Daily Twaddle

I’m in the market for a laser printer (monochrome/black ink only). I like my Epson inkjet because of the separate ink cartridges for each color. It’s more of a home/hobby printer because you can put your memory card right in the printer and print photos without turning on the computer. That’s a cool feature that I’ve never used.

I need a laser printer because inkjet-prints never really dry. I’ve received many-a-letter folded so that ink touches ink and transfers a some of the text. Looks like crap. Unprofessional.

My Current Needs:
* good resolution (like 1000dpi or more)
* cheap toner cartridges
* ability to print labels
* priced under $200

What I Want If I Can Get It:
* fast printing
* fax + printer + copier
* large capacity paper tray (like 250 sheets)
* no top-use (so I can stack stuff on top)
* ability to print cardstock
* quiet printing
* ethernet plug instead of USB
* priced at free

Features That Don’t Concern Me:
* network capability (I’ve got the airport extreme)
* scanner
* telephone
* brand, model or “look”

Post Script… I hate it when my “session times out.” I will be the judge of how long it takes me to conduct business online. I’m trying to buy some printer ink from Apple.com

Post-Post Script… I friggin love BestBuy.com.

Post-Post-Post Script… can the word peripheral be a noun or is it just an adjective? Do I need to make it two words - peripheral device, or can I just say “stay away from my peripherals, sucka?”

Dang it!

The price changed from 41¢ to 42¢ - effective on May 12th.

I just bought a whole roll of 41¢ stamps last month! So, I had to buy a couple pages of 1¢ stamps to make up the difference, but I hate putting two stamps on an envelope.

It’s just so annoying. I always find out after I mail a letter that the price went up. Why not wait 5 years and increase the stamp price by 5 cents? Or, why not wait until January first? That’s when I expect prices to go up, or major national changes to happen.

I’m thinking seriously about purchasing the “Forever Stamp.” The Postmaster encourages us to by these stamps because they are good forever. Meaning I spend 42¢ now for a stamp, it will still cost just 42¢ when I send a letter five years from now.

My only problem with this forever stamp is that it comes in a booklet of 20. I like rolls of 100 better. I still don’t really understand why the post office created this stamp. I find it hard to believe that their motive is just to provide convenience for their customers - there must some some ulterior motive.

Why do so many companies use automated call systems? I find them so frustrating! I hate listening to super-long menu choices - especially when the reason for my call doesn’t fall neatly into one of the choices.

And when did it become acceptable to say “We’re experiencing a higher than normal call volume?” Does that really make it okay to force customers to wait longer than usual? Because, so far, every time I have called, you’ve been experiencing an unusually high number of calls. Hire more people!!!!

I called my (ex)web hosting company and waited on line for an hour. For an hour - seriously - then I just hung up. I didn’t even get to speak to a representative. Then I called their sales department and got right through. I told him that I’m incredibly frustrated with the service and all I want is the authorization code so I can move to a different company. He said “let me transfer you to billing… click.” And billing never picked up their phone. Startlogic is the company’s name in case you were wondering.

But… I called WalMart last week to inquire about some electronics. A real person answered the phone after one ring, she listened to my request and then told me she would transfer me to the department that can help. They picked up after two rings, checked on the item I inquired about and answered my question - all within 5 minutes.

I just wanted to vent a little.

It’s the end of another year and Roch’s payroll reports are due. He gave me a fancy title “controller”, but the pay sucks.

I shipped out all the W-2s this morning, filed all the annual reports and now I’m finishing up the 1099s. Fortunately, Quickbooks made it easy for me. I just had to track down all the subcontractors for their mailing address and tax ID number. Actually, Roch made those calls.

I have a few more 1099s to print, then I’ll fill out the 1096 that goes with it. And then I’m done! Hurray! Back to easy weekly payroll and quarterly reports.

We have an accountant who does our 1040 taxes. He just needs a printed balance sheet from Quickbooks and then he works his magic. I love him.