Daniella's Misadventures The problem with people who have no
vices is that generally, you can be pretty sure
they're going to have some
pretty annoying virtues. -- Elizabeth
Taylor
Well, I am a "monstering" machine... I have submitted about 100 resumes on Monster.com in the last two weeks. We'll see if I get any results... send really good karma my way because the job sitution at my company (for me to be able to transfer) is not looking good due to our company's hiring freeze for all positions that are not sales generating. I am starting to think that when our savings run out, which will happen in about a nanosecond if I have no income coming in, John and I will be living in a cardboard box under a bridge. In the SNOW! Damn this recession and damn you, George "idiot" Bush! posted by
Daniella 4:49 PM
They never return your calls. They will keep your car for days, not because there's a difficult problem, but merely because they haven't gotten to it yet or they are on their coffee break all day. They will never give you a loaner. They tell you to bring your car in right at 7:30 AM when they open to ensure that your car is the first one to get worked on that day, then they still don't start working on it until they feel like it. Or they keep you waiting in the hot New Orleans in June sun until 7:45 AM while they finish their coffee and saunter over to unlock the doors.
Let me tell you my saga:
They had my Jetta for five days two weeks ago because I needed an oil change and there was a noise coming from the engine (or perhaps the dashboard) when I went over bumps. It sounded like something might be loose. So, I dropped off the car the day John and I left to drive him to New Jersey. They called me that afternoon (see, they call you promptly if it's going to be something expensive) to tell me that the noise that I was hearing was the struts which needed to be replaced ASAP to the tune of $600. I said OK.
I picked up my car, five days later and drove away... the noise was still there!
So, I called them. They told me to come in and they would fix it.
I brought them my car this Monday to fix the noise, replace some trim on my door which had come unglued and replace a burned out headlight. All day Monday, I called them to see what time the car would be done and got voicemail. I left six messages. No one ever called me back. I got a ride to the dealership with one of my coworkers after work. I stood around for a while until finally the Service Manager, Charles, told me that they had taken my car apart and could not find the source of the noise. They could put it back together or keep trying. I told them to keep looking and got a ride home with Herbert (who happened to be passing by the Service Department and offered to give me a ride home in the new Porsche Cayenne).
All day Tuesday, I called them to see what time the car would be done and got voicemail. I left three messages. No one ever called me back. Finally, Charles called me to tell me that they think that they fixed the noise and my car was ready whenever I wanted to pick it up. I got a ride to the dealership with that same coworker and walked up to tell them to get my car. I paid $162.00 and waited for them to pull my car around. And waited. And waited.
Finally, after 20 minutes had passed, I asked what was taking so long. Charles, the Service Manager, sheepishly admitted that they could not find the keys to my car. They had lost my keys! After another 20 minutes, Charles told me that they thought that one of the mechanics had accidentally put the keys in his pocket and gone home and that they were trying to track him down. He asked me if I needed a ride home.
Well, as you can guess, I had a shit fit. I told him that I did not need a ride home, I needed my car and in the absence of that, I need a car of some sort so that I didn't need to bother my poor father for a ride to work again! Well, they gave me a filthy diesel Jetta. And by filthy, I mean major league DIRTY.
I called the next morning to see if they had found my keys. Charles was not in and the rest of the morons there had NO IDEA WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT! He finally called me around noon to tell me that they had found my keys and I could pick up my car. When I arrived on at the dealership after work, they pulled out my car -- covered in mud, with grease smeared on the passenger seat and someone else's visa on the floor of the passenger side. Hmmm. I made them wash my car and they acted like they were doing ME a favor!
Then Saturday, we got up early, had fabulous bagels and lox and went on the Quest for Affordable Housing That is Not Under a Bridge... Believe it or not, we actually found several places we liked including one in... {you must place your nose in the air as you say this} Upper Montclair... We then drove through Pine Ridge Estates in Cedar Grove, aka The Gazillionaire Development where we saw about eight deer (with cute little Bambi-like baby deer) and a wild turkey (although John insists it was a peacock!).
Saturday night, we were supposed to meet the legendary Mike Mararian and his new wife for dinner in the city, but we are lame and we cancelled. Plus, it was raining small mammals.
Sunday, we went into the City to the Lower East Side and went to Katz's Deli for hot pastrami on rye and pickles... yummmmmmmm!!!! Then we went to McSorley's for a pint then on to the airport where I was once again wedged in to the center seat on a full flight.
I really enjoy reading this guy's blog: All about Latvia. His viewpoint about how the Latvian majority in Riga is treating the Russian minority is a strory that is not widely known in the west. Basically, for those of you not interested in pointing and clicking to read it yourself, the Latvians are treating the Russians like shit. This is not a huge surprise considering the Russians treated the Latvians like shit during 70 years of Soviet rule, but for a self-professed democracy, this is unacceptable behavior.
Of course, I say this while our self-professed democracy keeps eroding our freedoms for the so-called "Homeland Defense"...
Today on NPR, I caught the tail end of a story about some state (as I said, I missed the beginning so I do not know which state) where the state legislature is debating a bill to raise taxes on junk foods in order to "take a stand againt obesity and for public health" (or some other such junk politico speak). The Republicans say, as usual, no new taxes, but propose instead making fitness club memberships tax deductible. I guess they just don't give a damn about poor fat people who can't afford gym memberships, only rich fat people, right? posted by
Daniella 12:05 PM
Mama, if you are reading here is a link to US Translations, a interpreting and translating company based in New Orleans. Perhaps you can get on with them and get more work at home. I know how hard it is to be away from home all the time. posted by
Daniella 1:17 PM
The next morning, we rose at 5 AM (Chattanooga is in the EST, so it was 6 AM there) and hightailed it to the VW dealership where they were very nice to us and took care of the problem in under three hours... and without too much pocketbook pain.
Then we had to drive extra fast to make it to DC in time to see Mark and Kim Roberti and their beautiful new baby, Jake. We had a great time with Mark in Old Town Alexandria and I got to see John's old stomping grounds as well as Mark and John's swingin' bachelor pad of the early nineties... Mark and Kim have a great house that backs up onto a park with tennis courts... Daddy would be in heaven!
The next morning we had to leave in the pouring rain which did not let up for the whole next day. Plus it was COLD. I don't mean chilly, I mean blue lips, goosebumps COLD! The drive to John's parent's house which should of taken three and a half hours, took us nearly six. It was hellish and miserable. I, of course, felt that this would be the perfect time to complain about how much I do not want to move somewhere where it is in the 50's in JUNE! We finally arrived at John's parent's house in Point Pleasant, NJ and had a really nice time with them. Jean, John's mom, made me a crochet bag with my initials which she said I could use for the next year and a half and then she would make me another one with the initials DMC -- isn't it strange, that after all this time, I will finally get a middle name? I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Peter (John's father) and I have political views so similar, we could be the same person! The one good thing that will come out of this move is that I will get to spend more time with my future in-laws. John is very close with Mom and Daddy and I am glad that I will get the chance to be close to his parents as well.
Yesterday, we hit the road and drove the final 45 minutes to John's brother's house in Bloomfield. Pete and his wife Maria were kind enough to drive us around the whole afternoon to look at neighborhoods and towns in Northern Jersey where we may want to live. We really liked the urban feel of Jersey City and the little Scottish town of Kearny. John will be looking in those two areas in the coming days. Finally we had dinner with Pete, Maria and the ever cool Johnny Crozier at a little Indian place in Union which was fabulous. At 2:30 (3:30 EST) AM, the alarm went off for my 4:30 flight and here I am back in N'Awlins, lonely, miserable and tired. I miss John.
