Here’s a long story, not about Dominic!  I felt it was good to write about since I don’t see many blogs/consumer stories about good experiences regarding extended warranties.

Almost 3 and a half years ago and just before Lori and I were married we bought a new larger (42”)  HDTV to replace our old 24” friend.

Now If you’ve shopped at big electronics store retailers you know that even if you purchase a pair of $5 headphones they will offer you some kind of “extended” warranty.  Most often I don’t believe in them, however under some circumstances I am all for them.

So when we purchased a 42” LCD Projection TV I felt it was also worth the extra money to buy the 4 year extended warranty (insurance policy) for a few reasons.  LCD (and DLP) projection technology were pretty new and I expected there was a good chance for problems.  It covered the replacement of the bulb which has an average 5000 hour life span and at the time was almost the cost of the warranty.  4 years is a lot of time to guarantee a piece of electronics.

The television served us well for almost 3 years when I started to notice the picture was getting dim and fuzzy.  I called the service center and they came out to service our TV and replaced the lamp.  Good times, the TV felt newish again. Fast forward to a few months ago.

I was reviewing test footage from our new HD camera when I noticed strange spots on the screen.  Thinking it was my brand new camera, I was worried I bought a dud and almost exchanged it for a new one!  After testing the same footage on my other TV and computer screens, I noticed the spots were only appearing when viewed on the TV.  This drew my attention to the TV and I threw all sorts of test patterns at the TV and noticed there were quite a few spots, some the size of a quarter along with a strange light blueish-green color distribution.

Researching the issue, I came up with a few reasons as to why this was happening.  One was probably dust settling on the lens or in the light engine (projector) which is apparently a common issue due the (poor) design of most modern “slim” LCD and DLP projectors.  The other problem was probably due to a light engine (projector) failure.  At some point during all this research it dawned on me that I still had an extended warranty which covered this TV for almost another year!  I called for service.

The technician decided to replace the light engine (projector).  A few days after the new one was installed I noticed MORE spots and one of them was HUGE and VERY noticeable (even if you were watching dark scenes) so I called the service center again.  The technician explained to me they probably sent a bad refurbished part and they’d put in for another replacement.

Now I was starting to grow tired of the repair process so I read through the extended warranty policy and found saw there was a lemon clause and while I was glad it existed I figured I’d allow them to fix the TV and hope he problem would be solved.  The part was replaced, all is well….

WRONG!  The next morning when I turned on the TV I noticed the screen was shaking almost like a flicker.  This infuriated me so I placed another call to the service center and mentioned my feeling about this TV approaching the lemon stage.  They scheduled an appointment for the following Thursday for a technician to come and either repair or issue a replacement authorization.  Thursday came, I waited for my appointment phone call from the technician, it never happened.  I called the service center, they claimed I didn’t have an appointment and was actually waiting for Lemon authorization.  Now I felt better, at least they were being proactive about the situation, though they didn’t inform me.

WRONG AGAIN!  I get a random call the next day service center rep trying to schedule an appointment for a tech to come out and pick up a part to send back to the manufacture for repair.  After explaining to her the technician took that part with him the previous Friday when he performed the repair she was confused and told me to call back the main line and explain it to them, as she was just a scheduler.

So I did and was informed no one needed to come out and pick up any parts, it was a mistake in the system.  He did informed me I needed a technician to come out and evaluate the Lemon claim.  I agreed though it would be at least another week for this to happen. Now I was very angry due to the mistreatment I was getting from the service center phone reps.  I decided to go into a local store and explain my situation to a manager.

The manager was sympathetic and very helpful.  He placed a call to a friend of his in the Lemon department and also faxed my info over to him.  Later that evening (while we’re at dinner for Lori’s birthday) I get a call from the service center saying they would like to send a technician the next day.  I agreed and hoped for the appointment phone call the next morning.

The technician called in the morning and then came over in the early afternoon.  He agreed it was a Lemon, made some calls to get it approved and helped me load the TV into my truck.  Off to the store to do the exchange.  The people at the store were very nice and super helpful.  They informed me since they didn’t have the same TV to replace my LEMON, they would give me full credit back towards the purchase of new one in store.  Pretty awesome!

So we chose the Sony 46” 1080p 120hz LCD Flat panel TV as a replacement.  The new TV takes up about the same amount of space (height and width wise) as the old  but there is more screen due to the speakers being on the bottom and this TV is only 3” thick!  The picture quality is dramatically better than the last TV (even Lori noticed it) and it really shines when watching a BluRay disc!

So after the Lemon return credit, a % off coupon, a few other certificates (thanks for the Kawanza gift Don!) and I of course added on the 4 year extended warranty so we ended up with a brand spanking new, beautiful TV for under 600 US stimulus dollars!  So sometimes it’s worth buying an extended warranty and the hassle involved.

So this is how I feel today…

I’m sure some of you are sick to death of hearing about this impending birth. Ah well, you’ll have to deal. It’s pretty amazing - all of the thoughts and emotions that you experience as you sit and wait for a baby to show up. Angelo and I have already shared quite a few on this blog, so I’ll spare you. Just know that when it’s your time to go through this, you’ll understand the need to blab about it all the time. For example, I don’t particularly like to “blog,” yet I find myself *needing* to do it to keep my head from imploding.

I’m pretty thankful. I have had a relatively easy pregnancy. No complications, no ‘scares,’  just a lot of anxiety - though thankfully that has subsided now that I feel the baby all the time. Yet, with this easy pregnancy, I feel I can now say that “I’m over it.”

I’m over having to pop TUMS 647 times a day because pregnancy heart burn is from the devil himself.

I’m over having to be careful when I laugh, bend down, stand up, ok - breath, so I don’t accidentally, ah hem… have an accident.

I’m over needing a forklift to get me out of bed in the middle of the night for a trip to bathroom. Again.

And finally, I’m over having a million false alarm contractions wondering if this is *indeed* the real thing.

The sad part of all of this is, I still have a week to go. And that’s IF he comes on time. Sigh… Dominic’s worth it, though. All of this discomfort will soon be a distant memory. I’ll soon have other discomforts to blog about - aren’t you excited?!

So for now, I will try to enjoy the last FEW days I have to sleep in, do what I want, lunch with friends, and well.. do what I want… and I will enjoy the last few moments of wondering what this little person inside me looks like…

<pardon… I’m having a contraction………………………… eh, it’s a fake>

Yeah, I hate it!

The waiting I’m referring to, is of Dominic’s arrival.  I am so very excited and I know we are as ready as we’re ever going to be for his arrival.  His room is done (though he’ll not sleep in there for the first month or so) and all his toys and stuff are put together.  For the hospital, batteries are charged for all the electronic devices I will take along to document and share the experience (don’t worry not GROSS photos or videos will be taken) and bags are packed and ready to roll.  Everything feels DONE!  I know Lori is!

Regarding labor updates I know it’s a challenge when you are going through the labor process to keep people who are waiting anxiously for updates, updated.  I plan on sending some text messages to keep a few people updated during the labor process.  However, sending text messages are kind of a pain especially when your list gets long and you have little time to do so because your wife is screaming with JOY!

So I’ve decided to try out live blogging now that I have a purpose.  In doing so, I finally figured out a practical purpose for twitter.

So if you are interested to follow along with the labor process (it’ll be filled with cool stats such as centimeters dilated, effacement percentage and contraction length) you can visit our Twitter Page Here and refresh every so often OR you can also subscribe to our Twitter RSS feed in your google reader (though be advised reader doesn’t update the feed as often as I would be able to keep it updated) OR I have a Twitter widget in the left hand sidebar.

Oh and Dominic, please hurry up because we have found your Halloween costume!

***No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, this is, in fact, Lori posting. I know I know, I’ve now crossed over to the dark side.***

Well, today was my very last day of work for this school year!

With the baby due in just 2 weeks (OMG 2 WEEKS!)  I really wasn’t sure if I was going to make it ‘til the end of the year. See, I am one of SEVEN people pregnant at Old River this year and the majority of them had their babies 2 weeks or so early. I even had co-workers placing bets that I wouldn’t be at the end of the year luncheon and that made me nervous! So, I have been working feverishly trying to make sure that I finished all report cards and important end of the year paper work early, just in case.

But here I am! I made it! My room is cleaned out, my bins are packed and in the shed and I can officially relax, well… as much as I can for being 9 months pregnant in 100 degree heat!

In Septemeber, I will start a new chapter of my life at a new school! I will be team teaching with Gina in the first grade at Rio San Gabriel! I couldn’t be more excited about this change. I have always wanted to go down to primary and after 5 years in the fourth grade, I finally get my wish! Also, I will only be working 2 or 3 days a week which allows me (and Gina) to be home with my baby. This is huge answer to our prayers. Thanks God!

So, I’m sitting in my glider (the chair, not the plane) kind of not knowing what to do with myself. I’ve always entered summer with many plans and certain expectations. You know, summer means sleeping in, traveling, beach trips, etc. Well, this summer doesn’t include any of that! Nope, this summer I become a mom. a MOM. Wow. I don’t know if that has sunk in for me yet. No, I know that it hasn’t. I have to be honest, I’m scared. What if I’m not good at this? I have been told that I am a “natural” my entire life, what if that isn’t true? How am I going to deal with the lack of sleep? Angelo could tell you that I am majorly cranky if I don’t get enough sleep, so I am a little unsure how I’m going adjust. And, I’m nervous about going back to work! I know, I know. I haven’t even had Dominic yet but I’m worried about work? But seriously, how is THAT going to work!? He’ll only be 7 or 8 weeks by then, will he allow me enough sleep to function so that I can handle a bunch of 6 year olds? I guess only time will tell. Thankfully (another blessing) Angelo can stay home with Dominic while I am work because he can work remotely.

For now, I have a couple of little things that I hope to accomplish before this little bundle shows up. I hope to FINALLY finish my thank you notes from my baby showers! I promise that they will be out in the next few days!! I had 3 showers with in 7 days and my goodness, that’s a lot of thank you notes! We really are so thankful to everyone that thought of us. Dominic received everything he could *possibly* need, and then some. Angelo and I were so blown away by everyone’s generosity, honestly.  I also hope to visit Gina and baby Emma and maybe, just maybe go swimming at my parents house, we’ll see if that happens.

So, there it is, an update on my little life. Hopefully I’ll be posting here often, Angelo (and Rachel!) has been bugging me to do this for months! But, we’ll see how that goes.

*** oh, funny story- tonight Angelo and I went to dinner at the Outback and when they called our name they took us to a booth, only, the belly wouldn’t fit! We had to go back to the waiting area! Finally, they called us again, this time they took us to a smaller booth and put a chair on the end of the table for me! Ok, seriously??? I know I’m pregnant but geez! It’s so funny how I often forget how big i’ve gotten. Sigh… only 16 days to go…

Today is June 17, 2008 and I turn 29.

The sad thing is a few months ago, I couldn’t remember if I was going to turn 28 or 29 this year, so I used some web birthday calculator to solve my memory problem! The birthday doesn’t mean much for me this year as I’m so much more distracted with the anticipation of Dominic’s arrival.

Here are a few other notable things happening today:

Here in California same sex couples can get marriage licenses, how FABULOUS!

There is a new Silver Jews album, hopefully it’s good.

Blu-ray versions of Be Kind, Rewind and So I Married an Axe Murder are to be released.

For the nerds, today is the official release of Firefox 3 and there is a Download Firefox 3 and help set a world record competition going on so upgrade yours today!

Downlod for: OSX Windows

Finally, there is a UEFA Euro 2008 match between Italy and France. Both teams have not been doing well in this tournament, despite being the two teams in the World Cup finals of 2006. They both need to win this match and then have Romania lose (sorry Isai family!) in order to continue.

For those who don’t know [and don’t care :)] the UEFA Euro 2008 is like the world cup for Europe and also happens every 4 years. You end up seeing many top players from all over the world because many of them play in the European leagues to sharpen their skills. There have been some awesome matches and I’ve enjoyed it thoroughly. I’ve said it before, soccer is perfect for HD!

Today I will work (because there is enough work and I want to stay ahead,) hopefully watch the soccer game and probably get some dinner. So yes, it’s just another day because I’m really trying to save celebrations for who’s to come in the next few weeks.

Hopefully Dominic will laugh (and be silly), like his dad!

Lori’s been knee deep with thank you cards and report cards since our last two showers so I will forgive her and do the update.

On Friday (May 30) Lori had her work shower and she scored a bunch of nice gifts from her co-workers. I know she’s going to miss no working with them next year but she’s also excited to team (teach) next year along with Gina at an awesome school.

Friday I went to pick up tables, chairs and spare easy-ups and spent the rest of the evening cleaning up the house to prepare for the big shower the next day.

Saturday morning I woke up with intense pain in my left shoulder and neck. I took some aleve and hit the road to Donovan’s house to pick up our shower cake. Donovan really went above and beyond and created such an awesome and thoughtful cake (three flavors) we are spoiled by his friendship! I brought the three cakes into the back and put it together. I think I did a decent job, but I’ll be sure not to quit my day job!

The shower began around 12:00. I ended up hanging outside for a while to make sure Lori wasn’t over-doing things and to help out wherever I could. The pain in my neck and shoulder SUCKED bad! So I alternated between sitting on the couch and visiting (and taking video) outside. When the shower ended I loaded up my truck and dropped off the tables, chairs and easy-ups back over to Downey (thanks Paul!)

We got a bunch of great stuff from all the showers we had and after looking at the filled up baby room I realize we are truly blessed to have such generous friends and family who care so much about our little Dominic!

Sunday I woke up with the pain still, though the spasms were nearly gone. I head over to church and began to setup the audio along with help (thanks Tim!) I had a great time mixing and it’s SO much more enjoyable with the new Aviom system.

After the second service I helped tear down, we hit some lunch and then headed off to Disneyland with a few friends. Disneyland was fun and we rode the Buzz and then sat and ate corn dogs (Lori got the winner!) at the Tomorrowland Terrace, er Club Buzz while watching the band on stage.

Here’s a (short) video of Drew, Jackson, Ellie and Bella dancing to some Elvis. Drew was getting down and was stealing the dance floor. Hopefully next week (when my Vimeo quota resets) I’ll upload a longer version because I captured some improvisational break dancing and other fun.

If you don’t see the video above, or want to see a higher quality version, Click Here.

This update felt long and Jason Parks-like but I still think he holds the records for longest blog posts!

David Bowie is pretty decent.

I’m posting this because it’s time to update the old blog software.

Since I’ve been properly blogging over the last few years I have been trying to get Lori to also blog. Her response is always the same, “I don’t have anything to say” or “You usually post what I’d want to post” and finally “I have my myspace if I want to.”

So with Dominic coming soon, I think Lori’s finally ready to blog. So I decided to change the theme a bit (I’m still tinkering) and will encourage her to user her account and begin posting.

So today we bid a hearty “Off with ya, scurvy scum” to the “Captains Quarters” and give a big welcome to “The Albericos” (took me a few seconds to decide on the grammar/apostrophe usage in “Albericos”, feel free to comment/correct). Not much will change, there will still be photos, videos and the occasional nerd/tech stuff that interests me, though I will probably keep most of that (unrelated) stuff in my shared feed to the side.

I will encourage/help Lori post her first few posts, maybe she can begin talking about the final two showers!