the layout, she exclaimed, "We should totally go into the party planning business together!" Naturally Tery's thought was "We?! You couldn't even remember ice, and you came from A BAR." She and her boyfriend also insisted that we had to attend their wedding in Vegas in April. We were concerned they were serious for a minute, before remembering these people couldn't even get their shit together enough to come get our old couch when we offered it for free.
Boyfriend Gary then told me he had taken an application test for a medical transcription job. The test was really easy, just a matter of correct spelling. He could do my job at night for a few hours while watching cartoons. Part of me was of course insulted by the trivializing of my career, but a larger part was horrified at the idea of him preparing medical records so casually (and I'm sure there would be alcohol involved as well). Likening it to building birdhouses or whatever people do as unskilled work-at-home laborers. Again, I'm sure nothing will come of it; they don't even have a computer, and good luck finding a company that will let you work only whenever the whim takes you.
The other guest of note was Tery's bar friend Tony. Tony and I have a lot in common, movie-wise. Tery has been telling each of us about the other for awhile, this was our first meeting. He presented me with a "swag bag" of goodies, which upon closer inspection proved to be stickers, patches and buttons of comic books, independent bands and movies I couldn't care less about. He explained he was trying to "de-clutter" his house, which simultaneously made me glad none of it was supposed to hold any special meaning for me, while thinking it was kind of tacky to announce "here's a bunch of garbage and I want you to have it."
This was Tony's style -- opinionated, outspoken, brutally honest and somewhat egocentric fanboy. A bit like me, except with Tery's patient guidance I've gained a teeny bit more tact over the years. I didn't mind so much on a one-to-one basis, but then we rejoined the party and he began to rail very loudly and obnoxiously every time Slumdog Millionaire was mentioned (which, if you watched the show, was pretty often). "Fuckity fuck fuck!!!" he'd shout over everyone else, "Are you fucking KIDDING me??" Mind you, he's never seen Slumdog. Being a comic boy, he seemed to think Dark Knight deserved every award. I suggested he wait until he saw the movie before attempting to criticize it.
At its height we had twelve guests here and it went very well thanks to Tery's extensive agenda of games and activities. Eventually everyone trickled out until it was only us, Tony and MyFriendDeb left, determined to see the end "on the off-chance Slumdog DOESN'T win," Deb said. Then Sean Penn won for Milk and Tony started making gagging sounds. He brayed, "He only won because he kissed a guy and managed to make it look like he enjoyed it!"
Some facts: He knows about Tery and me. His first question when Tery invited him to the party was whether there would be any cute gay guys there. Later in the evening (while making amends for this comment), he confessed to a brief gay relationship in college. What we have here is a classic self-loathing closet case.
I made my anger known. The good thing about blunt people is they respect the same quality in others, sometimes. He was appropriately ashamed, apologizing no less than three times before he left. He said he was nervous about making a good impression and trying too hard to be funny. Well, it's difficult to imagine anyone reading a room more disastrously. I'm going to a party hosted by a lesbian couple -- perfect time to break out my homophobic repertoire!
We weren't the only victims of his social awkwardness. He apparently took quite a shine to our neighbor Genevieve, who is cute enough but also married. He told her he hadn't "gotten any" for two years (his wife is terminally ill) and made it clear he was interested in her. She went home shortly after that. I've been subjected to a similar "compliment" once. There's cutting through the bullshit and refusing to play games, and then there's acting like a creepy psychostalker.
( ::Anyway, onto the photos!:: )
Feb 20: Surprise! Replacement iClone shows up. Not new, and just superficially testing functions reminds me how freaking annoying this phone is (now that I'm deeply in love with the Motorola). At least it doesn't have the buzzing noise which was the blessing in disguise that forced me into these events in the first place. I leave negative feedback for the seller, which is highly satisfying despite having nowhere near the space to describe all the problems he's given me. I limit my complaint to the protracted waiting period for the replacement. I get phone boxed up for reselling.
Feb 21: I can't resist peeking in at my comment. Seller has the nerve to claim he didn't receive my return until Feb 10 and what could he do? I was a "hard buyer." If you all turn to page one of your Saga history, you'll see I sent it back Priority Jan 26, and that I still have the email of Jan 29 claiming my replacement was on its way. Selling 101 for ccslickscompany? Honesty is the best policy. If there are problems, explain them to me. I won't be happy, but you know what won't fix the situation? Lying to me. And if you're caught in that lie? Things won't get better if you turn around and call ME a liar. I know all this and I haven't taken one course in business school. I can't leave it alone. I clarify correct shipping date, and accuse the seller of lying repeatedly to cover mistakes. Since eBay doesn't like flame wars, I think I'll get the last word.
Feb 24: I put the iClone up on eBay, hoping ccslickscompany doesn't find a way to sabotage me, and REALLY hoping any prospective buyers don't bother accessing my feedback and notice the Motorola and accessories among my transactions.
Feb 25: At this writing I already have three watchers and one bid, after answering several questions about "how used is used?" and "why should I give you X amount for a used phone when a new one is X amount?" Yep, short of disappearing and refusing a refund, this seller couldn't have screwed me any harder.
~*~
Tery's First Annual Academy Awards™ party was a smashing success. She went all out -- decorations, Oscar™-themed appetizers, door prizes, Pictionary, even "programs" with trivia and games for every category. She was determined to make this the event of the decade.
I helped with cleaning the house. The bird watched us toiling away with excitement, thinking she would be front row and center for the festivities. She didn't realize part of the plan would be wheeling her oversized cage (and her) into the bedroom out of the way to make space for the food table. I compared it to arriving early for a concert and thinking you're in the front row, only to have the ushers appear and make you move back for the VIP ticketholders.
Anyway, my contribution, paltry though it was, wasn't nearly as disappointing as Tery's frienemy, Kristy from the bar, who had promised to bring 2-3 appetizers and a bag of ice. She showed up an hour late, emptyhanded and already drunk/stoned.
Fortunately Tery has a lot of experience not relying on other people and had prepared quite a spread already. When Kristy saw the layout, she exclaimed, "We should totally go into the party planning business together!" Naturally Tery's thought was "We?! You couldn't even remember ice, and you came from A BAR." She and her boyfriend also insisted that we had to attend their wedding in Vegas in April. We were concerned they were serious for a minute, before remembering these people couldn't even get their shit together enough to come get our old couch when we offered it for free.
Boyfriend Gary then told me he had taken an application test for a medical transcription job. The test was really easy, just a matter of correct spelling. He could do my job at night for a few hours while watching cartoons. Part of me was of course insulted by the trivializing of my career, but a larger part was horrified at the idea of him preparing medical records so casually (and I'm sure there would be alcohol involved as well). Likening it to building birdhouses or whatever people do as unskilled work-at-home laborers. Again, I'm sure nothing will come of it; they don't even have a computer, and good luck finding a company that will let you work only whenever the whim takes you.
The other guest of note was Tery's bar friend Tony. Tony and I have a lot in common, movie-wise. Tery has been telling each of us about the other for awhile, this was our first meeting. He presented me with a "swag bag" of goodies, which upon closer inspection proved to be stickers, patches and buttons of comic books, independent bands and movies I couldn't care less about. He explained he was trying to "de-clutter" his house, which simultaneously made me glad none of it was supposed to hold any special meaning for me, while thinking it was kind of tacky to announce "here's a bunch of garbage and I want you to have it."
This was Tony's style -- opinionated, outspoken, brutally honest and somewhat egocentric fanboy. A bit like me, except with Tery's patient guidance I've gained a teeny bit more tact over the years. I didn't mind so much on a one-to-one basis, but then we rejoined the party and he began to rail very loudly and obnoxiously every time Slumdog Millionaire was mentioned (which, if you watched the show, was pretty often). "Fuckity fuck fuck!!!" he'd shout over everyone else, "Are you fucking KIDDING me??" Mind you, he's never seen Slumdog. Being a comic boy, he seemed to think Dark Knight deserved every award. I suggested he wait until he saw the movie before attempting to criticize it.
At its height we had twelve guests here and it went very well thanks to Tery's extensive agenda of games and activities. Eventually everyone trickled out until it was only us, Tony and MyFriendDeb left, determined to see the end "on the off-chance Slumdog DOESN'T win," Deb said. Then Sean Penn won for Milk and Tony started making gagging sounds. He brayed, "He only won because he kissed a guy and managed to make it look like he enjoyed it!"
Some facts: He knows about Tery and me. His first question when Tery invited him to the party was whether there would be any cute gay guys there. Later in the evening (while making amends for this comment), he confessed to a brief gay relationship in college. What we have here is a classic self-loathing closet case.
I made my anger known. The good thing about blunt people is they respect the same quality in others, sometimes. He was appropriately ashamed, apologizing no less than three times before he left. He said he was nervous about making a good impression and trying too hard to be funny. Well, it's difficult to imagine anyone reading a room more disastrously. I'm going to a party hosted by a lesbian couple -- perfect time to break out my homophobic repertoire!
We weren't the only victims of his social awkwardness. He apparently took quite a shine to our neighbor Genevieve, who is cute enough but also married. He told her he hadn't "gotten any" for two years (his wife is terminally ill) and made it clear he was interested in her. She went home shortly after that. I've been subjected to a similar "compliment" once. There's cutting through the bullshit and refusing to play games, and then there's acting like a creepy psychostalker.
( ::Anyway, onto the photos!:: )
