RandomCha

My allergies are terrible today. If it wasn’t 85 degrees with 95% humidity today, things would probably be different. I’m barely able to function here at work. I have a roll of paper by my side so I can grab ahold of it right before I sneeze. I want a new head.

Please join with me in congratulating Andy on his promotion to Special Collections Assistant at the Newberry Library. His speciality in the new capacity will the Map Collection (!) Who knew, since Andy hates to travel?

With him getting in library school AND getting a promotion, and me of course on the verge of being the next literary superstar, who can say how far our ambitions will take us? Just kidding.

I am having sex with Tobey Maguire, who is cheating on Jake Gyllenhaal to be with me.

O boy I had fun last night. Here are the drinks I had (in the order I had them) for those who couldn’t be there:

1 Mai Tai
2 Singapore Sling
3 Tiki Puka Puka
4 Zombie
5 Mahanni

I think I’m still a little sauced even now, but damn I feel great. Wide awake at 6 am, went out and got some milk & donuts and then came back here and made some coffee (La Minita). If this is 29 then my response is BRING IT ON.

I really want to thank everyone who came last night. It meant so much to me. To see one’s friends meeting each other for the first time (in many cases) and getting along beautifully makes everything feel great. Bill gave lots of us a lift home. Joey made a drunken LJ post. Andy made sure the bill got paid, and wouldn’t even let me see the total. I feel loved!

I’m soooooo looking forward to cocktails this evening. So far 17 people have said ‘yes, I’ll be there.’ I’m gonna get there a bit before 5 so that I can hopefully stake out some free space.

I’m wearing my new fave outfit today: my recently-bought stripy long-sleeved button down shirt, jeans, low-top Chuck Taylors.

Busy morning here at work, but on Friday that usually means a slow afternoon. We’re ordering out at Star of Siam for lunch. Just a simple chicken noodle soup for me. Pu Pu appetizers are calling for me.

Location: Trader Vic’s, The Palmer House Hilton Hotel
17 East Monroe Avenue, Chicago, IL
When: Friday, August 20, 5:00pm
Phone: (312) 917-7317

Rob is turning 29. He’s inviting you to celebrate this occurence with cocktails, friends, and total strangers at the legendary Trader Vic’s. To read more about this jewel of Chicago, go to http://www.tradervics.com/rest-chicago.html

On Fridays until 6.30 there is a complementary pu pu appetizer buffet, which shall make the evening even more enjoyable.

So stop by after work to unwind and bask in the glow of Tiki. Feel free to bring friends/signifcant others/etc.

Rob hopes you can make it!

Well, I haven’t heard from Crunch yet … except through my credit card. The bastards charged my card.

If I don’t hear from them by the end of the week, I’m going to Channel 5. And I’m changing my credit card number so that they don’t have a current one on file.

Everyone else seems to have all these terribly exciting things in their recent LJ posts. Hrmph. Well Andy and I had a particularly lovely day yesterday. It began with coffee, and continued with a long healthy relationship discussion which segued into an extremely tasty, non-food form of breakfast (wink wink) which occured in our dining room. And our dining room has rather large windows that look out onto the courtyard of the building. So anyone might have seen us. But didn’t. Still, that made it exciting.

After showering and dressing we made our way south through Lincoln Park to the Conservatory, where we spent quite a long time in the Great Garden. It’s outside (of course) over several acres. The flowerbeds this year have been planted with 50,000 plants of various types as a carpet-bed representation of several graphs and data charts representing Lake Michigan. I tried finding some pictures or a site online but no luck. It’s amazing! One bed in particular has plants with about 6 different shades of purple.

After that we walked back home, had a nap, and then Andy made a delicious dinner: a tapas-style appetizer (dates wrapped in bacon) and Carribean Cookup Rice. And there was some noodling around with iTunes, and eventually I got stoned and we ate ice cream and watched “Sanshuro Sugata II” by Kurosawa. And then I went to sleep.

So there.

11 August 2004

Crunch Fitness Guarantee Program
12440 East Imperial Highway
Suite 300
Norwalk CA 90650

To Whom It May Concern,

On July 14, I went to the Crunch Fitness on Grand here in Chicago. I had filled out a card at a Tower Records for a drawing for a free membership and had gotten a call a few days earlier and was told I had won a free membership. First I was given a tour of the gym and then taken to an office, where I drew a game piece. After scratching it off, it appeared that I had won a free one-week membership. I told the Crunch employee that that was fine, that I’d like to take advantage of that but that I could not afford a regular membership. He pressured me to sign up for a membershipand and said that I could always cancel if I didn’t like it, but once again I informed him that I could not afford a full membership.

He then brought in his supervisor, who also pressured me into signing up, and yet again I told him I would be interested in the free week but could not commit to anything else. He then went over with me the various membership plans, and their prices. I stood firm, even as he kept lowering the prices.

Finally, he told me I could have a no-obligation one month membership if I signed up, but that I could cancel anytime within the first 30 days if I didn’t want to stay on. Finally, I agreed to that. So he drew up a membership plan, printed out the contract, and then indicated two places for me to sign.

He did not, I repeat HE DID NOT, tell me ANYTHING about ANY CONDITIONS that would need to be met for this FREE one-month membership. It was only about a week later, after the 3-day grace period, that I noticed the ‘conditions’ indicated on my contract. I was completely misled by both Crunch employees into thinking that I had actually WON A FREE ONE-MONTH MEMBERSHIP. I was NOT told that I needed to visit the club a minimum of 12 times within the first 30 days, and I was NOT told that this was the only way to effectively cancel my membership without paying the full dues. I tried to cancel at the Crunch on Grand but was told that they had no power to do anything and that I would have to write to you.

Legally, I undertand I should have carefully read the entire contract, but I was ASSURED by your employees that it was not necessary, and that I could cancel ANY TIME within the first 30 days with NO financial penalty. This, obviously, was not only misleading but downright false.

It is unethical and I belive reprehensible that you would lull someone into beliving that they have a no-risk 30 day trial period to try out your gym when in fact there are a battery of conditions that must be met. And furthermore, I am not satistied with the quality of your facilities anyway. $70.00 a month for Crunch is outrageous when I can have many of the same benefits at my local club Pulse Fitness for around $35.00.

Enclosed is a copy of the contract which I signed. I want an immediate nullification of my contract, a copy of which I have enclosed. I want you to cease all charges to my credit card on file immediately. If you continue to charge my card, I will get in touch with my credit card company and instruct them to refuse any more charges, and I will be forced to issue a dispute of charges. I really hope that this will not be necessary.

I believe you should tell your employees that when they talk someone into a membership, they should have the decency to point all club obligations and to TELL THE TRUTH about what a 30-day “no-obligation trial membership” REALLY means.

I would appreciate a response from you as soon as possible, preferrably by phone or email. Thank you for your time.

Rob Christopher

Isn’t it wonderful how, at the right time on the right day, a donut and a cup of coffee can totally turn things around and put you in a better mood?