Follow, Mahalo

We are now official!

2009-09-06T13:32:00.003-05:00

I'll keep this post short, but wanted to brag on my alma mater - finally, our first football team took the field yesterday. We had a blast tailgating and watching our beloved Jags beat the tar out of Hargrave Military Academy. The opponent were no slouches; they are basically a "farm" system of big-time FBS programs. 3-5 star recruits who are declared academically ineligible enroll at schools like this make their grades.

At any rate, it was a great day - here's some video links from our local NBC affiliate, WMPI

News story on USA's first game
Jags-Hargrave Highlights

Jeff's Gameday Photos

SMS Scam - please read!

2009-05-24T10:44:00.001-05:00

Hi all - I had a "scammer" experience regarding my cell phone bill. Read further to find out how to protect yourself!!

I was checking our voice/sms usage on our Verizon bill and noticed a $9.99 charge for Premium TXT Messaging. Not sure what that was, I called Verizon - they told me it was "SMS Gamer Info" via sms # 9700. Verizon told me that they could not refund the charges, but to call this number 866-606-7216 and request a cancellation. So I did. I also googled this number and found this "consumer alert" comment site:

I called the number, and it was obvious this went to an outsourced call center. I asked for a cancellation, gave my number, and was told my account was cancelled. I then asked for a credit be given, which they agreed to. Phone call over. I started getting the feeling that I was never going to get my money back - so I decided to call them back. The call agent answered and I told them I had just cancelled my account and that I would like an email confirming I will receive a credit.

SCAMMER: "Yes, your account has been cancelled and you will receive a credit." [WTF? I'm calling from my mother's phone!]

ME: "what number am I calling about?" [no answer]
SCAMMER: I will double check for you - what is the number you are calling about?

ME: 251-340-xxxx -- [this was our old landline phone number that we canceled about 6 months ago.]
[Long Pause.]

SCAMMER: Yes, this account has been cancelled
ME: Please send me an email stating that it has been cancelled and that I will receive a full credit.
SCAMMER: I'm sorry, but we are unable to send the email you requested.
ME: How will I get my refund?
SCAMMER: You will receive a check in a few weeks.
ME: What address are you going to send it to? [can you see where this is going?]
SCAMMER: We have limited customer information, the Finance department will send you the check.
ME: I would like to speak with this department to make sure they have the right address because I have moved recently.
SCAMMER: Well what is the address?
ME: You can go ahead and transfer me.....

At this point, I decided I was fed up enough and started to ask "Are you scamming me?", but the call was disconnected before I got it all out.

So basically I just got shafted for $20 (2 months) that I did not authorize. Someone is responsible, and that someone is VERIZON. Called them back - I actually got a more helpful rep on the phone who assisted as much as she could. In the end (so far), I was able to get the Premium TXT Messaging blocked, and one month's charge ($9.99) credited.
You can stick your tongue out at me and call me names all you want....just don't F*** with my money.

So - my advice to you:

Check your bills for any weird charges
Be Proactive! Get your carrier to block "Premium Text Messaging)

** with this feature blocked, you won't be able to vote for American Idol or get those stupid ringtones (PhoneZo o is free, people!)**

If you have this on your bill, take your carrier to task. They should be able to credit your account for at least one month (I'm not done bugging mine about the remaining charge.)
Lastly, ask your carrier how to cancel this fradulent account.

Good luck!
-Jeff

Nine Inch Nails - May 10,2009 - Atlanta, GA

2009-05-16T09:45:00.001-05:00

We are still alive, I promise! I guess I have a personal issue with posting blogs with no pictures, and since our camera went kaput, we haven't taken many pictures lately...hence, no blogs. Well, even though I didn't take good pictures (the small ones are mine), I found some pictures and video from our concernt online that other people took - so here we go:

Leah and I drove up to Atlanta, GA on May 8th to see the farewell Nine Inch Nails tour, along with Jane's Addiction. We are lucky to have my cousin living there and gracious enough to let us bunk with her for a couple nights.

I’ll start off with our trip in general – we went to the GA Aquarium on Saturday. – this place was AWESOME. Watching the Beluga Whales and the Whale Sharks were worth the price of admission. I cannot wait until they open the Dolphin/Penguin exhibit late next year.

Went to a place in East Atlanta Village called Holy Taco – this place was amazing. $1.50 Miller High Life (I know, I know, but they were a fucking buck-fifty each), and the best margaritas and tacos I have had in long time. It’s in a very progressive, artsy, counter-culture-y neighborhood, so that was cool.

Attention old people: we went to The Container Store – if you need a container for anything, they have it. We bought a dog food container and a Lid Maid for our pot lids. Awesome.

Okay – so we got to the show, found our spot on the grass

and listened to Street Sweeper Social Club (with Tom Morello, the guitarist for Rage Against the Machine, and Boots Riley) – these guys were awesome. Tom Morello played a solo with his mouth because he is the shit.

I went up to grab another $11, 24oz beer and saw something that reminded me of a scene from the movie PCU with Jon Favreau and Jeremy Piven:

Droz: "You're wearing the shirt of the band you're going to see? Don't be that guy."

Next was NIN (Trent didn’t want to be the closer). He put together an awesome set – definitely created for NIN fans rather than casual listeners. He did not play Closer or Hurt – he played songs like Heresy, The Becoming, and covers of Adam Ant's Physical and Gary Numan's Metal. During Survivalism, Saul Williams appeared and joined in. Then Trent and Saul performed Banged & Blown Through from Saul William’s recent album, which was produced by Reznor. So that was a pretty cool surprise.

Trent gave a really good speech to the audience about today's music industry:

Also got to see Jane’s Addiction perform a few songs before we left. Didn’t get to stick around for Jane Says or Been Caught Stealin’ – but oh well I will live. It wasn’t bad – maybe a little more trippy-ish than what I prefer. Even though Odair’s friend’s cousin said that Dave Navarro has a 4-inch penis, he can still shred the guitar and Perry Ferrell is a loony toon but a charismatic rock star. I read that he was taking blunt hits from the fans down in the pit – and at some point he tore his calf muscle. I’m sure the weed numbed that up.

Overall it was a great show - nothing can top the NIN show at the Tabernacle, but it was cool to see Trent & Co again....hopefully not for the last time.

Set List:
Noise Intro
1,000,000
Wish
Heresy
March of the Pigs
Something I Can Never Have
Metal
The Becoming
Head Down
Mr. Self Destruct
Reptile
The Big Come Down
Gave Up
Gone, Still
Survivalism (w Saul Williams)
Banged & Blown Through (w Saul Williams)
Home
Trent Speaks & Intros Band
Physical (You're So)
Down In It
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like A Hole

Cutting the Proverbial Cord

2008-12-08T21:54:00.002-06:00

We finally did it - we canceled one of our few remaining ties to 20th-century living: the land-line phone. Technically, our Vonage VoIP account is more 21st-century technology, but it still carries the stigma of a "home telephone."
Don't get us wrong; we loved Vonage - it was a cheap and dependable alternative to a traditional landline that came with all the bells and whistles. The bottom line is that it was just another bill. Back in March, I downgraded our $25/month unlimited use plan to a $15/month plan that had 100 outgoing minutes and unlimited incoming minutes. I noticed that we don't pay attention to our Vonage voicemail or even check the caller ID - so I simply doubled our shared Verizon minutes for a mere $8/mo and unplugged the antiquated phone cord.
Moral of the story: delete our home phone number....it's now useless.

Necrotizing Fascitis and You

2008-12-01T17:55:00.007-06:00

Just when we thought our medical issues were past us, we signed on for recurring roles on ER and made another trip up to Thomas Hospital in Fairhope.

Leah had never really physically recovered since the D&C, specifically her hand issues that we discussed in the baby blog. The morning of the miscarriage, I snapped these pictures of her hand.

Fast forward to Thanksgiving - she just wasn't feeling good. Her hand was swollen and her back was in pain (we had been told the back pain was postpartum/hormonal.) She had also developed a warm, firm swollen area on the posterior hip area. Our families convinced us to go see a doctor the following day. Ate breakfast with Aunt Judy, Rebecca, and my mother at the Eastern Shore Cafe (yum) and then toted the wife down to the Emergency Room. Probably 20 different people came into the room to look at Leah's afflictions and ask her the same questions over and over...until it was decided that she needed to go into surgery.....again. The doctor informed us that she had an infection of some sort and needed to get it all out. We spent the next 3 days in the hospital while she received strong antibiotics to treat this mysterious disease. She also had to get a blood transfusion because she was anemic. The blood culture came back this morning....Strep. That's right, the same Streptococcus that gets into our throats. I found that the necrotizing fascitis affected her pinkie - and after looking at these pictures, it could have been much worse and is a very scary thought.

To make a long story short, we're finally back home after a long weekend. Leah will be at home for the next couple of days - maybe we can snap some pictures of her gross wounds.

Austal launches 2nd Hawaii Superferry

2008-10-01T19:23:00.002-05:00

As we were cruising back from Tampa on Monday, my company was achieving another exciting milestone with the launch of the 2nd Hawaii Superferry.

Hawaii Superferry’s second vessel was floated out of dry dock Tuesday by Alabama ship-maker Austal. It will remain at the Austal shipyard for addition work before sea trials began later this year.

Austal President Joe Rella called the launch “ahead of schedule and on budget,” according to the Press-Register.

In 2004 Austal secured a $190 million deal to build two ferries.

The first ship, the Alakai, offers daily trips between Oahu and Maui.

The second ferry could begin operations between Oahu and the Big Island as early as May 2009.

The ferries each can carry 866 passengers and 282 cars.

Packers - Bucs game

2008-10-01T19:01:00.004-05:00

We made the journey to Tampa, FL to visit our dear friends, Tony and Cayla - it just so happens that my beloved Green Bay Packers were in town as well.
After work Friday, Leah and I mounted up for the 8-hour haul, picked up Deric on the way. We were the first lucky guests to sleep in the Laniers' beautiful and charming home in the historic Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa. Cayla and Tony fed us as if we were royalty, and were also amazing tour guides. We even got to drive through a part of Tampa they had never been through....and probably wouldn't mind if they never went back.
We spent Saturday afternoon and evening with other dear friends, Carly & Francis, and our gracious secondary hosts, Andrea and John. Gator and Bulldog fans shared the same fate, but we had a blast.
Sunday was game day. It was my first NFL game, and who better to watch it with than your two Best Men. After taking advantage of "free" beer (TINSTAAFL, folks), we posted up in our fantastic seats 11-rows up from the end zone (thanks Cayla!) and watched a helluva football game. Althought the Pack lost, I still had a blast. There were a few Buccaneer fans that were plain ugly at us Packer fans (and fellow Buc fans), but I guess after all those rough years and only one Super Bowl to show for it really does bring out the worst in people. Let's not even get started on Tweedledum and his drunk wife, Tweedledee....... ("SAAAAAAAAACK!!") I'm sorry I don't have any pictures...we forgot our camera in Daphne, and Tony forgot to bring his as well. But, here Aaron Rodgers scrambling to a Tampa Bay zombie.

The weekend went by way too fast, but we were thankful to spend it with our amazing friends. If you are ever thinking about a weekend trip to the Tampa Bread & Breakfast - do it; they are amazing hosts.
Keep an eye out for future posts.....something's-a-brewin' in Daphne, AL. Cheers

Reel Big Fish + Zolof = Duet All Night Long

2008-09-21T16:09:00.005-05:00

A buddy of mine showed this to me today, and I'm enjoying it enough to take time from watching football to post it. I have never heard of Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer, but I am instantly hooked. The link to download is below.

1. "Ask" (originally by The Smiths) - Reel Big Fish (03:20)
2. "Dress You Up" (originally by Madonna) - Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer (03:24)
3. "Lyin' Ass Bitch" (originally by Fishbone) - Reel Big Fish (04:17)
4. "Don't You Want Me" (originally by The Human League) - Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer (03:08)
5. "It's Not Easy" (originally from the Walt Disney animated film Pete's Dragon) - Reel Big Fish (02:46)
6. "Say Say Say" (originally by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney) - Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer (03:23)

http://www.mediafire.com/?mnnm5fo3ydt

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Now playing: Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer - Dress You Up

First Post!!

2008-09-20T17:32:00.000-05:00

Now playing: Input Junkie - Quietland
via FoxyTunes
In our never ending struggle to keep up with the Jones', we have decided to create this blog to keep all of you up to date on what's happening in our world. We'll also post some links to websites that we find interesting and would like to share with you - so check back, you'll never know what we'll be posting next!