45 thoughts on “May 9, 2017: KP”

  1. Over the past couple weeks I've gotten a couple calls where the person asks for someone who is not me. When I tell them they have the wrong number, they pull a "maybe you can help me. I'm so and so with such and such donor program". Is this a new tactic for getting people to donate to things? It really pisses me off mostly due to the incredible disingenuous nature of it.

    1. My guess is it's a telemarketer working off an old list. Even though I've been in my present appointment for six years now, I still get calls from telemarketers asking for the previous pastor or even one or two before that. I just tell them that person is no longer at this number and hang up. Or, since these days you don't literally "hang up", I disconnect.

      1. Kids aren't going to be able to enjoy slamming a phone down anymore, are they? Mmm, that satisfying, waning tone of the bell after you slammed the phone on the receiver...

        1. You have to look at it a different way. It's still pretty satisfying to me to disconnect when I can still hear them talking about whatever, unaware I have pulled the phone from my ear.

      2. I tell them they have the wrong number and then give them a second just to see if it they maybe messed up by a number or two in case they legitimately want to get a hold of "Theresa", or whomever. In the two times it happened to me, the area code was around Milwaukee, so its possible they were actually looking for someone. I hang up as soon as I get the "maybe you can help me" line. I don't donate based on cold calls. I'll look for where I want to donate and research who I'm giving money to, thank you very much.

    2. Anyone calls from a number I don't know can leave a message if they want to talk to me that badly.

      On a related note, there's an organization that does blood drives in our office complex every now and then. I've donated a few times but stopped after they started calling every damn week asking for more donations (while cycling through different phone numbers too). I was listening to an old Radiolab episode this weekend and I think I found out why: $$$

      1. I normally do, but sometimes the calls are from a nearby area code so I answer just in case. I figure answering and hanging up doesn't hurt me at all.

      2. Off topic:

        Has anyone listened to recent Radiolab podcasts? They've had decent topics but the hosts are so ignorant of the subject that I end up turning them off.

        1. I've been ok with recent Radiolab episodes as long as they are more science related. Not a huge fan of one of the few science outlets I have veering away from science.

          I don't know if I care so much about the hosts' subject matter knowledge so long as they defer to the guests/reporters that do know in those cases. Like the Lose/Lose episode about throwing badminton games--it's clear they don't really follow sports but they let the guest drive the story for the most part. But that episode is also a good example of something I am generally interested in (sports) but don't really want to get from Radiolab.

          1. Specifically, I was disappointed in the police shooting episode and the airplane surveilance episode.

            On the first, I was surprised at just how ignorant they were. They stated they'd never heard of "suicide by cop." Considering I'm not an expert and thought it was a pretty well-known phenomena, it was disappointing.

            On the surveilance one, I thought the topic was fascinating but one of the hosts basically just "icky" without any of the deeper questions addressed.

        2. I've only started listening to Radiolab recently. As such, I've been going through earlier episodes since I'm guessing after 15 years of anything, quality could start to decline. I was comforted to see they look almost exactly as I thought they might.

      3. I have the same blood donation experience. They call all the time and I haven't picked up in a couple years at least. I think you're right that money plays a role in this. But I assume most of the people making the calls are volunteers, so I don't think it's strictly a cash grab.

        1. The episode I mentioned touched on the economics of blood donation, which was definitely something I hadn't considered before.

      4. Anyone calls from a number I don't know can leave a message if they want to talk to me that badly.

        My favorite are the voicemails that start 30 seconds in because the bot didn't wait for the beep.

        Lately I've been getting calls from numbers with the same prefix. I eventually answered one only to confirm that I should answer none of them.

        1. I have a work and personal phone. On each one, I get random calls from the same area code and even prefix of the phone they're calling (last 4 numbers vary). No one's ever left a message. This has happened at least 3-4 times per phone in the past month.

          2. I have only the work phone. I have gotten a ton of spam calls in the last couple of months from all over the country (spoofing, I'm sure). It has slowed recently, but it was a couple a day for a while there.

    3. Donations at best; scam at worst.

      I just don't answer unknowns. I don't like being on the phone with people I like, let alone with strangers.

      1. I would like to do that, but in my profession there's always the chance that it's a legitimate call for something that's needed right away. If it's from an odd area code, though, I will let it ring a little while before answering. If it is a telemarketer, they quite often won't be there any more by the time I answer the phone.

        1. I don't envy your position there. And, in general. If someone calls me with an "emergency," it's because he doesn't know how to pair his Bluetooth remote with his new TV.

          1. It comes with the territory. You know going in that this is part of it. Every job has stuff like that. If you don't like it, well, there are lots of other things a person can do.

      2. I really don't get any of those calls. I have no problem saying a polite "no thank you" and hanging up., no need to be rude I guess. Except for Sherry in Card Services - she can bite me

  2. Since I'm in Omerha again, I was considering dinner at the theater tonight, but GotG2 is the only thing I'd watch, and it's too late for supper...bummer

  4. My daughter and I went to the Twins game on Sunday. She insisted we stay until the end, even after the ten run ninth. I think it was our first game in three seasons.

    1. I went to the game on Saturday (didn't go to any last year) and didn't make it through the 5th before the 3-year old lost interest. Although hard to say anyone was interested after the 2nd inning.

      Maybe it was the combination of a crappy game and two kids who want to eat and buy everything, but I was pretty put off by just outlandishly expensive everything is at the ballpark. Get off my lawn!!!

      1. I make it a mission to pay for as little as possible when the Twins come to play the Sox. Don't want to give those guys any extra money.

        1. We packed enough snacks to eat for days and brought in water bottles, so we walked out only buying ice cream (Dippin Dots!) for the kids.

  6. I just realized that 2017 is the first year of my life that I have seen, in person, an MLB game, an NBA game, and an NHL game in the same calendar year.

    2. I pulled that off in 2015...possibly? I saw a Coyotes-Wild game then, but I'm not sure the Suns-Pistons game was in the same calendar year. I should have done it this year too, but for all our talk about getting to Xcel, it just never happened. Granted, buying a house was what kept getting in the way.

      1. Got free tickets for the Wild from a guy I'd done a favor for. Wolves and Twins tickets were the result of promotions at my daughter's school. She and I went to those games; she did not go to the hockey game.

        She was not all that excited about the Twins game (with good reason!). Recently, she asked me if she could go see LeBron next year. A reasonable request in my mind.

        1. Our Wild-Coyotes game was a result of Skim singing the National Anthem; the fact that it was the Wild was a fantastic coincidence.

          The Suns-Pistons game was a result of Sour Cream leading her class in reading books over the summer. The daughters come up big.

    3. I had the great fortune of seeing the Avalanche's last game of the season and an early game of the Rockies season on the same day several years ago. My brother scored free tickets to both, so we didn't feel too put out by the price of beer at the stadium.

        1. I looked up the date, and had spookied the fact that you saw an Eric Davis home run. Well, that's neat. You also apparently saw them from Ron Kittle and Paul Molitor.

          On that day, I also noticed Allan Anderson fell to 6-17 and the Twins to 59-74. So, better that you were where you were.

          You also saw a win from Teddy Higuera. Beastly from 1985-88, Serviceable for another two years and disastrous after. What up, Teddy? Injuries? Does anyone remember?

  7. From LEN3:

    The forecast is not favorable for Wednesday's game to start on time. Rain is expected to start falling around 4 p.m. and intensify at 7 p.m. Not good. But check here for weather updates as they become available. I'm worried, because the White Sox already have the tarp over the infield.

Comments are closed.