4-21-10 Wednesday (Blinded By Delays)

This morning I booked a toured of the Capitol building and requested a White House tour.  This took some internet researching.  I found:

Getting tickets to tour the White House isn't impossible, but it will require some planning. Once you've determined what days you will be visiting DC, contact your member of Congress and request tickets to tour the White House.

Here's How:
1. Determine the dates you will be traveling to DC.
2. Contact your Member of Congress and request tickets during the days you will be in town. Provide them with a couple of date options.
3. As the day of your departure for DC nears and if you haven't heard back from your Member of Congress, call their office and follow-up with a staffer.
4. Tours are provided to groups of 10 or more, but do not worry if your traveling party doesn't meet that requirement. Your Member of Congress will try and pair you up with other tourists who are also visiting during the same days you are.
Tips:
1. When the Congressional office contacts you to arrange the tour, be prepared to provide the congressional staff with your date of birth and social security number and those of anyone in your traveling party.

The word “shoosh” comes to mind.  They will call me in June and tell me if I’ve been approved for a White House tour.  No personal info has been swapped yet so it’s not like I’m undergoing a background check or anything.  Shoosh.

I won’t name names but a dog in the household has been naughty with peeing on the carpet so I had to steam clean the carpets today. 

I still haven’t received my mini-blinds order from American Blinds, Wallpaper & More.   The website says estimated ship date is 4-13 which has long passed.  I called them and the woman said she’d check with the manufacturer.  They say the ship date will be the 26th-ish.  I told her this was very disappointing since that’s far off from the ETA.  She nasally and unemotionally replied (while reading a script), “I apologize sir.  That is only an estimated date for shipping and is actually determined by the manufacturers work load.  Is there  anything else (being dismissed) I can help you with today?”  Why yes.  That will be the last time I order from your company.  I would have been happier with “I’m SO sorry, the manufacturer has reported they are behind due to an abnormally high work load. This is so unusual for them.   I’ve asked that they expedite your order.”   No customer service skills OR that’s what American Blinds feels is an appropriate level of service.  I should have bought them from Lowe’s or Home Depot except they didn’t have the color (without custom ordering) that I wanted.

The RV patio mats have been put away wet and sandy.  I’ve taken all 3 rugs and scrubbed them down, rinsed them off and hung them over the hot tub to dry.  One of the rugs is huge so it was hard to work with on my own.

With the alignment finished, I went down to Goodyear, roadtested the RV and then settled up on the bill.  The steering wheel was aligned.  They said both rear axles aren’t adjustable but were only out by 1/16” of an inch.  Jim and I will go pick it up later after the gym and dinner.  It will be a late night.

 

Jim made a recovery while I still had some lingering side effects.  Morgan, Ann, Jim and I drove to Flagstaff.  A new RV park.  We all wasted some money to see plants.  Ann assisted Jim with repairs.  Get the details here.

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