Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Open Mics, Bill Collectors & God's Wrath
Joe's open mic on Tuesday's is turning into a pretty cool scene. We had a nice crowd last night, a lot of the same folks, but when Steve Thorpe drops in to show his support, yoou know you're on your way to a successful venture. The one suprise was local band Courderoy Vinyl who stopped in to do some tunes, a couple of them brand new which is always a treat. Actually Willy Grigg showed up as well and did a new song that he wrote this weekend while driving. Writing songs while driving is cool! I guess I added to that theme as I performed the new song "I Wanna Marry a Stupid Woman" for the first time. TSA has heard it, but we haven't played it anywhere yet. Sorry TSA, you're mentioned so much that you don't get a hyperlink. OK, TSA, maybe just this once......
So I got a call from a credit collection service a few minutes ago. It really pisses me off because it's something I cleared up about a year ago, actually it was a misunderstanding, no money was actually owed. Since we get a free credit report in South Dakota now, I had checked my credit a few days ago and nothing was on it, save a credit card bill that I had just sent off the day before. Nothing from this credit company that is now harassing me appeared. So, first I get this computerized call that absolutely mangles my last name (no, not Julius......) which puts me in a surly mood right off. Then the voice says I owe them $70.11. Like I say, this is a misunderstanding, I never owed $70.11. So I call the company. Admittedly, I'm mad and I let the expletives fly. The operator is OK with me, but I belittle her for not being able to pronounce my name correctly. Eventually she just hangs up. Hangs up on me!?!? I call right back, this woman nearly immediately hangs up on me! Now I'm livid! I call back A THIRD TIME and just lay into the operator. Finally, on this third call, the operator tells me that this statement is in dispute. Great, that's all I wanted to hear. We could have avoided a lot of yelling if the first operator had said that instead of hanging up on me. I ask to speak to her supervisor. I expect, I even hope, that I'll be hung up on again. No such luck as "Beverly Smith" (I'm sure it's her real name....) comes on the line. She tries to tell me that my statement is in dispute. Fine lady, your third flunky finally told me that, I want to discuss why I had call 3 times to get someone to tell me that. "Beverly" is toting the company line, she's not offering me anything. OK, this is typical, but I figure I'll just waste as much of her time as possible. That's actually fun with telmarketers if you have the time. In any case, I demanded that the second operator be fired ("what was her name?" "I don't know, she hung up on me before I got a name out of her...."). Ain't gonna happen, but I told Beverly that I'll be getting in touch with her later this week to see what's going on. I'll probably give her a call on Friday.
Read some stuff on the Schiavo case this morning. One blog made the case that the poll taken showing that most americans are in favor removing Terri Schiavo's feeding tube is flawed. Looking at his discussion makes me agree with him. And I almost never agree with this guy, he's a little too far to the right for my tastes, but good insight can come from anywhere. Check out Sibby's take at:
http://sibbyonline.blogs.com/sibbyonline/2005/week12/index.html#a0004055303
Sibby once ripped off one of my cartoons without my permission and posted it on his blog. Don't worry, there won't be a lawsuit, and it's kind of cool that someone pretty far from me politically can find the humor in something I do. On the other hand, Sibby once accused me of "gay bashing" with this cartoon. I guess his insights aren't 100%.
Fair is fair, though. If Sibby can point out the inherent unfairness in an ABC poll, I can point out the inherent unfairness in the quarter frames used by Fox News when reporting on the Schiavo case. A "quarter frame" is the little graphic over the anchor's shoulder when they report on a story. The photo used of Terri Schiavo is that of a vibrant woman before the tragedy that has brought us to this point, a photo that was obviously taken over 14 years ago. Try using a 14 year old photo when reporting on any other story. I think a more accurate photo would be one of a woman who hasn't been out of bed in 14 years, but what do I know, I left the TV business over 3 years ago. I would make this comment on Sibby's blog, but he doesn't allow comments. Draw your own conclusions......
New on Pastor Beaverson's list of people he wishes God would strike dead, the editors of the Rapid City Journal for the editorial they ran in today's paper. OK, Pastor Beaverson isn't a monster, I only heard him say he wanted a judge struck dead by God, I never heard him say he wanted me or the editors of the Journal struck dead, I'm just following his logic to my own conclusions. I admit the possibility that the editors of the Journal and myself could be safe from Pastor Tom's, and by extension, God's wrath.
BOJ
So I got a call from a credit collection service a few minutes ago. It really pisses me off because it's something I cleared up about a year ago, actually it was a misunderstanding, no money was actually owed. Since we get a free credit report in South Dakota now, I had checked my credit a few days ago and nothing was on it, save a credit card bill that I had just sent off the day before. Nothing from this credit company that is now harassing me appeared. So, first I get this computerized call that absolutely mangles my last name (no, not Julius......) which puts me in a surly mood right off. Then the voice says I owe them $70.11. Like I say, this is a misunderstanding, I never owed $70.11. So I call the company. Admittedly, I'm mad and I let the expletives fly. The operator is OK with me, but I belittle her for not being able to pronounce my name correctly. Eventually she just hangs up. Hangs up on me!?!? I call right back, this woman nearly immediately hangs up on me! Now I'm livid! I call back A THIRD TIME and just lay into the operator. Finally, on this third call, the operator tells me that this statement is in dispute. Great, that's all I wanted to hear. We could have avoided a lot of yelling if the first operator had said that instead of hanging up on me. I ask to speak to her supervisor. I expect, I even hope, that I'll be hung up on again. No such luck as "Beverly Smith" (I'm sure it's her real name....) comes on the line. She tries to tell me that my statement is in dispute. Fine lady, your third flunky finally told me that, I want to discuss why I had call 3 times to get someone to tell me that. "Beverly" is toting the company line, she's not offering me anything. OK, this is typical, but I figure I'll just waste as much of her time as possible. That's actually fun with telmarketers if you have the time. In any case, I demanded that the second operator be fired ("what was her name?" "I don't know, she hung up on me before I got a name out of her...."). Ain't gonna happen, but I told Beverly that I'll be getting in touch with her later this week to see what's going on. I'll probably give her a call on Friday.
Read some stuff on the Schiavo case this morning. One blog made the case that the poll taken showing that most americans are in favor removing Terri Schiavo's feeding tube is flawed. Looking at his discussion makes me agree with him. And I almost never agree with this guy, he's a little too far to the right for my tastes, but good insight can come from anywhere. Check out Sibby's take at:
http://sibbyonline.blogs.com/sibbyonline/2005/week12/index.html#a0004055303
Sibby once ripped off one of my cartoons without my permission and posted it on his blog. Don't worry, there won't be a lawsuit, and it's kind of cool that someone pretty far from me politically can find the humor in something I do. On the other hand, Sibby once accused me of "gay bashing" with this cartoon. I guess his insights aren't 100%.
Fair is fair, though. If Sibby can point out the inherent unfairness in an ABC poll, I can point out the inherent unfairness in the quarter frames used by Fox News when reporting on the Schiavo case. A "quarter frame" is the little graphic over the anchor's shoulder when they report on a story. The photo used of Terri Schiavo is that of a vibrant woman before the tragedy that has brought us to this point, a photo that was obviously taken over 14 years ago. Try using a 14 year old photo when reporting on any other story. I think a more accurate photo would be one of a woman who hasn't been out of bed in 14 years, but what do I know, I left the TV business over 3 years ago. I would make this comment on Sibby's blog, but he doesn't allow comments. Draw your own conclusions......
New on Pastor Beaverson's list of people he wishes God would strike dead, the editors of the Rapid City Journal for the editorial they ran in today's paper. OK, Pastor Beaverson isn't a monster, I only heard him say he wanted a judge struck dead by God, I never heard him say he wanted me or the editors of the Journal struck dead, I'm just following his logic to my own conclusions. I admit the possibility that the editors of the Journal and myself could be safe from Pastor Tom's, and by extension, God's wrath.
BOJ
# posted by Blind Orange Julius @ 9:54 AM 
