Not a Sump Pump

We were told that what they put in is a special system, not just a sump pump. Heh...This sure looks like a sump pump to me, unless they just cleverly disguise their equipment in sump pump boxes to reduce the chance of the competition seeing their top-secret designs!

PromoGuy's Monday Mission 3.2

Could there BE questions more suited to Howie and me?

1. Have you ever bought something you were so excited about and found out later that it didn't work? Were you able to return it? How did it go?
I was terribly excited to order a Butter Butler for Howie last year. We'd seen it on TV and thought it was such a neat invention, so I was happy to find a great price on it at gadgetuniverse.com. We got it, and the thing was so hard to crank it hurt my hand. And once the sliver of butter started, it didn't want to stop! I contacted the company by e-mail and they not only refunded my full purchase price, but didn't require me to send the original item back to us. It's still sitting in our kitchen cabinet, all clean and back in its original box. I could regift it, but I just don't hate anyone that much.

2. I have a Palm (Pilot) for my date book and such, but have been thinking of jumping to the PocketPC world at some point. Do you have a PDA (personal digital assistant)? What kind, and how did you decide? What do you like about it? If you don't own one, do you want one or do you do better without such gadgets?
Howie bought a Dell Axim X5 and is very pleased with it. It takes both CompactFlashII and Secure Digital cards, has a 300mHz processor, 32MB SDRAM and 32MB ROM. The display on this thing is awesome - really bright and crisp. There's an optional 802.11b wireless CF card available for it, should we decide to switch the house over to a wireless network. It's also very small and light, just schweeeeet. I'm hoping he might write something up about his new toy, and I can link to it. We read a lot of reviews and realized it was the best bet for the money, especially with the $50 rebate when you get it directly from Dell.

3. What illness do you wind up catching more than any other?
Usually your common cold, though I'm constantly beset with sinus problems. I haven't had an actual sinus infection in a year or two, but I have a lot of blockage from past ones. Colds are something I actually catch, though. Who doesn't?

4. Do you like going to see the Doctor (any type)?
We've become friends through the years, and she came to our wedding. I like my family doctor a lot, but I'm not particularly fond of having to go see her.

5. How about the Dentist? Do you like going? Do you go in every 6 months for a check-up?
When I was in third grade, I fell on a piece of playground equipment and chipped one of my front teeth. I was rushed to the dentist's office, where I proceeded to beome very afraid. The dentist slapped me. Yep, slapped me. It was years before I set foot in a dentist's office again. I was in college when a tooth finally got so bad I couldn't stand it any more. So, my first dental work was a root canal. After that it was all downhill! I don't mind going at all now, and rarely have anything wrong. Now that we have insurance, I go for my regular checkups, yes!

6. Are you a "Dog Person" or a "Cat Person?" Do you think a person's choice tells you something about their personality?
I'm both, but lean more toward dogs because of their range of expression and goofy personalities. I suppose the cliche answer is that a cat person is more secure and doesn't need a dog's constant attention and affections. Who knows...Our cats are both pretty dog-like, too.

7. I've mentioned before how me and a buddy of mine have just let our friendship lapse. There was no disagreement, but we've hit that point where we have nothing in common anymore. My life has progressed and he is still living in 1992. Have you ever had a friendship that just seems to have run its course? Where there is just nothing there anymore? What finally happened?
Yes, that's happened to me. There's a person who was a good friend to me when I was in high school. I practically lived with his family for a few summers. He was in his 30's, but very young and hippie like. He had a lot of odd ideas which, at the time, were endearing and refreshing coming from someone as "old" as him. The thing is, I grew up and moved on, but I he never did. He's over fifty and still lives at home. We just drifted apart. It happens, sometimes.

Today's Comment Question: Wanna get together after work and run around? Any ideas on what to do?
Dinner at Tumbleweed, and then let's check out the new Wal-Mart Super Center in town! They open January 22 - you free any time soon after that?

Jackhammer

I will try to get Monday Mission done today, for it is chock full of fun questions, but right now I am about ready to retreat to bed with a pillow over my head. The Everdry crew is here and they are jackhammering right beneath the office where I sit. This is the sound, as actually recorded by yours truly. Just magnify that sound by about 50-fold and you'll get an idea.

This jackhammer has a vacuum running with it, but the crew leader advised us to put damp cloths over the heater vents, for the other dust from the chipper. but as the cloths dried, they began flapping. Now there's a stinky dust in the house, dang it. I've turned the furnace off, despite it only being about 30 degrees out (with a windchill more like 18). I hate to think about what we're inhaling here...cement dust and mold spores. Yuck!!! Please pray.

The Everdry salesman, Kevin, told us they'd put in the EZ-Breathe system about a week before the basement work was begun, so it would be pulling the mold and such out as they worked. Well, somewhere there was miscommunication, because the EZ-Breathe guy isn't coming out until this afternoon. That isn't helping with this foul-smelling dust.

While we were still negotiating, I half-jokingly said "if you'll have Merry Maids come in to clean afterwards, I'll sign". Kevin said they'd be willing to do that. I don' think we have that particular sales-dance promise in writing (I'll have to check on that), but I am going to push for it, or at least a discount so we can have a maid service come in and clean. This is foul.

On the plus side, they're going to break apart and remove the big old cement sink from the basement. They also anticipate it being a 2-day job. At least we won't have jackhammers going for three or four days. That's a plus, right??