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Nick

3G?

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I spent yesterday evening in Philadelphia where I saw Ladytron and The Faint at the Trocadero Theatre. The show was excellent and dinner before at Penang on 10th Street in Chinatown (it was featured on Israel’s Top Chef, apparently) was even better (there was a Buddhist monk dining beside us!)

What’s more interesting is that, while looking up what rambutan fruit was, I decided I’d turn on my iPhone’s 3G. Normally, I leave it off as the Eastern Shore is the land that time forgot. Or so I thought – after arriving back, the little 3G indicator would not go away. A quick look at AT&T’s coverage map shows that the entirety of the Eastern Shore is 3G (where service is available, that is.) How neat!

Where was my memo on this one? “Dear Eastern Shore customers…”

Listen to this: Kingdom of Welcome Addiction by IAMX

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Every once in awhile, Chris Corner sits down and decides he is going to construct a new album for the good boys and girls of the world. Last night, I was lucky enough to stumble upon his latest treat, Kingdom of Welcome Addiction. Of course, it didn’t finish downloading until this morning, so I slept fitfully last night as IAMX songs ran through my head.

The wait was worth it, though. The album is just as demented-carnival as The Alternative and just as twisted-Suburbia as Kiss & Swallow. It’s more, though. “My Secret Friend” brings us a duet with Imogen Heap. “You Can Be Happy” has honest to goodness strings (but a Sneaker Pimps-on-up-standard driving drum beat, too.) And “Think of England” – well, a better first single couldn’t have been chosen.

Music binge, 4/12 edition

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Last night/this morning was one of my music binges, this time to the tune (no pun, I swear) of thirteen albums. You’ve met IAMX’s Kingdom of Welcome Addiction but here are the others I’m listening to:

  • Jigsaw by Lady Sovereign
  • Kingdom of Rust by Doves
  • Fruit by The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
  • Ordinary Riches by Company of Thieves
  • Mesh & Lace by Modern English
  • The Sounds of the Universe by Depeche Mode
  • Micro-phonies by Cabaret Voltaire
  • The Sky’s Gone Out by Bauhaus
  • Blade Runner Soundtrack by Vangelis
  • Closer by Joy Division
  • Dance Mother by Telepathe

Weird.

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A woman’s third arm has been confirmed as actually existing – in her brain. Following a stroke, a woman in Switzerland can see, feel and use an extra arm that she describes as translucent and pale white. Doctors have scanned her brain and report activity that corresponds to an additional limb on the right side of her body. Very strange. If reality is only a consensus on what fits into a box, perhaps this is something that is outside the collective box but well within her private collection of real experiences?

Never order from ProFlowers.com

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In July, I thought I’d be nice and order Kate some flowers from ProFlowers.com, as she’d ordered things for her mom there and they had nice products and a good selection. And then I didn’t really order anything else flower-wise again. However, this morning I discovered that the Visa card I stopped using a month or so ago was carrying a charge from “Easy Saver” for $14.95. I thought that I had perhaps seen these charges before, but always thought it was a gas station or maybe my EZPass charging me and never thought much of it. A closer look showed these charges showing up at a rate of one per month since August 2008 – totaling $135.

A stop on Google later revealed that Easy Saver has been scamming lots of ProFlowers.com customers the same way – and that ProFlowers.com knows about it but still maintains a partnership with this “discount and rewards program.”

I have to say, any company that charges you for something or enrolls you in a service because you had no opportunity to say “no” is completely fraudulent in my book. And any company that knowingly turns over their customer’s credit card information to a company that will only use it to rip off innocent people is even worse.

Never buy from ProFlowers.com. If you have, check your credit card statements for charges from Easy Saver. If you’ve been charged call 1-800-453-2894 and ask that an NTR form be filled out and that your money be refunded. Complain to the BBB about ProFlowers.com and spread the word. This is the worst kind of anti-consumer bullshit and it’s got to stop.

P.S. After I got off the phone with ProFlowers.com, Kate discovered that she, too had been charged since she last ordered flowers for her mom in August.

Goodbye, Zoe

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My family’s pet labrador retriever for the last eleven years was put to sleep yesterday.  How did I find this out?  A soft-spoken phone call from someone at home?  A quick email or Facebook message?  A text?

No – I discovered this when Kate noticed that my brother had changed his Facebook status to include “Zoe” and “:(”

Apparently Zoe, the dog I have known for the last decade and then some, has passed away.  She was quite old and lethargic and I’m sure she was in a lot of pain, so she’s probably much better off now.

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Rest in peace, my fellow bigfoot-sighter.

Happy birthday!

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Foreword:  My mom is rocking 48 today like no one has before (I’m sure.)

Happy birthday, Mom!  Hope you have a great day at Seven Springs with the dance moms.

Nevermind.

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We fucked it up again:  registration for PA was rejected, despite me being told that my tags were “in the mail and should be arriving any day now.”  25 minutes on the phone and two faxes later, I think things are, again, set but I’m not holding out any hope that the dealership has this registration thing right until the actual plates are on my car and the paper slip is in my glovebox.

A familiar tune

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I hear the strains of a song getting louder as yet another mainstream media outlet talks about the idea of a global currency – and a global government.  To quote the editor’s response to a letter on MSNBC:

Unless and until the world had a single government to maintain uniform fiscal and monetary policies, it’s hard to see how any independent body would be granted sufficient powers to make a workable global currency […]

Alright, then.  So when do we start talking more about this idea, “free” media?

What the hell?

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I couldn’t drive my car today, friends.  It was nothing disastrous, just truly annoying.  The registration had expired and my car dealer never bothered to check on the status of my plates. When I asked about them on Monday, he discovered there had been a problem – a problem that no one bothered to look into at all. On Wednesday, he promised he’d overnight me new a temporary registration.

On top of this debacle is the letter I received from VW on Friday stating that my Jetta was never turned in to them and that they’ll continue charging me until it is.

So, here we are today.  One day past the end of my registration and my car is now no longer legally drivable. I’m livid. I was livid, but I spent the entire afternoon talking to the dealer via email and phone and eventually got some actual progress.   The Jetta is returned.  The temp tags are on their way, overnight.  The registration is coming from the PA DMV and should be here (via a stop at home) soon.

But way to go, Winner Audi of Wilmington.  This is such an incredible hassle and I can’t quite understand how this level of fuckery was permissible.  Shouldn’t car dealers really be doing everything RIGHT in order to make customers as happy as possible even after they’ve bought a car?

In any case, thanks to Kate for loaning me Luda for the morning.  I hope she enjoyed the white, German driveway decoration on her day off.