Winter Blows

The last sunset of 2013, Coney Island

We ended 2013 at our favorite beach in NYC, watching the last sunset of the year at Coney Island. We had hoped to make it a whole event, with Irish coffees and noise makers, but it was freaking cold. Like, I'm surprised we didn't die of exposure kind of cold. And, not one restaurant was open to help us with the Irish coffees. Come on!

We still watched the sunset and walked the boardwalk from Coney Island to Brighton Beach but then we jumped on the subway tout suite and celebrated the new year from the warmth of our East Harlem flat.

The last sunset of 2013, Coney Island

After greeting the new year from the steps of Sacre Coeur in Paris and the Spanish Steps in Rome, perhaps you're wondering why we didn't make an effort this year and watch the ball drop in Times Square? Perhaps you're also unaware of the freaking clusterfuck it is down there? First of all, you have to be situated by 3pm. Secondly, the police barricades keep you rooted until after midnight, meaning you can't move from the spot you chose before 3pm for a full 9 hours. And, unless you're in a certain spot, you also can't see the ball drop. Finally, the coup de grâce, there are no public restrooms. Seriously.

In all our travels we've never encountered anything as ridiculous as Times Square on New Year's Eve for crowd control. Times Square is a freaking mess during the best of times, man. I can't imagine what fools actually brave all that bullshit to stand in the cold for nine solid hours. I'd rather be warm and drink copiously with easy access to bladder emptying facilities. God we're getting old. And smart.

President Clinton and Mayor de Blasio

New Year's Day saw us at the Mayor's inauguration celebration. I scored a couple of tickets to the event, which also got us a couple of blankets, some souvenir mugs, and a free lunch, plus the closest I've ever come to a past or present US President. (I may have been closer to a future President Barack Obama in 2008 but he was on the other side of a structure at the Seattle Center so I didn't really get to see him. I heard him though. Magical.) The following weekend, we also got to tour Gracie Mansion, the Mayor's residence, and we both had our picture taken with him. His staff hasn't emailed those out yet but I'm sure they're coming. (Shakes fist in air.)

Atlantic City, NJ

Our first mini-break of the year was to Atlantic City, NJ. We got a killer deal so were able to stay right on the famous Boardwalk, in the Bally's on Park Place. I'm not sure what I expected but reports of the city's death and degradation have been greatly exaggerated. Atlantic City is gorgeous! The casino scene might be a bit like downtown Las Vegas, a bit down and out, but the beach is ahhh-mazing and the boardwalk itself is in great condition! Though we didn't escape the boardwalk area during our short stay, I wouldn't mind going back to explore the rest of the city. Seriously, Atlantic City, where have you been all my life?

East River, NYC Cruise

We wrapped up our January with a lovely 3-hour nighttime cruise around Manhattan. It was a great way to see the city and a lovely experience all around.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas
(I'm a tree, Mike's a cracker)

This year, for the first time since 2008, Mike & I are spending Christmas at home.  Honestly, I'd much prefer our original plan for this Christmas, which was a month long trip from Budapest to Berlin via Vienna and Prague, but that plan was scrapped soon after learning our visas were being revoked back in May.

It is no secret Mike & I like to travel during Christmas.  But, since we're moving back across the pond next week (already?!), we decided to save the money and spend Christmas in London, which is still a holiday of sorts but more like just spending it at home.  We'll still get to look back at this Christmas as the Christmas we spent in London though, which is still pretty cool.

London, however, is perhaps the worst place to celebrate Christmas that I've ever been in my life.  Seriously.  Even Christmas in Taiwan, where they don't really celebrate it, was more Christmasy than London.  Perhaps because the little bits of Christmas we encountered in Taiwan (e.g. bartenders wearing Santa hats) were unexpected, thus making them awesome.  Here, the UK forces Christmas on you, dictating how you should spend it.  All public transportation shuts down because you're supposed to be with family.  But, what if you don't have family, you ask?  People don't ask questions like that here.  What if you have to work, you ask?  No one has to work (yes, they do).  Apparently, the UK, during Christmas, becomes a one-size fits all place and everyone here doesn't need to get anywhere on Christmas, everyone has family, and everyone wants house guests from Christmas Eve through Boxing Day.

A common justification for this Christmas behaviour is that the UK is a Christian country (Queen Elizabeth is also head of the Church of England).  But, we've been to both Paris and Rome during Christmas and were able to buy things and get around just fine (and you really can't get more Christian than Rome).  If this Christmas behaviour has anything to do with religion, it's not due to Christianity because not all Christians are giant assholes.  The Catholics in France and Italy are normal.  It's the Anglicans who are the dicks.

Fortunately, both Mike & I are sick and the weather sucks so we're not terribly irritated that we're not able to do anything today.  However, if we had travelled to the UK for Christmas we'd be super irate.  As it is, we're tucked in on the futon with our mulled wine watching Christmas movies (Elf, It's a Wonderful Life, Bad Santa, A Charlie Brown Christmas).  Mike's making a delicious (and special) meal of roast chicken, gravy, and mashed potatoes and, because there are no pumpkin pies here, we've got apple with brandy cream.

We wish everyone a merry Christmas and we hope you're getting to spend it as you enjoy (rather than as 'The Man' dictates).

Traits To Keep

Upon moving to Seattle in 1999 we almost immediately missed the largeness of everything in Salt Lake - large parking spaces, large Targets, wide freeways - but, as time passed and we became educated in energy consumption and urban sprawl, we realised this was something we no longer desired.  Now, after nearly 13 years of absence, there is not much of Salt Lake culture which we still miss, though it is still home to our favourite takeaways.  Every time we return, our meals consist almost exclusively of Sconecutters, Crown Burger, and Apollo Burger.  Sweet Jesus, we miss those places.

By the time we left Seattle in 2010, I was fed up with the passive aggressive residents and forced winter hibernation and was hard-pressed to say anything positive about my 11 years spent there.  But, after our short time in self-imposed exile in Scotland, I have come to view Seattle in a whole new light and miss our former home immensely (especially Shiku, Joey’s, and Noc Noc).

Still, food cravings aside, most of what we miss can be generally classified as American traits.  For instance, courtesy abounds in the States but is almost entirely lacking in the UK.  The phrase ‘excuse me’ is not used here, nor understood; if needing to be somewhere someone else is, one must wait until they move or pretend they’re not there.  Pushing is not acceptable but nudging or brushing is, holding the door for someone is for suckers, and moving out of someone’s way is unacknowledged because no one asked you to because they don’t do that here.

Especially given my past rants regarding poor customer service (here and here), who knew I could function some place where customer service, poor or otherwise, is almost completely absent?  One can usually rely on decent customer service in the States but here it is not expected and rarely received but often complained about.  The favourite retort to the common complaints regarding customer service here is ‘well, this isn’t the States’.  Apparently, even Britons acknowledge the customer service found in the States is superior.

A favourite phrase here is ‘I can’t be arsed’ meaning one cannot be bothered.  It is often used and a generally accepted excuse for poor performance.  For example, if one is expecting a latte but the barista ‘can’t be arsed’ to steam the milk, one is expected to accept an americano instead.  A real example was a conversation I had last summer in London, in response to a comment I made to someone about moisturising after showering, ‘you moisturise after every shower?  I just can’t be arsed.’  This appears to be the general disposition of most Britons.  We miss being surrounded by people who can be arsed.

As our time abroad continues, we hope to identify traits we’d like to keep, those we'd like to adopt, and some we'd like to shed.  And, as my perspective is not entirely unidirectional, there are definitely aspects of British culture which are superior and which we hope to adopt as well as American traits which we’d enjoy shedding.  I look forward to writing about those traits in the future but today I can’t be arsed.

Council Tax

I got my council tax bill yesterday; £800 for the year (including student discount).  Council tax is one of these cultural differences that I'm having a really hard time with.  For those uninitiated, council tax is a local government charge on all domestic properties. In my head, I've equated council tax with property tax in the States; "it helps to fund local services such as schools, libraries, and refuse collection".  But, the issue I'm having a hard time accepting/understanding is the fact that, as a renter, I'm responsible for any tax at all that is associated with the property.

According to a friend (who owns her flat), everyone pays council tax.  Rather than it being strictly the responsibility of the property owner, renters pay the council tax associated with the flat they're occupying whilst the property owner pays the council tax for wherever they might be living (if in the UK).  If the property is unoccupied, the cost reverts to the property owner but at a 50% discount.  Other discounts can apply, including for single occupants and students.

The mental hurdle I'm encountering is the fact that I'm a renter and, as such, I believe I shouldn't have to pay taxes for a property I don't own.  If I was renting in Seattle, the city would bill me for my personal garbage collection and utilities (including sewage, electricity, and water) but I would not have to pay any tax associated with the property I was occupying or for city maintenance (one of the perks of renting).

An equally maddening issue is what this city does with these funds.  Some of the more egregious offences, as I see them, are as follows:

1. The city owns the waste management services; rather than contracting to a private company, the city owns the trucks and machinery and all waste management staff are city employees. 
2. There is a 'leisure centre' with a swimming pool and water slides (the Brits love their water parks) though the University of Dundee is less than a mile away with a pool of its own (though no slides).  Why are there two pools within a mile of each other, both of which I have to pay to use (if I wanted to, which I don't), and at least one of which I'm paying for with my council taxes?
3. I've just visited the Leisure website for Dundee and am even further offended by Dundee Ice Arena, Indoor Sports Centres, and Lochee Swim Centre (another one?).  Why are my tax dollars paying for an ice arena or indoor sports centre (or additional pool)?

Perhaps if I had purchased property in Dundee these expenses would be reasonable; as a property owner, I would want to invest in my neighbourhood to assist the appreciation of my personal property.  But, as both a renter and a foreigner, I'm having a hard time coming to terms with this concept of forcing the transient populations to invest in a city of which they have no vested interest.  Am I wrong?

As an aside, I had wondered if perhaps this method of collecting taxes was an incentive to purchase property (if the owner isn't responsible for the taxes, perhaps it becomes more financially feasible for some to purchase income properties) but, after speaking with my friend, she doesn't believe that's the case.  In fact, there doesn't appear to be any incentive for home ownership here (i.e. no tax breaks).  Apparently, the only incentive for home ownership is the investment, or perceived investment.  My friend answered, "if you're renting, you're throwing your money away".  Of course, the same argument can be said for home ownership, especially in this housing climate and especially if you don't get an annual tax break.

November

Not much to report for the month of November.  Stateside, our Seattle house should close early next week.  We had to short sell, which wasn't ideal but, with our reduced circumstances, necessary.  Although we'll miss our first house, we're actually thrilled to be rid of it.  We're still going through a period of shedding adult responsibilities and living simply with the goal of no monthly payments and no financial responsibilities.  Of course, we still have council tax, rent, mobiles, and internet, and probably always will, but nothing we can't just walk away from.  We have a bit more Stateside debt to shed before we're where we want to be but soon we'll begin to resemble the financially carefree souls we were in our youth (but, hopefully, a bit wiser).

On this side of the pond, November proved to be relatively quiet.  We didn't do anything for bonfire night (Guy Fawkes Night, 5 Nov) nor the Christmas lighting celebration in the city centre this past Friday.  We did, however, venture out for the NEoN Digital Arts Festival where we enjoyed a PechaKucha night and I got to volunteer as a photographer at the debating event.  We also headed out to explore Blair Atholl and Glen Tilt for our November ramble.

As we were reminded recently, last week was Thanksgiving back in the States.  We haven't started celebrating American holidays over here yet and, consequently, it almost completely went unnoticed.  Celebrating American holidays abroad is perhaps something people do when they have children or a larger ex-pat community or perhaps if they're longing for 'home' but, since we're none of the above, we haven't yet felt the need to export any of those celebrations or traditions.  Besides, Thanksgiving is kind of a bullshit holiday.

Forgetting the bullshit origin stories about the harvest or pilgrims and indians and just looking at what Thanksgiving has become, I get that it provides a chance to give thanks and blah blah blah but doesn't the existence of a day to give thanks allow for the option to not give thanks the rest of the year?  Shouldn't one always be giving thanks?  Like the signs I see on public transportation labelling a few seats as priority for the disabled or pregnant; shouldn't all seats be priority seats?  Shouldn't everyone be empowered to offer their seat to anyone who might need it?  The existence of those signs seemingly absolves those sitting elsewhere of the moral obligation to offer their seat when necessary.  I reject the idea that being nice requires a sign or a holiday.  Just be nice.

If you did celebrate Thanksgiving, however, we hope you had a happy one.  And, if you didn't, we hope you enjoyed your Thursday.

Where's The Heat?

I had expected heat this summer.  I know, I know, London is not known for being hot but, in the years prior to moving here, I swear I remember reading articles about London's heat. Heat related articles usually include the number of heat related deaths (sample headlines include: '18-year-old among dead as heat wave continues', 'Mercury tops 50C, 22 die as US swelters under heatwave') and over the years I've begun using these morbid statistics as a barometer for a good summer, at least weather-wise.  I promise, London has had heat related deaths before, and I'm not crazy for expecting heat, but this year there hasn't been one heat related death that I'm aware of.  Come on!

May was beautiful and really set my expectations for the summer.  Unfortunately, since late May we've been stuck in rain and cold reminiscent of a Seattle spring.  This is unacceptable.  I demand heat and sun!  I have just over a month left before we move back north and if I don't get enough heat to last me another 9 months in Scotland I may start cutting myself.

I Was (Pooh) Framed

I’m not sure if this is the proper forum but, after some thought, I figured this was a cautionary tale and, though very awkward for me, should be shared with others.  Please note, I am very fragile with this subject; I have delicate sensibilities and would prefer never to speak of bodily functions.  Promptly upon posting, I will purge this event from my memory and continue as though it never happened.

My office building has poor plumbing.  There are two stalls in the ladies room; the one on the right being far superior than the one on the left thus, the stall on the right is the favourite.  Unfortunately, the stall on the right is not always available.  This is the situation I found myself in early last week.

As I approach the stall on the left I see paper remaining in the bowl.  Though not a subscriber to the ‘if it’s yellow let it mellow’ mantra, but having lived in a society where it is popular (Seattle), I’m not a stranger to using a toilet with paper remaining in the bowl (though I do throw up a bit in my mouth and am not completely comfortable with the idea; delicate sensibilities).  Upon flushing the toilet though, I immediately notice that the paper was not alone in the bowl.  To my horror, I had just used a ‘still in use’ toilet and I had just been pooh framed.

Of course, due to the inadequate plumbing, my flush doesn’t clear the bowl and now I’m a prisoner in a stall with someone else’s feces.  As my body begins to convulse with uncontrollable dry heaves, I become increasingly angry at my predicament.  I'm at work folks, not camping, not at a service station on the freeway, not in a mall.  One expects a bit of civility while at work.  Clearly, the nefarious cow that left me to clean up her disgusting mess is unaware of this distinction as well as under the misapprehension that she is either 1) a child or 2) The Queen.  

The lesson here is simple, if you're going to drop the kids off at the pool while at work you damn well better stay to make sure they're taken care of.  If you don't have the time then don't do the crime and definitely don't hide your shame, disguising your evil as an eco-friendly gesture.

For those wondering how the story ends, I spend very little time in public restrooms and even less when I know I'm not alone.  A 'still in use' toilet qualifies as 'not alone' so I quickly left the vicinity.  I was angry, disgusted, and traumatized when I left but I was kind enough not to stage the toilet like my predecessor.  The next user will have used the stall knowing its current state or, if someone like me, would not have used it at all.

An Open Letter To Perfume Wearers

Perfume should be like lingerie or a secret tattoo, only noticed by those becoming intimate with you.  Never should someone walk into a room and be able to smell you nor know you're approaching by odour alone.

Perfume is not a room spray and your endeavour should not be to change the scent of your surroundings.  Similarly, perfume is not a deodorant and does not hide body odour nor cigarette smoke, no matter how much you apply.  If you smell that bad you should bathe and if you're concerned about smelling like a smoker you should quit.

Please stop polluting the air with your chosen odour and learn how to apply your bottled scent correctly; moderation is the key.

P.S. This information also applies to cologne wearers.

Bonjour Paris

The day we leave for Paris is the same day Britain experiences record freezing temperatures and all London airports close causing delays throughout the system.  Luckily, the train from Dundee to Edinburgh was still running and Edinburgh airport was still open.  Our flight wasn’t until 5:30PM but we decided to head to the airport early just in case the trains decided to stop running.  We started our journey at 11:45AM. 

We caught the 12:35PM train to Edinburgh and arrived at the airport at 2:30PM.  Our plane still claimed to be on time but all other planes were either showing a delay or were cancelled altogether.  At approximately 5:30PM our plane switches to a 6PM departure time, delaying departure by 30 minutes.  We wind up leaving at 7:30PM, two hours later than planned.  

As an aside, Easyjet had horrible communication throughout this process.  When we got on the plane the pilot apologized for the delay (the only apology received all day, which he did often) and said it was due to delays earlier in the day throwing off the whole day's schedule.  Apparently, Easyjet knew our plane was delayed much earlier than initially communicated and for longer than originally stated but didn’t tell anyone; terrible communication.

We landed at Charles de Gaulle at 10PM but didn’t have a gate assigned.  We were finally able to deplane an hour later, reaching the terminal at 11PM.  By the time we reached the train to Paris, RER B, and purchased our tickets we had just missed the last train due to inclement weather closures.  In our hunt for other options, we missed the last Roissy Bus into Paris.  We were told by the Information desk that the night bus would be coming along in about 15 minutes, at 12:15AM.  We waited until 12:45AM before asking another couple to share a taxi into Paris, splitting the €60 fare.  We finally arrived at our flat around 1:30AM.

This whole adventure would’ve been stressful by itself but we had the added stress of knowing there was a guy waiting at the flat, since approximately 8:30PM, to give us the key and collect the final half of our rent.  He had threatened to leave at least twice, taking our night’s accommodation with him, but Mike had talked him into staying.  Needless to say, he was not happy when we finally met him at almost 2AM.  The check-in process was tense and when he left we were not in the best of spirits.  We tucked in for the night almost immediately and hoped the morning would convince us that Paris didn’t hate us.

Where's The Service?

A few years ago, probably early 2002, we were moving from Everett, WA to Belltown in Seattle. We had made our moving truck rental reservation online, with U-Haul, many months in advance. Desi called U-Haul the day before our move to confirm our rental truck would be ready and available the next morning. She was given confirmation by a gentleman working in the store (rather than the call center).

When we arrived the next morning to pick-up our rental truck we were told they didn't have it, but they had a smaller truck they could give us for $29.99/day and double the miles for free, since we were going to have to make two trips. Please note that on their price board in the store and on their windows (to mark the special) they were advertising the same size truck they were now offering us for $29.99/day as $19.99/day (in fact, there was no evidence of that truck costing $29.99/day anywhere in the store). Desi pointed this out to them. The manager of the store told her that price was only for some trucks of that size and not all of them. Desi asked if they had any of the cheaper trucks on the lot. The manager told her yes, but they were already reserved. She pointed out that her larger truck had been reserved, and confirmed, and that they should give her one of the cheaper, smaller trucks in order to keep her business. They rejected that offer and we walked off the lot without a truck.

The point: U-Haul was willing to screw us, twice, because they didn't care if they lost our business. The result: we have not used U-Haul since and never will. After walking off the U-Haul lot, we called J & R Trucking, a local truck rental purveyor, and they gave us the size truck we wanted for a very reasonable last minute rate and we only had to make one trip. We love J & R Trucking for that reason and, for all our local moving needs, we will only use them.

We tell everyone this story to prevent them from using U-Haul. We hate U-Haul and, to this day, Desi still fights the desire to do something destructive to the U-Haul stores that she sees.

Why are we bringing this up now? Because a similar situation just arose with Ryder. We had made a reservation for a van rental in Tukwila at least a month in advance to move some hardwood floors to Desi's uncle's place near Salem, OR. The day before pick-up Desi received a call from the Ryder store telling us they didn't have our van but a store in Tacoma did and we could go down there to get it. Tukwila is already 10 miles from our home and Tacoma is 30 miles from our home. Desi cancelled the reservation.

Desi used to work for Thrifty Car Rental. And, when a reservation was made for the Salt Lake City Airport location of Thrifty Car Rental but the car for that reservation was located in Provo, UT or Park City, UT they would move the car to the Salt Lake City Airport location because that's where the customer wanted to pick it up. The idea of calling the customer to have them pick it up at another location was never even considered. Because, they knew that if they called the customer with that request they would lose the rental.

The point: where's the service?! In this economy, where's the service? We're not asking them to do anything extreme. If they don't have the van, then don't grant the reservation. Desi was encountering this a lot when originally making the reservation. That's why she had to go all the way to Tukwila before she found what she wanted. But, the day before a reservation, you're going to call and ask us to go 30 miles (60 miles round trip) out of our way to pick up something we reserved over a month in advance? WHERE'S THE SERVICE?! Needless to say, we will no longer be patronizing Ryder with our moving needs.

A larger point would be highlighting the fact that dark economic days in history have usually resulted in companies creating a better experience for their customers. This typically results in better customer service, better products, better return policies, etc. But, in our experience, so far this current economic climate is not resulting in this type of fight for our dollar. Instead, we're being told to go to Tacoma. We're not going to take it anymore and are vowing to spend our dollar only where it is not taken for granted which can manifest itself in simple ways. For example, when grocery shopping, or shopping of any kind, not having to wait in line for the only open cash register would be nice. Or, when reserving a car in Seattle, WA not being called up the day before and asked to travel to Boise, ID to pick it up.

Once Again

Hey, asshole! You cut me off and then slam on your brakes. I flash my brights at you to alert you to my irritation. You DO NOT get to honk at me! I did nothing wrong. YOU DID! I hate Seattle drivers!

Seattle Drivers Suck!

Typically, the guy in the other car is the bad driver. The one that cut you off or the guy driving erratically or too fast for your taste, etc. It's always the other guy. Except when you're the other guy. When you're the other guy you justify that cut off, and you're skilled not erratic and you're not going fast but everyone else is going slow, etc. You're never the bad driver. Well, I'm often the bad driver.

I'm the guy riding too close, going too fast, weaving in and out of traffic. I'm the aggressive driver. And, I'm fully aware of it. And, I'll usually give the other guy some slack when the other guy is being the bad driver. I don't know the situation or emergency or anything, so I don't judge. I just give them plenty of room and let them be. However, there are some things I have no patience for and that's utter and complete lack of respect for the common man or acts of superiority.

For instance, when a dude is going 50 MPH on the freeway (typical min is 45 MPH and max is 55-70 MPH) in the fast lane because he thinks he's going fast enough and no one should be going faster so he's going to block everyone that wants to go faster because this douche bag thinks he knows everything. Perfect example of an act of superiority.

Another example--when some asshole wants to turn right but the right lane is backed up, so he blows down the left lane until his turn comes up and then stops and attempts a right turn from the left lane, both stopping traffic and forcing someone, who waited in line like a good citizen, to let a line jumper in. This is an example of both a lack of respect for the common man as well as an act of superiority because this douche bag thinks he was better than everyone else waiting in line.

Now, I can usually tolerate this type of behaviour on the rare day when I come across it. True, I get inordinately angry, but I don't throw eggs or bang my car into theirs, etc. However, in Seattle I'll witness this type of behaviour multiple times on any given day and my patience has now been exhausted. Yesterday, some asshole is blocking the intersection (sometimes accident, sometimes just pure lack of respect for the common man). I gently honk to let him know the light has changed, just in case he's the former (accidental blockage) versus the latter (asshole), and point to the second lane, which is not blocking the intersection. Douche bag doesn't go with the obligatory "I'm sorry" wave nor the "I'm embarrassed" shrug. Instead, loser goes with the trusty middle finger solute. Seriously!?

But, that's the default in this city. There's no obligatory "I'm sorry" waves or "I'm embarrassed" shrugs. Everything is "You're the Asshole" middle finger solute. Hey, dumb ass! You're the asshole blocking the intersection! You're not allowed to flip anyone off! You get flipped off! Douche Bag!

If this city's bad drivers exhibited any sense of remorse for their bad behaviour, than I may not want to knife any of them in the eye. Instead, I want to knife them all in the eye and egg their cars and slam my truck into their passenger door. Apparently, the guy calling attention to the bad behaviour is the bad guy and, in Seattle, that guy appears to be me. I hate Seattle drivers!

Bumbershoot, Never Again

Yesterday we went to Day 1 of Seattle's 3-day music festival, Bumbershoot, to see Neko Case, Lucinda Williams, and Beck. Two words: Never Again. Bumbershoot has increased their prices each year and this year it was a painful $35 for one day. Perhaps that doesn't sound like a lot to those of you having never attended the event before, but know that a short year or two ago the tickets were only $20, and before that they were only $12. For the increased ticket prices you get an enjoyable day spent in lines and maneuvering through crowds.

But, because there were at least 3 acts that we were excited about, we felt the $35 was a good price and we would just strategize to avoid the crowds as much as possible. However, in addition to being crowded, this year the festival was also poorly planned and designed. It took 20 minutes to get in when bags weren't even being searched and another 20 minutes to get to Neko Case's stage. Luckily, Lucinda Williams was playing on the same stage as Neko Case so we didn't have to do any navigating. Another positive was that free water was available in two different locations at this stage so we could fill up our water bottle at no cost, which was incredibly thoughtful and generous because other festivals typically charge at least $2 for water. But, that was the last good thing about the festival.

After Lucinda Williams and before Joe Bonamassa we wanted to grab a drink. In Seattle, beer and wine are only available in designated "beer gardens." We hit the beer garden a bit past the Joe Bonamassa stage but were surprised to find a line that reminded us of Disneyland and that wasn't moving since the beer garden had hit capacity. We wandered to the garden closest to our preferred stage and saw the same situation. Then we decided to bail on Joe Bonamassa and hit the garden next to the Estelle stage, who we wanted to see after Joe Bonamassa, but saw the same situation as twice previously.

By this time we were both so frustrated by the crowds that we decided to just bail on the entire festival and grab a cheaper drink off-grounds. Since we were still planning on returning for the Beck show that evening, we needed to get our hands stamped in order to re-enter. We quickly got our hands stamped but then found that we had to stand in line in order to exit. When we got to the front of the line we were told that we had to get our tickets stamped in addition to our hands, something the hand stamper didn't mention. So, we had to leave the line, get our tickets stamped, and get back into line.

By this time Desi was on the ledge. She was pushed off the ledge when one of the volunteers shouted to the crowd, "thanks for your patience." Desi turned on her and screamed, "NO patience!" At that point we both knew we would not be returning for the Beck concert. Bumbershoot has only gotten more crowded, more expensive, and less fun over the years. We will not be returning again.

Mom & Dad in Seattle

My parents came to visit me & Mike for a few days before we left for Washington DC. Mike & I took them to the Seattle Cheese Festival, which was a total disaster. Seattle is completely useless regarding crowd control and this festival was showcasing that ineptness. But, M & D seemed to have a pretty good time, so that's all that matters.

Mike & I also took them to a couple of good restaurants. They wanted to hit Salty's on Alki for good food but we took them to Ponti's instead. I find Salty's is nice if you want to impress people with a nice view and mediocre food. Ponti's also has a good view, if you can get seated on the balcony, but the food is always fantastic.

We also took them to the Elysian on Cappy Hill for fish & chips but were disappointed when we found out they no longer offer fish & chips. But, we still had a nice meal and Dad enjoyed the beer sampler.

Best Buy Sucks!

Earlier last year I read an article on msn.com about Home Depot once being a favorite stop for couples but not anymore because they have turned into Time Stealers - where their customer service and store is set-up in a way that steals time from their customers; not very efficient, in other words. Well, Best Buy did that to me and I am no longer a customer of theirs.

Mike & I wanted Guitar Hero III but it was sold out everywhere we went. We decided to purchase it online at BestBuy.com and pick it up at the store (saves us time going from store to store looking for it and no shipping fee). The gift certificate we had didn't cover the entire cost so we put the rest on our debit card. The whole transaction went rather smoothly.

When we get the game home and begin playing it we discover that the guitar in the bundle is broken. It's too late to go to the store to exchange it so we have go to bed without getting to enjoy the genius of GH III.  The next morning we head over to the same Best Buy from the previous day and here's where the anger starts.

Rather than simply exchanging the game for a new one Best Buy does a complete return/refund on the broken game and then a completely new purchase for the new game. During this process I find out that my debit card has been charged the full purchase amount rather than copying the split transaction from the day before, which was clearly represented on the receipt.

Apparently, according to the guy behind the counter, the system in the store is not compatible with the website's system and it is not possible for them to simply duplicate the transaction. Thus, the whole cost is applied to my debit card and the prior amount is credited back to the gift card.  However, the guy behind the counter hadn't been trained to advise his customers of this critical detail because Best Buy apparently doesn't think this type of inconvenience is worth highlighting..

The guy behind the counter said our gift card had been credited with the amount from the original purchase which I had discarded the night before after depleting its value.  When I brought this information to the guy's attention he said that I could call the phone number listed at the top of the receipt and request a new gift card and they would mail me a replacement. Seriously?!

All I had to do was call this number, most likely wait on hold for a long time, perhaps repeat this story several times to different people before a duplicate gift card is mailed to me, most likely taking at least 7-10 business days before I receive it.

Moral: Best Buy does not value the time of its customers.  Best Buy is a Time Stealer.

There were several ways in which this could've been handled better, without making me angry or feeling completely devalued.  For instance, the guy behind the counter could have just given me a new game without processing the exchange in the system; he could have called the number for me; he could have handed me a new gift card right there; he could've told me all of this information prior to the transaction so I could've exchanged the game at Game Stop or Game Spot or Game Crazy or anywhere else where I would not have had this problem.

Instead, Best Buy thought nothing of wasting my time nor inconveniencing me not once but twice and three times if you remember that it was their broken game that I was returning in the first place. I hate Best Buy and will never buy anything from them again. I cannot tolerate businesses that forget about customer satisfaction or customer convenience.. Bastards!