HD has been installed!

Well, it took three and a half days, way too many phone calls, a few e-mails and two tech visits, but our TV now has an High Definition box. All of this happened because I went to another blog and vented about my frustrations with Comcast. Well, this morning I had two calls from local Comcast reps, Judy in Service and Jill in Billing, and all is now right again with the world. I also spoke to Frank Eliason (a Comcast executive in Philadelphia) who apologized for all the hassle I had with getting this relatively simple installation done. Frank told me that my problem was discussed with "at the executive level" and that they are taking steps to prevent this from happening again.

Late night e-mail from Comcast!

After reading this blog, my brother Eric told me about a website called www.comcastmustdie.blogspot.com. I posted a comment on that site and about an hour later, I recieved the following e-mail:

From: Eliason, Frank <Frank_Eliason@cable.comcast.com>
Date: Nov 29, 2007 10:05 PM
Subject: Comcast Blog
To: Paul Kratochwill

Mr. Kratochwill,

On behalf of Comcast, I would like to apologize for all the difficulty you have experienced. I have asked our Michigan team to reach out to you tomorrow, and make sure all of your concerns are addressed fully.

If you need my assistance, please let me know! By the way, Happy Birthday!

Thank you for being a Comcast Subscriber!

Frank Eliason
Comcast Executive Offices

1500 Market St. 28th Fl West
Philadelphia, PA 19102

I had a few more e-mail exchanges with Frank last night and it is clear that we visited this blog in trying to find out about me. It appears to me that he wants to help. I will let everyone know how this all sorts out!

Dee made me a great dinner for my birthday!

As some of you know, today I celebrated my 45th birthday today. This morning, my dear sister called me and asked me, "So how does 45 feel?" I told her that it did not feel any different than 30 or 35 or 40. I also reminded her that unlike most people my age, my hair is still the same color it was when I was 15 and that most of my hair is still in its original place!

Dee took me out to a nearby restaurant, Rose's, which is about a 15 minute walk from our home. We left for Rose's at 5PM and were seated at 5:15PM. We just beat the crowd because right after our adult beverages were served, the place filled up. Dee had an oven roasted pizza and I had a balsamic vinegar marinated flank steak dish. Dinner was delicious and we had a wonderful time tonight. All in all, this was a great way to start my 46th year on this planet!

SO JUST WHAT IS A COMCAST HOUR?

For those of you who have been following my trails and tribulations with Comcast, yesterday afternoon I was told by one of the company's customer service technicians (Lorraine) that a supervisor would call me back "within one hour" of the end of my phone call with her to tell me why they screwed up the automatic bill payment we had set up and that they arbitrarily canceled. I asked her, "When you say an hour, is that an hour in real time, or is this a Comcast hour? In my previous line of work, there was "real time" and "maintenance time." A maintenance hour was invariably a lot longer than 60 minutes. Lorraine assured me that within 60 minutes a supervisor would call me regarding this issue. Well, it has now been 21 hours and 11 minutes since I ended my conversation with Lorraine and I have yet to hear from anyone at Comcast. Today is also the day that our HDTV box is to be delivered to us. As of this posting, nothing has arrived for us.

Comcast... it just gets better!

Well, Comcast has struck us once again. While Dee and I were out to lunch, some guy named Robert from Comcast called to inform us that the credit card information supplied by us was not longer valid and that our bill was now past due. Funny, the other two services we pay using Dee's credit card (Verizon & AT&T) had no problem this month had no problem billing Dee's credit card for their services. I spent well over an hour on the phone with Comcast trying to sort all of this out. The customer service representative told me that the only way she can communicate with the Comcast billing department is via e-mail. According to Lorraine, the Comcast billing department does not accept phone calls. I said to Lorraine, "You are a communications company and you are telling me that you cannot communicate with another department within your company?" Lorraine told me, "Yes, that is correct." She was able to tell me that according to the Comcast billing department, Dee's credit card expired in October, 2007 and that is why thy could not bill us. Again, I told Lorraine about how Verizon and AT&T were able to bill her card with no problems.



Lorraine was able to help us pay our bill over the phone (and she graciously waived the $4 fee for this privilege) and she told me that a supervisor would call me back within an hour. Well, it has been precisely one hour and 21 minutes since I said goodbye to Lorraine and nobody has called me. What drives me to distraction about Comcast is that they are the only game in town for us. It is not like I can go to Cox for my internet service. Serenity now, serentity now...

Comcast... Arrgh!

Dee and I are finally down to a single home, after years of maintaining two residences. One of the "upgrades" we had often talked about doing was to get high definition television (HDTV) for the main TV in our house. We also decided to get digital voice telephone from Comcast when we upgraded to HDTV. About two weeks ago I called Comcast to arrange for the telephone conversion and HDTV. The installation technician showed up on Monday to complete the installation but he did not have an HDTV box, nor did he have the correct modem for our telephone. The technician was able to get the right modem for our phone, but he was unable to get us an HDTV box. He told us that all we had to do was go to the local Comcast Service Center to swap out the box. I called Comcast Tuesday morning to confirm that I could get the HDTV box I was told to go to the service center. Dee and I drove there yesterday afternoon and I was told that they were out of the HDTV boxes, but that my name would be put on a waiting list and when they received the boxes that I would get a call. We were disappointed, but we sullied on through with our remaining errands. When I got home from our tasks, I called Comcast to complain and I told the person who answered the call that what drove me nuts about Comcast is that for a communication company, nobody seems to communicate with each other. Her name was Jane and she was very apologetic. She told me that Comcast had made the decision to close the service centers because, "When we call the service centers, they don't return our calls. That is why they were probably not too helpful as they are all going to lose their jobs soon." Nice. Jane really wanted to help us and she said that she would have an HD box shipped to us and that she would waive out HDTV box rental fee for a year. She also gave me her direct phone number and urged me to call her if we had any problems in receiving or installing the HDTV box. Jane gave me a little more faith in Comcast, but as I said to her, "Nobody is accountable or responsible. Whenever I have a problem, I get passed from person to person and everyone just says that they are sorry, etc." Well, at least Jane put her $$$ where her mouth is. We will save $7/month for the next year. Does anybody else out there have a Comcast or cable TV issue they want to share?

Bathroom Remodeling Project

Some of you who read this blog have seen our home in East Grand Rapids. For those who have not been to our house, it is an unusual property for this city as it has a very deep backyard. Most of the homes near us have much smaller yards than ours. The land upon which our home sits is what gives the property its value. The two bathrooms in the house are 1960s vintage and they have been telling us since we moved in almost 7 years ago that they needed a facelift. Well, things have finally settled down enough for us to move ahead with Phase One, the remodeling of the main bathroom. We settled on a contractor and found out after we started negotiations with them that the owner is a former Navy Supply Corps Officer! I suppose that it is not surprising that we liked this company. We signed a contract a few weeks ago and today we went to the design center and selected the hardware for the cabinets. The production manager told us that they expect to start the demolition of the current bathroom on 6 December. He is hoping to complete the project in about two weeks. They also gave us a discount for letting them do the work in December, which is usually a slow month for work for them. Dee and Samson and I are not going anywhere for the month so it was a logical fit to "let" them do the work and take the discount. Look for more updates and photos from the demolition and construction on this blog.

THANKS, HENRY AND JAN!

Last week I received a very nice card from Henry and Jan DeVries to celebrate my retirement from the Navy. They also included a gift card for a favorite store of ours called Art of the Table. We used the gift card to purchase a bottle of Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuit, a French Burgundy. We selected the wine based on a recommendation of the store's sommelier. I made one of Dee's favorite dishes last night, a recipe called Tenderloin DeLuxe. That recipe is now posted in our Google East of the Equator Cafe group.

SAMSON SLEEPING AT MY FEET

It has been a week of tremendous progress with Samson. We continue to train him and each day he seems a little more comfortable with his place in our world. Dee and I continue to marvel at his intelligence and how eager he is to please us. The first few days with him were quite a challenge, as he was not properly socialized when he a young pup. As each day goes by he seems more and more secure with us and he certainly loves to play with us in the backyard. Next weekend we start a 6 week long obedience class with Jeanne, the trainer we met last weekend, and I think that Samson will only "get better with age."

East of the Equator Cafe

At the urging of Deirdre, I have begun to develop a new blog, and its developmental name is "East of the Equator Cafe." My vision of this blog that it will be a place where I can share recipes and cooking tips with my friends. I am working on the blog and soon I will open it up for viewing!

THANKSGIVING 2007

I am settling in my spot on the couch, watching the Packers-Lions game. I started cooking this morning when I made my famous Apple Pie. The recipe is one my mother got from a NY Times article 40 years ago and I have yet to find a better one. Apples are my favorite fruit, so it was a natural fit that apple pie would be favorite. I do not make it too often, but Deirdre clearly stated to me that she wanted "...your apple pie." Dee has set the table and everything is on track for a 5PM meal. Samson is clearly excited about dinner tonight!

Dee and I have so much to be thankful for this year. I just completed my Naval career, we have a new dog who is settling in to his surroundings and Deirdre was just promoted at her place of employment. Life agrees with me!

TWENTY YEARS AGO TODAY

It is hard for me to believe it, but it was twenty two years ago today that I was commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy. I was sworn in as an "Officer Candidate" on 29 July, 1985, which is listed as my "Pay Entry Base Date" on all the documents related to my Navy career. When I decided to join the Navy, my plan was to serve for four years to get some "real word" experience, get out and then look for a real job. When I approached the end of my initial obligated service date (November, 1989) I had orders in hand to attend the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, so I had pretty much decided to stay in for at least another four years. Despite my best intentions, the Navy kept offering me jobs that were more interesting than the last, and when I was selected for promotion to Lieutenant Commander, I knew that I would make the Navy a career. Now, twenty two years later, I am officially retired from the Navy. On this anniversary of my commissioning, I look back at the places I have gone and the people with whom I served, and I could not have asked for a more rewarding career. I also want to thank Deirdre for being such a great "Navy Wife." She supported me throughout my career, looking after the house, the cars, the dog, etc., during all my time spent at sea and on deployment. It was an incredible ride, but I am happy to be "retired!"

SAMSON CONTINUES TO GET IT...

Samson's personality and deportment continues to evolve. Today, I took him out for his first walk with a conventional collar. The past week, I had used a head collar called the Gentle Leader, which really seemed to help me manage Sammy on our walks. Today, I used a simple collar and while he lunged a couple of times after squirrels and the like, he was pretty manageable. I think that he is starting to realize that this is now his home and that we are the new members of his pack. As you can see from the photo to the left, Sammy is "dog tired" following our three walks over the course of the day. Dee will take him out alone tonight after I pick her up from work to train him that she and I are the Alpha Dogs of this new pack.

SAMSON UPDATE

It was a week ago that we picked up Sammy from the shelter and he continues to adjust and adapt to his new home. He is still fairly clingy, but he no longer follows us around from room to room. I took him out on a walk this morning and I used a simple collar instead of the Gentle Leader. Sammy was quite passive and I was able to easily take him for a walk and guide him where I wanted him to go. We have taught him to "sit," "stay" and "shake" and he continues to impress us with his intelligence. He has already learned about the magic of the refrigerator. He knows that whenever I open the fridge that good things come out from it. As I type this, he is curled up at my feet, gently snoozing in his post-walk/pre-lunchtime nap. Life agrees with him!

PROGRESS WITH SAMSON

Our rescue dog, Samson, has been quite a handful the past few days. He tried to bite me a couple of times and he was always trying to the dominate both of us. Sammy was abandoned a few months ago (he is 11-12 months old) so he developed some habits that we need to correct. A professional dog trainer come pay us a visit this morning to help us evaluate Sammy's personality. Well, I am happy to report that the trainer told us that Sammy is a well adjusted dog and shows a great deal of intelligence We made tremendous progress today in our training with him and the future with him looks bright.

THANKSGIVING

Deirdre and I are just a few days away from celebrating our twentieth Thanksgiving since we were married in 1987. However, due to the nature of my former job, we were not always able to spend the holiday together. The other day Dee and I sat down and looked back at each Thanksgiving holiday to see where we were and more importantly if we were together. Here are the stats:

19 total Thanksgiving Holidays
9 Thanksgiving Holiday spent together
10 Thanksgiving Holidays spent apart

So, of the 10 holidays spent apart, I was either deployed, had duty aboard ship or was not living anywhere near Deirdre. To put it in other terms, if I were a forward on a hockey team, my plus/minus rating would be minus 1. This is one of the reasons Dee and I are not going anywhere for Thanksgiving. We are spending here in EGR, together and quite possibly alone. Dee's goal is to spend as much time as possible this coming Thursday in her jammies, which I think I will be able to support.

As many of you know, Dee is not much of a cook. The responsibility for our Thanksgiving meal falls squarely on my shoulders, but I think I am up to the task. The past two years, we spent the holiday at our home aboard Naval Station Great Lakes, and we had what could be called "non-traditional" meals. Last year, I made Apple Curried Chicken Cous Cous, and the year before last I made Peppery Flank Steak. Well, this year Dee had dictated the following for our Thanksgiving meal:

Here is what I would like and I am MORE than willing to help. This is the one day of the year that I enjoy cooking.
Turkey Stuffing (home made - NO onions or celery - I will make this)
Cranberry sauce
Green bean casserole ( I will make a small dish)
Decent white wine
Your apple pie for dessert.

Looks like we are going to be a little more traditional this year!

Retirement

My official retirement date was 1 November, 2007. It did not really hit me, though, until yesterday when I received a letter in the mail from the Defense Finance Accounting Service. The letter was addressed to "CDR PAUL L KRATOCHWILL USN RET." Inside the letter was a notification that my retired pay account had been established. I never thought I would stay in the Navy much more than a single tour, and I certainly never thought I would make a career out of it!

SAMSON

Well, we are on Day Four of our time with Samson and the results are mixed. There are times that he obeys our commands but there are other times that he completely ignores us. He still shows a lot of separation anxiety and he hates it when Deirdre or I are behind a closed door. He is fearful and aggressive towards other dogs, and we are concerned about him being around children. Tomorrow we are meeting with a dog trainer to see if we can "fix" some of his bad habits. He is currently sleeping at my feet. I have done my best the past few days to keep him busy with lots of walks and play time. He certainly loves to chew rubber bones and other toys!

SAMSON DAY THREE

Well, we are in our third day with Samson and we are having mixed results. It is clear that he was not properly socialized as a young pup. He is fearful of other dogs and tried to jump up on adults and children. He is also exhibiting the signs of separation anxiety. He constantly follows me around the house and when I do put him in his crate, he immediately starts to whine and whimper. He has tried to bite me three times since we picked him up, though I was able to control his actions by grabbing his snout and letting him know just who the Alpha male is in this pack! We are meeting with a professional trainer on Saturday to see what she can do to help us control Samson. On a positive note, it was easy to change his name from Danson to Samson. He picked right up on the change and now acknowledges to that name. We can't get him to obey any voice commands other than "sit," but at least he recognizes his name! Updates to follow.

A FEW PHOTOS OF SAMSON

Yep, he is a handful right now! However, he is quietly sleeping at my feet as I type this. There are so many things I need for him to "un-learn." I just got back from out pre-dinner walk and an elderly man was raking his leaves. Sammy was quite interested in this evolution and the man said to me, "That is one good looking dog!"

SAMSON, OUR NEW DOG

As some of you know, just a week after I got home from Illinois we had to put our beloved dog Allie to sleep. It came as quite a shock to Deirdre and I we told ourselves that it would be a while before we got another dog. Allie was such a sweet and gentle animal who taught us all a lot about how to live and die with dignity. Well, last week, Dee heard about Samson (who was then named Danson) who was a rescue dog living at the West Michigan Regional Laboratory (WMRL). The WMRL is located on the Calvin College campus and it is a joint venture between Calvin College, Michigan State University and Spectrum Health of Grand Rapids. The lab will use dogs to simulate service animals and they will train first responders on what to do if their service dog is injured or incapacitated. One of Dee's co-workers told her about Danson, who is a German Shepherd Dog mix who had been at the lab for a little more than two months. The WMRL is a "no-kill" lab, so all of the animals it gets it keeps until a suitable home is found. Well, we met Danson and he touched us both. He is about a year old and just full of energy. After seeing Danson and knowing that we had the resources to give him a good home, we adopted him as of Monday, 12 November. We brought him home and he was racing all over the house, checking out all the new smells and sights. It is clear that his original owners, whom we found out just abandoned him as Danson was a stray wandering around Grand Rapids, had taught him a few commands., but he also has some bad habits we will need to correct.

As is often said, there are no bad dogs, just bad owners. Allie was such an easy dog to train and we are hoping that Samson is as well. He is already recognizing his new name (neither Dee nor I liked his shelter namd of Danson!) and he knows how to sit, stay and come. We bought him different kind of collar, called a Gentle Leader headcollar, and I just tried it out. What a difference! Samson weighs about 60 pounds and he has incredible strength. When we took him out for a walk last night he was pulling us all over the place. Well, the Gentle Leader is a different type of collar and it boats "Immediate gentle control that is painless to the dog and never chokes." I just fitter Samson with the collar (you can see it in the photos) and we went for a walk. It was so easy to take him on a walk. This morning it took a lot of strength to control him with his traditional collar, but on this most recent walk I literally controlled him with two fingers! For any of you who are "dog people," you gotta check out the website for this collar. Samson is a completely different dog when he is wearing this headcollar!

This is the first of many posts about our new dog. He really is sweet and with a little training on both sides of the leash, he will be a welcome member of our family.

P.S. The option to upload photos in Blogspot seems to be having some technical difficulty. Look for some photos of Samson soon!

Veterans Day

Today is the first Veterans Day I have experienced as, well, a veteran. Throughout my military career, I had the day off as it was a federal holiday. I marched in a few parades and I represented the Navy as a guest speaker a couple of times, and I also had the day off as it is a Federal holiday. However, I never saw my self as a veteran as I was on active duty. Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day as it celebrated the end of the War to End All Wars, also known as World War I. An Armistice was signed between the warring countries at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. Thus, this day celebrating the end of WWI morphed into a day to recognize the sacrifices of veterans of all wars. Veterans Day was always celebrated on November 11th, regardless of the day of the week it fell upon each year. In the 1968, Congress passed legislation making Veterans Day a "three day weekend" holiday so the date would be the Monday closest to November 11th. Needless to say, many veterans groups (The American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States to name a few) opposed this and in 1975 President Ford signed returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978.


Yesterday, an officer with whom I served called me to wish me a happy Veterans Day and then it really struck me. I am now one of the millions before me who served their country with pride. Throughout my active duty career I was not technically a veteran, so I never saw myself as one. Well, today is the first of many Veterans Days I will celebrate in the years to come. I ask any of you who read this blog today and who know a veteran to thank them for their service.

CIVIC DUTY

This morning I went to my polling place and voted There were only three issues on the ballot. The mayor of East Grand Rapids and a City Commissioner were up for re-election and they were running unopposed. There was also a millage proposal to allow for the building of a new gym at the high school. Thus, only one issue mattered on the ballot.

What struck me when I was driving home after I voted how too many citizens take this right for granted. This is an "off year", so there is not as much interest in this election. However, I thought it important to exercise my right to vote and express my opinion on the issues of the day. Certainly, next November will be a lot more interesting as we will elect a new President, a third of the Senate will be up for grabs as will the entire House of Representatives. Do not take your right to vote for granted. Get out there and be heard every election day.

TONIGHT'S DINNER

It is a cool November day here and I have decided to make "Stay in Bed Stew." It is easy to make and it is one of our favorite meals. Here is the recipe:

2 1/2lbs stewing beef
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup onions, finely chopped
1-2 chopped potatoes
1 chopped parsnip
2 chopped garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
5 whole allspice kernels
1 can beef bullion
1 15oz. can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tapioca

Preheat the oven to 275F. Combine all ingredients in a Dutch oven. Cover and cook for 4 1/2 hours. Serve with a hearty Cabernet and crusty bread.

RETIREMENT

Well, yesterday, 1 November, was my official retirement date from the Navy. Though I cannot yet join AARP, I am retired! To celebrate this special day in our lives, yesterday morning Dee and I drove to a B&B on the shores of Lake Huron in Oscoda: www.huronhouse.com. We arrived at the Huron House around 3:30PM and spent the rest of the daylight hours walking on the beach and taking in the sites of Oscoda. We had dinner at a great local place, Tait's Bill of Faire, and then we retired to the Sunrise Suite for a few adult beverages before calling it a night. Sunrise was at 8:14PM so Dee and I had not problem being up and about to see the Sun rise over Lake Huron. It was a great way to start the first day of my retirement. We drove home via a different route, stopping in Cadillac where we had lunch at a Herman's European Cafe, based on a recommendation from a former resident of Cadillac. Lunch was great and we drove south down 131, returning home in the late afternoon. Throughout our drive we both remarked on how beautiful our home state is, and that we need to get out more and explore the Enchanted Mitten.

HALLOWEEN IN EAST GRAND RAPIDS

Halloween in East Grand Rapids is always a big event and last night was no different. By 6PM, Dee and I set up our fire pit, put out our pumpkins and waited for the ghosts, ghouls and goblins to drop by for a trick or a treat. The evening started out slowly with a few kids begging for candy by 6:15PM or so, and then the rain came. Brief showers were in the forecast, but we were hoping that it would at least be dry.

The rain was intermittent and by 6:45PM the rain had past through and then the trick-or-treaters came out in force. I bought three large bags of candy and we handed out all but a few pieces of it. We must have been visited by more than 75 children last night, so it was a success. We also handed out Jell-O shooters to the adults who expressed an interest in one.