First unsettling experience of 2011 !

well now that was really interesting.   Last week a guy called to ask me whether or not I was interested in having him trim my eucalyptus trees in the front yard.   They really are in great need of pruning, and I was planning on calling my regular tree guy at some point in the near future;   this guy said he was new in the area and would give me a good deal, etc.    So we made an appointment for later in the day and he came by to look more closely @ the trees and gave me a bid.   He made what I thought was a reasonable offer and I told him I would get back to him shortly.

Two days later (on new years eve), he left me a voicemail stating that he was really interested in doing the work, and would be willing to include the pruning on sycamore tree in the back yard in addition, for the same price.    So now this seems like a really good deal.   So I called him back today (Jan 4) and left him a voicemail.   He returned my call about 15 minutes later.  I told him that if the price still held, let's go ahead with the work.   I could hear another voice in the background, and then he said "that was a december price", now the price is 1200  (previous was 960).    When I questioned that his previous voicemail was left on december 31st  (hardly work that could be done in 2010 ??), the other background voice clearly grabbed the phone from him and replied, "that 20% discount no longer applies; find somebody else to do your damned work", and slammed the phone down.  

wtf ??

So now that I"ve been hung up on by somebody who randomly sought out my $$ for doing tree work, my hackles have been raised just a bit.   So I called the number back.   The second voice picked up immediately and before I could even utter a syllable, screamed into the phone:  "I am another owner, and I don't like the way you spoke to my son.   If you continue to call us, I"m going to call the police!"   And the phone disconnects.

suffice it to say, her customer service could use a little work.....

Bill's top songs of 2010 ....

It's been a while since I've posted anything here ...... and that needed to change immediately.  So until I decide exactly which rant to take off on next, I'll just settle for putting together my list of the best music of 2010 for those who might be interested, and perhaps have the same general taste in music.   It's not easy to whittle the list down to a top 10, but I've attempted to do just that.   I managed to make it to two live shows this year and enjoyed them both a lot.   I saw Goldfrapp here in Oakland in June, and caught Robyn's latest tour in Miami Beach in November.   Here goes...

10.    Hot Chip    "I Feel Better"
 9.     Robyn        "Dancing on my Own"
 8.     Kylie Minogue   "All the Lovers"
 7.     Brandon Flowers  "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas"
 6.     LCD Soundsystem   "I Can Change"
 5.     Goldfrapp     "Head First"
 4.     Florence and the Machine    "Dog Days are Over"
 3.     Hurts      "Wonderful Life"
 2.     Robyn    "Hang With Me"
 1.     Scissor Sisters    "Invisible Light"

Check out the sounds on i-tunes or youtube and put a smile on your face .....