Water department follies, continued

So they've been digging up our street to put in new pipes for a couple of weeks now. Among other things, this means parking is an ever-changing challenge. (Which was TRULY entertaining yesterday, as my car was in for service and I kept the loaner overnight. They gave me the most BORING silver sedan I have ever had the displeasure of driving, which always leads to the "Where did I park? Wait, WHAT did I park?" line of questioning. But I digress.)

So last Friday we found a "temporary water shut-off notice" stuck in our mail slot. (Said mail slot, BTW, has been disused for years and is partially occluded by a ficus tree. I don't know what the hell they were thinking. Has the DWP not discovered doorknob hangers?) Saying that the water would be shut off from 8 AM to 3 PM on the 11th, which was obviously yesterday.

I didn't stick around much past 8 yesterday, but the water was still running when I left, and stuartc says it was still working when he left at 9.

It's now 7:40 on the 12th, and there are digging sounds practically outside our front door. I've got a bad feeling about this.

Oh, and there are several NEW "no parking" signs up, something about tree trimming. Who the hell coordinates these things?!

Wait, what?

MG Rover, now under Chinese ownership, is outsourcing 500 car manufacturing jobs.

To Oklahoma.

WTF, over?

I'm gonna stop reading the news now...

... it's just too weird for me this morning.

'Killer kangaroo' evidence found

On the other hand, how often do you see the phrase "demon duck of doom" used in a serious news story?

EDIT: I should really take my own advice. 5 minutes later, I ran across an LA times headline about "the Christian weight-loss movement".

Help me

In random kitchen conversation, I just overheard the word "leftovers" as "Metrowerks".

A lively discussion ensued.

taking bad UI to a whole new level

Dear Singerco.com,

Congratulations! Your web site is SO irritating and hard to use that it will haunt me for quite some time. (Your utter inability to tell me where I can buy your spiffy embroidery machine is not helping your case either.)

Love,

Me.

Complete and utter failure of my shopping fu

I phoned (or attempted to phone) 11 sewing machine purveyors in the local area today. I am in search of the Quantum Futura cheap-ass embroidery machine.

The first three numbers I called, I didn't even get an answer.

I found a place that carries Berninas, a place that carries Vikings and Janomes, a place that carries a single White (where's my barge pole?), and a place that carries an industrial model the size of a refrigerator. There is a guy in Westchester who seems to really know his stuff, but he's a total snob about the machines. (Good for him; I'd like to be a snob about the machines too, but I simply can't afford that at the moment.) There was a lady in Torrance who didn't have any embroidery machines at all but suggested I should call the other lady in Torrance -- yes, I just called her and I can't afford her Berninas, kthxbye.

I would really like the CE-200, which comes with the design-your-own-designs software included and has more stitches. Singer's own web site cannot tell me where to purchase that machine. For the CE-100, I am about to do the unthinkable and drop by the local Wal-Mart after work. Yes, I am that desperate.

Sigh. This machine seems to fit a niche that the retailers won't admit exists. Places like Target and Jo-Ann won't carry anything this high-end, and the "real" sewing shops won't carry anything this low-end. But... but... the whole concept is SO COOL!

Sigh. If Wal-Mart fails me, only another 20 or so places to call tomorrow. At least it should go fairly quickly.