Lawrence "The Dreamer" Chen's Blog

Link: http://www.selectcomfort.com

A few months ago, I noticed the problem I originally had with my Select Comfort bed had reappeared. Some missing segments on my (wired) pump remote. It had beed just about the same amount of time since I got the remanufactured pump unit for the last time I experienced this problem.

They had indicated then that they wanted the 'failing' unit to determine the cause of the problem and address it. So, I guess it isn't totally surprising that I've experienced the problem again.

Despite my continued effort to be careful with the remote, the problem has reappeared. I kind of suspect is doesn't like that occasionally the remote does slide off the edge of my bed and on to the floor. But, you'd think that I'm not the only person that this kind of occurrence happens to.

One random morning, when I was looking at an empty search box....I decided to see if there was anything out there about my problem. I got distracted reading about problems in general that people have had.

Evidently I don't fall into that group.

At first it was an intermittent miss a few segments...and they would sometimes come back and others would leave, etc. With no apparently indication of why the changes were happening. But, then a few nights ago...remembering that my back was sore that morning, I went to see what pressure my bed had changed to. Felt like it had gained about 20.

Well, I was stumped.

Only one segment was working on the display. I could tell whether the indicated number ended with a '5' or a '0'....I had to go by feel that night. As it was, I apparently hit the right number...because a couple nights later enough digits returned to tell what I had dialed up.

But, annoyed that all I could tell was whether the number ended in '5' or '0' and annoyed that my back is bothering me again...I went to fire off another customer support request to see about getting the pump replaced. I knew the bed is supposed to be a 20 year limited warranty....though I wasn't sure how things fall with the 'limited' part.

I did wait a long time to get a response, but I see that this happened the last time....in fact I've forgotten when I sent the support request (fairly sure it was like midnight Labor day or something). So, it wasn't like forever.

But, I got the email today. They said they want to confirm my delivery address, so they can replace my pump at no cost under my warranty by UPS Ground.

The only struggle was whether to have them ship to my home address or another address to have somebody receive it for me. I opted to have it go to my home address. Shouldn't be a problem if the UPS guy has to make a second delivery attempt should I not know to expect it on a certain day. There will be other planned UPS deliveries coming up.

I sure hope that they have worked out the kinks and that this'll be the last time I deal with this problem until I buy my next Select Number bed. Which I kind of would like to be sooner than later...hint, hint, hint

"I'm now a 40"

Recently I got a new chair at work. A Loaded Herman Miller Mirra Chair. This thing is amazing. Last night I stayed later then I had planned, because I didn't feel the urge the leave it.

I've never had a good chair at work before.

Meanwhile, I had been thinking for some time of replacing some of the seating at home....guess this means I need to step up those plans...so I won't find myself preferring to sit at work more than sit at home

Though it is kind of a toss-up....do I want to replace the seat in front of my Home Theatre....been thinking of either a Lazy-Boy or a Massage Chair....both are kind of expensive... But, so would buying a Herman Miller chair to replace my computer chair.

Leaning towards the computer chair being first....it had been thought of as a priority for many years (13+) But, I still have the cheap $50 task chair purchased from (I'm pretty sure) Consumer Distributing....guess its like 25 years old.

Plus not really sure of how I want to reorganize the living room from changing from a futon to a recliner or like.

Link: http://martex.com/page/view/id/257

Last January, I had purchased an electric mattress pad from Select Comfort. Expecting it to be the right thing to go on top of my Select Comfort bed.

But, it was just a Sunbeam mattress pad. And, as I have since found other people have found it equally annoying with its connection point being on the top of the mattress pad (where my feet keep hitting it) So, I've only used it for a while before I threw it aside.

This fall, I started looking again to see whether I would be getting an electric mattress pad or an electric blanket for the season. I was getting frustrated trying to find pictures of prospective mattress pads to see where the attachment location was, to see if there were any that attached on the side rather than on top like the waste of a purchase I had done with the Sunbeam one.

It was frustrating enough that I thought about giving up the search for a mattress pad (which I think would work better for me, since I'm a back sleeper and there's things like logic....) and just settle on finding an electric blanket.

I even tried going to a few brick and mortar stores to see what they had for electric mattress pads. But, the boxes refused to show the detail of the connection point and none were open for inspection (and I didn't feel like cracking one of the glue sealed box open to find out....).

But, then I don't know where I came across a picture on the Internet (most likely Amazon.com) that seemed to indicate that the connection point for the Restwarmer was halfway down the side....which meant that it was exactly what I wanted.

Then it was a decision on whether to get it from Amazon.com or JCPenney, where I had also seen it. With Amazon, I could get Prime shipping and get it at home at a predictable time. With JCPenney, I could support Make-a-Wish....though I would then have no idea when it would show up, etc.

JCPenney had it on sale, so I went that way....but then the price at Amazon came down...so Amazon probably would've been the better way to go. Especially since I ordered in December, but didn't get it until yesterday (picked it up from the UPS store). With Amazon's price now matching JCPenney's...the free shipping (ground or prime) is far better than what I paid for ground shipping from JCPenney....and I didn't get the tracking number from JCPenny until after the item was delivered....so I didn't know when to expect it.

Anyways...I only have one gripe about it....

This piece from the instruction manual is confusing:

I set it up last night based on where the "Control with Service Information Label" was located, which is the opposite of the picture. And, ended up with the controls backwards....controlling opposite side of bed. So, this morning I switched to match the picture ignoring where the label(s) is(are).

Otherwise, so far all is good.

Though the attachment point is on the edge rather than on the side....it is out of the way sufficiently that it doesn't cause too much discomfort at night. And, I'm not entirely sure how JCPenney can say it'll fit a mattress up to 17" thick. Especially since the manufacturer's site says only 12". Fortunately, my mattress is (only) 10" thick.

Link: http://www.racksandstands.com/OMA-1520-BMA-1520-CMA-1520-PRP1005.html

For a long time, I've been meaning to get a new CD storage rack of some sort. I used to have a pair of 500 CD Storage racks, which I had out grown. Plus, there weren't the most stable...one of them toppled shortly after I moved to my second apartment in Ohio.

When it became clear that I be undertaking a relocation, I decided that I would just toss the old CD racks with the plan that I would purchase new ones. Well, the new situation was less the ideal, so figuring out how and when to acquire a new CD rack and where I might put it took some time.

Recently, I got an email ad on a CD storage rack...and I started thinking that maybe it was time to see about taking the plunge. With the plan to take Columbus Day off, I went looking to see who I might order from that might be able to target as a UPS delivery on Columbus Day.

I had nearly settled on a choice, until I went to find out how much shipping was. Over $100 for ground shipping. While Googling for other sources, there was a sponsored result touting free shipping. So I ordered from them. The site gave the implication that it was a limited time offer and could take up to 2 weeks to ship. Well, it took less than that to ship and it still offers free shipping.

So, as I previously blogged...it tried to arrive the Wednesday before Columbus Day, and I got UPS to defer until Columbus Day.

Well, today I finally set it up.

The hardest challenge was that I don't have free space to assembly it laying down, and wasn't designed to be assembled upright. But, I managed to get it sufficiently assembled.

Now to find the boxes with the CDs, and start loading it up.

Well, because the drapes didn't quite make the room dark enough, especially when the outside parking lot light is shining right onto my window. I had ended up ordering a blackout liner to see if that would solve things.

Guess I need to set the rod out further to make that work...but except for the light leakage at the sides, it is great now. The blackout liner is longer than the drapes, so it does look a little strange. But, I'm mainly about function here.

The big, long, heavy part 1 of 2 has turned up....gonna just stash it somewhere, because I don't have room to set it up just yet...and I'm starving, so it is time to tackle the turkey.

Today, is Columbus Day. AKA Canadian Thanksgiving.

I took today off from work as my discretionary holiday (AKA floating holiday, use it or lose it holiday, etc.), so that I could do the Canadian thing....as well as do some stuff I've been wanting to do around my home and wait for some deliveries.

First the deliveries. I mentioned that I had something that was attempted on Wednesday, when I wasn't home, that I had them defer delivery until today. Well, that didn't quite work out. It was shipped in two boxes, but only one of them arrived today....the one labeled "2 of 2". Hopefully they'll find the other one and complete its delivery today. The other item I had delivered today is a Dyson DC18 Slim. I don't feel like opening that box today, so it might be a while before I get around to using it to vacuum.

Why?

The thing I've been meaning to do around the home is hang some new curtains. A while back the landlord turned an area outside into a parking lot, and the lights for the lot shine against my condo...namely right against my bedroom window. So, I started looking for better light blocking drapes...though it would take a while before the order would arrive, so I resorted to foiling my windows.

The foiling worked really well, perhaps too well. I could sleep all day.... and I found that my bedroom was much cooler. And, since summer was coming, I opted to leave the foil up. Plus I didn't own the condo yet, so I put off drilling holes and hanging drapes. But, now that it is cooling down and there might actually be cause to open windows...it was time to take action. Plus the foiling seemed to prevent my atomic clock from syncing.

Though I have now discovered that it wasn't the case. Evidently my (Oreck) electronic aircleaner is throwing off stray RF that jams reception. I think I got the aircleaner a bit before I did the foiling, but I never looked at the clock until afterwards. Guess I'll find somewhere else to put it.

The drapes might not work out though. They aren't quite wide enough, a little long (so I had to move my dresser), and they don't seem dark enough... So, it is possible I might be ordering new drapes again. At least when I do, I'll have the option to get another rod and hang these drapes in the other bedroom. Which I plan to use as soon as I clear some clutter.

Guess I'll find out how well they work tonight....

Today, was kind of a day that I got a lot of deliveries...

First was when UPS was going to delivery a CD rack that I had purchased, I wasn't home...but as it turned out my Wednesday morning meeting was canceled...so I could've been home to wait for it. But, either they would leave the ~101lb package on my doorstep or they would leave a notice and try again later. They went for the latter, so I went online and directed them to defer redelivery until Monday when I'm taking my discretionary holiday from work. (Since the suggested time tomorrow doesn't work with all the other stuff going on, and I just haven't had time to read about the new health insurance stuff at work...so I intend to go to the information sessions. And, Friday is also a bad day to be juggling time around....)

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....at least it felt like I was. Last weekend, I didn't make it down to the UPS store to see what loot would be waiting for me....and I decided I couldn't put it off another weekend.

There were 4 boxes waiting for me, I had to open 3 of them in the store and make the contents fit into my duffel bag. The 4th was too large either way, but light enough that I carried it under arm....though it cut of the circulation, so my arm was asleep before I made it home...and it was hard to swing it to the otherside, because of the stuff on my belt on that side

There were some simple things like a massager I had picked up to pad an order, a digital thermometer/hydrometer which I had been thinking of getting one for the office to see how humid it gets sometimes, a nosquito to see if it would help manage my indoor flying insect problem, as well as some spider traps. The big item is a seat cushion that I bought with the intent of using it on my deck box outside.

It is dark green, but it has that annoying white label on the side that says 'new content only' or annoying stuff like that. I tugged at it to see if it would come off easily....it did, but it wasn't supposed to.

The seam opened up way to easily to let it loose. Now I had a hole in the side of a stuffed bench cushion

Probably can't return it as defective and too much hassle anyways....

So, I went looking for my sewing kit and sewed it up. A pretty good job, though perhaps I should have some additional color choices for thread in my box....only had black and white thread. I used black for this sewing job.

I can see myself crawling into work late now and then, more often so I can get stuff delivered to my home. At least my job is flexible enough (or is it because I never stop working.... )

Next on my list...the new Core 2 Mac Minis and a pile of books. Strange that even if I did work for the library (and not just in the library)...I'd probably still have to be buying tons of books, because the library doesn't carry these kinds of books. Oh well....

....not sure where my supplies are, but there were a couple of 4x6 sheets in my HP Photosmart 8450.

Unfortunately, it looks like for not using the photo cartridges for a long time means they no longer work. The pictures came out horrible, and running a deep cleaning cycle didn't help.

Still, since the heads are part of the cartridge...at least it'll just be a simple matter of buying new cartridges. Unlike my previous printer....well, that's why it isn't current

Don't know when I'll get around to buying new photo cartridges for this printer, but I will be in need of a new black cartridge soon. Wonder which box contains the printing supplies. Guess now that I own the place, it is time to start going through all the boxes and figuring out where stuff goes or 'goes'. And probably figure out where the extra furniture will go and get to buying that.