Where’s the peanut butter?!

• Admirer: “Well hey there :)”
• Me: “Is ointment or cream better for a rash?”
• Me (quickly): “oops…nevermind…”
• Admirer: “Haha ointment? Was that to me haha?”
• Admirer: “Haha alright I still think we should hang out”

Where next, Columbus?

Previously

Just ran a quick map and it looks like the standard (summer) ChuckIt hill gains about 140′ and runs about 1/5 of a mile (about a 10-15% grade). Maybe I’ll remember this some day when I’m trying to find other hills to do these workouts on.

US Bank, or at least their home mortgage arm, have got to be one of the most incompetent, customer-hostile companies I’ve had the misfortune of having to deal with. I refinanced my mortgage toward the start of 2009 and apparently they’re picking it up. I knew somebody would be getting it so I paid attention to my mail looking for details so I wouldn’t, you know, lose my house or anything. Here’s an approximate timeline of the last week and a half with them.

1. 2/11 - mail is postmarked telling me that I’m past due on a payment that was due 2/1 and informing me of my next due date.
2. about 2/13 - I get that letter. OK, this doesn’t seem right. I had a clear conversation with my mortgage broker that I would skip my January payment in the refi and I’m pretty sure that I’d never received any mail from US Bank telling me account information or due dates (which I would have verified or contested).
3. I try to call them but realize they’re only open during some hours CST and it’s 2 hours later in Seattle so there’s nothing to do till after the weekend, but I get a billpay transaction set up with my bank to send them the apparent full balance asap.
4. 2/16 - I try to call US Bank’s number from the letter. I wade through call screens and finaaalllllyyyy…….am told they’re too busy to take my call so I should try back later and am hung up on. What - the - fuck. Is this 1999? Have they heard of a queue? Even if the wait is 45 minutes, give me the option. Or how about them newfangled systems where I can request a call-back?
5. 2/16 - I call at least 3 more times and get hung up on every time.
6. 2/17 - I call again and get hung up on again. Now I’m deciding “well, either the payment’s already late or they’re screwed up and I still don’t owe yet so there’s no real sense sweating it…”
7. 2/17 - later that night I get a call from an 800 number that I don’t take and upon listening to the voicemmail, it turns out it’s from their collection agents! I immediately try returning the call and get routed to another call system telling me they’re closed, try back during regular hours, central time. AAAAAARRRGGGHHHHH!!
8. 2/18 - I call and FINALLY get someone. The gist is: yes, their call system is frustrating (I’m told I’m the trird person that guy talked to that day who had issued that comlaint); no, I’m not past due on anything - he didn’t know why the letter said that I was past due; and yes, they got my payment - since it was basically two months payment and paid ahead of the correct due date, it’ll make me paid through the following month (payments slightly above the balance have the difference go to principle, but when you’re way over, it pays off future months’ payments). Great. I’m not a happy customer but whatever, all I need is a payment schedule and account number for my check.
9. 2/23 - I get a letter from their collection vultures. This leaves me debating: do I need to try to call them again so they don’t errantly screw up my credit (which is and should be fine?) or just leave them to eventually figure it out?

Ugh. The really sad story here is what will happen to people who are legitimately struggling to make payments? I’m not late - I don’t even have payments due and their left hand has told their button-man right hand that they have a bill to collect.

From unicode 9731

kool aid man says “oh yeah!”

Update: Now listed on craigslist, Windermere.com, and (with better pictures!) my agent’s site.

chronotron, originally uploaded by Peru Tha Damaja.

I’ve been keeping busy with a ton of busywork over the past couple weeks - in my spare time, I’ve been pwning Chronotron - you should, too.

I talked with my homeowners insurance agent and during the interview he asked a question which wound up leading my to understand the answer to one of life’s persistent questions: what is the difference between a jacuzzi and a hot tub?

• Jacuzzi a bathtub with jets
• Hot tub a large multi-person pool with jets, frequently found outdoors

Thank you.

Grand People’s Study House CD library North Korea, originally uploaded by Eric Lafforgue.

I’ve plugged my favorite photohosting site, flickr, a bunch of times. I think one of its greatest characteristics is the ability to just browse through pictures of any kind of subject imaginable. Just come up with a tag name and look through all photos with that tag and you can get ideas for how you might design a pergola, see pictures of a red panda, see what Red Square looks for an upcoming trip, or find mood pictures like funny or sad.

You can also find some fascinating pictures like those tagged DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, or North Korea) or 2008 Olympics. Really fascinating…

Jupiter, originally uploaded by Peru Tha Damaja.

Boston.com runs a series called The Big Picture where terrific, fairly high resolution photos from something relevant to the news is covered. Today they’re running a series on Views of Jupiter which contains various photos collected of the largest planet in the solar system over the past 30 years. They are all incredible.