Happy GW Bush Day... er... I mean Turkey Day

Looks like George Bush finally did something right.

He pardoned some turkeys.

Almost immediately afterward, his approval rating skyrocketed from 31% to 32%.

Happy Turkey Day Y'all!

All I Want for Christmas...

So I've been thinking. I should probably start my Christmas shopping early. I spent some time online today and have started my list. Boy will everyone be surprised.

Kelly - The Pickle of the Month Club. Includes one jar (and on occasion, two smaller jars) each month (usually a total of 16 - 32 ounces). Varieties include dill, sweet, bread and butter, sour, spicy, etc. so each month will be a new and unique experience. She's gonna be so stoked.






Jeff - The Fat Girl Krispy Creme Calendar. He'll never miss another birthday with this beauty. Click on the picture to get a preview.

















Kirk & Manley - A matching pair of nifty roller blades. Sleek and stylish. You can really catch some serious air with these babies. Especially since they're strapped to your feet. Just wait until you hit the skate park roller-coordinated. DAMN! So hot.









Turkey - Because you are sooo into sci-fi, I got you the entire Star Wars saga on DVD as well as an autographed photo of the cast of Stargate SG1. "Indeed."











Wendy - A Wii system. Cause she can't get enough TV or video games.









Smoochies - I got you a lifetime supply of celery and ham.









Steve - I know how you always like to keep your feet protected so I got you some steel toed combat boots to wear around LA. Back up ladies! He's taken!













Dom - You are getting an authentic Irish wool sweater. Boy will that feel good on your bare body during the cold winter months to come. Now that I think about it, I think I'll pick one up for Smoochies too.










Seth - Since you like animals so much, I thought I'd get you a rooster. Not only will they ensure your early rise, but they're edible too.








JenniB - You're getting a Wilma Deering -inspired spandex cat suit. I also picked up a "his" and "hers" towel set at Kmart that I thought you'd like.









Well, like I said, I just started shopping so I have lots of gifts to get. Let me know if I missed anyone and what I should get them. Remember, it's better to give than to receive.

The Show of the Century!

I just got this email from my good friend Dom. His band The University is reuniting for a show this weekend at Rex's (which coincidently is shutting its doors). They are also playing with Beeps' band Missing Palmer West. Thought I'd share it with you:

Wow --- YOU'RE ON A MASS EMAIL FROM DOMINIC.***

If you don't go to REX'S this SATURDAY (11/17/07), you're going to really hate yourself when you wake on SUNDAY MORNING.

The UNIVERSITY will take the stage for the first time in YEARS, and they'll be joined by MISSING PALMER WEST. In between the bands, the OWN UP TIME DJs will be SPINNING hot 60s SOUL & GARAGE records. Dig?

IT'S ALL HAPPENING AT REX'S, you understand, BECAUSE THE BAR IS CLOSING soon, and you won't see THE UNIVERSITY at REX'S ever AGAIN after this coming SATURDAY NIGHT.

Saturday, November 17th, 10PM SHARP. OWN UP TIME DJs...MISSING PALMER WEST...THE UNIVERSITY.

***To UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS MASS EMAIL, and AVOID IMPERSONAL MESSAGES in the FUTURE, just go to REX'S on SATURDAY, and BUY DOMINIC A GLASS OF BEER.

Now you too should be inspired to attend this once in a lifetime event. See you there! JDiz

I'm Supergirl!

Do you like to fly? Do you enjoy space travel? Do you wear a cape? Then find out what superhero you would be. Take the quiz and then let us know who you are!

Supergirl		85%
Green Lantern		75%
Iron Man		75%
Spider-Man		60%
Robin		60%
Superman		60%
Wonder Woman		55%
The Flash		55%
Catwoman		50%
Hulk		45%
Batman		25%

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

Toy Piano

Beeps turned 35 last month and to commemorate this milestone in aging, I decided to get him a baby piano. He already has several big boy pianos; a baby grand, a couple key boards, a Rhodes, etc. So I thought this would be a fun little addition to the collection. So almost 3 weeks before his birthday I did some online research and found that a company named Schoenhut® made probably the best toy pianos in the world. The problem was that you had to order from a retailer and not directly from the company itself. No problem. So I searched around the web.

The model I wanted came in both white and red. The red one was FLY! I really wanted to get red. But as I searched I found that the red model was on back order at most retailers. But I managed to find one dealer on Amazon that claimed to have a red one. So I ordered it. Only to be contacted a few days later by them telling me that their post was a mistake and they only had the white piano. So I canceled my order with them and continued my search. I sent several emails to them inquiring about my refund, asking for proof etc. No response.

I finally found a company called Harmony Online that claimed to have a red piano. So I ordered it and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

About a week later I called the company to see where the piano was. "So sorry" they said, "The red one is on back order." Okay, I'm a little pissed, and now a week closer to Beeps' birthday and getting desperate. "Okay I said, I'll take the white one instead." I hang up and then get an email confirmation of the change from red to white.

A week passes and no tracking number and no piano. I call them and they check their records. "So sorry but the piano has not been sent. We order them from the manufacturer and they have not mailed it yet. We will expedite your order."

"Fine." I say, "I just need it by the 27th for a party."
"You will have it by Monday." They say.

Monday comes and goes, and no piano and no tracking number. Now I'm pissed. I call the company. My call goes right to voice mail. I send an email, no reply. Now I'm livid!!!

The next day I call again (at strategic times during the day and from different phones just in case they have caller ID and are avoiding my call). I FINALLY get a rep on the phone: Maryanne. I've spoken to her before and she is very nice. One of those people that seems genuine and concerned on the phone. It was hard to be mad at her.

Again, she says "sorry" but their computer system is down and that she will call me later to let me know what is going on with my order. (I'm not kidding!!) She calls later to tell me that it still hasn't been shipped but that it will go out "expedited (3-day)" and I will have it by Friday (Mind you Beeps' birthday is on Saturday!)

Friday comes and goes, and no piano. Saturday I'm beside myself with grief and call Harmony Online. Now their voice mail is full and I can't even leave a message!!!! I call and call and finally get Crystal on the phone. She tells me that she "Doesn't deal with the vendors" and that I'll have to talk to Maryanne on Monday. I give her a piece of my mind and she plays dumb. I hate her.

I hang up in tears.

Beeps is very nice about the whole thing and says sweet things like "It's okay, I don't need a gift. I'm sure it will work out." But inside I'm embarrassed and humiliated.

Monday rolls around and I call, first thing in the morning, to speak with Maryanne and guess what, voice mail. Now I think I'm getting ripped off. I head home for lunch thinking MAYBE it arrived. No dice.

But what did arrive is my credit card statement. And guess what? Not only did I get charged by Harmony Online, but also by the FIRST guy I ordered the piano from and then canceled. UGGG!!!

I come back to the office and immediately inquire with Amazon about how I can get my money back from the first guy. They tell me to email him and if he doesn't respond w/in 3 days, to file a complaint. Fine. I send the email.

Now back to Harmony Online. I call again and get no one. Instead of shedding more tears I decide to take matters into my own hands. At this point I still don't have a tracking number (although I have been asking for it this whole time) so I decide to send an email directly to Schoenhut® to find out if they have my order on file. I also say in my email that I think I'm getting ripped off by one of their dealers. Almost immediately I get a call from their president and CEO. She was awesome. She told me she was upset and concerned by my email and that this isn't the way they run their business and that she will contact the dealer herself and get back to me.

SCORE!!!

The next day I get an email from both Harmony Online and Schoenhut’s® CEO apologizing for the mix up. "Great!" I think. Justice, finally!

I check my email. Amazon has refunded my money but attached to the email is a message from the original vendor. Here's what it said:

Memo from seller: Never received any e-mail from you. I contacted you through Amazon the day after purchase offering u choice of waiting for stock, a white one instead of red, or a refund. You never responded until you decided to rudely blast me w/o giving me a chance.

WTF????? Are you kidding me? I sent 4 emails to this guy and he never once responded to me! Now I'm the bad guy?? I respond again to him, this time attaching all 4 of the emails I previously sent.

This is getting ridiculous. But at least my gift is on its way.

The tracking number is FINALLY emailed to me. I check it online to make sure it's real. And guess what? After all this mess, they ship it GROUND!!!! I shit you not. GROUND!

The piano finally arrives on November 7th. A week and a 1/2 after Beeps' birthday and 1 month after I ordered it. Luckily Beeps LOVES it and he plans on recording with it and incorporating it into their shows. Plus he was a real sport about the whole thing, telling me he was okay with getting a late gift and whatnot.

So if you are ever at a MPW show and see the little white piano, you now know the back story. And please, be sure to come up to me and Beeps and tell us it was all worth it.

Golden Comet Holmes

This past Saturday Beeps and I were at a really fun bonfire out in Unionville. Unionville is just far enough from West Chester to see a clear starry night. So of course, like the star geek I am, I took my binoculars.

At one point I left the bonfire and walked into the yard to look at the stars. I was facing northeast and noticed a blurry round shape in the constellation Perseus. I looked and thought it was a galaxy I had never seen before. It was bright and perfectly round. I called several people over and we all looked. It was fun to share the experience with a group of people. Some who had never looked at the night sky with binoculars.

Enlarge this picture to find it in the night sky:


The next day, still puzzled, I referenced several books I had to see what the heck it might be. But alas, there was no reference to a galaxy in that constellation. The next day my Dad left me a voice mail about "a comet in the northeast." Today I Googled "November comet" and eureka! The Golden Comet Holmes is our newest galactic visitor.


Here's what NASA has to say about it: Surprising Comet Holmes remains easily visible as a round, fuzzy cloud in the northern constellation Perseus. Skywatchers with telescopes, binoculars, or those that just decide to look up can enjoy the solar system's latest prodigy as it glides about 150 million kilometers from Earth, beyond the orbit of Mars. Still expanding, Holmes now appears to be about 1/3 the size of the Full Moon, and many observers report a yellowish tint to the dusty coma. A golden color does dominate this telescopic view recorded on November 1, showing variations across the coma's bright central region. But where's the comet's tail? Like any good comet, Holmes' tail would tend to point away from the Sun. That direction is nearly along our line-of-sight behind the comet, making its tail very difficult to see.


So if you have a chance, head outside on a clear night and look to the northeast right under the constellation Cassiopeia (the big W on its side) and you'll see a round fuzzy blob.

Good hunting!

Please Explain

So it looks like 100 + Osmonds are flying on one plane to the Oprah show. I wonder what would happen if it crashed?



And why do people care? I mean, I like the Osmonds. I think. Especially when Donnie sang in Mulan.

But why the big deal over the death of the Dad? And who cares if they're proficient breeders? Please explain?

Wednesday Cuteness

I've got no clever post to make today. So here are a couple cute pictures of Leia Darth Maul in a pile of leaves. Happy Fall!

CURSES!

CURSES! Is a new segment here at Hometown Hangover. This is where I get to place a curse on someone who has wronged me. This curse goes out to the a-hole that used a telephone book to break my passenger side car mirror.

Dear Mirror-breaker guy:
Oh, how your anger boils over
Oh, how your mind is bare
I curse your evil bones,
your skin, your eyes, your hair.

May you never afford your dream car
May your current car break down.
May your rear view mirror fool you
When you ride about in town.

May the cops pull you over,
and search your car to find,
That weed you never purchased,
But your friend has left behind.

May you spend some time in jail,
and think deeply about your crimes.
There the cell will fill,
With a group of annoying mimes.

When you try to call a lawyer,
I hope the phone book makes you linger,
The paper pages slicing quickly,
Through every effing finger.

And when you get out,
May my revenge fill you with fear.
Because my fists are like some objects:
Closer than they appear.

MPW Show - This Weekend!!!

Just a reminder. Get your tickets early to the Missing Palmer West show this Saturday at Milkboy Coffee!

You don't want to pull a "Turkey" and have to watch the show from the sidewalk.

BTW, Just a side note, you can go to Comcast On Demand and watch a segment about Milkboy Open Mic night. It was selected as "Best of Philly Open Mic Night" and Beeps makes a few cameos.

I've Been Tagged

Jeff "tagged" me today and here is what I have to do:

A). Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog...

B). Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself...

C). Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs...

D). Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

Well, I just did "A" and "B" above so here are my 7 random and/or weird facts about myself:

1. I have a fake front tooth.
2. I don't think Indian men are attractive.
3. I met John Francis Daley in Ireland - Google that one.
4. I know how to sew, knit, and do some plumbing - all very poorly.
5. I don't want to have kids.
6. I've never been called for jury duty.
7. I don't really like it when people hug me.

Jeff tagged almost all my blog friends so see his blog for their answers... here are a couple he didn't tag: Chachi Milk, Techblik