About that iPhone...

GOOD NEWS! GOT IT!

Well, didn't get the phone itself, but even better, I got a $600 check.

The whole process was laborious. I don't recommend it to anyone. This was just something I wanted to do to see if you really could take advantage of those little sidebar advertisements. However, if you are thinking about trying it, some tips:


1. Check out scam.com to see if that site is legit
Good site where I learned some dos and don'ts.

2. Create a secondary email address
I stopped deleting all the spam from my gmail account, and now it's around 1200.

3. Get a gift Visa card to fill out the offers
This way you can't get taken advantage of if something does go wrong.

4. Be patient but persistent
I called and emailed the company probably 20 times total. The process took over 9 weeks, but it probably would have taken longer had I done nothing.


It is also a good idea to avoid offers that make you list friends email addresses to participate. All I had to do was complete 5 offers, that ranged from $1 to $10 to sign up for. Over all I spent about $35. Another potential catch is that if you sign up for an offer over $600 you have to submit a W9 form for IRS gift reasons. I looked into the integrity of the site I was using and it was reputable. I saved all of their emails and "Terms and Conditions" policies to make sure. It ranks in the top 100 most visited sites in America. Overall, grueling process, but it was worth it.

Bob Dylan's Brush

Random collection of some Dylan paintings in Germany.
You can also read about it here.

Chaco Sockos

The jig is up.

Who doesn't love Chacos? You? Well, then this post isn't for you.

Chacos are the world's best sandal. Period. I even started a Facebook group about them. The only downside is that you can't really wear them in the winter...

A while ago I had an idea to make some socks you can wear with Chacos. I told Luke about it, and that's about as far as I got. I do not know the first thing about marketing an idea to anyone, so, I forgot about it. Whoops.

Turns out some guys in Florida also came up with the idea and have since cashed in on it. You can see their website here.

Kudos to them. I like my product name better though.

One man's trash...

So if you frequent Goodwill, you will be surprised at what you find. Old records, used couches, sketchy golf clubs, the stale air of dead possessions*...yes. But guess what I got today.

$6 Wallabees.

Great shoes that cost over $100. So that's the good news.

Bad news is that they're women's. But good news is that Rachel wanted some Wallabees. So, technically bad news is good news now. It's a win, win, win situation.

On a related note, at Caribou this morning, a man in a corduroy jacket reported the men's restroom was a little dirty. Being the only male on that shift, I had to assess the situation. It was around 7am and we were pretty busy, so i decided to wait a minute to go look at it. A minute turned into an hour. I finally trudged into the bathroom, weathering laughs from my fellow employees. Brevity will serve us well here. On the walls, floor. Paper towels etc. stacked up a half foot high in the corner. Who in the world.
I'll tell you who... we noticed after a while that the same man who reported the incident kept going to the bathroom - he went at least 4 times. Culprit? Well, there's no proof anymore, thankfully.

The Fuzz (part 2)

Twiddily dee, twiddily doo, blue lights.
I saw the cop following me as I was taking Rachel home after an amazing date. I knew as I was being pulled over that I had done nothing wrong. I knew it.

Officer: License and (yada yada yada)...please

Innocent Jon: Here you are Sir, what seems to be the problem Sir?

Offy: (slowly reaches for pepper-spray) Have you purchased a new car recently young man?

InoJon: Ahhhhhhhh, No Sir.

Offy: I've been following you and ran your plates. DMV records show you are driving with a canceled license plate. It says you turned it in. I'll be back in a moment.

IJ: Bwaaaaaaaaaaht?

To make a painful dialog short, I got a ticket for...(hang on, I'll get the ticket and quote it...one second here):

"You did unlawfully and willfully operate a motor vehicle on a street or highway, (DISPLAY)(REGISTRATION NUMBER PLATE) knowing the same to be cancelled. (G.S. 20-111(2))."

So! I called some family members to get an idea about what just happened. Talked to my parents, grandparents (who help with insurance), and they had not the fainest idea. So, I called the DMV. Calling the DMV is a lot like waiting in line at the DMV, only, electronically. Very frustrating. Finally got through and told them the situation, and they told me that I had turned in my plate on 4.13.07. That I personally canceled it.

I jumped on my horse and went the the DMV and asked what had happened. They pulled up my records and told me the same thing. I then presented to them my license plate, in its original non-turned-in state, and they contacted headquarters for about 30 minutes. I stood there reading my book, just waiting. In the end, they denied any wrongdoing and sent me on my way with a new plate (I kept the old one to take to court).

Next, I called and emailed the head honchos at the DMV. I eventually talked with the head of the DMV and she apologized and emailed me the records containing my "cancellation." She said I'd get it thrown out in court. Whew. That was fun.

IPHONE update:
I was contacted recently by the company doing the promo, which incidentally began in May of this year, and they informed me I would be receiving a check for $600 for the iphone. They ran out or something. Oh well - cut out the middle man. I was going to sell it anyway. I'll let you know when the check comes...

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Drive safe.

More Huckabee

Look in the top right corner of the pic - my blog! On Mike's website! I'll be famous soon.

A few other Huckabee observations:

1. Huckabee got a $400 haircut back in May to poke fun of John Edwards. The money went to Autism research. A few days ago, Tom Tancredo, a much darker horse, boasted he was going to get a $400 hair cut. Little late there Tommy.

2. Chuck Norris now approves Mike Huckabee - this is very funny.

A Prairie Home Companion

This is a weekly NPR show produced in St. Paul Minnesota. So, so funny. Here is a quote from "Thanksgiving Script," a hilarious story about college kids returning home for the holidays.

"Thanksgiving is the closest America gets to an Islamic state. Rooms separated by gender. Men in the living room, women in the kitchen. Men bow down to the football game, women bow down to the turkey."

To listen to the whole thing go here.

On another note, I've also started a new workout plan. It's called "Your Girlfriend's Dad Needs Wood Split." Ok, this is worth a lengthier side note...

I worked at the Bou from 5:30am to 11:00am today, then headed over to Rachel's house. Her dad needed some wood chopped up, so, I volunteered. However, the closest thing my city-softened hands have come to this process is this. So. The first log I picked happened to be a wet one. Not the wipe. A soggy, heavy piece of wood that I hacked at for 8 minutes. Every hit was a resounding "novice" or "weakling." Then Mr. Beard told me to stop, and gave me a dry one. Much easier. From then on out, after a few blisters and a lot of sweat, I made a stack. Thank you, thanks, no, stop it, thank you very much. Now, I'm sore. But at least I know that somewhere, somehow, a family will be warm this winter. That's what makes me do it...that's my fuel. And I needed to impress Rachel's dad.