Sorry I haven't posted much lately. I have been posting on the church site regarding the Poverty Challenge.

My wife is going out without me on Friday night. The Penguins are playing hockey.

Anybody that wants to drink beer and watch hockey, I'm game.

Yesterday was screen door day. I first went to the Bargain Outlet on West Ferry, because they are nearby and cheap.

And, to their credit, they did have cheap screen doors.

But they were wrapped up in plastic, and I couldn't see any of the hardware, or even know if there was any.

So I asked at the desk.

"It's in there" she said.

"Ok," I said, "if I take it home and don't like it, I can bring it back, right?"

"Right," she said, "as long as you don't open it. If you open it there is a $25 restocking fee."

"So I have to buy it blind?"

"Yes."

Needless to say, I did not buy from a store with such a stupid policy and bad service. Which is too bad, because they really are cheap sometimes.

But when I got to Value, on Elmwood (after checking True Value, also on West Ferry).

They had the same doors, cheaper, and (get this) assembled, on display. So I knew what I was getting.

After all of that, I ripped the screen putting it into my truck. Then it was REALLY hard to install (due to crappy instructions, mostly).



Totally unrelated: e:janelle and I are grilling tonight. If you want to come by, bring something to throw on the grill or drink, go for it. Email for address/directions.

Interesting story:

University of Dubuque Choir. 7pm. Lafayette Church.

elmwoodjesus.org

Back to real posts soon, I promise.

I know not everybody likes them, but every day I am concluding more and more that they are a force for good.

Next week they are having their fund raising party. They still need some volunteers to do easy things like pass out nametags and watch the auction items (I will be showing people where to park/cleaning up, if you want to join me).

Even if you don't like what they do, they are a small organization, and one volunteer's opinion will be heard. You can help the EVA become what it should be.

And I know. I am still not posting for real. I better stop this or nobody will read my blog anymore.

My church is experimenting with gathering in each other's homes. Every Thursday night, during April and May, a few of us (about 10) are getting together, to eat and drink together, have a discussion about a piece of scripture, talk about what's going on in our lives, and (for those that are comfortable with it) pray for each other.

You don't have to believe anything in particular to be there. Everybody promises, at the outset, to respect each other.

It starts at 7, and we make sure we finish before 8:30.

My street address is in the chatter, or if that goes away, you can email me.

The next time somebody asks me why people don't go to church anymore, I will show them this link.



I can think of more offensive things. I can think of more offensive things at Starbucks. Anybody who finds that cup of coffee to be erotic has bigger problems than it being on a coffee cup.

Tomorrow morning I meet with Darling Paint. They painted our house last year, and even though they were a little more expensive, we went with them because they had a good reputation and seemed to use higher quality paint.

Needless to say, we were surprised at the number of cracks in the paint in our house. We also have been finding splashes and little errors over the past year. We paid significantly over the lowest bid, because we believed we were paying for quality. Tomorrow we will see if we got it.

Everybody makes mistakes. If Darling Paint makes it right, then this post will be amended to become a positive review. If they don't, than my guess is that an account of how they did not will be on the first page of google when somebody searches "Darling Paint."

The awesome power of e:strip!


UPDATE!

Some developments.

Bill Darling came to our else and personally explained that the cracking is expected in a wood house as old as ours. His explanation made sense, and I appreciated the service of a personal visit to inspect the cracks. He has also been helpful in looking up the color of the paint to do touch ups (originally, he had planned on leaving the leftover paint, but that is nowhere to be found. Neither the painters nor e:janelle and I were thinking about it as they left)

Mr Darling found this post. He didn't like it--so I am leaving the original post (above) as it is to keep a public record. I thought it was fair, he thought it was a slam--hopefully my update provides the rest of the story (He also mentioned that he is going to write a response, which is fair. He mentioned all of his charity work, including Brush-up Buffalo, which I think is great). He has taken care of us, despite some other, more pressing concerns, and he continues to do so.

Here's a link to their website:

So there's the rest of the story. Yes, the paint is cracking, but it would happen with any painter--it is one of the joys of owning an old house. If a painter tells you that it won't crack, they are likely lying to you. Darling paint has done everything I have asked to take care of my concerns, and I am grateful.

This is funny.