Norman Smith has studied birds of prey (raptors) for over 30 years, including rehabilitating the injured and successfully fostering over 600 orphaned hawk and owl chicks of various species into adoptive nests. He has held a bird-banding permit for raptor research for over 20 years. His ongoing long-term projects include trapping and banding migrating hawks and owls in the Blue Hills Reservation, banding nestling hawks and owls, and monitoring (and banding) snowy owls and other raptors wintering at Boston's Logan International Airport. He has also traveled to Alaska to study snowy owls in their native tundra habitat, and assisted Nature Science Network with two video tapes produced for the National Audubon Society, Hawks Up Close and Owls Up Close. His research work has been published in the following magazines and journals: National Geographic, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Yankee, Massachusetts Wildlife, Bird Observer, Birding, Sanctuary, Geo, Nature, Grolier Encyclopedia, Owls of the Northern Hemisphere and Owls of the World.
Some verizon. Just put the number with @Vtext.com to send to verizon. I have a prepaid and it goes under @txt.att.net . Work on mine but not on my wifes.
So I take my car into Sam’s club last night, because it’s shaking from side to side when I drive. Because I’m a Sam’s club member I get tire rotation and balancing for free. I get there at 7:05. The tire guy, an Ethiopian, says that they’re closed. I tell him my car’s really bad, and I’d really appreciate it if he could look at it. So he rolls his eyes and says okay. But he has to get someone else to be in the bay with him, because he’s not allowed to be in the garage with my car by himself. So they get some schmoe to come help him. They actually have to LIFT my car onto the blocks. I originally say it’s the passenger front tire. So they get the car up, I go pick up a frozen pizza. When I’m trying to pay for the pizza, I get PAGED! “Mr. Olsen, please return to Tires immediately.” So I go there, and Ethiopian dude says my tire’s fine. I look at the car and he’s got the passenger REAR off. I say dude, it’s the front. He goes “Oh!” and RUNS to the car. Another 15 minutes pass. Schmoe has to go back to work, and so they bring in a girl to babysit. She starts talking about her mad skills, so we start chatting. Guy’s got my tires back on, nothing’s wrong. Ethiopia drives my car out of the shop, and I walk over to the door. Ethiopia suddenly drops to his knees and hugs the driver’s rear passenger tire.
“Deesizproblem” he says. So car goes back up. Mad skills helps him lift the car up. At this point I’m hanging out in the garage, so I say good job to Mad skills. She goes “Would it surprise you to know that I spend half of my time in a wheelchair?”
UmÂ…
No?
Turns out she’s got a fake leg AND SHE TAKES IT OFF to show me! Meanwhile, Ethiopia is running around like a madman trying to find the matching tire, of which there’s supposed to be twenty in stock, but he can’t seem to find any. He finds them, but he’s afraid to ask me if I want one or two, so after about five minutes of hemming and hawing in broken English I say “Look, would it make life easier for you if I bought two tires?” He nods happily. It’s now store closing, 8:30. He RUNS through the tire section back to my car, then walks back slowly. He’s just crushed – the tire treads don’t match. So he calls for a manager, who talks to him for five minutes, and apparently this is Ethiopia’s third week, and he doesn’t know if having different tire treads will be a problem, so the manager starts calling all of the other tire guys who are off that day. Suprisingly, none of them answer. After the fourth one, I turn to Mad Skills, and say “Do you have a phone number for one of these guys?” She whips out her cell, presses speed dial, and two seconds later shouts “What up, playa!?!” and they get the tire tread thing worked out with the guy on the cell. Then Ethiopia starts ringing up the purchase, but it turns out Arkansas (home office) closed his register at 8. It’s now 9. While he’s figuring that out, I tell mad skills to say thanks to the tire guy she called, and give him a little sugar to make it worth his time. “Wouldn’t be the first time, he prefers the leg off, ya know.” Sweet, I needed to know that. SECOND manager has to come open up the register. First three tries to ring my new tires up: $487 dollars. Um, no, not for hundred dollar tires. So finally I have to go to the photo booth to pay for my tires.
So out in the garage we go, Ethiopia gets one on without a problem. Then his wife calls and yells at him because she came to pick him up and he wasnÂ’t waiting outside so she LEFT! He gets the other tire on while Mad skills is trying to get the wife to come back and pick him up. FINALLY, allÂ’s well, I leave, I get home at 9:45. My frozen pizza that I bought at 7:30 is completely thawed and has to go back in the freezer, and I eat vegetable soup for dinner.
I still don't have the heart to go to a big store for auto repairs. It may be cheaper, but I still like the idea of the mom & pop auto shop. I can't completely boycott Wal-Mart & Co., but I just can't trust ANY uberstore to my car.
I kinda wish places like Tires Plus weren't so damn busy. They'd be a quality repair place if they weren't trying to churn out quick fixes so damn fast.
If you go to a dealer for any parts / repairs, keep in mind a lot of them are trying to stay out of bankruptcy - they will gouge you for ANYTHING they can. Trust me, you do NOT need $25 wiper blades or a $15 light bulb.
I have had great luck at Pomp's Tires here in Marquette, and the cool thing is that there is a Pomp's in IGH too! So, after I move, I can get any warranty work done without a hassle. Pomp's is a chain store - but all the stores are in the midwest. So it is not like those nationwide chains whose parents tell them, no it is not time to put the winter stuff out yet...when it is sometimes winter in October here!
Anyway, I agree that most dealerships rip people off. The Subaru dealer here is just the opposite. I will miss them when I move.
When I bartended we used to ask newbies to go into the kitchen and get the can of steam. Newbie would be wandering around, too afraid to ask anybody where the steam can was.
Agreed. I wrote a note through the corporate website about how dedicated, etc. everybody was to helping me and how I appreciated it. I left out the part where the girl asked me if I wanted to be known as "ol' three legs."
We are currently recruiting for a new consumer advisory panel for MillerCoors. The link below will direct you to a sign-up survey for the MillerCoors Panel.
The purpose of this survey is to find out a little about you and see if you qualify for an exciting new consumer research panel that U30 Group is putting together for MillerCoors. As a member of this panel, you will have many opportunities over the next year to participate in a variety of surveys, offering you opportunities to share your opinions, and help MillerCoors better meet the needs of consumers like yourself. The best part? A cash incentive is offered for completing most projects ranging from $5 to $50 per survey!
If you are interested in being a part of a consumer research panel and finally being able to share your opinions and insights, please continue on with this survey! If you are not interested in being a part of our online consumer research panel, please do not complete this survey and we thank you for your time.
Thanks so much and enjoy the survey!
(link deleted)
Laura Bridges
MillerCoors Panel Manager
I don't know how they got my name...but you are going to pay me to drink....hmmm....ok
we had squelch grease in the army. Oh and grid lines.
And I have a story about the new private we sent to get a papsmear test. All the guys had to have them ya know...So we tell him to go tell the Team Cheif that he needed to get his papsmear done today. The TC told him to tell the platoon sergeant.
We figured it would stop there, but nooo...
He sends him to see the 1st Sergeant of the company. We thought we would all get chewed out for that. But nope, he plays along and tells him to see our company commander, who happens to be a field grade major. (because we worked with nukes, most are captains)
We really thought we were in trouble!! Nope, He decides to get the company duty driver to drive him 20 minutes down the road to another kaserne (we were in germany) where the division hospital was. The duty driver just dropped him off not knowing anything. Poor guy came back 2 hours later really pissed. I guess those female nurses found it pretty funny! They finally told him.
Now normally I hate shots... but I hate swallowing pills more... so when Doc said I had strep throat and my choice was one shot in the butt or a pill for the next 10 days.. no brainer..
Woke up today with no sore throat!!!!! but now my ass hurts! :pbpt:
Norman Smith has studied birds of prey (raptors) for over 30 years, including rehabilitating the injured and successfully fostering over 600 orphaned hawk and owl chicks of various species into adoptive nests. He has held a bird-banding permit for raptor research for over 20 years. His ongoing long-term projects include trapping and banding migrating hawks and owls in the Blue Hills Reservation, banding nestling hawks and owls, and monitoring (and banding) snowy owls and other raptors wintering at Boston's Logan International Airport. He has also traveled to Alaska to study snowy owls in their native tundra habitat, and assisted Nature Science Network with two video tapes produced for the National Audubon Society, Hawks Up Close and Owls Up Close. His research work has been published in the following magazines and journals: National Geographic, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Yankee, Massachusetts Wildlife, Bird Observer, Birding, Sanctuary, Geo, Nature, Grolier Encyclopedia, Owls of the Northern Hemisphere and Owls of the World.
at the Benefit dinner for the Nature Center at the International Owl Festival...
thanks for drinking with me too!
much needed.
WE are doing them tonight. Meeting up with my tax lady at her house - I'm really really scared. stay tuned to ONE MORE THING DOWN.
Even better when there is a plan activated to eliminate a huge time sucker.
:sillygrin: :sillygrin: :sillygrin:
oh....your not talking about my internet :wink:
“Deesizproblem” he says. So car goes back up. Mad skills helps him lift the car up. At this point I’m hanging out in the garage, so I say good job to Mad skills. She goes “Would it surprise you to know that I spend half of my time in a wheelchair?”
UmÂ…
No?
Turns out she’s got a fake leg AND SHE TAKES IT OFF to show me! Meanwhile, Ethiopia is running around like a madman trying to find the matching tire, of which there’s supposed to be twenty in stock, but he can’t seem to find any. He finds them, but he’s afraid to ask me if I want one or two, so after about five minutes of hemming and hawing in broken English I say “Look, would it make life easier for you if I bought two tires?” He nods happily. It’s now store closing, 8:30. He RUNS through the tire section back to my car, then walks back slowly. He’s just crushed – the tire treads don’t match. So he calls for a manager, who talks to him for five minutes, and apparently this is Ethiopia’s third week, and he doesn’t know if having different tire treads will be a problem, so the manager starts calling all of the other tire guys who are off that day. Suprisingly, none of them answer. After the fourth one, I turn to Mad Skills, and say “Do you have a phone number for one of these guys?” She whips out her cell, presses speed dial, and two seconds later shouts “What up, playa!?!” and they get the tire tread thing worked out with the guy on the cell. Then Ethiopia starts ringing up the purchase, but it turns out Arkansas (home office) closed his register at 8. It’s now 9. While he’s figuring that out, I tell mad skills to say thanks to the tire guy she called, and give him a little sugar to make it worth his time. “Wouldn’t be the first time, he prefers the leg off, ya know.” Sweet, I needed to know that. SECOND manager has to come open up the register. First three tries to ring my new tires up: $487 dollars. Um, no, not for hundred dollar tires. So finally I have to go to the photo booth to pay for my tires.
So out in the garage we go, Ethiopia gets one on without a problem. Then his wife calls and yells at him because she came to pick him up and he wasnÂ’t waiting outside so she LEFT! He gets the other tire on while Mad skills is trying to get the wife to come back and pick him up. FINALLY, allÂ’s well, I leave, I get home at 9:45. My frozen pizza that I bought at 7:30 is completely thawed and has to go back in the freezer, and I eat vegetable soup for dinner.
I kinda wish places like Tires Plus weren't so damn busy. They'd be a quality repair place if they weren't trying to churn out quick fixes so damn fast.
If you go to a dealer for any parts / repairs, keep in mind a lot of them are trying to stay out of bankruptcy - they will gouge you for ANYTHING they can. Trust me, you do NOT need $25 wiper blades or a $15 light bulb.
:ducking behind terry's earmuffs:
Grats!! :angry:
:wink:
Take a look the sky just before you die. It's the last time you will......... :cool:
Anyway, I agree that most dealerships rip people off. The Subaru dealer here is just the opposite. I will miss them when I move.
We are currently recruiting for a new consumer advisory panel for MillerCoors. The link below will direct you to a sign-up survey for the MillerCoors Panel.
The purpose of this survey is to find out a little about you and see if you qualify for an exciting new consumer research panel that U30 Group is putting together for MillerCoors. As a member of this panel, you will have many opportunities over the next year to participate in a variety of surveys, offering you opportunities to share your opinions, and help MillerCoors better meet the needs of consumers like yourself. The best part? A cash incentive is offered for completing most projects ranging from $5 to $50 per survey!
If you are interested in being a part of a consumer research panel and finally being able to share your opinions and insights, please continue on with this survey! If you are not interested in being a part of our online consumer research panel, please do not complete this survey and we thank you for your time.
Thanks so much and enjoy the survey!
(link deleted)
Laura Bridges
MillerCoors Panel Manager
I don't know how they got my name...but you are going to pay me to drink....hmmm....ok
What insight and wonderfully presented information on animal emotion and behavior.
Animals in Translation
Animals Make us Human
Will be great info for me to have before I get my next dog.
Another book that has really helped me in that regard is Merle's Door by Ted Kerasote.
And I have a story about the new private we sent to get a papsmear test. All the guys had to have them ya know...So we tell him to go tell the Team Cheif that he needed to get his papsmear done today. The TC told him to tell the platoon sergeant.
We figured it would stop there, but nooo...
He sends him to see the 1st Sergeant of the company. We thought we would all get chewed out for that. But nope, he plays along and tells him to see our company commander, who happens to be a field grade major. (because we worked with nukes, most are captains)
We really thought we were in trouble!! Nope, He decides to get the company duty driver to drive him 20 minutes down the road to another kaserne (we were in germany) where the division hospital was. The duty driver just dropped him off not knowing anything. Poor guy came back 2 hours later really pissed. I guess those female nurses found it pretty funny! They finally told him.
He never lived that down...
Now normally I hate shots... but I hate swallowing pills more... so when Doc said I had strep throat and my choice was one shot in the butt or a pill for the next 10 days.. no brainer..
Woke up today with no sore throat!!!!! but now my ass hurts! :pbpt:
Boy, if cluemaster had a nickel for every time that happened to him...
But you didn't have to swallow... :coolfrown:
http://www.cafebonxai.moonfruit.com/#
It has an Asian base, but they also serve American food. Not your usual Asian restaurant.
Inks and I both had their brown sugared grilled salmon for dinner tonight. Done to perfection.