If you're looking for a good burger, you have to try Brixattheshore, located in Long Beach, Ca, at 5372 East 2nd Street, 90803.  Their phone is 562-343-5998.  

New check card arrives on Monday, September 12.  Pin arrives separately. Rep said a day or two later.  We shall see.  It didn't arrive today, Tuesday,  one day later.  So can I expect it tomorrow? It didn't arrive Wednesday either or Thursday,  so I went into the branch office and ask that they create a new one.  They did, er, ah, she did, the lovely clerk.  Today's Friday so I will check the mail to see if it has arrived.  But it's moot at this point.  

Good Bye Night Latch, Hello Deadbolt

Finally found the name for this old part to my door.  It's called a night latch, not a deadbolt.  That color is called champaign.  So there's that.  

Night Latch.  They all seem to look alike:

Here is a second one I found at eBay.

And a 3rd from eBay.  Similar design.  Only features are designed slightly different. 

And one more from eBay . . . .

Glad I got a deadbolt instead.  

Just in case.  Product does not mask odors--it eliminates them permanently.  

It sells at Amazon for $25.  Their website is here.  Wouldn't be a bad idea to be a distributor of this product to convalescent homes, used car dealers, RV's sales guys, or pet shops.

Door Locks?

Dead Bolt Lock

Door Knob with Lock

Padlock

Commercial Mortise

Mortise Cylinder

Rim & Mortise Cylinder

Hundreds of Frustrated Buyers Grill Amazon Exec., Jeff Bezos, Over Inferior Products from China.

to me Amazon is the online equivalent of shopping at Walmart. (beating up vendors to keep prices low)

we hate it, we do it, we hate to admit we do it. i always read the Amazon reviews, the worst ones first and perhaps this goes a long ways to explain why some things just don't work and why customer service won't talk to you. the product is a cheap knockoff, which brings up the advantage of going to a retail outlet, you can always return the article, despite the warnings in the manufacturers boilerplate. DO NOT RETURN THIS TO THE STORE, yeah right. box stores cannot afford that kind of PR, and if you paid on your CC you dispute the charge.

some big boxes like Home Depot do free shipping also, so Amazon is not the only online shipper offering deals. 

i have tried Amazon Prime twice, once inadvertently through deceptive checkout screen prompts they nailed me, i quickly cancelled and they refunded the charge immediately. the hook for Prime is their entertainment channel, which is a gateway to more pay for view services. streaming media entertainment has become a house of babble, Prime will get you to more and better content, but you better have your wallet with you. 

Primes 2-Day shipping is a ruse, since most of the standard shipping dates are inflated.  If they say ten days, that usually means three. in a world of instant gratification geared toward the consumers lizard brain this appeal works.

USPS does it all the time. Learn to say PARCEL, thank you. Which brings up Amazon's cozy deal with USPS, and why your postal carrier drives up your street three times a day and never has any mail for you, or the wrong mail.  But surprise, the guys and gals in blue and gray work Sundays too, delivering PRIME. Bezos is beginning to question that agreement, which might take some luster off of Prime shipping. I question it from the government side, the PO should stick to its knitting and you might all consider mailing your REP to complain.

Now . . . about drop shipping from China: it has been the dream all along.  China is a police state.  No terror weapons are likely to be in the package flying directly from Shanghai to Des Moines. 

I just bought a shower curtain drop shipped from China although drop shipping is not an option, yet. Bad enough you aren't sure what that white powder is, you get a box full of Chinese smog to breath. 

Save a $100.  Shop around. And for entertainment, get yourself an antenna.  

The FCC mandates that there be available programming in HD.  And here.  I have a SmartTV, and the antenna with live news. No cable bill, but I am mostly on the antenna, because when I watch TV I want to relax.

Looking for the best mens clippers?  

I was.

There was this: Buzz Cut Guide.  Just in case you don't like that Buzz Cut Guide, you can check these out.

Oster Classic 76 is top rated.  The price is also at the top.
  

Oster Model 10

Wahl Senior is priced about half of the two above.

Andis Master Clipper.  Check the review on this clipper.  I've had problems with it.  It was new.  And within a few weeks, the switch to the motor stopped working . . . or at least I wasn't able to turn it on.  So I abandoned it.  I kept it and put it in storage but didn't use it . . . until today.  And voila! It worked.  So all I had to do was pick up attachments that I had lost in transition.

Here's the review:

These are the beast, at least if you believe what the customers say. Made for all-around cutting, tapering, and they can even be used as beard trimmers. It’s made of metal so it is a bit heavy, but there is a positive side to that as well – it’s extremely durable!

People report of surprising quietness of the tool, I quote: “you can hear every single hair getting cut”.

Like Wahl Senior, these clippers also have a special lever on the side allowing you to cut hair single-handed without even changing blades or anything like that. You’ll need to put them down every half an hour anyway, because they get quite hot due to their metal (aluminium) casing. So if you’re a very busy barber or take a long time to create a haircut these might not be the best.

It’s worth noting that people like these particular clippers even for personal / home use and are excited to say that the results are favorable to say the least.

Click here to view more pictures

There is a possibility of the tool making a rattle sound – this is not normal and should be fixed by just slightly tightening the screw on the side. Don’t forget to oil these top hair clippers regularly.

Oster Fast Feed Clipper

Andis Excel 2-Speed

Andis Ceramic Bgrc

Remington Short Clipper

Wahl Color Pro

Wahl Chrome Pro

Wahl Professional Super Taper

Wahl Sterling Eclipse

I like Andis Master Clippers.  The motor is strong and sound.  So far, so good.  I purchased some attachments this afternoon.  I called Sally's Beauty Supply in Chino Hills, and they quoted me a price of $15 and $20.  There is a beauty salon right next door.  In fact, on a previous occasion I almost walked into their salon by mistake it's that close.  So on my way to Sally's I stopped inside the place right next door, immediately to Sally's right, to a place called Kut 'n' Beauty.  Markets in everything, including cut-throat pricing over beauty care products.  Kut 'n' Beauty had about 7 or more chairs where people were getting their hair cut.  So it was active.  There were 3 girls behind the counter, accepting payments, answering questions, taking and making orders, and whatnot.  But what I liked was the fact that the clipper attachments were only $13, a full $2 less than what Sally's Beauty was offering.  Not bad.  So I bought theirs.

SALLY'S BEAUTY SUPPLY STORE: BASIC CUSTOMER SERVICE UGLY

Life is never boring. 

I called Sally's Beauty Supply store in Chino Hills, CA today at 12:58pm.  I called thrice.  

The first time I called I received a message that said if you speak Spanish to press #4.  If you wanted \store hours to press #1.  That if you'd like to speak to a team member to either hold on the line or press #3.  I pressed #3.  I got another message.  That message said "Goodbye."  

So I called back and instead of pressing #3, I waited for a team member to pick up.  No one picked up.  The line was disconnected.  

So I called back a third time and got the same results.  It's either Spanish or Espanol or nada.  White boy, you better git!

As it turns out, it looks like Sally's treats their Mexican brethren a little less than expected.  You see I pressed #4 or numero cuatro. And what I got was another menu, which means extended delays.

I just got a quote for a standard-sized vehicle from Pasadena Enterprise rental car.  I asked for a monthly lease. The price I was quoted was $780 for the month for a Chrysler 200.  

The car was originally built in 2011 and is currently being reintroduced, which means that owners like the vehicle.  Perhaps. Lakewood/Cerritos quoted me unlimited mileage, weekly rate of $239.99 which converts to a $1,073.09 monthly rate.  Wow!! Quite a difference.  

Glendora Enterprise quoted me $966.10 for one month.  

Window Washing: What Does It Cost?

Angie's List says the charges are generally per pane of glass, $2 to $7 dollars.  

Window cleaning generally is priced by the number of panes of glass. An ordinary double-hung window consists of two panes.

The typical window washing cost runs from $2 to $7 per pane, according to CostHelper. Alternatively, some companies charge an hourly rate. Angie's List members report paying an average of $266 for a full house window cleaning, which may include screens and doors.

For best results, it’s generally a good idea to have your windows cleaned twice every year. However, a number of factors, including whether many windows face the ocean, or your house is exposed to frequent storms, can affect how often your windows will need cleaning. 

Though I'd never heard of CostHelper.com, I certainly am not impressed.  At all.   

Here are a few more resources on pricing out window cleaning. 

Learn more at Uber Partners. 

DISCOUNTS ON SELECT NEW CARS

If you don't need financing, you can still take advantage of vehicle discounts! Uber has partnered with car manufacturers to get you the hottest deals on popular new cars from Toyota, GM, Ford, Hyundai, Nissan, Chrysler, and Volkswagen. Reference your driver ID at any participating manufacturer for these Uber-exclusive discounts. 

Click here for a list of vehicle discounts.

VEHICLE FINANCING

Eligibility requirements for financing offers:
Approved to drive with Uber.

Background check passed.

Agree to weekly payment deduction from your Uber partner earnings.

Requirements for approval vary by lender, and certain items on your credit report may exclude you from eligibility.

Once approved for financing, you can get a vehicle in just a few days.

Below is a summary of the program options in your city:

XCHANGE LEASING

Only $250 deposit, no other down payment required.

No mileage caps.

36 month lease with flexibility to return vehicle with a two-week notice after 30 days pass from your first payment date.

Routine maintenance is included: oil changes and tire rotation every 5,000 miles plus cabin air filter replacement every 25,000 miles.

See sample lease terms here.

HOW TO APPLY

Sign in to your Uber Partner Dashboard here

Click on the 'Vehicle Solutions' or 'Vehicle Marketplace' tab

Click 'Consent' to opt-in.

Click 'Apply' under Xchange Leasing - Your credit will be run as part of the application.

PARTICIPATING DEALERS

For a full list of participating dealerships in your area click here.

BAMA LEASING

One time $199 reservation fee.

Up to 30,000 miles per year.

Flexibility to return car with a 14 day notice after the first 30 days.

Maintenance included: oil changes, brakes, and tires.

See sample lease terms here.

HOW TO APPLY

1.  Sign in to your Uber Partner Dashboard here.
2.  Click on the 'Vehicle Solutions' or 'Vehicle Marketplace' tab

3.  Click 'Consent' to opt-in.

4.  Apply online or contact the BAMA Leasing team at 508-859-4566

Enterprise Rent-A-Car®

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

1.  No credit check, get started with a $250 refundable deposit and $40 nonrefundable startup fee

2.  Uber Partner rate of $210 per week + taxes and fees

3.  Rental charges are automatically deducted from your weekly Uber earnings

4.  Manufacturer-recommended maintenance, damage protection, and vehicle coverage included

5.  Rate includes unlimited mileage

6.  Low-mileage Toyota Corolla, Nissan Sentra, Hyundai Elantra, Honda Civic, Chevy Cruze, and Ford Focus vehicles. 

7.  To get started today, please visit enterprise.com/uber. If you are unable to reserve online, please call the local participating Uber Enterprise branch listed on the Enterprise reservation site.

Here are some local leasing outfits.

Pasadena.

We're in the early stage of price acceleration. So people get ready.

"Nothing Good Happens Until There's a Sale."

TARGETS

1.  $10k gold/silver.

2.  Home.

3.  Apartments.

4.  Toyota Tacoma or Rav 4.

5.  Ramp up business targets to $1,000/week.
6.  Get in shape:
     a.  buy good pair of running shoes.
     b.  1 hour in the morning, 1 hour in the evening.
     c.  25 sit-ups.
     d.


A few ideas.  Never specific on details, but you can infer and then search on your own.  Maybe his website will prove more fruitful.

7.  Buy & Sell trucks, washers & dryers (and here).  Cell phones, furniture, tires (did not realize how expensive rims are), etc.
8.  Price-wise, Uber is appearing less and less feasible.  They have a financing program, called Xchanging.  The types of cars are restricted mainly to small cars.  They charge $210/week but don't charge for miles.  There is a $210 deposit but that is eligible to be refunded. Which means that I would have to earn $800 to $1,000 per week.   

As it stands now, I am waiting for the results of a background check.  Once I have that, then I can reserve a vehicle from Uber's Xchanging.  

US Post Office Email Notification

Today at 3:22 PM

Thank you for contacting the USPS Internet Customer Care Center. We are pleased you chose to participate in this new service enhancement which ties your physical mailbox to your inbox!  Receiving your notifications can be even easier; however, your action is required. As a user of this service, you not only have access to an online dashboard - you can also receive email notifications for upcoming mail delivery.  These email notifications include images of the address side of up to 10 letter-size mail pieces that will be arriving soon at your mailbox.  Daily email notifications are the main feature and benefit of this new offering, and 96 percent of current users choose to enroll with email notifications enabled. According to our records, you did not “Opt-In” to receive email notifications when you initially enrolled in this test service.  In case this was an oversight and you do wish to receive daily email notifications with images of the address side of your letter-sized mail, please take the following simple steps: 1.  Go to our website at http://informeddelivery.usps.com 2.  Click “View My Mail” and then log in to your account 3.  From your Informed Delivery™ dashboard click on the “My Account” tab 4.  Click in the “Email Opt-In” check box (and a small check mark will appear) Click “Save Changes” In a day or two, you will start getting an email notification from USPS on each day that you receive mail.  You can change your email preferences at any time.  If you have any additional questions about Informed Delivery™ notifications, please go to our informational page at http://informeddelivery.com/learnmore. Thank you for contacting your Postal Service, USPS Internet Customer Care Center

UBER

Rent by the week or longer.

Price: $210/week, plus taxes AND fees.  $250 refundable deposit. Unlimited mileage.

Vehicles: Toyota Corolla, Nissan Sentra, Hyundai Elantra, Chevy Cruze, and Ford Focus.

Okay, I need to pay the IRS $513.52.  Learned of that this morning when I picked up my mail from Norwalk PO around 9:30am.  9:58am to be more precise.

Then I went to Arcadia Library for a pit-stop, then to the Temple City PO snd placed the envelope in the box just outside their front door.  I'm hoping for good things.

I can't wait to hear back from California.  I'm hoping it's good news. 

Conducting a Background Check: What's Involved, Where to Go, and What to Do With that Information?

My first stop to finding out how to do a background check was the Internet.  How to was one of the sites that is ubiquitous with very general information. 

Second, I simply stopped in at the local County Sheriff's Station in my home town.  I spoke with two individuals who didn't even appear to be fully sworn officers or sheriffs but instead they looked like community support personnel.  They had no holstered weapon except for perhaps a radio and a cell phone.  But they were friendly . . . sort of.  They don't need to be.  They're busy.  They've got things to do than to answer questions of strangers who drift in and out of their offices.  So when I asked about a background search, they looked puzzled or inquisitive before the one community support personnel went into the back behind opaque bullet-proof glass, reminiscent of a gone-by, hard-hitting police era.  When she came out she handed me a 3 x 3 slip of paper that read:

Livescan Fingerprints
Arson or Drug Registration
Clearance Letters
Criminal History
Records
Reports over 6 months old

Bechtel Building
12440 East Imperial Hwy.
Norwalk, CA  90650
562-345-4441

That's the building but the specific room to go to to get a criminal background clearance is Room 120, directly in the front middle of the building on the 1st floor.  The entrance to Room 120 is along the outside corridor that runs parallel with the building's façade. 

What I learned was this:

I checked with the County seat in Norwalk. Apparently, criminal records only show arrests is what I was told. If no arrests, then nothing on my criminal background. I've never--knock on wood--been arrested. And the print out is only a clearance record. Meaning if there's no arrest, it will state that and form proof to an employer that I've never been arrested. This is what the guy in Colorado did when he told me everything was fine. So a small relief. The clerk here also said that some local PDs will do their own background checks.

To find pending court cases, like lawsuits filed against you, you go to the local courts.
To find your criminal record, if any, which just means to find evidence if you've ever been arrested, you go to a county facility. 

But what about medical records. 

Doctors, doctors, doctors--just enough readin' to make 'em dangerous.

Truth be told I've had less than a handful of good doctors.  They try to be helpful.  They want to be helpful, but it's results that are important and not intentions.

The title to this video sounds promising.  But as you watch this chiropractor, Dr. Gregory Johnson, you get the feeling that he doesn't have the right techniques.  I don't know for sure.   I am no chiropractor.   He starts his patients off with a spinal decompression. Sounds impressive, even fancy.   But in practice he is pulling and yanking the skull away from the Atlas disc.  That can't feel good.  Wouldn't that have the same feeling of being pulled by, say, a mugger or by an opponent in wrestling? I don't know but that yanking can't feel too good.  I mean he wraps a towel around the neck to buffer the blow.  Then his patient says after moving to another table "Oh, my neck feels really good."

Give a look and a listen.  I just think that being gentle and going slow better serves the long-term results. 

I phoned this doctor.  He's out of business.  Can't say for sure that his treatments and moves on his patient are particularly out of the ordinary, but I just think that people require a bit more proof that something works than to have a spokesman, a patient who is getting free treatment, offering a glowing report. 

U-Haul quote:
15' moving van is $1440.  With tax it comes to $1575.  This quote was for pick up date Thursday, December 31, 2015.  No telling what the price is today, nearly 5 months later.  That rate, says my quote sheet, "will expire in 24 hours" of the quote which was given on December 22, 2015.  So that's already an old price.  Still, I couldn't find a better price when comparing vans to move across states.  I will have to bite the bullet on this price. 

U-Haul Moving & Storage at Valley Blvd.
17959 Valley Blvd.
City of Industry, CA 91744
626-935-0226


Got a price quote on one of those PODS containers.  For where I am heading it would cost me $3,000.  

Fullerton Pines Apartments

1412 South Citrus

Fullerton, CA

714-879-6293

$422

Our Administrators Workplace is open 6 days a week

Monday: 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.

Tuesday: 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday: 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.

Thursday: 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.

Friday: 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.

Saturday 10:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m.

Turns out that the Craigslist ad above was over two weeks old. Why repost or keep a post up of two weeks or more?  I went to the address on Citrus and rang the manager.  He came out to tell me that that unit was an old ad, for me to check the date on the ad.  He was right--but don't know why people leave things up on Craigslist weeks after the ad has been answered.  So I asked him if he had any other units.  He said no.  Despite his dismissive tones and general rudeness, I thanked him for his time and walked away.

Padua Avenue Park, Claremont, CA 01/09/2016

This park is essentially a soccer field,a large soccer field.  They should call this park Padua Avenue Soccer Park.

On the Road Again with Vons.com, November 13, 2015

 I took a shot of the truck's tire to prove that they needed air.  Proof.  Always the proof.

Here I came out of a stop in Redondo Beach and noticed the dent in that panel above the light.  The turn signla light too was cracked.  Turns out that that damage was reported on the Vehicle Inspection Report but nothing was done about it.  In my morning routine, I missed it.  Don't know how but I did. I know how.  I was looking at some damage on the bumper to the right, looking underneath the bumper to learn of its stability.  As I raised up I had already begun looking past that corner and onto the door and the ambient section of the truck.

Cracked turn signal.  Lovely.  Did not happen on my watch.  Was already recorded on the VIR.

Parking lot where I was detained for 90 minutes.

October 16, 2015

October 17, 2015

October 19, 2015