Patio repair

It has only been four years I believe but the area of the patio where the giant maple tree was had sunken. This caused the stones to be uneven and some had split like shale.

The problem with starting a repair project like this is to not end up tearing up large sections. The more I got into it the more the more sections of damaged stone showed up. I also had a large piece of stone left over from the original project. Using the big piece would give better coverage but also meant I had to get it into place.

The following photos are before the magic sand (polymeric) has been applied. I am liking the results so far.

Disappointment and dishonest

What follows is the email I sent to customercare@bestbuy.com



To Whom It May Concern,
I purchased a Geek Squad monthly service plan when I purchased my Nokia Lumina 1020 last year in May. I have been making the $9.99 monthly payments with the belief that if there were a phone defect, the phone would be repaired or replaced.

The camera stopped working the other day so I took the phone into the Geek Squad. After waiting for nearly an hour and not being paged, I returned to the service desk and was assisted (without any acknowledgement that I had been waiting). I was told my phone could be replaced with a $150.00 service fee. I questioned this and asked to speak to a manager.

The manager assured me that the service fee applied after the one year phone warranty expired. I asked to see the terms of the Geek Squad agreement. There is a vague reference to the possibility of a service fee. I mentioned that I had not ever received any service on the phone and since I had already paid more than $150.00 on monthly payments would the manager please override the service fee. Also, it seemed deceptive that the Geek Squad coverage was no better than the phone’s warranty. The manager would not override the fee (which is an option on the screen).

I left the store very disappointed and disillusioned. I had been given the impression that the Geek Squad service would cover the repair or replacement of my very expensive phone. I do not normally purchase these types of service agreements because of the concern of being ripped off. Well, that appears to be exactly what happened.

I have already canceled the service agreement. I would hope that Best Buy would honor the intent of the Geek Squad service agreement and cover the repair or replacement. If not, I believe reimbursement of the 16 months of $9.99 payments is in order.

Regards,
Jeff Alspaugh
www.jeffjefferygeoffrey.blogspot.com
612-824-6804
612-298-4700
GSP #5157617163
Purchase date 05/12/2014

Twins game

Christine got some really good seats to tonight's Twins game against the Houston Astros. Christine had gotten them from a co-worker. We were just left of home plate behind the visiting team dugout. The Twins lost but we had a pretty good time.

The Twins sign.

supermoon rising over the city and the field

Joe Mauer hitting a single

Small project, major satisfaction

I looked back on the blog for when I had the walnut shell counters installed. It was in January 2012. Original counter project

I had the bathroom sink counter changed at the same time, I did not have the little pillaster counter changed, however. It has only been a slight bugaboo for me that the counters did not match. You can't see much of the pillaster counter. You can see a bit of the old counter in this blog entry.
But the dumpster inspired me again. The old counter came off a bit easier than I thought it would. The counter consisted of tile, glue, plywood, more glue and nails. It all came off with minor damage to the wall and a corner of the pillaster.

There was a large section of the walnut counter left over. It was the cut-out for the kitchen sink. The walnut shell and epoxy material was not easy to saw but I really like how it all came out. Now the bathroom counters all match.

Apples and rain

We had a lot of rain this week which we needed. Now the sun is out and this weekend is forecast to be hot and humid. The apples should really start to plump up.

Dumpster = Purge

I am taking advantage of having a dumpster for the powder room project to throw stuff away including an old bed frame, curtain rods and even a broken pallet that's been in the back yard.

Going through boxes I came across a box of tax returns. Turned out to be returns from 2003 all the way to 1981 which is when I graduated from college! I borrowed Christine's shredder and spent way too many hours shredding all the documentation. I filled my big blue recycle bin for the first time.

Frankie update

I may have not mentioned this to some but Frankie has lost a lot of weight (at least for a cat). He weighs one pound less this year over last year's annual check up. His vet was concerned so we decided to monitor his weight.

He hasn't gained back any weight since his 2015 checkup and has had a couple of big throw-up incidents. I took him back to the vet last week for a full blood workup.

The results have come back with two rather inconclusive things. One is that he is slightly anemic. That could be caused by a trauma event (none that I am aware of) or a stroke (don't think so) or cancer (his vet could not feel any growths).

The other blood result is that he is on the high end of normal for thyroid function. He is not in to hyperthyroidism realm as I had thought last week.

At this time we are going to wait a couple of weeks and have another blood test done. This will be to see if his red blood count improves are not. There won't be any action on the thyroid until the anemia is figured out.

The good news is he is in good spirits. He doesn't seem anymore out of sorts that normal. He really loves licking frozen ice packs or the inside of the freezer. My friend Jill just posted a video of cats enjoying a giant ice cube made by filling a balloon. I think I will give that a try.

Powder room project - day 3

Not a lot that is noticeably different. Finishing up the corners and took the exhaust fan out. I did finally found out when the bathroom was put in. There was part of a newspaper page used for some stuffing. The date was May 21, 1950.

Also met new neighbors Andy and Peter. Two Univ. of Minnesota dudes moving in the upstairs apartment of duplex.

Took some photos and video of the attic above the sunroom. I'm hoping to have a chance to blow some additional insulation up there using the exhaust fan opening.

Took center 2x4 out for in-wall tank.

Where inset toilet roll was and the newspaper stuffing.

Sink wall.

Backyard beauty and beast

Kelly and I were hanging out and grilling in the backyard when this beautiful Monarch butterfly came visiting.

Beauty

Beast

Powder room project - day 2

This my work attire. When I'm cutting through the wall I add safety goggles. Pretty.

In the background is my setup for getting the debris out. And the fan is used to blow the dust out of the house and not into the house. The setup works really well. The fan is removed for debris tossing.

This section of wall came down nearly intact. For your information this is what the back of a plaster and lathe wall looks like.

Day 2 was about taking down the plaster and lathe walls. This is the wall where the toilet was and the new one is going.

This is the corner where the sink was. The new sink will be along the wall.

Powder room project

Official first day of powder room remodel. Technically I took off part of the wall tiles and flooring months ago. The dumpster arrived on Thursday but the kidney stone incident kind of put a hold on any work.

The end product is fairly simple but since the space is so so small, the project cost is high. New floating wall-mounted toilet and a small sink on right wall. Plus new paint and flooring.

No sink. No toilet.

 

Uptown Art Fair

I wasn't going to buy anything at this year's Uptown Art Fair but this artist was new and had very reasonably priced items AND it is a metal tropical fish for the garden! The artist is Engine-New-Ity from Louisville, KY.

Kidney stone update

I guess last week's 10 minute incident was just the prelude to the real thing. The pain started at 7:00am. I really thought I would tough it out. Going to the emergency room is expensive and all they can do is treat symptoms.

The pain was unbelievable... beyond what I remember for past incidents. It got to the point that I couldn't take myself to the hospital. After four hours of trying to suck it up, I tried calling a friend to pick me up but she didn't answer her phone. The turning point was pain so intense that I threw up!

I ended up driving myself to the ER. I hobbled into the waiting room in extreme pain. I was immediately admitted and two nurses started setting up pain relief. Again I have never felt pain like this. I'm not sure how long it took for all the pain killers to kick in but it was way longer than I thought it would be.

They did a CT scan to find how big and where the stone was. Size - 4mm. Where - just downstream from the kidney. Four millimeters is pretty substantial. According to my nurse, a 5mm means that an overnight stay is necessary.

I had arrived at the hospital before noon and got back home at 3pm. It seemed much longer. The pain is still at bay and now I need to try to catch the stone.

Sleepy

I'm sitting outside of Isles and the little sparrow in the middle keeps falling asleep. It is right in the middle of the sidewalk.

Tomato Still Life

Better Boy and salsa

Better Boy from the garden used for my first BLT sandwich. And salsa made with five tomatoes. Recipe modified from FoodNetwork website.

Modified recipe only because I didn't read the entire thing when at the grocery store. Still very tasty and super fresh.

Bucket list

Maybe Dad will take me outside of I hang out in this bucket.

MN Half Marathon, St. Paul

Running For Brunch ran all parts of today's MN Half Marathon event in St. Paul. Jason skated the rolling half. Molly ran the entire half. Trish ran the 5k and Abbey (new member) and I and Michelle and Jon ran the relay.

It was warm and a bit humid but everyone finished strong. There is not much shade on the course. A few people were having problems at the finish line.