Ow!

I tore open the FedEx at the bank to deposit the contents, only to find that the check had no date, no bank address, and the amount of the check was not written out in words (which, I am told, is what banks actually go by, though I have never really tested the assertion). Not surprisingly, the bank refused to accept the check for deposit.

I emailed our tenant in New York, instructing him to wire the funds via a bank transfer, and received a reply along the lines of "I don't know what happened, but I'm on my way to the bank to wire you the funds." I will bet that it's actually too late in the day to have a wire show up today. This is becoming tedious.

I made my way to the bank after dropping off the Infiniti at a reputable local car repair outfit, so they could take a look at the driver's side window. The eventual verdict was that the car required a new regulator that costs $462, with freight, tax, and labor running almost as much again. I stopped by the Ace Hardware store on the way home to pick up a sheet of plexiglas, to keep out the elements while I search the 'net for a used regulator.

Heck, I may as well try to find the service manual for the car, too, to see what it takes to remove the interior door panel.

Cheers...

Death to phone menu systems!

Phone menu systems are making it ever more difficult to deal with companies.

Take Alltel, for example.

Since AT&T has recently acquired Alltel (who, with Verizon, provide cell phone service in our area), I decided to call and find out whether that meant iPhone support would be coming to Pagosa any time soon.

The number listed for the local office is out of service, but then again, the office recently moved from downtown to the west side of town, so I was prepared to cut them some slack. Then I called the main Alltel number. Not surprisingly, it's an automated menu system. I decide to go along with the gag, as long as it gets me where I want to go.

Yes, I want to do this in English.

Yes, I am interested in establishing new service.

No, I am not a current customer.

Whereupon I am asked whether I want to learn about phones that are available or check the status of my order.

Whisky. Tango. Foxtrot.

I press "0" to speak with a human.

The system says I can't do that, and would I please select from among the options offered.

So, I hung up after congratulating the system for blowing a potential sale.

* * *In more positive news, when I stopped by the hardware store the other day to pick up a tomato seedling plant, I was offered a free apple tree. How could I say no?

The poor thing is a bare twig with some scrawny roots, and ought to be planted in high-quality soil, but after digging shallow holes around the property over the past few days and finding nothing but clay or shale, I decided to plant the tree in a large pot with a mixture of potting soil and topsoil, and hope it survives until I can come up with a plan to transplant it somewhere where it will have at least a ghost of a chance to survive.

Apropos of which, the AeroGarden is a jungle; I must prune it. (Yummy!)

Cheers...