There WOULD Be Bats

 Weekly Column (Click To Read Full Text)
 To peruse the Internet for even five clicks is to discover that bats are pretty popular. Generally with people who don’t have them in their living room.

(Not) Better Living Through Chemistry

Does anyone have advice and/or a source for the best non-budget busting pure maple syrup? My kids go through this stuff by the gallon but I just realized, in reading the label, that I'd be better off giving them Drano from under the sink to pour on those homemade waffles. 

But hey, it's Gluten Free! 

This would be because gluten is not a chemical.


Why I Wouldn't Buy Another Acer Computer Even If They Came With Free Foot Massage

I say "another" because we already own one and I've been happy with it although NOW I view it with deep and growing suspicion (knock wood).

It's probably a ticking time bomb.

Being an academic minded mommy, I purchased an Acer Aspire netbook from Amazon.com as a Christmas gift for Boywonder.

Upon opening his gift on Christmas Day we discovered it was not working properly. Witness me making the :( face but these things DO happen.

We returned netbook to Acer on December 28, 2011 for what we were told would be a ten day turnaround time for repair.

They ended up keeping it for 34 days, including shipping it to the wrong household once (and sending someone else's to us. Good thing I'm not an identity thief!); missing another promised shipping date entirely, and at one point arguing with me on whether or not they should have to pay for overnight shipping? (I voted "yes.")

Don't for a minute think this was a pleasant process. This was the kind of tear-your-hair and bang your head on something solid out of sheer frustration experience that would have tried the patience of a SAINT. Each and every mix-up and missed-shipping date was met with "we know this is frustrating for you" and the unspoken finish "but please undrestand that we have no intention of doing a da#$ thing differently" that characterize Acer's internal process control.

Yesterday, after having been PROMISED it would be in our hands no later than January 30th, we finally received it returned to us on February 1. Inside the box was paperwork that says:  Item not Repaired. No Issue(s) Found.

I make another :( face. Is there an emoticon for SCREAMING?

Within minutes of turning it on, I am able to take a video of said Netbook exhibiting the same exact symptoms we sent it in for (frozen screen and grinding noise coming from within the computer).



No issues found? We beg to differ. 


Acer isn't sure why this happened but, as you can imagine,They understand our frustration.

No, I really don't think they do.

Better yet? The return window for Amazon ended on 1/31, a date I missed because Acer was holding it hostage. Amazon graciously offered to extend the return period one day for me and will give a full refund. Kudos to Amazon for understanding my frustration and offering to alleviate that, even when nothing was their fault.

Moral of this story.

Amazon good.

Acer bad.

Any questions?