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November 07, 2005

24 - Season 5

Yey yey yey yey yey!!!

4-hour Season Premiere: Sunday, 1/15, 7-9pm CT, and Monday, 1/16, 7-9pm CT.

After which, episode 5 will begin on Mondays at 8pm CT.

Season 5 Preview

Posted by alpha at 05:33 PM | Fun Stuff | Comments (0)

Birthday!

Yes yes, it's my birthday today. :o) Wheeee go me! :o)

I took off work Friday and today for this momentus occasion. Not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. Hee hee. I can get used to hanging out with kitties all day long.

Friday I had lunch with Jo. Hadn't seen her since the reception! Goodness. We went to Celebration, and it was tasty. :o) Had a great time hanging out. We were running a little late though, so we barely missed Marina before she left for lunch. Jo very kindly brought the cake down for me.

Saturday we went over to Chris' for the party. People were all running pretty late. So we hung out awhile before anyone showed up. It was a small party, but was fun. Lots of fun were had, and big pieces of cake were had. :o) It was delicioso. Greg and I stuck around 'til about 5:30 or so...'cuz Paul had come over to watch football games, so we didn't want to ditch him. The rest of the night consisted of football and Sonic. Hee hee.

Sunday we hung out most of the day...then Greg went outside to pick up some leaves from the yard. All of a sudden he yelled for me to come out to see something. These little ones were what we had discovered! Ha ha ha. We had pretty much given up on them when we didn't see anything by mid-October. Then all of a sudden these little ones popped up. We have 5 of them. Someone(thing) had taken a bite out of the outside of one of them, so we cracked it open to see what it was like on the inside. The ripe part was actually quite sweet. :o) Hopefully the other 4 will grow bigger and more ripe before it gets cold (if it ever gets cold). Hee hee.

Today I just hung out with kitties...washed my car and stuff. Tonight we're going to Tokyo One with my family for dinner. Mmmmmmm! :o)

Oh, almost forgot, my sister and Matt had made an offer on a house in Plano! They close in December, which works out well 'cuz the lease at my sister's apartment is up in February. :o) Yey!

Posted by alpha at 04:43 PM | Fun Stuff | Comments (2)

November 01, 2005

Halloween

Hee hee. Our Halloween was pretty interesting. Kids started showing up at about 6:15. At first, it was kinda slow...but kids started coming in droves at around 7:30 or so. We were out of candy by about 8 (we didn't buy all that much). Our most memorable costume was worn by this girl who looked EXACTLY like Kirsten Dunst, dressed up as Aphrodite. It was really weird. Later on, a grandma came by with her grandson (a pirate) and her baby granddaughter (a chili pepper!). They were adorable. :o)

Posted by alpha at 10:23 PM | Fun Stuff | Comments (0)

October 31, 2005

Game

Beware...it's addictive. Don't tell me I didn't warn ya! :o)

Sudoku

Posted by alpha at 01:52 PM | Fun Stuff | Comments (3)

September 28, 2005

Follow Up

To follow up my entry from yesterday, I had my 1-on-1 with my manager this afternoon. She does this before she writes our yearly reviews. I wonder if my VP said anything to her about the whole resume thing...but she definitely hinted that they want to do whatever they can to keep me happy. She basically told me that she wouldn't be able to do her job without me, and that I'm the informal lead for the group. That's kinda cool. Then she said that she's going to try to put in a promotion for me. No promises, but I think it's still a nice gesture. Basically, she said I can get into any projects that I want to do because I had earned it. :o) And I can go find classes that I'd want to take, etc. I'm pretty excited. Things are looking up, whether this is a fallout of the resume incident or not. It's nice to know that you're valued in the company. :o)

Enough about work...we're throwing a BBQ party on Saturday. We had originally planned on going camping, but the receptionist from the campground that we were going to called and said that they wouldn't be able to accommodate us this weekend because they're hosting a bunch of evacuees. :o/ So we just decided to stay home and throw a party instead. Hee hee. Wheeee! Crazy fun times!

Posted by alpha at 06:42 PM | Friends , Fun Stuff , Work | Comments (0)

September 19, 2005

2006 Rendevous

May 20 - 25, 2006
Couples Swept Away
Negril, Jamaica

Anyone in? We'll be there. :o) Hotel early booking sale ends 9/30/05. And AA is having a fare sale...$369 round-trip to Montego Bay from DFW. There are even direct flights now to MBJ. We booked everything through Expedia.

Darcy...FYI...we can't post comments on your blog...! :o)

Posted by alpha at 08:07 AM | Fun Stuff | Comments (1)

August 22, 2005

*Organized*

This past Thursday night we went to III Forks for Restaurant Week with Chris & Christine. It was a good time. :o) The place was a lot louder than I had expected. We could barely hear each other talk. The food was pretty good though...I got the Chateaubriand, which was tasty. It's probably not a place I'd go to if I had to pay full price. :p

On Friday I worked from home to cover Expiration. Fun fun. The kitties were happy that I was home. :o) Slow-cooked beans in our new crock pot. They turned out pretty good for a first try. Had lunch with Abu at Palayok...which was kinda expensive for the food that you get. Anyway, it was a pretty relaxing day, which was nice. We watched the original "Bad News Bears"...it was interesting.

Saturday we did some yard work...fixed the fence gate (it got blown over by one of the storms that we had recently). Kinda just hung out the rest of the day.

Sunday we went to church, then to Chipotle for lunch...and then we went to Central Market and Sam's to see if they have any prime rib that isn't cooked (which they didn't). Afterwards, we went to Crate & Barrel to browse for things to buy with the gift card that Luci & Austin gave us for the wedding. :o) We ended up picking up a wine rack to put all of our alcoholic goodies. :o) It looks real nice, and we now look like alcoholics. Ha ha. :p

Sunday night I had my hockey game...and we played against the Sharks. I won a couple of faceoffs against Sue, which was quite an accomplishment for me since she was the one who had taught me how to take faceoffs. :o) Wheeee! Drew kept saying how well I played last night (he said it was better than last week's game). So that was cool. :o) Hee hee.

This upcoming Thursday I'm going to Lavendou for Restaurant Week with some of my hockey teammates. Should be fun. :o) Then Saturday my family's coming over 'cuz we're throwing my Dad a birthday part (his bday is the 29th). Hee hee. Busy busy!

Posted by alpha at 12:45 PM | Family , Fun Stuff , Hockey | Comments (2)

August 17, 2005

New Fall Season

Okay here's the TV lineup for the Fall season...

Sunday
7pm - The Simpsons (9/11)

Monday
7pm - 7th Heaven (9/19)
8pm - 24 (1/15/06 and 1/16/06 - 4 new episodes)

Tuesday
7pm - Gilmore Girls (9/13)

Wednesday
7pm - One Tree Hill (10/5)
8pm - E-Ring

Thursday
7pm - Joey (9/22)
8pm - Everwood (9/29)
9pm - ER (9/22)

Posted by alpha at 06:35 PM | Fun Stuff | Comments (0)

August 15, 2005

Not 1, but 2

On Friday, Greg and I both took off for the day to run errands in the morning, and then head down to the lakehouse. I had a surprisingly pleasant visit to the social security office to get my name changed on the social security card...it only took 45 minutes, which was way more efficient than I had expected. Then afterwards, I went to the post office to mail off my passport and documentation to change my name on the passport. Fun stuff.

We regrouped and left for the lakehouse at about 11:30 or so. We stopped by Niester's to pick up some sourdough bread (it's great bread...mmmmm), and then went to Hard Eight BBQ in Stephenville to have lunch. It was mightly tasty. :o) We took our time and got to the lakehouse at about 6:30 or so. Marshall & Laura showed up at about 7:30ish...and we all had dinner together. BJ & Christa showed up at about 10:30. It was a full house for the weekend.

Saturday we went up to the Guadaloupe River from the lake on the jet skis. It was a blast. It was a little rainy and windy at the beginning though, and Greg and I got tossed off the jet ski by the waves and wind. :p After much work to hop back on (rather, climb back on), we went on our way. The rest of the day was spent napping, relaxing, and hanging out. John's brother Neal and his girlfriend Sue also came over in the afternoon. We had tons of people at the house for dinner and everything. It was crazy. We called it a day after watching a part of a very unexciting Cowboys preseason game.

Sunday morning Chris came over to the lakehouse with his Dad at around 9:30. Chris helped his parents move down to New Braunfels (about half an hour away from the lake) on Saturday, and we were giving him a ride back home. We took off at about 10:30, and stopped in Lampasas for lunch. It was a relatively quick trip home and was fun. We got home at about 5:30 after dropping off Chris and checking out his new saltwater fish tank.

Sunday night I had my hockey game at 8:45. I think everyone had their game on last night. Each of our 3 lines scored a goal, and Renee and I teamed up and scored our overtime winning goal. It was freakin' awesome. I got 2 assists. :o) We won 4-3 in overtime. Anyway, it was a blast, and we had ice cream afterwards to celebrate. :o) Wheeeeee!

This week...not much planned. We're going to participate in Restaurant Week with Chris & Beta at III Forks on Thursday night. That should be fun. I've always wanted to go to III Forks. :o)

Posted by alpha at 10:51 AM | Family , Friends , Fun Stuff , Hockey | Comments (4)

August 04, 2005

Gone forever be Yellow Fever

Gain one, lose one. We just sold Yellow Fever to this guy. I think he used to ride dirt bikes or something. He said he hadn't ridden in 10 years. Anyway, he came over with his brother and brother's wife/girlfriend (I missed the introductions), handed over a wad of cash, and took it home. :o/ It was sad in a way, really...and Greg did shed a tear after they took Yellow Fever home. Poor thing.

Now he's out playing his new toy...the V-Strom. He's getting it all cleaned up and stuff. :o) We took a ride on it last night. It sure is nice. :o) Had a nice late dinner at Luna de Noche in Plano, where there were lots of loud little kids. :p Hopefully if it doesn't rain tomorrow, we'll ride it to work together. That'd be fun.

Posted by alpha at 07:12 PM | Family , Fun Stuff , Memories | Comments (0)

August 03, 2005

"Suzi"

The Stange family has increased by 1 member...and no, not by a human being. :p We went to the Suzuki dealership last night and acquired Suzi, a 2002 Suzuki V-Strom (DL1000), from its temporary owner. Sure is a big and beautiful piece of machinery. :o) Can't wait to ride it.

Cool thing was that the price of Suzi kept going down. Over the weekend, when we were first checking it out, I remembered a price tag with around $5,800 on it. When Greg called on Monday to have them put it aside for us, the guy said $5,699. Then yesterday, when we finally bought the bike, the invoice said $5,600. I wonder if we should've waited another couple of days...hee hee. :p

This morning I sent the pics to one of my co-workers, Darren, who owns a Harley. We had been talking about and looking at pictures of the V-Strom, since Greg was thinking about getting one. When Darren saw the pics, he emailed back and asked if by chance Greg was at Walmart (the one over by where we live) at about 8 last night. He said that he saw a V-Strom there while he was there, parked a spot away from his truck. He went over and looked at it, since we had been talking about it...he thought it might have been Greg's, but wasn't sure. Turns out it WAS Greg, and Greg remembered parking next to a white truck. Ha ha ha. How funny.

Posted by alpha at 09:39 AM | Family , Fun Stuff , Memories | Comments (0)

July 07, 2005

Life beyond the wedding...

Since it took me so long to finishing updating about the wedding and the Jamaica trip itself, I haven't gotten a chance to talk about life after the wedding. Honestly, it really isn't all that different. :p The major thing is combining finances, I think. But it's working itself out.

We had our reception in Dallas on June 4th, at the Pecan Hollow Golf Course. Of course, as expected, the people setting up the room didn't show up until an hour after they were supposed to...making us late for our set-up. We were rushed quite a bit, but everything turned out okay. The food was great, the company was great, and overall a good time. :o)

Other than that, Greg's been working in the yard a lot. Looks real nice now. :o) We cut down a dead tree that was at the corner of the house...and planted flowers. :o) Purty.

Chris and I went to the AMD/Microsoft Tech Tour a few weeks ago, and came home with lots of goodies. I sold the server bundle that I got to a guy in Florida, and kept the desktop bundle to build a new PC. Most of the parts just came in, so I'll probably begin assembling pretty soon. :p Here are the specs so far...

• AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Processor and retail Heatsink Fan
• ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 Motherboard
• Athena Power Space Shuttle - 500W (P4ATX55FE)
• Kingston KVR400X64C3A/1G 1GB DDR400 PC3200 Memory (x2)
• Western Digital Caviar SE SATA 250GB Hard Drive (WD2500JD)
• Western Digital SE EIDE 250GB Hard Drive (WD2500JB) (x2)
• ATI Radeon X800 XL Graphics Card
• Toshiba SD-R5372 Dual Layer DVD±RW Writer
• Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
• Microsoft Optical Desktop Elite for Bluetooth
• Samsung 930B 19" LCD Monitor

Anyways, should be an adventure trying to put this together and making it work. :p

In other news, Greg's Dad is flying up from San Antonio for the weekend, and we're gonna have a family get together on Saturday. Should be pretty fun. Hee hee. :o)

Posted by alpha at 07:55 AM | Family , Fun Stuff , Nerd , Wedding | Comments (0)

May 10, 2005

iPods are fun!

I've been having fun with my iPod. I now have a MUCH better music selection while I'm at work. Hee hee. :p Over the course of 3 days, I've transferred about 1400 songs from CD into my lil iPod, and I've only used up a little over 5 GB for it. Sure, it's time consuming to convert the CDs into MP3s, but I've been wanting to do that for quite some time (just so I'd have them on my computer to play if I want). Killing 2 birds with 1 stone. :o)

On that note...I really haven't listened to Eve 6's "Horrorscope" in a long time. I must have gotten turned off by them after Jo and I went to their concert and they couldn't sing in tune if their lives depended on it. :p

Posted by alpha at 10:58 AM | Fun Stuff | Comments (0)

May 09, 2005

1 more week!

Oh goodness...I've been so busy that I haven't gotten a chance to write lately. Last week was bad at work, 'cuz my boss decided to pick on every single thing we were doing and insisted that I didn't work enough (even though I work on average 42-43 hours a week)...so it was a pretty miserable week on the workfront.

During my non-work time, I spent most of it ripping my CDs to put on to my iPod. :o) Very time consuming. Hopefully I'll make some headway on it this week 'cuz I'd like to have most of my CDs done by the time we leave for Jamaica.

Last Friday I had my 2nd fitting for the dress. :o) It fits! Ha ha. My parents both came for it, and then we went to have dim sum with my sister. It was a Mother's Day thing. Hee hee. Was fun. Took my parents up to Plano Centre to pay for the reception. The lady was late coming back from lunch, so we didn't have a chance to stop by the golf course. Oh well.

Saturday Greg and I stopped by the bike shop (to fix the tire on Greg's bike) and the scuba shop (so I can get a wetsuit). Yup. Then I left to go to my sister's at 12:30 to have lunch with her, and to do some reception planning. We went to the Galleria to meet up with Luci and Jodie for our make-up training class thing at Stila...only that the lady at Stila didn't bother calling us to tell us that the class was rescheduled to next weekend. Ugh. We ended up just going shopping at the Galleria. It was fun anyways. :o)

We all split for a couple of hours to run errands, and then met at 7 at the Hampton Inn in Addison for my bachelorette party. :o) Austin got us a couple of hotel rooms for the party using his hotel points (thanks Austin!!!). The party consisted of Luci, Jodie, my sis, Beta, and my friend Raechel from high school. We went to Antonio Ristorante in Addison Circle for dinner. Had a great time and some tasty foodness.

After the long dinner, we went to the Londoner for drinks. Jo exercised her assertiveness to get us drinks at the bar, since we were completely ignored by the wait staff. Not a single one of them came by to check on us the whole time we were there. It was pretty amazing. Anyways, after a couple of rounds, we went back to the hotel to hang out some more. Called it a night at about 2:30 or so.

A thunderstorm rolled through sometime that night and woke me up. Then, for some strange reason, I wasn't all that tired...and woke up at about 8. My sister got up at about 9:30 and left to go to church. I slowly got ready...called Greg to say hi, and then went over to wake Luci up. :p Hee hee. We cleaned up the room some, and loaded up the cars to go home. :o)

Greg and I went to Target to do some shopping for the trip. :o) Bought sunblock and stuff like that. Also bought food for dinner Sunday night 'cuz Katie & Tony were coming over (Katie's keeping an eye on the kitties while we're gone). We made fajitas from scratch, which ended up tasting pretty good. :o) Hee hee. Yum! We had a good time. They left at about 8 to go to the hockey game...I didn't end up going 'cuz it was too late and I had to be at work at 6am today. *Grumble*

1 more week until we leave for Jamaica!!!

Posted by alpha at 09:39 AM | Fun Stuff , Wedding , Work | Comments (4)

March 24, 2005

PSP

Holy crap!!! My friend Matt (here at work) picked up his PlayStation Portable (PSP) during lunch today. We plugged it in, and put in "Spiderman 2" (the movie...it came with the bundle). That thing has AWESOME resolution!!!! I'm very impressed.

Posted by alpha at 12:28 PM | Fun Stuff | Comments (0)

February 25, 2005

131

Congratulations, Christine!
Your IQ score is 131

This number is based on a scientific formula that compares how many questions you answered correctly on the Classic IQ Test relative to others.

Your Intellectual Type is Visual Mathematician. This means you are gifted at spotting patterns — both in pictures and in numbers. These talents combined with your overall high intelligence make you good at understanding the big picture, which is why people trust your instincts and turn to you for direction — especially in the workplace. And that's just some of what we know about you from your test results.

Take the Tickle Classic IQ Test

Take the Tickle Super IQ Test

Posted by alpha at 03:07 PM | Fun Stuff | Comments (2)

January 31, 2005

Weekend of Fun!

Wow I had a fun weekend! :o)

Friday night I was really tired, so I vegged in front of the TV and watched a couple of movies. Greg went to play pick-up, and I worked for about half an hour at 1am and earned myself another comp day. :p Wheee! Hee hee.

Saturday morning, I got up leisurely, and packed for Austin. We left at about noon or so, and stopped in Waco for lunch. Got to Austin at around 4ish...went by a couple of the Longhorn stores to see about Rose Bowl merchandise. I found this fleece that I really wanted, but they only had L, XL, and XXL...which is too big for me in men's sizes. Bought a shirt for my sis and a hat for me. :o) I'll have to look for the fleece later. Went and checked into the hotel. It was pretty nice. We called Aunt Martha and went over to hang out with her and Uncle Guy at the Embassy Suites that they and the team are staying at. That was pretty fun. There were a lot of Soul fans that came for the game. :o) We left after about an hour to go back to our hotel to get ready for dinner.

We got all dressed up (sorry forgot to take pics), and went down to the concierge to see if she had any recommendations for nice restaurants in town. She recommended that we go to Carmelo's Ristorante Italiano, and gave us a voucher for a free appetizer. The place was AWESOME! They had a guy playing the accordian to entertain. :o) It was a romantic, candlelit, white-table-cloth type of place. Right when we first sat down, we saw the table next to us get a flambe dessert. It looked sooo cool, and so I decided that I wanna have dessert more so than dinner (plus I was still a little full from lunch). We ordered our appetizer (bruschetta with salmon), got a couple of Caesar salads, and ordered dessert. :o) We didn't end up getting the flambe, but we did have a couple of pieces of pie. I got the Chocolate Derby Truffle (it looked like a chocolate dome...hee hee), and Greg got the Lemon Tort. It was delicious!!! OMG. I was so full of chocolate. We had sooooo much fun. We'll have to go back there again next time and try the main courses! :o) Hee hee.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel to change, etc. Checked back in with Aunt Martha, and found out that Mike had returned from their team walkthrough, and he and Uncle Guy (and one of the other coaches) were at Pappasitos having dinner. So we went over there, but just missed them. We went over to the Embassy Suites, and hung out with them in the lobby for awhile. Then up walks Ron Jaworski. I, of course, didn't recognize him, but Greg did (after a couple of seconds), and had this look of awe on his face. For those of you who don't know, Ron Jaworski was the QB for the Philadephia Eagles in Super Bowl XV. He's now on ESPN, and as it turns out, is the President of the Philadelphia Soul. Anyway, we met him and his wife...they were both extremely nice and he was very funny. :p He said that they were heading out to Jacksonville for the Super Bowl right after the Soul game on Sunday. Hee hee. How cool is that?!

Sunday morning we got up and packed up our stuff...and checked out of the hotel. We walked over to the Frank Erwin Center for the Soul vs. Austin Wranglers game. The Soul fans (and family) basically had an entire section to ourselves right behind the Soul bench. It was awesome. I think Aunt Martha said that she had reserved 148 tickets for the family and the Soul fans. :o) I think that's just incredible. We were sitting 4 rows behind Ron Jaworski and his wife, and other important people in the Soul organization. It was pretty awesome. The Soul beat the Wranglers 66-35. :o)

We drove home right after the game, so I could make it back in time for my hockey game at 7:30. :o) Traffic was surprisingly smooth, in spite of the rain. We got in at about 5:30, rested a little bit, and left for my game. We lost 5-2 to the Hornets, but at least we scored more than 1 goal! Greg said that I was skating really well last night too. :o) He's been trying to get me to glide better so I don't use as much energy skating. I think it's working, 'cuz I was skating really fast, but I wasn't really sweaty or anything (a little winded, but not sweaty). :o) Yey! I had a few really good shots in front of the net, but unfortunately, none made it into the net. Oh well. I'm so close that I can feel it. :o)

Anyways, there's my weekend recap. It was a wonderful weekend. :o) Tired today though 'cuz I'm working 6-3 today and tomorrow. Yuck. Hopefully not much goes on today that I can leave at 2:30. Hee hee.

Posted by alpha at 07:26 AM | Family , Fun Stuff , Hockey , Memories | Comments (7)

January 28, 2005

The Infinite Cat Project

(Thanks Chris!)

Here's an excerpt of the project description, taken from the Infinite Cat Project website...

"It all began innocently enough when a user on an Apple help forum posted a picture of his cat, Frankie, contemplating the beauty of a flower. Shortly afterwards another user posted a picture of his cat bristling at the image of Frankie on the monitor. I decided this was too much fun and advanced the concept as The Infinite Cat Project which is, simply, cats regarding cats regarding cats in an electronic melieu."

Posted by alpha at 09:40 AM | Fun Stuff | Comments (0)

January 18, 2005

I might get published!

I was reading this article on the Dallas Morning News about collection agencies, and about how people need to know their rights when it comes to the agencies' practices. I felt that I ought to share my experience with the author of the article...so I wrote her an email about my ordeal with the stupid collection agency in Richardson that took me 3 months to convince them (with a letter threatening lawsuit) that they had the wrong number for the person that they were looking for. Anyway, the author of that article forwarded my email to the editor of the Sunday Business section, and now they're considering publishing it! We'll see if there's room to get it in, but either way, it's pretty cool!

Here's the email I got from the editor...

"Ieva Augstums forwarded your letter to me. I'm the editor of the Sunday Business section, and we're considering it for publication. May we have your permission to publish it? And if you haven't already included your mailing address and telephone number, please send them along in case we need to contact you.

No pressure, by the way. Thank you for taking the time to write.

Laura Jacobus
Assistant Editor-Business News"

Pretty nifty huh? I thought so. :o)

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Read the Dallas Morning News article here...

Got debt? Collector may call
Don't ignore the problem, experts say

09:21 PM CST on Sunday, January 16, 2005

By IEVA M. AUGSTUMS / The Dallas Morning News

If you don't think you've dealt with a debt collector, you may already have.

That letter in the mail saying you owe money for an overdue DVD rental – chances are it's from a collection agency.

And those dinnertime phone calls you ignore may not just be telemarketers, but creditors instead.

If you use credit cards, have loans or pay utility bills, you have debts. And if you fall behind even by a few days in paying those debts, or if an error is made on your accounts, a debt collector has the right to contact you by mail and phone until they hear from you.

Yes, it's annoying. And yes, it can be time consuming. But creditors and consumer advocates agree you can't ignore it.

"The important thing is to communicate," says Harry Strausser III, president of ACA International – the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals, a Minneapolis-based trade group that represents collection agencies. "Don't avoid the call. Don't avoid the letter. It's in your best interest to find out more about the obligation."

The Federal Trade Commission prohibits professional, third-party collection businesses, agents and attorneys from treating you unfairly. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act also specifically prohibits the use of harassment and false statements by debt collectors. Texas and other states have similar laws.

As a consumer, you have rights under the laws. But so do debt collectors. They know their rights, so it's good for you to know yours. If you believe a debt collector has violated the law, you can contact the state Attorney General's Office or the FTC. But remember, complaining does not erase any legitimate debt you owe.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

So you've been contacted by a debt collector. Now what? First, don't panic. It means someone values your business.

Second, don't get angry. The Federal Trade Commission and the state of Texas restrict the actions of anyone trying to collect money you owe.

The laws cover personal, family and household debts, including money owed for automobiles, medical expenses and credit card charges.

"No one likes to be contacted by the debt collector, but most people have," says Darren Bowie, assistant director of the FTC's division of financial practices. "It's important to know your rights."

Notification

In most cases, a debt collector's first contact is made through the mail.

However, if you first receive a phone call, the debt collector must send you written notification within five working days detailing the amount of debt; the name of the creditor who referred the debt to the collector; and what action to take if you believe you do not owe the money.

Leaving a message on your answering machine doesn't count. The debt collector actually has to speak with the debtor. In some states, such as Texas, a debtor's spouse qualifies.

When debt collectors make the first contact, whether by phone or mail, they are obliged to identify themselves, tell you they are attempting to collect a debt, and explain that any information they obtain will be used for that purpose.

It's usually in your best interest to talk to them. However, if you feel that you have been wrongfully contacted or if your debt is more complicated than just an overdue DVD, you don't have to settle the debt in that initial phone call.

"Be careful. Don't give them all your information right away. You have some time," says Bud Hibbs, a financial counselor and consultant in Fort Worth. "The biggest mistake that customers make is giving access to their money."

Consumers' rights

If you don't agree with the collector, you have 30 days to dispute – in writing – all or part of the debt. The debt collector must then obtain proof of the debt and stop all collection efforts until the verification is mailed to you.

"It's good to have a paper trail," Mr. Hibbs says. "That way you have proof if you need to dispute or report a violation."

You also have the option to request that the collector cease communication with you. At that time, the debt collector may then contact you only once more to advise you if further action – including legal action – will be taken.

Be careful. That request could be more costly than the debt itself, especially if you have to take on attorney and court fees.

And also be aware that if a court enters a judgment against you, the creditor may repossess your property or garnishee your wages.

In Texas, a homestead cannot be taken to pay a debt except for debts incurred for the purchase of the home, for home improvements, for home equity loans or for payment of certain taxes. And wages may only be garnisheed to pay court-ordered child support, back taxes and defaulted student loans.

And what if you file personal bankruptcy?

The debt collectors won't contact you anymore. Instead, they'll deal with your lawyer and the bankruptcy court.

Just because you've chosen to avoid the debt collector doesn't mean action isn't being taken.

For starters, you are still liable for any legitimate debt you owe.

And by the time a debt collector makes contact with you, in many cases your debt has already been reported to the credit bureaus. It can remain on your credit report for seven years from the date of the delinquency on your account.

A low credit score can make it more expensive for you to get a loan or car insurance, and it can make it harder to rent an apartment or get a job.

And once you pay the collector, the notation isn't removed from your credit report. Instead, it will be marked as a paid collection.

"I think more people today are concerned about their credit score," says Harry Strausser III, president of ACA International – the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals, a Minneapolis-based trade group that represents collection agencies. "They may be more willing to pay that debt."

Debt collectors can call you at home between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. They can even call you at work, unless you inform them that your employer prohibits it.

Debt collectors say they are used to getting hung up on.

"That doesn't mean we are going to go away," says Joyce Anderton, a partner at ACH Financial Group, a Kansas-based collections agency. "Perhaps the next time I call them, they will be in a better mood."

When calling, debt collectors cannot misrepresent their identity, and they must use businesslike language. They also cannot make repetitive or excessively frequent phone calls to annoy or harass you.

What they can do is contact people who aren't directly involved in your debt to get information on where you live and work – as long as they don't talk about the debt. But they can only contact each person once, unless they believe the person gave incomplete information.

The only person they are supposed to talk to about the debt is the debtor. In Texas, it is also legal to talk to the debtor's spouse.

More often than not, consumers think debt collectors are out to get them, Ms. Anderton says.

"I think they think we are going to say 'pay it,' no matter what," she says. "We just want to talk to you, find out why you have the debt, and help you figure out how to pay it back."

Playing fair

When you bargain with a debt collector, you're going head-to-head with a tough, professional negotiator. Don't be duped by foolery tactics. The laws say a debt collector must play fair, but that doesn't always happen.

The number of complaints against third-party collectors nationwide more than tripled between 1999 and 2003, and the FTC says the numbers continue to increase.

"We are concerned about the high number of complaints, and we want people to be aware of their rights," says Mr. Bowie of the FTC.

If you believe a debt collector has violated the law, you can contact the state Attorney General's Office or the FTC.

"This is one segment of the industry that is confusing to consumers," says Dwain James, executive director of the American Collectors Association of Texas. "If you don't understand something, we will do our best to help."

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Collector's rights
A debt collector may:

•Contact you by phone only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., unless you give permission to call at other times.

•Insist that only payment in full will be accepted. Most collectors, however, will accept reasonable plans for payment.

•Add charges to what you owe, but only those provided for by law or by your original agreement with the creditor.

A debt collector may not:

•In making contact by mail, make reference to your owing a debt on the outside of the envelope.

•Use unprofessional language.

•Make repetitive or excessive phone calls to annoy or harass you.

•Misrepresent his or her identity.

SOURCE: Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

E-mail iaugstums@dallasnews.com

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Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/bus/personalfinance/stories/011705dnbusperfi.b4345.html

Posted by alpha at 06:04 PM | Fun Stuff | Comments (0)

January 05, 2005

Meet Loopy Wafflebutt!

Okay, I'm not insane...this is just a thing that Katrina (or shall we say Tootie Cootieshorts) sent me. :p

Use the 3rd letter of your first name to determine your new first name:

a = poopsie, b = lumpy, c = buttercup, d = gadget, e = crusty,
f = greasy, g = fluffy, h = cheeseball, i = chim-chim, j = stinky,
k = flunky, l = bootie, m = pinky, n = zippy, o = goober,
p = doofus, q = slimy, r = loopy, s = snotty, t = tootie,
u = dorkey, v = squeezit, w = oprah, x = skipper, y = dinky,
z = zsa-zsa

Use the 2nd letter of your last name to determine the first half of your new last name:

a = apple, b = toilet, c = giggle, d = burger, e = girdle,
f = barf, g = lizard, h = waffle, i = cootie, j = monkey,
k = potty, l = liver, m = banana, n = rhino, o = bubble,
p = hamster, q = toad, r = gizzard, s = pizza, t = gerbil,
u = chicken v = pickle, w = chuckle, x = tofu, y = gorilla,
z = stinker

Use the 4th letter of your last name to determine the second half of your new last name:

a = head, b = mouth, c = face, d = nose, e = tush,
f = breath, g = pants, h = shorts, i = lips, j = honker,
k = butt, l = brain, m = tushie, n = biscuits, o = hiney,
p = chunks, q = toes, r = buns, s = fanny, t = sniffer,
u = sprinkles, v = kisser, w = squirt, x = humperdinck, y = brains,
z = juice

Posted by alpha at 05:39 PM | Fun Stuff | Comments (0)

November 01, 2004

Whew!

I feel like I did a bunch this weekend. :o) Friday night Greg and I went to the Plano/PESH game. The turnout was kinda disappointing. I remember when I was in high school, if there's 1 football game you go to, you'd go to the Plano/PESH game. But less than half of the stadium was filled. It's kinda sad. The game itself was pretty good. When we left, Plano was leading 21-14 with 3 minutes left in the 4th. I later found out that PESH somehow came back and won 31-21. :o( I guess Plano couldn't beat PESH's 8-year winning streak for the Plano/PESH rivalry game...

Also had to work late Friday night. Bleh. Was up way too late...

Slept in on Saturday, then got ready for Chris & Beta's Wedding. Chris gave me photographic duties, so I went up to the church about an hour early to set up and to scope it out. :o) The wedding was beautimus! Chris & Beta were just adorable. :o) I'm sooooo glad that it *finally* happened. Hee hee hee. Anyway, I spent about 4 hours taking pictures (all 235 pictures!), and then came home and spent another 3 hours with post-processing. Got the pictures up on my website. Sent the link to Chris 'cuz I thought he just might be checking his email before he leaves for his honeymoon. :p And sure enough, I was right...he got to look at the pics Saturday night. Hee hee hee. Gooferhead.

Sunday we went to church for our class. We had a panel to interview about marriage. They were pretty cool. Tuesday night we have a meeting with our teachers to go over the results from the test that we took awhile back. Wheeee. Heh heh. :p

Posted by alpha at 07:37 AM | Friends , Fun Stuff , Memories | Comments (0)

September 08, 2004

Me's a updatin' me's a journal

This week has been going by relatively slowly at work. Kinda weird 'cuz it's a really short week for me. But somehow 2 days of work felt more like 4. Tomorrow's the last day this week that I'll be working...then I won't be back until next Wednesday. Yey!!! :o) Not going anywhere special...in fact, I'll prob spend most of it cleaning up the house to make room for Greg's furniture that has been sitting in storage for a year. Hee hee.

Labor Day weekend was good. I worked Saturday morning while Greg went to orchestra rehearsal. Then we left for Austin at about 11:30am. Went to Stubb's BBQ for lunch. It was REALLY tasty. We left the car parked over there and walked over to the football stadium for the game. It was a good 15 or so blocks. :p Walked off the BBQ that we just had. Ha ha. Anyway, the game was fun. Texas won 65-0 vs. UNT.

After the game, we drove down to the lakehouse. Diane & John were up when we got there. But we all turned in soon after 'cuz we were quite tired. Paul had a migraine Sunday morning so he didn't go jet skiing with Greg & John. I slept in and then helped Diane fix lunch for everybody. John's parents and brother came over in the early afternoon. Dr. & Mrs. Nau (John's parents) are so cool. Ha ha. Mrs. Nau is always so nice. :o) Marshall & Laura came over with Dr. & Mrs. Nau 'cuz I think they went shopping together or something beforehand. Anyway, Greg, Marshall, Laura, and Diane went jet skiing...John & Dr. Nau went down to sit by the lake, and Paul and I stuck around the house and talked with Mrs. Nau for awhile until John's brother Neil came over with Erin & her boyfriend Glenn. Then Paul and I went down to the cove and went swimming. Greg drove up in the jet ski just as we got there, and we skipped rocks on the lake for awhile. That was fun. The water was nice. :o)

Sunday night we grilled burgers and sausages for dinner. Greg did most of the work and it was delicious. I think John got jealous and was challenging Greg to a BBQ cookout (I think Greg would kick John's butt...and everyone agrees). Ha ha. Fun times. We watched "Starsky and Hutch" after dinner. Hee hee. Funny movie.

We left Monday morning to come home. As we were leaving, my sister called and asked if I wanted to come shopping at San Marcos with her and my parents. They're such goofballs...they left Dallas at like 6:30 in the morning to come down to go shopping. I kindly passed (I knew they wouldn't come back until late and I have to be at work early the next morning). :p The drive back was somewhat uneventful. It did rain quite a bit though, which made the temperature relatively cool. So it was pretty pleasant. We grilled pork chops for dinner. Paul stayed over again so Greg could bring him to work Tuesday morning. Yep yep. That was how my weekend went. Prob more details than you guys care to know, but oh well. :o)

Anyway, this weekend is fun-filled (laced with cleaning chores). Saturday I'll be going to see "Stomp" with Jodie at the Bass Performance Hall in Ft. Worth. It's my company's outing. :o) We're meeting at 11:30 and heading over there, run around downtown to find something eat, and then show's at 2. After the show, my company had planned a reception thing across the street from the Bass. Depending on how long the show is, we may or may not be able to stay very long at the reception. Greg has his orchestra concert Saturday night at 7 or 7:30...in Mesquite...which is WAY on the other side of town from Ft. Worth. So we'll see how it works out.

Sunday is our first premarital class thing at church. Hopefully it'll be cool. :p Fun stuff. Heh heh.

1 more day left of work this week...

Posted by alpha at 09:36 PM | Family , Friends , Fun Stuff , Work | Comments (0)

August 24, 2004

Everything's a Saga

So, the guy from Journey's called me and left me a message today. They got a pair of the shoes to replace my defective pair. I went up there to pick them up, and it turns out that both of the shoes had the same problem (the hole in the insole). The manager there said that he thought that's how they held the insole to the shoe (???). Anyway, since this was the 3rd defective pair that I got, I went ahead and got something else.

These ones are pretty darn cool, I must say. Not entirely the classic look I was after, but it has an element of trendy in it. :p I got the darker (bark grizzly) color.

Posted by alpha at 07:47 PM | Fun Stuff | Comments (0)

August 13, 2004

Did you know...

...that Nemo made an appearance in Monster's Inc.???

Posted by alpha at 08:40 PM | Fun Stuff | Comments (0)

September 19, 2003

Arrrrrrrr it's Friday!

Happy "Talk Like a Pirate" Day!!! :o)

It's such a nice day outside. Avast me hearty mateys! Perfect temperature in the lower 60s, sunny... Shiver me timbers! I wish I didn't needs be come ta work.

Went ta me parents' ship last night ta ha' dinner 'n' ta show me Dad some stuff ta work on fer the store. I think it's just about ready. I ha' a few more tweaks that I'd like ta do ta it, but the main stuff be done. Eventually I'd like ta change the layout completely so I can get rid o' the osCommerce banner at the bottom. I'm thinkin' that in order ta do that without potentially crashin' the site, be ta ha' a duplicate system set up under a subdomain er something. In fact, I might try that this here mornin' 'n' see how it works out... ARR!

------------------------------
Translation from pirate talk!
------------------------------
It's such a nice day outside. Perfect temperature in the lower 60s, sunny... I wish I didn't have to come to work.

Went to my parents' house last night to have dinner and to show my Dad some stuff to work on for the store. I think it's just about ready. I have a few more tweaks that I'd like to do to it, but the main stuff is done. Eventually I'd like to change the layout completely so I can get rid of the osCommerce banner at the bottom. I'm thinking that in order to do that without potentially crashing the site, is to have a duplicate system set up under a subdomain or something. In fact, I might try that this morning and see how it works out...

You, too, can LJ like a pirate.
--------------------

Arrrrrr!!!

Posted by alpha at 10:07 AM | Family , Fun Stuff | Comments (0)

July 30, 2003

Nametastic

Posted by alpha at 09:16 AM | Fun Stuff | Comments (0)

June 23, 2003

Golf in Its Proper Perspective

The following is forwarded not to offend tennis, basketball, football or soccer fans. It is, rather, an attempt to put everything in its proper perspective.

Ever wonder why golf is growing in popularity and why people who don't even play go to tournaments or watch it on TV? These truisms may shed light.

Golf is an honorable game, with the overwhelming majority of players being honorable people who don't need referees.

Golfers don't have some of their players in jail every week.

Golfers don't scratch their privates on the golf course.

Golfers don't kick dirt on, or throw bottles at, other people.

Professional golfers are compensated in direct proportion to how well they play.

Golfers don't get per diem and two seats on a charter flight when they travel between tournaments.

Golfers don't hold out for more money, or demand new contracts, because of another player's deal.

Professional golfers don't demand that the taxpayers pay for the courses on which they play.

When golfers make a mistake, nobody is there to cover for them or back them up.

The PGA Tour raises more money for charity in one year than the National Football League does in two.

You can watch the best golfers in the world up close, at any tournament, including the majors, all day, every day for $25 or $30. The cost for a seat in the nosebleed section at the Super Bowl will cost around $300 or more.

You can bring a picnic lunch to the tournament golf course, watch the best in the world and not spend a small fortune on food and drink. Try that at one of the taxpayer funded baseball or football stadiums. If you bring a soft drink into a ballpark, they'll give you two options -- get rid of it or leave.

In golf you cannot fail 70% of the time and make $9 million a season, like the best baseball hitters (.300 batting average) do.

Golf doesn't change its rules to attract fans.

Golfers have to adapt to an entirely new playing area each week.

Golfers keep their clothes on while they are being interviewed.

Golf doesn't have free agency.

In their prime, Greg Norman, Arnold Palmer and other stars, would shake your hand and say they were happy to meet you. In his prime Jose Canseco wore T-shirts that read "Leave Me Alone."

You can hear birds chirping on the golf course during a tournament.

Ladies are welcome players.

At a golf tournament, (unlike at taxpayer-funded sports stadiums and arenas) you won't hear a steady stream of four letter words and nasty name calling while you're hoping that no one spills beer on you.

Tiger Woods can hit a golf ball three times as far as Barry Bonds can hit a baseball.

Golf courses don't ruin the neighborhood.

Finally, here's a slice of golf history you might enjoy.

Why do full-length golf courses have 18 holes, and not 20, or 10 or an even dozen? During a discussion among the club's membership board at St. Andrews in 1858, one of the members pointed out that it takes exactly 18 shots to polish off a fifth of Scotch. By limiting himself to only one shot of Scotch per hole, the Scot figured a round of golf was finished when the Scotch ran out. Now you know.

Posted by alpha at 08:17 PM | Fun Stuff , Golf | Comments (0)

June 10, 2003

Wooowheeeee!!!

An excellent weekend in my book! :o) Here's what's up...

Friday I did much of the usual. Packed and went over to Greg's. Went to the driving range. He changed my golf swing, and all of a sudden I was launching my iron shots. Amazing. :o) Ha ha.

Saturday we went to run some errands in the morning and to check the weather for the weekend. Took a gamble (for it not to rain) and went camping at Purtis Creek. Was nice. We got the same campsite as we did the last time. :o) It was actually nice and cool. Had an early dinner and then went down to the fishing pier to watch people fish. Exciting hobby, lemme tell ya. I'm pretty sure that I'll never get into that...oh the horrifying amount of time to sit and wait. I think I have better things to do. Anyway, we saw the same person catch 2 bass within 5 minutes. So that was kinda neat I guess (oh the excitment). We left soon after despite the "ooooh's and aaaaaahh's" that the dude was getting from the other fishermen. Just couldn't take more of that and be bitten by bugs.

Saturday night it did rain a little bit. Nothing major though. Rained again Sunday morning. Mostly just very light rain where you can still walk around in without being too concerned with an umbrella. Must be what it's like to go camping in Seattle. :p We made our usual breakfast burritos and packed up before it started raining again. Caught some nice rain on the way back though. Then it chilled out and we went to the driving range later in the evening. :o)

Today was the exciting part! I went on a ride along with the Plano Police Department. It was SOOOOO fun!!! They assigned me to a rookie officer who is still on her probation period (it ends tomorrow). She was good company. We went and checked out a burglary call first thing...the burglar went in through the back yard (lock your back yard doors please) and broke the glass in the back door and got in. They went straight for the jewelry and documents in the master bedroom. All this happened within the 2.5 hours that the owners' daughter went out to do some shopping. They must have been staking out to see when she was leaving and stuff. Anyway, then we went to talk to some kids who were caught launching spitballs (coulda been rocks too) at passing cars off of Legacy. We took a bathroom break at the fire station, and I got the fireman to take me on a tour of the station. It's actually really cool. They work 24-hr shifts, so the station is actually like a house that they live in...complete with state-of-the-art kitchen and exercise room, etc. :o)

After visiting with the firemen, we stopped by Kohl's to check on a theft call. The store employees had stopped and detained the 17-yr-old guy. He couldn't come up with his home address & phone number (he was staying with a friend), so we took him to jail. That took awhile...the officer had to fill out a bunch of paperwork for that. When we finally got outta there, we went back to our beat and got some gas and had dinner at Boston Market. Then we got a call to check on an abandoned vehicle. Went and drove around for some patrolling. We sat and tried to do some traffic stops on Legacy, but 5 minutes after we got there, we got called on an 911 emergency case. So we turned on the lights and sirens and sped down Custer going about 70mph. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! We didn't really know where we were going, so I was trying to help by checking the map. The PD's new map sucks...the markings on there were tiny and hard to find. Anyway, we caught up with the paramedics going to the call and found the apartment complex. Then the officer handed me the old map that she has for me to find where the building is in the complex. It was cool to be able to help out a little bit. :o) It was a domestic disturbance call where the guy was bipolar (they think) and was bothering his girlfriend and kids. Long story short, the guy wanted to kill himself 'cuz he didn't have a job and wanted a way out of his relationship with his gfriend. He told the officers that he wanted to be arrested so they could put him in a hospital for treatment. Weird huh? At one point he had a brick and was hitting his forehead with it. So we were at the call for awhile, collected a statement from his gfriend, went by the hospital to check on him, and got back to the station a little bit later. :o) All in all it was a fun and exciting ride along. Little did I know all this stuff happened in Plano during the day. Ha! :o)

Posted by alpha at 12:27 AM | Camping , Fun Stuff , Golf | Comments (0)