Great day for sledding in the Columbia River Gorge town of Carson, WA last weekend. Carson received almost two feet of snow which is pretty much unprecedented now days. We were going to head further into the mountains but after talking to some locals we found this spot. This was at steep street in the middle of town.
1 comment February 4th, 2008
I spent a good deal of my morning researching the my Apple iPhone Credit issue, even with a nasty hangover (Neighborhood parties FTW!). After trying multiple times to get the credit via Apple’s online web app, I decided it was time to take my iPhone back to AT&T and see what they could do for me.
Since I had (have) a hangover, I felt I’d give AppleCare one last college try. I spoke with a very nice woman who was very understanding of my frustrations. She even seemed to believe me when I told her that there must be a mistake somewhere in a database between Apple and AT&T because I truly have never returned my iPhone or acquired a replacement. After placing me on hold several times to speak with different people and departments, she deflatedly told me I have to call Apple Customer Relations. “They’re only open Monday through Friday”, she said. So that sucks. But, she gave me a case number this time and told me to call back as early as I could. Ok, fine. I can wait until Monday.
While messing around with our new iMac downstairs, I fired up Safari and gave Apple iPhone Store Credit one last shot in the dark. It’s not going to work I told myself. I was bored so what the hell, right? I enter in my cell number and the iPhone serial number, which I’ve committed to long term memory at this point. Click on the blue “Continue” button and sigh.
Wait a minute… WTF IS THIS! OMG! “Please enter your SMS code.” Success! YES! After waiting a few moments for my SMS code, I plug it into the site and boom, I’ve got my $100 store credit. Wow, unreal.
I truly believe that the nice woman I spoke to continued to work on my case even after we hung up. She went out of her way to help me in the first place, the typical response I’ve been getting from AppleCare support was to email iphonestorecredit@apple.com. Instead of that canned response, she setup a case and worked to close it. Excellent job!
All in all, it was a frustrating experience attempting to get the credit however in the end Apple again pulls it out. This is why I continue to buy their products. They didn’t even need to offer a credit in the first place but they did. And even though I had trouble getting access to my credit, I was successful at the end of the day and that’s what counts.
Add comment September 15th, 2007
Update: Apple now says that I’ve had my phone replaced. Haha! How could my phone have been replaced when the IMEI number on my original receipt and the IMEI on my iPhone match? /boggle
Apple says my iPhone isn’t eligible for the credit because I no longer own it. You see, Apple says I returned my iPhone to the iPhone God’s.
So, Apple… where is my $100 credit? I’ve been on the phone with you guys 4 different times this afternoon plus I’ve sent my email to iphonestorecredit@apple.com. I’m pretty upset by this whole process. I know that a majority of people have had success, including my brother, but I’ve had the complete opposite. I talked with Apple Sales, AppleCare, AT&T Business Care (I am a business customer after all), and finally an Apple Store employee. No one can tell me what to do other than send an email to an address that replies with an automated response:
Dear Customer,
Your email has been received and your information is being reviewed.
We are making every effort to respond quickly to your inquiry. Please expect a response in 48 to 72 hours.
Thank you for taking the time to write to Apple. And thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
Apple Inc.
I spent $3500 two weeks ago in my local Apple Store. I love Apple products. I’ve never had any issues with anything like this before. So, I’m blaming AT&T for this mess with my iPhone. Why? Because I bought my phone from AT&T instead of directly from Apple. BIG MISTAKE.
In the meantime, I’m waiting for my $100 credit so I can spend even more money at an Apple Store.
1 comment September 14th, 2007
Travel day home… certainly the least favorite day of any vacation unless you’re a four year old boy who misses his toys.
We woke up at 7am Hawaii time and I went to drop off the snorkel gear as Mommy got the kids ready for breakfast. Since we packed last night we only had a few last minute items to pack this morning.
We ate breakfast at Kai which serves buffet style, my least favorite style of food delivery. I much prefer cook to order food over precooked, multiple human contact and possible germ contamination via less then steril patrons. I ate boxed cereal, tofu, potatoes and rice. Fairly safe. The kids ate pancakes, eggs, bacon and cereal between them. Mommy ate eggs, bacon, potatoes and fruit.
After breakfast we played some billards and foosball. By then it was time to check out and head to the airport. Dropped off the rental car, hopped in the shuttle. Ate a $30 lunch that looked and tasted like cardboard at the Kona airport.
In Maui we ordered Aiden a cheeseburger for the flight which took for too long to have served. Then back on the plane for the long flight to Portland. The kids were really good on the plane, I was very pleased. Aiden was ready to land with about 30 minutes to go but I entertained him with paddy cake and tickles.
We grabbed a towncar for a nice ride home and now it’s time for bed. Another excellent vacation in Hawai’i completed.
Add comment August 29th, 2007
Today is our last full day on the Big Island. It also happens to be Autumn’s 11th birthday today. To celebrate Autumn and I went snorkeling at A’Bay early this morning. The water was a little murky but an abundance of turtles more than made up for it. While we were snorkeling Mommy and Aiden had a nice breakfast at Kai in the Sheraton.
After returning back at the hotel we all piled into the car and headed for Kahalu’u Beach. Mommy and Autumn started out snorkeling first and saw lots of turtles. I played with AJ on the beach, making animal shapes out of sand for him to destroy. I then went snorkeling and saw a ton of turtles as well. I even ran into a kei triggerfish that was nipping at my flippers. After awhile Autumn joined me in the water.
The afternoon had us finish up our shopping in downtown Kona then back to hotel for our last dip in the pool. The waterslide is still just as fun as the first time.We’re now finishing dinner at Kai while everyone but me has dessert, typical 
Happy 11th Birthday Autumn, I hope you had a great day in paradise.
Add comment August 27th, 2007
Today started slowly as we’re getting tired. I was up at 6am ready to snorkel but Autumn said she was too tired so we went back to bed. Aiden woke up not feeling well due to being hungry and not drinking enough fuilds. Around 10am he started feeling better so we started the trek to Anaeho’omalu Bay (A’Bay) for hopefully some turtles basking in the sun.
We arrived near 11:30am and were initally greeted to five turtles feeding offshore. As we moved down the southern side of the sandy and lava rocked beach we came across a pair of green sea turtles sunning themselves. Jackpot. I took numerous photos 
Walking a little further we happened upon a solo turtle sunning on the sand. He noticed us right away and on the next large wave made a b-line for the water. The one thing about A’Bay was that it’s extremely hot in the sun. After about an hour everyone was baking hot.
Returning to the car we left for the Waikoloa food court for lunch. Eating Subway and pizza so Aiden will eat. Driving back towards Kona we stopped at a beach off the highway down a dirt road. Sadly it looked better from the highway.
Back in town we did some shopping and I then took a short snorkel in Keauhou Bay. Now we’re eating dinner at Crystal Blue watching the sunset.
Tomorrow is our last full day on the Big Island. So far the early plan is to snorkel A’Bay in the morning then its a toss up afterwards.
Add comment August 26th, 2007
Lacking internet at the hotel now as I refuse to pay $11/day for crap, this will be a short post about today’s activities.
Autumn and I got up at sunrise and snorkled Kahulu’u Beach Park before the crowds arrived. The water clarity was good and we spotted five different turtles feeding on the reef.
The kids returned to Keiki Club for a morning session as the parents went to the spa for side by side massages on the ocean front balcony. Krista also got treated to a full facial while I hung out poolside and ate gelato.
The afternoon saw us shopping downtown in Kona. We ate dinner at Outback again and watched the sunset at the bay.
Add comment August 26th, 2007
There wasn’t a lot of energy to be had yesterday. This is partly why I’m writing the days events a day late. The day started out with us visiting “Magic” Sands or White Sands Beach. Aiden really want to play in “normal” sand, you know the kind, it sticks to you everywhere. Typically the sand on the Big Island is coarse and lava rockish. Nye impossible for making sand castles. The waves where very large making the snorkeling not so great nor the ability to swim. Aiden wasn’t interested in the “salt water” at all, Autumn found frolicking in the ocean to be entertaining. I did attempt snorkeling as we saw turtles near the shoreline. The water was very murky due to the sand being kicked up by the waves. Further out there wasn’t much to see other than fish that I’d seen before.
We left the beach after a few hours and headed back to the hotel for more swimming. Thursday felt more like an off day than anything due to everyone being tired. Autumn and Krista went out to the manta rays last night but unfortunately they didn’t see any. So they’ll have to reschedule for another night. Hopefully they’ll get James Wing, who was on my trip, as he is the resident and perhaps world expert on manta rays. Aiden and I hung out at the restaurant while we watched the sunset and Mommies boat out on the bay.
Today we’re planning on heading up north but we’ll see how far we actually get.
Add comment August 24th, 2007
Keikei Club. Krista and I decided we needed a true vacation day i.e. a day without kids while on vacation. So, thankfully, the Sheraton runs a “keikei” club for kids. The price isn’t “cheap” but it was totally worth it to be able to have a free day without kids. It felt a little strange to be away from the kids on vacation but it was nice to be able to feel like we were on vacation.
After dropping the kids off at the club we made our way down south a bit to “Two Steps” or City of Refugee. We saw the usual fish, nothing out of the ordinary. Then out of nowhere a little green sea turtle shows up. Krista and I were able to get some good photos of the turtle. Luckily another one showed up and we split off each taking pictures of a different turtle. I was surprised at the amount of people here. The method of entry is not easy for beginners, you need to push off a lava shelf into 10 feet deep water with waves breaking at you. We saw some people cutting their feet on less than ideal entry points. The parking was also lacking yet some local entrepreneurs had setup a pay lot nearby where we parked.
We started back towards Kona after finishing a light snack on the lava rocks at Two Steps. We were feeling up to snorkeling so we headed to the local organic food store for vegan wraps. Very yummy! Still haven’t quite yet got the bug for shopping yet but we did do a bit of shopping in downtown Kona.
On our way back to the hotel I got the urge to snorkel in Kahalu’u again. I’m glad I did because after about 5 minutes in the water Krista stopped a smaller turtle swimming about. And after while longer she discovered a much large turtle feeding on the coral floor. Since the bottom is only about 10 feet deep, we had an incredible view of the feeding turtle. He’d eat a bit then surface for air then dive back down and eat. All the while we were watching him and he didn’t seem to mind at all. I got some amazing close up shots due he very calm and relaxed nature. By this time it was getting late and we had to pick up the kids from keikei club I had to leave the turtle alone all by himself. It was really a treat to be able to spend about 30 minutes alone with a honu. Truly a one of a kind experience.
Tonight was also the manta ray snorkel trip. This was my third time in the water today and I can say at this point I’m really looking for a day off. Doubtful but I’m feeling water logged. However, the manta ray experience was not to be missed! When entering the water it’s very dark and almost a little scary as you look down into the dark abyss. There is one main light gleaming into the ocean from the boat but it’s certainly not bright enough for much distance. Autumn was pretty spooked getting into the water but that all changed once the manta rays showed up.
We were lucky enough to get two nice size manta rays. They both were very active and apparently very hungry. The underwater videographer, James Wing, was able to control them with his two very large underwater lights. He’d bring the manta rays right under us and they’d do backwards 360 loops for plankton. It was an awesome sight to see such graceful creatures underwater. They are truly beautiful and I’d due that trip again in a heartbeat even if I feel like the I’m still rocking on the boat afterwards.
That was a pretty long day and I’m beat. Goodnight Hawai’i and Mahalo for the wonderful day!
Add comment August 23rd, 2007
Early morning as we left on a snorkel cruise at 8:00am HST. After eating bagels, bananas and coffee in our room, we left for the boat ramp which is about a 1/2 mile from our hotel, sweet. We checked for the boat trip and found out that only 4 other people would be joining us for a total of 8 people. Excellent!
We headed off for Captain Cook’s Monument and within the first 10 minutes Autumn starting feeling sea sick. Then Mommy got a little queasy after taking Aiden into the galley to go potty. I personally usually always get queasy so I was trying to focus on the horizon. After about 45 minutes we arrived at Kealakekua Bay for our first snorkel. While the bay was beautiful I’d have to say that the snorkeling was just average. We didn’t spot anything we hadn’t seen before and no turtles, dolphins or even sharks in sight.
After spending about an hour at the site we moved on back to Keauhou Bay or so we thought. After about 30 minutes we stopped at another snorkel site. I can’t recall the name of the bay but this place had some excellent visibility and a nice selection of fish. The water was deep, about 40 feet so it was hard to get good pictures. However, Autumn and I did spot a small turtle gliding across the bottom of the ocean floor. We also saw some nice coral on the larger rock reefs.
After the boat trip we headed back out to the pool for more Manta Ray slide fun. Krista can sure scream down the water slide going faster than anyone we’ve seen so far. We were finally able to get the kids out of the pool for dinner where we ate in downtown Kona at the Outback. The kids had some ice cream cones after dinner and we did some light shopping.
Everyone is sunburnt and tired. Tomorrow will be an off day for the kids while the adults will attempt to snorkel in a more exclusive and private location. Autumn and I will also be attempting the night time manta ray snorkel right outside our hotel.
Add comment August 21st, 2007
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