Huckleberries Online

Hump Day Wild Card — 3/25/09

Posted by DFO

March 25, 2009 6 p.m. • 91 comments

In the news this evening: Congress votes to expand wilderness in 9 states, including Idaho, here. USPO chief: Post office is running out of money here. The Hawaii Senate defeats civil unions here. George Soros says he’s having ‘a good crisis’ here. AIG execs are getting death threats here. And the Wild Card remains in play …

91 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

marmitetoasty on March 25 at 11:22 a.m.
Can I just say that at a quarter past 6pm here today, having not long got in from being on an all day college interview with my Jacob who is 15, he has just been accepted hands down for his placement there in September (depending on his exam grades which will be a doddle)….. its been a long hard day…. exhausting and we are both knackered but oh my are we ever so happy……. my boy is gonna get the chance to do what he has craved to be doing for that last 2 years…….

Done and bloody dusted :)

x
JeanieSpokane on March 25 at 11:27 a.m.
Congratulations, Marmie!!! Wow - 15 and in college. Jacob is one smart little Brit. How wonderful!
Liz on March 25 at 1:12 p.m.
go Woz!!!!

I don’t care if he can’t dance…
Truly on March 25 at 3:17 p.m.
Ok, Ok I know there aren’t “real” people on the other end of the phones when you want to discuss a bill or whatnot but this is freeking out of control. Just to get through the menu to talk to a “real” person is nuts and then to be put on hold for hours? Come on man! What the hell gives here. Folks want their freekin money but cant’ talk to “you” about it? What is up? They can all just die then if they can’t talk like a human.

Ok I’m better now.

Peace.
JIMMYMAC on March 25 at 3:27 p.m.
Here is my warning for all you HBO’ers our there in Kootenai County. If you feel like you are getting sick in the least bit-get checked out!!!!! I am one that never ever never goes to the doctor. I very rarely get sick or complain when I do. I went last night to After Hours and was diagnosed with influenza. The good doc said it is rampant, in fact he had 7 consecutive high school students this week who tested positive for it. This thing has hit me like an absolute TRAIN. If you catch it within the first 48 hours, you can get antibiotics and it will be cleared up in about 48 hours but he did warn that without treating it early, you could face the symptoms for 1-2 weeks.
Again, I am one that usually works and does my day to day stuff while being sick but this is THE WORST. I just sent my wife to get checked out as I type this.
keithincda on March 25 at 3:38 p.m.
get well JIMMYMAC you need your strength to cheer them Zags on Friday night!
I was actually gonna call you at work today too and see about meeting up for a beer before the weekend, but NOT NOW! Maybe next week?..
JIMMYMAC on March 25 at 3:43 p.m.
Thanks Keith,

Next week sounds good, I could use a frosty one. Here’s hoping the Zags pull it out and the victor, either way, runs the table.
hmoffsuite on March 25 at 3:44 p.m.
JIMMYMAC Hang in there, man. Prolly not much you can do but ride it out.
JIMMYMAC on March 25 at 3:52 p.m.
Thanks HMO-
Say, when do you come up north? I’d really like to meet you. I know you are out at Casco and one of my dearest friends is also a day trader out in Casco Bay.
hmoffsuite on March 25 at 4:04 p.m.
We’ll be heading up in about a month. Depends on the weather. Both here and there. If it gets way too hot, we are outa here. If it is still snowing up there, I think I’ll deal with the heat a little longer. Lake water levels are also in the equation. I like to get up to Cda and moved in, before the floods, if we get them. I watch the lake level readings daily. Does your buddies name start with a P? We know pretty much everybody over on that part of the lake.
Sam on March 25 at 4:25 p.m.
Oh the irony of a wild card labeled as the “Hump Day” thread, right below a topic on “sexting.”
Sam on March 25 at 4:25 p.m.
hmoff - you could always come over to Western Washington, where it’s more temperate … and then you could pay my credit card bills. ;)
Sam on March 25 at 4:26 p.m.
Truly - a secret of automated phone systems … generally, if you hit the zero key it’ll put you directly in queue to speak with a real person.
JIMMYMAC on March 25 at 4:28 p.m.
HMO,
Last name starts with P. Initials R.P.
One of my favorite people.
hmoffsuite on March 25 at 4:40 p.m.
JIMMYMAC. This is kinda strange but I know two guys with those initials in Casco. Both have ‘A’ frame style homes. One on one end of the bay and the other at the other end. Either way, we know both of them. I think I talked with your friend at the acbs classic boat show last year. I was driving my Amphicar around the boardwalk. Ask him about the guy driving the Amphy, He’ll know and that was me. My wife sees him more often that I do. Good guy.
JIMMYMAC on March 25 at 4:47 p.m.
Good stuff, HMO. My buddy is the one with 2 A frames on his property. I almost had my wedding at his house but we agreed it might be a headache to barge everything over.
DFO on March 25 at 4:50 p.m.
Jimmy; I think HMO should treat us HBOers to an outdoor movie at his Casco Bay digs, complete with ferry service from the Third Street docks. I’m sure he’ll make us sign a waiver, suh-wearin’ that we won’t wander down the bay to check out the new Hagadone manse.
Bent on March 25 at 4:53 p.m.
That would be great, DFO. I’ll bring the beer, Hmoff.
hmoffsuite on March 25 at 5:03 p.m.
I think we can work something out. I frequently make that ferry run several times a day. My record is 16 trips across the bay in one day. I like giving the tours. Sometimes I feel like the guy giving tours of hollywood considering the people we have on the lake now.
JIMMYMAC on March 25 at 5:10 p.m.
Pretty interesting link to the resignation email from an AIG employee to the CEO…

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/25/opinion/25desantis.html?_r=1

definitely worth a look no matter what you think of AIG
hmoffsuite on March 25 at 5:20 p.m.
JIMMYMAC. I would hope the congressmen that have been a party to the hearings will read that. Then reconsider their vile comments directed to the employees. Acorn is picketing and pestering all the executive’s homes. I don’t think the employees should be the brunt of all this criticism.
keithincda on March 25 at 5:41 p.m.
being an Executive Recruiter, with all due respect to the letter that AIG guy wrote, which certainly speaks many truths and I am sure hits the nail on the head for him and many others. he can kiss his career goodbye….major mistake to do that in such a fashion.
Just so everyone knows, when you voluntarily leave employment no matter what….NEVER NEVER EVER resign that way.
hmoffsuite on March 25 at 5:44 p.m.
Now that its Springtime, if anyone has a need to monitor the level of the lake, here is the site that I use.

http://ahps2.wrh.noaa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=otx&gage=coei1&view=1,1,1,1,1,1
Cis on March 25 at 6:10 p.m.
Ok, kids (I get to say that as I am the old lady of the shoe) here is something to see how smart you are…

It took me 20 minutes to get it done…
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/just_fun/games/mapgame.html

It is a map and you put the countries in. I finally got one on the right and got the ones around them… but then was lost again..

I have been out of school too long…

so go give it a try and see how smart you are.
danofthecommunity on March 25 at 6:21 p.m.
Listening to the Campbell Brown show on CNN on the way home from work (Sirius-don’t leave home without it). She was doing a piece on the Mexican drugs wars and was interviewing a special correspondent who said that Juarez (sp?), just across from El Paso is THE most dangerous city in Mexico for this stuff.

That caught my attention because our son is stationed there at Fort Bliss…almost makes me glad that he’ll be going somewhere that sounds much safer in May…Basrah, Iraq. He was just home for a short leave before they go over for another year tour.
Sam on March 25 at 6:40 p.m.
Keith, a follow-up: Might there be a chance that he could actually get job offers, considering the company involved and the current climate in America regarding this issue?
Sam on March 25 at 6:48 p.m.
Cis, that was hard, though I’ve gotten a lot better with the Middle East since 2001.

Africa still gets me.
Charlie on March 25 at 7:23 p.m.
TRULY,

You might try this web site for human contact, it also has instructions on how to get them.

gethuman.com/us/
keithincda on March 25 at 7:31 p.m.
Sam, sure anything is possible. Wouldn’t surprise me if he does land somewhere but he burned a bridge and that should never be done, no matter how one feels.
My point is that is a bad way to resign from a company. I’d be willing to wager that he wishes he hadn’t done it. For the folks I work with I tell them if they feel the need to do that write the letter and put it in an envelope and mail it to themselves. Then send a professional one to the employer they are leaving. A good resignation letter is about 3 lines long—Thanks for everything, I’m leaving, and best wishes….that’s all one needs to say
Sam on March 25 at 8:27 p.m.
Anyone have any idea what Cd’A doesn’t archive all City Council meetings online?
Stickman on March 25 at 8:56 p.m.
Marmite: I have never been bloody dusted, but I think I like the idea.
Stickman on March 25 at 8:58 p.m.
Truly: I am glad you are better now, as I think anything we do these days will invlove everything that you had to go through.
Stickman on March 25 at 9:00 p.m.
Jimmy: I hope you come through this easily and are well in just a moment or two.
cantyoureadthesigns on March 25 at 10:54 p.m.
Antibiotics are NOT effective in treating influenza, as they do not impact on viruses such as influenza. Taking them may make influenza symptoms worse, and adds to the very serious problem of antibiotic resistance.

AntiVIRAL medicines such as Tamiflu and Relenza CAN be effective if taken within 48 hours of onset of symptoms.

I’m guessing the AIG VP who resigned knows the consequences of his truth telling, and is planning on retiring. He’s been a highly compensated executive for many years, probably moved his personal fortune into cash equivilents, T-Bills, and FDIC insured CDs a couple of years ago before the meltdown, and is likely a double digit multi-millionaire and can retire to a life of gracious leisure that most of us can only dream about.
JIMMYMAC on March 25 at 10:58 p.m.
Thanks Stickman, greatly appreciated-all the best to you and yours.
Sam on March 25 at 11:02 p.m.
Jimmy definitely feel better. I had the flu toward the end of 2008 and it was no fun at all. And I was one of those who doesn’t get a shot … about 2 weeks of nofunness.
JIMMYMAC on March 25 at 11:21 p.m.
Thanks Sam. I definitely have more empathy for people now when they tell me they are BATTLING the flu. Here’s to a long long time without it!!
Kage_Mann on March 25 at 11:29 p.m.
Sammy, are you causing trouble over on the other website again?I thought we covered all this baloney last June?keep posting though.
Sam on March 25 at 11:44 p.m.
I guess it’s time for me to leave here again. I’ve been here for less than a month and it appears my writing style has gotten me in more trouble than it’s worth. I write short, terse and as direct as possible. That’s just my style I guess.

I’m a big joker. I’m very sarcastic. If you knew me personally, you’d know that. But it doesn’t translate well to the way I write.

I’ll be gone from HBO for awhile. My goal has always been to engage in conversation here, and pretty much always when it comes to journalism. I believe journalists owe it to the public to have discussions, be transparent and explain why we do what we do … and why the others in this field cover things the way they do from our perspective. Because that allows for healthy dialogue.

But lately, it hasn’t been working out for me. I seem to recall it wasn’t this way before Jan. 1, 2009, but every day since I’ve been back I’ve not really enjoyed the back and forth. Mostly because people flip out easily. No idea what that is. I’ve never gotten a warning from DFO since I’ve been back, so I don’t feel like I’ve been too harsh. most of what I have done, admittedly has been designed to provoke discussion, but not insults and mean comments just because.

To be clear, I’m on trying to whine. Just offer up a perspective. And by leaving I think I’m helping everyone how, rather than complaining.

I don’t live in North Idaho anymore, so I probably don’t need to be here anyway.

I hope all of you enjoy 2009 and the place you live. It’s fantastic and I miss it!
Cindy_H on March 26 at 12:52 a.m.
:-( Bummer, Sam. It’s been nice to have you back. I like it when you mix things up, because I totally get what you’re doing. I hope you’ll reconsider. Yours is a most welcome voice.
Truly on March 26 at 7:30 a.m.
Sam there is no need for you to leave HBO so stop it! Right now Mr. DFO do something about this please. What has he done? I am starting to feel real bad about this place when so many keep leaving.
OrangeTV on March 26 at 9:43 a.m.
Sam, puh-lease. What a drama queen. Get over yourself, my laddie. Sorry you think no one “gets your style.” It’s just a just a fun little web forum, not the ultimate in journalistic rah-sha-sha. Whatever.
Cabbage Boy on March 26 at 9:53 a.m.
I agree orangeTV. I looked through the whole thread and didn’t find anything worth this drama.

And not to nitpick, but you have one too many ‘L’s” in this phrase, “Get over yourself, my laddie.”
Cabbage Boy on March 26 at 9:54 a.m.
DOH! that would be one too many “D’s”

boy, talk about ruining the punch line…
Lizard_People on March 26 at 10:13 a.m.
Hey, I just realized that I can point out that Thursday is Captain Kirk’s birthday (03/26/2223) without fear of being labeled a Ronulan!!

Woo-hoo!!
moscow_minidoka on March 26 at 10:21 a.m.
Sam, your skin must be getting too thin. I haven’t noticed anything out of line on your part, except for the whiny nature of your most recent post. If you’re bothering some people, so what? Ignore them, and continue to post. But like OrangeTV said, try to avoid being a self-important drama queen. The only aspect of your “style” that is bothersome is your tendency to post six or seven times on the same thread before anyone else has replied or commented upon your original post.

This reminds me of when *I* was a working journalist (a department editor). Another editor was defending the horrible writing of a certain arts reporter, and claimed “That’s just her style.” I reminded him that “crap is not a style.”

The internet has been around for some time, Sam… if people don’t get your “style” when it’s presented online, I’d say it’s time to change your style, or find another line of work.

« Back to Huckleberries Online

You must be logged in to post comments.
Please create a profile or log in here.

About this blog

D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.