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paul’s journal

Posts from March 2011

Rob, the BAC downtown scam artist salesguy

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I don't know if every gym is like this but it seems each time I talked with Rob at the BAC downtown, it felt more like buying a used car from a shady salesman.

It all started when I was calling around to the various local gyms to find out the cost before visiting the locations. Every freakin gym could give me a price besides Rob at the BAC. He insisted I come in. I said its impossible that they have no idea what the prices are?! Really dude, give me a range at least. He still insisted he could not.

The thing is, it was the only downtown gym I could find open till 10PM (excluding the JCC) and I get out of work at 9PM on weekdays.

Last saturday I went to join by myself as @terry had it with the scamminess but I wanted to work out. I used my $250 flexfit card and then paid an additional $127. It seemed ok because I had the card. Otherwise, it would be a ripoff because the truth of it is, I will work out march ->may and then oct->feb with a huge summer gab in between.

At the signup Rob told me if @terry wanted to join it would be $377. I said there is no way he will do it for $377 as he has no flexfit card and everywhere else wanted less. I said @terry would do it for $300. We argued a bit and I agreed to bring @terry in for $323.

So last night, several days and a million calls from Rob to @terry later, we go in to sign up and work out. @terry makes me go into the office with him to assure he gets the $323 that Rob said he could get. Then after all the paperwork and bullshitting, the contract is filled out and it is $377.

I say, "hey wait you said it was $323" and he now says, "that was without the $49 enrollment fee." How fucking convenient that this comes up as soon as he offers me a $50 break for recommending @terry.

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Elkalicious

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What happens when you want a cheeseburger but all you have is Munster cheese, brown rice and elk?

I cooked the elk in the broiler with a little bosari. Then I chopped it on brown rice and cut up some Munster and Cheddar to melt on top.

I paired it with asparagus, artichoke hearts, romainne lettuce and shredded carrot covered in olive oil and herbmare.

Then in the most cheeseburgerific way, I added some ketchup and mustard. It was organic, so maybe not too American.

For dessert, I had another one of those baby Thai coconuts but this time I mixed the coconut milk and flesh with hot vanilla pudding.

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The plow at the church of the ascension

This morning, when the plow ripped up the grass that it not only tore up the other side of the grass by the sidewalk, it even hit and riped up the brownstone.

How can this damage be worth it?

When we approached the church worker about this she said, "How can we expect them to handle the plow issue when they don't even have a priest."

If you can't even get a priest,maybe it's time to give up being a church. It kills me that they get tax free status. Its such bullshit when its like 10% church, 90% business. They don't even hold mass in the church anymore.

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shrimp and seafood chlorine taste

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Its the first time I had pink gulf shrimp since oil spill. These ones looked yummy so I tried it. I got the idea from @hodown who made springrolls a couple weeks back.

They did have a slightly weird taste but not a taste of oil it gasoline. Its like a chlorine taste that seafood has sometimes.

The taste often occurs in shrimp these days yet I remember were in Monterey eating a clam dish, at the viking lobster company in buffalo for My moms birthday one year, another time eating lobster in cape cod.

I looked all over the internet and people attribute it to three things.

  1. thawing in tap water too long the meat can absorb chlorine and get a bitter taste
  2. antibiotics in farmed sea food but these were wild caught
  3. chlorine used in the processing
  4. exposure to plastic in packaging
  5. iodine

The thing is shrimp/lobster doesn't always taste thus way nor do I remember it ever tasting this way years ago. I have yet to have the ones from Belize at Wegmans have that taste.

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Total Recall at Dingens

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I dragged @terry out dancing at Dingens Bar and Grill out in cheektovegas on the border of lovejoy last night.

I never expected to find myself out there but it was pretty damn fun. There were two rooms. One with hardcore and one with dnb.

There was a real wooden dancefloor as the one room was a banquet hall used for weddings and such but I spent a lot of time dancing on carpet which was difficult but I think it provided a better workout.

The highlight of my year was when this girl came up to me to say she and her boyfriend thought I was the best dancer. Its weird but I think I have gotten much better in the last couple years despite hardly ever going anymore. Something just changed after seeing Andy c at wemf 2008.

It does seem there is some sort of dance music resurgence occurring. In a way, I can't help but feel like my friend's parents who would have 60s themed parties in the 80s but it is fun regardless.

I mean, I never thought I would dance to shooting star again, but it happend.

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dear plow riding fucktard

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This is why you can't drive a full sized street plow a full block down a sidewalk. I have to question if the amount of damage it caused was worth the 3 or 4 times it was plowed.

They obviously don't care about the character of the neighborhood. Between that and their ever expanding illegal driveway it looks like total shit right now.

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Matthew's OK

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Well, minus an appendix but he seems good and I ordered him TV so he can have a relaxing night of cable and delaudid.

He still can't drink liquids so they give him these sponges on a stick to wet his mouth.

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At the hospital with matthew

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Matt was throwing up for like 30 hours when he finally decided to go to urgent care on main street at 1pm on friday. It took like 2 hours (not so urgent) to tell him to go to the ER for tests. At 1am on satutday he was getting a catscan. turned out to be his appendix and he is currently awaiting surgery.

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Housing Prices Are Ridiculous

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I can't believe this house is asking $459,000. I mean I get that people would want to live on Middlesex but seriously, that price for a small ranch with paneled basement that you could find one thousand times over in suburbs? It just seems like they would regret it later when the market crashes further.

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