I’m having a terrible experience dealing with Nordictrack (Icon health and fitness) and it’s partner financing company HC Credit. Consider buying from someone else if you’re on the fence. Unfortunately, they have a setup that discourages efficiency and customer-friendliness, since they seem to recoup profits on their “interest-free” offers by charging crazy fees even without any mistakes on your part and really getting you if you’re a day late. My inquiry about these practices was met with “your fault, it’s in the fine print.” Sigh. Even if I must eventually accept that fact, that’s not the way to leave me a happy customer. I’m out hundreds of dollars to these guys. Don’t buy Icon / Nordictrack. And though the “HELPCard” / HC Credit company has no need to maintain a good image since they are fed “sales” from other companies, never use them if you can help it. Their website is ancient, contains errors, and their call center is unprofessional and difficult to deal with. Makes me want to start up a competitor that operates with efficiency and customer friendliness, and maintains profitability through automation and efficiency rather than through leeching ridiculous fees from people as inefficiently as possible.

This is not from the Onion. We live in our own microcosms and macroeconomic woes impact all of us very differently. Capitalism and abundance breed funny pockets of reality. But this makes me want to re-examine my own hierarchy of life priorities that filter down to discretionary spending.

The LA Times. “It used to be a high point of Goldy Anthony’s life. Every six weeks or so, as a kind of personal morale booster, she and a group of girlfriends would make appointments to see a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon for little touch-ups. He was ‘an artist’ with Botox and Juvederm, she said.”

“Afterward, in a carefree mood, the ladies would dine at a popular restaurant on the Sunset Strip.”

“No more. The sub-prime loan crisis, the housing slump and the general decline of the economy have claimed another covey of victims. Anthony is in the real estate business, and under current conditions, the cosmetic treatments — at $1,800 or more a pop — can no longer be squeezed into her budget. It’s the same with others in the group.”

“‘We used to make appointments together,’ Anthony said. ‘Then they started saying, ‘I can’t go next week.’ People didn’t have the money, but they were ashamed to tell you.’”

“‘I would rather have Botox than go out to dinner, but it’s just gotten so bad,’ said Anthony, 41, who is looking for a job since her career in the mortgage business went sour. She has not had the facial treatments in months.”

“And what’s been happening in Beverly Hills is apparently happening around the country. After years of steady growth, the cosmetic surgery business seems to be going through a rough patch.”

“Cathy Hollingsworth is not in the real estate business; she manages a clothing store. But the 42-year-old mother of two from San Jacinto said she is holding off on $20,000 worth of surgery because she doesn’t think it would be fair to her family in a shaky economy.”

“Her husband’s job with an engineering firm appears to be secure, but the four-bedroom home the family bought 2 1/2 years ago has lost value. On their street in a brand-new subdivision, four or five houses now sit empty.”

“‘If we weren’t upside-down in the house, I probably would take the money out and have it done,’ said Hollingsworth, ‘I’ll have to see how long I can tolerate wearing a girdle.’”

I finished putting up all the old “Chronicles” (they hadn’t yet invented the word “blog” when I started writing them). They are all filed under the category “chronicles 3,” in the menu. As I read through them, I sometimes wondered about the doofus who wrote them. I feel I need to apologize if you find anything lame, offensive, or embarrassing, or hey, if anything makes you laugh so hard you pee your pants. So, I’m sorry. What can I say? I was in college.

It’s time for my blog to evolve a bit. Don’t worry, if you are a hard-core creationist - it’s micro-evolution, not macro-evolution. It will still be the same species, it is just regaining some of the traits it had earlier in its online life.

Looking around at some of the blogs out there, Sarah and I thought it’d be cool to have online journals that include major and minor things we’d like recorded and don’t mind being public. Blogs have the same benefit that normal little journals have - a way to look back and remember milestones and fun stuff. So this journal can reflect life, and not just “spirituality,” I’m not limiting it to only devotional entries. The new font for “Yumbrad” above reflects this paradigm shift. After a few market studies, I think it evokes a casual, fun feel, without being sloppy, immature, or necessarily precluding more serious entries. The font name is Mandingo, which reminds me of Mandrills and Dingos mixed:

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Which would be fun and a little crazy, but not as downright insane as, say, Rhinoceroses and Sloths mixed. That would be too much. So that’s the reasoning behind my font. I hope the images help convey my logical thought process.

And I’m gonna put up the funny entries I wrote long ago, under the moniker “Chronicles 3.” And maybe I’ll write a few new chronicles now and then

Instapundit I am not. I responded to a comment 8 days later. Just putting this here since otherwise the only way to know is the little number in parenthesis. I will respond to all comments (well, not the comment spam I’m already seeing a little of - “So, you have Viagra for a great price, huh? How exactly does that relate to free will?”), it just might take me a while.