Blog entries for T15

AAA refuses to help my stranded wife

T15 — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:22:00 GMT

This morning my wife was backing here Honda Civic out of our driveway and got stuck with her front wheels spinning in the gutter and her trunk sticking out into the street. With me pushing and her negotiating the steering wheel we could not get it to budge. I told her to call AAA of which we have a membership. I wasn’t there to listen to the call but apparently AAA does not cover being stuck pulling out of a driveway. They told her if she was stuck in a ditch that would be covered. So in turn I called AAA and explained that the car was blocking half the street with her front tires spinning in the gutter. The AAA person explained that he would arrange a tow and that it would take an hour. So we went back to work on it in the meantime.

Luckily a neighbor kid was out there and offered to help. We were able to get my wife’s car out. As I was telling my wife to call AAA and cancel the tow, ironically, the neighbor kid who helped us got his car stuck while pulling out of his on street parking spot. We were able to get him out as well.

So my wife called AAA to cancel the tow and apparently they told her that the tow was on hold. Not knowing what this meant I called AAA and demanded an explanation. They initially explained that this wasn’t the way it should have been and that they were sorry about that. I accepted their apology but explained that I needed a better response than, ‘sorry’. I explained that depending on their answer it would determine whether or not I would continue my membership. I also told them that I would be writing this blog and that their answer would also determine how favorably or negatively it reflects on them. They told me that a supervisor would be getting back to me. I was angry because had I not been there my wife would have been stranded when we paid for this service for years and never needed to use it before.

I called them at 10 AM this morning and now its 1:20 PM. 3 hours and 20 minutes later, no call yet. Thanks a pant load AAA. I will be canceling my membership.

No Free Quarter-Pounder with eTickets

T15 — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:17:07 GMT

So the Bucks pull off a win last night over Memphis and with total Bucks points being over 99. What that usually means is the following day McDonalds will give you a free quarter-pounder in return for your ticket. That is of course true if you have an officially printed ticket; however, it isn’t the case if you have an eTicket, which you print at home on your personal printer. This of course makes sense because they don’t scan the ticket numbers at McDonalds, so someone could print or copy their ticket, go to a bunch of McDonalds, and get a bunch of free quarter-pounters. I remember the days when leaving the Bucks game after a win with 100 or more meant hawking the floor at the Bradley Center, going to McDonalds, collecting a quarter-pounter for every ticket we had, and shamelessly answering ‘no’ to ‘do you want anything to drink with that?’ Questioning the manager on the policy he explained that it changed this year. So provided the McDonalds manager is informed or cares about the policy, there are no free hamburgers with eTicket and that is why I will head to the McDonalds on North Ave this evening to see if it flies. No one call them please.

Milwaukee's Historical Architecture

T15 — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 23:02:28 GMT

There was recently an article on OMC called “Milwaukee Old vs. New” or something. I couldn’t find it in the search but in this article Milwaukee’s old skyline won out over the new. A lot of the old buildings were torn down in the 50s and 60s to make way for progress. This got me doing some research on Milwaukee’s architecture and historical buildings and I found a website from a professor of architecture at my alma matter Milwaukee School of Engineering. This website shows many historical Milwaukee building and explains when, how, and why they were built, and who build them. Take a look at the link, I find it really interesting. This might help you appreciate Milwaukee’s historical architecture that you drive past everyday and don’t even think about.

Irrelevant Question: Answered

T15 — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 17:16:24 GMT

To some this may seem irrelevant and to others reading this may be just a way to past time. The other night a friend of mine, who happens to be a chief at a popular Milwaukee restaurant, and I were up at Nomad discussing the subtle nuanise of different hot sauces. This conversation shortly turned to what is the difference between jams and preserves. Neither of us could answer this question so consequently my inquiring mind had to know. I found the answer at my favorite cooking website, Epicurious.com (link below).

Jam
A thick mixture of fruit, sugar (and sometimes pectin) that is cooked until the pieces of fruit are very soft and almost formless. It is used as a bread spread, a filling for pastries and cookies and an ingredient for various desserts.

Preserves
Fruit cooked with sugar and usually pectin, used as a spread for bread. Preserves differ from jam in that the chunks of fruit are medium to large rather than the texture of thick puree.

Also Noted:

Jelly
A clear, bright mixture made from fruit juice, sugar and sometimes pectin. The texture is tender but will be firm enough to hold its shape when turned out of its container. Jelly is used as a bread spread and as a filling for some cakes and cookies.
Marmalade
[MAHR-muh-layd]
A preserve containing pieces of fruit rind, especially citrus fruit. The original marmalades were made from quince — the Portuguese word marmelada means "quince jam." Now, however, Seville oranges are the most popular fruit for marmalades.