Can I get a rain check?

I'll admit there are a few shows I like to watch on the tele, but I rarely find time to catch 'em and I got rid of my DVR (I know, what was I thinking?). Well, one of those shows that I worship is The Office and yesterday Season 3 came out. I was pretty excited to pick it up from my local Best Buy (thanks for the gift certificate, Kim!), but when I got there it was all sold out. At $32.99 it's a pretty good price and like I mentioned, I had a gift certificate. Afraid that the price would go up after a day or two I thought I would do the "safe" thing and get a rain check. That's what rain checks are for right? I mean, c'mon people, right? When an advertised item runs out of stock you get to come back when they do have it in stock at the same price unless the ad specifically states "no rain checks". At least that's what I've been raised to understand. Correct me if I'm wrong, Mom. According to Best Buy, I'm wrong.

After standing in line at the customer service counter for a good 23 minutes a blue shirt and a name tag that read "Rachel" greeted me with a forced smile. I explained the situation and that I would like a rain check. Easy enough. She went to work pulling the SKU and typing furiously at her terminal. I gave her all the information and the next thing I knew there was a proper printed rain check in my hand. Awesome! I was ecstatic. Then, the unexpected:

"Alright, sir, you're good to go," she said.
"Great! Thanks," said I.
"This rain check guarantees the price, but not the item."
"OK...wait. Excuse me. What?"
"The rain check guarantees the price, but not the item."
"I don't follow [I looked down at the $39.99 price]. Why would this guarantee a price higher than what it's marked today? Isn't the purpose of a rain check to guarantee the price?"
"Like I said, the price is guaranteed, but not the item."
"So you say, but why would I want a rain check for a 33 dollar item that guarantees that I can pay the full 40-dollar price tag later? Why would I do that?"
"I don't know, that's our policy."
"Well it sucks...[I turn and walk away counting backwards from 10 while taking deep breaths]"

America, I apologize for my naivety. All this time I've been believing in something that just isn't true. It's sad that I had to go through this embarrassing ordeal to finally see the error in my whays.

Baby Boy Names

OK, so we found out the we're having a boy next. Deep down I was kind of hoping for another girl for a few reasons. (A) We already have a ton of girl stuff, and (2) Lana is so much fun and the cutest girl on the planet...another daddy's girl would be great. (Note to self: delete this post before Tim Jr. get's a chance to read it)

Anyway...back to the name game. We're having a hard time picking out a name. Before I create a poll and allow folk to vote, I need to populate a list of possibilities. So lemme have 'em. Reply to this post with your ideas for names. I've had a few gems, but Christa doesn't like names like Thor Hammer Kelley so help me out.

If the creative juices aren't flowing yet allow me to start things off with some that I've been kicking around.

James
Marshall (I'm told this one has zero chance)
Jack
John
Timothy
Ryan
Hanson
Dillon (Dylan)
Sean
Steele
Ryder

Have at it!

Growing up.

Well, when I was finishing up a roll of film from our Yellowstone trip (yes, I said "roll of film", I'm old skool like that) I snapped this photo of Lana waving to me. It's amazing how fast she is growing. It seems like she was born just yesterday and now she is almost 14 months old! She's becoming more like a little girl everyday.

I can't wait until she starts talking more. Her favorite words are hey, duck, dog, that, uh-oh, momma, and dadda (her first word). She signs please and thank you. She can point to her nose, ears, mouth, shoes, and eyes when prompted. She can growl like a beast when you read her a book that requires growling and bark like a dog when she hears Marshall barking. If you say "excellent" she will immediately bring her hands up while tenting her fingers in the style of Monty Burns. She has specific waves for "hey" and "bye, bye". She also blows kisses.

So far her professional resume includes Farr West City 2007 Overall Cutest Baby:

More to follow...

What about Tim?

I blog. Just like Bob Wiley sails, I blog.

Now that I've got a little family of my own I'm not sure how well I'll fit into the whole blogging community. Aren't blogs the perfect medium through which self-indulgent narcissists let the world know how important they are? Is a blog nothing more than a digital shrine dedicated to the egomaniac that manipulates its binary code? A testament of one's self-proclaimed coolitude? If the answers to these questions are "yes", I am in the right place.

It's good to be king!