duncan heights

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This is the best Chistmas post I’ve ever seen.
This is also pretty good.

Okay, everyone. Update your address books. I have a new email address (gasp!). SO, the email addresses I will use from now on are as follows:

amedeuseve@hotmail.com
eveamedeus@yahoo.com
vduncan@mail.com
viannah.duncan@fandm.edu
vduncan@fandm.edu
iwasborninjune@gmail.com
geminiangelus@yahoo.com

Note that both fandm.edu addresses go to the same mailbox. If the email address above is crossed out, I no longer check it, so if you want to reach me, use one of the addy’s that ISN’T crossed out.

Also, please use the school email for school stuff, and the gmail email for NON-school stuff, if at all possible. I check all of my (active) email addresses like ten times a day, so don’t worry about not being able to reach me by only sending me a note to one of the addys.

Okay, so here’s the info for the Rose Parade. For any MORE information, contact John (ie: NOT me). Also, note that the Rose Parade is on January 2nd, so we’ll be spending the night of the 1st/2nd on the route, NOT the night of the 31st/1st.

DOES ANYONE KNOW OF A GOOD PLACE TO SIT???

If so, let John know ASAP. Call 818.957.8455.
For a ten-day weather forecast, click here.

What to bring with you
$5 (or more, if you can spare it) for food/parking
folding lawn chairs & the like
sleeping bags & blankets
tarps & umbrellas in case of rain
any snack foods/drinks you want
musical instruments and/or board/card games

When/Where to meet
Viannah will be out on the route at 8 AM on January 1st reserving a spot for the rest of us. Call her cell sometime that day to find out where we’ll be sitting. Call John ahead of time to get Viannah’s number if you don’t already have it.

Ground rules
1. John’s in charge. What he says, goes.
2. John’s in charge. What he says, goes.
3. No alcohol allowed.
4. Smoking, etc, should be done away from the group.
5. Anyone leaving the “camp” must go in groups of two or more.
6. Let sleeping people sleep. (ZZZZzzzzzz…)

Some things to consider
It’s going to be REALLY cold, so dress accordingly. And if it’s NOT cold, then you can just take off layers. When buying/making snack foods, remember that warm foods are better. It’s going to be COLD. Chips and soda are iffy; ice cream is a no no. There will be no showers, so shower before you arrive and bring deodorant. You’ll probably want to bring a hairbrush too. There are no flush toilets; only porta-potties. If you don’t like porta-potties, you’re going to have to hold it.

More stuff
For a list of attendees, call John. If you want to bring someone else, that’s fine, just let John know. The rules and $5 charge for food/parking applies to them too. If you need a ride, let John know. We have two drivers, but PLEASE try to get your own ride.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I got a lot of what I wanted, so I’m happy. And my parents loved what we got THEM, so I’m happy. Here’s the rundown.

Battlestar Galactica, season 1
an outdoor flashlight (from Grandma)
earrings and a keychain (from Joyce)
heater for my room at home (and/or school)
pirate notecards
nail polish and shower gel
two pairs of lovely earrings (from Esther)
two pairs of silky pants
2006 wall calendar
two children’s books
–The Snow Princess
–Beauty & the Beast
skull/crossbones two-fold wallet (from Rachel)
buttered popcorn and York mint-type things
book of positive quotations
a fair amount of money
purple bucket chair for my room at school
little stuffed toy dog and Luke Skywalker mug (from Joanne)
Pledged: the Secret Life of Sororities

Also, I still have presents for Katie, Rachel, and Bobby. And Bennett, but I’ll give his to him when I get back to school. It also occurs to me that maybe I should get something for Pedro.

A couple of days ago, I bought a new optical mouse and a gift for Bennett online at BestBuy.com using two gift cards I received in the mail. Because I didn’t want to pay for shipping, I chose the “I’ll pick it up at the store when it’s ready” option. The automated thingy sent me an email saying that the store at which I wanted to pick my stuff up didn’t have the gift for Bennett, but DID have the mouse. It said to call Customer Service (1-888-BEST-BUY) to move it to another store that did have it in stock. So I call them, and the automated phone thingy puts me on hold for over half an hour and when I finally talk to someone, they move both parts of my order to be picked up at another nearby store.

So in an hour or so, I get another email saying that this NEW store doesn’t have EITHER part of my order in stock and to call Customer Service again to change/move it AGAIN. So, I call again and am put on hold for an HOUR. After that, I’m like, “Well fuck that.” and hang up… which I SHOULD’VE done a half hour sooner. So I GO to the nearest Best Buy and talk to like 10 different people, NONE of whom know what I’m talking about. I’m sitting there like, “Look, I bought the damn thing on YOUR website; and you can’t help me? You all suck.” Even the guy who was the in-store website guy was no use. It was sad.

So I go home and call Customer Service again and am on hold for 45 minutes and when I finally reached someone REAL, I’m like, “Cancel my order, damnit!” After more than FOUR hours going through menus and waiting to talk to a REAL person on the phone and/or walking around the store becoming increasingly more irritated, I cancelled my order. (My gift cards were refunded, thankfully, or I’d have been LIVID.)

The moral of this story: Just pay for shipping. It’s worth it, even if it doesn’t seem like it. ALSO: Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Cheat Sheet: how to talk to a real person a quickly as possible.

I’m home for winter break. I’ve seen Narnia with the family and have plans to sent Rent and King Kong. Also, there’s been some talk of seeing Brokeback Mountain with Katie, but nothing’s set in stone thus far. John’s doing the New Years Rose Parade thing like we did a couple of years ago. I volunteered to sit somewhere (that is, reserve us all a space) on Colorado Blvd. I’m in the process of asking a few people to come with me that morning so I’m not bored out of my mind. This post is NOT an invitation. I will ask you personally if I’d like to spend that morning with you. In other words, don’t expect to be asked. Just be pleasantly surprised.