Comcast!

While I should be telling you about my escapades since returning to California a couple of weeks ago, I have chosen to write a rant about my recent experience installing Comcast in my SF place. 

Bear with me, please. 


Topic-->Comcast cable installation. TV and Internet connectivity. 

First, I ordered cable service for internet and TV for my SF place.  At the time, I request a purchase of a cable modem from Comcast to prevent paying $7/mo for a box they never update. I once paid that fee for over five years and when I had a problem, they came out and said, "You need a new box and we'll replace it for free because you rent it."  Let see, 60 months times $7 per month is $420 for a Motorola box that cost under $100 when purchased through Comcast (and a lot less than that from Best Buy or Fry's).  That is not free! So, NOT this time! 

Second, brand spanking new cable modem arrives as promised from Comcast telephone sales person. 

Third, service man arrives and then connects cable modem and declares, "This modem doesn't work. I'll install one of the rentals and when you get the cable modem exchanged, you can bring the rental to the Comcast office."  Huh? 

Fourth, when I ask him to install a cable card into my TV, he responds (after getting a message from his supervisor) that "Those things don't work, I'll give you a regular cable box instead."  Excuse me, I have two of those working just fine in my TiVo's at my other place, so what is the problem? 

Fifth, as I comment that the image looks terrible. "Well you have a HD TV and this is a standard cable box. You probably want a HD cable box."  So I respond, go ahead, install the HD box. "They don't give us those to install, you have to go to the shop to exchange the one I am installing now."  

Sixth, since the cable box is not HD, then lets just plug the coax into the TV and it can get the HD signal from the cable.  Connection made, no image or sound on the TV screen after several channel scans. 

My observations:

If Comcast sold me a broken cable modem, why didn't he simple do an on-site exchange with his working modem and my broken modem instead of making me go exchange the modem? After all, he goes to the shop daily and its far more routine for him to turn in a broken modem than for me to do it. 

Why the BS about cable cards? 

What are they thinking? Who wants a standard def cable box anymore?  They actually do not stock the trucks with HD boxes? And, I have to go get the store and do an exchange?  (Note, as a mid-60 year old, unscrewing the cable connections with arthritis is no picnic but now the wrong box is MY problem.)

So the score is:  Internet connectivity is working.  Trip needed to Comcast to exchange SD cable box with HD cable box.  Exchange needed with on-line sales for broken modem.  Trip needed to Comcast to return rented modem. 

The last straw?  They called, emailed me and texted me multiple times for a Tuesday appointment. I think I got daily texts, emails and telecons starting four days prior to the service call to make sure I would be there.  Never once did they ask if I wanted HD TV service or a cable card type install. 

Never once did they inquire after the service call if everything was done correctly. They did call and ask if the service person was polite (he was extremely polite) and competent (he screwed everything together just perfectly) and clean (he was meticulous in my place) but the NEVER asked if management had done the correct preparations for the service call. NOR did they ask if I was satisfied with the service call, only with the service person's behavior.  When I started to volunteer some of my issues, I got "Here is toll free number to call...." 

The bottom line? I should have listened to my friend Scott Ashkenaz :-(

Summer is Over

Other than the one week the last part of July, my days in California have been far and few between.

Such is the life of the single guy, I guess.

Actually, I said when I retired I had three objectives:

1.  Take care of my health. 

2.  Spend more time with family and friends. 

3.  Simplify my life.  

The report card is:

1. Lost a handful of pounds and more than doubled my daily walking activity from pre-retirement numbers. Need to double it again to reach the 11,000 steps per day target.

2.  See below.

3.  The house is still on the market.  I really don't know why it hasn't sold other than the realtors are hearing that folks really want a flat backyard and my creekside setting is not an attraction. I think we need to retarget the audience and seek creekside setting folks. I know they are out there.  The realtors agree.

As for item #2:

First week of June:  New Brunswick for Daniel and Kamie's wedding.  This gave me a chance to see all of Mary's kids.

2nd week of June: Nova Scotia and Cape Breton to meet the branch of the Lamey's who arrived 50 years before my Minnesota branch. (1798 vs 1848)

3rd week of June: Boston and Cape Cod, biking with Mary's group known as the Farmers.

4rd week of June:  Las Vegas for a week's work, paid by my former employer.

1st week of July:  Denver with my son and daughter-in-law plus my grandkiddies, Danny and Sarah.

2nd week of July:  Minnesota to help my sister with her pre-move.

3rd week of July: More Minnesota.

4th week of July: California--either San Francisco or Los Gatos.

1st week of August: Manhattan to see my daughter.

2nd week of August: Upstate New York to see friends (Ute and Jochen) and then to Minnesota for my sister's move.

3rd week of August: More Minnesota.

4th week of August:  Aunt Peggy died at the age of 89 so I was there for her funeral with that side of my family.  Even more Minnesota.

So now I am back in CA and expect to be here until my return to MN about mid-October.

Nice to be home...

Ciao!

And now it is July?

Since my last posting, I have been in Boston and Cape Cod to visit friends; Las Vegas to do some work; Denver to celebrate the 4th of July with my grand kiddies. And Minnesota to help my sister prepare for her upcoming move.
And, no, my house had not yet sold. To view the listing, click on this link: http://www.californiamoves.com/property/details/2485412/MLS-81219028/14745-Golf-Links-Dr-Los-Gatos-Los-Gatos-Mountains-CA-95032.aspx
The group known as the Farmers, Mary's senior class community experiment group, had a mini-get together on Cape Cod. I joined them to make the 9th person on the trip. We had a great time and did a lot of biking. The cape has a number of railroad right of ways converted to biking paths.




Peter and Diana have the house on the Cape. We stayed there about 6 years ago for a larger Farmers gathering. Well, Peter let me use his old bike that looked suspiciously like a bike I bought in 1971. In fact, I think it was a twin to it. With a borrowed helmet and absolutely no riding gear other than the helmet, I took off and with the group covered over 20 miles each day.




Oh, did I mention the temps were in the 98 to 102 range. Call us nuts! And yes, there was a touch of humidity, like 90%.
The Las Vegas trip was for work. Applied Materials asked me to come back for a week to be the Master of Ceremonies of the annual Engineering and Technology conference. And it was a blast. First of all, being on stage in front of 800 people. And, second, seeing all of my old buddies from Applied. I truly enjoyed it!




Here I am on stage with Kevin James, the magician.
One night was unscheduled, so David (a former coworker) and I took in a Celine Dion show. If you ever get the chance, go see it. Wow! Oh, and it was the only time I was outside during the week, other than to and from the hotel to the airport. Yup, 115 degrees was about right!
While I managed to return to my room at a reasonable hour each night, primarily because I was on stage each morning at 8AM or so, on Thursday night after the close of the conference, the various groups of attendees made sure I did a tour of the bars and entertainment venues in the Hotel Palazzo. And we made good friends with various members of the staff.




No, I do not remember her name.
After Las Vegas, I headed to Denver to visit my grandkiddies and their Parental Units for the 4th of July. Chris and Casey are just such wonderful parents and it is so good to see Danny and Sarah grow up!
The Denver neighborhood association where they live has a wonderful 4th tradition. One of the local fire trucks comes to the elementary school and leads a parade of kids on bikes and walking adults on a five block parade through the neighborhood.




At the head of this column is a fire truck followed by several zillion kids on bikes and then the walking parents.
The parade ends at the elementary school where the fire truck hooks up to the fire hydrant and proceeds to spray the playground with cooling, fresh water. This was especially appreciated this year because the temperatures in Denver were like Cape Cod: 98 to 102 was typical.




You can see the spray of water coming in on the left side of this picture and all the kids and many parents heading for the "cool off" opportunity in the middle of the playground. What fun! Someone asked about the fire fighters not being at the Colorado wildfires. The response was, "Do you expect them to abandon Denver?" Followed by, "These guys are on call, two years ago during the parade, they turned on their lights, did a quick siren blast and then all the firefighters ran and jumped on the truck and 'poof', the neighborhood parade was over."
Danny and Sarah wore their 4th of July colors:




Sarah will be six this October. Danny will be 8 in September.




Upon returning from Denver, I had a theater performance at ACT (www.act-sf.org) on Saturday. It was the "Scottsboro Boys"--an absolutely wonderful performance telling a chilling tale of life in America in the 1930's. I have been going to ACT for almost two decades now. This is the only performance I have attended where there was a nearly unanimous standing ovation for the performance. I've seen standing O's from a third of the audience or maybe half, but never the full audience standing for a performance. If you get a chance to see it anywhere, please be sure to do so.
Oh, and it was so nice sleeping in San Francisco with the window propped open. At midnight I dug out the flannel pajamas. At 2 AM, I put the heavy comforter on the bed. After being unable to sleep in such warm weather in Boston and Denver, it was so nice to let that big Pacific Ocean cooling system provide a solid night's sleep!
I then headed to Minnesota to assist my sister in preparation for her upcoming move. The order (Sisters of St Joseph of Corondolet) in partnership with Presbyterian Homes demolished their previous "retirement center aka Bethany" and have built an open-to-the-general-public retirement village on the property. In the Twin Cities, Presbyterian Homes is very successful running retirement, progressive care and hospice facilities so its a very attractive match.
When the center, known as Corondolet Village (http://carondeletvillage.org/default.aspx) was in planning, my sister did not sign up for a place because she was doing quite well. Since then (3 years ago) she has had just enough medical difficulties to cause her to change her mind. And, a unit opened up from among the nuns' apartments so Maureen is moving in August. She originally thought it would be in November. Ah, the best laid plans. Anyway, I invited myself up to Minnesota to provide labor, encouragement and assistance in her move starting last week. We have packed her office, her kitchen, her TV accessories (Wii and other things she will not need for a while). We've delivered obsolete electronics to the recycle center, made donations to Goodwill and in general have made a lot of progress. But, there is still much to do!
Finally, as we take breaks on the moving project, we've been reading some of my sister's genealogy materials and we've made a discovery!
We have known for some time that my great grandfather spelled his name Leamy (not Lamey). Yet, when my grandfather William Maxwell was baptized, the name was spelled Lamey. In fact, his early children were named Leamy and his later kids were Lamey. Great Grampa never changed his name.
Well we've confirmed that Great Grampa's father moved from Drom, County Tipperary to Derrygarriff, KnockJames in County Claire. Unfortunately, his father was also John so I call them John the Migrator (Tipperary to Claire) and John the Immigrant (Claire to Minnesota). Well, we have learned that John the Migrator's father was Edward. And, given the dates, he was a contemporary of James the Pioneer who landed in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in 1798.
Is Edward Leamy related to James the Pioneer of Cape Breton? It is likely. We have also learned that in the mid-1700s, there were 15 Leamy households in County Tipperary registered in the equivalent of a census.
We also have determined my maternal grandmother was born on Calumet Island in the Ottawa River (not the St. Lawrence as we always thought). She moved to the US as a small child with her family.
Enough for now! Until next time!
Ciao
Pat
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Don't tell me its June!

Where has the time gone?  I just realized I hadn't posted for a month!  Wow! 

OK, in no particular order. 

Leyla is loving her new home.  Three kids, another dog and a great set of parents. The last time I saw here, the look on her face was "Gee, don't I sort of know you from someplace? Maybe, once a long time ago?"  Anyway, she is doing great! 

The Golf Links house is on the market.  You can read all about it by clicking here.  Now, I had no idea what it takes to get a house ready to sell. In my adult life, I have sold the house on Country Road B2 in Roseville MN, the house at 1150 Brooks in Roseville MN, and the house at 2422 Apsis where we lived during the Golf Links remodel.  Needless to say, I was too busy with work to lift a finger for any of those moves.  In divine retribution, I did everything I needed to do to sell this one.  What a job it is!  

The photographer figured this angle to show the house. I was amazed and surprised how he captured the house. 

Interestingly, my parents house in Falcon Heights MN was up for sale this month as well. Really a strange feeling to have "two homes" in my history for sale at the same time.

On June 2nd, Daniel (Mary's youngest) married Kamie in Sainte Anne de Madawaska, New Brunswick Canada.  Where is that? Well, about a four hour drive from any airport: Quebec, Fredricton, Bangor Maine or six hours from St. John or Portland Maine.  In other words, a long trip. Why, you ask? Simple, that is where the bulk of Kamie's family resides and Grandma is key to the family festivities. At 90+, she is no longer able to do long distance travel. 

Here is the happy couple after the ceremony!  

The wedding and reception were fantastic. A real treat.  And, I wish the newlyweds well on their journey together. 

From Sainte Anne, I headed East to St John and Cape Breton. On Cape Breton I meet several "Lamey" relatives.  It turns out the Lamey's of Cape Breton arrived about 1800, roughly 50 years before the Lamey's of Minnesota arrived.  Now the task is to figure out if there is true relationship between the Cape Breton folks and the Minnesota folks.  My sister, Maureen, reported that she discovered an album of Cape Breton fiddle music recorded by William "Bill" Lamey (click here) some year ago. Dad reacted strongly to his late brother's namesake and eventually called Bill Lamey. Well, a few years ago I found Mary Lamey of Boston and she is the daughter of Bill Lamey, the musician!  Mary helped me contact the Cape Breton family folks while I was there. Small world! 

Pat Lamey of Port Hawkesbury, Cape Breton meets Pat Lamey of California by way of Minnesota. Who knew? (Interesting,we both use Patrick for formal and business, and Pat for friends and family). 

And, I am truly enjoying the time at my place in San Francisco.  Cousin Mary Jo and her husband Denny were here in May as I put the house on the market. They stayed in the studio for a few nights and I do believe they really enjoyed it. Once I sell Golf Links and decide on a place in LG, I will be adjusting my life and habits to make it a more regular place to be.  Right now, I am constantly back at Golf Links making sure the house is secure and the brokers have a fine showing each time they bring a potential buyer.   

This was the view from my bed in the apartment as I awoke on Saturday morning this weekend. Ahh, San Francisco Bay! 

Leyla (aka Wiggles) finds a home

This is going to sound like I made it up. I didn't, it is real.

I ran into a fellow cruising the neighborhood while taking Wiggles for a walk. I asked if I could assist him in any way.  He told me he had just purchased one of the homes nearby.  We chatted and he learned that Wiggles was up for adoption. 

"My family arrives Saturday, can I bring them over to see Wiggles? We promised a dog to my daughter when we moved to California."  Sure, no problem.

Well, unbeknownst to Dad (who was in California at his new job while the family was back East), daughter and Mom had decided on a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel the very day I met the Dad.  Two days before flying to California, Mom bought a stuffed toy Cavalier with the white and tan markings--just like Leyla--to confirm the promise of the new dog.

Needless to say, once the daughter and Mom saw Leyla, Leyla had a new home!

We waited a few days until their furniture arrived, and then another day or so until Leyla did her "test sleep over."  Its been 9 days and Leyla is still there.  I think she has settled in. (Mom did have a long talk with the vet about Leyla's overall medical condition and her deafness. Mom was satisfied.)

All I know is that there is a very, very happy 9 year old girl who now has Leyla in her life. And Leyla not only has the girl, she has a family of five with another dog as companion (a lab mix). 

As one of the neighbor's said, "Its a match made in heaven!"

Ciao

p

Leyla is up for adoption

Special
Needs Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

*  * 
*  Born deaf  * 
*  *

Wonderful 5
year old female Blenheim needs a new home.

Not
recommended for very young children.

• My situation is changing and I can no longer keep this wonderful
  little girl. 


• She was born deaf and responds well to hand signals. 


• She lives in Los Gatos. 


• Her medical care has been done at VCA Johnsons since she arrived
  at 1 year old. 




• Like many
  CKCS, she does have medical conditions from time to time.  Any prospective owner needs to be aware.




• Target Date for Adoption of May 1 (or earlier)

Two Years

My flight to Minnesota on the 7th was uneventful.  Dinner with my sister and checked into the Hilton Garden Inn in Minneapolis.  The Hotwire price was outstanding although the daily parking fee was a bit pricey.  

Mary's family plot is on this side of the tree, pictures taken about noon time. 

On Easter Sunday (8th) I went to Resurrection Cemetery.  The Quirks are buried in a section of the cemetery that does not allow monuments or head stones, only foot stones.  

It still seems unreal that she is dead.  

When I walked up to this foot stone, the tears simply started.  The road is a few feet away so I play our favorite music through the car stereo. And I spend time with her.  I was there from about noon until 5PM or so.  So many thoughts, so many feelings, so much to tell her about. 


And such a huge void I must live with.  


Perhaps because she is buried in Minnesota and I have only been able to visit annually, a whole pile of emotions seems to tumble out of me for several weeks prior to the trip, while visiting and after I get home.  This year was particularly hard because the decision to put down Mary's favorite dog had been hanging over me for months and I finally made the decision just prior to the trip.  


Even today is melancholy as I unpack my clothes and do laundry.  We always had a nice meal celebrating our 'being home' and I will never share that with Mary again. 


I really did not want to see family on April 8, in spite of it being Easter and my birthday.  In Mary's honor, I ordered a ticket to see the current production at the Guthrie. Mary took me there the first time, probably in 1965 just two years after it opened. So I went to the Guthrie that evening and enjoyed a play to honor her words to me "embrace life for both of us now". 


Before I left the cemetery, I stopped to see various family plots. 

My Mom, died April 8, 1988. 

I was in California and getting ready for work--in fact I was in the shower--when the call came from Dad that Mom had died. I packed a bag and headed for Minnesota on the next available plane. 

My Aunt Claire married my Dad's brother older brother John. She died on April 8, 2003. 

Aunt Claire was always a special lady in my life. And, in spite of the short time Mary and I were together (1990-2010 the 2nd time around) and living thousands of miles away, Aunt Claire had earned a special spot in Mary's life too. It happened at Uncle Coleman Connolly's funeral, held just three months after we were married in 1996.  Aunt Claire and Mary spent a large portion of the wake on a couch together discussing life and the family.  Mary often mentioned that touching experience. 

Resurrection Cemetery is located on the bluffs above Augusta and Lemay (not Lamey) lakes

My immediate family is buried in this same cemetery.  John and Claire are on the edge of the bluff, Mom and Dad are set back from the bluff not more than 100 feet. And the Connollys (Mom's family) and Quirks are up on the hill on the far side of the property. 

My space awaits here with Mom and Dad.  I didn't realize how my shadow impacts the meaning of this picture. 

It is truly hard to spend time visiting those who have died.  Its very hard when its a grandparent or parent or an Aunt or Uncle who you loved as part of your family.  


But nothing is comparable to visiting the grave of your spouse.  Nothing.  

Time to go. The tree's shadow has shifted from my noon arrival. 

p