The time for "lasts"....

So of course in getting ready to move I do lots of things for the "last" time (although I'm sure I'll be back and doing the same things someday!).  Yesterday they took my car for shipping.  So that means I went to the gas station by my house for the "last" time, drove to work for the "last" time, and parked in my overpriced parking garage for the "last" time.  I debated if I should say bye to the parking attendants who are all very nice to me.  But I think that would have been weird.  Unfortunately this weekend I'll have to go to the DMV (hopefully for the "last" time!) to turn my plates in.  It's one of those procedures that should take 5 minutes but will somehow manage to take an hour.  :(  oh well.  So now the Focus has started its voyage overseas!  Here's a picture of the "last" time I parked in my spot.  And sadly I'm going to turn in my "AE LMW" Penn State plates!

~L

It's 80 degrees out and I'm cold!

No, not because I have a fever or anything, but I finally have a working air conditioning system!  And it works so well, it can actually make it cold in here!  My dad and I were doing some home improvements so it felt good before, but now we're done and it's downright chilly.  But I'm enjoying the fact that I have working AC so much that I'm going to leave it on and put on a sweatshirt!  Oh wait, in honor of impending Earth Day I'll just go turn up the setting on my cool new digital thermostat.  The coolest part?  It's a smart thermostat so that you can literally set it and forget it!  As in it's smart enough to automatically know whether it should be in heating or cooling mode.  And yes, I'm sure everyone else's AC has had that for years, but my old one didn't!  So it's new to me!  We also got to replace the drop ceiling which worked out mainly OK and in the process I got to replace the ugly ceiling light that was there with a more modern-ish fluorescent light.   It says the bulb can last for 9 years!!  That's good for Earth Day too!The system has the new freon too (puron maybe?), so that's good for Earth Day.   Gooooo green!  And gooooo new AC!

~L

Good Bunny News!

The vet thinks that Kevin is mainly better and should not have a problem going to the Ukraine!   Hooray!  Now everyone at my new work will get to meet my silly rabbits.  Of course, now I have to figure out the 15 details associated with getting them on the plane... And first I'm going to call and double check that they absolutely HAVE to travel as "checked baggage".  It just seems wrong.  The bunnies coming out of that conveyor belt thing...  (They won't really!).  So in the mean time, I have them confined right next to each other as the first stage of "re-bonding".  They don't seem to mind.  Although I think they are exhausted from all of the commotion that's been going on around here.  So I thought I would try to video tape what they do at night!  Turns out, pretty much the same things they do during the day.  Enjoy, the "Night of the Bunnies"!  (Don't worry it's less than 2 minutes long).

~L

Bunny Zen

I'm still not sure about little Kevin, and if he is going to feel up to a long journey to the Ukraine.  And then, if Mikey would want to come alone.  :(  I have asked for advice from the bunny lady experts, so we'll see what they say.  But in the mean time I thought I would use my cool new going away present from my bro and Traci to try and capture what I love about the buns.  Of course I love petting them and when they jump on my head.  Or rest their bum on my shoulder (like the song).  But what I really love about them is that they're so zen!  They sortof just relax.  But I can stare at them for hours, because they are rarely actually doing nothing.  So, no need for you to watch them for hours, but if you want to watch them for 12 minutes...  It's sort of like meditation.  Happy meditation because they're so cute!  And don't worry, one day my videos will be about Kyiv not the bunnies!  Although we'll have to see if they are about bunnies in Kyiv...

~L

The Importance of Being a Consumer Activist: North Shore Agency Collection Scam

I was literally shocked an appalled to receive a "debt collection notice" from a company called North Shore Agency.  Apparently it is some sort of scam to trick people into renewing magazines that they had tried to let subscriptions expire on.  I was even more upset because it was from Runner's World.  I sortof thought that my subscription had expired, and that was OK.  I had made the decision to not renew, and therefore had not sent in more money or gone online to sign up.  Apparently, their marketing practice is to renew my subscription anyway and then send a letter saying that they had hired a debt collection agency to collect my debt!  Only, the payment was still to be sent to Runner's World.  Of course I googled the company, and while it does have a fake website, the second most popular page described the multitude of scams that this company either runs, or who is used by another company to run the scam.  There is actually a class action law suit that I would have signed up for, but I read that John Grisham book about class action law suits and they still disgust me.  So to simplify things, Rodale press simply goes on my "never buy another magazine from again" list.  No more Runner's World, Women's Health, or anything about bicycling because they probably own that too.  And as I said in my letter to them, I'm extra disappointed because Rodale is from my home town and I thought that I was supporting a good local business.  I know times are tough, but it is never OK to scam or trick people, or intimidate them into renewing a magazine subscription to keep Dog the Bounty hunter from showing up at the door over $21.94.  Grr.  Things like this are what puts capitalism to shame.  Make money honestly people!  Runner's world is a good magazine!  If they had sent me a few more post cards and emails I probably would have caved in and decided to renew!  But now they have lost a customer for life.  And whoever else I can convince.

~L

my letter to them (to be followed up by a phone call tomorrow):

Dear Runners World, While I used to like your magazine, I am shocked and disappointed that you would resort to a "collection agency debt scam" to coerce readers into continuing their subscriptions. I did not renew my subscription with you, therefore there is no reason why I should owe you the $21.94 that this debt collection agency supposedly is going to collect. After searching for the company online, I found many other complaints that this is a scam and a ripoff. There is even a class action lawsuit being filed that I will promptly sign up for if this charge is not immediately removed or if anything appears on my credit report as an unpaid debt. This is a horrible way to trick people into your renewing your magazine and I highly recommend that you and Rodale disassociate yourselves from such heinous marketing tactics. While I had been considering a renewal with the weather getting warmer again, I certainly will never renew with your magazine or any magazine that Rodale publishes after this attempted scam. I am even more disappointed because I grew up in the Lehigh Valley and liked to think that I was helping a company from back home. With sincere regret, ~Lisa Walkup