Jon Stewart speaks the truth…
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Power of the SUN
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Solar car in Edmonton, Canada.
Meet The ArizonaGuy!
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Just testing out posting to the blog automatically via phone/SMS. ________________________________________
My name is Erik Heinz and I am the ArizonaGuy.
Rebuilding ArizonaGuy Website
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Howdy! I’ve got a work in progress, converting my old PostNuke site over to Wordpress for a much cleaner, simpler blog site. Lots of work left to be done including cleaning up the migrated posts (so they don’t all say posted in 1970), adding the photos from those posts, and integrating the photo gallery into this site as well.
Here’s hoping I can get it all done in a month or less!
I am not at war…
embedded by Embedded Video
Short & Sweet & Long Overdue…
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People really should keep up to date with me on MySpace. Yea, I know, you have to have an account to see anything.. Hopefully in the coming months I’ll completely wipe out this site and redploy with something like WordPress. Just need to find a decent script to convert all my old blogs.
I?ll try to force myself to expand on a bunch of thoughts and ideas in the very near future…
But so far 2008 is just lovely. My winter jaunt to London, Ireland (again…this time Dublin, Kilkenny, Kinsale, Cork), Amsterdam, Brussels and back through London once more was great. I picked up a British Sign Language book (almost nothing in common with ASL), learned the Irish sign language alphabet, saw Christy Moore perform, loved Amsterdam, remembered how good the beer and chocolate are in Brussels and caught Cabaret before leaving London. There?s a photo album containing only the shots with Junior - little stuffed animal of Martina?s I took with me - here. Might get around to adding a bunch of other non-Junior shots eventually.
We spent Super Bowl weekend in San Francisco. Rained all day Saturday but poor weather never bothers us. Sunday was better. Except for the insanity of air traffic ground holds for flights inbound to Phoenix Sunday night - delays due to the huge number of private and general aviation craft departing the Phoenix area. Sat on the plane 90 minutes before leaving the gate.
I went to Orlando for a weekend in mid February. I hung out with my longtime buddy ol? pal, Anna. Got some tasty Giordano?s pizza, hung out at Universal Studios? City Walk and went to Epcot Center too.
For St. Patrick?s Day, Martina and I spent three days in Chicago. My second time spending that fabulous day in the city, this time was much better. Saw the river dyed green and the parade on Saturday. We got Chicago hot dogs, one full Irish breakfast at Fado?s, awesome Polish food from a huge buffet and my favorite deep dish pizza from Giordano?s. We spent most of a day at the free and excellent Lincoln Park Zoo and visited Navy Pier and the John Hancock 94th Floor Observatory.
The last night there, I went solo to the Gaelic Storm show at House of Blues. I miss traipsing around the country from pilar to post to see the shows and I wish I could justify going to Australia for a festival they?ll be at near Melbourne in June. Anyhow, I was deep in the middle of the crowd but they definitely saw me. Got a mention by name from Twigger as part of a joke comment and at the end Murphy points and says, “This man flew all the way from Phoenix, Arizona.” Gotta love appreciative musicians that give a damn.
Now it?s really late, or really early on April 7th. We?re almost done with our ASL 102 course and have recently been searching for summer programs to join. We?ve found an ASL Immersion program at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. We?ll be escaping the oppresive Phoenix heat in July for a cool college town and Canada?s festival capital.
Future travels - I?m always contemplating where to go for a weekend or longer. Domestically, San Francisco and Chicago are always on the return list - in fact I?m considering requesting permission from work to relocate to Chicago in about a year, possibly less. Back on the travel options, Portland and Boston are hopeful weekend trips, as is New York but it?s so annoyingly expensive there right now. A cheap enough ticket would see me back in Hawaii too, on Kauai or Maui since I?ve not been to those islands. Still need to go to Juneau while my sister?s family is there so I hope to get that crossed off the “must see” list too.
Longer term - we have a desire to go to Europe for the Christmas markets but the exchange rate is so damned frustrating. I?m seriously considering Australia for the Australian Open and to finally satisify my thirst to visit Van Diemen?s Land. For less expensive options I?ve been interested in Buenos Aires, Santiago and Punta Arenas for a long time. Belize doesn?t look extremely enticing but it?s affordable and English speaking so it?s on the list too. So are Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Guadalajara or Mexico City, Mexico and Costa Rica. Time will tell!
I say it’s OK and you say it’s okaaaaay…
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So I really feel that I’m getting into ASL. I’m still just a level one student but my confidence is growing with every new word or idiom I learn. I live on this precipice oft forgotten demographic known as hard of hearing that exists between the hearing world and the Deaf community. I don’t wish to be considered hearing nor deaf but decided I want to bridge the gap and enter the Deaf community. It’s about time I dove into this language, it’s inspiring to say the least.
Actually, it’s about time I dove into any language beyond the rudimentary. I have Rosetta Stone software that’s supposed to be top notch and I’ve got all their western languages and then some. I really want to learn something that interests me (Russian, Greek, Arabic, even Welsh. They don’t have Irish, unfortunately) but I’m leaning towards continuing the Spanish (Latin) I started on last spring. That’d be most useful, and second best choice is French because Martina could help me and I would be good practice for her to keep her skills sharp. By November 1st, I intend to dedicate one hour a day average to the software and hope to see where I’m at in 6 months.
Lately I’ve been feeling restless. I work and I go to school. The learning is rewarding but isn’t fulfilling enough. I still feel a need to be doing something, contributing to a greater good. Peace Corps is out, having been delayed until I choose it as an early retirement option. I need to discover someplace else I can volunteer my time and experience. I’m just not certain what as no one idea is speaking to my desire. I’m not a religious man, quite agnostic really, so I’d prefer something secular. I’d like to use my computer skills. If anyone has suggestions, please send them my way. The need to give back and witness the results of my actions is gnawing at me more and more since it was shoved to the back burner. Careerism is so despicable that I need to balance that out. After all, life is about balance.
It’s OK - performed by Pearl Jam 24 Aug 2000, originally by Dead Moon
It’s ok, it’s ok
You don’t have to run and hide away
It’s ok, it’s ok
You know I love you anyway
This is my chance, this is my life
And my hope in an alleyway
This is my chance, this is my voice
There may be no tomorrow, no
This is my plea, this is my need
And my time of standing free
This is my step, this is my day
And the world is never the same
It’s ok, it’s ok
You know I love you anyway
It’s ok, it’s ok
You don’t have to run and hide away
It’s ok, it’s ok
It’s ok …
It’s Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay …
Ringing in the New Year in Temple Bar
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It’s official. I will be in Europe once again, leaving Phoenix on 28 December and returning home on 13 January. I’ll get to London the morning of the 29th and stay for two nights, then travel to Dublin either by Aer Lingus or my favorite rail & sail option on New Year’s Eve. Other specifics are yet to be decided.
Originally planning to spend only two nights in Dublin, I’ll now be spending three as I’ve learned of a plethora of Christy Moore and Declan Sinnott shows taking place. The man I’ve missed almost as his brother Luka Bloom will finally be crossed off my list of musicians I must see perform when I attend his concert on 2 January at the Vicar Street theatre in Dublin City Centre. One cannot understand how awesome this is for me even knowing how much I obsess over all things Irish, especially its music.
Unfortunately, it looks like Martina won’t be able to join me. I’m hoping to at least have her with me for a part of the time but it boils down to finances and work schedules. I do feel guilty about going without her but I simply cannot sacrifice my passion for travel and not use the abundant time off my employer allows.
Besides, even if she can’t go on this trip, I’m as usual mentally thinking two trips ahead. I’m considering two weeks for us to Portland or Seattle, then Juneau with my sister and Victoria and/or Vancouver. I’ve also thought of a week in Reykjavik if timing of spring break works properly. Then, because I know she’d love to be in Paris for Bastille Day (she missed it despite living there for nearly a year) and I’d like to see the Tour de France go by in a small village, we might find ourselves among Francophiles in July. Couple all that with my desire to get back to the weekend traveling to places like San Francisco and Chicago, even day trips to San Diego or Las Vegas on cheap Southwest flights. 2008 travel options are looking very positive!
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My name is Erik Heinz and I am the ArizonaGuy.
Fuck Off / Fuck You Means Brother in Japanese.
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Update time! I haven’t written a damn thing in over a month and time certainly flies. I shall endeavour to send this update into the cyber bitstream post haste, tout de suite, on the double, immediately if not sooner.
Back in May, I asked my mom where she would like to go on a trip or vacation and I would take her anywhere. The point was it was supposed to be my gift to her for her birthday. Mom’s a slot machine addict, so the only place she wanted to go was Laughlin. So guess where we went? In the middle of July when it was 119 degrees, we were in the southeast Nevada desert. I burned a couple vacation days for it but it was nice to be away from work a bit. It worked out well for me, as at one point I had an extra $2400. I lost a little of that but still came home with more than 2 grand, plus the original $300 I started with. How’s that for profit? Paid of the remainder of my new roof replaced in February.
Near the end of July, it was time for me to move into the digital age. I now have a Hitachi 50 inch plasma and a Nintendo Wii. I got the Wii specifically so Martina and I could play together. It’s a blast playing bowling and playing tennis on the sports game, and I’ve got a silly WarioWare game full of five second microgames that’s fun too. And now I have a web browser on my TV thanks to the Wii, and that’s convenient for geeky me. I want an Xbox 360 but pretty much for one game only - Grand Theft Auto IV - but since it’s been pushed back to spring 2008 I don’t need to drool over that for some time yet.
I must say that NBC sucks ass, or at least the president does, for believing people will watch their shows whether in HD or not. Bullshit. Only 25% of their summer lineup is in HD, far less than the other networks. Boo! Cox also sucks, having a crappy HD lineup. I’ll switch to satellite after I see what kind of response they come up with to the new channels DirecTV is pushing this fall. Cox spends so damned much time promoting their digital phone service which I do not want and seemingly little time on digital TV upgrades. Boo!
Early on July 27th, I woke up and thought I was hearing something awkward. This is impressive since it didn’t wake up Martina and I’m the one with moderate to severe hearing loss. I didn’t pop in the magic ears (hearing aids), and simply went back to sleep. Later that morning when I got up, I realized no air was pumping out from the AC though it was on. Kicking myself for opting not to renew my home warranty for another year at $400, I called a maintenace company and was thrilled they could actually send a tech out that day. I wouldn’t have to fork out for a night in a hotel then. I had my AC motor replaced for over $1100. Oh the joy of home ownership!
Moving on then. On August 13th, while driving to work on one of the few days a week I don’t work from home, I had the misfortune of rear-ending an F-150 on the freeway. I was paying more attention to an SUV in my rearview mirror that didn’t seem to be stopping and didn’t notice I was too close to the truck ahead of me until it was too late. I braked but hit the left side of the bumper - and mainly the extended trailer hitch - with the right front of my bumper.
As at-fault accidents go, I lucked out. We pulled off to the shoulder and the driver of the truck looked at his bumper, saw no damage, said he was fine and was ready to drive off. I was shocked, but not going to complain about that. I gave him my name and number but didn’t get his, and we didn’t swap insurance info either. A DPS officer arrived within 2 minutes. The other driver said he had no damage and we explained our intentions. The DPS officer said as long as we’re ok with swapping info, and if my car was drivable, he was fine with that and said goodbye. So while I caused this stupid rear-ender, there’s no ticket and no claim against my liability or property damage.
So my car’s in the body shop and has been since the 14th. The downside is I do have a $1250 collision deductible. I did that on purpose as it keeps my rate lower and I earn interest on the difference. I have a crappy Chevy Cobalt rental in the meantime and I was told today I’ll probably have my car back early next week. I miss my in dash linux MP3 player, radio sucks!
This week was the first week of classes for universities and community colleges - and so found Martina and I at MCC. She’s taking some computer courses this semester and together we’re taking SGL101 - American Sign Language I. It’s fun so far, and I’m really excited to be able to converse. I hope to complete at least 3 semesters but no less than 2. Our instructor teaches at a high school and at MCC. He’s actually deaf and I’m thrilled about that. I prefer a more immersive style of learning, I enjoy mental challenges even when they frustrate the hell out of me. So the first night, he’s explaining that ASL is American only and not at all usable in other countries. Nearly every country has its own version actually. British Sign Language is distinctly different than American (even the alphabet is done with two hands versus one), which is different than Irish, which is even different than Northern Irish. To illustrate, he used a few signs and wrote what they meant in other countries. Flipping someone off is essentially the Japanese sign for brother. That’s fun. 
Tomorrow night, Martina and I are going to go hang out with Beth & George. We’ll go have dinner and then have a Wii party. I haven’t played four player doubles tennis yet so this should be fun!
As far as travel - I hate the fact I have no plans to go anywhere right now. School has thrown a monkey wrench into that since I’m back on the long, drawn-out 17 week semester schedule. I’m hoping to take the six days I’ve got and take Martina with me to Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic or anywhere we can find some awesome Christmas markets - Christmas has a much better feel on that continent, at least until the EU I actually love manages to ruin it anyway.
And that’s all she wrote for now…
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My name is Erik Heinz and I am the ArizonaGuy.
Hooters, Hooters, Yum Yum Yum.
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It’s the Bundy Credo. Didn’t you know?
Now that the randomness has past. Martina has officially moved in! Yay! Though moving in June in Phoenix is a horrible idea. Almost completely done though.
It’s hotter than two gophers screwing in a wool sock. It’s 10:40pm and it’s still over 100 degrees in this ridiculous concrete and asphalt oasis. At least before the lemmings began arriving en masse over the past decade or more, mainly for tech jobs, the nights would cool off. No longer. Worse, the really hot temps are yet to come. At least 114 next week, possibly 117 or higher. I’ll be sweating like a whore in a church.
The Brits foiled a major terrorist plot, almost by accident, when the car bombs were discovered. Looked eery to see images of Picadilly Circus completely devoid of people in the middle of a business day. It reminds me that I was in Russell Square in 2005 a day before the London Transport bombings that July. Mere days after Live 8 and before the G8 summit in Gleneagles. I stood where the bus exploded less than 24 hours before it happened. Synchronicity in some horrible way?
Many people felt compelled to increase their overall debt today for a $500 or $600 iPhone. Not really sure why. The lines really get me, since some stores still have stock and they’re still available from Apple’s website. But you can go buy them in excess of $1000 on Ebay just the same.
I desperately need to travel. I get to go to Laughlin with my mom. Exciting. Laughlin. I hope to burn a week in the fall or early winter somewhere overseas, though Central America or Newfoundland would be acceptable. I’d like to hold off on visiting my sister in Alaska until next spring, I think. Best chance of witnessing northern lights are in the spring, though this applies to viewing from Newfoundland as well. Newfoundland is full if Irish, Scottish and English history and maritime lore. See the draw for me?
Meh. Onward. Things to do. Maybe more blogging frequency. I’ve made that empty promise at times before. Will it be just as empty this time?
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My name is Erik Heinz and I am the ArizonaGuy.
Identity Theft is a Bitch.
Posted by Erik | Filed under Uncategorized
So in late May, my PayPal account was compromised and more than ?3400 ($6700) was spent on fraudulent EBay auctions. I caught it and had my bank and credit card put a stop on all PayPal payments. To PayPal’s credit, they caught the unusual activity, limited my account and notified me. They’ve since reversed the transactions as well. I’m out nothing.
This morning I check my online credit card transactions and see an odd $26.82 WORLDOFWARCRAFT transaction plus the standard 3% FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEE. I don’t play the game and never have. With the foreign transaction and the odd dollar amount it’s clear that it was a ?20 charge, made on a European site.
I call my card’s bank. The guy tells me I actually have to call the merchant myself to resolve this, despite my argument that I have nothing to do with the merchant and it’s clearly a fraudulent, compromised charge. The guy must be new. I have such stellar credit history that he should have wiped the charge out immediately, frozen my account and issued a new card. But alas, no.
So I make the effort of calling WoW support. I only found a tech support # in California. I call and it’s suggested I call European billing, but then am told to try North American billing so it’s toll free. I have free long distance to UK so I call their 0800 billing support number.
Javier (I think, the guy had a heavy Manchester accent) listens to my explanation that I’m only calling for legal reasons per my credit card bank’s advice. He asked for my card number which I reluctantly give - I really wanted to see what he dug up. My card was charged for one-time purchases on two different WoW accounts. He wasn’t overly willing to cancel those accounts and that’s not really my issue. I hang up.
I call my credit card back. They have an automated fraud alert system that prompts you about suspect charges. I had one the first time I called about a $4 charge at Fry’s grocery store. Lame. Clearly mine, I accepted it. On this call it asks me about a $39.99 charge to “COMPUTER STORE” - WTF?
No, not mine. I’m immediately transferred to a security rep. I explain the situation and who I’ve contacted. He markes the WoW charge as fraudulent, determines the ComputerStore charge is in CA with a 949 number - that’s the area code WoW North America is in - and marks it fraudulent as well. He freezes my account and issues me an expedited replacement like the first guy should have and I’ll get it by Saturday.
So - this leads me to wonder what the hell happened. How did my information become compromised? Apparently I’m also sending people instant messages on MSN and AIM that I never sent. Strange. Could this be because of my Dell PDA that was stolen in Bucharest on March 7th? Passwords were encrypted on that, and I was certain there were no credit card records. Nevertheless, I’m changing every account number. I already changed every single password I could think of after the PayPal incident.
This isn’t even really identity theft to an extreme (no lost SS#, no one obtaining accounts in my name) and I can’t imagine how true victims of this really feel.
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My name is Erik Heinz and I am the ArizonaGuy.