Quality Weenie

I Use To Love HP

I currently have a HP notebook (2 1/2 years old), our last notebook was an HP and our current printer is an HP.

Never had any trouble with them at all ...

Until now, but of course when I am unemployed and really can't go without a computer.

We have a HP Pavilion dv8000

And the fan started making noises yesterday evening.

Fan, can't be too bad right?

Stop by a computer place near the house today and they said $80 parts / $80 bucks labor that is IF we can even get the fan.

Call HP, they said warranty is over but they can send a fan for $63 or I could send the computer to them and they will replace the fan.

Being unemployed I can't be without a computer.

I am pissed, a fan goes after only 2 1/2 years? And $160 to replace a freaking fan? That is if I can even find a fan around here.

Of course HP has outsourced their customer service to India, so I spent twice as long on the phone because I couldn't understand her that good only to have her accuse me of spilling something in the computer to cause the fan to go or as she suggested maybe my kids did something to the computer.

A big FU to HP for accusing me of breaking the fan and for having the fan go after only 2 1/2 years of use.

Friday Doggie Blogging

Friday Doggie Blogging a day early!

These two are so sweet looking they make my teeth hurt!

My baby girl is going grey, boohoo.

And a rare picture of my fat self with Lance snuggling with me (which is not a rare occurance)

In The Big Blue Sky

A week or so ago, I wrote about Thunder Over Michigan.

I finally downloaded the couple pictures that I took. No Blue Angles this year, but did have some fighter jets screaming over the house.

Toyota Mis-Steps, No One Notices

Even if Toyota fell flat on it's face, nobody would hear about it.

But the Big 3 stumble a little and it's on national news and in big font on the front page.

Toyota lowered its global sales target for 2009 by 700,000 vehicles to 9.7 million Thursday,

That is a lot of vehicles, hell for some vehicle lines that is their entire forcast for a year.

And in the end, all the news people want is to be able to say that Toyota is bigger then GM.

Toyota has been on such a potent growth track in recent years it is getting closer to ending General Motors Corp.'s 77-year run as the world's top automaker by sales.

For the news media, it's all about toppeling the domestic auto's. The media were pretty pissed last year when GM topped Toyota by a smidge.

When the domestics lower their yearly expectations it's front page worthy, this story is buried in the automotive section.

Ford To Retool Michigan Truck

Ford announced today that it will retool it's Michigan Truck plant from a truck plant (Expedition and Navigator, it also use to produce F-150's) to a car plant.

It will begin producing Ford's new small car in 2010 (I have seen pictures and it's totally awesome looking).

The Ford Focus is produced at the Wayne Assembly plant which is literally right next door to the Truck Plant.

The conversion is to start in November.

Domestic Autos $50B Loan

Around here the big news, besides the Hip Hop Mayor, is the domestic auto makers asking for Government back loans.

Just some facts to point out ...

$50 billion package being sought by friends of General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC wouldn't be a bailout in the classic meaning of the term. Direct loans from the Treasury to automakers and their suppliers aren't the same thing as direct infusions of taxpayer cash (which can't be said about the expected bailouts of government-backed lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac).

And everyone knows the Domestic Auto's have a history of actually paying back government loans (see Chrysler)

"Or one of us will fail, forcing the others into federal bankruptcy court. The falling dominos could destroy 70 years of union bargaining gains, gut communities, kill suppliers, expose as failures the (mostly) Democrats who stood as industry friends and saddle taxpayers with, oh, more than $100 billion in pension obligations that could get dumped on the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.

Not to mention the fact that the Japanese government has always subsidized their automotive industry including the $25 BILLION dollars it gave them to research and develop their hybrid vehicles.

But the absolute biggest thing to think about is this ....

a core industry that still accounts for one in seven jobs in the United States."

One in seven jobs in the entire United States has ties to the automotive industry. And if you don't think you will be effected just talked to the service industry in Michigan and ask them how their businesses are doing with so many people out of work.

Dentists aroud here are failing because that is one of the first out of pocket expenses that get cut. Dentists are getting rid of people in their offices or closing totally because business has dropped so much.

If the entire automotive industry failed it would send the country into a depression, of that I have no doubt.

Obambi Campaign Says Joe Knows The Auto Industry

Obambi's Michigan Campaign Manager says Joe knows autos.

Amy Chapman, Obama campaign's Michigan campaign director, says Biden is a "strong voice" on issues that are important to automakers.

And what are his qualifications of "knowing" the auto industry?

Biden was involved in failed efforts to change plans to close a Chrysler assembly plant in Newark, Del. And he has visited the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, a key industry showcase.

Well shit, I am pretty qualified also because I have gone to the Auto Show many times.

SUV's Rule, Cars Kill You

I wonder what all those tree hugging hippies are going to have a stroke now ...

New small SUVs received high enough marks in the latest round of insurance industry crash tests that testers recommend them over small cars for buyers looking for more fuel-efficient rides.

And OMG, look who ranks up their with the japanese ...

Among eight new models tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, four earned the "top safety pick" award -- the Ford Escape (that includes the Merc Mariner and Hybrids), Volkswagen Tiguan, Nissan Rogue and Mitsubishi Outlander -- for highest grades in front, side and rear crashes. (emphasis mine)

Take that you freaking hippies.

Chrysler Says "Take Vacation When I Tell You To"

Chrysler just gave all of it's employees notice of when they will be using their vacation time for 2009.

Chrysler LLC has decided to keep its requirement that all workers take the same two-week summer vacation.

The company told employees by e-mail on Wednesday that the 2009 summer break will take place the weeks of July 13 and 20.

What you only have 2 weeks of vacation time total? And you have a family wedding in October or February or April?

Tough shit

You will be using your 2 weeks of vacation in July, just tell those people to move their wedding date.

Oh, and have a nice fucking day you losers.

Thank-you, Chrysler Management

Woo Hoo!

No nothing about a job ...

The house behind us though!

Woo Fing Hoo!

The horrible bank, CHASE, finally got off their asses and has moved forward with claiming full possession of the house.

In the past couple days their has been a flurry of activity and we found out last night from one of the people that have been there that the house is going to be fixed up.

The clearer out people are here today. The crap the people left behind is unbelieveable.

The gut the house out people are suppose to start once the clearer out people are done. The said the house is going to be gutted from the inside, after they do mold checks. The house is full of mold but they have to determine if it's the ok to throw everything out kind or the need the men in the special suits to come in a throw it out.

Once the house is gutted the fixer up people will come in and bring it up to code only and the house will sell as is.

The people last night said most likely the pool will need to be filled in because it has probably up lifted.

And as a side topic to this post ...

A couple weeks ago the juvenile deliquents came back and hopped the fence and were rummaging around in the bushes. We thought they were trying to get a window open but they came out of the bushes and sat down by the pool for half hour.

We went to bed ...

Woke up the next morning and a bunch of weeds were missing ...

The asswipes, at some point, had planted pot and came back during the night to harvest it.

I went to the police station and told them what happened and they agreed it had to be pot (because who would want ordinary weeds). They checked it out but said everything had been harvested.

Yep, we had pot growing at the house behind us and didn't have a clue. But in our defense we never got that close to the back of their house and didn't pay attention to what was growing in their landscaping, from out view it looked like weeds.

Thunder Over Michigan

Thunder Over Michigan is this weekend!

It's an airshow at Willow Run Airport, the airport built by Henry Ford to test and fly out the bombers that were built at the plant attached to the airport, Willow Run is now a private flight and cargo airport.

They also have the Yankee Air Museum on site, featuring a whole bunch of old aircraft. There was a huge fire there several years ago and they lost quite a few aircraft but did manage to save some.

Last year the Blue Angles were at the airshow, this year they are not. Since I live 4 miles as the crow flys from the airport the Blue Angles, while doing their shows and practice, would fly right over the house and pretty low I might add.

Pictures from last year, I have many but all were taken by just sitting in my backyard.

It's Alive

4 weeks

1 month

Where the hell did the time go, feels more like just a couple weeks. Honestly, I have no idea where 4 weeks have went.

Still no calls, nobody is hiring not even contract jobs. Talked with a contract house last week and they said they haven't even gotten a job in a month. And this is a big contract house, on the size of Kelly Services.

This is getting more depressing as the days go on. And with both Chrysler and GM announcing they are going to lay off a couple thousand each I don't think I will have a new job this year.

But Life Goes On ....

The puppers are enjoying this, they get a walk almost every morning (some mornings the arthritis won't let me and by late morning it's to warm).

It's funny but sad that I have had to start wearing shoes in the house because my feet don't like going a week without wearing shoes (the 30 minutes of pupper walking in the morning doesn't really count). Besides the 30 minutes in the morning I am only averaging 2 hours of shoe wearing a week.

My goal is to get Lance to ring the bell for potty. Maggie does it and Lance will just tag onto her ring but if he has to pee and Maggie doesn't and I am upstairs he will just pee in his crate. He just hasn't taken to the bell.

Now for pupper pictures!