Tony’s Journal

So, I just upgraded my phone via Cingular. I’d had a 2-year contract that expired in May 2006, and have been month to month since then. I looked at Verizon and others, but it seems satisfaction with all cell phone companies is about the same. For every horror story about Cingular, there’s one for Verizon, Alltel, etc.

All at once, I:

• upgraded my phone to the Cingular 3125
• changed my discount plan (it thinks I’m a UNC-CH employee, but apparently it lumps NCSU employees in there)
• changed my data plan (to unlimited)

I did this all online, following the directions to upgrade my phone. Still, I figure any of the following will happen:

• “oops, we gave you a completely new line and new number”
• “yeah, you’re gonna have to pay in full this month for both your old AND new plans
• “we know it clearly said you have this discount, but we just didn’t credit any of it, so why don’t you spend all your minutes trying to get this straightened out over the phone”

In any event, if things go according to plan, I got a fairly bad ass phone for much cheaper than usual, discounts out the wazoo, and unlimited data, all for like $5 more per month than I had been paying. Plus, I can sell my old phone for over $100 on eBay easy. We’ll see.

Tags: General Thoughts by Tony
No Comments »

I decided that I have lost too much weight, so for dinner, I ate half a pumpkin pie.

Tags: General Thoughts by Tony
2 Comments »

I was really depressed on Monday on account of the Fair ending.

I didn’t gain any weight from the Fair at all. I freaking went to the Fair on four separate days, and yet. . . After making the list, I realistically could have eaten all of that in one day. Perhaps I need to try harder.

4 Ham Biscuits
3 ears of corn
1 hand dipped corn dog (like a sponge full of delicious grease, this was)
3 hot dogs with errthang on ‘em
1 fried Coke (no thanks)
1 deep fried Snickers bar on a stick
1 BBQ sandwich with slaw
3 cups apple cider
1 coffee
1 cup chocolate covered peanuts
1 cup BBQ peanuts
2 pickles the size of Humpty’s nose
3 sweet gherkins
1 dozen mini donuts
1 serving of overrated NCSU ice cream
0 turkey legs (could never bring myself to shell out $7 for one, but damn did they smell good)
0 pieces of disappointing pie from the Apex Lions Club (learned my lesson last year)

I think that cost me just over $50.

But we all know the Fair is priceless.

Top 3 Priceless Moments at the 2006 Fair:

#3: Saturday – Justin pointing out the terrifying miniature astronaut in a 4H diorama. It was the size of a 10-year-old, was wearing a Halloween mask inside its NASA helmet, and was leaning backwards against something in a very uncomfortable looking position. “Ground control to Major Tom: You’re Michael Myers. There’s something wrong.”

#2: Sunday – Some hick with a mullet using a life-size statue of Captain Hook as a back scratcher. Like, he backed up to it and wiggled all around and more or less worked the Captain’s hook like a stripper on a pole. He was trying to impress what I guess was his wife with this action. There was nothing impressive about that incident besides the rate at which I left the area.

#1: Tuesday – You always see someone getting arrested at the Fair, ostensibly for stealing stuff. But as they’re being dragged away in handcuffs, they’re generally not hitting on the female cop and offering to cut her in on a share of their ill-gotten gains.

Now looking forward to Oct. 12-21, 2007.

Tags: General Thoughts by Tony
No Comments »

Here is a snippet of a beloved fair sound. It’s almost like being there! (Full audio forthcoming.) Here’s a taste. Get it? Get it?

This audio will be what gets me through the next 51 weeks.

Press the play button below and be transported to a wonderful place. A place where time flies, and where fat people stand still, and no turkey leg stands uneaten. . .

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Tags: General Thoughts by Tony
No Comments »

So ESPN has got to be overjoyed about showing this week’s big Thursday night prime-time pillow fight: UNC at UVA.

Can a man be made to faint in a boasting contest?

Is it possible to choke a man to death with his own ascot using one hand while holding a glass of scotch in the other?

Tune in to ESPN Thursday night at 7:30!

Tags: General Thoughts by Tony
No Comments »

All right, Justin and whoever else heard our conversation about my lack of vocabulary. Basically, I claimed twice in roughly four seconds that there were specific names for two familiar objects but that I couldn’t remember their names, which is a good way to look dumb while attempting to look smart. Here is your Word Power lesson of the day — a double shot!

“Medical logo, you know, the thing with the stick and the wings and the two snakes twisted around them”

“Hobo bag-on-a-stick”

Tags: General Thoughts by Tony
No Comments »

People seem to look to me for advice on digital cameras, and I am happy to dispense it. Being an avid reader of “hot deal” forums, I sometimes notice people posting “deals” on cameras that look too good to be true, and they generally are. It’s tough to know which online sites you can trust, besides amazon, etc. And in the real world, if you come across a no-name store but they have some item for a low price, you can buy it right there without being too suspicious, because hey, you walk out of the store with it in your hand. And if something goes wrong, you can walk right back in and raise hell.

But with these no-name online stores, most often the guy who posted the “hot deal” comes back a month later posting something like “I gave them my credit card info but I still haven’t gotten my camera and they don’t answer the phone.” Yeah, guy, you’re not getting that camera. If you’re lucky, you won’t see charges on your credit card.

In reality, a lot of “too good to be true” sites aren’t even backed up with physical stores. Any idiot can put up a web site with pretty graphics and fake guarantees and low “prices” for items they don’t even sell.

So, it is always a good idea to check out the store at Reseller Ratings beofre buying from a store with which you are unfamiliar. On the left, halfway down, there is a “store ratings” search, where you can read reviews from people who have done business (or tried to) with these companies.

I have just come across a site (I have known about it for a while but I just rediscovered it) where a guy actually went around and took photos of the street addresses from which these shady companies tend to operate. It’s pretty interesting. These stores clearly operate on the premise that since you’re buying online, it doesn’t matter what their physical street address looks like, because it’s not like you’re gonna go to NY to check it out. (Most of these shady stores are located in Brooklyn for whatever reason.) I don’t think “shady” is too strong a word for most of these places.

It’s pretty interesting: Brooklyn StoreFronts

Tags: General Thoughts by Tony
2 Comments »

Okay, so I had occasion to look at the Arizona State Fair website, and the comparison between the musical acts isn’t even close. It’s embarrasing for NC.

Arizona State Fair
Foo Fighters!
Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock!
Pet Shop Boys.
Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, if you’re into that sort of thing. They’re big names.
Steve Miller Band, well, okay I guess.

I mean, it’s not the HFSTival (when it used to be good) but at least I enjoy listening to some of that music.

NC State Fair
Not even worth a list. There is something to be said for Earl Scruggs, but that’s about it.

And to top it off, admission to the concerts at AZ is FREE as long as you pay your fair admission ($10). You’ve got to pay extra to see the concerts in Dorton Arena.

Tags: General Thoughts by Tony
2 Comments »