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greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 3592
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 3, 2005 - 6:07 pm: | 
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Welcome to the first business day of 2005. The holidays are over; the decorations coming done (more on that in the soon-to-come March 2005 thread); people are back at work & the stores are empty.
Did you or your children go to school? They/you must have been glad to see their friends after the break. The ones I saw walking home at 3:30p today looked happy & relaxed.
School was open.
Did you need to cash a check you may have gotten for a Christmas gift? I'm sure it was easy.
The banks were open.
Have you been waiting for the latest Netflix video? Maybe it came today. Or, did you need to go buy stamps to mail all those holiday bill payments? You probably got them with no problem.
After all, the US Postal Service was working.
So, when I found myself, with 2 other people, standing outside of Maplewood Town Hall at 3:15p, having snuck out of work early to come and get a parking permit for TS, imagine my dismay. No one was home. No signs on the door, no warning, etc. And, from the other threads, it seems that there are others who tried to do business as well.
It wasn't a legal holiday, and most businesses who give New Year's Day as a holiday were closed last Friday. You know, a slow day. I don't get steamed about much, and I accept the fact that civil service workers get every obscure holiday under the sun as a day off. After all, they get paid poop. But, the hours are short and, dammit, I pay the salaries.
Is it unreasonable to expect that our town government be open when the rest of the world is open for business?
I think that parking permits should be waved for this week and next, since skipping out early again this week is not in the game plan. We'll have to mail the application & wait for it to be returned. Or is next Monday a floating holiday for those who didn't have Flag Day 2004 off?
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aquaman
Citizen
Username: Aquaman
Post Number: 231
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 3, 2005 - 6:37 pm: |
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What did I do today?
I opened my mail, cashed my Festivus check and then I went to the FREE* preview (postview?) of "Meet the Fockers" at 3:30 at the Maplewood Theater with all the workers from Town Hall.
*plus bottomless Nacho bar!!!
P.S. Don't tell!!! |
Nohero
Citizen
Username: Nohero
Post Number: 4244
Registered: 10-1999
| | Posted on Monday, January 3, 2005 - 7:19 pm: |
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Actually, our office was closed. We were open Friday.
New Year's on a Saturday screwed everyone up. The choices for days off were Friday or Monday, and not everybody made the same choice.
Some places of business have things that have to be done before the end of the year. Maybe the town was open on Friday, to deal with any of the "end of the year" things that the government has to deal with. |
Joan
Supporter
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 4648
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 3, 2005 - 7:39 pm: |
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Town Hall was open Friday morning. Even so, there was no one available to issue a cat license. I had to leave the cash and a partially filled out form (I can never remember my cat's age or date of neutering) with an unidentified person at the Health Department desk so the license could be sent to me (and thus my cat) my mail.
While I was waiting, I saw a steady stream of people coming into the town clerk's office across the aisle to get parking permits and jitney tickets. |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 3597
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 3, 2005 - 7:50 pm: |
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So, our public employees got Friday afternoon and today off?
I just think that if all other major functions were going (school, garbage, mail, banks), Friday should have been the day off. Or give it as a floater. The 3 of us there at the same time could not have been the only ones who tried to do business today. No signs, nothing. No signs at the train station, in local businesses, etc. This town is small enough that it should have been easy to post flyers in strategic flyers around town the week before Christmas.
So, out of curiousity, was Town Hall closed for Christmas on 12/24 or 12/27?
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Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 4991
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, January 3, 2005 - 11:10 pm: |
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Ooh, thanks for the reminder: I need a new dog license. Oh, and I just read that cats need licenses in this town, too. I had no idea!
Other than that, it was a frustrating day at work for me. Then family life was frustrating. Sometimes, my efforts are no good for anyone.
But I had a nice conversation with my cousin. We only talk every few years. He sent me a picture of me and my uncle (his father) taken when I was 18 months old. I had never seen it. It really made my day when it arrived. |
Michael K. Mc Kell
Citizen
Username: Greenerose
Post Number: 508
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 7:05 am: |
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I worked all weekend and haven't stopped.
I need a vacation. |
gemini
Citizen
Username: Gemini
Post Number: 346
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 10:23 am: |
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Tom post the picture! |
Soda
Citizen
Username: Soda
Post Number: 2270
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 10:49 am: |
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Here ya go...
 -s. |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 3600
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 10:59 am: |
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That can't be Tom.... the hair is blond.
Mike - I'm just curious: did you work on your own house or customers'? This is my unofficial, unscientific, ongoing poll to see if it's true that contractors work on everyone else's houses but their own. 
I've also been running another Greenetree's-pointless-unscientific-ongoing poll for about 5 years regarding whether men with all daughters and no sons were every in the military, law enforcement or semi-pro sports.... that's another thread.....
So, in order to back away from the thread drift: today, I am a little more cognizant of who I am and what I do. Although, I still remain permitless.... |
Mark Fuhrman
Citizen
Username: Mfpark
Post Number: 1064
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 11:30 am: |
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Aquaman: A nacho bar where the waiters and waitresses run around bottomless? This I gotta see.
Truth be told, I saw the entire Town staff in one of the growing number of nail salons getting pedicures. |
Ukealalio
Citizen
Username: Ukealalio
Post Number: 1610
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 11:53 am: |
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I hoped they shaved or wore hats down there |
aquaman
Citizen
Username: Aquaman
Post Number: 232
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 2:30 pm: |
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Mark,
Someone (yes, animal control guy, I'm talking about you) smuggled in a bottle of Pimm's.
After we all drank Pimm's Cups w/ gummy worms and buttery topping, my memory of what followed are hazy.
I think we all went to Kim's Nails after suggestions for bikini waxes if we were going to repeat Bottomless Nachos next year. |
Mark Fuhrman
Citizen
Username: Mfpark
Post Number: 1067
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 2:50 pm: |
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Aquaeousperson: I am laughing too hard to write the first response that came to mind, and besides, this is a family-friendly Board so I will show some rare discretion and keep it to myself. But it had something to do with extending your great image of naked nachos, gummy worms, buttery topping, and hazy memories.  |
LilLB
Citizen
Username: Lillb
Post Number: 305
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 - 8:57 am: |
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Greentree - when I got my permit last Friday, the guy did say there was a grace period until the end of January because they didn't start selling them until Dec 27th (a bit late). Don't quote me on that - check with them to make sure (don't want to be responsible for getting anyone a parking violation...). But, you should be safe parking for now until you cen get there (again). |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 5029
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 - 10:19 pm: |
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gemini, I don't have a scanner! |
gemini
Citizen
Username: Gemini
Post Number: 349
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, January 6, 2005 - 7:47 pm: |
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You have million dollar tires, all that info in your brain, and a great personality, and no scanner?  |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 5037
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, January 6, 2005 - 11:01 pm: |
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Wow, you really made me laugh. You know what they say about the cobbler's children's shoes? Well, I do computers by day. My computer at home is a wreck. Well, not totally. But I've been meaning to get a scanner for a long time and manage without one. It is funny, though, because I recently posted a recommendation for an all-in-one printer, which includes a scanner. I found out about it because my mother has one. |
gemini
Citizen
Username: Gemini
Post Number: 351
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Friday, January 7, 2005 - 7:54 pm: |
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I have one, they are really cheap at costco. printer, copier, and scanner (color) all in one, i think it was under 200? the inks cost like 50 for both b/w and color; I heard it's an hp scam; cheap printer prices, and they get you on the ink, which never fits in any other printer. |
Joan
Supporter
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 4671
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, January 8, 2005 - 8:14 am: |
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My new all-in-one fax-scanner-copier-printer came free with my new computer. You can't get much cheaper than that. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 5044
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, January 8, 2005 - 9:39 pm: |
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Strange as it sounds, I'm really happy to hear you got a new computer, Joan! Working with that old one sounded like a chore. |
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